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Costa Cruise Line

MS CostaVictoria

Your Rating:
Reviewed by:Pam VanWie
# previous cruises: 10+
Date of Trip: June 14, 2004
Itinerary: Mediterranean

The Costa Victoria was an excellent choice for our cruise. We had 16 people in our family party ranging from 3 to 73. There was something for everyone. The ship was lovely, food was excellent and abundant and there were activities for everyone. We were in the English speaking minority but it did not bother us. There were plenty of helpful staff that spoke some English and we learned some Italian too!

The public areas of the ship were beautiful and roomy. I am not sure I made it to all the floors of the ship to explore. There were so many places to go and see and do.

The service was impeccable! Our room steward Jerry from the Philippines was amazing and kept our room immaculate. No easy task when we were traveling with small children. Our waiters in the Fantasia restaurant were very accommodating. Joaquin from Columbia and Edward from the Philippines went out of their way to make our families comfortable. The menu was gourmet and diverse. We really enjoyed the Italian and Farewell dinners. They brought special treats and desserts for our two tables and worked with children's changing tastes. By the end of the cruise we really felt they were like family. The staff really made the cruise!

Our cabin was a budget level on deck 4. It was much more spacious that I imagined and we had plenty of closet space and storage for suitcases. Our boys enjoyed sitting in the oversized porthole window and gazing out at the sea. We discovered that were below the restaurant so sometimes it was a little noisy at night when we were trying to get children to bed. However, most people were out partying at that hour so it wouldn't bother the normal passenger.

The shows were okay certainly not Broadway or London West End quality. A little too fast paced and too many feathers and flesh for my taste. They could use a good musician director from the US to help them revamp the Rich and Famous and Theaters of the World show. Our family is filled with performers so our standards may have been a little high!

The health club was adequate and uncrowded. There is an indoor warm pool and two outside "cold" pools and 4 whirlpools. My children liked all of them. Our itinerary took us from Venice, Italy to Bari (we didn't get off). Then to Katakolon Greece (near Olympia -- Zeus' temple and Olympic stadium). Then to Santorini (built on the edge of the volcano) with lots of archaeology sites and museums. Mykonos was available for nightlife spots but we just enjoyed walking through the quaint town and watching the people, pelicans and crabs. Our favorite stop was at Rhodes. An amazing city to explore! We also stopped at Dubrovnik Croatia on the way back. Wish we had a little more time there to see another amazing city.

90% of the ship was Italian on our cruise. Although I understand the week before was 90% English speakers. Since we had a party of 16 people we really didn't interact too much with others. We were having a family reunion and so wanted to spend all of our time together.