Mediterranea E.Carib Christmas Cruise

[njs]

Glad to be going on an Eastern Caribbean cruise away from the Ontario winter weather.

Flew into Ft Lauderdale 2 days early. Rented a car and stayed on Fort Lauderdale Beach. DD wanted to work on her tan but shopping at the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall won out ~definitely beats shopping in Canada!

Arrived at the cruiseport at around 11am, gladly handed our luggage to the porters and proceded to the check-in.

DH and self had panorama suite 6178

DD (almost 16), DS (17 and 19) had panorama suite 6176.

EMBARKATION

Costa employee took our group of suite /VIP guests to the xray counter and helped the first few through. This employee went on with them and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves. Of course people standing in line weren’t happy since they thot we were cutting in line. Some tried to refuse to let my sons place their carry-on items on the conveyer belt (even tho everything was tagged suite-priority embarkation) until DH intervened and tried to explain the situation. The Costa employee at the xray machine did nothing which didn’t impress us at all. Costa definitely needs to work on this and we mentioned it on our comment cards. Went on to the suite check-in for registering our credit card. Tried 3 different cards but employee couldn’t get the registration thru, so told us to continue on and do it on board. (Note. The Mediterranea does not have a VIP line at customer service like other ships ) With only 2 -3 people manning customer service this line can get quite long. On to the lido deck to enjoy our first meal and then to explore a bit of the ship.

ROOMS

Our rooms were ready by 1 pm so we went to explore our home for the week . Vincent (our Butler from the Philipines) and Felipe (our room steward from Columbia) took care of us for the week. They separated the kids beds so each had their own and we all enjoyed the extra drawers/cupboards/bigger balconies and bathroom with whirlpool. DD loved having her own vanity area to spread out everything needed to make her beautiful (LOL) and the boys loved the fruit basket and sparkling wine waiting for them on ice. Vincent was new at the Butler business and got a few of our orders mixed up, but he tried hard and was very pleasant so it was easy to forgive. We loved having eggs benedict , choc croissants, hot choc and cappaccino for breakfast on the balconies. We took advantage of the dining room lunch room service a few times as well.

SHIP and STAFF

We all thought the Mediterranea was a beautiful ship and very easy to navigate. We did notice a bit of rocking and rolling and creaking (esp the first night), but nothing to really worry about.

The theatre never seemed overly crowed and empty seats were plentiful for the shows. The children spent time on the lido deck, while DH and I enjoyed our big balcony. Our butler opened the divider between the 2 suites so we had lots of room to relax.

In the past, others have mentioned the unfriendliness of staff and other passengers, but overall we didn’t notice this. One rather snippy photog at the captains cocktail seemed a bit surely, but overall the staff seem friendly and cheerful. This is a hard time of year to be away from family, so I had brought stockings with goodies/pens/candies/choc bars and Christmas cards for a money gift for our steward, butler and waiters. Our steward from Columbia was so touched when dh told him we had a little something for him . He clutched it and was rather emotional and said “maybe so little to you, but means so much to me.” We were left totally unimpressed with our waitstaff, so gave their extra Christmas tip to the steward and butler on the last night . We figured the automatic tip was quite enough for the dining room staff and that is a first for my husband – he has always tipped everyone extra on the last night. Vincent and Felipe were the ones who really took care of us and went above and beyond as far as we were concerned. On debarkation day, suite passengers are allowed to eat in the Medusa Club Restaurant for bkfst but our butler took room service orders from us on the last night and delivered our brkfst bright and early. He always gave the kids a wake-up phone call prior to delivering their bkfst just to make sure they were up.(LOL)

Our youngest son spent time in the arcade and was the champ with the highest score on one of the games. None of our children were interested in the kids clubs, they were content to hang out with us or sun on the lido deck.

Didn’t really notice the negative interaction between different cultures on this ship (as some have reported). I personally was pushed by one man after the lifeboat muster drill (done just prior to sail-away). I guess I wasn’t moving the wall of people in front of me fast enough, but didn’t see repeated flagrant rudeness that others have reported. Maybe everyone was in a good mood because it was Christmas, or maybe we werejust determined to enjoy ourselves. The muster drill was a little longer than normal since it was done in a number of languages. When it was done, none of us remembered hearing the English version ! I actually did enjoy hearing the captain giving his little speech at the cocktail party in various languages.

The cruise director David Lawton and staff seemed pleasant and organized (something I have come to appreciate) and kept us informed without giving repeated messages over the PA system .

The ships captain Massimo Garbarino seemed quite personable and did everything he could to get us to ports early . That was esp appreciated on Christmas Eve in Peurto Rico. Of the 5 cruises we have been on, this is the first time the captain posed with families for pictures (before the welcome gala cocktail party.) He was also on hand to shake hands and greet at the past guest party and the VIP party.

DH used the spa/salon service for the hot stones, back, neck, and shoulder massage and said it was great. Of course he was also duped into buying some of their massage lotion.

DINING ROOM / BUFFET/ FOOD

DH and boys thot this was one thing that has changed since our Costa Atlantica cruise 2005. The dining room staff did not seem as attentive and the food did not seem to have the same quality remembered from our previous costa cruise. They always said they thot costa had the best pizza, but felt that even the pizza was not as good on this cruise (mind you I saw plenty of it on room service trays LOL). Having said that, there was usually something on the menu to satisfy but let’s just say the food wasn’t a highlight of the trip. The service in the dining room was extremely slow. To some this might not be a problem, but Ive had a hip and knee replacement due to bad arthritis and Im waiting for the other to be done, so sitting for long periods is not comfy for me. One night the wait for 20 min between entrée and dessert became unbearable, so we left and went up to the buffet for the same dessert!! It was tiramisu (and delicious) so I was glad to be able to get it on the lido deck. ( Note that the buffet hours for supper are 7 – 8:30 pm only. ) The next few nights our waiters served us in a much more timely fashion , thus proving that it could be done. Suite guests are allowed dinner for 2 per cabin in the Medusa Club Restaurant. We planned that for the final night and planned to pay for the 5th person ~ but the restaurant allowed all 5. Needless to say, the staff received generous tips and the meal was outstanding. From the rolls and homemade pasta appetizer, entrees of lamb , salmon, and lobster and crème brule desserts this meal was a great ending to the final night. Note that Costa has not adopted the North American custom of drawn butter with lobster and crab.

I crashed early, but my family went to the Magnifico Buffet. A sight to behold, but even there they thot the standard was not the same as on the Atlantica – they didn’t think the selection was a good. They did order roast beef and brie sandwiches from room service and had pizza at night, so no need to worry….they didn’t go to bed hungry

SHOWS

Thought the Mediterranea singers (Nicolas Wyschna and Sasha Scott) and the Mediterranea dancers did a good job (esp when you could feel the ship swaying at times.) Also enjoyed Victoria Horne, but we all thot the twins Will and Anthony Nunziata a bit hokey and the female gymnast/contortionist(?) routine looked quite painful. The shows were not as long as on some ships but that suited us just fine. CD David Lawton has a wonderful voice and we loved hearing him sing THAT’s AMORE!!!

EXCURSIONS

BTW - I have seen people on these boards complain about some of these ports and the fact that they are a waste of time. I for one, and my family are thankful for these ports and the experiences we had. My advice : do your homework and see what is available. The segway tour in San Juan and zip-line canopy tour in D.R. were hilights for us. So we were really glad for the chance to stop in these ports

SAN JUAN, Peurto Rico~ Christmas Eve (5pm – midnight) ~ had checked and was not interested in the Costa tour offerings so booked with segwaytourspr.com. What a blast we had. Jose and his beautiful wife Ana took us on a special tour of old San Juan and up to the El Morro Fort on our own segways. Ana rode a segway with us and took DH camcorder and camera to record and photograph the highlights while Jose walked beside and gave the guided audio tour. This was one of the highlights of the cruise, and while touring elsewhere, the kids were wishing they had got segways for Christmas (they can dream!!!) I cant say enough good about this wonderful husband and wife and the tour they give. They are just starting up the business, so unfortunately they only have 7 segways so I’d advise pre-booking to ensure you get a chance to do this great tour. (A teaching and practice session in the area by their office is done first prior to going out among the crowds and on the road)

ST THOMAS USVI ~ Christmas Day (8am - 5pm)

Had been to St Thos last christmas and had done the island tour and shopping then, so decided to go around on our own this time. Unfortunately Costa does not use the main pier at Charlotte Amalie, but is on the other side of the bay. Guess if we had gone to the port talk we would have known that! When we got off we realized we were too far away from Havensight Mall and the downtown to walk. So we hopped in a taxi ($4/pp each way) and did a few hours of hour of shopping and then went back to the ship.

LA ROMANA D.R.~ (8am – 5pm)

This is another stop where there is nothing to do at the pier when getting off the ship. Very poor area but Costa put on a nice little party for children from the island and Santa arrived to deliver gifts to each child. That was touching to see.

We booked the zip-line canopy adventure through Costa and what a great time we had. We drove over an hour to a drop off area where we boarded all-terrain open vehicles for a very bumpy ride to the zip-line site. You definitely want to hang on to the grab handles on this vehicle. We were then fitted in our harnesses, given a short demonstration and then climbed the tower to the first of 10 zip-lines. I think everyone had a great time and I’m glad we signed up for this excursion. At the end of the excursion fruit and drinks are offered and of course we all had to buy the ‘I survived zip-line adventure’ T-shirt . DD plans to break gym uniform rule on Monday and wear it – cant wait to tell her friends all about it and we’ve enjoyed watching our pictures/dvd of it since coming home.

GRAND TURK~ (12 noon – 6pm)

A beautiful free beach with lots of chairs and cabanas right as you walk off the pier. And of course, all the usual shops and Margaritaville just steps away. A great final port and a beautiful day of sun and swimming. Did no tour here, just enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the beach.

DEBARKATION

Since we were in suites, we were offered early debarkation. We were glad we did since we had to pick up a vehicle and get up to Orlando by mid-afternoon. The luggage was nicely grouped, not just according to tag colour, but also according to family for us. That was a nice bonus to not have to search too hard.

All in all, a good cruise with a comfortable room and great excursions. I would agree that Costa is definitely not the same as the other cruiselines in the Caribbean, but Costa does offer cruises for a lot less. Altho we didn’t find the meals the greatest in the dining room, there was usually something to order. Only one meal, my son seemed to order all the wrong things that didn’t taste good – so he went to the buffet instead. We didn’t get to enjoy the kids sail free on this cruise, but we did get our suites for a good price. Personally, the suites made all the difference for us and was a nice treat .

FYI – I know it has been reported on these boards that only the Fortuna will be in the Caribbean next winter. However, at the past guest party, the CD announced that Costa will be announcing in Feb the Mediterranea sailings in the Carib next winter as an anniversary celebration (wonder if they’ll give out the diamond necklaces next year – so sad, I didn’t win it). So will watch to see what great deals they have to offer.

[copper6606]

Great review . I appreciated your honest take on things. We are on our first Costa cruise[ Med. as well] in March so I look forward to experiencing the differences.

[njs]

Great review . I appreciated your honest take on things. We are on our first Costa cruise[ Med. as well] in March so I look forward to experiencing the differences.

 

And the differences are the beauty of costa. Was it a perfect cruise -- no. But I have never been on a perfect cruise:D What I can say is that Costa offers a good product for the price, and if you can get that in your mind while on the cruise, you will have a good time. We paid the same price for suites on Costa, that we paid for 8B balcony cabins on Glory the previous Christmas and that is the difference. We loved having the suites and the perks that come with it (and Costa offers a lot more perks with their suites than some of the other major cruiselines):) The way I look at is that we had a great family vacation and visited great ports and did some really neat excursions, instead of sitting a home and shovelling snow--that translates to a great vacation for me;)

[abitaturbodog]

Thanks for your review! I loved reading about all of the suite perks...your children are very lucky that you booked a suite for them too. (I think I might've been temped to put them in an inside!)

 

Did you have early or late seating for dinner?

 

Thanks again!

[njs]

Thanks for your review! I loved reading about all of the suite perks...your children are very lucky that you booked a suite for them too. (I think I might've been temped to put them in an inside!)

 

Did you have early or late seating for dinner?

 

Thanks again!

 

We had early seating and it worked out well for us. On the eve in Peurto Rico the meal times were moved an hour behind ( first seating was at 7 instead of 6 ) so that gave us time to do the Segway tour and get back on ship and quickly changed for dinner. I had really wanted us to dress up a bit for Christmas eve dinner but figured I couldnt push it with the kids since it was a race to be there for shortly after 7:D The captain and crew really did try to accomodate the passengers in any way possible it seemed and that was definitely appreciated. Initially we had booked the kids in a 9A balcony beside our suite but the balconies wouldnt have been connecting and for a few hundred more per person it made sense to give them a suite as well. They each gave us $300 as a thank you - good kids so I dont mind splurging a bit on them

Glad to hear you had a great time as well. Did they mention anything on your cruise about ships in the Carib next winter as well?

[tweety33]

Thank you for your posting, I enjoy reading all I can before we go on the Med. in March. It is very helpful.

[Kenhel]

Thank you for the review. Did you dock at Crown Bay in St Thomas?h

[njs]

Thank you for the review. Did you dock at Crown Bay in St Thomas?h

 

Yes, and that's what threw us off. We were thinking of the docks by Havensight mall that we had used with the Glory. That's why we didnt book excursion (figured we'd just get off and walk to the stores) There is next to nothing at the Crown Bay Pier (a few stores with a lot of the same tourist trinkets and jewellery and clothing store) We had almost booked the Paradise Point (loved going up there the yr before) but was glad we didnt. It's $14 for the excursion which seemed like a great price but the small print mentions that you are responsible for your own transpo to and from (which then makes it $22). We did go downtown and managed to donate money to the island anyway:D

[njs]

Thank you for your posting, I enjoy reading all I can before we go on the Med. in March. It is very helpful.

 

I know what you mean. I was OCD when trying to find reviews for the Mediterranea before we went:D At least by March there should have been a few more reviews to read. Any questions, ask away, I'll gladly try to answer

[njs]

I had really hoped that others from the same cruise would jump in with their opinions and observations about the same cruise. I think it's interesting to see different people's take on the same ship, esp since the impressions seem so varied with Costa

[BambiRumsey]

how many other ships were in St Thomas when you were there?

 

We were there on the Fortuna the week before xmas and we docked at Havensight...I wonder if they draw straws or something....

[njs]

how many other ships were in St Thomas when you were there?

 

We were there on the Fortuna the week before xmas and we docked at Havensight...I wonder if they draw straws or something....

 

I think there might have been 3 (I remember seeing 2 Carnival ships b/c we had been there on the Glory last Christmas)

There were 2 at the crown bay pier I think (HAL and us)

I remember seeing Costa at Crown Bay last Christmas so maybe when more are in port they use the 2nd site - no comparison to Charlotte Amalie tho so you were lucky to be docked there

[mringenoldus]

Can someone tell me if there is ferry service to St. John from the Crown Bay pier? I know there is a ferry from Red Hook - but don't know exactly where the Crown Bay is located.

 

Thanks!

[monicajay]

Hello and thanks for your review,

 

I have also booked for a Segway tour with my family for March. Did you have to walk all the way to the fort? or were they near the pier? The ship arrives at 5 , what time was your tour booked for? How long did you go for?

 

I'm looking forward to it but concerned how it will all fit in.

[njs]

Hello and thanks for your review,

 

I have also booked for a Segway tour with my family for March. Did you have to walk all the way to the fort? or were they near the pier? The ship arrives at 5 , what time was your tour booked for? How long did you go for?

 

I'm looking forward to it but concerned how it will all fit in.

 

We docked at pier 3 and the segway tour office is in pier 2. When you get off the ship, turn left and a 3-5 minute walk will get you there. It is the office closest to the water on the left hand side building. We had booked the 5pm tour (for 45 min) but let him know that our ship wasnt due in until 5pm. The ship captain was great and got us there early and we had spoken with Vannessa Stubrin(front desk /guest services manager) . We explained the need to get off the ship in a timely fashion (said we would have booked it thru Costa if it had been offered) and she took us to the front of the line and we were first off the ship after it had cleared customs:) So we got to the segway office a little early, but the lady working at the convenience store in that little plaza at pier 2 called him on her cell phone and he and his wife came right away. Even tho we had booked for 45 min only, by the time he was comfy with the 5 of us on the segways (the kids said I was the 'weakest link'- sure glad they didnt boot me off:D ) and did the tour it was almost 1 1/2 hours and he didnt ask for more money . Actually apologized for getting carried away and giving us a more indepth tour. We loved it and he and his wife are absolutely wonderful people. Our kids said they'd love to go back to san juan just to see them. Of course we gave a tip to show our thanks.

I think the way to guarantee your spot is to place a hold with your credit card, otherwise I think the first with cash gets it (they only have 7 segways so far, would like to expand the business as money comes in)

[monicajay]

Thanks for the info. I have already booked with this company and they did not ask for a credit card gaurantee and did send me an e-mail confirmation. I think I will phone them to confirm everything as I am really looking forward to this tour and would be willing to give CC to make sure someone else doesn't get there first. I also booked the 45 minute tour.

 

Glad you guys enjoyed it.

[njs]

Thanks for the info. I have already booked with this company and they did not ask for a credit card gaurantee and did send me an e-mail confirmation. I think I will phone them to confirm everything as I am really looking forward to this tour and would be willing to give CC to make sure someone else doesn't get there first. I also booked the 45 minute tour.

 

Glad you guys enjoyed it.

 

No he didnt ask for the credit card guarantee for us either, but I feel better having everything all pre-planned. I think as more people use him, his popularity will go up obviously, and he only has 7 segways.

I guess some people would be hesitant to pre-pay when on a cruise, in case of bad weather, but I dont think Ive ever heard of San Juan being cancelled as a port stop. Have fun and say hi from the family of 5 from ontario:) You'll have a blast

[abitaturbodog]

We had early seating and it worked out well for us. On the eve in Peurto Rico the meal times were moved an hour behind ( first seating was at 7 instead of 6 ) so that gave us time to do the Segway tour and get back on ship and quickly changed for dinner. I had really wanted us to dress up a bit for Christmas eve dinner but figured I couldnt push it with the kids since it was a race to be there for shortly after 7:D The captain and crew really did try to accomodate the passengers in any way possible it seemed and that was definitely appreciated. Initially we had booked the kids in a 9A balcony beside our suite but the balconies wouldnt have been connecting and for a few hundred more per person it made sense to give them a suite as well. They each gave us $300 as a thank you - good kids so I dont mind splurging a bit on them

Glad to hear you had a great time as well. Did they mention anything on your cruise about ships in the Carib next winter as well?

 

NJS-We had the early seating too. If it had just been my DH and I we probably would eat late, but with hungry kids the late seating just won't do.

 

I have heard that there is only supposed to be one ship in the Caribbean next winter. If we love our upcoming Fortuna cruise as much as the Med, I'll definitely be looking to book again in the winter!

 

I see you're going to Aruba. My parents just spent 10 days there and loved it. They said that it isn't the prettiest place -- kinda dry and desert-like, but the beaches and the people were wonderful~! Where are you staying?

[njs]

NJS-We had the early seating too. If it had just been my DH and I we probably would eat late, but with hungry kids the late seating just won't do.

 

I have heard that there is only supposed to be one ship in the Caribbean next winter. If we love our upcoming Fortuna cruise as much as the Med, I'll definitely be looking to book again in the winter!

 

I see you're going to Aruba. My parents just spent 10 days there and loved it. They said that it isn't the prettiest place -- kinda dry and desert-like, but the beaches and the people were wonderful~! Where are you staying?

 

Late seating would have been too late for us.

Listen carefully to see if they mention anything about the Mediterranea cruise for next winter. Our CD only mentioned it at the past guest party, so perhaps it will first be offered in email form to past guests. Of course, the Fortuna CD may not want to push the Med;)

We are looking forward to just relaxing at the beach in aruba - kids want to rest and veg out rather than tour on this trip. We're staying at eagle beach.

Have fun on the cruise. I'll be interested in hearing the differences between the Fortuna and Mediterranea from someone cruising both in the same season. After 2 cruises on Conquest type ships (like the fortuna) it was a welcome change to be on a ship where I could actually get around without difficulty:D You'll love the med- it's a beautiful ship