Dancer Bob

I have NEXUS/Pre-Check. In June, YYZ-LAS, I kept my shoes on. Laptop and baggie were packed on top, I automatically threw them in the bin without asking.

QM2 is not really a good choice. The Queens Room is often used for lifted-pinky, invite-only closed receptions. Access to the alternate venue G32, is by way of the QR, so it's often not available. On Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, the alternate venue is on Deck 10. Also, in the past few years the QR Orchestras have stuggled to reach mediocre. The Caribbean groups upstairs have been surprisingly good when given an opportunity. In the past, Costa has been the best choice, decent music and floors and a wide variety of music. It has attracted a loyal following of Europeans, although you'll see many dances more common in Europe, like Paso Doble and Mazurka. At present however, the situation seems pretty confused. (My last cruise was only 25% full, so cutbacks were inevitable.) I wouldn't recommend any American cruise line. NCL's Manahattan Room would have been a good floor if the restarant people hadn't covered it with tables, which seemed to sum up NCL's attitude towards dancers. As far as Carnival out of San Juan, well, "lively" is one way of putting it. It was the only time I ever felt like sitting with my back to a wall in the disco.

As I posted on the Luminosa thread, Costa expects these ships to be completely Carnival, staff on Carnival contracts, etc, not a Costa experience.

Make sure your second card is with a different issuer. I had two TD cards and one BMO. I lost one of the TD cards. The-remarkably inefficient- TD card centre cancelled both cards even though I was very clear on the card number which was actually lost.

Mentioned Venezia to a New York-based organiser who does a lot of business with Costa. Her Costa contact said the ships are expected to be completely Carnival-ised, staff on Carnival contracts, etc etc. They don't expect it to be a Costa experience and it wouldn't be suitable for her.

Based on my experience, these ships would be a far better fit with Carnival in the US market (although I haven't been on Carnival for a while). Reading between the lines and judging by the near-total absence of customers in the casino and shops, a lot of Europeans were pretty negative too. I thought I posted the bar menu somewhere but I can't find it. Oops- I was thinking partly of the Luminosa thread when I wrote this.

I've also done TA's on Cunard (much the same demographic) and Costa (on longer, off-season cruises, also similar) so I can offer a comparison. Much more fun, I definitely didn't feel like I was the only person still awake after 9PM. I did close G32 on QM2 at 5AM once, but that was rare, usually it was just the buffet when normal music shut down around midnite, usually with other people.

Just got back. Arrival in BCN, took 1.5 hours to pass non-EU passport control. The SpTH QR code was checked downstairs, that only took about a minute. You can start the form early but you have to finish it close to departure. You will need the rather long form identifier to access. No more difficult than the ArriveCAN form. Coming back, took about 1 hour to pass security and passport control. In August, who knows?

My experience agrees with Hlitner and nini. I'm baffled what ship rkacruiser can have been on. My Transatlantic, even though I was with a group with group activities, I was so bored I was seriously considering jumping ship at Funchal, but I thought "these are really, really old people but it's been port-intensive, surely some will come alive at sea" (I was in my mid-60's at the time). Nope. I was the only passenger I ever saw in the pasta bar after 11PM. I'm not sure if it was that ship, I was the only person in the lounge for the musicians' final set. My travel agent liked to book groups on HAL because he could hold space for months without deposits. I eventually told the group organiser I wasn't going on HAL anymore. She did one more trip, got into a fight with the Hotel Manager, I think over playing music after 9PM, and stopped as well.

I submitted a review of Costa Firenze but it hasn't been published. There were only 1600 pax on a Dubai-Genoa repositioning, hard to predict future ambience. But this ship was designed for the Chinese market, huge casino surrounded by expensive shops and restaurants, nothing else that stood out from the competition. The worst Costa ship I have ever been on, even the old rust-buckets had at least one thing I could say they did better than the competition, Most negative reviews pre-covid have come from people who booked cheapskate nothing-included cabins and are whining because it was a cheapskate experience. Really intended for European families on a budget. Most posters seem to agree paying for a premium cabin is a better deal. Food: Comparable to 4-star resorts in Spain I have stayed at. Language: English is the working language of the hotel staff, they should all be able to carry out their job functions, although they'll be more used to UK English. Other passengers, usually 10-20% English-speaking. Lots of Italian, especially in the Mediterranean. Cabins. Pretty much standard. Mattresses in Europe are typically very firm. European School vacations: Avoid! Music: As I posted, far below Costa's previous standard, I don't know if this is the new policy fleet-wide. My next booking is on Costa Diadema, I like that ship. A tour organiser from New York I know who has done a lot of business on Costa did a tour and also liked the ship (she had to cancel the group because of covid). I see you have Oceania booked. I just turned down an offer from another organiser with a group on Oceania because it was so expensive, expect much more budget-conscious people on Costa. If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

I have been on both several times, although not on a World Cruise. (My travel agent booked groups on HAL because they let him hold space for months with no deposits.) Pre-covid, they were as different as two cruise lines could be and still be on the same planet. Costa's entertainment has been far superior to any American ship I have been on, while I describe HAL as floating mausoluems. I'm only 72, I hope I've got 30 years before I'm old enough fit in on HAL. On Costa I don't feel at all out of place. Many other posts even on the HAL board admit HAL is "not a party ship". Huge understatement. I once did a Transatlantic on HAL. Even though I was with a group with group activities, I was so bored I was considering jumping ship by the time we reached Funchal. I recall the pasta bar was kept open for staff meals but I was the only passenger I ever saw after 11 PM. Another ship, I recall winning $20 in the casino just before it closed, at either 10 PM or 11 PM. If you're looking for 5,000 Calorie feeding troughs, HAL is better. I aim for 2000 Calories/day, I've always found plenty on Costa. I have less experience with Princess, seems more towards HAL. I eventually told the group organiser I wasn't going on HAL anymore. She did one more trip, there was a fight with the hotel manager, I think over playing music after 9 PM, and she stopped as well. I just did a trip on Costa Firenze. I was very disappointed but it was still livelier than HAL.

I've gone through Marseille several times. It's not a major port for Costa, although there are (two?) ships parked there waiting return to service. No, there isn't much information and yes, buses are awkward and inconvenient. It's one port where I do use the Costa shuttles. The port shuttle is new, maybe only because there were so many ships. The RTM transit bus from Joliette Metro has limited service, more designed for port employees, and dropped passengers at the port gate for security check, a long walk to the terminal.

I am currently on Firenze. The musicians have been given very strict rules limiting what they can play. Nobody wants to talk about this, whether it's one-off for this trip, the rules seem to have come from Costa corporate. The Daily Program does say salsa, merengue, pop and rock. The result is monotonous bar music that is no better than on any other cruise line. At least they haven't ordered the volume cranked up (yet). Anyone else encountering this? As it is, no reason to recommend Costa over anyone else.