Costa vs. Carnival

My family recently booked a sailing out of Copenhagen on the Costa Favolosa for the "Land of the Vikings" cruise next June. We were originally looking into the Carnival Vista Mediterranean sailing, but airfares were horrendous flying into Athens and out of Barcelona so we decided on this one instead. We ended up getting a suite for a very reasonable rate.

We usually sail on Carnival. I know that Carnival does not usually get top notch marks, but we have found for the price it is the best value we have found and we found the food decent enough. Certainly not gourmet, but we always found something good to eat. Entertainment was OK, but not fantastic. That said, we always really enjoy the Punchliner Comedy Club on Carnival and found ourselves really missing it when we cruised with RCI last spring. We have two teens who have very much enjoyed Carnival's teen program. (I fully realize that there will likely not be very many teens on this sailing, let alone English speaking teens. We already broke it to the kids that Costa's teen program won't be like Carnival's.)

One interesting difference: I found out yesterday that my daughter, who will turn 18 two weeks before our cruise, will have to purchase the alcoholic beverage package if my husband and I do. My husband tried to explain to the rep that the drinking age in the US is 21 and she does not drink, but if we're getting the packages so must our daughter. Bottoms up, kiddo! :rolleyes:

For those of you who have sailed on both Costa and Carnival, I'm curious as to which you prefer, and why?

I'm also interested in hearing people's experiences with Suites on Costa.

Thanks in advance!

I can't say very much as I am going on my first Costa cruise in a few weeks. However, I wouldn't worry about your teens since there are lots of families on these summer cruises. Very likely, there will be enough teens on the ship. Unless your teens are very shy, it will be great experience for them, meeting people from all over Europe. Alot of them do speak English, perhaps not fluently. As for the beverage program, just do the math and see if you plan to drink enough to justify the cost. It really is a bargain when all parties drink alot on vacation. Be forewarn, going on a Costa ship will be somewhat like visiting Italy. They do things quite differently than on a Carnival ship or most other cruiseships. If you have an open mind, you will have a good time. It seems most people who complain about Costa was expecting what they experienced on other cruiselines. If you visit Italy, do you expect it to be like America?

I can't say very much as I am going on my first Costa cruise in a few weeks. However, I wouldn't worry about your teens since there are lots of families on these summer cruises. Very likely, there will be enough teens on the ship. Unless your teens are very shy, it will be great experience for them, meeting people from all over Europe. Alot of them do speak English, perhaps not fluently. As for the beverage program, just do the math and see if you plan to drink enough to justify the cost. It really is a bargain when all parties drink alot on vacation. Be forewarn, going on a Costa ship will be somewhat like visiting Italy. They do things quite differently than on a Carnival ship or most other cruiseships. If you have an open mind, you will have a good time. It seems most people who complain about Costa was expecting what they experienced on other cruiselines. If you visit Italy, do you expect it to be like America?

Thanks for the comment. Neither of my teens is shy and I think they would both enjoy meeting people from other countries. My daughter has a friend who is currently an exchange student in our town from Copenhagen. They are already planning to get together when we are in Copenhagen for the trip. :)

I think the key is to keep an open mind and not to expect things to be exactly the same as other cruise lines we have sailed. We've never sailed a European line before (or been to Europe, for that matter). We certainly would not expect Italy to be like America. Indeed, I think we'd be disappointed if it was!

I look forward to hearing about your trip when you return, deadzone1003!