Just off Costa Med Western C 2/20 -2/27 family with kids

[MMsteffey]

Background

OUr 10th Cruise, 5th Cruise line. 5th Cruise with children (currently 7 and 10)

 

Cabin

5198 (central, balcony)

 

Overall impression

Much better than expected from Costa reviews on this site. The staff was efficient, pleasant, patient and served us well. We did not have a single unpleasant encounter with any staff member of any rank. The entire ship was incredibly clean.

 

Food was excellent with a few minor exceptions. Fresher, better selection, tastier, and nicer presentation than the Star Princess, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Destiny, and Disney (no contest there :( ). Dining room waiters are overwhelmed due to a high guest/staff ratio but ours tried very very hard to please. Room Service continental breakfast menu is certainly enough to tide you over until you can make it upstairs! No extra charge for cappichino or expresso like on Princess and Carnival. Unlimited soft serve ice cream too.

 

The ship felt crowded but was probably near capacity due to two large groups and the week-long holiday in New York. The staff was reluctant to ask unruly unsupervised children to leave the adults only areas (Casino, Spa, Adult pool). Otherwise crowd management was good. There were a lot of people around but never long lines. One exception -- there was a long (30 -45 minute) wait for tenders to return to the ship at Jamaica. Rumor had it that Jamaica was not supposed to be a tender port for this cruise but Carnival "took" our dock reservation. Tender management at Grand Cayman was much better.

 

Excursions

We no longer book ship excursions. Via the internet we booked Pete Taylor in Jamaica and were the first group of the day up Dunns River Falls and had a fantastic lunch at The Ruins. We spent a great day with Captain Marvin (glass bottom boat) in Grand Cayman and went to Playa Mia (beach club) in Cozumel. Key West from 9 am to 1 pm was IMHO a waste of time since there was not enough time for water sports and nothing else fun happens there before dark.

 

Entertainment

Challenging for Costa due to the language and cultural diversity of the guests. Ensemble singers/dancers were very good and there was less reliance on additional voice tracks (aka lip synch) than on Princess or Carnival. It's not Broadway but it was certainly enjoyable. Other singers and musicians got great reviews from others in our group.

 

Kids Club

We were traveling with other family members so our kids did not spend much time there. They were happy with what they did do in the kids club. It seemed fun, well organized, secure, and well supervised. Activities changed every hour or so.

 

Gym

Clean, most equipment was working. Know your weight in kilos to program the cardio equipment! Nice steam and sauna rooms. Clean and well maintained.

 

I think we're done with this kind of cruising but would certainly encourage anyone considering a "typical" cruise to consider the Med or Atlantica.

[AmyChistopher]

thanks for the review. we will be on that cruise march 6th and its nice to read positive reviews. I like how you compared it with Disney, We do not have kids and have done it twice. I loved it!

[Mo from Canada]

Thanks for the review We too are going to be on the Med on March 6th and have also booked with Peat Taylor. We have also booked at tour with Capt Bryan in Cayman Islands and intend to rent a car in Cozumel . Key West will be just wandering around the shops and trying out some of the bars. I wish we had longer there.

Mo from Canada

[AmyChistopher]

mo, can you tell me who you booked with and if there are any links to those sites?

amy

[Mo from Canada]

Amy, The tours I booked with I got from the

message boards where it tells you the different ports of call and what people thought of the its at the top of the page on these threads. If you read them it gives you all kinds of ideas and we picked the one's we liked they also have the web sites where you can order . Peat Taylor in Jamaica got back to me right away and Capt Bryan the next day

See you on board

Mo

[cruise fever2006]

I am travelling on the Med in April and before I booked any excursions, I wanted to find out if the docks are in walking distance to markets, shops, retuarants, beaches, etc. - or are they in more secluded areas. Is there attractions within walking distances?

 

I dont really want to book excursions for every port, but, I want to make sure that we are handy enough to things that we can walk around and have a good time.

 

Please help.

[lindanick]

I hope that they are not planning on going on the Med 3-6. If so they missed the ship, because it leaves on March 5th.

[lindanick]

That was stupid of me. I did not notice the year.

Oh boy time to get new glasses.

[Chicopee]

I think we're done with this kind of cruising but would certainly encourage anyone considering a "typical" cruise to consider the Med or Atlantica.

 

Thanks for your comments. We have cruised the past few years and are always looking for new experiences so we are looking at Costa. Can you please clarify for us what you mean by "this kind of cruising" - the size, the cruise line, the itinerary, the length? What would be special for you?

[Mjasp]

Mmsteffey...We also were on the Costa Med, 2/19-2/26 cruise. But my friends were in cabin 5198 and we did NOT tender in Jamaica. We tendered in Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

 

Are you saying the food is better on the Med than on the other lines you have been on? I found the food excellent on the Med. But I am from NY and Italian. Where are you from? I enjoyed the Proscuitto at every meal mmmm. Makes me want some now LOL