sealynx

Yes, the taxes, you do have to pay them. But you are kind of right, because indeed you also have to pay half the gratuities you would pay for an adult.

In Europe is kind of an ongoing promotion: for kids sailing in the same cabin as their parents you only pay taxes.

It used to be locations MSC found less desirable (in shade of overhang, view to the water blocked by life boats, near the bow/stern and especially the ones with a metal (non glass) railing). Nowaways its the cabins that are left over, in other words the ones that were not chosen by Fantastica experience passengers. So in theory, you might get quite a good location actually.

Very well said. My experience exactly.

There you have it, the forward section of the lower MDR was inserted. On MSC Opera cabins 10136 - 10162 are in the inserted section. We were in 10162. They are of the same size as most other balcony-cabins on the same deck and the deck below. I Believe its a little different on the other ships in the class, since Opera was built with more balconies to begin with. On Sinfonia you can clearly see the inserted section on the deck 10. Its the portion where it widens and the balconies are hanging out of the ship, instead of being inside of the structure. So I haven't been on Sinfonia, but I have been on Opera. I really liked her. Being a smaller ship, you had more a feel of actually being at sea. There are two pools, one was heated, the other cold. They would swap, so you'd never know which to use. The waterpark was fun, but many jets were clogged. Might have had to do with the fact that this was her second week of operation after the pandemic. They did give her new carpets in many areas. They were constantly vacuuming everywhere, and still dust bunnies were running around all over the place. Expect a ship with not to many bells and whistles, but with plenty of live music during the evening, okay food in both MDR and buffet, great serving crew and wonderful cocktails. The cabins are much smaller than on newer ships, with no couch or seating area. The shows were okay, but not the best. Consider them 'entertaining, without a wow-factor'.

It takes 15-30 minutes to set up a gangway safely in most ports. Expect there to be a line. If you are early, you might be at front of it, but expect waiting while sitting on stairs at best.

Don't get your hopes up. I once tried through my TA to change to the other side of the ship, but it was a 'no'. Even though I had actually picked a different location on a whole different ship (when you could still pick a cabin when booking Bella).

No star, no larger circle, no other difference from the other ports. Al ports have the same dot.

They'll probably will, but they'll try to match you with a similar family with the same nationality. So prepare for 4 loud and messy kids. Though there is also a change you'll get a table for four.

On the contrary. Since there are fewer passengers boarding at once, the logistics are way less complicated. Where can we find that? On the website I don't see any stars on the maps. I believe its often Genua though.

I did notice the same. It makes my wonder why they would sacrifice a A-location for a balcony cabin, for a cheaper class of Infinite-cabins. These infinite-cabin's have two big perks in space and view, especially in colder weather, they are more than a standard balcony. Don't tell them though.

I believe they no longer have assigned Bella or Fantastica cabins. On the deck plans it just says Yacht Club and Aurea and nothing else. With Fantastica you have the benefit of being able to choose, while Bella-passengers will just be assigned what is left over. So with Fantastica you are now able to pay extra to select a cabin that used to belong to the Bella-experience (and get free room service). For my MSC cruise I booked a Bella-balcony (on MSC Fantasia), but was assigned a Aurea (on MSC Opera). Only perk that gave me was €200 obc for the lesser ship, nothing else that was part of the Aurea experience.

Yep. Same with the P&O experience and HAL experience. They are taking a risk by putting everything on big ships. This might be a reason why small ship companies are growing in any market. But then again, all companies (except Costa) are growing.

Pretty much the same as on any other ship. If you might be prone to motion sickness, stick to a cabin near the centre of the ship. Run from a balcony directly under the pool deck, since you might be woken up by people dragging deck chairs around. Though on the other hand, the higher up you are, the better the view (and the more you pay). Avoid cabins near elevators, they attract a lot of traffic. Be aware that some balconies have steel railings, where others have glass. The ones with steel railings used to be of a cheaper class, but that is no longer the case. Consider if you want to sit in the sun, or the shade. Cabins on higher decks, and cabins under the bridge wings, have more shade. Also consider the port or starboard for your sea days with that in mind (in port you can never be sure which side will be facing the sun).

Other companies owned by the Carnival Corp. include AIDA, Seabourn, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (UK), P&O Cruises Australia, Cunard, Adora (start-up in China) and Princess.

Another difference between Costa and MSC. The MSC CruiseCriticBoard is way more active than Costa's.

We once showed up many hours before our planned boarding time, while travelling bella. No problem at all, nothing was every said about it. Although I have to say the ship wasn't even nearly full.

I can't remember them offering a bus service to Milan, just a bus to the train station of Genua. Maybe if train times don't work out, you could use Flixbus. They also have direct services. 5 per day to Milan station, 1 per day to Linate Airport. Maybe their timing is better.

On our latest Seaview cruise there were three seatings. We had early at 17:30. I believe late was 19:00 and latest was 20:30. Seaview was full booked then. On our latest Opera cruise there were two seatings. We had early at 18:30. I believe late was 20:00. Opera was far from full, it was a week after her restart since the pandemic.

Any company advertising prices and reductions in the EU must apply to this rule, no matter where they are based.

Can't give you a full answer, since I never take a drink package, but be aware that the cocktails that aren't alcohol based, are highly sugar based.

I agree that they don't seem to make an effort with this cruise line, but instead of rebranding, they might as well just up their game again. Rebranding seems a bit exorbitantly to me.

I can't imagine Carnival Corp. selling off one of these relatively new vessels, while still having two Fantasy-class-ships in their fleet. I can imagine them transferring more Costa-ships though.

During a summer cruise, I'd probably go for the larger balcony. I'll used my suitcase to give my legs a rest while reading a book. The life boats aren't in front of you, so I don't think it's that bad. They don't block the view of the horizon, just the water. On many other ships partially obstructed view really means largely obstructed view (unless you find the white of a lifeboat an interesting view, or you might be lucky when you can look in between two lifeboats). During a winter cruise, or similar weather, I'd probably go for the cheapest (in this case the same balcony?), since I wouldn't use it that often anyway. Might even consider no balcony at all if the price is right. As long as I have daylight, I'm good.

You are probably right. But if they can afford to change the ships to a new brand, they should certainly be able to recreate the Costa-brand to be good again. Carnival Corp. knows how to do cruising, and knows how to appeal the European market (proven by P&O, AIDA, HAL). They should be able to make Costa a success again.