Fascinosa to Mediterranean

Costa Fascinosa is one of the most recent ships to join the fleet. At around 113,000 tons and capable of carrying over 3,500 passengers, the ship is a bright, bubbly resort hotel on the briny, packed with things to do and overlaid with just a thin veneer of Italian styling.

The ship is huge, glittering, and noisy almost all the time. From the brightly lit, ten storey high atrium lobby with its quarter of glass lifts to the two level, outdoor pool area with sliding glass roof, Costa Fascinosa is a perfectly set up ship for families of all ages.

While there are usually five or six different nationalities on board, it is usually Italian guests that make up the bulk of the mix. They keep their children up well into the wee hours, just as in their own culture at home. Peace and quiet can be very hard to come by.

Best, then, to book a balcony cabin, if only to secure that little extra peace and quiet. That said, both inside and outside cabins offer great comfort, a good deal of living space, and ample wardrobe and drawer space.

This is a lively, vivacious ship at night, with a lot of dancing going on until the early hours. The casino is not as large as on the American based ships, but the disco in particular tends to sometimes roll through until the daylight hours.

Actual floor shows are more colourful, song and dace oriented spectacles, mainly because of the various diverse nationalities on board, but most people seem to enjoy them. There is constant  hard selling on board for everything, from spa treatments to art works, to bingo tickets. Costa Fascinosa is a ship where participation activities are very much the order of the day.

Food, whether taken in the two main dining rooms or the large buffet, is mass market, with good ingredients, but generally it is unremarkable. An extra tariff steak house raises the bar somewhat, and is a nice, secluded venue for a special occasion.

For a week in the Mediterranean, this is a well priced ship.