First time on costa. Do they really not provide coffee tea at meals?

[Thorswife59]

Spoke to their customer service regarding another issue and was told coffee and tea were not available without a beverage package in the buffet or mdr. Is this true?!! We have sailed on virtually every other cruise line including MSC and Cunard and in Europe and 

can’t believe they charge for

hot water and a tea bag or straight brewed coffee. Is tap water a charge too? 

[kremerlorraine]

8 hours ago, Thorswife59 said:

Spoke to their customer service regarding another issue and was told coffee and tea were not available without a beverage package in the buffet or mdr. Is this true?!! We have sailed on virtually every other cruise line including MSC and Cunard and in Europe and 

can’t believe they charge for

hot water and a tea bag or straight brewed coffee. Is tap water a charge too? 

That is correct - there is no free coffee or tea at lunch and dinner. Coffee and tea are available at breakfast, in the dining room and buffet. There is also a "tea time", usually between 4 and 5, in the buffet, where sandwiches and cakes as well as tea and coffee are available. Cold filtered water is available in the buffet at all meal times.

[Dancer Bob]

Costa has been changing their packages recently. In the past, it depended on the fare you paid- if you bought the cheap, nothing-included fare, you get what kemerlorraine says (of course, tap water is always available in your cabin). These fares really work best for young families.

You need to go back to your travel agent and clarify exactly what's included in the fare you purchased and whether it's what you want. Costa is quite a bit different from Cunard.

Edited September 9 by Dancer Bob

[Thorswife59]

6 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

Costa has been changing their packages recently. In the past, it depended on the fare you paid- if you bought the cheap, nothing-included fare, you get what kemerlorraine says (of course, tap water is always available in your cabin). These fares really work best for young families.

You need to go back to your travel agent and clarify exactly what's included in the fare you purchased and whether it's what you want. Costa is quite a bit different from Cunard.

Yes, we are definitely learning that Costa is different from pretty much every other cruise line. So this will be our first and last cruise with them. Too late to cancel or rebooked literally booked 2 weeks out, but that’s OK. We’ll make the best of it. Plenty of other lines to choose from next time that still offer basics like coffee and tea. And while they push their specialty restaurants and other extras, they at least offer coffee, tea, lemonade, etc. We mistakenly assumed Costa was similar to MSC, being that they are European and especially being owned by Carnival. What’s next, a surcharge for breathing the air in your cabin? 😂😂

[kremerlorraine]

9 hours ago, Thorswife59 said:

Yes, we are definitely learning that Costa is different from pretty much every other cruise line. So this will be our first and last cruise with them. Too late to cancel or rebooked literally booked 2 weeks out, but that’s OK. We’ll make the best of it. Plenty of other lines to choose from next time that still offer basics like coffee and tea. And while they push their specialty restaurants and other extras, they at least offer coffee, tea, lemonade, etc. We mistakenly assumed Costa was similar to MSC, being that they are European and especially being owned by Carnival. What’s next, a surcharge for breathing the air in your cabin? 😂😂

Costa isn't for everyone, and we are always pleasantly surprised when we travel on other lines (principally Princess and Celebrity) at what is "free", but we always come back to Costa because of the quality of food in the main dining rooms and the reasonable price of drinks/coffees etc on the rare occasions when we don't take a drinks package. Hope you enjoy your cruise!