We had the misfortune to sail on the Costa Riviera one Christmas several years ago and we said "never again", this time I mean never again. Not wholly the fault of Costa who now do not produce an English brochure. We were sold this on a coach tour/cruise idea which sounded excellent.

3400, Italians including 500+ children on a ship of this size does not make for a good holiday for 40 English speaking passengers. We booked a high deck cabin with an extra large balcony at the back of the ship. No sun-beds available.Cabin not cleaned, balcony not cleaned, bathroom toiletries had to be requested. Bathroom shower was cleaned spasmodically.

2nd sitting for dinner because after 24 plus cruises this is the norm for us, normally 8-8.30pm, on here it was 9.30-10.00pm. Main course arrived on two occasions after 11.00 pm. Very young children still up with one pleading for his bed?. The dish cleaning area was immediately behind our table, what a racket. Pasta dishes served with no sauce, cold and tasteless. The menu was the smallest I have seen on a cruise ship in 40 years. 3 choices, Pasta, pasta,pasta. My husband is not a cheese eater, he lost weight. The self-service dining was awash with children allowed to help themselves, not a pretty sight. Not enough staff was a huge problem, even they were critical of the food and service. Add to this the smallest of docking times to see places like Dubrovnik was beyond a joke. Read more