We took this 21 day cruise on Costa Victoria which departed from Singapore on 19 December 2013. I apologise in advance for the length of this review...it reads like war and peace. However I thought it was important to "highlight" just how bad this ship is and how bad Costa as a company are, to spare anyone else the holiday from hell, without first being made aware of all the problems. So settle down, pour yourself a nice long drink, take a couple of valium and celebrate that you were not on this cruise!!!

Although we hadn't been advised prior to embarkation, this cruise was made up of a number of "back to back" cruises i.e. a 7 day cruise, a 5 day cruise and a 9 day cruise. We visited many ports around Asia and the itinerary was nothing short of fantastic. However, unfortunately I cannot say the same about the ship. We have cruised in excess of 20 times, with a number of cruise lines. This was our first cruise on Costa and without doubt it will be our last. It was the most distressing and upsetting experience. I am therefore reviewing Costa Victoria itself and not the ports visited.

Embarkation was a nightmare. The departure hall was full to bursting, with nowhere near enough seats. My mother required wheelchair assistance onto the ship...but finding a wheelchair and assistance was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Eventually we boarded the ship and the Costa employee pushing the wheelchair deposited us in the bar, which was close to where we had embarked. He asked us to wait there for a couple of minutes. We never saw him again!!! It was almost 1.5 hours before Costa staff were able to find anyone else to assist my mother to our cabin. Read more