'Costa Luminosa' is one of the 15 ships currently operated by 'Costa Crociere', the Italian shipping company founded in 1854. Her theme is 'Light', 'Luminosa' means light or bright shining, and thus, the ship is equipped with lots of colorful illumination. 'Costa Luminosa' is a classic cruise liner, 8 years old, with a more traditional form, compared to newer ships. She was built in Marghera near Venezia, and was floated out of her Fincantieri dry dock 3 days after it was flooded on 27th June 2008 at 11:30. 'Costa Luminosa' was simultaneously christened with another cruise ship from 'Costa Crociere'. The language spoken on board is Italian, but since guests are from many European countries, other languages are frequently used as well.

I booked the cruise with 'Costa Luminosa' 7 months before departure online on the website of 'Costa Crociere'. It was an option booking, converting to a fixed booking automatically after 3 days, if not cancelled by the passenger. I had to pay a deposit of 20% of the total fare at the date of conversion to a fixed booking and made a money transfer at my bank. About 5½ weeks before departure, I made the final payment and completed the manifest online at 'MyCosta', where the passenger can also see payment status, a cruise countdown, as well as some offers for excursions, beverage packages and the like. 3 weeks before departure, I received the travel documents by eMail. 5 days before departure, I purchased the beverage package 'Pranzo & Cena' and a bus transfer for a visit in Olympia online at 'MyCosta'.

I already arrived in Venezia on the day before. The weather was quite evil, cold, windy and with rain nearly all the afternoon and evening, the situation was the same on departure day. I was about to leave my hotel, which was in walking distance to Piazzale Roma, but I had to wait until a rain shower had done its job.

Masses of incoming cruise passengers were at the 'People Mover', the monorail that connects Piazzale Roma with the Cruise Terminal as well as Tronchetto, I decided to walk therefore and arrived at 11:35am, after a walk of 850m and about 12 minutes at the entrance checkpoint, where I had to show the 'Boarding Form' and my passport to security staff.

Some more steps towards the cruise terminal, I saw a table which listed all today's cruise ships together with each their terminals and directions to, among them 'Costa Luminosa' at terminal 109-110. Looking around, I saw an ATM, ticketing for different water transport services, a Bistro, a Tabacchi and 2 souvenir shops, a Cambio and a Parafarmacia. 'Costa Luminosa' had already turned and berthed at her usual pier and terminal. I observed departure delays nearly always in the past weeks on MarineTraffic, even more than 1 hour sometimes. I had to walk down the entire pier, through rain puddles here and there, the way is partially roof covered. Fortunately, I have a rolling suitcase.

At 11:44am, I finally arrived in front of terminal 109-110, presented my 'Boarding Form' to a man, who directed me in German language to the correct entrance, guests were separated by different decks, it was raining again. A few minutes later, I was at the baggage drop off, presented the same documents to the man at the counter, was recognized as a German again, and he started to speak German to me. I was handed over a 'Health Form' in German language, regarding a possible infection risk, and a card with the 'Progressive Embarkation Number' 11. He attached the baggage tag from my cruise documents with a tape, and at 11:52am, my baggage vanished in the x-ray. The escalator up, I found a snack bar and a big hall with many passengers waiting. I asked staff about the further procedure and was told that the boarding process would start after approximately 1 hour. A woman was walking through the seating lines to promote wellness offers and a man collected waste from waiting passengers. At 12:50pm, an announcement over the loudspeakers informed about the start of the embarkation procedure in Italian, English, French, Spanish and German language, which then started 5 minutes later by calling guests having 'Progressive Embarkation Number' 1, and so on.

At 01:40pm, my number 11 was called, and I proceeded to the passport control. My 'Progressive Embarkation Number' card asked me to have my 'Boarding Form', cruise ticket and passport at hand, it was collected at the line-up, where I had to wait another 24 minutes. Screens gave various information in pictures, comprehensive whatever language is spoken. Electronic devices should be turned off before put into the safe, for example. Again, I was addressed in German language by the man at the desk who checked my documents. Only 4 desks were open, by the way. Most guest declined to get photographed at the photo wall and rushed through the set, as well as I did. Nonetheless, the photographers tried their best to take photos for and from at least a few guests. It was 02:09pm, when I went through the security. I had totally forgotten the small bottle with something to drink and the fresh giant cookie from one of the famous Venetian bakeries, but even my nail scissor wasn't subject to inspection or confiscation. Next to the security behind the customs, there is a small duty free shop. I went up the stairs, along the gangway and entered 'Costa Luminosa' at 02:14pm in the 'Atrio Supernova' on Ponte 2 Zaffiro. My 'Boarding Form' was collected, a photo of me was made with some sort of a smartphone, and the embarkation procedure was done. I arrived at my stateroom 5381 on Ponte 5 Avorio, starboard side at 02:20pm, and found my 'Carta Costa' on the bed, 165 minutes since arrival at the port gate.

At 02:55pm, steward Christian from the Philippines showed up and handed out the 'Diario Di Bordo' in German language, I asked him for the English version in the future, and how to listen to loudspeaker announcements in my stateroom. He told me that only emergency announcements would be audible in the staterooms.

I left 'Costa Luminosa' for a short visit of Venezia at 03:23pm, returning after less than 2 hours, the weather was only a little bit better now, at least the rain stopped. I passed the security, where my passport and 'Carta Costa' were checked at 05:10pm, and found my baggage 5 minutes later in front of my stateroom door.

I then proceeded to the security drill, which began for all passengers boarded in Venezia at 05:45pm on Ponte 3 Ambra, where my presence was registered by scanning my 'Carta Costa' with the same kind of smartphone. The event took less than 30 minutes, and I started a small ship exploration right after that. It was raining again. I found some clocks going wrong, and generally, light wear and tear.

It was 08:15pm, when 'Costa Luminosa' set off the pier and started to sail down the Canale Della Giudecca in the darkness. Venezia is not illuminated spectacular, the 'Campanile' at Piazza San Marco does not have any illumination at all. The passage took exactly 1 hour to the new flood protection system 'M.O.S.E', which is located at the lagoon exit at the northern end of Isola Del Lido in Canale Di San Nicolò. The construction site for a new proposed cruise terminal for all grandi navi is located outside of the then protected lagoon, and they did obviously not start with it yet. 'Costa Luminosa' left the lagoon and sailed towards the river Po mouth, where she finally changed course, heading east towards Trieste.

'Costa Luminosa' offers 5 small terminals for the credit card registration, 2 on Ponte 2 Zaffiro and 3 terminals on Ponte 3 Ambra. At 10:35pm, most of the terminals were free. I first selected the menu language, moved the magnetic strip of my 'Carta Costa' through the slot, was asked to insert my credit card with the chip into the slot underneath the keyboard, had to type my PIN, and received the message that the credit card registration was done successfully. The last 4 digits of my credit card number appeared on my 'Spese Di Bordo', the board account, from then on. On board expenses, including the tip which is billed daily, would be deducted every day from the credit card account. Otherwise, the guest would have to pay a cash deposit in order to cover on board expenses, details were given in the 'Diario Di Bordo'. The one for the next day was delivered to my stateroom in the evening, again in German language, together with an excursion ticket in an envelope. I had to ask the steward, he was present until about 10:00pm every day, for unlocking the minibar, he simply had forgotten it.

In order to get access to my 'Spese Di Bordo', I activated WiFi / WLAN on my smartphone and navigated to 'onboardportal-luminosa.costa.it'. Various services were available in 9 different languages, the 'Diario Di Bordo' for example, downloadable as PDF. I first had to register with my 'Carta Costa' number, stateroom number, eMail and a password of my choice. I then could log in to get access to my personal information, on board account, as well as for purchasing an internet package for example. Logging in to the internet was also possible from 'onboardportal-luminosa.costa.it', bandwidth usage was shown at log in and log out. The guest can also use some so called 'Totem's, interactive screens, on board for booking excursions, making table and wellness reservations, as well as monitor on-board expense accounting, and much more.

I was still sleeping, when 'Costa Luminosa' berthed in Trieste at 06:24am at 'Stazione Marittima Molo Dei Bersaglieri'. The weather was even worse than in Venezia, with heavy rain and visibility rarely to the mountains that raise up to Slovenia in the east. Passengers were reminded over the loudspeakers and in the 'Diario Di Bordo' not to forget their passport when going ashore, since authorities may deny their return to the ship without it. I was wondering all the time why Trieste is one of the destinations on the cruise, I would have preferred another one in Greece, or even Montenegro would have been fine.

However, I left 'Costa Luminosa' at 10:57am for a short visit of downtown Trieste right next to the pier. Clouds moved away and the sun appeared, finally, finally sun! The aft gangway on Ponte A Perla wasn't in use for passengers, I was directed to the forward gangway by staff, had to go one deck upstairs, the corridor along and one deck down again. Signs to the gangway for passengers were on Ponte 1 Corallo, but I arrived lower on Ponte A Perla by elevator and had no idea of the correct gangway. Downtown Trieste is very nice, stores were open and many people on the streets, lots of well renovated old buildings in 'Art Nouveau', very surprising and well known from my hometown. Trieste is the center of the coffee and cappuccino culture, by the way. I found the ancient 'Teatro Romano' and walked uphill to 'Castello Di San Giusto'. Entrance fee is €3.00 for a good overview of the city. Next to the 'Castello' is the 'Foro Romano' with old columns and the 'Cattedrale Di San Giusto'. Then down the hill to Piazza Unità D'Italia with the 'Palazzo Del Governo' in Venetian style, and back to 'Stazione Marittima Molo Dei Bersaglieri', which is just around the corner.

My passport and 'Carta Costa' were checked in front of the terminal, and at 12:23pm, I walked through the entrance on the left side of the terminal front. I passed the security, the same procedure as at most airports, and left the terminal towards the ship where a giant mass of passengers was about to squeeze up the narrow gangway. I was back on board at 12:30pm, and 5 minutes later in my stateroom. It was a very sunny stay in Trieste.

After Venezia, Trieste was the second harbor for embarkation on this cruise, the security drill must have been held before my return to the ship, since I did not notice anything about it. 'Costa Luminosa' set back from the pier in Trieste at 01:03pm, whirling up sediments, while I was just finishing lunch in the crowded 'Ristorante Andromeda'. She turned and sailed away from the town. It was very windy with waves. At the coast, the remarkable 'Castello Di Miramare', and more far in the north, Italian town of Monfalcone with its cruise ship yard, the birth place of many big ships. I had fast land based LTE internet access for more than 1 hour after departure from Trieste. The Alps towered up in the north and the elements shook the ship.

After making photos from the departure, I proceeded to the very spacious sun decks with lots of free sun loungers. Access is possible best from the forward and the aft staircases. Pool towels should have been available on the stateroom, but I found only the notice for them and had to ask the steward for the blue pool towels. A fee of €20.00 will be added to the board account if the towels are not brought back to the stateroom by the guest. I also had to ask him for a new minibar receipt, since I took something out of it, and he did not put a new one onto the table.

I spent the rest of the day with lying in the weak northern Italian September sun, making photos, until, yes, the bad weather returned with a thunderstorm. At least only for an hour, and it was the last bad weather until 'Costa Luminosa' returned to the Adriatic Sea on Thursday. I found my stateroom cleaned, and the steward has put 2 blue pool towels into the cabinet. I was sitting on my balcony until sunset, eventually went on deck to make photos of the spectacular colorful last daylight, and I had dinner in the 'Ristorante Andromeda'. When I returned to my stateroom later, the TV was showing a picture for reminding me about the time difference to Greece, the change to the new time zone would be made in the night. I purchased the Internet M package, 250mb bandwidth for the entire cruise at a charge of €32.00 plus €3.00 for activation.

The ship's time has changed to EEST in the night, UTC+3, all times in this travel report are local times. I spent 3 hours on the sun deck after breakfast, enjoying the sun. In these late summer days, the sun still shines powerful in southern Europe, with temperatures of 30°C sometimes, as today, while it is fall in Germany, with leaves flying from the trees. It is still summer here in Greece, real summer, as I know it from childhood, before climate change slipped in. The coast of Albania was in sight from the morning on, and some small islands northwest of Corfu at midday. Punctually at 12:00pm EEST, the horn blew, and the captain made an announcement over the loudspeakers about navigational issues and the future destination Corfu in Italian language, followed by female voices in various other languages. 'Costa Luminosa' navigated in the Straits Of Corfu and berthed at 03:20pm in Corfu town. First passengers left the ship about 10 minutes later, I took the gangway midships from Ponte A Perla at 03:42pm, and walked 500m to the terminal, where all passengers had to pull their 'Carta Costa' through reading devices in order to get through the barriers. The harbor of Corfu offered a free shuttle bus between ship and terminal, but the buses were totally crowded. I left the terminal at 03:49pm, and I then turned south to the big parking area with many buses waiting, as well as a giant mass of taxis and lots of drivers offering their services. I crossed the parking and went through the harbor checkpoint. Hop-On Hop-Off buses were waiting on the other side of the checkpoint, and staff was offering tickets. I proceeded directly to the harbor exit and went to downtown Corfu. It was a walk of 2100m and about 25 minutes from the cruise terminal. There are public buses, but the frequency is not so good. A shuttle bus service from terminal to downtown Corfu was offered by 'Costa Crociere' with a frequency of 30 to 40 minutes. The fare was €10.00 per person for the return ticket, it had to be purchased on board in advance.

Corfu has Venetian, British and French influence, and is just a charming Greek town, relaxed, with many old buildings and narrow alleys. The old town is an UNESCO World Heritage site. The weather was perfect, late summer heat under a wonderful blue sky. I walked through the alleys, found some old churches, like the 'Agios Spyridonos', and eventually headed to the 'Boschetto Gardens', next to the 'Old Fortress' with some picturesque views. The entrance fee for the fortress is €6.00, it offers some really great views, especially after walking uphill to the small lighthouse on top of the rock. I then took the 'Corfu City Bus' line '2A' from stop 'Liston Square', which is located in the middle of the big green park, directly across from the bridge to the fortress, taxis were available there as well. The bus goes in one single direction from Liston Square only, it departs all 20 minutes on weekdays, and a ticket costs €1.70 for the journey of less than 20 minutes to Kanoni and the world famous 'Vlacherna Monastery', the main photo spot on Corfu, where I arrived at 06:37pm.

After a stay of about 40 minutes in Kanoni, I returned with the bus to San Rocco Square in downtown Corfu and walked back to the ship. The sun already set behind the island, and 'Costa Luminosa' had switched on her illumination. I arrived at the cruise terminal at 08:00pm, went through the barriers using my 'Carta Costa', and passed the security. Many other cruise guests also shot photos from the ship in the dusk, for me, it took a while until I had taken photos of good quality. I returned to the ship at 08:19pm at the forward gangway, where everyone had to pass the security once again, since there was no bypass next to the metal detector. 'Ristorante Andromeda' was open until 10:00pm today, but when I showed up 1 hour earlier, it was totally crowded. I returned to my stateroom, watched 'Costa Luminosa' pushing back from the pier at 09:02pm, and eventually had dinner later, watching the coast and the lights moving by.

The toilet flushed in the morning, not when I pushed the button, but 5 minutes later. All staterooms in the area of the ship were affected. The sun suddenly climbed over the mountain range at 07:26am, and 'Costa Luminosa' berthed in Katakolon 5 minutes later. I left the ship at 08:20am, and went to the buses waiting at the pier exit to catch my booked transfer. I was directed by Costa staff to bus 32, and it departed at 08:30am on time. Sheets of paper were put onto seats with information about the departure time for the return journey at 11:00am from the same parking as on arrival, it would take 45 minutes each direction. A sticker with code C32 was given to me, and I sticked it onto my shirt.

Along the tour, savage fields, mountains far away, olive tree plantations, decaying buildings, small towns and commercial areas, cypresses, agriculture with desiccated plants sometimes, waste piles here and there, abandoned shops and construction ruins. Signs of significant rural exodus everywhere. The bus arrived after only 32 minutes at 09:02am in Olympia, a nice small town, looking quite wealthy.

It was a short walk of 350m to the ticket cottages right behind the bridge, long and uncoordinated queues. The entrance fee for the 'UNESCO World Heritage Archaeological Site Of Olympia' is €12.00, it includes entrance to the 2 adjacent museums as well, but there wasn't time for visiting the museums. Only cash is accepted here. Due to the waiting at the ticket cottage, and after that also at the entrance of the site some meters away, I entered this holy ground of history 15 minutes after arrival with the bus. Around the site, that dates back about 2800 years, many trees, there are description tables with explanations in Greek as well as English and German language. Some people may say that this place is just a collection of stones, simply lying around, but it is an important site in mankind history. Pretty disrespectful the tourists who need to fool around, on the running track of the Stadium for example. I had to go for catching the bus before I was mentally willing to leave this magical place, one hour more time would have been better. I wasn't really amused about that, since there was plenty of time until the ship would depart. The bus left Olympia at 11:10am, and the return journey took 34 minutes.

When I entered the ship, security checks were made with the on-board facilities at both gangways on Ponte A Perla. The toilets had been repaired meanwhile, I took lunch early, before the 'Ristorante Andromeda' got crowded again, and a sunbath on deck. 'Costa Luminosa' pushed back from the pier at 02:06pm to the sounds of 'Con Te Partiro', the Italian version of 'Time To Say Goodbye'. Another sunbath, again with the more or less loud animation from the open Ponte 9 Acquamarina in charming Italian language, until high clouds ended the enjoyment in the late afternoon. But it was not so evil, because I had some wonderful pastries and the single packaged but very excellent cocoa for 'La Merenda'. I have seen much better sunsets than the one on this evening, but later, I sat on my balcony, enjoyed the sounds of the sea, saw lights and lighthouses on islands far away in the darkness and felt really good in the warmth of the night, with memories from another major ancient site I have seen now.

'Costa Luminosa' began to brake from her cruise speed at 06:37am, and berthed 25 minutes later at the only Cruise Ship Pier in Mykonos. There were already 4 other cruise liners, they had to tender. First passengers left 'Costa Luminosa' over the gangway at 07:41am, while I had breakfast first and started my visit 40 minutes later from the midships gangway on Ponte A Perla, both gangways were open for the guests. I decided to walk to the town of Mykonos. There is no sidewalk on some parts of the way, I just watched out a little bit, and it was ok. To the parking, where all buses stop, it was a walk of 2250m, about 25 minutes, with a wonderful view on the sea, the islands and the anchoring cruise ships.

As mostly in the Cyclades, it was a sunny and also windy day, which means less heat. There was also the typical light summer haze in the air. Mykonos town is a very charming place, but with some flaws. Very beautiful narrow alleys with white walls, blue windows and lots of electric cables over the roofs, disturbing many beautiful views. Streets with noisy traffic and pollution from all the motorbikes, there is even traffic on the promenade sometimes. Drivers are negligent, they mostly don't even wear helmets, and streets can be dangerous. The traffic is annoying and limits the charm of the place. Additionally, Mykonos was quite crowded with lots of tourists and the day guests from 5 cruise liners, I was one of them.

For the way back to the ship, I purchased a ticket for the 'SeaBus' which costs €2.00 at the ticket cottage next to the pier entrance right in the city center. The small ferry departs every 30 to 60 minutes in each direction. After 10 minutes, the ferry arrived at its pier just next to the port entrance, only a few meters away from 'Costa Luminosa'. I entered the ship at 01:48pm over the forward gangway on Ponte A Perla, the aft one was closed.

I had a quick lunch and took a sunbath of 80 minutes, before I left the ship at 04:50pm over the aft gangway for another visit of Mykonos town in the afternoon and for a picturesque sunset. The 'SeaBus' seemed to be not very punctual, I experienced 2 delays of each 5 minutes, and the last return trip started 5 minutes earlier. Tickets are sold at the pier in front of the ferry when the ticket cottage is closed. After arrival, I proceeded to the harbor entrance, were the 'Carta Costa' was checked. Some passengers passed the security in a small building next to the harbor entrance. I entered 'Costa Luminosa' at 08:13pm over the aft gangway, with another check of 'Carta Costa' in front of it and at the security on board. I had dinner in the 'Ristorante Andromeda'. 'Costa Luminosa' pushed herself away from the pier at 09:57pm, sailed westwards, and later south of the island of Syros, where I had LTE internet access for more than a half an hour again. It was more and more windy, the elements began to shake 'Costa Luminosa'. At the 'Lido Dorado' pool on Ponte 9 Acquamarina, there was a very loud disco with dance and DJ this night again, many guests were enjoying the show, but for me, the really good music was just way too loud. The open sunroof let the sound move around the balconies and laser beams into the night. As every night, there were events everywhere on board 'Costa Luminosa', live music, even in the 'Atrio Supernova'. A wonderful stay in Mykonos will be in my mind forever.

It was very windy in the morning with waves up to 2 meters and some foam on top of them, 'Costa Luminosa' rolled and pitched slightly, the pool water spilled over. There was a multilingual promotion and sales in the 'Atrio Supernova'. An unexpected rain shower in the late morning fell through the open sunroof into the pool, but did not interrupt the multilingual entertainment with music and dance on the stage next to it. Clouds moved by the entire morning and afternoon, wind and sea did not calm down, 'Costa Luminosa' felt like a horse carriage. The sun was shining most of the time between the clouds, and I spent this only sea day on the entire cruise with lying in the sun, exploring the ship once more, eating and drinking again and again. The day went by way too fast.

Corfu was in sight late in the afternoon, and after 'La Merenda', it began to rain again, spray went up to the deck. When I returned to my stateroom, I suddenly saw a copra snake on my bed, Christian has made a Towel Origami. I sat on my balcony for a while, and later on the sun deck. It became really cold without the sun. Moving the balcony furniture made a lot of noise, as well as closing the heavy balcony door. The elevators turned out to be very quick, no long waiting for them, by the way.

The wind came exactly from the bow, its speed increased to 30kts in the evening, plus the ship's speed of 20kts made it 50kts on deck. It was hard to make photos of the beautiful sunset, after which I had dinner in the 'Ristorante Andromeda', with nice Mediterranean background music, as always. At midnight, 'Costa Luminosa' rolled and pitched more and more, the elements continued shaking her, it was quite cold outside, and the wind whistled through the funnel.

The ship's time changed back to CEST in the night, UTC+2. 'Costa Luminosa' docked at 06:50am at the long pier in Dubrovnik, after she had turned. First passengers left the ship 10 minutes later, while I was making some Intérieur photos. I eventually left the ship at 07:26am midships from Ponte A Perla and proceeded to the port gate. Behind it, I turned right to the 'Autobusni Kolodvor', the bus terminal with shop, snack bar, ATM, money exchange and a local bus ticket counter, which accepts only local currency by the way. The departing buses were crowded. Clouds moved by and it was very cold, but when I arrived at my first photo spot on top of the town after walking 3000m, about 45 minutes, the sun was shining and it got warmer. It then was a very sunny day. I visited some viewpoints with a good overlook of the picturesque old town at first, eventually walked down to the sea front with the crystal clear water, and entered the old town through the southern gate 'Vrata Od Ploca'. Masses of tourists were visiting the very beautiful old town of Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Unfortunately, I did not have had time left for the city wall, there was a very long line of waiting visitors at the ticket counter. I left the old town through the famous 'Vrata Od Pila' in the north, the entire area was crowded, long queues for various buses, and at 11:18am, I started my 3000m walking tour back to the ship.

My 'Carta Costa' was checked at the port gate, I entered the ship at 12:03pm over the midships gangway, passed the on-board security without waiting, and a few minutes later, I was back in my stateroom. Queues at the buffet in the 'Ristorante Andromeda' for lunch, I had to wait 10 minutes and it was hard to find a free table.

At 01:15pm, 'Con Te Partiro', the Italian version of 'Time To Say Goodbye' was played again on the sun deck, 'Costa Luminosa' pushed herself away from the pier and blew the horn. The departure underneath a deep blue sky was very spectacular and scenic.

The sea had calmed down, but the wind was still strong in the whole afternoon and evening. I spent the rest of the day with a last sunbath on deck, went to 'La Merenda', and turned back on deck to enjoy the sea, the sun and watch the islands moving by. It got colder and colder. I had to line-up in the evening again for dinner in 'Ristorante Andromeda'.

I learnt after dinner about the departure procedure for the next morning, very late. The details were given with the 'Diario Di Bordo', which I received about only 3 hours before I had to put my baggage in front of the stateroom door at midnight. It was not allowed to take the baggage from the ship on my own. At 09:15pm, I showed up at the 'Hospitality Service Desk' in the 'Atrio Supernova', in order to get an earlier disembarkation slot, since the time of 10:45am, printed in the 'Diario Di Bordo' appeared way too late for catching my flight. I only waited about 10 minutes, and the hostess was very friendly, asked me whether 1 hour earlier would be ok for me, 30 minutes after the first passengers would be able to leave 'Costa Luminosa' was ok for me, she disappeared and got me a green baggage tag with letter E. I would then have to attach it to the handle of my suitcase. My minibar was locked, when I returned to the stateroom, but steward Christian had put my private beverages onto the table, and at 11:18pm, I eventually rolled my baggage in front of the stateroom door, with the green label attached to the handle. I wrote my name as well as stateroom number and telephone number on it.

At 07:11am, the horn blew in the fog again and again, it was cold and only few passengers were on deck to watch 'Costa Luminosa's spectacular arrival in Venezia. She docked at 08:36am near terminal 117, opposite to Marghera where she was built, while the sun began to warm the air. The gangway was ready at 08:48am, and first baggage was brought ashore at 08:57am. When I returned to my stateroom, I found the final overview of the 'Spese Di Bordo' in the mailbox next to my stateroom door, I did not discover any errors, it was correct. After a last check to have all my belongings in my hand luggage, I left the stateroom at 08:50am, 50 minutes later than asked to do so by 'Costa Crociere'. 'Ristorante Andromeda' was very crowded, no chance to have breakfast, but a half an hour later, the buffet restaurant was nearly empty, and I eventually had the last breakfast onboard 'Costa Luminosa'. My checkout group was scheduled to disembark from the 'Grand Bar Elettra' at 09:45am, but 3 minutes later, the following group was already called. I decided to leave the ship nevertheless, left 'Costa Luminosa' at 09:54am, found my baggage in the assigned area with color green and letter E, and was out of the terminal by 10:00am. For the 1500m to Piazzale Roma, I needed a walk of 18 minutes.

Venezia, magically elegant decay and skew beauty at the Adriatic Sea! This wonderful place on earth means hardcore sightseeing, it is crowded everywhere, masses of people are queueing and winding around Piazza San Marco's 'Campanile' and 'Palazzo Ducale'. So many sighs, but not from the 'Ponte Dei Sospiri', but on Ponte Della Paglia, where masses of people at tourist's rush hour wave their selfie sticks - and rush hour is nearly always here - the 'Leone Di San Marco' overlooking everything from its column. This old trade city with great wealth and power over centuries, home town of famous globetrotter Marco Polo, also looks back on its Stato Da Màr colonial history with possessions down the Adriatic Sea to far to Cyprus. The city of Gondole, Gondolieri and the turquoise green water welcomes you with numerous scenes that may have looked the same some 150 years ago. Italian lifestyle, cuisine, art and architecture all along Canale Grande with famous 'Ponte Di Rialto' and all the picturesque palazzi, just board one of the vaporetti and be astonished! Venezia, a must visit in life time, this city is no theme park, it's real, alive, and so wonderful ...

The 'AeroBus' to the airport, ACTV Line 5, tickets can be purchased online at 'Venezia UNICA', departed late and was totally crowded. There was chaos at the airport 'Marco Polo', the queue for the security winded itself through the entire terminal two times. At the baggage drop off, I waited more than 30 minutes, at the security fortunately only another 15 minutes, the line was much shorter already. Most flights were delayed, like mine, and when the aircraft climbed into the sky, leaving Venezia behind, and all the stress from disembarkation to departure, I began to realize the end of a wonderful cruise with excellent food, so much blue sky and warmth, and that the past days would have been the last summer days for me this year.

'Costa Luminosa' is a classic cruise liner, 8 years old, with a more traditional form, compared to newer ships. Interiors appeared to me like some sort of 'Art Deco', with lots of colorful illumination and warm colors. There were always lots of free sun loungers on the spacious sun decks, and the ship did never appear crowded. Everybody on board was friendly, caring and attentive.

After arriving at about 11:30am, it took me nearly 3 hours from the port gate through the entire embarkation process to my stateroom, long waiting times again and again, but I was repeatedly addressed in German language. The staff and crew was always doing a good job in talking to their guests in each their languages. The security drill took less than 30 minutes and was held in Italian and English languages; movies in other languages were available on the TV in the stateroom the entire cruise. I found some clocks going wrong on board, and generally, light wear and tear.

Since I am a buffet type of passenger, and I generally try to avoid long sessions in the main dining rooms, I did not visit the main dining room. In the evenings, the 'Ristorante Andromeda' was open from 07:30pm to 09:00pm usually, a very limited time for a buffet restaurant, not so Italian like, and there were queues sometimes, since the buffets are arranged on long bars with a narrow alley, not allowing guests to jump. Plastic table ware was used, but the offered food was among the best things on the cruise, although two typical Italian foods like pizza and ice cream were not included in the cruise fare. The gelato bar 'Amarillo' on Ponte 3 Ambra was orphaned most of the time, as well as the Pizza bar in the 'Ristorante Andromeda' on Ponte 9 Acquamarina. Obviously few passengers were willing to spent additional money. Choice of food was very good with a big variety, not just pasta, but also different kinds of fish and meat, even the best possible Bratwurst, always very freshly prepared opposite to the buffets, and very delicious small desserts from the patisserie. The spoons and forks at the buffet had greasy handles sometimes, and food was partially the same for lunch and dinner or dessert and 'La Merenda' on some days. Not so bad, since it tasted always very good. I had the 'Pranzo & Cena' beverage package, since only different beverages for breakfast and tea time were included in the cruise fare. Usually, only one side of the restaurant with each 2 different buffets was used in the evenings, thus there was always more free seating on the other side of the restaurant. At rush times, the restaurant was full, and it was hard for me to find free seating. 'Costa Crociere' offers some very few beverage 'Vending Machines' in the 'Ristorante Andromeda'. The guest can insert the 'Carta Costa' and choose between 6 different refreshment drinks. The given price on the monitor will then either be added to the board account, or was already paid with a beverage package. I tasted cool water instead of the expected lemonade, and was also astonished about the amount that came out of the machine, it filled the plastic cup only half, an estimated of 150ml. The guest can also get beverages at the end of every buffet line in the 'Ristorante Andromeda' at lunch and dinner, manually served by always very friendly staff, a full plastic cup with 250ml to 300ml out of cans or bottles. The 'Carta Costa' must be shown or handed over to the staff for paying therefore, any purchased beverage package is noted with its code on the card. Tap water is free, available from dispensers in the 'Ristorante Andromeda'.

The 'Samsara Spa' crew was always very busy with promoting their offers, paper ads were delivered to the stateroom and handed out to guests near the gangway when returning from excursions. Hand disinfection was available at every buffet, but was not taken very seriously by most guests on this cruise.

The entertainment program offered something for everyone, every day, with live music sometimes. Entertainment was as multilingual as the entire cruise, a charming Babylonian language jumble. I had purchased the Internet M package with a bandwidth for the entire cruise, and the internet speed was good on board.

Excursions; I only booked a transfer from Katakolon to Olympia, the fare was ok, the bus on time, the journey times shorter than announced, but the stay of only 2 hours was too short for an interested visitor like me. Generally, short stays of the ship in the harbors with only one single full day stay at Mykonos.

As on most ships, orientation support lacked on 'Costa Luminosa' as well. No port and starboard signs, and no stateroom direction signs in the staircase halls.

I learnt after dinner on the last evening of the cruise about the departure procedure for the next morning, about only 3 hours before I had to put my baggage in front of the stateroom door at midnight. Staff at the 'Hospitality Service Desk' was very friendly and gave me an earlier disembarkation slot, since my assigned time was way too late for catching my flight. Disembarkation then proceeded very quickly the next morning. On-board accounting was correct.

Thank you 'Costa Crociere' for a wonderful cruise with so good food, charming multilingualism and your warm Italian hospitality on bella 'Costa Luminosa'!

My 'BC Classic Balcony Stateroom' #381 on deck 5 on the starboard side had a double bed and a couch, convertible to a bed, bedside tables, closets, commode and stool, a safe for valuables, a telephone and a minibar. There were 2 sockets for EU plugs, one of them behind the TV, which offered some few programs in different languages, no main German news shows among them, by the way, but one in English. Bathroom with shower and gel dispenser, big mirror, toilet, washbasin and towels, as well as a clothesline. I slept well on the bed, the stateroom was quiet, no annoying loudspeaker announcements.

Appearance was nice and largely clean, but with some few flaws. I discovered lots of deep and not so clean looking scratches on the toilet seat. On the morning of day 4, the toilet flushed, not when I pushed the button, but 5 minutes later. All staterooms in the area of the ship were affected, and the problem was fixed after I returned from my excursion some hours later. There was a glass vase as decoration with a big hole, and one of the light switches was not very clean. The minibar was filled very good with different beverages and snack foods, and there was a coffee machine. Lots of storage was available for clothes and baggage. I had to ask the cabin steward sometimes for missing small things.

The usually 6-page and closely printed daily planner 'Diario Di Bordo' with all necessary information was delivered to the stateroom every day, but was also downloadable as PDF at 'onboardportal-luminosa.costa.it'. Security information on the stateroom door, as well as a 'Non Disturbare' card to move into the card reader outside the stateroom. The big balcony was equipped with a small table and 2 sunchairs, each without foldable backrest. The lockable and heavy door always shut noisy. Pool towels were stored in the closet.