Costa Cruise Okinawa-Ishigaki Island 4 Days 3 Nights

Our trip was scheduled from April 5 to April 8, departing from Keelung Port, and we booked the cheapest four-person interior cabin. Here are some notes from this trip 📝 Before departure, you can download the Costa App, which is mainly used for online safety drills and daily activity updates. If you don’t purchase onboard internet, you can still use the app’s chat function, but it doesn’t send push notifications and is generally quite difficult to use 😅. Alternatively, you can purchase onboard internet, though it’s not cheap. We started queuing at 12 PM, and after a long wait and various customs checks, we finally boarded the ship and found our room around 2 PM. Once onboard, we completed the online safety drill by watching the video provided in the app and then heading to the deck on the 4th floor to find staff members to finalize the drill. If you don’t do the online drill, you can join the physical drill by waiting for the broadcast and bringing the life jacket provided in your room to the designated location. All onboard expenses are charged to your personal room card, which needs to be linked to your credit card. There are machines on the 5th floor where you can set this up yourself. Just wait until there’s no line to bind your card, and as long as it’s done before disembarking, you’re good to go. Dinner on the first day was at the Vista Restaurant on the 3rd floor, divided into two seatings: 5 PM and 7 PM. We were in the 7 PM seating. Once seated, it’s recommended to order immediately as the ordering and serving process is quite slow—we didn’t start eating until almost 8 PM. During dinner, photographers came to take pictures of us, but if you want the photos, you’ll need to pay extra. You can purchase them directly using your room card at machines on the 5th floor. Apart from the first day’s dinner, which was à la carte, the rest of the meals were buffet-style. There are also paid restaurants onboard, but since we were on a budget, we didn’t try them. The buffet meals were quite similar each time, and while there’s usually a short wait, it’s not too long. By the last day, we were pretty tired of the food. There’s also the highly recommended Amarillo ice cream onboard, which always has a long queue. With plenty of time on the ship, we joined the crowd and queued up as well. Additionally, one of our friends purchased the beverage package, which includes unlimited coffee, soda, alcohol, etc. They mentioned that drinking a few cocktails a day makes the package worth it. There are different price options, so make sure to check whether alcohol is included before purchasing. Boarding and disembarking the ship both require queuing, especially disembarking. Although there are staggered times, everyone tends to arrive early to wait, and it took quite a while to finally step onto land. Be mentally prepared for lots of queuing unless you decide not to disembark. There are plenty of activities onboard, though we missed many due to insufficient planning. It’s recommended to arrange your schedule in advance. We heard the theater performances are quite good. On sunny days, you can also head to the top deck to sunbathe, where there’s a swimming pool and water slide. In conclusion, joining the Costa Cruise was a nice experience. It’s suitable for families with kids and elderly members, though you’ll need to overcome the queuing and waiting. Other than that, just follow the onboard schedule and enjoy your time slowly 😆.