This post is almost a year late but here are some of my tips if you’re heading to Costa Victoria for a cruise.

You need a credit card
To link to your Costa card – which is used for all purchases. In addition, your Costa card will be your cabin key. As with all cruises, you’ll be required to submit your passport for safekeeping and be accounted for. The Costa card will also be linked to your passport so you’ll use your Costa card to disembark if you’re heading for any offshore trips. Oh, do note that all prices on the cruise is reflected in USD.

Bring a good sized water bottle
I can’t emphasize this strong enough. Bottled water is payable on board and it is very expensive – around the range of USD3-5 or so. The free drinks available on the cruise are mostly sweet beverages such as (lousy) fruit punch, hot tea and coffee. Hello sore throat!

Choose a room with a window
Because it makes all the difference in the world

Go for the offshore trip
There won’t be much activities available on the cruise and if there are, they’re mostly for the very young or elderly. Also, although information stated that the crew will check your purchases and will hold them till the end of the trip, this wasn’t true for our trip. I kinda regretted not purchasing more snacks to munch on. Our offshore trip was to Malacca.

Be prepared!
You might get bored so stock up your gadgets with shows and bring boardgames/cards/books. There are plenty of beautiful corners you can hide out. Bring some snacks from home too. There no toiletries provided in cabins and you’ll have to pay a bomb to get them. The toilet isn’t too bad but can be somewhat a squeeze.

Pack your swimsuit

Go for the in-cabin breakfast
I don’t recall the breakfast in bed being terribly expensive, maybe 10-15USD, and you get a massive spread.

Don’t be bluffed by their multiple restaurants
We thought that hey, there are 10+ restaurants and there must be different types of food available! We checked them out and realise.. sheesh, they are basically repeats of each other. So much for having multiple restaurants…

Go for the Gala Dinner
That’s where the best food is served – best when compared with cruise food.

If you’re an alcoholic, room with one
Costa Victoria has a sort of alcohol buffet package, the drawback is that each room has to purchase the package together. That is, your roomie and you both have to be alcoholics.

Go star gazing on the top deck
I stayed there for close to three hours, it was such a beautiful side. I spied.. couples making out too. Yikes.

Don’t be conned into the topless revue show
Chances are the crew staff will try their utmost best to persuade you to watch the topless show. I heard that it’s really mediocre at best – I didn’t watch it though. I think, maybe just watch Magic Mike the movie in your cabin or on the top cruise deck.