You may see cruises with Costa advertised with ridiculously cheap lead-in prices and wondered how their cruises can be so cheap – compared to other cruise lines. In this article, we find out how Costa are able to charge such low prices and explore what you would actually get for your money if you booked … Read more
I’ve just disembarked a cruise on one of the biggest and most controversial cruise ships in the world where only 4% of guests spoke English. The ship I was cruising on was the Costa Smeralda built in 2019. Smeralda actually means “Emerald” in Italian. The Costa Smeralda actually has the lowest Cruise Critic rating I’ve … Read more
If you are considering cruising with Costa Cruises and speak only English, you may be wondering if the language barrier is a problem. In this article, we look at whether this is the case, and how the multiple languages spoken onboard may affect your cruise. I have taken two Costa Cruises, and this post is … Read more
I’ve just disembarked a cruise where I stayed in a cabin that had a feature I never knew existed onboard cruise ships. It certainly was a weird one and I spent most of the week trying to work out why the cruise line made this decision! Normally when you look at cruise ship cabins they … Read more
If you are taking a cruise on the Costa Smeralda you may be wondering if a balcony cabin is a good option for you. I’ve just disembarked a cruise onboard the Costa Smeralda and I stayed in a balcony cabin on deck 15. We stayed in the balcony cabin 15180, and this review is based … Read more
If you are taking a cruise on the Costa Smeralda you may be wondering if an inside cabin is a good option for you. I’ve just disembarked a cruise onboard the Costa Smeralda and my parents stayed in an inside cabin. This is what they had to say… We stayed in inside cabin 5120 and … Read more
If you are taking a cruise with Costa you may be wondering what the food will be like. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are all included at no extra cost on a Costa cruise. I have just disembarked a cruise on the Costa Smeralda and in this post we will look at everything I ate in … Read more
Costa Cruises has the reputation of being casual when it comes to cruising and dress codes, but do they actually have dress codes, and what do they entail? In this post, you’ll find dress code guidelines for all parts of a Costa cruise and we will look into if the dress codes are actually enforced. … Read more
If you are a smoker (or want to avoid smoke when you cruise) you may be wondering which cruise lines allow smoking on their balconies. I’ve personally cruised on cruise lines where smoking on balconies is allowed Can You Smoke on Cruise Ship Balconies? Four cruise lines still allow you to smoke on their ship’s … Read more
If you are considering a cruise with Costa cruise line you might be wondering what is included in the cruise fare. I have taken two Costa Cruises, one on Costa Luminosa ( now Carnival Luminosa) and the much newer, larger ship, Costa Smeralda. Costa has really upped their game with the newer ships, offering modern … Read more
When I took my first Costa cruise I didn’t purchase a drinks package. That was a big mistake for me. When I took my second Costa cruise on Costa Smeralda, one of the first things I did when I got on board was buy a soft drinks package. Costa Cruises even charges for water in … Read more
When considering a cruise, many people feel overwhelmed trying to weigh up the pros and cons! There are multiple positives and negatives to taking a cruise vacation – and cruises aren’t for everybody. I believe that almost everybody will be able to find a cruise line that will suit them. Having said that, cruises can … Read more
Cruising with a family can be expensive. I’m often asked which cruise lines I’d recommend for families so I decided to put together this guide. I have personally been on all of the cruise lines mentioned and I have been cruising since I was 11 years old. As well as talking a little about my … Read more
In this post, we look at the differences I have noticed between the cruise lines Costa and MSC. Both are Italian cruise lines, and both offer very good value for money. They are very different from British or American cruise lines though. I have taken many cruises with MSC, and two with Costa Cruises. One … Read more
Despite all of my research prior to my first cruise with Costa, there were still a number of things that surprised me. If you’re considering your first Costa cruise, or just want to learn a little more, this is the post for you. Background to my Costa cruise I’ve often seen REALLY cheap last-minute Costa … Read more