cruisedancer-Fin

Yes Westway and 30-Up, also Lago in Woodbridge on Thurs and Pat and Cathy at Casa Ricca on Fri. Many years ago decided not to compete, have developed much more respect for good floorcraft.

Evening meal service I consider to be Costa's weakest point. There are some kind of afternoon snacks but I just finished lunch.

Was told entertainment was changing to suit South American market so my experience might differ.

Latin Dance Team is wonderful, two professional calibre partners even if they are not officially dance hostesses is unique. Completely different from HAL.

Am in Spain and France, then Diadema, have only tablet with crappy keyboard, reviews after I get home.

Dancer Bob, You know that competition dancing and good floorcraft don't rule out each other. When I was competing, I also did lots of social dancing. As it's impossible to follow a set routine in social dancing that taught me to lead my partner much better so I could even in competitions change my routine if necessary. In some cases before stepping on to the floor my partner asked me what I was planning to do, and then added "you do what you want and I just follow your lead". That made competition dancing much more fun.

Thank you Judy. I agree they shouldn't leave copies out side in the mail slot. If they can't give you a copy on check-in, the cabin steward should either slip it under the door or place inside the cabin. Thank you

 

Dancing Bob. Yes 5.30 is early, even in the Carribean we struggle, end up having " afternoon tea" then putting more weight on, that's why we usually end up in the buffet. Guess we can always have tea or fruit.

Bob, do you dance? We do ballroom dancing, and competed for Ont. Although we don't compete any more, too old.

 

As for passports, knew we should have renewed our Euro ones, and brought them instead, but had just renewed the Canadian ones for ten years. The hotel in Venice kept them until we sighed out, but I dont remember Costa doing it too, that was in 2010. I always bring copies with me. Thanks for your help too.

Carol

What do you mean " too old to compete"? You are never too old. You know Senior IV is for age 65/60.

Ok, I have booked a cruise on Costa for December '16. While I have cruised many times on many ships with several lines (Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, RCL) this will be my first outing with Costa and so I am doing my research. This has been overwhelming. The negatives FAR outweigh the positives. BY A LOT. Most of the posters complain about bad service, uncaring staff, money grubbing policies, rude staff, limits on access to basics (water, coffee, tea) unresponsive staff, poor quality food, limited dining choices (buffets limited times) , confusing choices, lack of communication, lack of information, THE DAMN STAFF. The list goes on. I am aware that people are far more likely to air their grievances than sing praises: if you had a good time, good- if you had a bad time, teach them a lesson! But still, come on, Costa.

 

Add to this the fact that The ONLY opinion I can get, across the internet is from haters. The Costa site is a JOKE. Very little information, confusing at best, unclear and incomplete. Though it is in English if you choose, clearly it is not aimed at me. If you have booked a cruise with any major line serving the USA you can access information regarding dining (sample menus on any ship, any restaurant), drinking (clear packages, wine lists, beverages, etc) services (spa, flowers, in room) and excursions ( for every port) . At best the information provided is spotty,

 

Policies: What is the tipping policy- some say US booked cruises can refuse the mandatory tip charge and tip individually, others deny this. Some say there is a US water policy (free at lunch and diner), others say no. What does Costa say? Good luck trying to find out.

 

I guess, what I'm getting at is this: WHAT THE HELL, COSTA- Don't you care.

And why should I give you my hard earned money for a 27 day 'cruise from hell'. Do you read and respond to any critique of your service, or has the bar been set so low you don't have to care. It would be one thing if I booked a cruise on a low budget, dirt cheap "Euro Ferry" for bargain hunters, But I haven't- I'm paying top dollar.

 

Am I wasting my money?

 

any response, anyone?

I just checked the reviews for costa Cruises.Out of 1347 reviews the ratings for Costa were

Excellent 393

Very Good 265

Average 239

Poor 210

Terrible 199

So it's no big difference between Costa and other cruise lines. Most cruise lines get about the same percentage of bad revievs, and some people complain no matter what cruise line they cruise with. I have sailed on Costa four times and never had any major complaints. The staff (most of them) speak english, everyone has been friendly, I have never felt discriminated even though I don't speak Italian. The food is about the same quality as on other cruise lines that I have sailed with, maybe not quite as good as Celebrity or Cunard but close. Even though it's Italian cruise line there are luts of choises other than italian food.

So don't worry, keep an open mind and enjoy your cruise.,

Veijo