Just back from Costa Med ( 28/5 )

[xander]

We have just returned from 7 nights onboard Costa Mediterranea. We departed Venice on the 28th of May sailing to the Greek islands of Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini. We sailed in a group of 6 which included 3 children. The weather was great, the itinerary was one we would do again, we enjoyed our holiday but overall we were disappointed with Costa. We felt that Costa was nowhere near as good as Royal Caribbean and NCL, both of whom we have sailed with. In our view, Costa did not offer as good value for money.

 

 

Firstly the food. It was average, nothing remarkable at all. The only good things were the pasta, the pizza and the ice cream.There are, however, only so many meals when you can eat pasta. The menu was so dull, by the third night we didn't even want to go to the dining room. Unfortunately there is no real alternative to the dining room - no evening buffet, just a pizza bar. Our waiters spoke very little English so we had to point on the menu when ordering. One night we asked if it was possible to have "prawn cocktail" and they brought out bowls of prunes! There was no lobster, nor were there crab legs. And before you ask, we are quite adventurous eaters - we like our food, especially Italian!

 

Feeding the kids proved to be a particular problem. The children always eat with us in the dining room, and this, their 7th cruise, was the first time that we have really struggled to find them something to eat. They quickly got bored of the kids menu food - which often happens. Normally though we are able to order plain grilled chicken from an always available menu, or concoct something from the main menu. There was no always available menu on Costa.

 

Breakfast was a particular disappointment. Normally we eat breakfast in the main dining room. I find the buffets too crowded first thing in the morning, and I end up fetching and carrying the kids meals - so being able to order bfast and have it brought to me is the perfect start to my vacation day. Costa operate a buffet inside the main dining room, which made it as busy and hectic as the buffet.

 

There were no theme nights as mentioned on the boards , except one of the last nights when we arrived in the dining room and the wait staff were dressed in the Italian flag colours , there was some singing and dancing and a free glass of champagne , this was our best night in the dining room.

 

We had read beforehand that this was a multilingual ship - it didn't really dawn on us what this actually meant until we were onboard. Basically this is an Italian cruiseline and the main language onboard is Italian. English is just one of 6 secondary languages. Most of the ship didn't speak much English so it was difficult to get help when you had a problem. All the announcements are made in several languages. At the lifeboat drill the demonstration of how to put on a lifejacket was done 7 times - in Italian, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Japanese and English. We even went and played bingo - multilingual bingo. It took 15 mins to explain the rules and then every number was called out in all the languages! It was like a session of the UN, and after a while it does begin to drive you mad. If your first language is Italian, Spanish, French, German etc then the cruiseline does a good job, but if you are an English speaker, then NCL and RCL would be better choices.

 

Two other things that Costa really need to sort out - and given their Carnival ownership, it is amazing that they don't do this already. All other cruise lines we have been on take a digital picture of you when you check in. This is connected to your cruisecard, so whenever you return to the ship, they have a picture of you to check. Costa does not do this. So you have to carry your passport with you whenever you leave the ship. I do not like taking passports ashore in case they get stolen. But also upon returning to the ship, the security guys had to match your picture id to your cruisecard - creating airport style queues.

 

Also at Venice, Costa don't have modern computer systems so they can't register your credit card to your cruisecard when checking in. You have to do this once onboard, within 48 hours, along with the 2630 other passengers. This meant long queues in the mornings and afternoons when the office was open.

 

A final moan - the waterslide - one of the reasons we picked this ship. It was only open from 10am to 11am, and from 3pm to 4pm - even on the sea day, no matter how many kids wanted to use it! This contrasted badly with NCL Jewel where the waterslide operated most of the day.

 

On a positive note - our cabin attendent Robinson was wonderful , he did a fantastic job and we tipped him well. The one thing that Costa does do very well was tendering , it was the best operation we've ever had on a cruise.

 

Bari was our first port of call. We took a cab to the old town and walked around , did some shopping in the new town then had lunch at a wonderful restaurant before heading back to the ship.

 

Katakolon was next. It was a lovely little village , we had a great seafood lunch at the harbour right next to the waters edge before hopping in a cab to a quiet little beach 10 min away. We swam and lay in the sun until the cab returned to collect us 2 hours later. Then a bit of souvenir shopping before getting back onboard.

 

Next was Santorini , we were the only ship in so we didn't have to wait too long for the funicular. We were pleased to see that the donkeys weren't being used and that they were standing in the shade. Again we hopped in a cab and went to Ia where we wandered around the tiny village and took some stunning pics. Back in Thera the queue to get back on the funicular was building so we joined - it did take a while for everyone to get back down - far too hot to walk though.

 

In Mykonos we took the shuttle bus to the main town and walked along the harbour. We had a drink in a bar overlooking the water's edge and then went for dinner at another waterside restaurant. The setting was great but the meal was overpriced - you definitely paid for the location here.

 

In Rhodes, the kids stayed onboard with their dad, and they had great fun in the pool - which they had virtually to themselves. The rest of the party went shopping and had lunch in the old town.

 

Finally the half day in Dubrovnik was spent sightseeing and walking the walls. Great ice cream as well.

 

Disembarkation in Venice was fast and efficient (as was embarkation). We left our luggage at the port, and spent three hours in Venice, before returning to collect the luggage and heading to the airport.

 

Overall, we did have a great holiday and enjoyed seeing the Greek islands. Compared to the other lines we have experienced, we would not choose Costa again.

[joetrizeo]

i think what's important to note is that this was a european sailing of the costa mediterainia. as you can see, costa europe and costa in the caribbean are very different cruises. caribbean cruise information is by far what most (not all) of cc useres are looking for here.

[mpb43]

xander,

Thanks for taking to time to post your review. We will be taking our first cruise on the Mediterranea in July. We picked this cruise mainly for the ports. It helps to know what to expect!

You mentioned tht you traveled with your children. We will have our 3 kids, ages 11, almost 9, and 4 on this cruise. The kids will stay with us most of the time, but I was wondering if there were many english-speaking children on board?

[goldencup]

An interesting review. We did the identical cruise three years ago on the Costa Victoria or Costa Fortuna (I forget which as I have been on both) and it was absolutely wonderful. The food was a real highlight so I'm disappointed to see that standards have obviously slipped. My kids adored the food too and their only problem was what to choose as it was all so good. The situation with the waterslide and passports was the same though and I agree that these should be addressed.

[krennen]

Thanks for posting this trip report. We leave for this cruise in the middle of July. I am sorry to hear about the food. We have taken 4 Carnival cruises and hope it is as good as theirs. What was the evening entertainment like? We speak English so I guess we will become a little multi-lingual after listening to all of the announcements!!

[krennen]

One more thing--Not to disagree with the earlier post, but I am very glad you took the time to post about this "European Costa" as this is the one we are taking.

[krennen]

One more thing--Not to disagree with the earlier post, but I am very glad you took the time to post about this "European Costa" as this is the one we are taking.

[mountainmare]

I also thank you for a report of your experience in Europe. We are on the Concordia next winter, just want to get something different from "bumper boat" ports in the Caribbean. We are somewhat prepared for the multilingual ordeal, even on our last Med cruise on Celebrity everything was explained in four languages, and yes..it makes muster take forever.

[xander]

Thanks for your replies

 

Joetrizeo - I think you are right. Costa in the Caribbean and Costa in Europe appear to be two very different products. That was something we did not realise beforehand. There were some Americans onboard and quite a few Brits - hence the post.

 

mpb43 - we sailed during the whit half term week; there were lots of kids onboard, including English speaking. many of the Italians were travelling in family groups with bambinos and grandparents. There is a kids club and a teen club with organised activities called the Squok club. Mine did not use this - they don't live with me, so we spend time together on our holidays. The boys (aged 11 & 14) enjoyed the arcade and spent a fair bit of their allowance there. Otherwise the pool is their main priority. As for food, there were kids and teen dinners each night seperate to the main dining - again we didn't use this. The kids did enjoy the poolside burger and hot dog grill, and afternoon tea proved a godsend - each day at 4pm. As this is your first cruise I know you will enjoy it - we are just getting fussier as we cruise more!

 

krennen - we went to both of the main production shows. They were good if a little different to standard cruise shows. Again, because the audience is multilingual the shows are very visual, great costumes and lighting, and very dance focussed. They were a bit more arty than Broadway. There was also a Russian couple who wowed with a circus style show involving amazing juggling and balancing acts. There were bands and singers in the bars and lounges - cannot comment on them as my evening end early once i have got my daughter (aged 9) into bed.

[mpb43]

 

mpb43 - we sailed during the whit half term week; there were lots of kids onboard, including English speaking. many of the Italians were travelling in family groups with bambinos and grandparents. There is a kids club and a teen club with organised activities called the Squok club. Mine did not use this - they don't live with me, so we spend time together on our holidays. The boys (aged 11 & 14) enjoyed the arcade and spent a fair bit of their allowance there. Otherwise the pool is their main priority. As for food, there were kids and teen dinners each night seperate to the main dining - again we didn't use this. The kids did enjoy the poolside burger and hot dog grill, and afternoon tea proved a godsend - each day at 4pm. As this is your first cruise I know you will enjoy it - we are just getting fussier as we cruise more!

 

xander,

Thanks for the input! We are traveling in a multigenerational group with my parents and family friends. I'd be surprised if my kids used the Squok club much. They are used to being with us when we are on vacation. It is nice to know that there will be other English-speaking kids that they may enjoy at the pool or on sea days.

I am actually really looking forward to this cruise, although I have gathered from these boards that it is not a "conventional" cruise experience. We are looking at it as a grand adventure. We have traveled quite a bit with the kids, and we were in Italy just last summer.

I'm really looking forward to visiting the Greek ports and Croatia!

[krennen]

Thanks again xander for answering my questions about the shows. It seems like we will be happy with them. We are also looking at this cruise experience as an adventure and if it is different from the other that we have taken here in the states that's OK. As we have 16 people in our group, we intend to enjoy ourselves and each others' company!

[volleyballmom87]

i think what's important to note is that this was a european sailing of the costa mediterainia. as you can see, costa europe and costa in the caribbean are very different cruises. caribbean cruise information is by far what most (not all) of cc useres are looking for here.

 

I agree. Costa Caribbean is a great cruise for 1st timers. It is the most reasonable in terms of cost. For a similar iternary the Christmas cruise on Costa is a little more than $1000 less :eek: than the RCI cruise we have booked. (not to mention what we are spending on air to Puerto Rico instead of Fort Lauderdale) We were pleased with our experience with Costa and would likely do it again, but we wanted to go to some different ports this time.

[Twaincruisers]

Thanks for the post. We are considering a Costa cruise in the Med and found the details you provided very helpful...not everyone is just looking to cruise the Caribbean!

[cleophus12]

We just returned from the Cost Med 6/18-6/25 sailing. I wholeheartedly agree with everything the OP said about the Costa experience. The food was our biggest disppointment. We cruised with Costa 20 years ago, and the food was fabulous (smaller ship, different time, I know). So the selections in the dining room were not what we expected, however our service was great. I had the X1 drink package and although some of the postings on this board have said they were treated like second class citizens with this package, I did not feel that way. Our dining room servers brought my wine each night and kept my glass full. The bar service at the pool was also very polite. Yes, the waterslide was a bummer. The language barrier was a real issue for us. We were placed at a small table with just the three of us, so we didn't have a chance to meet many other English speaking passengers unless we just happened upon them. It is also a problem if you have a question for the staff. You can ask a question to 5 different people and get 5 different answers. Whether that is a communication problem or just an organizational problem, I'm not sure but it happened over and over again. Another problem with Costa is the lack of all-inclusiveness. Shuttles into towns that they advertise as ports of call (Bari, Mykonos) cost 5E per person. Fortunately, we were able to tender into Mykonos, so we did not have to use the shuttle and purchased tickets were refunded. Also the only TV programs are in foreign languages and to watch a movie you have to pay 8.95E. On other ships they run several movies a day in a variety of languages. Another thing the OP did not mention was the entertainment. We thought it was just pitiful. I think Costa underestimates what people will watch. I would go to a show in any language as long as it was good. We felt sorry for the performers working so hard in shows that were just bad. The ship was in good shape and our room was nice, but everything was just Okay. We will not travel with Costa again for the same reasons the OP gave--not really a good value for the money. Next time I will pay the extra money and go with Royal Carib or Disney. By the way, we did go into Rhodes and liked that port very much. We took a taxi to Faliraki Beach (topless so beware) and spent the morning there. A nice beach with chairs and umbrellas to rent (7E for the day) and a beach club nearby. Also a McDonald's right across the street! We also shopped the old town and found it very charming. All in all, we just found no WOW experience with Costa. The itinerary is good, but do it with another cruise line.

[Jo42]

cleophus12, thanks for your input on this and on the July 16th thread, I'm pleased you didn't feel like a 2nd class citizen with the X1 package. I am thinking about getting this for my DH Beer and he would absolutely hate that, as anyone would!

 

On previous trips my DH and DD have not enjoyed the entertainment either, but I quite liked it (sad)!! Everything else on our Costa Cruises has been perfect, inc food (as has every trip we've ever taken to the US) and I hope this one lives up to our expectations.

 

Ref, your small table in the dining room, did you ask to be seated at a large table for 8/10? We have, and in the past have always been seated with other English speaking guests eg UK, US, Canada. Its true you don't hear many english speaking voices otherwise!

 

Also, a reminder for others, to look out for the lapel badges (small flags) the staff wear, this tells you the languages they speak.

[cleophus12]

Yes, we did ask to be placed at a large table. Fortunately for us a large group from New Mexico was seated near us and they were kind enough to speak to us each evening. We did notice the lapel pins, but to be fair just because they wear an English pin doesn't mean they speak it all that well. We appreciated their efforts though.

[Jo42]

Xander/Cleophus12

 

Do you happen to remember what time the Ship arrived back in Venice? The itinerary says 9.00am but I know that often the ships arrive in port much earlier. As we will be in Venice for a couple of nights prior to the cruise we would like to photograph her perhaps from St Mark's Squ as she sails in early in the morning.

 

Thanks!

[xander]

The ship arrives very early - around 6am I think. I know that Gus got up early to watch the arrival and he had missed it! We definitely arrived earlier than advertised; and we were off the ship early too.

[Jo42]

Thanks Xander! Don't know if we'll make it down to St Marks before 6.00am - will try though!

[mek]

Xander - I was on the Magica a year ago in April and I also thought it was strange that Costa didn't take an embarkation photo. Sorry to hear they still haven't changed their policy. Personally, I think it is huge gap in their security and we had a rather lively debate on that topic a year ago. Of course I needed my flame retardant clothing! :D

[mek]

[quote=joetrizeoi think what's important to note is that this was a european sailing of the costa mediterainia. as you can see, costa europe and costa in the caribbean are very different cruises. caribbean cruise information is by far what most (not all) of cc useres are looking for here.

 

Hi joetrizeoi - It's been a while since I've been over to this board. How have you been since I was on the Magica last year? Didn't you do the Destiny right before me last summer?

 

Concerning your statement - IMO, that is the problem with Costa in the N American market. I haven't been on Costa in Europe, but somehow I suspect they are very much the same here as there and are not as vastly different as you think. They are a European cruise line and when they come over here, they try to add some not so good items to their menu to make us happy and they end up with a mess. They would be much better if they stayed 100% European. The only problem with that is most N Americans have no idea what that really means, hence the problems with the food, customs, communication, etc. I still don't think they offer a truly authentic Italian experience, but I do believe they represent what the average European is looking for in a cruise - and generally that isn't the same thing most of us over here expect.

[olga77]

Hi Xander,

I just read your review; it seems like we have the same itinerary (We're going to EM on Costa Med in November, 07). We've been already on Costa Concordia once and liked the food, but it was interesting to read your comments. I can't tell you anything about Costa Med, but on Concordia they took our passports in the beginning of the cruise and gave us the copies, so we could show them off shore. You didn't need to carry the passports with you all the time, only in Tunis. Also, they took our picture along with the a male and a female sailors when we checked in. So we got our picture later. Can you please tell me what to do in Bari, we really didn't feel like booking an excursion? We're taking a tour to Olympia, which I think you can't miss if you are near by. We'll still have 2 more hours to spend in Katakolon. We're looking forward to the Greek islands and Dubrovnik, as we both want to to be able to spend the allowed time off shore. We're not looking for a beach; my hubby and I both enjoy walking and spending a vacation as actively as possible.

Anyway, what I'd like to comment about is Costa. We've never been on any other cruise lines (just Costa), so we don't know how they treat people on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, etc. I really didn't care about language issues (I don't think it was ever a problem) or food issue (most of the time we enjoyed the food and the service in the dining rooms). The buffet wasn't great, but don't go there. We usually take a cruise in the fall to avoid summer crowd, so the water slides aren't a problem for us. I don't think we ever spend anytime in the pool (it's usually too small and we simply don't have time because we're off shore for the most of the time). So I would like to say, Costa is a definitely European cruise line, but it's cheaper than others too. I think that when we spent our time with Costa, we're treated as royalty. We wouldn't take a Caribbean cruise because the life is too short and you want to spend it as productively as you can. There are so many other different places in the world where we want to go. We enjoy Costa and I think if you have a bad attitude about a ship, service, food, etc. and too many complaints it might ruin your vacation, so don't pay attention too much to something like that and enjoy your vacation! The life is adventure!