Costa Mediterrannea

We`re about to book this ship with the Venice-Trieste-Split-Corfu itinerary.

Our 1st European Cruz.

ANY and all feed back would be welcome, as to the ships, water availability, ports, drink packages ANYTHING-Thanks in advance!

Never tried Costa before but it followed us round last year and looked lovely. If you can get to venice earlier it's worth spending more than 1 day in

We were on msc and took their shuttle bus into Corfu town. Lovely square like a village green (kids were even playing cricket!!) with bars and narrow alleys with little shops. We had s light lunch then went into a supermarket and bought some cans then sat on the grass and people watched while we waited for the bus. There's a castle / old fortress on the square which is free and lovely to look round. Hope you enjoy it.

We have booked this cruise for September as its such a fantastic itinerary and Costa is excellent value for money. Their ships are kept spotlessly clean and their food is as good as any other 4 star cruise ship

As long as you are willing to embrace the Italian experience you will enjoy it.

The drinks package is a must even if you dont drink alcohol. It includes coffees, juices,soft drinks,water

We prefer a premium cabin with Costa as the cabin is slightly bigger and in a good position on the ship. Dinner is a bit late on Costa - 9pm so we opt for the 7pm sitting. If you book a premium cabin you get to choose your time.

Excursions can be booked through Costa or you can take a taxi at the ports.

Most of the places Mediterranea is visiting are perfect for just walking around.

Hope that helps you a little :)

Caryl

We have booked this cruise for September as its such a fantastic itinerary and Costa is excellent value for money. Their ships are kept spotlessly clean and their food is as good as any other 4 star cruise ship

As long as you are willing to embrace the Italian experience you will enjoy it.

The drinks package is a must even if you dont drink alcohol. It includes coffees, juices,soft drinks,water

We prefer a premium cabin with Costa as the cabin is slightly bigger and in a good position on the ship. Dinner is a bit late on Costa - 9pm so we opt for the 7pm sitting. If you book a premium cabin you get to choose your time.

Excursions can be booked through Costa or you can take a taxi at the ports.

Most of the places Mediterranea is visiting are perfect for just walking around.

Hope that helps you a little :)

 

Caryl

Thanks for all the feedback.

If you book with Costa USA you should receive the "waterusa" package. Dining choices in the evening are limited, I consider this the weakest part of the Costa experience. The food is only 4-star, but I've always found something I liked. Except pizza- American pizza is better than anything I've had in Europe.

Yes, excellent value for money. I've done the Adriatic several times, Costa has been cheaper than anything I could put together on land, even with 2-star hotels and limited dining. These ports are pretty tourist-friendly, but it's still easy to get lost if you wander too far from the ship.

Make sure your credit cards have a chip, especially if you plan to get cash from an ATM.

Again, Thanks all. We bought the AI beverage pkg. Much cheaper than any Caribbean pkg. We plan on taking water ashore and only drinking sealed products such as soda in a can or beer.

I see several reports about the Adriatic-Two Step in that area.

Any comment?

Hello,

I've done that cruise in June and would love to go there again! The ports were so nice, all of them, and I am addicted to Costa anyway ;). There is already a list of my port activities in a roll call (Aug 28). For more details, please don't hesitate to ask.

I was fine with the extra all in drink package, but they also sell bottled water in packages and soft drink packages ("boys and girls") on board, something like 12 for 10).

Enjoy!

Does anyone know if the Costa Mediterranea has a chocolate bar? :)

No real chocolate bar, but on Trieste day, they had a chocolate special all night in one lounge. I have no details as I didn't do there, satisfied with normal dinner ;) . Other fantastic ways to gain sweet calories:

- in Split they have some great local food specialty stores, including chocolates

- selfmade tartes and cookies for teatime at the buffet

- midnight buffet during the pool party

We`re about to book this ship with the Venice-Trieste-Split-Corfu itinerary.

 

Our 1st European Cruz.

 

ANY and all feed back would be welcome, as to the ships, water availability, ports, drink packages ANYTHING-Thanks in advance!

We went on that cruise at the end of June and I'll probably post a short review soon but just a few things that come to mind:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. In Corfu, you can go to the local bus stations and take a blue bus or a green bus. For 2-3€, you can get pretty much everywhere (including Achilleion Palace, Palaiokastritsa, etc.). 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€.

6. In Argostoli, the first agency that you will 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 Discover. They leave on time and they get back exactly when they're supposed to.

7. In Croatia, don't forget they have their own currency (the Kuna) and they generally don't accept euros at all.

8. In Dubrovnik, 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!).

9. In Venice, 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.

10. In Kotor, climbing the mountain (3€) is definitely worth doing if you're capable. The view is breathtaking but the climb takes about 45 minutes.

11. Since this cruise doesn't go to Slovenia and I really wanted to see that country (I can never get enough!!), I rented a car in Trieste and I 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".

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions and I'll post more if I think of anything else.