I read alot of reviews and I have cruised every major line except Celebrity. This was my first time on a Costa ship which is geared towards Europeans however I am American. This review is based on an American sailing, not one in Europe or otherwise.
I am not going to waste your time regarding ports of call. You can research those yourself. However I am giving an honest review based on a comparison of other 7 day cruises I have taken. A cruise is what you make of it. Stay flexible and go with the flow. Being unreasonable or impatient generally does not work to your advantage.
Sailing from Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) was one of the fastest embarkations I have ever had. It literally took 30 minutes. Somewhat shocking considering some wait times on other cruises lasting 2 or 3 hours. This cruise departs the port late in the evening at 11pm however you can begin boarding at 1pm with last call at 9pm. This is smart because it gives a wide range of boarding times given its 3000+ passengers.
See above. Level 4 has larger balconies than other levels.
The beach directly in front of the dock is swimmable and beautiful.
Nassau is a dump. The bahamian government should be ashamed at how they upkeep the cruise village. This is not run by the cruise lines and it shows!