The Costa Victoria is a cruise ship that reflects the warmth and spirit of Italy. Intended to be one of the most exciting and stunningly beautiful ships of our time, the Costa Victoria is a modern masterpiece offering every comfort, convenience and amenity for her guests enjoyment. Her avant-garde design set new standards of excellence. From the breathtaking panoramic Concorde Plaza to the sparkling indoor pool, ultramodern Pompei Spa and incredible Planetarium Atrium spanning seven decks, the Costa Victoria combines the elegance of European style with the sophistication of American comforts.
With Costa Victoria, you can expect a stylish Northern Italian decor combined with modern facilities, romantic candelight dining on formal nights. It is also considered as one of the best South America Cruises and best ships for travelers with disabilities

Dining

Overall, the food was good — especially the pasta.

Costa Victoria has two dining rooms: Sinfonia, aft of Deck 5, and Fantasia, in the middle of the same deck. Both offer traditional, two-top dining in the evening at 7 and 9:15 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. Evening meals in the dining room always have six courses — appetizers, soups, a choice of two pasta dishes, a main course, salad and cheese — and dessert.

Fantasia is also open for breakfast and lunch. Hours varied, but, generally, breakfast was from 7:30 to 9:15 a.m., and lunch ran from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The Bolero Buffet, on Deck 11, is open for breakfast from 7 (6:30 on some port days) to 11:30 a.m. and for lunch from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (3 p.m. on some port days). Afternoon tea is served there from 4 to 5 p.m. It is closed for dinner.

The Pool Grill and Terrazza Grill, the former by the pool, the latter at the Cafe Terrazza at the aft of the ship, serve burgers, hotdogs, fries, pizzas, fruit and more and keep the same lunchtime hours as the Bolero.

Cabins

There are 964 cabins, ranging from insides and oceanviews to balcony rooms and suites. Six cabins have disabled access. Sizes range from 11 square metres (118 sqare ft.) for inside cabins to 42.5 square metres (457 square ft.) for suites. Outside cabins are 13.5 square metres (145 square ft.) and balcony cabins are 18.4 square metres (198 square ft.), including the veranda.

All rooms have mini-bars, safes, hair dryers and old-fashioned, chunky TV’s, which get satellite news stations and play about half a dozen films during a seven-night cruise, each in a different language every day. For instance, “Sex in the City” was on in English in Fujairah, in German in Dubai, in Italian in Bahrain and so on. The days and films didn’t always correspond, so if there was one you really wanted to see, it was worth switching on the TV each day to check.

The bathrooms in the standard inside, outside and balcony cabins have toilets, basins and showers. No toiletries are provided.

Suite passengers get all of the above, plus pillow menus, bathrobes and slippers, and lunch and dinner menus are delivered each day. Bathrooms have showers and tubs, and toiletries are provided.

Standard cabins with balconies are on Decks 9 and 10, and mini-suites with balconies are on Decks 11 and 12. Suites do not have balconies. Balconies come with a couple of upright chairs and small tables — ideal for watching the sea go by, but they’re no good if you want to sunbathe.

Some cabins had plenty of storage space for a week or two at sea, but also had a dire shortage of plugs. That was probably not an issue when the ship was built in 1996, but it is now, as we all have cameras, mobile phones, iPods and laptops to charge.

Spa & Fitness

The spa is hidden away on Deck 6 and offers massages, manicures, body wraps and facials, courtesy of Elemis. Prices are at the top end and are especially expensive for Brits, now that there is parity between the euro and the pound.

The spa also has the only indoor pool in the Costa fleet. You have to be at least 18 years old to use it.

The gym is compact, with just four running machines, three cycles, one hand cycle, two step-machines and weights. There is also a daily fitness programme. Aerobics and body toning are free, but there is an €11 charge for Pilates.

Family & Children

There are separate children’s and teens’ clubs on Costa Victoria, but the rooms are small and sparse, a bit disappointing for kids who are used to the facilities provided on big, American ships. Costa can also be a problem for British kids, unless they happen to be good at languages. However, parents like Costa because the under-18’s cruise for free if they share rooms with two adults.

The Squok Club, open daily on sea and port days (for children, ages 3 to 12), is split into two age groups: Mini Club for ages 3 to 6 and Maxi Club for ages 7 to 12. Both offer activities from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. with breaks for lunch and dinner. Parents can leave the children in the club for free if they want to go on an excursion.

The teen club is for 13- to –17-year-olds and has limited activities through the day — a basketball tournament one day, T-shirt-painting on another — but comes alive with discos and parties late at night.

source: costacruise.com, cruisecritic.com

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