hollandamerica or costa

[lolmerry]

Hi, hope to get some feedback,far east on costa or HAL? zandamm,Looked at reviews not that good on either,Hope someone can advise also wheres best to book for onboard credit and when to book if want to cruise jan 2012.feedback appreciated,

many thanks lolmerry :confused:

[CtheW0rld]

Hi, hope to get some feedback,far east on costa or HAL? zandamm,Looked at reviews not that good on either,Hope someone can advise also wheres best to book for onboard credit and when to book if want to cruise jan 2012.feedback appreciated,

many thanks lolmerry :confused:

 

i did costa in the far east last year, shanghai to singapore. loved the cruise, especially the ports. i'm not sure what ship they are currently using. i was on the allegra. fine ship, but older. not as nice as the zaandam. cabins are smaller on costa, too.

 

i thought the food was good, similar to hal. one main difference is there is a pasta or rissotto course served. optional, of course.

 

that being said, costa is not for everyone - especially americans. they cater to a more european crowd. expect a lot of italians, germans, spanish and french. americans will be a small minority. they do manage all the different nationalities well. announcements are made in at least 5 languages. excursions and tablemates are also by language.

 

all the crew speak english - to a degree - and several other languages, too. i loved speaking with them in italian, and they seemed surprised when i did.

 

i'll cruise with costa again. they have great, unusual itineraries.

 

certainly, read some of the reviews on the costa board and see if it is for you.

[bepsf]

Comparing Costa to HAL is like comparing a Lancia to a Volvo...

...sure, they'll both get you where you want to go, but do you want an Italian-flavored cruise experience or do you want a Dutch-flavored cruise experience?

[jhannah]

Haven't sailed Costa; but we've been parked by their ships in port. Quite a different atmosphere. VERY loud PA system with hoopin' and hollerin' going on. Fine, if you like that. For me, I prefer the more subdued ambiance of HAL.

[tjcox9]

I don't think one can even begin to compare these to lines for similarity/differences.

 

A few years ago when we got a bit tired of the sameness of HAL from cruise to cruise (no flames here, please.......just knew the menus, activities, etc from cruise to cruise) and decided to branch out. We booked a TA from FLL to Savona and loved it!!

 

There were very few English speaking passengers and those that did, it was frequently not their first language. Italian night in the dining room........well, you have to see it to believe it. Toga night?? Not on HAL. Announcements made in five languages and so much more.

 

We loved it, had a great time and would do it again given the right itinerary.

 

Ship decor (Mediterranea) was over the top compare to HAL. I'm not sure there was an inch of undecorated space anywhere on the ship.

 

It brings a smile to my face just to recall the differences!!!

[kazu]

I haven't done Costa, but my sister has. She is trying HAL next week and expecting a better experience.

 

She is already amazed by the size of the cabin and she isn't even on the ship yet :) happy to let you know how she compares the two when she returns :)

[CtheW0rld]

they only have toga night in the carribean. i agree, italian night was fun, and i'm not much for dining room antics.

[Pettifogger]

Before we discovered Holland America, we did a Savona, Italy to Singapore re-positioning cruise on the Costa Marina and enjoyed it very much. That was back in the days when cruise ships weren't always full and we found public rooms we had to ourselves or almost.

They grouped the Americans and Canadians at one table for dinner, so we didn't have a language problem. It was fixed dining then, which we like.

In most respects it was similar to HAL.

[Copper10-8]

Hmmmmm, Toga Night or Master Chef's Dinner..............Decisions, decisions!:cool:

[kazu]

Hmmmmm, Toga Night or Master Chef's Dinner..............Decisions, decisions!:cool:

 

yup, it's a big decision :):):D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hmmmmm, Toga Night or Master Chef's Dinner..............Decisions, decisions!:cool:

:D Not so sure that Toga Night might not be more fun ;)

But either way think I will stick with the Pinnacle that night :)

[Copper10-8]

:D Not so sure that Toga Night might not be more fun ;)

But either way think I will stick with the Pinnacle that night :)

 

I guess that would depend for a somewhat large part on who you want (or don't want) to see half-dressed in a bedsheet :eek:

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I guess that would depend for a somewhat large part on who you want (or don't want) to see half-dressed in a bedsheet :eek:

Good Point John ;)

[Dancer Bob]

I won't go back on HAL until I'm at least in my 90's, using a walker. Boring, boring, boring. I felt like the fittest and most active person on board- and I'm 61, with a heart condition serious enough to get my driver's licence suspended. I'm now giving almost all my cruise business to Costa.

I agree completely with tjcox9 and CtheWorld. Costa is a "European" experience which may not appeal to all.

[travelmatron]

We've had very good experiences on Costa in the Mediterranean. For us, the announcements in at least 5 languages, with English last, were part of the fun. We knew we weren't in the states any longer. My folks, who were in their 80's were very confused by so many languages, and a little offended that on an Italian line sailing out of Italy some people didn't speak English. Assuming it's edible, food isn't particularly important to us. On the first cruise our food was not much better than a Denny's, but the second cruise it was quite good, perhaps better than HAL's. It is such a personal preference it's hard to anticipate what your experience might be. The cabins were smaller, the nightlife more lively, and the drinks (in Euros) more expensive. We would sale Costa again in Europe but probably not out of a US port.