Hi All! How was your cruise? We had a wonderful time. I liked the food, except the soups which didn't really have the robust-ness I was looking for. Everything else was great. We usually only ate dinner in the dining room. The one lunch we had there was very good, but we just seemed to be off doing other things and the buffet was easier. I did hear complaints about cold eggs from breakfast diners, but again, we ate in the buffet...and why not...the guys slinging the omelets were awesome. I really liked the super fresh fruits and salads. I also was taken by our dining room servers. They were friendly, attentive and professional. I wanted to bring Clarissa home with us! I liked the dining room entertainment, too. We had an exceptional meal in the Tuscan Steakhouse. Not cheap but worth it. The staff there could not have been more attentive. I ordered the rib eye and it was great but so big I couldn't finish it. I asked if I could take it back to my room with the idea of enjoying steak and eggs the next morning. The server misunderstood my request and came back with another entire steak which he had room service deliver to our cabin! Blew me away. Speaking of entertainment, the stage shows that I saw were really good, the dancers and singers were first-class and the resident tenor could really belt it out, although he worked "Nessun Dorma" a bit hard. His talk on Puccini and Turandot later in the cruise was very informative. I also was taken by our cruise director. These guys are usually super perky and enthusiastic enough to make me want to avoid them. This guy was not quite so bad. What interested me were the special presentations he made on the "Beauty and Harmony of the Universe" (cruise directors discussing sub-atomic particles and the properties of light?!!!) and an evening exploring and identifying the constellations. Very enjoyable and educational. We loved our cabin, too. Because of the discounted pricing we were able to afford a balcony and enjoyed our cappuccino in our deck chairs every morning. The bed was a bit hard for me, but I slept well, and we liked the extra room. I loved our excursions, too. It's cold here in Colorado, and we were delighted with the opportunities to snorkel in the Virgin Islands and Nassau. The copious rum drinks after didn't hurt either. Not so many kids on this cruise, and that was OK with me. The atmosphere was more adult. I wish I could say the same for some of the passengers, but what the hey, with 2600 plus people aboard there are bound to be some jerks. I loved the international ambiance of this cruise. Yes, you had to wait for all announcements to be made in four or five languages. So what? I liked it. I met people from all over and didn't have a negative experience. I did have some very positive ones. Melinda and I travel and cruise to see new things, meet new people, experience different cultures and have a little fun. Costa provided this for us. Would I cruise with them again? Absolutely...I'll party with the Italians anytime. We had a blast! I hope you did, too.