Overview
CostaAllegra may look a bit plain from the outside, but inside it is literally brilliant and quite beautiful. Italian designer elegance makes it a very bright ship, capitalizing on the play of light on glass, whimsical, with lots of verve. Dramatic paintings, sculpture, graphics, wall hangings, and handmade crafts make her striking and homelike at the same time. CostaAllegra was refurbished in 2001 in cream, peach, red, aqua and black that would have struck a chord with the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists the decks are named for: Manet, Rousseau, Degas, Modigliani, Lautrec, Gauguin and Van Gogh. With more than one crew member to every two passengers, service is a major feature of the ship.

Cabins
Three suites at the front of the ship are designed to accommodate 5-6 guests each, with generous living areas, wet bars, great views, whirlpool bath, showers, hand-stitched bedspread, original art and tapestries, but no verandas. 10 mini-suites, at 376 square feet in size have verandas, whirlpool baths, shower, elegant furnishings a sitting area and minibar, plus butler-style service. Staterooms about 146-156 square feet, cheerful designer fabrics, teak furnishings yacht-like atmosphere. 137 oceanview and 113 inside standard staterooms with two single beds, 11 oceanview and two standard rooms with queen-size beds, Two oceanview and four inside singles Eight inside cabins accommodate the needs of passengers with disabilities, and there are 55 oceanview and 65 inside quad staterooms.

Gratuity
Suggested gratuities are: $2.50 per person, per day for the waiter, $1.50 per person, per day for the cabin steward, $1 per person, per day for the headwaiter.

Fellow Passengers
North Americans make up about 10-20% of passengers, with the balance mostly European.

Dress Code
Dress on board is mainly resort casual with two formal nights per seven-day cruise in addition to the Toga Party, where togas are furnished by the cruise line.

Fitness and Recreation
The Caracalla Spa and Fitness Center has lifecycles, treadmills. The ship's fitness center with an aerobics area, Technogym fitness equipment which can be keyed to individual routines and reset in seconds afterwards along with personalized instruction, then brought ashore for use in other Technogym facilities. There is a jogging and fitness track, steam and sauna rooms and four jacuzzis.

Entertainment
The famous Costa Toga party, in which even the most unlikely passengers take advantage of the togas handed out by the line to turn up in Roman dress. The 554-seat Folies Bergere Showroom is wrapped in the signature vivid color, and 247 people can and often do simultaneously enjoy live entertainment in the Flamenco Ballroom, while the Crystal Club Disco generally warms up late.

Public Rooms
In the lobby a chandelier falls two decks, and the three-deck glass atrium, with its 1,000-foot hand-painted water mural, is topped by a dome that shows a 360 degree view of the sky and the sophisticated red and black Piazetta Allegra is an elegant European promenade lined with boutiques, shops selling logo goods and sundries, a tempting patisserie and a bar. There is seating for 50 passengers. A dedicated meeting room has a broad range of audiovisual and business communication equipment. Wicker sofas with overstuffed cushions coexist amicably with stainless steel tables and chairs draw sunbathers and dancers poolside at the Pool Bar. The main lounge, named after the famous island of glassmakers, Murano, has walls of smoked blue Murano glass, lit from behind, along with colorful glass light fixtures to illuminate the food and drink and occasional entertainment. 120 people can fit in and often do. The Monte Carlo Casino has blackjack, roulette and slot machines. There is no smoking aboard the ship in the showroom or dining rooms; lounges and casinos have smoking and non-smoking sections.

Dining
At the back of the ship the 462-seat Restaurant Montmartre has a really beautiful entry with hand cut marble stones and oceanview dining with floor to ceiling windows The indoor/outdoor 296-person Yacht Club Buffet attracts the sunbathers and sports enthusiasts who enjoy the more casual breakfast and lunch service among the wicker chairs with blue striped cushions and blond wood tables inlaid with sky blue panels. Costa has recently upgraded its cuisine using graduates of European culinary schools who are also members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs.

Family
The Children's Center is the focal point of the children's program, which is in session both in the Caribbean and Europe, accommodating young cruisers ages 3-17 from 9 a.m.- 11:30 p.m. except for generous lunch and dinner hours and during days in port. Group babysitting with a fee can be arranged for ages 3 and up. Costa is very family friendly and offers special rates.