CostaVictoria's two main restaurants -- the Sinfonia and the Fantasia -- are located on Deck 5. Both are elegantly presented with beech and cream walls, linen curtains, glass-screened waiter stations, deep carpets and comfortably padded wooden chairs, and both offer two-seating dinners as well as formal, waiter-served breakfast and lunch.

Menus feature well-presented international dishes and there are themed French and Italian nights. Not surprisingly on an Italian ship, the pasta (made fresh daily) is excellent, salads are crisp and there is a good choice of desserts (though, oddly, only salt and white pepper on the tables -- not the black pepper mills so beloved of Italian waiters the world over).

Lunch menus are also substantial, with grilled chicken or steak always available alongside daily specials like Reuben sandwiches and pasta dishes, and treats like ricotta cake with apricots and ice cream sundaes.

However, staff seem overstretched at lunchtime and service can be slow -- possibly because both restaurants offer open-seating lunch. A solution might be to open only one for lunch, extend its opening hours and concentrate staff there.

For casual breakfasts and lunches, there is the roomy Terrazza Cafe and indoor Bolero Buffet on Rigoletto deck, where passengers can enjoy a semi-al-fresco lunch under the shade of a huge sail-like canopy.

Outside main dining hours, you can visit the Pizzeria on Deck 13, which has large windows along one side, fresh pale green, blue and green decor , and an attractive fruit-laden market stall as its centerpiece.

This serves pizza slices, salad and ice cream by day and offers a full pizza service at night, but opening hours are limited (typically from 3 until 7:30 p.m. and from 9:30 p.m. until 1 a.m.), and I felt the atmosphere on the ship would be more easygoing were this to be open longer, allowing guests to eat whenever they like.

As it stands, the only truly 24-hour option is room service -- which offers a limited selection of snacks around the clock at a 2 Euro supplement per item ordered.

The ship also pays lip service to the old cruise tradition of the midnight buffet with "Midnight Surprise" snacks served in the bars and lounges. The night I checked these out, they turned out to be slices of watermelon and pancakes, which certainly surprised me!

However, lovers of fine food and wine will not be disappointed, as CostaVictoria's Magnifico Restaurant by Zefferino -- located in the ship's pretty Tavernetta Lounge and open daily from 7:30 until 10 p.m. -- delivers both. Candlelit, with spacious tables and seductive music provided by a smoky-voiced torch singer, this is the perfect venue for a romantic meal, and the menu -- designed by the owner of Italy's legendary Zefferino's restaurant chain -- is superb (I can particularly recommend the hot shrimp in batter, cheese-stuffed cuttlefish and light-as-air almond cake).

Reservations in the Magnifico cost 22 Euros a head, and a 15 percent service fee is added to your bill, but the food is worth stumping up for. Wine, priced from 17 Euros for a perfectly respectable Dolcetto d'Alba red to 110 Euros for a bottle of Dom Perignon, is affordable.

Elsewhere on the ship, wine prices are even lower; in the Bolero buffet, 7 Euros buys a small carafe of house wine (Soave or Valpolicella), a bottle of Pinot Grigio costs 17 Euros, and Chianti ranges from 18 to 22 Euros a bottle.

Come aboard the Victoria and allow our brilliant chefs to introduce you to a whole new world of dining. You're bound to become acquainted with a couple new favorites and reacquainted with your old favorites. Just the aroma alone is bound to make your mouth water with hunger and the taste will give you a feeling of sweet ecstasy. Whether you're in the mood for an exquisite restaurant or the advantages of a buffet, the Victoria is equipt with both. If you are in need of a late night or early morning nibble, feel free to contact the 24-Hour Room Service. Even the younger cruisers will have their very own Pizzeria filled with every food their hearts will desire.

• Fantasia Restaurant
• Sinfonia Restaurant
• Bolero Indoor & Outdoor Buffet
• Pizzeria
• 24-Hour Room Service