Italy, France & Spain from Rome, 3 April 2026 (8 nights)

Great destinations which is why we chose Costa. However the phrase we heard from a few other British passengers on board was 'cheap and cheerful' which seemed fair. The internet though was amazing.

I have been on p&o, celebrity, Thompson, this is the worst cruise I've been on the food was terrible as was the entertainment the organisation to got off on shore days was a shambles we had to que for over two hours for a tender in the heat when you go to customer relations to complain they tell you to email when you get home I would not go on a costa cruise if it was free

Good Things: Check in was easy. Check out easy. Variety of music excellent. Waiter service excellent. Boat architecture good, especially the lifts in the central hall atrium. Some evening entertainment good, but not all (see below). Good spa facilities. Generally a cheerful atmosphere on board. Poor Aspects: No movie theatre in afternoons. Only two lectures in English for whole of cruise. No Captain's Reception. Only two "Formal" nights in eleven. Many did not have proper dress. Very poor layout of restaurants My Way and New York New York. Some seats much better than others. Too many rectangular, not enough circular. Lower seating area could not enjoy excellent waiter dancing etc. No wine waiter to order proper drinks. We had to go to bar to get proper Proseco. Food varied from very good to almost inedible. Menu should be posted outside restaurant entrance. No viable alternative to main restaurants. Silly high price for WiFi. Make it free. Breakfast should be available until 11 or 12.00. Rush to make 10 at times. Cabin lights not bright enough for reading in bed. Some evening shows very good but some grim (clown). Lead singers male and female not all that good. Afternoon cake and tea gives impression of budgeting (little choice, not appetising). Charging 5 euros for breakfast in bed is silly and just causes resentment. No "Sailaway Parties" on deck. Hope the above helps in your future planning.

We have never travelled with Costa but always wanted to visit Rio. We have been on several different ships so yes you do compare, so compared to other ships and service we found this terrible. Yes the ship was beautiful but there is more to a ship than beauty. The food was bland, same old thing everyday and the entertainment for your main show after dinner was some what lacking other ships. There was a massive language barrier as the majority on the ship were Italian and Spanish and to be honest we did not feel as though we were made welcome at all on the ship. Lots of things went wrong and thank god Iglu Cruises sorted it out as we were at the other side of the world. So a holiday in which we wanted to go and see was a nightmare and the biggest majority was down to Costa Cruises.