Costa Atlantica
by John Bush
Western Caribbean
February 29, 2004
This was the third cruise my wife and I have taken with Costa and unfortunately will probably be our last. I won't bore the reader with a lengthy review of ports of call, etc. as the cruise line has virtually no control over the on-shore experiences of their passengers. The ship, however, is another matter. The gaudy decorating hits you the minute you board. Maybe this scheme will be pleasing to some since, as they say: "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but this ship looks like a circus sign painter did the color scheme. Also, there's no grand atrium area so you feel immediately cramped upon entering the ship. Our balcony cabin was fine as was the cabin steward, but the overall environment of the ship is very smokey. Costa caters to foriegn travelers and apparently their cigarettes don't carry the Surgeon General's warning because they smoke everywhere!
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My wife is especially sensitive to second hand smoke and this was a big problem. The other major complaint was the food and food service. We love good Italian food, which was the main reason we chose Costa again, but this ship's food is downright lousy, even their Italian dishes! Unfortunately the presentation and service of the food was equally poor so if you are taking this ship to eat, forget it (but if you're on a diet it would be great!). The entertainment was all no-names and/or crew members in dual roles so don't expect to see Barry Manilow or such. In summary, this cruise was a major dissapointment and it hurts me to write this because we had loved our previous Costa cruises.
