Thorswife59

This was my “English Roast Beef” entree at dinner tonight in the MDR. It was basically just COLD slivers of roast beef, like deli meat with a few cherry tomatoes and shavings of cheese. The minestrone as my first course was a yellow soup with zucchini, potatoes, and carrots, nothing like any minestrone I’ve ever had. Bland and tasteless. I’ve ever had before. Even Olive Garden would put them to shame. The only good thing that I had the whole night was the cannoli for dessert. Needless to say we headed up to the buffet for a pizza afterwards, but unlike every other cruise line pizza isn’t free. We had actually pay for a small pizza.  It just really is a terrible cruise line. 

On 9/10/2024 at 1:27 PM, kremerlorraine said:

Costa isn't for everyone, and we are always pleasantly surprised when we travel on other lines (principally Princess and Celebrity) at what is "free", but we always come back to Costa because of the quality of food in the main dining rooms and the reasonable price of drinks/coffees etc on the rare occasions when we don't take a drinks package. Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Well, I am not sure what other types of food you had on other cruise lines but Costa has been an absolutely underwhelming experience. Truly, some of the worst food we’ve ever had on a cruise and we have cruised them all … Cunard, HAL, NCL, Celebrity, Princess, MSC, Carnival, Royal Caribbean even Carnival puts them to shame. And drinks ordered all the car without the buffet package or no bargain. We paid €4 for a Pepsi max, which is the same or more than we paid on Celebrity, NCL, HAL. The buffets are so disappointing. Very, very limited and the same thing every day. Some fish, some chicken, some very tough beef, some veggies and dried out pastas and salad bar with dressing so watered down they’re, well,  like water. No premade sandwiches, no pizza, unless you want to pay for it, the hamburgers and fries bar is an extra charge as well, just extremely limited and the offering and the quality is really bad. No ethnic or international buffets. No omelette bar or waffle stations. Just premade omelettes and the food is never warm. It’s always tepid it at best even right off the line.

The coffee varies from day to day and this morning it was so weak after adding cream, we literally had to pour out the “coffee flavored water” and start over without cream. There is hot tea and tapwater offered as beverage at lunch and dinner, but no iced tea, no lemonade, no punch or juices, which every other line offers as a complementary beverage in the buffet.

The main dining room is absolutely a joke. The three or four entrées that are offered are literally some thing that makes you wonder … Did they have a contest to think of the weirdest food they could have to make it sound as unappetizing and unappealing as possible?!?  Thank the Lord, they offer the classics such as minestrone,  pasta with  Bolognese so I don’t have to eat puréed, swordfish tartare, and other very strange concoctions. 
 

The ship is beautiful,  pretty much the same ans every other cruise ship. The beds are extremely firm and uncomfortable however and yesterday the tap water in our bathroom had only hot water all day and I mean scalding hot water. Forget about rinsing out your mouth, brushing your teeth. 
 

There are only two pools on a very large ship, everything is crowded, the lines are extremely long wherever you go. They changed our itinerary and removed a port without telling us until we were on board. This is not something that happens infrequently on any cruise line, but they at least have the courtesy to usually tell you. However, when we got on the ship, they argued with us and told us that that was never one of the ports until I showed them the screenshot of our boarding information that clearly showed it was.  They had no explanation except they would let their supervisors know. 🙄
 

Hours of the dining options are very limited as well. The buffet is only open for dinner from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Seriously? There are signs all over the ship warning you about wasting food and in the bathroom a warning that if you clog the toilet, you will be charged €60 to

have it unclogged and €20 per cabin that is affected by it. 
 

The air-conditioning does not work. It is barely discernible and not very cool air coming out of the vents. Even at the lowest setting, it is miserably warm. We’re forced to sleep with our balcony door open which I am aware shuts off the AC but it’s not working anyway, so who cares? 
 

People are allowed to smoke all over the ship, including balconies and numerous smoking areas. They said they would confiscate my curling iron because it’s a fire hazard but people can smoke on their balconies and are told not to smoke in bed because it’s dangerous. WOW. Okay. 
 

I have never in my life have submitted such a negative review. I’m actually an elite reviewer on yelp and I often post for good service and quality good, etc. But I’m just so frustrated and disgusted by this entire cruise. It was not cheap. I came into it really hoping that it would be better than the reviews I had read. For example, like Carnival, which people like to treat as the Walmart of cruise lines but actually we have never had a bad cruise on a Carnival ship. And Carnival owns Costa, so what the heck?!?  Carnival needs to do an overhaul of the entire line if this is the norm. It is our first and most definitely our last Costa Cruise.  

2 minutes ago, gerryuk said:

It looks pretty straightforward to me. Go to Google maps put in the address that you have above and you can see the port and the train station, they look pretty close together.

 

 I’m not sure what train stations you were seeing. I see the Santa Lucia station but the Marghera train station is after that. I also see the people mover but that is not what I’m looking for.

Today we traveled from the Santa Lucia train station in Venice through the Marghera station before arriving at the Mestra train station.  But I need to know how to get from the Santa Lucia station to the new cruise port that apparently Costa sails from. They are not that close to each other. It looks like a couple of miles at least, and we cannot walk that far with luggage and I am in a wheelchair. So hoping that someone who has done this recently can tell me how they got from the train station to the ship. Taxi? Uber? Thanks.

Hello. We are sailing tomorrow out of Venice Marghera on the Costa Delicioza. First time cruising with Costa. I have called Costa and I have tried to find out exactly where we are supposed to go but they just say “the cruise port at Marghera”  but we had a devil of a time on our GPS finding where is the cruise port is. I put in this address the gave me: Direzione Porto marittimo 30135 marghara terminal passeggeri venezia but it shows up as a Government office not the port. Our plan is to take the train from Santa Lucia station straight to that Marghera station. What we don’t understand is how we get from that station to the ship port. All Costa wanted to do was sell me a transfer and couldn’t seem to give me any information about where to go or what the check in procedure would be. I’ve seen others say that they were ferried over to the ship from the ‘main Venice cruise terminal’ but again I can’t get a straight answer for where that is. 
 

if you have recently sailed on this ship or another, could you please give me an idea of what the process looks like?  We are thinking that once we get off at the Marghera train station, we would take a taxi or Uber to the port, which is apparently a few miles away. But we’re very confused. 
 

I should add, we are long time cruisers, we have cruised with pretty much every cruise line out there, including MSC, Cunard, HAL, NCL, Princess, Celebrity and all the others. We have never had such a difficult time getting a straight answer or help getting to the port.  Thanks in advance! 

6 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

Costa has been changing their packages recently. In the past, it depended on the fare you paid- if you bought the cheap, nothing-included fare, you get what kemerlorraine says (of course, tap water is always available in your cabin). These fares really work best for young families.

You need to go back to your travel agent and clarify exactly what's included in the fare you purchased and whether it's what you want. Costa is quite a bit different from Cunard.

Yes, we are definitely learning that Costa is different from pretty much every other cruise line. So this will be our first and last cruise with them. Too late to cancel or rebooked literally booked 2 weeks out, but that’s OK. We’ll make the best of it. Plenty of other lines to choose from next time that still offer basics like coffee and tea. And while they push their specialty restaurants and other extras, they at least offer coffee, tea, lemonade, etc. We mistakenly assumed Costa was similar to MSC, being that they are European and especially being owned by Carnival. What’s next, a surcharge for breathing the air in your cabin? 😂😂

Spoke to their customer service regarding another issue and was told coffee and tea were not available without a beverage package in the buffet or mdr. Is this true?!! We have sailed on virtually every other cruise line including MSC and Cunard and in Europe and 

can’t believe they charge for

hot water and a tea bag or straight brewed coffee. Is tap water a charge too? 

We are sailing tomorrow on QM2 Southampton to New York. Are we tested on the ship before arriving in New York, as I know we are required to have a test before reentering the United States?  Thanks!

We sailed over on the Queen Mary 2 on May 1 and spent the last three weeks in Europe. We sail home tomorrow Southampton to New York. We flew into London Gatwick this morning from Milan and had arranged to take a test at ExpressTest right in the north terminal where we got our luggage.  I had to reserve them before our trip. We had an appointment and we’re in and out in about 10 minutes. Got the results about 35 minutes later on my cell phone. It was an antigen lateral flow test and I now have a ‘fit to fly’ certificate to turn in at the terminal tomorrow. 
 

we had a wonderful vacation in Amsterdam, Scotland and Italy but we are ready to get some rest now as we sail home!! 😂

Also on May 1 and no letter yet.  We got second booster 2 weeks ago. Hoping and praying we can get through unscathed. 

16 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Thorswife5

You can get a lot of options in the thread "Private Covid Testing" here on the Cunard board. I've attached a link below.

Jack

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2845171-private-covid-testing/page/3/#comment-63100949

16 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Thorswife5

You can get a lot of options in the thread "Private Covid Testing" here on the Cunard board. I've attached a link below.

Jack

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2845171-private-covid-testing/page/3/#comment-63100949

Thank you!  I believe I have found the answer. We can do a drive through test at Gatwick airport on our way to Southampton. 

18 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Thank you BigMac1953.

Yes bluemarble, that is correct. We are on that May 8th Crossing where self testing will begin.

 

Jack

We were sailing May 1 on the QM2 New York to Southampton and then back on May 29 Southampton to New York. If we need to provide self test for that one what’s the best way to go about getting that?  Can anyone recommend a place for a travel test in Southampton? Thanks! 

4 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Give it a couple more days. You'll notice @Sweetpea711423 received the notification three days before their departure date. I thought I read somewhere those embarking on the previous Fort Lauderdale and New York departures may have received their notifications even closer to those departure dates.

 

Please do keep us informed as to whether you receive that notification. I'm sure a fair number of others on this forum will be interested to hear about that one way or another.

Will do!

On 4/21/2022 at 8:04 AM, Sweetpea711423 said:

 

Hello.  I received an email notification this morning from Cunard regarding my April 24 transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 from Southampton.  It states that they are currently managing a number of Covid-19 cases onboard the Queen Mary 2, and talks about need to wear masks, etc.

 

It goes on to state that, “[h]aving read this notification, we encourage you to assess your individual risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 disease. If you have concerns about joining the ship and you wish to transfer, postpone or cancel your voyage on Queen Mary 2, you will be given a 100% refund on all monies paid, including on any company-booked shore experiences.”

 

The fact that they are offering refunds, and not just Future Cruise Credits, made me concerned about the actual situation onboard.  Does anyone know how many Covid cases there are, are they passengers and/or crew, etc.?  Any information about the status of things on the ship would be greatly appreciated, as we are scheduled to fly to England from the US tonight, and I am immunocompromised so have a bit higher level of concern than others might.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

 

We are set to sail this Sunday, May 1 on QM2 from NY and have not any communication from Cunard like this.  I wonder if that means cases are down?  I would have liked to option of a full refund if there are a lot of cases on board. 

I seem to recall reading somewhere on Cunard site that their medical centers were fully supplied and stocked to take care of any Covid needs. I would assume that would be in the antivirals as well. 

59 minutes ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

Hi.  Wondering where in the US you could travel on a land vacation where "we have packed up Covid and put it on the back shelf".  I'm not sure I understand the statement.  Are you saying that there are places in the US where one needn't have any concerns about the possibility of getting Covid, and if so, would you mind sharing what those places are?  I might consider visiting as well.  The most recent data shows that Covid cases are currently on the increase in the US.

I would think she meant that we no longer have any mask mandates here and even the airlines or airports no longer require them.  

Sunshine!?! On the last day of September in the rain forest of Ketchikan?!? We can’t believe it but it’s been amazing!! Did the cheesy but fun Lumberjack show and walked around a bit.  So thankful and grateful for the good weather. 🥰

On 9/27/2021 at 7:00 PM, san diego spartan said:

Thank you for posting the menus!

Tonight is the last gala night! The menu:

We had a great day yesterday in Glacier Bay! The forecast was wrong again and we enjoyed a day free of rain and with some peeks of the sun! The split pea soup was great, the scenery glorious and saw lots of sea otters, a mountain goat high on the slopes and of course lots of birds. All in all a wonderful day! 

Our day in Skagway was awesome! The forecast was rain off and on but it ended up not raining all day!
 

We left the ship about 11 am with no excursions planned because the weather had seemed uncertain.. But the sun came out and we decided to try to get on the White Pass and Yukon railway. They had seats available on the 1 o’clock train so we went for it. So glad we did! It was a beautiful trip, so much amazing scenery. I highly recommend it!  

When we got off the train an icy wind had come up and by the time we got back to the ship I was chilled to the bone! So I grabbed some hot chocolate and we went straight to the hot tub! 
 

Another fabulous dinner tonight in the Lido. We looked at the MDR menu and it just wasn’t that appealing and they had the same herb crusted prime rib in the Lido so here we are. We have really been enjoying the food!  
 

Glacier Bay tomorrow and we’re really looking forward to that and the split pea soup!
 

23 hours ago, san diego spartan said:

Thank you for posting the menus!

You’re welcome! Here’s tonight’s. We opted for the Lido  again. They had a lot of the same things including the prime rib.

40 minutes ago, san diego spartan said:

Hi - glad you are enjoying your cruise and I'm jealous you are back on board! Anyway you can post photos of the menus in the MDR for dinner?  Would love to get an idea of what the offerings are.   I've been looking at my Navigator App but it keeps showing the same sample menu for our upcoming cruise (and I have logged in and out of the app). 

 

Thanks and enjoy. 

Sure! 
 

It’s been a smooth sailing so far, folks! We got into Stevens passage this morning and it was foggy and a bit drizzly so unfortunately not much to see. We’ve been in Juneau since 1:00 and it’s been raining steadily all day. We talked to a couple who ventured out and they said not much was open. No surprise but it’s fine, we really enjoying just being on a ship again!  We had breakfast in the main dining room this morning and it was very good as well as lunch in the Lido. So many great options.
 

We’ve been hanging out a lot in the Crow’s Nest or Ocean Bar, playing games and reading and just now enjoying the hot tub a bit before dinner. 
 

Skagway tomorrow, more rain expected but it’s raining at home too! 😂

5 hours ago, GHCruiser7 said:

Is there any ballroom dancing?

 

Not sure.  I know there were some classes yesterday. We haven’t been out too much for the night life. 

We’re on our way! Embarkation was very smooth. Lunch at the Lido was outstanding.  We haven’t sailed HAL in about six years and weren’t quite sure what to expect based on mixed reviews. But the food was fabulous. Very fresh, lots of selections and great service. Dinner in the main dining room last night was also superb. Beautiful presentation, great food and service. 

Shortly after boarding the captain announced  that due to a storm we would be skipping Sitka and go to Skagway instead. We were pleasantly surprised to wake to fairly calm seas this morning. Just gentle motion. After hearing about all the storms and rough seas out in the open ocean the last few weeks, we were a bit nervous.  But it’s been great!

We’ve heard that ships are being kept around 60% capacity and that’s about what it feels like. It doesn’t feel too crowded at all and lots of places to find a secluded nook to read and people watch. Most people remove masks when seated away from others in these areas so that’s been nice not to be masked up constantly. 

So great to be sailing again!