• My Costa Pacifica cruise cost $100 a night, so I expected a stripped-down experience.
• The ship felt dated, the food was hit-or-miss, and I sometimes felt nickel-and-dimed.
• Still, I got to see the Dominican Republic for such a low price. I'd cruise with Costa again.

When I booked my trip with Costa Cruises, an Italian budget line, I wasn't expecting luxury. Honestly, a seven-night solo Caribbean cruise for only $700 felt like a gamble.

If you've cruised before, that price might not seem unusual — many lines offer weeklong Caribbean sailings starting around the same rate.

However, in this case, $700 was my total cost, including taxes, fees, surcharges, gratuities, and even the solo supplement.

At about $100 a night, I expected a stripped-down experience. In some ways, it was. Still, after a week on board, I can confidently say this cruise delivered everything I look for in a tropical getaway.

My itinerary stayed primarily within the Dominican Republic

The cruise I booked was aboard the Costa Pacifica, with an itinerary that started and ended in La Romana, Dominican Republic, a port about an hour from Punta Cana.

Over the course of the week, we visited five ports, four of which were in the Dominican Republic: Catalina Island, Samaná, Amber Cove, and Cabo Rojo (the other was Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos).

I liked that this cruise let me easily see multiple parts of the country without road-tripping. I don't know if Costa intended this as an immersive advantage or a logistical convenience, but either way, it made my vacation better.

The ship felt dated in places, but it was comfortable enough.

The ship's six-story atrium with dramatic glass elevators made a stunning first impression, but the rest of the Costa Pacifica was nowhere near as striking.

Well-worn carpets lined hallways and elevator landings. The buffet had barebones furnishings and pastel plastic dishes that reminded me of summer camp.

In my opinion, the 3,800-passenger Costa Pacifica has all the essentials, but none of the frills.

On board, you'll find two main dining rooms, one buffet, an outdoor snack bar, and four specialty restaurants, plus numerous bars and lounges and a single theater. There are also three outdoor pools, a waterslide, and six hot tubs, but not much else.

My 180-square-foot interior cabin didn't look like it had been updated since the ship was completed in 2009. The wallpaper wasn't especially modern, and the cabinets looked a little worn.

However, my mattress was comfortable, and the shower had plenty of hot water and pressure — so the room hit the marks on function (just not fashion).

It took me a while to get used to the ship's vibe and pace

Costa Cruises is headquartered in Genoa, Italy, and its Mediterranean identity felt obvious when I stepped on board.

On the ship, it sounded like two-thirds of the conversations around me were Italian. The scheduling also felt very Southern European.

Like in Italy, the ship quieted down for a mid-afternoon siesta and picked up with dinner seatings at 9:15 or 9:30 p.m.

Most theater and live music performances — plus a few structured Teen Zone activities — were also scheduled after 9.

Of the three theater productions I attended, none stood out. I thought they leaned more toward low-budget, in-house shows than polished productions, so I didn't feel guilty if I went to bed early.

If you're not used to Italian ways, this scheduling might be culture shock. Although I'm based in the US, as a frequent traveler, I wasn't caught off guard so much as annoyed: I'm usually early to bed, early to rise.

I also like to stay active and busy when I'm on trips, so my normal travel rhythm didn't blend seamlessly with Costa. For the first few days, I wondered if I had made a mistake.

Eventually, I started jam-packing my time in each port with tons of activities, reboarding the ship at the last minute before sailaway.

Then, once I was on board, I didn't mind slowing down and soaking up the Italian dolce vita.

The extra costs felt more widespread here than on other cruises

Nearly all cruise lines charge extra for cocktails, spa treatments, and specialty meals, but Costa charged me for things I hadn't been used to paying for on a ship.

For example, on many cruises, the amount of free food is so abundant that gaining weight on board is practically a cruise tradition — this wasn't the case on the Pacifica.

If I got hungry between 6 and 7 p.m., I'd have to pony up for paid sushi or pizza, since the included grill, buffet, and main restaurants are all closed. Gelato for a mid-afternoon snack starts at €2.40, with no free soft-serve in sight.

If I wanted a glass of water with dinner in the main dining room instead of filling my own water bottle on the pool deck, I'd pay another euro or two.

Like a low-cost airline, cheap base fares lure you in, but everything extra could lead to an expensive final bill. Fortunately, I was expecting this and didn't let charges get out of hand.

At the end of the cruise, my total invoice came to around €200, covering one spa treatment, WiFi access, drinks, and other miscellaneous onboard charges.

Food was hit-or-miss, but I found the winners

Breakfast and lunch were primarily simple, buffet-driven affairs. Once I learned what worked, I stuck to a simple morning routine and ate most of my lunches on shore in port for convenience and variety's sake.

Dinner was where quality varied the most and strategy mattered. I love Italian food, but there's a big difference between mass-produced meals on a cruise ship and the dishes served at a quaint trattoria in Rome.

In my opinion, hot dishes at both the buffet and main restaurant were often overcooked and oversalted. However, Costa overdelivered on its pastas, which were balanced and al dente.

Many of the cold appetizers, like a chilled octopus carpaccio, were also excellent. After discovering these patterns, I often "only" ordered three of the four courses at dinner, focusing on what I felt Costa did well.

One night, I skipped dinner at the main restaurant and headed to the ship's specialty pizzeria instead.

It cost extra, but the diavola pizza — with its wood-fired crust, spicy salami, and gooey cheese — was easily one of the most satisfying bites I had on board.

In the end, the experience was better than the price suggested

This Carnival-owned Italian line kept things simple, but I never felt like I was missing out or getting a bad deal.

Value-focused travelers will be hard-pressed to find a cheaper cruise vacation, especially if they're disciplined enough to rein in incidental spending.

The low price didn't impact my ability to see the Dominican Republic, and the cash I saved helped me splurge on excursions at each port.

I'd cruise with Costa again — and suspect my next trip will be even better since I know what to expect.

Costa Cruises didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.