Golden Princess Ship Reviewed by Walt W.

We sailed on the Dec 15th sailing of the Golden Princess on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary. We sailed on the Grand Princess, the twin to the Golden Princess twice before, so I am familiar with the ship's layout. This is a plus because I can get lost in my front yard.

We found that the added security did not slow up the boarding process at all. Luggage drop-off is pierside and processing really quick. The ship is spotless and well maintained. Boarding began before noon and a full buffet lunch was served in the Horizon Court. An experienced traveler might notice some downgrades, probably a result of the plunging price structure. On balance, the passenger is the winner. Princess used to provide robes in every cabin, now they are available only on request. True in all categories.

Also, there seems to be a slight downgrading in the food. Small items such as fresh strawberries were missing. Princess used to offer caviar as an appetizer on one of the formal nights and that is gone. Small sacrifices for the lower prices.

We saw no difference in the service levels aboard ship. Cabin service and cleanliness was as sharp and crisp as ever. Deck service was more than adequate. Princess offers a deal where for $17.50 charged to your on-board account you are offered unlimited soft drinks, a good deal.

We took late seating and that was a mistake. Personal choice is the way to go and I suspect that in a year or two it will be standard. Early seating is to early, and late seating much to late for me. People on board all felt that personal choice worked well and I heard no complaintsb about long waits for seating. I recommend it. Another change is that each passenger is charged $6.50 per day to cover ALL dining room gratuities. Service in the dining room was good as it has ever been and even the Maitre'D was visible and helpfull. Our table requested a special dessert one night and a special, complex, appetizer the last night. Both requests were graciously filled and the Maitre'D did not come looking for any additional gratuity for that service. None of our group had a negative response to the $6.50 charge.

Appreciation of entertainment is a subjective thing, but the consensus in our group is that is has fallen off. The big production show lacked electricity, it just had no pazazz. No one in our group was particularly impressed with the comedian/juggler either.

All-in-all I still think that Princess is as good a value as you can find out there. Their balconies are affordable and delightful. If anyone wants more detail they can e-mail me and I will happily respond.

Carnival Paradise Review

Strengths: "Numerous activities throughout the day - Ship is very well organized and staffed - Non-Smoking Ship - Staff very friendly - Beautiful Ship - Wonderful Cabin Service - Very good food presentation and variety - Delicious food - Variety of activities - Nice decor - Children's program - Good piano bar - Beautiful library with good selection of reading material - Very comfortable and adequate size staterooms - 24 hour pizzeria was excellent "

Weaknesses: "Needs a larger swimming pool - Too oriented toward tours sold on the ship - Need to be prepared with more on board activities during bad weather - Limitations on food variety - Unorganized transfers - Purser's desk wasn't too knowledgeable about ship's policies."

Other Observations: "Plenty of activities for children - Very handicapped accessible - Pizzeria has a great Caesar salad - Offers a more subdued Carnival product."

Who should sail on the Paradise: "Families - Health conscious people - Groups - Seniors - Couples."

World Cruise Reviewed by Marvin P.

There are cruise ships that offer passengers every possible amenity, and then some. Virtual golf. Ice skating. Bowling. Tennis. Rock climbing. You name it and there's probably a cruise ship where you can find it. Tomorrow's vessels promise to tantalize its passengers with an even wider array of shipboard fantasies. And then there's the QE2. Decidedly different from all the others, this grand lady, who made her debut way back in 1967, makes a dazzling statement that is uniquely her own.

Built as an ocean liner when the cruise industry was still in its infancy, this "legend in her own time" never joined the pack to become something she wasn't. And for 35 years she's proclaimed what she was: one of the most elegant vessels afloat. She still is.

I boarded "The Queen" on January 9th as she set sail from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles on the first leg (12 days) of her annual World Cruise. Fellow passengers included some 400 celebrants who were booked for the entire 108-day cruise. Although this number is down from past years, occupancy on most of the segments will be relatively high. Of course, with lower numbers, passengers benefit from a better staff/passenger ratio.

Although the passengers, regardless of their booked category, are free to roam the ship as they please - more or less - the QE2 maintains a separation of the classes according to assigned dining room. But even those who are relegated to the Mauretania, enjoy fine cuisine, superlative service and a memorable dining experience. In fact, the basic menu for all of the restaurants is the same. The only difference is the number of choices which increase as you go up the dining ladder. In the Grills, you can also order something special that doesn't appear on the menu. The Mauretania is the only dining room aboard the ship where you can opt for main or late seating. All of the others, the Caronia, the Britannia Grill, the Princess Grill, and the ultimate, Queens Grill, offer one-seating service. I was assigned to the Caronia which allowed me to enjoy dinner any time from 6:45 to 9:00 pm - at the same table and with the same waiter/bus boy. The Lido, which offers a dazzling buffet, was my choice for breakfast an The QE2 offers a very civilized way to cruise: few announcements on the P.A. system; an upscale (and very English) afternoon tea service (complete with a tasty array of finger sandwiches, scones and pastries); terry robes for all Caronia and up passengers; daytime and evening concerts; tasteful entertainment; a library touted as the largest one afloat (and it really is, so don't weigh down your luggage with heavy reading matter - the QE2's library is more than adequate); and broad wooden decks for a classic promenade or a good read 'n snooze on a sea-bleached wooden lounge chair right out of the 30's. I could have done without four formal nights out of twelve, but many passengers enjoy dressing up. The dress code, even on non-formal nights, is jacket and tie for the guys. But that's my taste - I go for a more casual dress code. But even on formal nights, you could get by with a dark suit or blazer. And if you really don't choose to dress up, you could dine in the Lido - but that, I feel, would be a downe Although the QE2 is getting up there age wise, with some tell-tale dowager wrinkles she wears with pride, she's still a perky and vibrant lady who promises an unforgettable cruise experience every time. And although there are lots of newer, more streamlined and glitzier ships to choose from, most of them who deliver an excellent product, my money is on the Queen Elizabeth II.

Mexican Riviera cruise Reviewed by Sean

PREVIOUS CRUISES
This cruise was my ninth over all. It was my second cruise with Carnival, but the first on a Fantasy-class ship. My previous cruises include Premier's Big Red Boat Oceanic to the Bahamas; Celebrity's Zenith to the Western Caribbean; Majesty's Royal Majesty (currently NCL's Norwegian Majesty) to Bermuda; Holland America's Veendam to the Eastern Caribbean; Holland America's Westerdam to the Eastern Caribbean; Princess' Crown Princess to Alaska (Vancouver to Seward); Carnival's Carnival Destiny to the Western Caribbean; and Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas to the Western Caribbean. Since I had just sailed on the world's largest ship, Voyager of the Seas four weeks before the Elation, I was anxious to see how this 'smaller' ship would compare.

THE ELATION

When we first pulled up to the pier in San Pedro, I was suprised how small the Elation seemed. However, as the week went on, the Elation became a very good sized, comfortable ship. The first three floors of the Elation are nothing but cabins. We were on the second floor, Main Deck. On Empress Deck 7, there was the bottom floor of the Elation Atrium, the Plaza Bar, the Purser's Desk, Shore Tours, and the Photo Gallery.

The Elation Atrium was a beautiful place on the ship. I rises seven decks, and is capped by a glass dome. The thing I liked so much about this atrium is that it was so wide...it is about two-thirds the width of the entire ship. At night, the atrium would light up in shades of pink and red, creating a magical atmosphere. On Atlantic Deck 8, there was the first floor of the Mikado Show Lounge, the Galleria Shops, the Card Room, Duke's Piano Bar, the Mark Twain Library, the Imagination Dining Room, and the Inspiration Dining Room. The Mikado is a nicely decorated room, highlighted with a Japanese theme with green and gold colors. Though it was a very pretty room, it had some horrible sight lines and many obstructed views. If you got here early for a show, you could get a good seat, but if you came late, it was almost guaranteed that a pole or something would be in your way. The Galleria Shops are right at the entrance of the Mikado. There is quite an impressive collection of stores in here, including the Carnival Logo Shop, many designer boutiques, and a liquor and sundries store. Duke's is the Elation's Piano bar, and here people did piano sing alongs nightly. The Mark Twain Library is a very quiet place, and is decorated in a Riverboat theme appropriately. We ate in the Imagination Dining Room. This dining room is accessible from the atrium. The dining room served its purpose; however, it was a bit dark. At times, this room seemed a bit claustrophobic, but I didn't mind since I was eating. The Inspiration Dining Room is in the back of the ship, and it is accessible from the aft elevator lobby, or down the stairs of Gatsby's Great Bar. Up on Promenade Deck 9, there was the Mikado Balcony, Virtual World, Elation's Way, the Casablanca Casino, Sushi Bar, Drama Bar, Romeo & Juliet Lounge, the Musical Cafe, the Jekyll & Hyde Dance Club, Gatsby's Great Bar, and the Cole Porter Club. The Mikado Balcony, unfortunately had some sight lines of the stage which were even worse than the main level's, especially if you sat in the back part of the top floor. Virtual World was an arcade room which featured many games that I had pretty much no interest in. Elation's Way stretches down the Starboard side of the Elation, connecting most of the main public rooms. Sofas and chairs are present down the entire length of Elation's Way. I loved sitting on one of the sofas next to a window, and watching the sea go by. The Casablanca Casino was quite large, and it featured tons of slot machines and many tables. The gambling age on Elation is 18, but this was rarely enforced. The Sushi Bar is on Elation's Way, and right across from the casino. I guess if you like sushi, you might like this place. It tended to leave a nice little sushi stench down Elation's Way before dinner. The Drama Bar was one of my favorite places on the ship. Each night, Jimmy, a guitarist and vocalist would sing songs. I just really enjoyed this. Romeo & Juliet had some unique decor, and a band played here nightly. The Musical Cafe was a closed off sitting area on Elation's Way with a bar which sells cookies, desserts, and such. I do not understand why Carnival charges for these foods. This seems really stupid to me, especially when you can go up a floor to Tiffany's Restaurant and get the same desserts on the buffet for free. Oh well, I just hope they drop the charges for these snacks. The Jekyll & Hyde Dance Club is a nice sized disco. Here, karaoke sessions take place, and it is alive with music and dancing at night. There is a Fossil Watch shop right next to Jekyll & Hyde. Going further back, Gatsby's Great Bar is a great place for a pre-dinner drink. Cole Porter Club is in the very back of the ship, and here, there are the midnight, 'R-rated' comedy shows and the past passenger reception. Up on Lido Deck 10, there is the main pool area, and Tiffany's Bar and Grill. The Patio Pool Area features a very nice sized pool, two hot tubs, a large waterslide, a stage, and plenty of deck space. Finding a chair here was rarely a problem. However, people still saved their chairs with towels as they do on every ship. There is a poolside buffet on deck where hamburgers, hot-dogs, and the regular lunch and breakfast buffet is served. Tiffany's features two buffet lines, a salad bar, the pizzeria, and another bar. On Verandah Deck 11, there are 4 Ping-Pong tables right outside of the Atrium. Going further back, there is tons of deck space and another pool in the back with two hot tubs. On Sports Deck 12, there is the Gym area and Children's World. Up on Sun Deck 13, there is the jogging track, the 'beach volleyball' court, and more deck space. The Elation was truly spotless, she is an extremely clean ship. Overall, this ship was very easy to navigate, and I became very comfortable with it since it felt quite 'homey'.

CABINS

We had two cabins, an inside, and an outside across the hall. We were in cabins M40 and M42. The two cabins were virtually identical except for the window. The beds were in an 'L' configuration. There was a TV in the corner of the room. There was also a desk and vanity area. The closet and drawer space was plenty for two people...and I severely overpacked. The bathroom is a very good size, and the shower is not small at all. Overall, I feel that Carnival has some of the nicest, and most spacious cabins at sea, so they did not disappoint.

SERVICE

The service on board the Elation was overall quite good. Our room steward, Mickey was very kind and friendly. We saw him all the time, and he always had time for a conversation. He did a very good job in making up our room, and leaving our ice bucket full all the time. He also did several extra little things like bringing us cookies one night. Our waiter, P.I, was excellent. He is a 64 year old man, and he always had a smile on his face. He provided flawless service, and never had problems with special requests such as multiple appetizers or entrees. He was probably one of the best, if not the best waiter we have ever had on a cruise. Our Assistant Waiter, Roberto was also very friendly. He always goofed around, and had a joke for us. He also provided excellent service. Looking at the crew of the Elation as a whole, it seemed that they acted a bit tired and overworked. In the beginning of the week, many seemed almost grouchy, but service got better as the week progressed. The overall service on the Elation was very adequate; actually very good, but it was not up to the service we have had on several other ships.

FOOD

Since I had already been on a Carnival cruise within a year (the Destiny last summer), I pretty much knew what to expect as far as the food goes. Carnival has not changed their menus since last summer...the dinner menus were identical. Everyday, there were two options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They were the main dining room, or Tiffany's Bar and Grill. Breakfast in the dining room was quite good. The service was very good, and the food was above average. My favorite, the eggs benedict was okay, but the portions were quite small. Breakfast up in Tiffany's Bar and Grill was also very good. There wasn't a huge selection, but the food there was certainly adequate. The made to order omelets were excellent. The omelets quickly became the highlight of my breakfast! For lunch on the Elation, you could eat in the dining room, or up at Tiffany's. Lunch in the dining room was excellent. The menu was extensive, and the food was very good as was the service. It was truly a pleasure eating sit down lunch on the Elation. Lunch up in Tiffany's was almost equally as good. The hamburgers were very good...large and juicy. The buffets featured a pasta, a carved meat, and 4 or 5 other dishes which were sometimes good, and were not at other times. The Pizza at Tiffany's was excellent. As I have previously stated, Carnival Cruise Lines' pizza is the best at sea. The pizza was always fresh, and very tasty. Also available at the Pizza Bar are calazones, caesar salad, and chicken caesar salads. The Pizza Bar is open 24 hours, so you can always snack here. The salad bar up in Tiffany's is very extensive and fresh. I enjoyed a huge bowl of salad on many occasions. There were many desserts available, as well as a self serve ice cream machine which was open virtually 24 hours. Dinner in the Imagination Dining Room was pretty good. It really varied night to night. The appetizers were usually excellent, the soups were just good, the salads were okay, and the entrees varied. Some entrees were excellent, others were just okay. All of the portions seemed a bit on the small side, but that wasn't a problem since you could order another if you wished. I did notice that there were many repeated entrees during the course of the cruise such as Prime Rib, and several seafoods. The desserts were excellent, but again, the portions were quite small. I wish Carnival would change their menu a bit from ship to ship, because the menu on the Elation this year is the exact same as the Destiny's last year, and the Paradise which my parents sailed in February. Overall, the food on the Elation was very good, but it does have some room for improvement. You will definitely not go hungry on this ship!



GYM

The gym and workout facilities onboard the Elation were very complete, and adequate for this ship. The gym itself features several treadmills, stairmasters, weigh machines, and a free weights area. There was an aerobics area as well. Two hot tubs were located in the gym too. There is a locker room area for men and women. Each is complete with lockers, showers, a steam room, and sauna. Up a deck, there is the jogging track. I personally love the jogging tracks on Carnival since they are isolated from the pool activities. I also love how they are padded like a real jogging track. I feel that these jogging tracks are much more practical for a ship than the huge tracks which encircle the pool on other ships such as Voyager of the Seas. Those types of tracks are frequently blocked by chairs and people waking from one part of the ship to another. With the jogging track up top as it is on the Elation, it is practically reserved for those who choose to run or walk on the track. You cannot really be disappointed with the gym facility on the Elation.

ACTIVITIES

The Elation featured many activities. As it is with any Carnival 'fun ship', there is always something to do. There are game shows, contests, pool games, karaoke, tournaments, ping pong, shuffleboard, volleyball, demonstrations, bingo, and many other things. The arcade is a very good sized facility, but it is usually overrun with smaller children. Camp Carnival, the kid's program seemed to please everyone as the little children were always kept busy. One thing I did miss on this ship was Internet access. On our previous cruise on the Voyager of the Seas, the Internet cafe came in very useful, and I really missed it on the Elation. Not to worry, there are plenty of things to do on board the Elation.



ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment the week I was on board the Elation was the best I have encountered on any of my nine cruises. The entertainment was presented by the Cruise Directory, Lenny Halliday. He was very friendly, but nothing that special. He did sing one night, and I enjoyed that. The two production shows were quite good. One of them featured lasers and other high tech special effects. We had three comedians during the course of the week, and they were all excellent. Each one did a main show and a midnight 'R-rated' show. The comedian the last night, Lowell Sanders was one of the best comedians I have seen on a ship. Another night for entertainment, we had a fiddler. This guy was completely impressive. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment on the Elation. It was the best I have had on a cruise.



NIGHTLIFE

Few ships can compare to the nightlife offered on the 'Fun Ships' of Carnival. There are sing alongs in Duke's Piano Bar, Jimmy sang at the Drama Bar, an excellent band played at Romeo & Juliet's, a band played in Cole Porter Club, there were strings in Gatsby's Great Bar, the Jekyll & Hyde Dance Club was jamming until the early morning hours, and as always the Casablanca Casino was roaring all night long. I personally spent much of my time in Jekyll & Hyde dancing the night away! This lounge was quite strange; not my favorite club on a ship (like the Vault on Voyager of the Seas or Point After Dance Club on Carnival Destiny), but it served its purpose well. Jekyll & Hyde played music late into the night until around 3:00 AM, and sometimes later. If nightlife is your thing, you will not be disappointed by the Elation!

WHO GOES?

Everyone! We had a full ship of 2699 people...it was actually over maximum capacity, meaning that there were several roll away beds in use in addition to the upper births and sofa beds. There were many families on our cruise, as well as large family reunion groups. This meant that there were many kids and teenagers. We had about a dozen honeymooners, tons of couples and singles. There were older people and younger people. This cruise attracts a wide variety of people, and this mix of people creates a very fun environment. Since the Elation leaves from Los Angeles, I'd say that 60% of the people on the ship were from California. The average age was probably 35-40.

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION

Both embarkation and disembarkation left a lot to be desired. The embarkation process was incredibly slow. We had to wait in a lounge, then in a line for check-in, and then another line for our room key. It took about an hour and ten minutes from the time we got off the taxi to the time we were on board the Elation. Unfortunately, embarkation was the better of the two processes, because disembarkation was even worse. The best way I can describe it was organized chaos. We were told to be out of our cabins by 9:00, so we were out by 8:45. By this time, breakfast was not being served anymore, and the waiting ensued. People did not start getting off of the ship until 10:30, and we were off by 11:15. I'm sorry, I know customs may have held up the ship for a while, but it is ridiculous to not start letting people off until 10:30! On my last cruise, Voyager of the Seas, they had 1,000 more people than the Elation did, and everyone was off the ship by 8:30. I was completely unimpressed with the embarkation and disembarkation process on the Elation, and Carnival really does need to work on this procedure.

Costa Magica Reviewed by Dione

Embarkation
The porters were very efficient and although it was hectic at the pier our luggage was taken within 2 minutes. We arrived somewhere close to 12pm and took our place in what was quite a large line. The counters opened within 5 minutes of us entering the line, however we obviously arrived at a peak time since the crowd arriving pre-embarkation was quite large. Even though the lines were very long, they moved along and we were on the ship in about an hour.

When we arrived on board they were directly everyone to Deck 9 for an embarkation buffet stating the cabins weren?t quite ready. Having no interest in food at that time we went ahead and found our cabin, which was basically ready. Our ship cards/keys were on the bed so we were all set. We did NOT have a ?Today? flyer however our cabin steward had already stated he would need to get us one but it never came. The same is true for the televisions remote. I called customer service and they said they would send one up?but it never came. I went to get one but they didn?t have any English versions. We did get a remote for the TV late in the evening. These are minor issues but it set the stage for the type of service we would experience throughout the cruise.

Cabins
We had an outside (non-balcony) cabin and it was one of the largest standard outside cabins I have had . Due to the slanting of the windows at an angle, it appeared our cabin was an extra 3+ feet long. It created a sort of sunroom under the slanted windows with a curtain that separated this area from the rest of the cabin. There was a table and 2 chairs in this area.

The bathroom was also a nice size with the shower being a bit larger than other standard cabins I?ve had. There was adequate storage space. There were additional pay-per-view movies available on the in-room TV for $8.95.

Ship Layout/Décor
The ship décor was lovely for the most part. The ceilings in the Costa Smeralda were somewhat low. There were the typical 3 sets of elevators (forward, mid, and aft). It was not possible to walk from forward to aft on several levels, including Deck 4 where are dining room was located. Deck 5 was the level where most activities were and also the level where passengers in the forward cabins had to transfer to from other decks in order to get to the aft of the ship (then take the elevator/stairs back down to Deck 3 or 4 for dining). Other than this odd maneuvering, the ship layout was quite functional. Deck 5 did tend to get a bit crowded on the nights the shops put tables out into the walkway. Just about everything (casino, two large lounges & a couple smaller lounges, upper level theater entrance, video arcade and the shops).

Public Areas/Pool/Casino/Spa
Lounges ? Most of the lounges were either aft or mid ship. The atrium lounge on Deck 3 and the lounges on Deck 5 seemed to be the most popular. Events such as bingo, dancing lessons, napkin folding lessons, trivia, karaoke, and other games were in one of these lounges. There was also a cigar bar and piano bar.

Casino - The casino was fairly large for a ship. Lower denomination (penny and nickel) slots were available as well as a variety of table games. I only played in the casino a little bit but my mother gave it very good reviews.

Pool area ? There were 3 swimming pools and a small pool in the kids? club area. One of the pools (and 2 hot tubs) was right next to the grill (buffet) area and people were always weaving around the chairs to get to it. The 2nd pool was in the rear of the buffet (odd location in my opinion). This was the adults-only pool and was under a glass roof. There were 2 hot tubs here as well. The 3rd pool was on Deck 10 but everything was open to Deck 9. There was one large hot tub here. None of the hot tubs were very hot. Dance lessons and a variety of games occurred on the pool deck every day. There seemed to be an adequate number of deck chairs, even on days at sea. Towels were always available.

Spa/Fitness ? I toured the spa/fitness area but did not have any spa services. The fitness center size seemed appropriate for the ship size. There were exercise classes on the pool deck as well. There was the typical sauna and steam room as well as a hot tub.

Internet Café ? Flat rate of .50 per minute.

Entertainment/Activities
I found the main shows in the theater that I attended to be OK. In my opinion the best show was an acrobat trio. Even though it wasn?t my style of music, I also thought the singer from the Platters was pretty good. Other shows included the Costa Singers and Dancers and there was also an Italian singer (fair ? again not my style).

There were many activities going on all over the ship including several craft projects, Italian lessons, exercise classes, and games.

Food/Dining
Main dining room ? There were 2 main dining rooms. Ours was the Smeralda at the aft of the ship. It was 2 stories and we were on the 2nd story at a round table. The dining room had a nice décor but the dining room was incredibly loud. It may be because there were several large tables near the back and the ceilings were low. I have more to say on service, but there wasn?t the traditional ?introduction? of the waiter and assistant waiter and it seem the typical attentiveness of the wait staff I?ve experienced on other cruises was missing. At dinner the servers did their jobs?I cannot say they were bad, just nothing outstanding. At lunch, however, there were a couple of waiters I found to be totally rude. There was a change in staff in the Dominican Republic and the new crew seemed to be a bit more lively and friendly. I found the food to lack seasoning and the items presented many times were not as described on the menu (an example is a broth that when asked what was in it I was told it had seafood but it really had beef in it). I would rate the food as follows: a couple dishes during the course of the cruise were ?very good?, a couple were ?good?, the majority were ?fair? to ?poor?.

Buffet ? I don?t have much to say about the buffet except that it was horrible in every aspect from food quality, food variety, and layout. I?m not a big buffet fan but this was the worst I have ever experienced and I avoided it except on the port days when time didn?t permit dining the dining room.

Other food options ? Room service was available but we did not take advantage of this service. There were typically midnight buffet options, but again we did not attend any of these because we typically finished dinner 10:30pm or later. Pizza service near the buffet and grill/sandwiches were available for extended hours. There was an alternative restaurant available (fee based), however I did not get the opportunity to dine there.

Ports of Call/Shore Excursion
The ports of call were La Romana, Dominican Republic; Grand Turk, St. Thomas, and San Juan, PR. I had not been to the Dominican Republic or Grand Turks. We did a shore excursion in Dominican Republic. It was a simple one?a day at the beach at a Sunscapes Resort. The resort was wonderful and the only negative was Costa. I hope that doesn?t sound too harsh but it was the most disorganized excursion I have ever been on. The busses dropped off at the resort but no Costa staff ever addressed the people on the bus before they got off or when they were standing in the group wondering which direction to go (the bus dropped off a ways from the main entrance). I asked the guide who was on the bus what time we were supposed to meet and he said ?about 1pm?. Most people from the 1st bus heard this and went on. I don?t know if the guide was a Costa employee or with tour company, but he was the only one in sight at that time. We had no clue exactly ?where? to meet but figured the big busses would be easy enough to spot. We were served fruit punch and a cookie when we got off the bus. We were then led by the resort staff (young teens) to the beach area. The beach was very nice as were all the resort staff. I was in the water when I noticed on of the orange-shirt Costa staff walking across the beach. Because I was still concerned with the meeting time issue, I ran out to catch up with one of the staff. She told me the meeting time was 12:15 by the pool. Hmmm ? I wonder if everyone knew that (later I found out that was a ?no?). Then she said about 12:30pm. I asked her about what refreshments and resort facilities we had access to with our day pass because it was described as full access to the facility and refreshments. She was so annoyed that I asked about the refreshments and she said ?you HAD your refreshment already?. Oh, OK. Sorry I asked but the way the description read I thought we had access to the bar (all inclusive resort ? they didn?t even have any bar prices). She basically dismissed me. Later I noticed the guide that was on our bus (with the tour/bus company?) was walking down the beach stopping at some of the folks from our excursion. Some really nice ladies from Canada who were staying at the resort at overheard my conversation with lady from Costa regarding the meeting time and refreshments. They came in the water and said they couldn?t believe how she spoke to me. It?s too bad for Costa that so many people observed this behavior?it won?t help their reputation any. In any event the ladies from Canada later came back in the water to tell me that all the Costa folks with the day passes were allowed drinks from the bar. She overhead and observed them ordering drinks and came to tell me. Thanks to this non-Costa resort patron we were able to get something to drink after being in the sun. I can only assume that was what the guy from the bus was trying to tell everyone. Just like the meeting time, I can imagine how difficult it was to go find 80 people individually on the beach, at the pool, and in the ocean (did I mention how large this place was) to tell them this information. At 12:30pm there were about 20-30 people out of the group of around 70-80 present at the pool. As I suspected some people were looking for the bus around 1pm. We sat on the bus for 30 minutes waiting. It wasn?t their fault ? 1pm WAS mentioned as the meeting time and was the only info available when we got off.

Disembarkation
It seemed to go very smoothly. We were in the last group and were supposed to meet in the theater but they called our color before we made it there. There wasn?t a long line to get off but the customs line was a little longer than I?ve experienced in the past. The luggage was grouped and easy to locate.

Overall service and summary
Based on my experience I would not recommend Costa at this time. Overall it was an enjoyable cruise and my lack of recommendation isn?t because of anything in particular, but I just can?t think of a good reason TO recommend it over other cruise lines in the price range. The ship was nice and the ports of call were very good. The pool deck and casino were fun and popular. However, the food and service were the worst I have experienced.