This was our first Costa cruise. We liked the international makeup of the passengers. We chose the cruise because of the itinerary. Most of the shore excursions were fine but we were disappointed at the brief amount of time in each place. We did Venice and Mykonos on our own and could have done Santorini and Athens on our own too, which would have given us a little more time. The Santorini beach excursion and tour was very rushed. The food was good. We preferred the dining room to the buffet. The pool area was overrun with children. There didn't seem to be anyone watching all the kids jumping around and in the jacuzzi. It would have been nice to have maybe one evening hour a day for adult swim.