What Costa is actually like, and who it suits
Costa is Italian, and it does not soften that for anybody.
Expect multilingual announcements — Italian, German, French, Spanish, English, in that rough order of priority — and an onboard rhythm that runs on Mediterranean time. Dinner later. Everything louder. Children up past ten and nobody minding.
The value is genuinely good, especially for Mediterranean itineraries where the ports are the point and the ship is transport with a pool. The food leans Italian and is better for it.
Who it suits: Europeans, people doing a Med itinerary on a budget, anyone who finds the American cruise style a bit sanitised.
Who it does not: anyone who wants everything explained in English, and anyone who needs the ship to be the destination.
If you have sailed Costa and Royal or Carnival, how big is the culture gap really? Worth knowing before booking.
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