thinking of costa

[nodandade]

my wife and I are thinking about a costa cruise /Miami to Trieste,never been on costa before.can experienced cruisers tell us what the differences we will find compared to princess and celebrity s class. we always have a balcony.

I don't expect to much info about the food as it is subjective, but mainly about their ships and services.also do they do drink packages,and are they steadfast on grauities.

thank you in advance

[onyx007]

I cannot compare it to Princess or Celebrity, as I was "only" on RCI's Jewel and on about 5 or 6 Costa Cruises so far; as you see in a month I will be again on Costa Fortuna trough the Caribbean.

 

As far as I know, Costa has one of the most generous "All Inclusive" Drink packages that I know of. Drinks are faboulous.

 

Expect it to be very international, so if there is an anouncement through the speakers it will be repeated at least 5 times in different languages.

 

Also the animation team are mostly Italian, so don't expect them to speak good english, the will know the basics, and it's sometimes funny to listen to.

 

Gratitudes will be added to your bill as it looks like it is nowadays almost everywhere the case.

[kasi1979]

Balconies on Costa Mediterranea tend to be on the small side.

They don´t have sliding doors but normal doors that don´t always close properly.

The Entertainment on board is initernational, please be Aware that English is just one language among many others.

[Dancer Bob]

Duplicate post.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Dancer Bob

[Dancer Bob]

I'm booked Miami-Trieste but I really have no idea what to expect. I'm B2B from the previous cruise, English-speakers usually comprise about 25% in the Caribbean but only 5-10% in the Mediterranean.

A TA is a bit different from a regular cruise with any cruise line. I'm on the Ruby Princess tomorrow, I'll see how it compares. I've only been on Celebrity once, on Constellation, wasn't impressed.

I don't use alcohol, but the drink packages come well-recommended. They are steadfast on gratuities ( I believe they may actually call them a service charge). I'm not sure whether this is supposed to be quoted in the fare in Australia?

I've done TA's on Costa, Holland America, Crystal and Cunard. Costa was by far the best value for money. The one time I had a balcony on a TA it was very drafty, but that was January further north.

PS. Yes food is subjective, but some of what I've had on Costa was just as good as Crystal.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Dancer Bob

[welwyngirl]

my wife and I are thinking about a costa cruise /Miami to Trieste,never been on costa before.can experienced cruisers tell us what the differences we will find compared to princess and celebrity s class. we always have a balcony.

I don't expect to much info about the food as it is subjective, but mainly about their ships and services.also do they do drink packages,and are they steadfast on grauities.

thank you in advance

 

We've done several Costa cruises and sailed on most of the larger lines. I would say Costa are excellent value for money. As previously mentioned the charges are added to your account. In my experience the Italian passengers make for a very lively cruise. Always up on deck and partying hard! We don't often do the shows but the few we've seen on Costa were as good as, if not better, than on other lines. Service was excellent and the drinks packages amongst the best anywhere. Announcements are a nuisance sometimes as they contain so many languages, but we got used to it very quickly. All in all I heartily recommend Costa. For the money they would be hard to beat.

 

 

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[Salve]

We've done several Costa cruises and sailed on most of the larger lines. I would say Costa are excellent value for money. As previously mentioned the charges are added to your account. In my experience the Italian passengers make for a very lively cruise. Always up on deck and partying hard! We don't often do the shows but the few we've seen on Costa were as good as, if not better, than on other lines. Service was excellent and the drinks packages amongst the best anywhere. Announcements are a nuisance sometimes as they contain so many languages, but we got used to it very quickly. All in all I heartily recommend Costa. For the money they would be hard to beat.

 

 

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My feelings exactly too.

[Bill B]

I've cruised mostly on Princess (14), twice on Costa, and can 'echo' most of what has been said. I find the service on Costa comparable, their balcony staterooms slightly better (but that can depend on which ship) and their AI Extra drink package unbeatable. The biggest difference is the food... where Princess 'wins'.

[Dancer Bob]

I'm on Ruby Princess right now. Costa's nightlife wins, by far.