Favolosa to Mediterranean

Costa Favolosa is the sister to the sunken Costa Concordia, so I paid very close attention to the lifeboat drill, which was actually very well done as it turns out.

The ship is brash, splashy, and full of fun things to do; a true floating Riviera, chock full of pools, hot tubs, water slides, and eating places. It is also possibly the noisiest place on earth.

Built for multi generational European families, there are lots- and I mean lots- of children on board, and they are up and about at all hours of the day and night. Supposedly adult only venues are not respected or, indeed, enforced.

Food varied from bland to sublime, and took every fork in the road in between. Similarly, on board service ran that gamut, from fabulous to nonchalant non existence. The two main dining rooms offered two sittings for dinner, but there was also a huge, upper deck lido buffet that was popular at all hours of the day and night.

Despite these drawbacks, the Costa Favolosa is a hugely impressive ship, a whimsical floating fairground on the briny,  that offered food and fun for all ages and tastes. The floor shows were well meaning, but did not always work for a multi national, mini United Nations in excess of 3,000 plus passengers. Live music, however, was usually very good indeed on board.

I loved my inside cabin; the twin beds made up to form a near perfect double, while the shower was good and powerful. There was no shortage of wardrobe and drawer space, though this is, in truth, a not overly dressy ship.

My one huge niggle was with the smokers. Not content with their own, allocated areas, they simply wafted ash trays at will to wherever suited their whim. At no time were any of the 'no smoking' zones properly enforced.

So, that was pretty much my week on board the Costa Favolosa. A great design of ship, beautifully crafted, breath taking to behold, but an experience that lurched far too often towards chaos and farce to want to repeat too often.