Review - Mediterranea - Adriatic Sea - June 2015

I took that cruise with my 16 year-old son at the end of June, 2015. I had never been on a Costa ship before. Here are my thoughts:

Day 1 - Departure from Trieste (Italy) 7pm

We flew from Montreal to Venice and took a Costa transfer to Trieste. We were going to take a train because we hadn't seen anything about this transfer when we booked, but when we saw a lady holding a Costa sign at the airport, we followed her and decided to take her up on her offer to take us to Trieste on a bus for 30€. Embarkation was smooth and easy. Nothing unusual to say.

Day 2 - Split (Croatia) 1pm-7pm

Don't forget they have their own currency (the Kuna) and they generally don't accept euros at all. It's a very beautiful place to visit. We walked to the other side of Split where the Hajduk stadium is (Stadion Poljud). We also climbed the mountain that leads to Cafe Bar Vidilica (incredible view) and to a museum that wasn't open (Prirodoslovni muzej) and some sort of weather station.

Day 3 - Kotor (Montenegro) 9am-2pm

Climbing the mountain (3€) to St. John castle is definitely worth doing if you're capable. The view is breathtaking but the climb takes about 45 minutes. The old town is impressive. We also walked to Hotel Fjord, which is an abandoned hotel by the sea. We walked around and saw that the tennis court is being used by locals.

Day 4 - Argostolion (Kefalonia-Greece) 10am-8:30pm

The first agency that you see when you get off the ship is Avalon Tours. They offer great tours at very reasonable prices. I highly recommend them. If you want to optimize your time there and see a little bit of everything, get the Discover Kefalonia Tour. If you like beaches, make sure to go to Myrtos Beach (Discover doesn't *stop* there - you only see the beach from a road up a mountain). If I remember correctly, we paid 40€ a person for the Discover Kefalonia tour. They leave on time and they get back exactly when they're supposed to. We wanted to see as much as possible but we also wanted to swim if we could. When we got back to the ship, we were told by the local tourist center (right on the dock) that there was a nice beach just 4-5 minutes from there by foot. We probably spent an hour in the water there. It was amazing and beautiful.

Day 5 - Corfu (Greece) 7am-4pm

Aside from the Costa excursions, we couldn't find a local travel agency that could take us to all those places on a bus. Some taxis do offer to drive you around but for about 100-150€. We talked to locals in a cafe and we found out that you can go to the local bus stations and take a blue bus or a green bus. For 2-3€ per ride, you can get pretty much everywhere (including Achilleion Palace, Palaiokastritsa, etc.). This is definitely the way to go in my opinion.

Day 6 - Dubrovnik (Croatia) 7am-1pm

If you're a fan of Game of Thrones, make sure to visit Fort Lovrijenac, which is a little out of the way. This is where they film the series. Also, the cable car that goes up the mountain is a must see in my opinion, but get a two-way ticket (not just one way) because the walk (or run) back down is *very* long (I did it, and I got a little nervous at some point!). The old town is amazing and the walk on the city walls is breathtaking. A lot of people don't know this but if you purchase a ticket to the city walls, you can use the same ticket to visit Fort Lovrijenac.

Day 7 - Venice (Italy) 9:30am-10pm

You should get a 24 hour vaporetto ticket (we got one with Alilaguna for 30€ and it includes Murano, but I think ACTV - the other company - has more stops and is a little cheaper). This is a must if you want to see Murano and go from one place to the other quickly in Venice. There were very long lines everywhere so we had to prioritize what we wanted to do on St. Mark's square.

Day 8 - Trieste (Italy) 7am

We didn't really enjoy our time in Trieste and we had plans to go to Slovenia anyway so we got a rental car and drove to Slovenia. It's very close (some 20-30 km depending on where you go). We spent the night in Piran. If you have time, it's definitely worth it in my opinion since "you're in the area".

General comments on Costa Crociere

I had never been on a Costa ship before and I was a little shocked to see how limited food options were. In the evening, you absolutely have to go to the dining room at your assigned time (6:45 or 9:15pm). If you don't/can't make it, you can have a small pizza and a salad at a restaurant that stays open until about midnight every night for 4€, or you can go to a specialty restaurant (25€ per person, formal). Maybe this is what you're used to, but I thought I should let you know. I didn't see any chocolate buffets or special food event at the buffet, and you can't have an ice cream cone and stroll out on the deck in the evening.

Pools and hot tubs close very early (around 7pm every night). Everything gets very quiet at night, except perhaps the disco (which I never went to). I'm not sure if people need their sleep or it's just not a nightlife crowd. It didn't bother me at all but if you're into late night parties and nightlife, you may be disappointed.

This cruise makes a stop every day. I absolutely loved that aspect and it's the main reason why I booked that cruise, but if you want to really see and do everything, you have to be in good shape, go to bed relatively early so you can get off the ship early (some stops are early in the morning and are only 5 hours), be ready to walk a lot and maybe even climb (there's some serious climbing if you're interested), etc. I didn't book a single Costa excursion because I'm not interested in museums, churches and shopping and I walk very fast (I like to do literally everything at full speed), but if you're going to book Costa excursions, book early, especially if you need a tour in English (less demand, less availabilities). Waiting until the night before is too late.

If you have the waterUSA package (free, available to North Americans), you can drink sparkling or still water at the dining room for free. If you want to have bottled water when you leave the ship, go to local grocery stores (where locals shop). You'll pay pennies for 1.5L bottles. I can't help you with wine/beer packages as I don't drink alcohol.

This is my first review. I hope it's clear and helpful to people who are considering booking that cruise. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be happy to provide more information.

Great review. Whilst we`ve been around Europe, this`ll be our 1st Med/Adriatic cruz. You and others are bringing my stress levels down. Hopefully I`m prepared to make the most of each stop. Shame that you`re not a beer drinker. We love trying all local beers wherever we travel

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Maybe somebody else can help here.

grazie

Was shocked to see "no nightlife". Normally Costa knocks the socks off all other cruise lines when it comes to nightlife. I did Adriatic on Serena a few years ago, there was a lot going on at night.

The lack of dining choice in the evening is definitely the weakest part of the Costa product and could be a deal-breaker for some people, but I found it actually wasn't too bad once I figured out how to game the system.

Was shocked to see "no nightlife". Normally Costa knocks the socks off all other cruise lines when it comes to nightlife. I did Adriatic on Serena a few years ago, there was a lot going on at night.

The lack of dining choice in the evening is definitely the weakest part of the Costa product and could be a deal-breaker for some people, but I found it actually wasn't too bad once I figured out how to game the system.

Hi Dancer Bob..

I would be happy to hear any recommendations you have for the evening dining. We are cruising in September with the kids on the Costa Magica.

Thanks :)

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I don't think any of my ideas would work very well cruising with kids, I only eat when I'm hungry, very flexible with scheduling my time.

There are children's buffets some nights, I'm not sure how you find out in advance, maybe by asking the maitre d'.

I don't think any of my ideas would work very well cruising with kids, I only eat when I'm hungry, very flexible with scheduling my time.

There are children's buffets some nights, I'm not sure how you find out in advance, maybe by asking the maitre d'.

Thanks! I will check :)

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I don't remember ever seeing an open buffet after 5-6pm, and I was on the hunt for those. Costa really wants you to go to the main dining room and limits your other options to an absolute minimum.

If you have kids, make sure to pick the earlier dining time, not the 9pm+ one.