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I was fine with it. I was in Dubai, so my body clock was nine hours off anyway. And later dinner was less hurry back to the ship.

I’ve been on exactly one Costa cruise, so take this for what it’s worth. They are unabashedly Italian. They do provide menus, daily newsletter, etc. in a variety of languages and the entertainment staff are remarkably multilingual and will cater their patter to their audience. But in terms of “style” it’s Italian all the way. Meals can go late (I was randomly assigned 9:15 dinner). Evening entertainment is often loud and goes until the wee hours. Don’t expect a string quartet playing in the atrium. But as long as you pick your cabin well, there are always quiet spots for an evening drink and then off to bed. Side note: I recently got in a discussion with some English YouTubers on the differences between AIDAcosma and the Costa Toscana. Same basic ship structure (Carnival Helios Class) but fitted out very differently. And how the German ship was dead after 10:30 while the Italian ship was just getting started.

Literally millions of people sail on P&O each year and have a great time.

Personally, I think most families are fine with adjacent cabins or even a balcony cabin with inside across the hall. But each family knows what does and doesn’t work for them.

I’ve been known to stumble back to my cabin after a tasty beverage or two, and door decorations are helpful. I know my cabin is two doors down from where Timmy and Tommy are celebrating the Best Cruise Ever. If people start messing with me by moving their sign, I’m in real trouble 🙂

To me this would be an easy choice. While a deal is nice, if you want to see an RCL Mega Ship, book an RCL Mega Ship.

I seriously doubt it has anything to do with safety (even if they use that as an excuse.) probably more about not wanting to police content or just thinking it looks tacky. But as always, their ship, their rules. PS: My favorite door sign https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXMF1_8a_2IhDo-iViHSXH9ume7JbCNcjVj_V_cy5uXA&s

And is huge on Disney. Here’s their official rule: Q: Can I decorate my stateroom door or hang items over the doors? A: To ensure an enjoyable cruise experience for all our Guests, we ask that you take note of the following guidelines for decorating your stateroom door. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation. You are welcome to place magnetic signs on your stateroom door. Though, please note that Concierge staterooms on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have wooden doors. You may not affix items to your stateroom doors using tape or any adhesive, including removable gel adhesives, as this can damage the doors’ finish.

And I’ve eaten a hot dog off the Carnival buffet. I think I win the scary food award 🙂

A bit of a late answer… the casino is closed when in port, and the ship is in port a lot.

Yes, you want cash yen for Japan. If your bank will arrange it, I would choose that option. It may cost you a couple bucks more, but it’s more than worth it in my opinion. Plus, if your bank is like mine, you’ll get a better mix of large and small bills than you would get from an ATM. But if you do go the ATM route, it’s easy enough. Warn your bank you’ll be making withdrawals in Japan - there are ATMs everywhere with English as an option. One warning - you will probably be asked if you want your bank to be billed in yen, or USD. Pick yen! Same with credit card transactions. Always have them ring you up in local currency and let your bank do the exchange.

Round trip Seattle is much easier logistics wise than other Alaska options. You’ll miss some time at more interesting locations, but you will get a good feel for what Alaska is all about. My big suggestion is to pay close attention to how much time a ship spends in port. Some itineraries cram in more stops by spending shorter time in port.

What about the natural beauties on the beach 🙂

I have family members that when we go on vacation together, or just go to the other’s house for a visit, spend far too much time and animosity figuring out where to eat. Then worry about check splitting. Hopefully you never have those worries. But for me, I value less choice in dinning and greatly value having everything prepaid.

You can by tickets for one of those boats that does a three hour tour of the harbor area. But I always worry about those. What happens if the weather starts getting rough?

That sort of aggressive haggling will go nowhere with a giant corporation. However, you could always call and ask if they have any hidden deals and what is the cheapest price they could charge you. One quirk about cruise lines is they make all their money selling extras, not selling the cabin. If I were in charge and had the power to haggle, somebody making a lowball offer is they last person I want as a customer. They are unlikely to buy the overpriced drinks, excursions, art, etc.

Sadly, I don’t have menu pictures. Assuming it is similar to the Toscana, dinner is four courses - starter, appetizer, main and desert. Lots of seafood and pasta with at least one meat dish. There were always available choices that weren’t that different from the main menu - a basic pasta, fish, a beef dish, etc. Main dishes were good sized. The other stuff - especially deserts - were small. Ask for two 🙂 Hopefully somebody has better answers for you. This is just my experience from my one Costa cruise. And I heard some rumbling that the lack of variety was impacted by supply problems due to trouble with the Suez Canal.

Luggage is easy - you drop off when you get to your airport. You pick it up when you arrive. You hop into a cab to the port. Genoa port is a short cab ride from the airport. Sevona is a long cab ride from the Genoa airport. Marseille port is a medium cab ride from Marseille airport. If Barcelona is an option it’s medium cab ride and there are going to be more flight options. The only annoying thing with luggage is if your flight home has a transfer in a US airport you have to take your luggage through customs in that airport and recheck it. Of course, I’m sure you realize San Diego doesn’t have the best flight options to Europe. But that’s your karma for having perfect weather every day. As for Costa starting/ending in multiple ports, one you experience it you’ll never want to go back. Embankment and Disembarkment days are just normal days on ship. So much nicer and easier. Sure you give having everybody on the cruise starting the same day and having a sad last night together, it’s so worth it.

If necessary, take a bunch of pictures blind, then pick the best one and clean it up later.

The port has easy road access - it’s not an industrial port. Taxis that take credit cards should be there

To me destination are the most important thing, but not the only thing. Fortunately, most destinations have a choice of ships. I would never pick a ship if it wasn’t going where I want to go, no matter how cool the ship. But I would accept slightly less desirable ports for a ship I like more.

What’s wrong with kissing my sister? Is she not good enough for you; you think you are better than her?

The cruise lines are pushing more and more onto their app. I know one line no longer allows online check in from a computer; it must be done through the app (or in person at the dock). Bars and restaurants on the ship are using QR codes. Right now you can still get paper menus and there are work-arounds for everything else on the app. But for how long?

As a side note: Within the next few years it’s going to be near impossible to cruise without a cell phone.

I honestly believe that first time cruisers only “need” one thing: to get their butt on the boat. A passport, visa if necessary, flight to Europe, etc. pretty much everything else is optional. As for your specific questions: Your phone will take plenty great pictures for posting on Facebook/Instagram etc, or just sharing with friends when you get back. No need for a camera unless you just enjoy it as a hobby. No need for a swimsuit. If the hot tub does call, shorts and a t-shirt work in a pinch.