I managed to get a last minute deal for the Costa Concordia in September sailing from Barcelona around the Western Med. I was a little apprehensive about going as I had heard a few things about Costa but all I can say is WOW!!! From checking in to getting the transfer back to the airport, the service we received was exceptional. Once on board, we found our cabin which was an oceanview on deck 2, about 20 cabins away from the back, again, this was a little worrying as people said you would hear noise from the engines but I can honestly say I did not hear a thing. The cabin was a reasonable size, with a large window. We had an en-suite bathroom, a tv, a sitting area...all the usuals that you get in a cabin. The cabin attendant came to introduce himself straight away which I thought was lovely. He was always around when we needed him and was always very cheery. We had a wander round the ship to get our bearings and was very impressed with the amount of sunbeds on the deck, and there was always a member of staff on hand if we got lost or fancied a cocktail or 2. The food in the buffet restaurant was lovely, there was so much to choose from, from pizza to chinese, lots of salad choices and then there was the desserts and the ice cream.... For the evening meal we choose first dining at 7pm, we were shown to our table where our waiter came over to introduce himself and pass the menu's round. There was a varied choice of food every evening and if you didn't fancy that there was a set menu that didn't change so there was always something for us to choose from. The food in the restaurant was exceptional, I could not fault one course on any of the seven nights. For me the pasta dishes were the best, those Italians really do make the best pasta. The evening entertainment was either a show in the the Theatre, singers in the bars with dance hosts on hand, there is a casino, and of course the shops. The itinerary was lovely with us stopping at Palma, Tunis, Malta, Palermo, Civitavecchia/Rome (this was my fave) & Savona. We didn't do any of the shore excursions offered by Costa, we just got off and went at our own pace. All in all, I was very impressed with Costa and would recommend them to anyone & everyone. I had read bad reviews about them before I booked but I did keep an open mind. Most people only put reviews on if they have had a bad experience so I decided to share my views.