We just returned from a 12 night Bahamas/Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the Costa Mediterranean. This was our first time on Costa even though we have cruised several times before. We booked on the 18th. Sail date was the 23rd. I had called Costa to book directly. When the agent gave me the price, I told him that it was $50 per person cheaper on another website for the same room. He said that was his best price, so I booked through the other website. We booked an inside guarantee (We prefer an inside cause the cabins are so dark and I occasionally get seasick, so I don't want to go into the room and see the horizon going up and down). When we got our documents, we were assigned a balcony. We have been assigned an outside cabin in the past, but never a balcony. We figured this was a great way to try a balcony....for free!

Embarkation was different than most cruise lines. Inside the terminal at check in, they tell you your Costa cards will be in your stateroom. Your picture is taken (for your card) at the gangway, as you board the ship. You set up your onboard account at a kiosk. When we tried to activate ours, it said to go to guest relations. At guest relations, we were told that Costa does not accept debit cards. We tried to explain that our debit card can be used as a credit card. They again stated that they do not accept debit cards. We could find an ATM off of the ship in Miami or there would be an ATM at our first port. Luckily, my husband had cash with him.

Our cabin was nice. We used the balcony a few times, but not enough to ever pay for one. The ship was very pretty and well maintained. The cruise didn't leave Miami until 11pm. The mandatory life boat drill was at 10:15pm. That was inconvenient, but we had no choice. We aren't big drinkers, so we didn't purchase a beverage package. We have always been satisfied with the juice, coffee, hot chocolate, iced tea and lemonade that most cruise lines have on deck. That was a big mistake on Costa. They have juice and coffee available on deck in the morning. In the afternoon, the only drinks you can get are water and coffee. The drink stations close down between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner and after dinner. You can't even get water cause they take the glasses away. Pizza is free during the day, but they charge $8.00 per person for pizza, salad and dessert in the evening. Once that closes, the only food available is from room service. We never looked at the room service menu. We heard it was limited and that they charge $2.50 to deliver it. We weren't sure if the food was free or not because breakfast in your cabin was $7.00 per person. We were assigned early seating for dinner (6:30). They only have a two person wait staff compared to three persons on other cruise lines. The wait staff was friendly, but not very efficient. It didn't help that the maitre'd would allow people into the dining room 75 minutes after their assigned dining time. That not only messes up the waiter, but it affects the other passengers. The food did not compare to that of other cruise lines. Several of the items were not what I expected (minestrone soup had a white base and pasta with bolognese sauce was pasta with little bits of roast beef in gravy). The food didn't have much flavor. Salad was served with your entree of after your entree was served. The everyday menu had grilled cod or grilled chicken breast. They had 3 pools and 3 outdoor jacuzzis. The jacuzzi in the adult section was not heated. The other two were not very warm and half of the jets didn't work. Read more