we sailed on the costa romantica leaving from fort lauderdale and stopping in key west, cozumel, grand cayman and jamaica. approximate cost was $2400 for both of us, including air (this was in 1997), and we sailed in january.

the ship is quite lovely, with everything very well maintained and particularly clean. our room was notable in that we were able to get a real king bed, not two twins pulled together. the bathroom was extremely well designed - obviously small, but much more efficiently designed than on other ships.

we were very impressed by the food and service. fresh pasta was available every day, and i would be pleased to find most of the food at any restaurant in my town. it really was first class, unusual among cruises.

as luck would have it, i had the flu when the cruise began. we told our waiter that i wanted tea with lemon and honey, and thereafter at every meal he brought it without being asked. he even squeezed the lemon for me between two spoons.

our cabin steward also was wonderful. no matter what we requested - i asked for a few extra soaps to take home - it was not a problem.

there were plenty of activities if you wanted them, or you could choose to just relax. there is a spa where i got a great massage in a room walled in glass overlooking the ocean, and a nice pool area with an insufficient number of chairs. in addition, shore excursions were available to appeal to just about every interest area.

the one drawback we found was a lack of clear demarcation between smoking and nonsmoking sections in some public areas. we attributed this to the presence of a lot of europeans, who aren't accustomed to nonsmoking sections.





Recommended: Yes