Getting on the ship was a breeze.Only 10 of us embarked from our flight and we were the last group to arrive and walked right on the ship.The ship itself was amazing.We loved the over the top decor with art,mirrors and lights everywhere.Our cabin was clean and neat and our luggage was brought up within minutes.FOOD.The food was great and plentiful we always found something we liked in the buffet and the dining room menu was always varied in the choices offered,but the best part was the food all tasted so good.We bought a wine and a non-alcoholic pkg. and found they were both a good deal.Did find the cocktails and drinks on the whole a bit steep but your on holidays so it did not stop us from sampling a few of them.Some reviews mention the difference in the European culture but we totally enjoyed being on board with many different people.We are both born in Europe but grew up in Canada maybe that helped but we never felt we were treated different because we spoke english on the contrary staff went out of their way to include us.STAFF.All the staff we had the pleasure to come in contact with friendly, helpful,and a lot of fun to deal with,they really made our holiday.PORTS OF CALL.We did not book any trips on board,choosing instead to grab a taxi on our own or with other passengers sometimes from other ships.In summarizing my wife and I had a wonderful time with Costa and are already thinking of booking a cruise next year with them.I know we are novice cruisers but I really cant think of any part of the cruise that we didnt like.