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atlantica cruise review 11/28-12/5

DavidandMarie

By DavidandMarie,
in Costa Cruises

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DavidandMarie

DavidandMarie

Posted
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To those who actually wrote a good review as to the Atlantica cruise, I can only assume you never took a more exclusive cruise. Whats their motto? "cruising Italian style".. you have got to be kidding. Maybe it should be cruising "Chef Boy R dee style". I have never tasted such bad food in my life. And I suppose if you didnt mind a few "critters" along, you didnt mind it being cold, bland and tasteless. Our waiter was rude, spoke no English and if there were 10 Italians on that ship you were lucky. They were dressed in white of course! The majority were Phillipines, Portuguese, Mexican, Ecuador, and Lord knows what else, but none knew much English to be of any help. The room service delivered luke warm coffee, they ran out of cream by the 4th day, and that ship was dirty not clean. On the first day in the restaurant the windows were filthy... and they never did clean them. The dust along the 4th floor corridor windows which looked down onto the lobby area was appalling. I have only a few good things to say. Clyde our "cute little Phillipine cabin girl" yes she was a girl... was very sweet and kind. And the embarkation/debarkation was good. And the itinerary was also good. But the food, service, entertainment, was lousey. But we met great people.. we complained and moaned among ourselves and managed to have a ball. And we all lost weight to boot. So forget Jenny Craig, weight watchers, or slim fast.. want to lose weight just take a Costa cruise!!

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CruisenChic

CruisenChic

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That just goes to show you that people can experience the same things and have different results. I must disagree with all of the negative points that you made. I did not find the food to be bad, but better than most cruise food (ie. Noregian IMO has the worst food I have had on a cruise). I don't know what you mean by upscale cruising, if you mean like Sliverseas etc, then I can not compare my experiences, I have not done that type of cruising. I would say that Costa is in line with Royal, Carnival and the likes. Celebrity is my favorite line, but I would do Costa again in a heart beat. I did encounter some of my cruisemates that were not enjoying the cruise, but I did not agree with their reasons. As for your waitstaff, I must admitt that when we were seated in other areas of the dinning room, like for lunch, the waiter and assistant were not as good as our assigned waitstaff. They did not speak good enlish, could not get the order correct and the tables were too close together. I was regularly seated in an area next to the captains table, this may have had something to do with my waitstaff's degree of professionalism and the space between the tables.

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Cruise4Andy

Cruise4Andy

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I can also not agree with DavidandMarie's comments. In deed our table mates and neighbors (which had cruised on NCL, HAL and Carnival before their first Costa) were quiet happy about the ship, the staff, the food and the itinerary.

They had only good things to say about the cleanliness, spaciousness of their cabins and said that the food was actually better than on most of the ships they cruised on before.

 

My wife and myself could only agree. I was extremely satisfied with the food, food quality and the all around service. In my opinion Costa is always talked down (for whatever reason), but truly deserves better.

 

In regards of "Cruising Italian Style": I think it does not matter how many "italians" are on board, rather of the italian experience in general. You really have to be blind, if you can't see the italian influence and design on the Costa Atlantica.

 

"Buongiorno." One hears it often aboard Costa ships; Italian is the lingua franca. And although Costa Atlantica will spend the winter season in the Caribbean where English and the dollar replace the Italian standard, the Costa motto, "Cruising Italian Style" still applies.

 

As designer Joe Farcus explains, "There are two Italys, yesterday and today," and experiencing Costa Atlantica brings the dichotomy to light -- there is a lot more to Italian style than Renaissance paintings and opera - not to diminish the importance of those things, but the Italians are a proud society who cherish their modern contributions to culture just as much as the traditional ones.

 

Indeed, the immersion in everything Italian, from the live classical music in the Caffe Florian to the Ferarri sunglasses worn by crew, is such a large part of the Costa experience that it is tempting to redefine the experience by turning the phrase around to say "Italian style- and a cruise," -- with the emphasis on the word "style."

 

The main shopping area on Costa Atlantica is called "Via della Spiga," after the famous shopping street in Milan -- fashion capital of the world. You will see outfits by Versace and Armani, and baubles by Gucci.

 

The entertainment in the Caruso Theater (main show room) is designed to appeal to an international audience by sticking to largely visual productions with lavish costumes and lively dancing. But the theme is still "Italian Style" from the Roman centurians fleeing Vesuvius to the dancing paparazzi singing "Volare".

 

The Italians tend to clap loudly and often, and though I suspect some of them probably cringe during the show the same way we Americans do upon seeing Uncle Sam marching in place with a sparkler in one hand and a salute in the other, it is still apparent that the Italians have something we Americans don't have -- Italian style. Who else can put a gal in a platinum wig and drop her on a Vespa, and not only does she not look cliche, she looks downright classy and sexy, too.

 

 

Again, in my opinion: Costa and the Costa Atlantica deserves a "10" rating!

 

Just my 2 cents...

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EdwardAP

EdwardAP

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It truely must be the magic of the season, because after reading DavidandMarie's post some amazing things happened after they went through debarkation on Sunday December 5th. As I was on the Atlantica Dec. 5th thru the 12th, and the entire ship must have been completely sanatized, polished from stem to stern, every window cleaned, every floor, nook and craney dusted, the entire wait staff replaced with friendly and personable english speaking staff, the menu completely changed from cold, bland and tastless to wonderfuly tasteful and the service upgraded to exceptional. And all of this done in 4 hours. ( I arrived on the ship a little after 12 noon ). Now I have cruised many other lines, and did not find any negitives on the Atlantica. Crew and staff friendly, food excellent, entertainment was very enjoyable. Sorry you lost weight, but the holidays are comming !! Hmmm wonder if Costa hired Santa's elves to perform such a dramatic turnaround. I truely feel for people who do not have a good time on cruises, not just Costa but any cruise line, the expense, anticipation of a wonderful trip, and the disappointment of not having those expectations met can leave a truely negitive impression. I wish you the best and hopefully your next cruise will be more to your expectation.

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Cruise4Andy

Cruise4Andy

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Edward:

 

LOL... I am glad you enjoyed your Costa cruise and welcome you to the Costa lovers here at Cruise Critics.

 

I experienced no problems whatsoever (little bit with embarkation, but that's another story)! I am pretty sure that "Santa's Elves" are permanently emoplyed by Costa on all their cruise ships...

 

;-)

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Kimbahh

Kimbahh

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We loved this cruise. The ship was very clean, the staff was curtious and professional. The food was awesome some days and no so good other days. It is so hard for me to believe that we were on the same cruise as others, but we are easy to please, and had a wonderful time. The suite we booked made a big difference for us I think. We loved the big stateroom, and if we could get the same price for the suite that we paid...we would do it again in a heart beat! Feel free to email us with any questions.

 

Kim & Mike

 

Kimbahh@earthlink.net

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Southwest

Southwest

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We were on the 12-5 Atlantica and had a great time. We heard many people complain (loudly and rudely and it seemed that no matter what happened they were going to continue behaving that way so we just decided to rack them up as some sort of additional entertainment venue -- "the rude and the restless") Anyway, the ship was spotless, the food varied in quality but we were very happy overall, and the service was good. We found that quite a few of the staff members were new, but they made up for the inexperience with friendliness and positive attitudes. So what if the salad came after the pasta, it was tasty regardless of the order of delivery! Meals were served to be enjoyed, rather than scarfed down in a hurry -- some fellow cruisers took 5 to 10 minutes between courses to be bad service, we loved having time to digest the previous course and have pleasant conversation. The pasta was great -- it was unusual and creative so those that prefer Ragu and Prego along with meatballs were probably unhappy with carbonara and pesto. The soups and pastas were consistently good. Deserts were not as sweet as we are used to, so I was pleased to have not gained as much weight as I usually do on cruises (not for lack of trying I must say, I just think they kept the amount of sugar down). Anyway, we all do experience things differently and we had a wonderful time and would not hesitate to go on Costa again. The Atlantic was one of the most beautiful ships I have ever been on (I've cruised over 15 times, lost count along the way). The cabin had more storage and counter space than I knew what to do with and the bathroom was absolutely terrific with the space it provided for storage of toiletries. Costa was different than other lines, but viva la difference. We had a great time. Clearly there were some who went on Costa and expected to have a bad time and they succeeded in fullfilling their own expectations. We went to have fun and we fulfilled ours. Cruising, like life is what you make of it. You can focus on everything that goes wrong and be miserable (please don't sit at my table if this is you) or you can focus on everything that goes right and have fun and be happy. Make your choice. Happy cruising everyone!

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DavidandMarie

DavidandMarie

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Funny to hear soo many enjoyed yourselves. Did you know there was herd of travel agents on board? They were there to reassess Costa due to such bad negative reviews. One of the wonderful friends we met was with the travel agency and just so you all know they addessed the situations they found and made written notification to Costa that they will no longer endorse or sell there cruises unless specifically requested to do so. As I like to say taste is an inherited trait, what one finds unacceptable another finds perfectly fine. That is fine and dandy to me. I just know that my taste and my qualifications for good food and service were not fullfilled in any way. Im a lover of food and will try most anything, but the food that we had was bad bad bad!! As far as the cleaning.... yes... when we docked the hoses came out. My guess is they clean every 2nd cruise. Count yourself lucky!

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Cruise4Andy

Cruise4Andy

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Southwest:

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise! I could not agree more with you:

 

"So what if the salad came after the pasta, it was tasty regardless of the order of delivery! Meals were served to be enjoyed, rather than scarfed down in a hurry -- some fellow cruisers took 5 to 10 minutes between courses to be bad service, we loved having time to digest the previous course and have pleasant conversation. The pasta was great -- it was unusual and creative so those that prefer Ragu and Prego along with meatballs were probably unhappy with carbonara and pesto."

 

That's what I also said in my review. If you expect americanized food, such as Sbarro's or Olive Gardens, then don't go on Costa. If you have been to Italy before you will enjoy it.

 

And again, I think that's where you see that "European" influence in the dining room. Europeans usually enjoy their meal and their drinks and don't rush. It would even be considered rude, having the check on the table before finishing with their meal, dessert, coffee or even after dinner drinks. It's just a different pace when it comes down to eating.

 

And another fact about European food: They don't use tons of sugar! That's why the desserts are not so overloaded with calories (okay, not quiet as much, depending on how many you try! LOL).

 

Costa is a great cruise line and offers great values in my opinion.

 

"Clearly there were some who went on Costa and expected to have a bad time and they succeeded in fullfilling their own expectations."

Great way to put it!!!! I absolutely agree!!!

 

Hope to see you on one of our next Costa cruises!

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bobbob160

bobbob160

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I too enjoyed myself on the Costa Atlantica. It is true, not everything was perfect, but it did not bother me one bit. I also beleive that you make the best of every situations and had a very enjoyable cruise.

 

I have traveled to Italy several times and spent months with relatives there, not just the tourist spots, but actually living amoung its citizens. They enjoy life there, enjoy the company of family and friends. I too spent the time between courses to enjoy the company of our table mates. Vacation is a time to slow down and be in the moment. I am sure some folks would like a drive-up window on the ship where they can get their meal in a paper bag..to go.

 

And so what if one travel agent stops selling Costa, I am sure the many satisfied people I have met on my cruise and this board will encourage others to go Costa. Word or mouth is a powerful medium.

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EdwardAP

EdwardAP

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:p A herd of travel agents ?, not a flock, or a gaggle, or a swarm, perhaps a litter of travel agents !!!. Anyway, no I was not aware that on your cruise that there was a "herd" of travel agents. I have informed my travel agent of the wonderful time I had, the quality of the service, the enjoyable shows and how well the food was prepared. I travel to NYC alot and eat in some very fine resturants and was very satisifed with the food and the preparation. I am sure you have certain expectations with regard to customer service and dinning. And again I truely feel for people who do not have a good time while on vacation. IT is a time for yourself !!! To rest, relax and let the hassels of day to day life just drift on by. All I can say is what I experienced. ( I am not a Costa fan, nor a NCL, RCL, CL or Carny,I just call them as I see them.) As by your response, so do you. I have read both good and bad about Costa, as well as every other popular cruise line and over the years I have come to only one conclusion. "A cruise is what you make it". I have sailed with Costa on their big ships and their small ships and never had a problem. All in all I feel bad you did not have an enjoyable cruise. So with that, I will leave you with this. "May your Holiday celebrations exceed all your expectations, in both richness and joy. Have a safe, healthy and ( it's ok to add on a few extra pounds lol) happy holiday".

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csss

csss

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We just returned from a wonderful week aboard the Atlantica. We have cruised CCL, NCL and RCL before, and took our 20 and 21 year olds along this time as well. We found the ship to be fabulous, really the most beautifully appointed, and our cabin was large compared to other ships. And we had the lowest level cabin on this inexpensive cruise, yet the bathroom was among the largest we have ever had. The food was more European than other lines, but that is part of what we like about cruising, the opportunity to try things that we would not necessarily try at home.

 

The ship was clean, and there sun decks were fabulous! Never was there a time when a chair was hard to find. The health club was the best we have ever seen as well.

 

The only thing I can say was a bit lacking compared to the other lines was the quality and variety of entertainment. And I wish our ship identification card had the photo imbedded so that we did not have to show ID plus the card.

 

The western Caribbean itinerary was great! We loved the ports, and the embarkation/disembarkation process was the best of the lot as well.

 

The crowd was older, definitely, but I attribute that to the time of year as many are busy with holidays and the kids are not out of school. Our daughters, again 20 and 21, were definitely an anomaly, but we were looking for a nice family vacation, which is what we had.

 

I would not hesitate to go on Costa again, and would even do the same itinerary. I would not have said that about any of the previous 8 cruises...

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alexis0414

alexis0414

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My husband and I were on the 12/5 Atlantica sailing. This was our 18th cruise and I was unsure about booking w/Costa since I've read mixed review on cruisecritic. We got a really good price and decided to give it a try. What was the worst that could happen? We just wouldn't cruise w/them again if we were unhappy. The results...we really enjoyed it and would definitely go on Costa again. I agree w/the postive comments on this post and would recommend it to anyone who will listen. We've been on RCL, NCL, CCL and Celebrity and will add Costa to our list for our next cruise.

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seaventurer

seaventurer

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Included in one of my 10 cruises last year was a week on the Mediterranea and all I have to say is thank goodness for Costa. I treasured my cruise on the MED and will remember it as an outstanding experience and an example of what mainstream cruising at great rates should be...

 

Cruising with Costa is refreshing. Every year in November, we are able to sample a unique product as these Italian based ships cross the Atlantic and cater to us "Americans" for a long winter season. I cherished the Italian amibiance, the European mix of passengers and the varied and unique menus all of which culminated in a wonderful departure from the ordinary.

 

Costa ships are sensational - alive with vigor sparking such a drastic and at the same time subtle departure from the routines of Carnival and RCL (as nice as they are) that anyone with an open mind knowing that Costa is NOT for everyone will delight those seeking change.

 

Whether you cruise with Holland America, NCL, Carnival or X, you will always experience problems with language and communication. There are on all cruises and all ships problems with service, cleanliness and entertainment. There is always fault to find if you're looking so cruise with Costa and expect different - which at times is refreshing, eye opening, and what travel is...

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