costa victoria nov 24th my review!! part 1.

[seabourndt]

hi all hope you enjoy this review, hope i'm not too negative!!

after booking on the qe2 for 2nd nov and getting bumped of it 24hrs before and waiting 3 weeks to get my refund i nearly had to cancel this cruise.

 

i booked through colchester travel, not sure if i will again, victoria travel who i bookked qe2 through did not seem to be interested in booking another ctruise until i asked them?

 

BOOKING.

i rung colchester travel after seeing this cruise listed somewhere. i have been on this ship before 1996 on its maiden transatlantic crossing to new york, and i just love the ship. the rate was 699£ for a balcony cabin but i got it for sole use for 1200£ almost double but not quite. i just love balcony cabins!

i asked for 1st sitting and a table for 8. paid the money then got offered the same cruise from another agent for 100£ cheaper.

 

TICKETS.

got 2 lots as the 1st did not have my costa club card registered. it said flt at 0600hrs check in at 0400 2 hours before. only the paper baggage labels from costa nothing from c/travel.

 

FLIGHTS.

first the taxi firm got the wrongtime, i get to heathrow at 0400hrs then find out the check in time is not until 0430hrs. i get to milan airport and there is no one from costa there. after asking and no one knowing anything about costa i find someone who has let the coach go without me,. i am told to wait here in an hours time. find out we are at the wrong end of he airport. get ona coach for the 150mins journey to savona. if someone had tolsd me i could get a flight from gatwick to genoa i would have taken it.

 

EMBARKATION.

arrived at terminal at 1330 the embarkation start, i was given a number 19 number was called when i arrived. so i thought it would'nt be long maybe an hour. so i did'nt bother getting lunch. how wrong i was! after nearly 3 hours waiting my number was called. i thought i had to check-in so joined the customer services queue where some had not even filled in their registration. found i just boarded the ship after going through security. there where a queue of staff waiting, but all they did was direct us to the lift to our floor. we had to find our cabins ourselves.