3/27 Med- review

[rschau2]

Overall, we had a really good cruise except for the food. This was only our first cruise so I really can't compare it but I would say that it was just average. I really think it could have been better. The soups were watery and tasteless. The salads hardly had any dressing, it was the same salad every night just different names on the menu. The last night we went to Club Medusa for dinner and it was WELL WORTH the little extra. Food was excellent! Next time we'll be sure to do that again. Buffet was just a buffet. Too many lines of the same foods caused confusion. Desserts in the restaurant and buffet were the same each night with different names, again. Pretty bad.

 

San Juan was fun. Lots of shopping to do. Make sure to get the list from Zara of the recommended shops. We took a Frommers walking tour by ourselves around the city and got to see a lot of the historical sites. Very interesting.

 

St. Thomas-We took the St. John beach excursion to one of the "Top 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in the world" and was well worth it!!! The beach was excellent, water clear, sand clean and white. It was amazing. A must-see! We went back to St. Thomas and were wishing for more time to shop there. So much shopping to do!! Everyone that we talked to that took the St. John City Tour also loved it. (Get Zara's shopping map)

 

Catalina Island- Very nice, crowded. You do get begged by the merchants to come in their shop but its how they make their living. Very nice clear water and plenty of shade.

 

Dominican Republic- Wish we could have seen it during the day. Kandela show was excellent! Shopping at Casa de Campo/ Altos de Chevon was fun. Again, lots of shopping. Very fun.

 

Nassau- Alright. Nothing exciting. Would never go back. Not what it's cracked up to be. Just my opinion, though. They do have some good shopping there.

 

Overall, food was alright, very plain. Activities were very fun. Formal night was fun and the shows were good. We got asked too many times for drinks though. I would definately cruise on Costa again. My teenagers even had a really good time (16 and 15).

[Phishhead]

Alright,

I had read all the bad reviews about this ship and didn't believe any of them. I have been on 3 other cruises and had a blast on all of them, so I exected the same when I did the 3/27 Eastern Caribbean on the Mediterrania.

I was only partially right it turns out.

This ship was absolutely beautiful and clean as a whistle. It was really mind blowing how nice it was. I really enjoyed that aspect of the cruise.

But let me be honest here. The food was horrible....the worst of any cruise I have taken.

Soups were either cold fruit soups or consumme. BORING! The consumme tasted like campbell's beef broth out of a can.

 

The salads were mostly the same, but the dressings were clearly packaged and didn't taste very well.

 

They did however provide a ceaser salad every night, which was ok, but too much dressing made it soggy.

The entrees.....well...some good, but most just ok or aweful. Especially the beef. The lobster was clearly frozen and old. It was rubbery after being cooked.

The ice machines all around the ship could not keep up with the demand, so you found yourself delving into a cooler to scoop ice in your glass most of the time. I found that very bad for a new ship.

The free ice cream was basically powdered ice cream mixed with water. Not ice cream at all really, but edible.

The midnight buffets were the worst thing of all on this ship. The consisted of the Italian answer to buffets....pastries, fruit, desserts, and salami. Never anything else. Some nights , they just served party foods off of trays in the lounges. Not a buffet at all. Even the last Gala buffet, even though very beautiful, was all the same crap except for some shrimp and extra desserts and breads. The salami was always warm and greasy and didn't taste very good.

The absolute worst thing of the food was the hamburgers and hotdogs. Oh my gosh, just horrible! The burgers were overcooked, thin, and sitting in a vat of grease. You had to pick them out and shake the grease out to eat them, only to find out you could take about 1 or 2 bites before you tossed it. The hotdogs were tasteless and had a wierd color to them. The fried fish was ok I guess. The pizza however was quite tasty, even though your only choice most of the time was cheese.

The drinks came out to about $6.75 or so each, which made for a big bar bill.

We are talking ONE MEASURED SHOT per drink here folks. Not enough to make a difference in your well being, that is for sure.

I found out that if you order the "Costa Special", you get three shots of rum, one being 151 rum, and a half a banana and fruit mix...blended daquiri style. It was very tasty, and for the same price as the other drinks, it did the job well.

The beer selection sucked too, with the exception of "Paulaner" which was excellent and the only beer served in it's own special pilsner glass. I fine weissbeer indeed!

The entertainment on the ship was only fair. Not much in the way of broadway shows. The Newlywed game was the best thing I saw, and it was audience participation!

Costa NEEDS to work on getting better entertainment and food.

 

The reggae band by the pool was the worst I have seen yet. No guitarist. Only a bass, drums, and keyboards. They played the same songs over and over and over and over and over and over. Feeling Hot Hot Hot..............you know the songs..>! :eek: :cool:

Also, the fun poolside entertainment was done by three Italian people...one girl and two men. You could hardly understand them when they sang and the audience participation stuff they did was exactly the same stuff and songs every day. Very boring. Come on Costa....as least mix it up some! Da Da Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding....Da Da Da Ding Ding Ding.......you know the song folks!

The slide on the ship was very fast and fun. But seriously, how are you supposed to have fun on it if it is only open 2 -3 hours max a day??????

What a joke!!! Keep the slide open all day Costa.

Now for some positive stuff.

The crew was great and very attentive. I did get sick of being called Sir all the time though. The cabin steward I had "Generoso" was great. I had the largest balcony on deck 8 and just loved my room. My waiter "Angel" was also very good. I also liked all the bartenders, especially "Randy". He was very nice.

The pools and hottubs were nice too, but too many kids in them this trip.

The elevators for the most part were pretty fast. Not too much waiting around.

Now for the best part of the cruise:

The two young 17 year old female blondes on board from San Diego State University. All of you know exactly who I am talking about! They stole the cruise away and put all the attention on themselves. Talk about color coordinated outfits and cleavage and mini skirts! Wow! They had all the mens eyes on them the entire cruise. Especially in the disco where they took over the dance floor and acted like they were having sex on it nightly. More crew would come into the bar to see this each night. The older folks started complaining, but to no avail. The girls had the right of way. Anyone who saw these girls know they were very much hotties and looked just like Paris Hilton in looks and dress. We started calling them the Paris Hilton twins! Thanks so much girls for making the mens' cruise! We all appreciate it! Good luck at San Diego State!

the ports of call I had been too all before, and they have not changed. I basically bar hopped and bought a watch. That was about it.

 

Don't even bother getting off the ship in Domincan Republic. We were there at night and you have to take a cab into bad areas. Guard with a shotgun at shopping mall, dozens of kids mobbing our cab to clean windows for money, and an over priced American style restaurant that took forever.

Although I have written so much bad about this cruise, overall, I would give the ship a 6 out of 10 due to it's beauty, carisma, stability in the ocean, great Fillopino staff, and nice cabins.

I don't think I would sail Costa again though unless they improved the food and entertainment

One thing's for sure, the price was right. I paid $1,079 for a balcony cabin on the highest deck with the largest room and balcony, by myself!!! But, I had only 5 days to book it. I couldn't pass up the deal.

So, if you want to see a great ship and don't care about the food and entertainment...go see this ship. Otherswise, pick RCCL. They are the best

in my opinion.

Bob in Florida.:)

[rschau2]

You said it, the food sucked!

[Sealuvr]

I just booked this cruise for next March. I think I'm going to email them your review so they will make things all better by then!!! I have been on 13 cruises. I'll have to say that Norwegian lacked a lot in their food and also, believe it or not, your favorite RCCL which I have been on 7 times served just mediocre food in my opinion. Ya know, Carnival has come up a lot, I remember when they were not so hot. Did you fill out an evaluation form??

 

Now, I have read much better reviews about Costa than yours. So it's all in the eyes of the beholder....right?????

 

May you find the cruise of your life! How bout trying Celebrity!! You won't be sorry.

 

Sealuvr

 

Carnival Ecstasy and Imagination

Grand Princess

Nordic Empress x 3

Viking Serenade

Mariner of the Seas

Norwegian Star

Mondarch of the Seas

Celebrity Zenith

Royal Majesty

Grandeur of the Seas

[rschau2]

Dont get me wrong, the cruise was WONDERFUL and we absolutely loved it. It was just the food that put a little damper on things. Yes, we filled out an evaluation form and we definately spoke our minds. You will love the cruise even if the food isnt that wonderful. It was probably one of the best things I've done in my life.

[Phishhead]

Yes, cruising is fun no matter what the food tastes like. It is just good to get away and enjoy the ocean for a week.

 

Carnival is definitely the funnest cruise.

 

RCCL is overall the best I think.

 

Celebrity has the best food.

 

It is all in the eye of the cruiser I guess.

 

The bottom line here...Costa needs to improved the food and entertainment.

 

If they do that, they will be a top notch cruise line. :)

[hdbabygirl13]

Sounds to me like Phishhead may be lacking some in the cultural dept. If you're looking for cheap drinks, jail bait and a large variety of beer -- just go to any Ale House!

[rocktheboat]

The food was bad, shows sucked, too many kids because of the low kids fare but RCCL and Costa are running a close last in my book. I thought drinks were cheaper on Costa than RCCL. On RCCL you were nickle and dimed to death, not so on Costa. The carried the same beer as RCCL. Same jail bait as RCCl. Lately Carnival has moved up the ladder in food and shows.

As much as I hated Costa I'd go Costa before RCCL any day.

[Phishhead]

HDbabygirl......did you go on this cruise and if so was it just for the

culture? I hope not.

 

Most people go on a cruise to eat and drink merrily and see great entertainment

and visit the ports of call....not for the culture!

 

If I wanted that I would have went to a museum! lol

 

Too funny.......:D

[carribeanhearicome]

rschau2

I noticed your kids were 15 & 16. My daughter will be 16 when we leave for our cruise (Magica - February 12, 2006). What was available for them to do. I keep hearing different reviews. Some say the slide is hardly open others say it is open every day for a few hours. Besides the slide what is there for them to do. I am afraid where we are sailing at an off time for kids that there will not be many kids on this cruise. I don't want her to be board. The arcade that is on the ship -- was there a charge to use that or is it included in the price of the cruise? Any information you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks Chrissie

[rschau2]

The first night my kids went to the TeenZone. They said there were a lot of teenagers there. Its on deck 9 around the pool at 10:30 every night. They had a good time doing that. The teenzone has activities every day around the ship that will be on your "Today daily program". We didnt use the arcade so I do not know about the prices of it. She'll have a blast!!

[Fedora]

Having read your review, I'm rather amazed. I took the Eastern on this ship on March 13, 2005, and would hardly give the same review.

 

Food: First of all, we need to remember how many people they are cooking for --- people on special or restricted diets have as much right to cruise as anyone else. So the food may not be as spicey as one would wish. But I did get anything I asked for in terms of condiments (hot sauce a few times), etc., and learned how to pick up a salt and pepper shaker on occasion. If the food was not to my liking it was immediately removed and replaced with something else of my chosing. We all quicky learned to listen to the advice of our waiters, who were intimately familiar with the food! If you want gourmet food, you'd best stick with the high-end lines such as Crystal, etc.

 

I had soup nearly every night and I did not find them watery. There were several cold soups --- it IS the Caribbean --- and they were a nice change for many who do not like regular soups. Consome is something I seldom order in a restaurant as it is generally not up to my standards --- I like what I make at home. There was a wonderful wild rice soup, a great chowder, a good Vichyssoise, a very good sausage soup, etc. They were all excellent. Salads were not the most imaginative --- but then I find Europeans don't view salads as Americans do anyway. I think the salad was more a concession to American tastes then an attempt at a gourmet offering.

 

The pastas were good --- a little oversauced one night for my liking, so I sent it back and they replaced it. The vegetables were excellent --- not overcooked (a trick when cooking for that many who all eat differently time-wise). For meats, I order rare on ships as I find it generally arrives more medium when I ask for rare. The fish was excellent and so was the duck. Once again, I find lobster is lobster on ALL the ships --- I've yet to have a lobster on a cruise that I thought was worth all the hullabaloo. They are good, but not extraordinary. Here again --- consider how many you are serving. You aren't going to steam live lobsters in the galley for 2000 people.

 

I've sailed with RCL several times. Frankly, I found the food on Costa last month FAR better than what we got on the last two RCL cruises. I only cruise RCL because a friend is part of a group and they're all going for the Platinum status so that's all they will cruise on. I don't particularly care of RCL --- I don't find their ships as well maintained, the service is lacking, and the cabins were chintzy.

 

As for entertainment --- there was one night that I felt was not to my liking -- but then I was not paying extra to see it --- I've paid $50 for a ticket in the local venue and sat through far worse shows than I saw that night on the MEDITERRANEA. The other nights were great --- including an excellent night of light opera/Italian music provided by a fellow with a marvelous voice. The Mr. Pizza contest was one of the funniest things I've see. My only complaint was that the teenagers frequently took over the bar during karaoke times and turned it into their own personal little game.

 

There was always something going on and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. The crew went out of their way, many times, to see that people were having a good time and having their personal needs met. The price of the drinks will always be an issue --- but it's no different than some of the resorts I've visited. If you want a good stiff drink --- take a bottle along with you and take a shot before you leave your cabin. That's what I did and it was a heck of a lot cheaper. They did have a good wine list at dinner and would save a bottle so I could finish it the next evening. It was always on the table when I arrived --- never a problem.

 

Overall, I think we have come to expect far to much on these cruises. I like the advent of the private restaurants --- if you want a truly special meal, you eat in them. Otherwise, there is more than enough tasty food available on nearly all these cruises to satisfy. The "exceptional food" myth is a holdover from the Golden Age of Cruising --- and I think if we truly look at it, the only folks who got gourmet food on THOSE cruises were the ones who sailed in the First Class --- for which they paid dearly. The ones who sailed in stearage and steamer classes pretty much got slop.

 

Were we to pay today's fare for the first class transport offered on cruiseships of the early 1900's, the average person could not afford the trip. It's why I sail on RCCL, Cost, Celebrity, HAL, instead of Radisson, Crystal, etc. What we pay for these cruises is a pittance when one considers it covers our cabin, more than enough food, major transportation, and entertainment. I paid $170 a day, roughly, for a beautiful cabin with a large veranda, an extra mattress on my bed, good and plenty food, plenty of entertainment, and wonderful service. With the price of gas today --- who can afford to drive very far for a vacation. And even moderate resorts run $200-300 per day, and that's often without anything additional thrown in.

 

Yes, I like to get good value for my hard-earned dollar, but I think somewhere in here we have to take a reasonable view of things. Seems to me we've turned into an exceptionally demanding society.

[rocktheboat]

Why are you amazed that someone else didn t care for their Costa cruise as you did. Maybe some of us are just used to better than what we got on Costa. Glad you liked that nasty food. Don t tell me how many people they are cooking for, there are over 100 people working in that kitchen. Other cruise lines seem to be able to cook for the same amount of people, so stop using that excuse for costa s nasty food. Time Costa got a new chef for the Med.

[UCSD]

there are many more things to do than just eating.

u don't make friends on board?

if the food was so horrible, did u pay $20 to eat in club

[rschau2]

yes, we paid the extra amount to eat in club medusa and let me tell you, it was well worth it. there definately are plenty of things to do on board besides eating so thats not a problem.

[chip brady]

to answere your question. Yes we tried the club medusa. The service was great but the food was no better. After 13 cruises costa has without question, the worst food on the seas!! However, that is why there are other lines and we can go there.

[rocktheboat]

Yes I ate in Club Medusa, no I didn t pay as I was in a suite. The food wasnt great but it was much better than the food in the dining room. No the nasty food didn't stop me from having a good time.

 

After 19 cruises I'd have to say RCCL has the worst food.

[UCSD]

different people have different tastes on food. some people like indian food, while others do not. fair enough!

 

what did u do when u were not in eating?

[rocktheboat]

Everything you hear about bad food seems to be only on the Med, have not heard anything about the food on Atlantica. We loved the ship, service was the best of any line we have cruised. Shows were not good only 2 were in english, but I heard that has changed. There was no poolside music, heard that has also changed. Too many out of control teens, other than post a little message in the daily everyday Costa did nothing. Costa needs to do away with the spical kids fare or put a cap on how many kids are on each cruise. Even tho I found the food distasteful I did find something to eat each night. Was the food really that bad or was I expecting real Italian and hated the food because it wasn t what I expected. I have been thinking about trying the Atlantica since Costa prices are real low and have read only good reviews about Atlantica.

 

I always have a great time on vacation, nothing can ruin my good time, just put a drink in my hand(any colored frozen thingy) and head me toward the casino.