toronto.gal

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

The Grand Class ships do not have curtains separating the two areas. 

 

Easy remedy is magnetic hooks on the ceiling and a cloth shower curtain.

Thanks - great idea. Judy

If you are staying in a minisuite - or have access - can you tell me if there is a curtain separating the areas, as there is on the Royal class and later ships.

TIA,

Judy

I am getting conflicting information on the mini-suites on the Crown Princess in 2023.  Do they have a curtain to divide the sleeping area from the sofa?  We are travelling with a baby, and the curtain would be a big help.  I know all Royal and later ships have curtains, but cannot determine about the Crown.

TIA.

Judy

On the off chance that there is someone still on this Roll Call - it has been replaced by a new one called "December 20, 2017 Southern Cross Explorer -- Sydney to Sydney"

Cheers, Judy

 

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

The Schengen rules have changed - so your Canadian passport is now stamped at each port. At least it was in October - it might change again. :-)

Enjoy the cruise.

 

2) TORONTO.GAL, (We're from Barrie). You stated your passport was on display for everyone to see, do they take the passports off you when you board? we've always kept them in the save. I would be concerned they might loose them, or worse still someone steal them.

 

Thanks

Carol

There have been recent changes in rules for passports in Europe. As a result, they tend to keep your passport - this applies to all cruise lines. We just got back from a Princess Cruise and they kept them. What Costa did - which I still think is unforgivable - is make a photocopy of our passports and then left them in the mail slot outside our room. Since it was a port day, they sat there all day - available for anyone to get the information from. I am protective of the information on my passport.

The passports are safe! No question there. It is the information in them that is compromised.

Hope this helps - Judy (Toronto Gal)

Thanks in advance,

Judy

Thanks in advance to anyone who can let me know.

Judy

In late June we asked Oceania when they would schedule another circumnavigation of Australia, and we were told that they were waiting to see how the March cruise went. I suspect, as Billioe said, that this will sell out fast.

From my point of view, as a Canadian, I prefer 30C to 30F any day. This weather might not be perfect, but the timing is. We hope to talk to our TA tomorrow, and book a BB, going to New Zealand after.

I am super excited, as the only other alternative was going on the 4* Sun Princess.

Judy

Canadian gal probably didn't get a free upgrade they wanted - so the crusade against Costa.

Actually, our room was a great free upgrade - we loved it. Our steward was fabulous, on the days he was well enough to work.

At any rate - I say go on Costa if you want. For a North American, it is not the deal it is for Europeans. Shareholder benefits are available on all Carnival cruise lines.

I don't have a crusade against Costa - but it was a miserable experience. Which given that I love cruising makes me sad.

I'll sign off this thread - I am sure Costa will be around for a long time, as Carnival invested a ton of money and they have to recoop the Concordia disaster.

Packages just changed recently, I'm on the Deliziosa now, I'll check what's available for beer and wine. The non-alcohol package doesn't save much if you drink sodas, but does if you like the non-alcohol cocktails.

Question - unrelated - are a large number of passengers on the ship still coughing?

Judy

Are you sure???

 

I note you didn't name the ship, or location. Your experience is nothing like anything I've experienced on our many Costa cruises.

Hand washing discouraged? How? Is someone standing next to the sink saying no don't do it?

Crossed of a list at muster station? What list? There is no "list".

Allowed to leave? No, not on any of the ships we went on. We had to wait, I guess we could have insisted like some idiots, perhaps you were already in a mood and decided you were going anyway. Yes, it's chaotic, but it is on most ships, lots of people walking around all in the same place with large life vests on. The PA is clear, all 5 languages we patiently waited through because we knew we should.

With that level of sickness it would be reported and quaranteened. And of course the ships doctor would be telling everyone. Was it noted in the daily magazine? At that level if I didn't get it I'd want a refund. I'd feel left out.

No sanitisers? Every deck, every food station. Rooms spotless with constant cleaning.

 

And if you still have it after 2 weeks at home you are reinfecting yourself from ..... Well I will leave you to guess how. Perhaps you took the bug with you, it's not confined to ships.

 

Your post is so different, it's even worse than the complaints we see here, but I'm sure you have asked for a refund.

I am sure - Costa Deliziosa from FLL to Venice departing on March 6. They had a hand printed list at the muster station, and just asked us so they could cross our name off. Then there was an announcement in several languages, that could not be heard - loudspeaker was not working properly. So they told us we could just leave.

We went to the ship doctor, there was a line up around the 1st floor to get in to see him. He said this has been going on for 3 months. I asked several times, about this and was met with a shrug. We are talking viral bronchitis, not Norovirus. There are NO reporting requirements for viral bronchitis. I called the CDC when I got home.

On our first day onboard the steward could not stop coughing. He handled everything in our room. Guess what, 75% of the cabins he cleaned had passengers with viral bronchitis by the end of the 3 weeks. They shared it, and other staff shared it, and you get it.

The hand washing stations are by the elevator - the food is at the buffet. In the MDR, for the late seating the handwashing stations were almost always (over 50% of the time) empty. They is no one encouraging you to wash your hands. Several times at the buffet they had no tongs or serving utensils. I asked, just use your hands I was told. Great!

I speak several languages, and I spoke to passengers. The European ones generally took the cruise because of the price. They didn't particularly like it, but they felt it was worth it for the money. The Americans (or Canadians) largely hated it. I fall into the hated it camp. As a comparison, I did a budget tour of China last summer - 2 months long - that was much preferable to being on what we called 'The Plague Ship'.

I was worried about Costa because of their reputation, but I wanted to go. The itinerary seemed great, and how bad can it be. Well, I learned my lesson. My husband is disabled and asked for a glass of water at breakfast, he was told by the waiter that it wasn't his job.

At lunch the Maitre d' asked us how long we had been waiting for our food, we said an hour. He said, that's okay. Is it?

We tried to complain - but there really wasn't much point. There is more, I just didn't want to add it. I am generally so excited about cruising. I have been on a river cruise in China were I was one of two English speakers out of 700 (the other was my husband). It was strange, but fun. Overall I have been on more than 20 cruises, on many different companies.

I have been on a small low cost trip in the Galapagos, but it was fun.

This was unpleasant, unsanitary, and dangerous.

I don't care how many languages the announcements are in, I don't care about the water (you have to pay many places in the world), I don't care that you had to pay to watch a movie on the TV in your room (a first for us), I don't care that there was no real enrichment activities, I don't care that the food was not to my taste, and I don't even care that most of the staff grumbled the whole time about working on the ship. Being able to talk to many of them in their native language makes a big difference to understanding how they feel.

I do care when my passport information is made available to anyone, when they don't even pretend to have a safety drill, and when the negatives far outweigh any positives. This is the first and only cruise I have been on, where I was counting the hours until my freedom.

You don't have to believe me. I am sharing my experience as is. Take it or leave it. Yes, I am taking this up with Carnival Corporate - I am a shareholder, and this risks my investment.

I understand Costa plans to start focusing on the Chinese market. I wonder if they have any idea what that really means. As long as they make money, it helps my shares. I will vote with my $$ and my time by cruising elsewhere.

Judy

1. Do you hate having pesky maitre d's and waiters ask you how your food is? On a Costa cruise this is never a problem. Dine assured that no one will ever ask you if you like your food or not, or if they can help you in anyway.

2. Do you miss those days when men wore Speedos? On a Costa cruise, those men, the very same ones, are all in Speedos. You can see Speedos in colors, shapes, and sizes you never even wanted to know exist.

3. Have you ever wondered what the inside of the men's washroom looks like? Well Costa provides the answer to this mystery. As you walk by the door opens on a motion sensor, whether you want it to or not. Mystery solved.

4. Have you ever wanted to eat in a dining room that is the color of Pepto-Bismol, interspersed with a weird blue, yellow, beige, green, purple, and other pink shades? Again, Costa cruises provide you with a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

5. For those of you that are scientifically minded, have you ever wanted to find out if hand washing really makes a difference in terms of reducing the spread of colds and other such diseases. Costa has managed to prove a negative, by providing limited sanitation. hand washing stations are strategically located far from food stations. Stewards , waiters, and cooks often cough on food, bed linens, etc.. No way to wipe equipment in the gym, before or after use. The doctor has proclaimed that this is not a cruise ship, but rather a hospital ship. Costa has demonstrated that it is possible to have 40% of the ship sick for three months continuously. A stellar record.

6. Do you worry about gaining weight on a cruise? Another advantage of cruising on Costa is that this will not be a problem.

7. Do you find the lifeboat drill on a cruise ship boring? Again not a problem on a Costa cruise. The drill is conducted in a way that takes little time and you have no way of hearing instructions. So no opportunity to be bored.

8. Have you wondered how you can share your passport information with your fellow travelers? Once again, Costa provides the answer. They will put a copy of your passport into the mailbox outside your room and leave it there for the day. No need for you to let others know your personal details, Costa looks after it for you.

I too am a well-seasoned traveler. I am from a European background, and my husband lived in Europe for a number of years. We got off our first (and last) Costa cruise 2 weeks ago.

In answer to some questions - yes there is free water at lunch and dinner if you are on WaterUSA. It is always free at the buffet.

If you love to dance, this is the cruise line for you. Rooms are nice. English is really not a problem.

However, I have 3 major grievances :

1) My passport information was put in a public place, and left there all day. As it was for all non-European passengers. I consider this a major breach of security.

2) The passenger safety drill was a joke. You couldn't hear the announcement, and the staff had no idea what to do. They just wanted to cross your name off the list, and then you could leave. After the Concordia, I would have thought they would have at least tried.

3) 40% of the ship was sick according to the ship doctor. This was going on for 3 months, because there is no sanitation. Hand washing is discouraged, most of the time the hand sanitation stations are empty. They are never near the food. There is nothing to wipe gym equipment off with. Sometimes the passengers are just told to grab sandwiches with their hands.

I was scared of going, but my husband and I rationalized that this was just a typical problem, with people being used to home, and not adapting. It isn't that the food was bad. The service level so low, that everything is a step up. At the pay restaurant, they apologized to us 10 times, and then cancelled the bill. The thermal suite was dirty, and the staff were unhelpful. That a majority of the European passengers didn't like the cruise line, but went with it for price.

I too know people who love the cruise line. I have no clue as to why. When I am spending my hard earned money, I expect better. I would rather stay home then experience another cruise like this. This was far from my first cruise.

Each to his/her own - for my money and my health this is a never again situation. My husband and I are still sick, 2 weeks after getting off the boat.

Good luck!

We are currently in a mini-suite and have a chance to upgrade to a Suite. The price is reasonable, but this will be our first Costa cruise.

Can anyone tell me what the suites are like? Are the butlers helpful? Do they look after laundry? Make dinner reservations? Can you order from regular menus and eat them in your room? Is there any advantage to a suite over a mini-suite?

Any other tips about Costa would be helpful. Reading the reviews is very depressing, as all there seems to be griping about the food ....

We are hoping (planning) to have a wonderful time - after all how can ending up in Venice be all bad.

Thanks in advance,