LMHC

It depends on your tolerance for vibrations. We like the location due to it being quiet as there is very little foot traffic and hallway noise back there compared to other locations on the ship. The shuddering when entering and leaving port will certainly awaken you and is quite loud. During the time at sea it is more of a chugging along vibration, but nothing that kept us up. We enjoy being aft of the rear elevators, but not usually all the way to the back due to the early morning coming into port shaking. The size seems to be same as other oceanviews which tend to be a little larger than the balcony or inside rooms.

They do seem much lighter than regular golf balls. It is pretty windy up on the sports deck and they are so light they blow around a little too easily to keep them in one spot at times. It would really surprise me if they were edible to fish.

We typically keep the same seats as it seems like the predictable and polite thing to do. However the larger the tour bus the greater the chance of "your seat" being taken unless you do leave something in it. I would be mentally prepared to mix it up and you won't be disappointed because seats are not "officially assigned" by anyone on the many tours we have been on. Keep a good vacation state of mind and it will likely serve you well.

Loved the review. We just returned from the Costa Mediterranea I guess a couple cruises after you to many of the same ports. We really wanted to love Costa due to prices and itineraries which are varied for Europe. However Costa communication and organization were poor, which for us limited time in ports and threw our pre-planning off more than once and ended up costing us additional money. Also included food and drink options/times were very limited, so this will likely be out last Costa cruise. I love the pictures of Bruges, which was our favorite port as well.

We just returned from a Costa cruise and as said water was free at dinner for USA customers. It was available from some dispensers at the buffet areas during times the buffet was not open. No hot water except for meal times, but we were able to go to the bar in the back of the ship to get hot water for tea. Free coffee is only in the morning and from 4 to 5pm, which was weird. It was made quite clear that they really are pushing the drink packages.