FlaMilkman -questions about Favalosa

[postalgrrl]

I have read your review and some of your comments on other threads. It is hard to find information about Costa cruises. We are on the 10/7/12 sailing doing the same ports you did. I have a few questions:

 

I read in your review about the confusion on where you had to drop off you luggage for the cruise. Can you tell me exactly where the luggage drop off is located?

And if you know how early we can drop off luggage there?

 

You also said in your review that you had to buy bottled water in the dining room. Is tap water and iced tea free in the dining room? Or do we have to buy bottled water for dinner.

 

Also any information about what you did in the ports would be appreciated.

We are trying to decide what to do in Izmir. We can't decide if we just want to have a lazy day and stay around the port in Izmir or do a excursion to Ephesus.

 

How was the inside cabin? We have an inside cabin also on the same deck you were on.

 

And any other tips or suggestions you can think of would be appreciated :D

 

Thanks so much :)

[md1jw]

Hello there, I don't know if your reply was directed to me, but anyway.......

We stayed overnight in Venice, and to make the most of Venice we did not board until about 3.00and walked straight on to our cabin, when our luggage followed about 10minutes later. We caught the number 1 vaparetto to Piazzale Roma, where we caught the people mover - this was easy, took about 3 minutes, and we just followed the signs. It cost 1euro. There were no bridges to get to it and to get to the platform there were escalators and a lift at both ends - very easy and I would definitely recommend. We walked to 107 where the Favolosa was docked again by following the signs - took just a few minutes. 107 is a typical "holding bay" where you are given a ticket and wait to be called to board - we walked straight through, through security and to the short walk to the ship. One of the best transfers we Have had. We opted for the all inclusive drinks package - my husband does not drink alcohol, but we certainly got our monies worth - this was why we had bottled water at dinner. A jug of water was provided on request, which we would certainly have had were it not for the fact that we had the package. our inside cabin number 9924 was very comfortable, absolutely spotless. The cabin steward, Angelina, went way beyond the call of duty I cannot praise her enough. We felt no movement in spite of being so high up, and if anything, the bathroom seemed slightly larger than on some lines we have been on.

 

PORTS

Bari - we did not get off, we had been there before, and was not impressed, so we used the opportunity to rest a bit! Katakolon - again we had been there before, and there is not a great deal to see if you do not want to go to Olympia, which we did the last time, so we just took a walk around the town which was lovely and very laid back. There is a good duty free shop in the harbour area for smokers who want to stock up on cigarettes etc., I bought a good supply for my father in the UK. Izmir, was the reason we booked the cruise as I wanted to go to Ephesus. We booked a private tour through Ephesus Shuttle and had a marvellous guide called Nilgun Boz. She is a professional tour guide who sub-contracts. I have her email address if you want but I am not sure of the policy on this forum concerning this. the tour was cheaper than that run by Costa. We were picked up at the port entrance, she had a sign with my name on it. She was early and so were we, so we went off. We had a mini bus for 2 of us. The driver Mehmet was also very good. I specifically requested a half day tour, with no stops at any shipping outlets - no problem. At Ephesus we also went to the Terrace Houses - if you go, try not to miss this. The fact that we were in a group of three meant that we could get right up and personal. in my opinion it was well worth the money. At Istanbul we did it all on our own, we used the excellent advice on this forum and tripadvisor. It was really easy. At Dubrovnic, you tender in which takes you right outside the harbour. On other cruises we were shuttled in. This was by far the way to go. We walked around the town, had a jaunt around the walls, we were going to go up to the cable car, but in the end after walking the walls, we decided to take it easy! Hope I haven't gone on too much!! Incidentally the Favolosa is a beautiful ship, but the layout meant that we had occasionally some issues finding our way around. Regards Joan

[FlaMilkman]

Hopefully I can answer your questions.

 

Luggage and embarkation - As you leave the people mover at the port stop the ships will be straight ahead of you. Walk towards the ships and you will see a traffic circle (Piazzale Tronchetto). Off to your right is a gold colored building with what looks like white tents behind it - this is where you leave your luggage. My suggestion is to google Venice, Italy on http://www.maps.google.com and look for Piazzale Tronchetto's traffic circle in the port area. You will clearly see the building I am talking about.

 

Once you drop your luggage you can then cross the parking lot to get to the terminal and ship. Once inside the terminal ask a representative where you can obtain a boarding card # and then find a comfortable spot in the terminal and wait till that # is called. At that point you can get into the line to formally check in for the ship. After checking in, you can enter another line for security and board the ship. Your room key will be in your cabin and which point you have to go to a kiosk by the Purser's Desk to register your credit card for an onboard account. We got to the port at 2:00pm and it was mobbed. Can't tell you the earliest to be there - sorry. All I can say is that it was the worst aspect of the cruise, so be prepared.

 

Ports - we printed out the port synopsis for all the ports from Cruise Critic before we left for the trip. In addition, we checked out of the public library Fodor's guide to European ports and brought it with us. These two reference materials gave us plenty of information to properly plan our days in the ports.

 

Bari - You are only in town for a couple of hours. Fortunately, most of the areas of interest are within short walking distance. We had plenty of time to walk to both of the major churches and the castle in town. The castle had a small entrance fee.

 

Katakolon / Olympia - The town is very small and, other than restaurants to have lunch, isn't of too much interest. The real attraction here are the ruins of Olympia. We reserved a car from Avis before our trip for approximately 40 Euros and we put 10 Euros of gas in the car on our way back from the ruins. The agency is a two minute walk from the port entrance. It was an easy drive to Olympia (about 25 minutes) and certainly beat paying 60 Euros per person for the ship's shore excursion or the outrageous prices quoted by the local cab drivers. At Olympia pay for the museum in addition to the ruins - the air conditioning alone after walking the ruins was worth the small additional cost.

 

Izmir / Ephesus - Izmir is a large city. We didn't spend any time in the city as the day was spent dedicated to Ephesus. This was the only ship sponsored tour we purchased and were very glad we did. Given the tight time frame and the distance from the port, I would advise against trying to do this on your own.

 

Istanbul - The absolute highlight of the trip for us. We wish we were there for several days as there is too much to see in a few hours. This is the stop where you should do the most pre-planning and even though we did it on our own I can see where a ship's shore excursion may be beneficial. We went to the Blue Mosque first (via the public tram which was very cheap and very crowded ) as we heard that it gets very busy and closes down for prayers at mid day. Many people from the ship tried to visit later and couldn't get in. A short walk got us to the Hagia Sophia which is absolutely stunning. Be sure to find the hidden walkway to the second floor as it could easily be missed. The hike upstairs is well worth it. From the Hagia Sophia we went to the Topkapi Palace. Both the Hagia Sophia and the Palace have entrance fees so be prepared. Inside the Palace the two must sees are the Treasury and the Harem (additional fee - worth it). After the Palace we walked to the Grand Bazaar. That pretty much took up the entire day.

 

Dubrovnik - This was probably the most disappointing stop for us as our expectations were probably set too high. Beautiful city but not much else. No need for a ship shore excursion here as you can easily walk the town by yourself.

 

Cabin 9277 is a balcony cabin, not an inside cabin.

 

If you have additional questions, please let me know!

[FlaMilkman]

Sorry - forgot about the water at dinner.

 

Once on-board where we were able to see how much each drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) cost and worked out whether it would be worth it to purchase the all inclusive drink package. We decided that, for us, it wasn't cost effective as we aren't big wine drinkers. The package, which required both my wife and I to buy, would have cost us more than if we purchased our drinks a la carte. We were in the minority as most people did purchase it.

 

On the first night we asked specifically for a pitcher of water and were told by the waiter that you had to purchase the bottled water (either flat or fizzy) at 3 Euros / bottle. At the time I didn't make a big fuss out of it even though we went through two bottles per night. On about the third night of the cruise I did notice a few tables (mostly with children) that did have pitchers of water brought to the table. We didn't pursue it further and just chalked it up to the cost of doing business on the ship.

[postalgrrl]

mdj1jw & Fla Milkman,

 

Thank you both for all of the information, it is a great help.

We will be in Venice a few days before the cruise but will want to drop off the luggage and then have one last lunch in Venice before we board the ship.

 

We have rented a car to go to Olympia and plan on doing Istanbul on our on.

 

Sorry I don't know why I thought your cabin was an inside cabin. I wish we had a balcony, but airfare was so much we had to compromise somewhere.

 

I am sure I have more questions, I just can't think of them right now.

 

Thanks again