Costa Mediterranea 2/19/06-2/26/06

[Mjasp]

If I leave anything out I feel should be mentioned I will come back when I remember. If anyone has any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them, just ask away.

 

Traveling was myself, my husband and 2 daughters ages 14 & 10. Also we traveled with 3 other families with children ages 8-14. Total of 15, 8 adults 7 kids. Have to add we are all Italian desent and from New York

 

Pre-night...We stayed at the Amerisuites. OK hotel for a pre night stay. Pool was small (like a backyard built in pool) For one night it was fine.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation...PAINLESS- PAINLESS- PAINLESS

We were at the buffet having lunch at 12:30 P.M. We were at Fort Lauderdale airport at 10:30 A.M. we were one of the last people off the ship.

 

Cabin...We were in a category 7. Very nice, roomy and clean. Loved having a verandah. Bathroom was a nice size. Shower pressure great. Air conditioning in the cabin was very good, actually nice and cold. Here is a tip, If you leave your verandah door open for 1 minute or more the A/C goes off automatically. Be sure you pull the door closed to be sure it is closed.

 

Food...All except one in our party of 8 adults thought the food was excellent. Her complaint was not enough chicken choices. The pasta was cooked al dente, I was expecting mushy overcooked pasta. During lunch at the buffet, there are 2 different choices of pasta at the pasta station. Very impressed that they used good Parmesan cheese and not the Kraft parmesan cheese or some other cheap cheese. Tasted like a good Lucatelli grated cheese. The best ceasar salad is had on this ship. Breads...All bread with the exception of hot dog and hamburger rolls are cooked fresh, right on board. That may be the reason why some people think the bread is stale, their is no preservatives in them. They are made fresh all day/everyday. All croissants and danishes are also baked fresh daily.

Club Medusa, although the quality of the food there is a cut above the restaurant, the choices were pretty much the same. I personally wouldn't pay the extra to go there again.

 

Pizza & Hamburgers...The Margheurita pizza is delicious. I wouldn't touch the hamburgers after reading about it on these boards, my husband got one and I started telling him NOT to eat it as it was greasy and horrible. He said it was very good, so after watching him and my kids eating burgers and enjoying them, I took a bite of his and it was delicious. So try everything for yourself. Just an FYI, he asked for a veggie burger one day at the poolside station and they made it for him. There is also tortilla chips, with sour cream and guacamole by the pool all day along with potato chips.

 

Drinks...Ice Tea, coffee and juice & water along with ice is available 24/7

 

Late night snacking...If the midnight snacks or buffets aren't enough for you, there is Margheurita pizza & salad available for late night snacking.

 

Salads...There is iceberg lettuce and another salad (like auricchio) available at the buffet, so it isn't just iceberg.

 

Service...This is where they need to improve big time. They need to change the way they do things. We have a waiter, an assistant waiter, and a bar person. The assistant waiter can get you a bottle of wine but not a carafe or glass of wine. Soda and mixed drinks and glasses or carafes of wine come from the bar person. Alot of nights we had our appetizer AND salad & soup before we got our drinks (Costa loses big money here) Sometimes the kids were half way done with their meal before they got their sodas. This was quite annoying. Why we didn't stop at the bar and buy our drinks before dinner? Looking back, I don't know why, we didn't think of it. LOL

 

Kids club...Pretty much non existant for teens. The 7-12 year club...The 8 yr old liked it but the 10 year olds didn't, so they hung out with their 14 yr old siblings in the arcade. It Kept the young ones busy and the older ones honest and on their best behavior, as the little ones would rat them out.

 

Pools...They were great. Not a problem getting a chair, even on sea days. The kids enjoyed the slide and I like that the slide is open for set hours, otherwise, we might have been at the slide quite often. I like that the pool area has a large area with a fountain where you can sit and get wet and sun yourself without going in the pool.

 

Entertainment...I didn't think it was that great. I don't think any of us thought it was very good.

 

Was supposed to get a $100 on board credit and only received $50. No one at guest services could help us, they said to call Costa when we got home. I have a message into a Diana Vasquez at Costa, and have not heard from her yet. Guest relations said they sent an e mail to shore and are aware of the problem BUT they didn't hear back from them, so they can't help us. Just something I didn't want to waste my time on today. They need to give more authority to guest relations on the ship.

 

Final Assessment...For the price I paid, I think I got an excellent cruise. We paid $1,800 for a verandah cabin for a family of 4. If I got another deal like that I would cruise Costa again in a heartbeat. And so would all our co-travelers, even the one who thought the food was just OK.

 

Any questions, just ask away.

[lindanick]

Thank you so much for the review. I am in a cat 7 also. Cabin 6299.

We don't have children with us, so that will not bother me. I don't drink wine. I'll make my pre dinner drinks on the balcony. Did you use the Apollo pool? It sounds like you had a great time. Alot of us were watching the ship on the web cam. It looked like your weather was perfect.

 

What did you do in Cozumel? How about Jamaica? Were the casino gods good to you? Any good movies? Are the bartenders nice?

 

Linda

[Mjasp]

Cozumel...We went to Paradise Beach. We just LOVE it there. Free entrance and a cab ride of $5.00 a head each way. A bucket of beer which consists of 5 bottles Dosecki's (sp?) was $11.00.

 

Jamaica...We did the Dunns River relax at Dolphins Cove beach excursion through the ship. Do Dunn's river as that is a don't miss if you have never been to Jamaica. But if I could do it again I would do it with the trimaran. As the beach at Dolphins Cove is terrible.

 

apollo pool? Is that the adults pool? If so, we didn't do it. But you shouldn't have alot of kids on your cruise if it isn't a break, so the other pools will be OK. Even with the 450 kids on our cruise the pools were fine for adults, there was no splashing or clowning around.

 

Casino Gods are very cheap. didn't visit them often. did the Blackjack tournament, that is fun and so is the horse racing at the pool. It is $20 for the blackjack tournament and $5.00 for a horse in the horse race. The casino uses cash and charges a 3% surcharge to use your Costa card. So bring cash if you are going to play in the Casino.

[lindanick]

Hate to be a pain. But..........I'm going to Paradise Beach also. What time did you get there? How many ships were in port that day? Tom from Paradise beach says it should not be crowded.

 

In Jamaica we are going tubing. Did you hear of anyone that went? On your webcam it looked as if there was an NCL ship there, but it was not docked. Did it ever dock? It looked as if you were the only ones in port.

 

Thanks again.

Linda

[randych]

Thanks for the review. It sounds like you had a great time! I have a few random questions for you:

 

How was the tendering in Cozumel and Grand Cayman? How long did it take you to get to shore? We have some activities planned for each port (that we didn't book through Costa) and are trying to figure out the timing.

 

Do you know if kids are allowed in the gym? My 13-year-old is interested in working out with me.

 

How did you get from the ship to the airport on your way home? I'm assuming that cabs are readily available. Is that correct, or should we pre-arrange transportation?

 

Thanks for you help!

[Mjasp]

Hate to be a pain. But..........I'm going to Paradise Beach also. What time did you get there? How many ships were in port that day? Tom from Paradise beach says it should not be crowded.

 

In Jamaica we are going tubing. Did you hear of anyone that went? On your webcam it looked as if there was an NCL ship there, but it was not docked. Did it ever dock? It looked as if you were the only ones in port.

 

Thanks again.

Linda

 

Your not a pain at all. I know before I went, I wanted to ask a ton of questions. Actually I am not sure who was in Cozumel with us. It was not that crowded though.

 

In Jamaica, we were with a Carnival ship (I think it was the Triumph) and also the Norwegian Jewel. The NCL Jewel did not dock, it tendered. We docked at the older port in Jamaica the Carnival ship had the one by Island Village.

 

In Grand Cayman we were with a ship called Aida aura. The website is http://www.aida.de Never heard of it, but it reminds me

now to do a search.

[Mjasp]

Thanks for the review. It sounds like you had a great time! I have a few random questions for you:

 

How was the tendering in Cozumel and Grand Cayman? How long did it take you to get to shore? We have some activities planned for each port (that we didn't book through Costa) and are trying to figure out the timing.

 

Do you know if kids are allowed in the gym? My 13-year-old is interested in working out with me.

 

How did you get from the ship to the airport on your way home? I'm assuming that cabs are readily available. Is that correct, or should we pre-arrange transportation?

 

Thanks for you help!

 

Tendering in Cozumel is a nightmare. Not exactly sure where the blame lies though. It may be that Cozumel isn't a tender port, so they aren't as quick with it. But the people there do need our business as it is pretty badly beaten up. Grand Cayman, was a little better but not great.

Not sure about kids in the gym, the gym is really nice.

After we got off the ship, I called a porter for my bags, I told him I needed a cab and it was $7.00 per person to go to Fort Lauderdale airport.

[atthebeachcc]

We were on this past week also.

 

Answers to some questions:

 

No one under 16 can go to the Gym, althought they don't check ids. If your child looks old enough they can go in.

 

We did the River Tubing and Dunn's River falls with Island Marketing ( not a Costa excursion) and were very happy.

 

http://jamaicacruiseexcursions.com/RiverRaftingDunnsFalls.htm

 

Two people in our group did not climb the falls once we got there, they were afraid due to previous injuries. I heard that two people from our ship had serious injuries that day at the falls.

 

We also paid $7 per person for a van to the airport.

[Mjasp]

at the beach...Were u there with kids? If so, what ages?

[atthebeachcc]

We were with a group of 13 families, about 22 kids aged 5 to 17. I know all the teenagers had a wonderful time and would do it again in a heratbeat.

[kehlx2]

If I leave anything out I feel should be mentioned I will come back when I remember. If anyone has any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them, just ask away.

 

Traveling was myself, my husband and 2 daughters ages 14 & 10. Also we traveled with 3 other families with children ages 8-14. Total of 15, 8 adults 7 kids. Have to add we are all Italian desent and from New York

 

Pre-night...We stayed at the Amerisuites. OK hotel for a pre night stay. Pool was small (like a backyard built in pool) For one night it was fine.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation...PAINLESS- PAINLESS- PAINLESS

We were at the buffet having lunch at 12:30 P.M. We were at Fort Lauderdale airport at 10:30 A.M. we were one of the last people off the ship.

 

Cabin...We were in a category 7. Very nice, roomy and clean. Loved having a verandah. Bathroom was a nice size. Shower pressure great. Air conditioning in the cabin was very good, actually nice and cold. Here is a tip, If you leave your verandah door open for 1 minute or more the A/C goes off automatically. Be sure you pull the door closed to be sure it is closed.

 

Food...All except one in our party of 8 adults thought the food was excellent. Her complaint was not enough chicken choices. The pasta was cooked al dente, I was expecting mushy overcooked pasta. During lunch at the buffet, there are 2 different choices of pasta at the pasta station. Very impressed that they used good Parmesan cheese and not the Kraft parmesan cheese or some other cheap cheese. Tasted like a good Lucatelli grated cheese. The best ceasar salad is had on this ship. Breads...All bread with the exception of hot dog and hamburger rolls are cooked fresh, right on board. That may be the reason why some people think the bread is stale, their is no preservatives in them. They are made fresh all day/everyday. All croissants and danishes are also baked fresh daily.

Club Medusa, although the quality of the food there is a cut above the restaurant, the choices were pretty much the same. I personally wouldn't pay the extra to go there again.

 

Pizza & Hamburgers...The Margheurita pizza is delicious. I wouldn't touch the hamburgers after reading about it on these boards, my husband got one and I started telling him NOT to eat it as it was greasy and horrible. He said it was very good, so after watching him and my kids eating burgers and enjoying them, I took a bite of his and it was delicious. So try everything for yourself. Just an FYI, he asked for a veggie burger one day at the poolside station and they made it for him. There is also tortilla chips, with sour cream and guacamole by the pool all day along with potato chips.

 

Drinks...Ice Tea, coffee and juice & water along with ice is available 24/7

 

Late night snacking...If the midnight snacks or buffets aren't enough for you, there is Margheurita pizza & salad available for late night snacking.

 

Salads...There is iceberg lettuce and another salad (like auricchio) available at the buffet, so it isn't just iceberg.

 

Service...This is where they need to improve big time. They need to change the way they do things. We have a waiter, an assistant waiter, and a bar person. The assistant waiter can get you a bottle of wine but not a carafe or glass of wine. Soda and mixed drinks and glasses or carafes of wine come from the bar person. Alot of nights we had our appetizer AND salad & soup before we got our drinks (Costa loses big money here) Sometimes the kids were half way done with their meal before they got their sodas. This was quite annoying. Why we didn't stop at the bar and buy our drinks before dinner? Looking back, I don't know why, we didn't think of it. LOL

 

Kids club...Pretty much non existant for teens. The 7-12 year club...The 8 yr old liked it but the 10 year olds didn't, so they hung out with their 14 yr old siblings in the arcade. It Kept the young ones busy and the older ones honest and on their best behavior, as the little ones would rat them out.

 

Pools...They were great. Not a problem getting a chair, even on sea days. The kids enjoyed the slide and I like that the slide is open for set hours, otherwise, we might have been at the slide quite often. I like that the pool area has a large area with a fountain where you can sit and get wet and sun yourself without going in the pool.

 

Entertainment...I didn't think it was that great. I don't think any of us thought it was very good.

 

Was supposed to get a $100 on board credit and only received $50. No one at guest services could help us, they said to call Costa when we got home. I have a message into a Diana Vasquez at Costa, and have not heard from her yet. Guest relations said they sent an e mail to shore and are aware of the problem BUT they didn't hear back from them, so they can't help us. Just something I didn't want to waste my time on today. They need to give more authority to guest relations on the ship.

 

Final Assessment...For the price I paid, I think I got an excellent cruise. We paid $1,800 for a verandah cabin for a family of 4. If I got another deal like that I would cruise Costa again in a heartbeat. And so would all our co-travelers, even the one who thought the food was just OK.

 

Any questions, just ask away.

 

Thank you so much for your fast review. Funny we went on one other Costa cruise(but that was our 1st--like 20 years ago) & as I remember we had 3 people for drinks/water/soda etc as you mention...so maybe they don't plan to change that part. Think I might just bring in a soda during dinner or just have water, I am not a drinker--(don't care for the taste) We have booked 1 tour so far for our 2 week trip & I am glad to hear it is the "right one" trimaran. We have been to the falls & walked up before--but our travel buddies havent --so I wanted to do it again--only without going by bus. We leave locally this Friday for MN & early Sat morning for Miami (we fly Sun Country & they no longer fly nto FLL) but we are coming in at noonish & then a shuttle up to Ameriasuites also...I wonder if we will have any trouble checking in before 3? As their hotel doesn't say for sure AFTER 3pm--really don't want to wander around with our luggage all afternoon. I might call them Friday morning & ask about this. What time did you leave the hotel for the pier? Did you use the hotel shuttle? Or find a cab on your own? We will have Costa taking us to Miami after the cruise tho...our flight leaves at 12:50 I just hope that Costa gets us there in time. Again thanks for the review--I am getting excited now--it has been 4-6 years since i have been on a cruise so am looking forward to this one.:D :cool: OOPS--forgot--did you use the breakfast at the hotel? If so was it busy & good? We plan to go to Paradise Beach in Cozumel..love it there & hear it is even better than before.

[mscheff]

We were on the same cruise & found Paradise beach VERY crowded, I mean packed! If you like that kind of beach scene you will be pleased, if you are looking for peace, quiet and privacy it may not be for you.

[atthebeachcc]

We were at Paradise Beach also. We had a nice day except for the service in the restaurant. The kids waited 1 1/2 hours to be served. It really put a damper on their day beacuase they hardly had anytime to use the water toys.

 

TIP....don't forget to ask for your mattress topper on the first day. Some in our group asked after the second day and there weren't any available.

[Mjasp]

We got to the Amerisuites somewhere between 2:30 & 3, no problem checking in, but there shuttle service is S-l-o-w. But we had nowhere to go so we weren't complaining. We ate at the Mexican restaurant next door. It is great.

 

We took the Amerisuites shuttle to the port. We went down at about 11:00 at check out time. Must have boarded the shuttle by 11:15 and was having lunch on the ship by 12:30 PM

 

Yes we did use the hotel breakfast. It was crowded, just took some food and went out to the pool to sit. The breakfast isn't too swift, but just something to hold you until you get lunch on the ship.

[Mjasp]

We were at Paradise Beach also. We had a nice day except for the service in the restaurant. The kids waited 1 1/2 hours to be served. It really put a damper on their day beacuase they hardly had anytime to use the water toys.

 

Getting beer was quick, but yes food took a long time. They wouldn't let us order the food at the bar, we had to order from Antonio on the beach.

 

Our kids had a great time on the bungee jumping trampoline on the beach. They had a blast there. If anyone heard ranting and cheering there it was our group

[Mjasp]

Just noticed, you can't edit an old post, is this correct or am I missing something? I may have to add a new post each time I remember something.

 

Bringing your own alcohol. We brought towels from home and bought our wine and rum in Florida. We rolled them in the towel and put them in our checked luggage. Soda and water we put in our carry-on and had no problem taking it on board.

 

In all fairness to our waiter is that he just got back on board after being off, his wife is pregnant and they are doing a nude cruise this week and they were going to a meeting on Monday on how to handle it, where to look etc.. I felt bad for our asst waitress she said she was single and was a little uncomfortable about the cruise but it was a job and that is how she was looking at it.

I'll add more as I remember.

[Mjasp]

Anyone know how to put my pics from snapfish on here?