Has anyone received anything for FREE on Costa just by asking for it?

[drsel]

On a Celebrity thread, so many people have received tons of goodies and gifts.

So I thought of starting the same on Costa.

[gerryuk]

I was thinking fresh air, but no doubt they will soon charge for that.

[drsel]

Hahaha, nice one Jerry.
Of course, when even drinking water is not free on Costa, what possibly can one expect for free?

[Dancer Bob]

I always get "free" water on Costa, at a total fare that's a lot less than the nearly brain-dead experience I had on Celebrity.

[Lunenburg]

I did a repo cruise from Savona to Buenos Aires last year and a few nights our waiters gave free glasses of wine to some of our table mates. Some of us had drink packages and  some did not.  Now and again they just brought out bottles of wine and gave a glass to anyone who wanted it.

[drsel]

Now that was a nice gesture.
we never experienced anything like it on our 29 night repo cruise

[drsel]

I always get "free" water on Costa, at a total fare that's a lot less than the nearly brain-dead experience I had on Celebrity.

That's not just surprising, but shocking!
Usually Celebrity gets the best reviews.
so what was your brain dead experience all about?

[tenpin]

Well way back when Costa was really customer friendly 1998, we were given a free cruise the following year as the Christmas cruise in 97 was not as we had booked but the last leg instead of the first on their usual itinerary.

Although I had praised them for a fabulous cruise by letter, with just a minor complaint about the itinerary.

This was in the days when there office in London answered letters straight away & phoned when they said they would.

The manager often rung us after each cruise to ask about our experience, she was without doubt the best contact we have ever had with Costa.

We also had a great commitment from Amanda in Genoa after London shut, she again always contacted us & met up when sailing from Savona, bringing little gifts each time.

Sadly since the Concordia things have not been the same overall. 

[drsel]

I have won a lot of small prizes for various trivia, game shows, competitions, etc.
Small ziplock pouches, a shoulder bag, a cap, a model ship, 2 pizzas

[gerryuk]

On 8/12/2020 at 3:02 AM, Lunenburg said:

I did a repo cruise from Savona to Buenos Aires last year and a few nights our waiters gave free glasses of wine to some of our table mates. Some of us had drink packages and  some did not.  Now and again they just brought out bottles of wine and gave a glass to anyone who wanted it.

Was that on the Fascinosa or the Pacifica? I have done that cruise on the Fascinosa for the last 2 years and again this year, if it sails. The only freebies was a bottle of wine and a plaque of the ship but this was for points in mycosta. No free wine at the dinner table though.

 

[drsel]

On our last Costa Victoria Cruise, on the very last sailling before it was scrapped, they had given as unlimited prosecco and delicious chocolate cake on the last night in the main dining room.
I think it was a farewell party

[Lunenburg]

3 hours ago, gerryuk said:

Was that on the Fascinosa or the Pacifica? I have done that cruise on the Fascinosa for the last 2 years and again this year, if it sails. The only freebies was a bottle of wine and a plaque of the ship but this was for points in mycosta. No free wine at the dinner table though.

 

 It was the Pacifica. We found the waiters very generous  with bottled water and wine at both lunch and dinner. Usually someone took the bottled water at the end of the meal as it was left on the table for everyone.

The only issue we noticed was that one of our CruiseCritic members had requested a gluten free diet and when others saw the food she got also asked for a gluten free menu. The second time several people asked for the gluten free choice, the Head Waiter came over and said unless they had it on record with a doctor's note, they could not have it as the ship did not have enough onboard for everyone, which was fair enough.  We had a group of 10 or more Cruise Critic folk almost every sea day for lunch and it was a nice group.

[Dancer Bob]

Celebrity was a very forgettable experience, but as best I recall:

The total fare was considerably more than I pay on Costa.

A dull, boring bunch of people, almost as bad as Holland America.

The "midnight" buffet was at noon. Absolutely nothing else stands out, including whether there was anything much late.

The band in the lounge only played one merengue, one mambo, one samba, etc. A single playlist all night every night. When I asked if they had other titles, the answer was "nobody has ever asked for anything different". How completely different from Costa!

(If any of my recollections are wrong, I can only plead how utterly forgettable it was.)

Reviews mean nothing unless you know the person writing it. Do any of these people even know the difference between a salsa, a mambo and a merengue, let alone care? Why would I want to pay Celebrity's prices to be on a ship with them?

[drsel]

Yes, right now Celebrity is very expensive

[drsel]

This is our Celebrity Constellation review--

 

Celebrity Constellation 9 night Arabian cruise

 

Embarkation was a breeze-just 10 mins. Then we were welcomed onboard with champagne on a red carpet. We felt we were treated like royalty!.

 

Our oceanview room was comfy & spacious, but the bath cubicle was miniscule.

 

On the first day, they had liquer sampling the entire evening, right from 5pm to 9pm. You could sample all liquers on display. Their special discount offers on alcohol were much better than those at duty free airports.

 

They also had a wristwatch & handbag sale (really cheap, only $40 for 5, mix & match)

 

Every morning, on the way to the buffet breakfast, there were pretty girls waiting to give you a FREE sampler head massage. Yes, every morning!

 

On 9 days, we had 4 grand shows, a movie night, a Beatles tribute band, a singer (Jane), a violinist & a pianist, all best of class!  So, every night was taken care of.

 

The 4 shows--Welcome, Land of Fantasy (or fairy tales), Dances of the World & Elyria were 45-50 mins each & truly amazing, easily of Broadway standard.

 

The performers also mingled, posed  & danced with us throughout the 9 day cruise.

 

They also performed on the pool deck & in the Reflections lounge, in addition to the 4 main shows.

 

One evening, Celebrity even had a special BELLY DANCE show with Middle east delicacy starters & desserts--kababs, Baklava, the works!

 

The passenger vs crew (in full uniform) pool volleyball game was a blast! 

 

Unfortunately, nobody showed up or seemed interested in the enrichment health & fitness lectures &  we 2 were the only ones who attended every time. The fitness trainers who spoke on health & detoxification, were both experienced & knowledgeable.

 

The buffet lunch had a lot of variety & was very satisfying.

 

There were 6 diff. flavours of icecream & frozen yoghurt, which kept changing daily! Exotic flavors like cherry, pecan, peach, apricot, passion fruit, dark chocolate, banana, strawberry, etc

 

In the main dining room, the dinner & service was fit for a king. Lobster, jumbo prawns, pink salmon, beef steak, tenderloin, et all. Very satisfying, never had any complaint whatsoever. The desserts were so-so.

 

The cruise itinerary was well planned, with 8 port days--2 Abu Dhabi, 3 Dubai, 2 Muscat & 1 Khasab, so enough time for sightseeing at all ports, (except Dubai, which needs at least 7 days to see it all--

 

Dubai city tour with abra ride, Bastakiya, Al Fahidi fort, Gold souk, Spice souk, Perfume souk; Desert safari, Dubai mall with aquarium & musical fountain show, Burj Khalifa tallest observatory, Mall of the Emirates & Snow city, Global Village, Atlantis the palm, Jumeirah mosque & beach, Burj al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah, Miracle Gardens, Butterfly park, Dinosaur land, Glow City, etc.)

 

Overall I highly recommend this cruise. We got an amazing deal, just $451 per person for 9 nights in an oceanview cabin with $150 onboard credit per person ($300 onboard credit per cabin) !!!

 

Love & God bless,

 

drsel

 

 

 

 

[Dancer Bob]

Thanks for confirming my recollection. That's why I ignore reviews. Entertainers prancing around is not why I pay to be on a cruise ship, and no passengers dancing, nobody who could tell the difference between a salsa, merengue or bachatta.

I only tolerate drunks if they subsidise my cruise. I have no interest whatsoever being in the same room as liquor "sampling" or whatever.

(I don't find Dubai much more interesting than Miami, although a lot more law-abiding, and yes, I've spent more than a week there.)

I'd rather be with a bunch of fun-loving Italians any day.