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This family travel specialist shares her experience of sailing the western Caribbean with the Italian-owned and very glamorous Costa Cruise Line.

Costa, with only two of their ships sailing the Caribbean in the winter (the other ship is the Victoria), is unlike many of the cruise lines sailing out of South Florida.  Costa markets itself as "cruising Italian Style" and caters to an interesting mix of Europeans and North Americans.  We found this idea refreshing despite on-board announcements in five different languages and more smokers than we prefer to tolerate. 

Grand International Style

The Atlantica is a very grand and stylish ship inspired by the films of Italian director Federico Fellini.  The public areas and lounges are decorated with large black and white posters of Fellini's characters and the 12 passenger decks are named after his greatest works.  The movie themed décor is impressive, especially the gorgeous glass artwork displayed throughout the ship.  (Anna preferred the mermaid statues in the buffet restaurant.)

With an Italian flair, the Atlantica boasts a multi-level main dining room, buffet restaurant/pizzeria, several lounges and a distinctive replica of the Caffé Florian in Venice.  Our dining experiences were pleasant, but not outstanding.  The main dining room, Tiziano, offered a nice menu, plenty of options for children, and entertainment.  We got a kick out of the toga party dinner on the final evening as most guests were quite creative with their Roman fashions.  We preferred the less formal Botticelli buffet and Pizzeria Napoli, and even ordered room service for breakfast and dinner on occasion.  The Atlantica also serves dinner in the intimate Club Atlantica restaurant for an extra fee of $15/person.

In the evenings, Anna, a dance enthusiast, enjoyed the shows in the tri-level Caruso Theater.  With a European flare (lots of skin), the shows are professional and well produced.  Make sure to also take advantage of the professional photographer on board who is available in the evenings.  Many families took home terrific family portraits. Evenings can also be spent listening to all sorts of music in the various lounges, trying your luck at the casino or a late night at the disco.  An Italian fair provided fun entertainment one night with mask making and games. We also watched movies and replays of the excursion and shopping lectures in our cabin.

Nearly 75% of the cabins are on the outside of the ship, and we especially enjoyed having a balcony.  The well appointed room included one king bed and a second twin bed.  Each night, we also looked forward to receiving the next days activities schedule so that we could plan our time, especially for the two days we spent at sea.