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Dave and I have just returned from an exciting cruise vacation. We have been wanting to take a cruise for a while now and we were pleased to finally have the opportunity. Although I have been on a cruise before, it was Dave’s first time. I must say that at first he was a little nervous about whether or not he would get sea-sick. I am happy to say that we had no trouble at all in that regard.

There are so many cruise lines and so many places cruise ships visit today, we had a little trouble deciding where to go and who to sail with. The choice was not easy, but in the end we found an itinerary that suited us perfectly. We decided on the Costa Cruise Line at the recommendation of a friend. Costa Cruises are an Italian cruise line with headquarters in Genoa. The brands AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere belong to Costa Crociere S.p.A., and include a total of 15 ships in active service. Costa ships all fly the Italian flag and operate in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Dubai and the Far East. Costa Crociere S.p.A. is part of Carnival Corporation. I have to admit that we chose Costa Cruises as much for the itinerary we wanted as for the friend’s recommendation, and also for the price. We got a great sell-off deal and our cabin was up-graded a notch.

The one week itinerary we chose was as follows (and we would greatly recommend it!):
Day 1 Leave Fort Lauderdale, Florida
(we left at 7:00 p.m. which left us time for arriving flights from home)
Day 2 at Sea
(this gave us a chance to get used to the ship and discover all of it’s
amenities)
Day 3 Cozumel, Mexico
(arrival in Mexico at 7:00 a.m until 4:00 for shopping, swimming and sight-seeing)
Day 4 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
(arrival 10:00 a.m until 6:00 p.m. – a new port to discover-swimming, snorkelling, shopping, sight-seeing)
Day 5 Ocho Rios, Jamaica
(arrival 8:00 a.m. until 4:00-more swimming & sight-seeing – we spent the day at Margarittaville)
Day 6 Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands
(arrival 12:30 p.m. until 8:00 – beautiful white sand beaches and sight-seeing, limited shopping)
Day 7 at Sea
(this gave us a chance to relax and unwind after the thrill of the port visits)
Day 8 Arrived back at For Lauderdale at 8:00 a.m.

As you can see it was a whirl-wind vacation of exciting ports of call, but there was also time to relax and enjoy it as well.

The ship we travelled on was the Costa Magica, and it was truly beautiful and elegant. We chose to have an outside cabin with a window. Our cabin was much larger than we expected (we expected very cramped quarters) and it had a queen size bed, loads of storage-closet space, a vanity, and even a small couch and chair. The bathroom was small with only a shower, but very efficient. The window was a great feature and I would recommend it to anyone. It allowed us to see the waves rushing by, and gave us the first views of the ports we were coming into. We also were happy to be on Deck One—our quarters were very quiet and peaceful. Other vacationers we spoke to on higher decks complained of noise from the dance bars, and also of slightly more movement of the ship. So we found out that being on the upper decks is not necessarily better.

The ship itself is like a small city. There were several restaurants, three pools, as well as a kiddie pool area, hot tubs, several bars, a huge Los-Vegas style theatre, a spa, a beauty salon, shops, an art gallery, a running track, a beautiful central hall area that spanned several decks and had glass elevators running up and down, a movie theatre, card rooms, a library, a well-appointed casino and many lounges. All were beautifully and elaborately decorated. Of course, there are also the service areas where guests are not supposed to go, like the laundry, housekeeping rooms, engine rooms, recycling areas, and so forth. But we did get a tour of the huge kitchen (and it was really large!) and we were pleased to see that it was spotlessly clean.

At almost every hour or minute of the day on the ship, there was something to do. Dave and I were never at a loss for entertainment or never managed to get bored. Activities were planned throughout the day and ranged from art auctions, to talent shows given by the crew or seminars on shopping, as well as the typical lounging by the pool in the sun. We also noticed that there were quite a lot of activities for kids and teens that kept them entertained and out of the way. The ship delivers an agenda each day to inform guests of where and what activities are planned throughout the day. You can choose which ones suit you best, but as I said, you can also choose to do nothing at all but bask in the warm sunshine. We found the evening entertainment to be excellent. The singers, dancers and musicians were varied and of Vegas-quality—great entertainment!

Dave and I found the best thing about being on a cruise was the ability to visit various destinations and always have a place to hang our hat, without having to pack and unpack every day. We loved to explore the different ports and experience a bit of the various beaches and culture. A cruise is a great way to visit several places and be able to decide where you would like to go back to spend more time.

Every port had many tours that were offered, and one could swim with dolphins or stingrays, visit historical sites, butterfly or turtle farms, snorkel or scuba-dive, fish or go on a boat trip, shop, just relax on a beach or drink to your hearts content at a rollicking bar. The only thing that we found a bit difficult was that we had to be watching the time more than usual when we were on shore because we didn’t want to miss the boat. The ship does not wait for late-comers, as we were told several times. The Cruise Director said the view of the ship sailing off into the sunset was a beautiful sight, but you didn’t want to be on the dock to see it.

The next best thing on a cruise is the food. Wow! Is there ever a lot of food…and it was all good. I can see why people have said that they gain ten pounds in a week on a cruise. Our ship being Italian had seven courses for dinner, from appetizers, soup and pasta dishes to dessert…and of course, Dave and I had to try them all. The food was excellent and superbly made. The Cruise Director said you could eat 16 meals a day if you chose (but we didn’t try that!) There was also a great snack bar that kids and teens would love, with pizza and hamburgs, hot dogs and fries.

Although the Costa Magica is not a free-style dining ship (which means that you are not assigned a set time for dinner) we did not find this a problem. We chose the later dinner hour so that if we were on a shore excursion, we would not have to rush back for dinner. We also chose a table that sat eight people. Our travel agent advised that if we did not like our dinner companions we would not be stuck with just two people. I have to admit that our fellow dinner mates were very agreeable and we all got along exceedingly well. Our table tended to stay together to shut down the restaurant. It was great fun.

One other thing we found on the ship that may be a bit more expensive is that you have to buy all your drinks, from pop and beer to wine and mixed cocktails. That can add up to a hefty bill at the end of the trip if one is not careful. The ship has a cashless system that, although convenient, can be the downfall of many guests. What happens is that you are given a card almost like a credit card that is swiped every time you buy something. It is easy to swipe for several drinks during the day and not even notice it. But at the end of the cruise you have to pay the piper. As the Cruise Director said, “It feels like it’s all free – but it’s not!” Only water, coffee, tea and iced-tea were provided at mealtimes free of charge (and juice at breakfast).

The Costa Magica can hold 2,740 passengers and 1,023 crew members on 17 decks (13 passenger decks). With that many people one may think that overcrowding would be a problem. We did not find that at all, and we usually don’t like crowds. Most of the passengers hung out by the central pool, but there were other pools areas and hot tubs, and even one for adults only. Dave and I could usually find a quiet spot. There were always enough deck chairs available, and seating in the restaurants and theatre was plentiful. In the evenings when we went for a walk on the deck there were areas where there were no people at all. The ship staff also handled transfers from ship to shore in a very efficient manner, and line-ups and waiting were minimal. We have to admit that was a concern of ours before cruising and we were pleased to see how well it was handled.

OUR OVERALL REVIEW: Dave and I loved the cruise and we would definitely recommend cruising to anyone, especially people who like to experience a lot of different destinations. Cruising can be as fast or as slow as you like it. You can choose to participate in all of the different activities, or just linger by the pool. We found Costa Cruises to be excellent and we would recommend them, but according to passengers we spoke to, there are many different cruise lines available that offer various things. Next time we may choose another line for a different experience. Our rating for our cruise: 8½ out of 10.