Costa vs NCL vs Royal Carribean which one?

[littlebluebook]

Hi, my boyfriend and I will be in Europe in February and want to do an Eastern Med cruise going to Greece, Turkey and most importantly Egypt.

 

All three cruise lines are offering cruises at that time, and after reading reviews, I am confused as to which one to choose! RC seems to have the most positive reviews, but it doesn't go to Ephesus and that is a HUGE negative as it is a place i definately want to see.

 

Costa was my first choice, as it goes to all the places i likebut lots of neg reviews has worried me. I don't want to pay lots of money to be annoyed the whole time by smoke and pushy people.

 

NCL looks fun and costs the most of all three, and leaves from spain (so we have to get there from italy) but it also goes to Malta which i've heard is great but then people are saying that it is quite pricy and the food is not good.

 

I have only been on one cruise, the Sun Princess, which was lovely, and I just thought i'd get some experienced ideas.

 

and help or opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

amy :)

[lawyerrose]

Hi, my boyfriend and I will be in Europe in February and want to do an Eastern Med cruise going to Greece, Turkey and most importantly Egypt.

 

All three cruise lines are offering cruises at that time, and after reading reviews, I am confused as to which one to choose! RC seems to have the most positive reviews, but it doesn't go to Ephesus and that is a HUGE negative as it is a place i definately want to see.

 

Costa was my first choice, as it goes to all the places i likebut lots of neg reviews has worried me. I don't want to pay lots of money to be annoyed the whole time by smoke and pushy people.

 

NCL looks fun and costs the most of all three, and leaves from spain (so we have to get there from italy) but it also goes to Malta which i've heard is great but then people are saying that it is quite pricy and the food is not good.

 

I have only been on one cruise, the Sun Princess, which was lovely, and I just thought i'd get some experienced ideas.

 

and help or opinions would be greatly appreciated

 

amy :)

 

I loved our cruise on the Costa Magica. I found the mix of peoples more interesting than a ship full of just Americans (nothing against Americans, I'm one of them.) I was worried about the negative things I'd heard, but many of the things that others complained about I particularly liked. For instance, the authentic Italian/European foods were great! I didn't want or expect the Olive Garden! Also didn't mind the announcements in different languages. I found their entertainment on board to be above average. The ship itself was gorgeous. I'd go Costa before I'd do NCL or RCI. So that's my 2 cents. ;)

[fann1sh]

The first time I traveled in a group where English wasn't the main language I was miserable - for about a day and a half. I was a real pimple for those 36 hours, though, and thankfully my companions forgave me. I have wonderful memories of that trip (which wasn't a cruise).

 

I haven't cruised Costa because the smoke issue is a deal breaker for me. Still, I think you should still to your guns about Ephesus (which is wonderful). Concordia has a terrific itinerary.

 

February is definitely off season for the Med, so your cruise choices are limited. Why not learn a bit of Italian, and take the plunge? (BTW, just because the people around you aren't speaking English, never assume they don't understand it :o :eek: .)

[nadalina]

This is going to be a very interesting thread because I literally just returned from a Med cruise on the Costa Magica two weeks ago and my opinion is exactly the opposite of the previous poster, lawyerrose. Sorry to disagree so vehemently, lawyerrose, but I was horribly disappointed in the Magica. I have been on 50+ cruises, mostly on Celebrity but also on Princess, RCCL, Carnival and Norwegian, but this was my first with Costa. My travel partner is from Europe so the diversity and demographics of the guests had absolutely nothing to do with my dissatisfaction. He, too, was extremely disappointed and he has just as much, if not more, cruise experience than I do. Negatives: mattresses were the worst I have ever had on any cruise; food and service in the dining room was terrible, even the pasta dishes; entertainment was the worst I have ever seen, with the exception of one lounge group; room service menu was extremely limited and what we ordered, except for the coffee and cappuccino, was terrible. I could list more but these are the main negatives. Positives: Cabin and balcony, with the exception of the awful mattresses, were very nice, roomy and plenty of storage space; cabin stewardess was excellent; embarkation and disembarkation easy and well-organized.

 

One other very important negative thing about Costa for us Americans, which does not apply to Princess, RCCL or Norwegian, to the best of my knowledge, is that while the Magica is in the Caribbean, it is on the US dollar system onboard, but when she goes to Europe, they switch to Euros. (I am assuming this is the same for the other Costa ships, too, but I could be wrong.) Other than for gratuities, absolutely no consideration/adjustment is given for the difference in the conversion rate. For example, if something costs $5 in the Caribbean, it costs 5 Euros in the Med. My usual cocktail that typically costs about $8 on the other lines, including the 15% gratuity, cost just over $14 on the Magica. Items in the shops, same thing. Therefore, that made all of our onboard purchases, sodas, cocktails, wine, EVERYTHING, cost about 156% of what it would have cost on one of the other lines that did not switch to the Euro. For this reason alone I would not sail again with Costa in the Med unless or until the dollar has a more favorable conversion rate to the Euro. Onboard crew gratuities, however, were only 6 Euros per person per day, whereas in the Caribbean they are $10 per person per day.

 

In my opinion, if the Sun Princess is the only cruise ship you have ever been on, and I have been on her too and agree that she is a truly lovely vessel and a classy experience, then I think you would be more satisfied with RCCL or NCL. Again, in my opinion, RCCL offers a more traditional cruise environment and experience than NCL.

 

Please keep in mind that all people can do is offer their own personal experience and opinion about things. I love cruising and try to approach every new experience with a positive attitude and open mind. This time, however, for the first time in all of my cruises, I was really disappointed with my choice.

 

Good luck to you in your choice!

Peggy

[Keith1010]

I would not do Costa in Europe. I am sure that you will get lots of opinions but trust the majority of the reviews.

 

I would recommend Royal Caribbean over NCL.

 

Keith

[nicoleslp]

I would not recommend Costa either. I've been on RCL, Carnival, and Costa and Costa does not even compare to the other ones.

[mes531]

Well - definitely RCL over NCL.....that is definitely my choice......but, we did Costa Fortuna out of Savona, and the ship was mainly Europeans, and in our case it was mainly German (only 66 Americans, and only 200 English speaking) of the approx 3000.

Very pushy, very bossy- and I did have a woman from Scotland teach me how to push back - but we loved loved loved our cruise, and had lots of fun. We thought the food was excellent, and never went to any of the specialty restaurants. We had a fantastic table, you see, they put all Americans together or at least all English speaking people together! We had the best time. Our table was 3 couples from the usa and one couple from Scotland. On formal night it was the kilt and special outfits....fantastic! We met fantastic people from Wales, and did a day walking tour and one ship tour with them!

We ordered shrimp cocktail every night, they made special risotta dishes for us, they have great cappachino (sp) at no extra cost! We were able to buy liquor on board in the duty free shop and take it back to the cabin. The people dress up beautifully in the evenings, and dance all the beautiful dances, tango, waltz.....no ymca...just once...we did try to teach them.

As to the smoking, I am an ex smoker, and we are pretty picky, and I didn't see too much difference as they did have special smoking areas. True, the average passenger was not as friendly as other ships, but I think it was a communication thing!

You have a tough choice, but I am sure you will enjoy whatever you pick.

We did take a Costa out of Fort Lauderdale, and the passengers were mainly american. We personally like the cruise line!;) ;)

[littlebluebook]

thank you for your replies

 

My boyfriend wants to go Costa, as he wants to 'immerse himself in italian culture' as he is half italian, so seeing he is paying (heeehee) then we have decided to go Costa, but get a samsara mini suite because i think the spa sounds lovely! - is it??

 

thank you again, its good to hear opinions, and as i'm sure this won't be our last cruise, if it doesn't work out, i've had an experienced and learnt something! :)

[cruise_ahoy]

Costa, NCL and Carnival are among the industry bottom-feeders.

 

In most categories, and most ships, RCI consistently has better ratings - better service, better food, more amenities and less crowded (Carnival really packs them in) than any of those 3.

But RCI usually costs more.

 

So it's up to you. Cost or quality.

 

Oh and I'm not sure that you'll get "italian-immersion" sailing Costa. The officers might be mostly Italian, but most of the ship's crew will not be. You won't actually have that many dealings with the ship's officers.

[mes531]

thank you for your replies

 

My boyfriend wants to go Costa, as he wants to 'immerse himself in italian culture' as he is half italian, so seeing he is paying (heeehee) then we have decided to go Costa, but get a samsara mini suite because i think the spa sounds lovely! - is it??

 

thank you again, its good to hear opinions, and as i'm sure this won't be our last cruise, if it doesn't work out, i've had an experienced and learnt something! :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

You will have a great time, and you are right that you will get more of a European flavor on Costa in Europe! We found the food was more "Italian" and as I stated before..the risotta is one of the dinner courses, and they will make whatever you want, just ask the night before! Go..have fun..get the experience...enjoy your trip. And.....if you don't like it, pick something else next time!!!!:) :)

[cruise_ahoy]

Costa, NCL (and Carnival) are generally considered "budget" lines. they cost less, but you get a bit less

 

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/travelminiguide/budget-cruises1.asp?caret=5

 

RCI is in the "premium" category (along with Princess, Holland America, Celebrity and a few others). You get more, you pay more.

 

Next group up is the "luxury" lines.

 

Again, up to you.

[nadalina]

thank you for your replies

 

My boyfriend wants to go Costa, as he wants to 'immerse himself in italian culture' as he is half italian, so seeing he is paying (heeehee) then we have decided to go Costa, but get a samsara mini suite because i think the spa sounds lovely! - is it??

 

thank you again, its good to hear opinions, and as i'm sure this won't be our last cruise, if it doesn't work out, i've had an experienced and learnt something! :)

 

I felt the exact same way as your boyfriend, especially since we were going to spend an additional week on the Italian Riviera/Cinque Terre after the cruise. But the fact was that there seemed to be more Germans and French on our cruise than Italians. Perhaps yours, though, will be different. Our table partners were a couple from the UK, a couple from Japan, and a mother & daughter from Romania, neither of whom spoke very much English. Our two waiters were both from the Phillipines and our cabin stewardess was from Indonesia. Our assistant maitre d' was Italian but he was the only Italian crew member with whom we came in contact the entire cruise, and the Italian guests kept to themselves.

 

Don't mean to point this out as a negative aspect, but just go with factual information and realistic expectations.

 

I wish you a wonderful cruise!

Peggy