iloveglee

Has anyone been on this ship, and in these cabins. looking for some reviews of them. I have looked on the deck plan and they seem to be surrounded by quite a bit of empty space, as do the equivalent cabins above. it always worries me when I see empty space on a ship deck plan as I wonder what it contains. we have had experience of being close to empty space before on a different ship and it was unbelievably noisy through the night with some kind of crew activity. admittedly this was on one of the very low decks so I cant imagine what can possibly go on in this area. it's 3 decks above the restaurant and at the other end of the ship. we had no choice as to the location of the cabin as there was very little availability, but if it seems that its going to be excessively noisy during the night, might have to consider an upgrade.

thanks to those who responded even though I put it on the wrong forum. I have to admit I do find cruise critic a little confusing as to where to find/place questions. I am pleased that dress is also more casual in south America, our experience of cruising in the Caribbean dates back a few years now so maybe it has changed there also. I think a plain suit for the husband, and just a light casual jacket plus the usual shirts/polos will suffice. not normally a problem for women I don't think, a nice lbw covers a multitude of situations.

We are booked for a 7 night cruise from santos, brazil in February 2015 and would like some advice about dress codes, especially as we are travelling from the UK and spending another month in brazil as well as the cruise. we only have a limited amount of baggage and don't want to waste space carrying clothing items we will never wear. apparently there are two formal, two smart casual and three casual nights on this cruise according to the website, which also gives indications as to what constitutes formal etc. but having cruised with royal Caribbean before both in the Caribbean, and in Europe, formal can mean many things. we have found in the Caribbean tuxedos and ballgowns are the preferred dress, in Europe this looked pretty overdressed to me. we have never cruised in south America before so would welcome some advice from those who have.

still cant get anything from the costa site for repositioning from brazil. surely they must be bringing one back, one i know is coming back from argentina and stops in brazil on the way. having e-mailed costa to find out if you can board in brazil, the answer is you can board where you like but the price is the same, even though you would be 6 days fewer on board. and also, if for some reason the ship decides not to dock there for any reason, that would be your problem. surely this can't be right. this is the second time i have e-mailed to them, the first time they said the itineraries would be decided in about a months time - this was 2 months ago.

yes that is exactly what i had seen. wasn't sure if you could book to travel from brazil on the argentina one, might have to look into that. i did e-mail costa and they say they have not yet got their plans in place and to check again in a month. strangely enough, a couple of months ago, on their website, the departure from santos showed, with an itinerary, but not bookable. now it is not there at all, possibly because of some of european/north africa ports. i imagine that the costa ships probably all end up in savona as this is their home port. will probably do as the costa e-mail suggests and wait a few weeks to see what they plan to do from brazil.

Can anyone make sense of the confusion i am feeling about costa's repositioning cruises next year. on some travel websites i have found one, departing santos back to europe. however it does not show at all on the costa website. the only departures are early in march around brazil, or to argentina. there is one from argentina to europe, but this is a different ship from the one plying around south america at this time of year. i cannot imagine that costa will be leaving a ship in south america during their winter but they don't give a clue yet as to where it is going from, or to. i cannot imagine that they are going to run two ships from argentina and none from brazil. we are looking to reposition from brazil to europe and would prefer costa as we have successfully travelled with them before, and we get a discount. there are other lines i know, msc look a good itinerary but again their website is confusing, a cruise missing that is showing on travel websites. do these lines sell out all their cruises to travel agents and keep none to sell themselves?? have never done a repositioning before and wonder if maybe it is too soon for the lines themselves to know exactly what they are doing.

thanks for the reply. taken me some time to respond, my search facility has been disabled for ages for some reason so not able to get to my posts. in the end we have decided not to take a cruise in the autumn but this information is useful for the future

i think costa must be extra busy at the moment, i have tried phoning them but having to hang on for ages and have given up. we are not planning to book it yet, we are going on a costa cruise soon and plan to wait until we see if we like the line before booking again. this will be our first time with them and have stuff, both good and bad so want to make our own decision before committing to another trip with them.

thanks for this. i think i had read somewhere else to bypass the first lot of taxis and go for the ones furthest away. not sure about the souk, i hate all this bargaining that goes on and being hassled to buy. sidi bou said sound quite nice but i think all will depend on what kind of weather we have had. if the only nice day happens to be when we are in tunis, and in early march that might be the case, we might just spend the day on deck.

i also was a bit concerned when i couldnt access the luggage tags. i called costa and they told me the documents/tags are not accessible until 21 days before the date of the cruise. i think this is the case with most cruise lines, just the time before sailing varies. you can input the information at any time you like after you have a booking number.

we are planning a cruise in october on the above ship. there are 4 of us and this time want to try and do the cruise bit on a tight budget as we are going to venice first (v. expensive). we looked to have a balcony and all 4 share the cabin. we have shared cabins before, we get on well, and have been in inside cabins which admittedly is a tight fit but we dont spend that much time in it. however, these cabins usually have two upper beds and three of our party find the climbing in and out of bunks difficult. one member of the party can just about manage it, for the moment. obviously he would prefer not to but i cant decide exactly what the bed configuration is in these balcony cabins. the legend on the deck plans suggests that there is a sofa bed and an upper bed. having looked at a number of photos, the sofa looks quite long and i wonder if it is actually suitable for two. or is it the angle from which the photos are taken and it isnt as long as it looks. if there is anyone out there who has been in one of these cabins and can tell me how wide the sofa bed actually is i would be very grateful. we are not booking just yet, we have never cruised with costa before, our first one is march this year. we want to see if we like them before committing ourselves. advice generally very welcome.

we are taking a cost cruise at the end of february, one of the ports being tunis (or la goulette), which we understand is 8 miles out of the city. we hate taking cruise excursions, not only because of the cost but also because we much prefer to have the chance to make some choices as to where we are taken. we have cruised extensively in the caribbean and mexico but not so much in europe. ( we are british by the way, not american!) before, we have always found taxi drivers at the port who are willing to do a tour for you for a fixed rate per person, incorporating the 'usual' places but others if you want, and you get to spend as much or as little time at each place as you like. there are four of us so usually we have a taxi to ourselves. is this likely to be the case at la goulette. i have read some horror stories about being ripped off but wonder if they are a bit exaggerated. we have never been ripped off anywhere before, is there something about tunisia that's different than say, mexico, or columbia or the caribbean islands. we expect them to be competitive and to hassle you a bit for your business but we are used to that. i understand the currency is the dinar, but presumably they would be willing to take euros. would welcome tips and experiences from anyone who has done this port and what to avoid or be especially aware of. the rest of the ports are relatively easy, walking distance, or short taxi ride to the one place we want to see.

thanks for the advice re taking proof of purchase of the drinks package. i had already taken the precaution of printing them off and i shall make sure we take them with us. just in case.

having now gone into the costa website to do our online check in i am totally confused about the dining options. we have been allocated ceres restaurant, which is aft although our cabins are more midships to forward. we have been allocated the time we want (early), but the website gives a drop down set of options for dining - early or late, ceres deck 3 or 4, vesta deck 3 or 4, thus giving the impression that you can change what is allocated already. i have tried to change the restaurant and level to find that i get a message sorry you cannot proceed. i was under the impression that having a premium cabin means you have a full choice of dining options; am i wrong about this. i have e-mailed costa to ask about this and have had no response which is unusual as they do usually reply quickly to e-mails. has anyone out there been able to change their dining option on the website. i realise that the food is the same in both but it is making me a little nervous about the other benefits of premium cabins not materialising.

thats good advice, although the costa website does actually have a nice pdf file giving exactly what is included in this. we have some friends who did a costa cruise last year and their description of what you get fits exactly with what we want and we know we will benefit from buying it. as a further follow up, i have now had success with the website!!! it appears that if pop ups are blocked it will not work - presumably because the purchase pages are classed as pop ups. i did not think my pop up blocker was enabled as i get loads of them on other websites, but it turns out it was. all i needed to do what allow this website pop ups and off we go. i am not sure though, and it does not say, what the cruise line provides you with to allow you to get these drinks. this i am sure we will find out when we check in. i am going to make sure i have a printed copy of the pdf file to show, and all the printed evidence of my purchases (its not that i am not trusting ..... but i do like to have the proof in writing)

I have e-mailed to costa who told me i can do this online!!! not if the website will not allow me to do it I can't. i have tried on a laptop, on an ipad and on three different browsers. they suggested that i get in touch with the agents i booked it through and they should be able to do it for me. its so much easier to do this kind of thing online and very annoying when the website is so poor that it is impossible no matter what you try to do. it does make you lose the will to live but it is such a good bargain i have to persist. if anyone has actually managed to do this online, perhaps they would like to make suggestions as to how they achieved it. it also doesn't work for buying shore trips either.

I realise that this is quite a late post following on from the others, but having read all the information from other cruisers about this package have decided it is definitely worth it. so, into the costa website, into our booking and try to book it. nothing. the website brings up a window saying request is being processed then nothing. there is a basket showing, which i presume will contain what you have bought and also presume you the checkout and pay, much as you would do with any online shop. unfortunately, the basket will not open so that i can proceed to payment. have tried to do this 3 times, and with two different browsers. no joy. has anyone else had any problems with purchasing anything, drinks or shore trips with costas website. i have made sure i am registered in the correct country (uk), but this simply does not seem to want to work. am i missing something here, doing something wrong, or is the website just useless.

maybe we will stick with vesta then since that is nearest to our cabins, although it is unusual for us to go directly from the cabins to dine, usually we have a drink first. maybe the best thing would be to suss out the bars we think we might like first as it is usually a bar we go from to dine. we won't be dining at sunset as this will happen at least an hour before the early dining time. (our cruise is first few days in march).

I thought that the restaurant was allocated depending on cabin location as well. however, having logged into the cost website to enter our details, the midships restaurant is already allocated but there is the option to change it. (our cabins are midships). i presumed that the menu would be the same but just wondered if one restaurant was nicer than the other. having been on other cruises where the restaurant is allocated and non-changeable we have never had the chance to look at the alternative restaurant to see if it was nicer or not. in the great scheme of things i dont suppose it matters much really given that the food will be the same.

Having booked a classic cabin, having issues with dining and upgrading to premium we now find we have dining choices!! We have already chosen early dining, table for 4 cross referenced so that two couples booked on separate bookings can sit together. Altogether much too complicated for my liking - why can't these cruise lines allow you to book 2 cabins on the one booking, much in the way you would book 2 rooms in a hotel. Would save a good deal of aggro. but now to my question. having got the choice of restaurant, which, according to cruisers who have experienced them, is the best of the two. i realise that the food will be the same in both but in terms of decor, ambience etc. our cabins are midships so logically we would go in the restaurant which is midships but if the aft one is deemed to be better we might choose that. this is the thing about having choices - making the right one!!! Our last two cuises have been on ncl who have freestyle dining so we could choose night by night which restaurant we used. i do have mixed feelings about freestyle dining. its great on cruises in europe, where people generally like to dine a little later so we always get to dine at the time we like with no problems (between 6.30 and 7). not the case on a cruise which consists mostly of americans. they like to dine at the same time as we do so there is a scramble for tables between 5.30 and 6 which means either having to dine earlier than preferred, or wait in line. as costa has fixed time dining, the early time is our preferred time we should at least be happy with that. i am not especially interested in bad reviews about costa, have read them all and will go with an open mind. but would very much appreciate input generally about the dining options on this ship.

we are going to be on the costa serena out of barcelona on 27th february. looking forward to it now we have sorted out the issue of dining as all of the ports are new to us.

upgrade £27 extra per person so absolutely had to be done. we have now been able to change the location of one of the cabins to midships and have the cabins next door to each other. we were able to choose both dining time and location and size of table. the agent has cross referenced the bookings so we can either choose to be on a table with just the 4 of us, or choose a larger table with the 4 of us and other people. in future if booking with costa i shall bypass the agent and book directly with the costa website. the price was the same and the option of premium cabin was there. we have some friends who sailed with costa earlier in the year, they really enjoyed the cruise although she did admit it was the first time and they had nothing to compare it with. she said most definitely to have the drinks plan. the cocktails (which we like to drink) are 7 euros each with the gratuity and there is never a night when we don't have at least 3. so even with that we are in front. there is a pdf file available which says what is included. more than enough choice for anyone i would have thought.

Yes apparently two fixed dining times 7.30 and 9.15 or something like that. i have been advised that if we upgrade to the premium at a cost of £27 per person more we can then choose our cabin, dining time, restaurant etc. and they CAN cross reference these two bookings to ensure people travelling together can sit at the same dining table. or so the agent told me. costa told me something different and that they don't have the facility to cross reference. then again, we were discussing the classic booking. a little misleading to say they are not able to cross reference, it's just that the classic bookings do not allow anything to be chosen. we find we have been upgraded to a premium cabin, i.e. in terms of location but not in terms of the 'extras' that go with it. given that we like our early morning tea and in classic this has to be paid for and premium it's free, i really think the upgrade would be worth it especially as the agent doesnt have a fee for the change. on a separate note, but related to dining (or drinking anyway), is the 19.50 euro drink package worth having. we are not big drinkers, usually have 3 or 4 cocktails at night. cannot seem to find a definitive description of exactly what drinks can be included in this package. the words alcoholic beverages, beer, wine are mentioned but very basic information.

I have read these posts with interest and trepidation as we are booked on a costa cruise in february 2014. we have sailed before with holland america, carnival, royal caribbean and ncl. they are all different but we have thoroughly enjoyed every one despite their differnces some of which suit and some not so much. one thing i am uncertain about is buffet dining on the serena in the evening. i have read in various posts that it is not open during the evening only lunch and breakfast. is this correct? our only potential problem and frankly this is bizarre - is what dining options are there to choose in the dining rooms. we have booked classic cabin with dining allocated. problem is there are 4 of us travelling together, in 2 cabins and the bookings had to be made separately, no facility to link them together (i have spoken to costa and this is definitely the case). so they suggest we upgrade to premium but what choice is there from this - dining time i understand, restaurant evidently depends on where your cabin is located. but how to ensure you can sit at the same table as your travelling companions. how do costa ensure this when family groups (especially with kids) are travelling together if there is no way to link the bookings. i have never experienced this with any other cruise line. we have booked guaranteed cabins and dining but have always been able to link the bookings so that we are located near each other and sit at the same table in the same restaurant at the same time. big black mark against costa here, unless of course someone can explain to me from experience how this works. i understand that you can always ask to change on board but this is a bit of a risk in case its not possible. if there is no buffet dining to fall back on then what? we are usually very flexible about things not being 'the same as last time', but dining is such a major part of a cruise we do feel it is important we get this bit right. don't much care whether our cabins are near or not, do care about the dining.

I have just had a phone conversation with costa and guess what. the agent was not being lazy after all. costa have no facility for linking bookings so that when the dining allocation is made they can be allocated together. in a classic cabin you take what you are given in regard to dining and that is that. she did say you can ask the maitre'd to change - as has already been said on here - but of course no guarantees. evidently there is no buffet dining either in the evening so could not go to that as a last resort. i am pretty sure from the locations of our cabins that we will be in different restaurants. i feel sure that changing dining time if we were not happy would not be too much of an issue given that we would prefer early dining, but changing restaurants?? i suppose that would depend upon how full the ship is. cost would not give me the difference in price when booked through an agent as they probably differ, the prices on their website are as shown by blondie 008, thanks for that. the problem might be for us is that, when we booked with the agent, we did not have an option for a premium inside cabin, although costa have looked in their system and tell me that there is plenty of availability. for an extra £30 ish each if we can do it, probably we should upgrade. i don't want to have the cruise ruined by problem with dining - after all this is one of the high points of the day!!