bazbov
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Hello all. Here is the current bar menu list and prices from the Costa Diadema. I have not typed the super premium brands.
Costa Diadema Bar Menu.
Brindiamo DrinkPackage. 26.49€ pppd inc 15% service charge.
Includes drinks with abrown coloured circle at top of menu page. Excludes ALL
alcoholic cocktails.Drinks included are. Prices in brackets are for individual drinksbought without a package, please add 15% gratuity
Selected wine by theglass. (5.50€)
Draught beer. (40cl 5€)(25cl 4€)
Water by the glass. (80cents)
7Up, lipton iced lemontea, lipton iced peach tea. Lipton iced green lemon tea, ginger ale,tonic and ornge and lemon. (3€)
Assorted juices by theglass. (2.60)
Bacardi breezer- lime,grapefruit, orange,watermelon,strawberry,pineapple. (5.50)
Apertifs- Aperol,campari, martini, pastis, pernod,ricard,tio pepe, crodino. (4€)
Asti spumante,prosecco, by the flute. (5.50€)
Liquori- limocello,baileys, cointreau, drambui, grand marnier, peachtree, kahlua,disaronno, tia maria, sambucca, southern comfort. Harveys bristolcream sherry, sandeman ruby port. (5.50€)
tequila- jose cuervogold (6.10€)
Brandy- vecchiaromagna, fundador. (6.10€)
Whisky- j&b,johnnie walker red, jim beam, canadian club, crown royal,jameson,dewars white label. (6.10€)
vodka- Skyy,Stolichnaya. (6.10€)
Gin- Beefeater,Gordons. (6.10€)
Bacardi- Silver, gold,lemon. (6.10€)
cognac- Remy martin.(6.30€) courvoisier, martell. (6.10€)
regular mixed drinks-gin&tonic, whisky&cola, vodka&tonic or lemon, cuba libra.(6.50€)
sparkling cocktails-Rossini, bellini. (5€)
Classic alco freecocktails- Colibri- tropical fruit juice and cola, Fruit punch, PinkPanther- strawberry mix, pineapple juice, coco mix and whipped cream.
Squok-pineapple juice,lemon juice, and kiwi syrup. (6€)
Premium alco freecocktails.- virgin cosmo, strawberry caiproska zero, sex on the beachzero, passion fruit caiproska zero. (6.50€)
Tea and Coffee.Espresso (1.70€) iced coffee (1.70€) café shakerrato (myfavourite- shaken over ice and served in a martini glass, (3.50€)Cappucino (2.70€) Caffe corretto with spirit (4€) teas (2.70€)
Piu Gusto Drinkspackage. 29.49€ PPPD. Includes all of the above plus the followingcocktails.
The Costa selction.-Costa dream, Costa sea, Costa Wind and Costa sky (8.50€)
The special spritz.-Spritz hugo, Spritz Hugo Rosa. (8.20€)
The Classics. -martini, negroni, americano, campari, shakerrato, black russian,white russian, sidecar, between the sheets, pink lady. (8.20€)
Tropical Cocktails.-planters punch, mai tai, bahama mama.(8.20€)
Coladas. - Whisky creambanana colada, Kiwi colada, Piña colada (8.20€)
Daiquiries. -Strawberry Daiquiri, banana Daquiri., Margarita.(8.20€)
Best seller cocktails.- Mojito, Caipiroska, Caipirihana, caipirissima, Aperol spritz.(6.50€)
Intenditore Drinks Pack. 45.99€ PPPD.
This includes any drinkup to 9€ inc premium brands. (not listed here as most people gowith Piu gusto.
Cenay Prenza Drinks pack. 16.99 PPPD
Selected Wine, Beer,Soft drinks (soda) and Water by the glass with meals in theRestaurant.
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Hi bazbov,
We just missed each other as we were on the Diadema over Christmas getting off in Barcellona on the 31st.
I certainly endorse your praise of Justine and his team, what a great guy he is. My wife complained about the mixed salad lunch time saying she missed her carrot & radishes, each day after small plate of said treats were brought to our table.
We are back on this Sunday, I will pass on your regard's sorry can't remember your name but sure Justine will know.
Great review, although to be honest we found the noise level in the piano bar far to loud, & was unable to find anywhere to sit for a quite drink & chat with people we had met.
Hello Tenpin and thanks for your kind words. Hope you find somewhere more quieter this time around. Justine may not be around in the club restaurant as much this time because of his promotion, however i'm sure he'll still drop in from time to time. Just mention Barry and Donald to Randy and i'm sure he'll know us(Grin) hope you have a great time. Happy Cruising.:D
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We always talk about big glasses, dear MiL is doing well (as can be expected - so long as she keeps taking thae tablets).
We are off in 4 weeks, 14 days far east, not with Big C but with the big X Celebrity.
Glad to hear that all is well and we hope that you have a great time on the big X, we look forward to hearing all about it. Happy cruising.:D
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Hello all, as promised here are the rest of the dinner menus that i managed to take from the Diadema. Hope you enjoy. If anybody has any questions about the Diadema experience we had then do please ask. Happy cruising.:)
Costa Diadema menus 2and 3 plus the Bruno Barbieri Menu.
Menu 2.
Antipasti.
Cured Parma ham, homemade Mozarella and melon jelly.
Puff pastry,vegeatablesand riccota cheese cake.
Zuppe.
Double beef consommewith julliene crepes and fresh tomato filange.
Crustacean bisqueflavoured with Brandy.
Banana and strawberrychilled cream.
Primmi piatti.
Scorpion fish andchampagne rissotto.
Manicotti pasta filledwithspinach and riccotta cheese, gratinated with tomato and bechamelsauce.
Secondi piatti.
Shrimps “Fra Diavalo”with veg couscous and fried leeks.
Beef wellington withduchesse potatoes and veg capanata.
Chicken breast “kiev”soft mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms.
Parmigiana withzucchini and stacchietella and dried tomatoes.
Dulce.
Chocolate sensations.
Vanilla and chocolatesponge cake filled with candied fruits and marons glace.
Fresh fruit plate.
Selection of Italiancheeses.
Always avaialable at asupplement. Grilled beef and Shrimp.
Menu 3.
Antipasti.
Marinated seafoodsalad.
Breaded and friedmozarella cheese with brocolli cream sauce and bacon.
Primi piatti.
Endive,Barley and peasoup.
Rigotoni pasta withamatriciana sauce.
Gnocchi with romanasauce and sauteed artichokes.
Secondi piatti.
Scorpion fish filletwith a cheese crust and potatoes.
Roasted suckling pig.
Warm veg salad with agarlic crouton.
Dolci.
Ricotta and chocolatetart.
No sugar added youghurtmousse with raspberry coulis.
Fresh fruit.
Italian cheeseselection.
BrunoBarbieri Menu. (Michellin star)
(everyonegets this served once per cruise)
Antipasto.
Salad of prawns servedwith endive heart,spiced bread and mediterranean pesto.
Pork Millefeuilles withblack pepper,crisp salad with walnuts, pear and gorgonzola sauce.
Vegetarian antipasto.
Spinach flan withconfit tomatoes, herb flavoured salsa verde and thin sliced sessamebread.
Zuppe vegeterian.
“Pappa al pommedero”on a potatoe cream with sauteed endive and olives.
Pasta.
Garganelli withswordfish tomatoe and basis, cannellini bean sauce.
Tortellini in aparmesan ans bay leaf fondou flavoured with nutmeg.
Pietanze.
Salmon steak withpotatoe crustand elixir of tomatoes,capers,oregano and sicillianvegeatable caponatta.
Lamb cutlets with greenbread crust and dried fruit, safron potatoes, marinated courgettesand thyme jus.
Sliced beef fillet withaubegine pie au gratin, basil sauce and milk strachiatelli.
Pietanze vegetarian.
Spicy vegeatableskewerwith piazzola sauce.
Dessert.
Wild berries bavroiswith cooked grape mist.
Warm chocolate andwalnut melting cake with blackberry sauce and lavender scentedcustard.
Selection of Italiancheeses.
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Hello all, as promised here is the first menu i took from the Costa Didema. Hope this helps.
DinnerMenu Costa Diadema.
Antipasti.
Smokedsalmon trout carpaccio with extra virgin olive oil and sliced pear
Selectionof cold cuts, Coppa,cooked ham,felino salami and fried breaddumpling.
Primi Piatti.
“Tardurasoup with meat broth.
Pastaroulade au gratin “romagne style”
Freshmacheroncini pasta with green pea rogout.
Secondi piatti.
Bakedsea bass in foil with seafood, fennel potato and cherry tomatoes.
Cesenastyle chicken porchetta.
Spinachpie on apotatoe and parmesan cream.
Dolci.
Sbrisolonacake.
Chocolateroulade with raspberry cream, no added sugar.
Selectionof fresh fruit.
Aselection of Italian cheeses.
Alwaysavailable
Grilledbeef fillet with fried potatoes and bearnaise sauce.
GrilledShrimp.
Thesewere free in the club restaurant but i believe they carry asupplement in the main dining room i think between 10 and 15 Euros.
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I'm new to this board but have been "looking" for a while. I am about to book a 7 night Costa Diadema from Barcelona in early June for myself, husband and 5yr old but after reading some bad reviews on this and other sites i'm a little nervous to proceed.
We are Americans (although i'm British living in the USA) and have cruised many times with other lines but this would be our first med cruise. Due to our selected flights this is the ONLY cruise departing Barcelona on that day so we have no other choice. I am not so concerned about English not being the primary language, isn't that why you travel? To see different countries and experience different cultures. I have however seen so many reviews that say Costa is not for "Americans" but unsure as to what that means. Of course everyone will have a different experience and you can't please them all so hoping for some insight.
Food - I'm a picky eater but if there is a steak or chicken option I will be fine
Entertainment - Do they have any English speaking live music or shows at night?
It seems that basic beverages (water, tea, coffee) are not included but I can add a drink package to solve this correct?
Thanks for your insight
hello bangers. Just off the Diadema and loved it, see my review. will try and post the menus we got tomorrow. We ate in the club restaurant but things on the menu are the same as main dining room. The meals in the main dining rooms are Italian themed and i believe steak and prawns are available at a supplement in the main dining room. Most Theatre production shows are very understandable and are a good quality. Bands and singers around the ship sing a variety of songs in several languages, all were good. The entertainment team speak most languages and you should have no trouble joining in if that is what you wish, just remember that this is a European ship geared mainly to the Italian market. ALL the staff we encountered spoke very good english and there are international hosts on board to help with any query you may have.
If you have any more questions please ask and i'll do my best to answer. Happy cruising :)
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Bazboy, belated birthday greetings and welcome home.
A nice, concise review, as always.
I have misplaced my glasses so had to read the review up close, I see you like Hugo Spritze - but I thought you mentioned gin a lot or was that grin. Where are my glasses?
Hiya G.M.T. or is that G&T and what size glasses are we on about? Hows the MIL? and hope you are all well.
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Hi Bazbov
Happy birthday. Very glad to see you had an amazing time on the Diadema.
I also like the Spritz you mentioned. The red one is Hugo Rosso and has elderberry cordial rather than elderflower. Both YUM>
We are just back off the Victoria and I am in the process of writing a review. That is between working my way through multiple tissues because I picked up the virus from heel on the last day of the cruise.
Looking forward to reading the rest.
Alicat.
Alicat, Thank you, looking forward to your review on the Victoria, get well soon xx
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Wehave just returned home from a weeks cruise around the Med on theCosta Diadema. This was my annual birthday cruise and we have cruisedon the Diadema before, this was our 3rd time. I shall postcomments on how we found our cruise experience to be but this will bea lengthy review. I shall be posting menus, and current drinks pricesas well as extracts from the daily whats on programme. For those whodo not like detailed lengthy reviews you have been warned (Grin).
Aswe are Perla Diamente (top level tier Guests) one of the perks isthat our cases are collected from our home and delivered to the ship(only within Europe) so armed only with hand luggage we set off fromAlicante train station to Barcleona the day before the cruisedeparted. The journey takes 5 hours on the fast train and it is acomfortable ride. We stayed this time at the Crowne plaza firacentre, only 2 stops from Sants which is one of the main hubs andfrom the hotel is only 3 stops from Drasanes which is the cruiseterminal metro stop. The Crowne Plaza was a comfortable stay and wehad booked an executive room which was very comfortable.
Thefollowing day we departed the hotel and made our way to the cruiseport. There are shuttles running from near the colombus monument whchdrop you off outside the terminal at a cost of 3€ single or 4€return. On the shuttle bus we met a couple of Italian people whorecognised us from our last cruise, This happened quite a lot oftimes on this cruise both with passengers and staff and was awonderful surprise.
Outsidethe cruise terminal, you showed your travel documents and you weregiven an embarkation number, ours was number 1 (another perk) youthen made your way inside the terminal where you filled out a healthquestionaire form. You then went to check in where you handed in yourhealth check form and tickets, your photo was taken and you were thentold that your cruise card would be on the bed in your cabin andgiven a time when embarkation would begin. We were then escorted tothe VIP lounge (another perk) dont get too excited, it was just asmallish room with a table of snacks (crisps,(chips) biscuits,(cookies) various soft drinks, (soda) and water. We were told thatsomebody would be up to escort us to the ship embarkation point at1.30pm. We were the only people in the VIP lounge and if i'm honest,i did miss the hustle and bustle of the other passengers, butunfortunately because of current health issues i now don't do well incrowds especially when people tend to push and shove or dontconcentrate on where they walk. It doesn't take much for me to losemy balance, so i tend to wait until crowds disperse.
Anywaya few minutes before 1.30pm we were indeed escorted to theembarkation line where crowds of people were standing around waitingto be boarded. Even with the anouncements that boarding would beginwith number 1 followed by 2,3,4,etc people were still trying to boardwith higher numbers, to no avail, The young lady who was escorting usmade it quite clear that they had to sit down and a clear path wasmade for me. I think i would have fallen if this had not havehappened, so thanks Costa for this definate improvement. Theobligatory ships embarkation photo was next and then we were onboard. Our cabins were ready and we went to the cabin to collect ourcruise cards, then up to the restaurant club diadema (yet anotherperk where all perla diamente and suite guests get to take all theirmeals on board.) Because this cruise was so busy they had to allocate2 seating times instead of dine as you please, 1st seating was at6.30pm and 2nd at 9.15pm. We were 2nd seatingbut if you got peckish beforehand you could always have a littlesomething from the buffet area.
Justinewas the Maitre'D in the club Restaurant and we are old friends, wehave watched him grow through the rank and file and he has now beenpromoted again to assistant Matre'D throughout the whole ship. We arethrilled for him and for those of you who know him, i'm sure you'llagree his promotion is richly deserved, for those who don't know him,if you ever get the chance to meet him, you are in for a treat. Heand his team looked after us (again) so well, and we are proud tocall him a friend.
Idid take some menus and i will copy what was available under anotherheading. This may take some time as i have not mastered the art ofthumbnailing and pasting, so i'll have to type everything.
Therest of the afternoon was spent reaquainting ourselves with the ship,some parts have been re-decorated, The ship is very big and glitzybut she does feel very welcoming. I have taken a video of the shipand for the first time i will attempt tp post it on a very well knownvideo web site (LOL) this will be my first attempt, so please do bekind and patient. We then got ready for evening dinner and went tothe show in the theatre, reserved front 3 rows for Diamente and Suiteguests up until 5 minutes before the show starts, this is nowrigourously enforced and you will be asked for your cruise card. Itis amazing the number of passengers who when challenged argue withthe host/ess even though it is clearly marked. I would'nt want theirjob for the world and i take my hat off to them. A nightcap after theevening meal and then bed. Goodnight day 1.
Portsof call.
Becausewe have sailed this route many times, we decided to mainly enjoy theship. The majority of passengers do tend to go ashore and on portdays you do feel as if the ship belongs to you, at least for a littlewhile.
Costatend to embark and disembark passengers at the vast majority ofpoints called, which makes it easier for passengers to embark at apoint thats closer to where they live. Their main hub is savonna inItaly. So on this cruise it's like a loop. Savona, Italy, Marseille(France) Barcelona (Spain) Palma de Mallorca (Spain) At sea. Palermo(Sicilly Italy) Civatevecia for Rome, (Italy) and then back toSavona. We chose to embark and disembark in Barcelona.
Thistime the only port of call we got off, was in Marseille, The shipsshuttle bus cost 10.95€ return journey. We only got off herebecause we had arranged to meet some French friends of ours who wemet on our last cruise. They live about 2 hours from Marseille andkindly met us. We had a fantastic time catching up on all the newsand had a wonderful meal in a restaurant sat outside on the terrace.The weather was very kind to us with clear blue skys and a warmtemparature of about 20c, 68-70f.
Cabin.
Becausewe were only on board for a week we opted to stay in an inside cabinin a premium category. It was perfectly acceptable and had plenty ofstorage space, 2 large suitcases fit under the bed.
Ourcabin steward Marie looked after us very well and it appears thatCosta too are now trying to slowly introduce the Morning, Evening, orboth cabin service. Their explanation is they are trying to reducethe effect of detergents on the environment. Marie made the choicefor us and put both.
Weare very tidy people and try to make the cleaning staffs job aseasily as possible, they work incredibly hard and for very longhours. Whilst walking up and down the cabin corridor we are oftenhorrified at the way some passengers leave their cabin, the words pigsty come to mind. At the moment Costa charge a service fee of 10€per person per day, this is shared out between all non salaried stafffrom the person who cleans the public areas up to your dining roomattendants. It is clearly stated that this is NON removable and so itis easy to factor this into the cost of your holiday.
Believeme, these guys and girls are worth every penny of this servicecharge. For us, these cruise staff make our holiday and we appreciateevery single one of them.
Everysingle staff member we encountered were hard working and friendly. Asmile and a cheery greeting goes a long way and we gained an insightinto the lives of these dedicated people.
Entertainment.
Entrtainmentranged from spa and health talks, excercise classes, games on deck,dance classes and quizzes during the day. Perhaps not as much as onan American /British ship but there is something for everyone. Forme, i'm a people watcher, i find people of different cultures andcountries fascinating. It doesn't matter if i can't understand whatpeople are saying. It's how they interact with each other that speaksvolumes. I can easily spend the day just watching people. I also havesome home hobbies and can often be seen doing some crochet.
Eveningentertainment consists of different bars having musical bands, duosand solos. On this cruise every single entertainer was very good witha good choice of music style. The various dance floors always hadpeople dancing and enjoying themselves.
Thetheatre shows were a good mix ranging from production shows, Tenor, aone man circus show and a sort of balletic acrobatic show which hadthe audience on their feet, including us, for a standing ovation,seriously it was that good. There is also the late night disco whichalways had a crowd, unfortunately that doesn't really get going untilwell after midnight and because of health issues or too muchfood(LOL) i usually have to retire by then. I did stay up for thewhite night party and that was amazing fun but i did suffer for itthe next day(grin).
Iwill type some of the activities from the daily Diario in anothersegment so please be patient.
Foodand Drink.
Forthe price we paid for the cruise (just over 50 pounds a day) rememberyou get Breakfast, Lunch, Afternoon snacks and dinner, plus youraccomodation,your different ports of call and your entertainment,this offers incredible value for money and nobody in their rightminds could expect Gourmet meals for this amount of money.
Wehave cruised with Costa a lot now and for us they are now ourpreferred cruise line. We don't know what they have done butcertainly on this cruise the food went up another level. We wereastounded at the quality. I don't know if it was the same in the mainrestaurant but certainly in the club diadema and the food from thebuffet had certainly improved.
Itwas average to good before but this time for us it was good toexcellent.
Inthe club restaurant you only get the Italian experience whilst thebuffet has a more international choice, for me when i'm on holiday,ido like to be waited on and have the gleaming cutlery on white tablecloths. Sometimes however i do fancy a little something differentespecially Asian food, but i don't like waiting in line. Justine(Maitre'D) must have over heard me and to my horror but delight hecame over and told me not to order anything from the menu as he hadsent 1 of his waiters to get me a selection of Asian food from thebuffet, it was delicious, yet i was a little embarrassed that 1 ofthe waiters walked to the buffet to get me it. That's going above andbeyond. On another occasion i had chosen the lamb from the menu andwas saying to Donald (my darling other half) that if i was at homei'd be gnawing on the bone (grin) It was so tender and sweet. Again imust have been overheard because lo and behold a plate with 2 extradouble cut chops appeared in front of me.
Onthe final night of my cruise it was my birthday and as another perkof the loyalty club you receive a birthday cake, it was huge. Imaginemy surprise when another birthday cake appeared, this time from thechefs and staff of the club restaurant decorated with the words “wewill miss you” The chefs and staff of the restaurant then toastedme with champagne. I was extremely humbled and touched (i cried)again thats going above and beyond, and i thank them all. We enjoyedevery single meal.
Somepeople criticise the high cost of drinks which can work out expensiveespecially if you do like to drink. However you can't expect to paythe same amount of money for a drink as you would pay in your localpub/bar. Prices are comparible to a 4 star hotel. We are not reallyheavy drinkers of alcohol but we do like an occasional drink and idiscovered the delights of Hugo Spritz rosa (elderflower syrup toppedup with prossecco and some sort of red liqour) so i'd have a coupleof those as well as soft drinks water tea and coffee. Donald would dothe same but he liked tha black russian.
Wehad reserved a piu gusto package at 29.49€ per person a day.Remember we are not huge drinkers but we kept a list of all we drankand if we had not purchased the package we'd have spent 822€. bypurchasing the package we spent approx 398€. please remember that15% has to be added to all drinks purchased and the prices shown doreflect this.
Iwill type the menus and drinks list in a seperate section.
Disembarkation.
Asanother Diamente perk we get laundry up to 25 items washed, driedand folded. We also get the luggage delivered back home. The luggagedoes have to be wrapped in cellophane and i really hate doing that.When i had done it and called for it to be collected from the cabin,i was asked why i hadn't let them wrap it for me, apparantly i'm theonly person on the ship with top level status who did this and i hateit, so i know what to do next time (giggle)
Wehad a leisurely breakfast and Lunch on board and then sans luggagemade our way back to Barcelona Sants to Alicante. The train left at4pm and we were back in the house at 10.30pm. The cruise is over andwe do miss it. We had a fantastic time and can't wait for our nextone aboard the Costa Victoria in June.
Ihope you enjoyed reading this. As i said Menus, drinks andentertainment will appear soon. Happy cruising :D
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Hello, to all you Costa Cruisers.
Have just booked our first Costa cruise in Middle East for February 2018. We have cruised with P&O, Celebrity and Princess, Any tips you can pass on to us, would be appreciated. Do you suggest a drinks package, and if so, what do they cost. We drink mainly wine with meals, and maybe a beer or gin and tonic before. Is water served in the main restaurant?
Many thanks
Hello Kittyonions.
We did the cruise from dubai last March but on the costa neo riviera. we had a fabulous time. I have written a review which included drink prices and meals etc, so a search should yield results if you wish to read it.
We also sailed on the Costa Meditaranea for the first time last september also written about. we had a fab time on her too. Costas drinks packages are the way to go. We usually don't drink a lot of Alcohol but soft drinks, coffees juices and non alco cocktails soon add up, especially in a hot climate and we found it to be excellent value for money..
Costa is a lot different than the british/american cruise lines,so just go with an open mind and i'm sure you'll enjoy it. Happy cruising:)
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Hello everyone. May i wish you all a very happy healthy 2018 with many more cruises.
We are off on the Costa Diadema in just under 3 weeks for my annual birthday cruise.
We had a great Christmas in England and we hope that you had a Great Christmas too.
I will as usual publish my thoughts on the Diadema cruise when we get back. Happy cruising.:)
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Hi G.M.T .
Hope you have a happy healthy 2018 and enjoy your cruises.:D
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Hello Alicat, thanks for your review, we are enjoying it. and we are pleased you enjoyed the cruise and ship. In answer to your question about charity crochet, i crochet snowflakes to hang on the christmas tree and each christmas time i take the snowflakes and set up a table in our local village square. People then usually stop and look and if they want one i ask for a donation and donate what ever money i take to our local charity, this helps those who can't afford food.
Hope you enjoy your cruise in November and we are looking forward to the rest of your review. Happy cruising :)
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Hello everyone, after a very busy summer i'm back and we have just returned from the Costa Mediterranea.Our first time on this ship. I have posted my review on the reviews page but also putting it here. Hope everyone is well and that you all had a good summer. Enjoy the review.
Mediterranea,Magic or mayhem.
Wehave just returned from a 13 night cruise aboard the CostaMeditteranea.
Weflew with Iberia from Madrid to Stockholm and had a few days inStockholm before boarding the ship. Below is OUR opinion on the shipand cruise.
Embarkation.
Wearrived at Stockholms Fryhamnen cruise terminal using the metrosystem from Odenplan, a little after midday. We had stayed at theIbis styles which was basic but clean and welcoming. The metro wasvery easy to use, even with 2 large suitcases and the walk to theterminal from the station is signposted and took us about 20 minutes.
Embarkationhad already started and as we are Perla diamente members we wereushered straight through to the boarding/security area, had ourphotos taken for our cruise card and directed to the buffet to getsomething to eat. Our cabin would not be available until 2pm.
Buffet.
Weare not really fans of buffets as we prefer to have waiter serviceand to take our time whilst having a meal. We had an Intendetoredrinks package
whichmeant we could have any drink costing 9 euros or less. Our cruisecards had not been collected as they were in the cabin but we justshowed our reservation slip and were assured there'd be no problem.
Therewere plenty of tables available as we were the first group on board.We selected what we wanted to eat from a very limited hot choice andfrom a somewhat confusing layout where different stations servingcold items, desserts, self serve collection drinks area and tea andcoffee area are scattered.
Donaldhad ordered a glass of wine which without the package would have cost5.75€ inc 15% service charge and i ordered an iced tea 3.30€.Halfway through the meal a young lady server arrived and gave Donalda bill to sign which was charging for the iced tea. We againexplained we were on the highest drink package level and we couldhave any drink for 9€ and less and showed her our reservation slip.She told us that it was for drinks by the glass only and as iced teawas served by the can, we had to pay for it.
Wepolitely refused and asked to see a manager who re-iterated that inthe buffet we could only be served drinks by the glass. To oursuprise, other passengers were being brought beers, and other softdrinks, pepsi, orange, 7up etc which were in cans and bottles andnothing was said. We signed the bill but it was never ever charged toour account, so somewhere there was a lack of communication. We onlyused the buffet area 1 more time and found it to be like other cruiselines, mostly chaotic.
Cabin.
Ata little before 2pm we went to see if our cabin was available. Forthe first time ever we were lucky enough to be able to get afantastic deal on a grand suite including butler service. This wasfor less than the price it would have cost us for an inside cabin onan American/ British ship.
Therewas a longish hallway with huge long table which led to a seatingarea with settee and chairs. Fully stocked no charge mini bar whichwas replenished if you asked. One wall was covered in huge glasswindows with ocean view with access to a huge wrap around balconywith 4 recliners and 2 chairs and a table. A seperate make updressing area with dimmer switch lighting.The bathroom had his andher sinks with a hydromassage bath and overhead shower. The bedroomhad a gigantic bed with plenty of wardrobe and storage space. Ourfirst steward Fidel we found to be very pleasant and kept the roomspotless but his contract was ending in 3 days. The replacementsteward Ronald, was very personable and nothing was too much troublefor him, he looked after us very well. The Butler, Dave was alsofriendly and although we did'nt use his service much, he did leave acontact number. We did have occasion to call him for 2 emergencies.
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Water was in the bathroom when we returned late at night,Within minutes 7 people arrived and dealt with the problem. Water had collected inside the outer cover of the bath and had overflowed.
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On our last night, whilst packing, we noticed that some of our clothes were stained and damp. Water had dripped from a cooling vent inside the wardrobe. Dave arranged for this to be repaired and for our clothes to be immediatly laundered.
Wearranged to have breakfast in the cabin on two occasions. This wasdelivered by Dave. Service was white glove and prompt and everythingwe ordered was delivered.
Youcould have all meals served in the suite at no extra charge.
Whilstwe did enjoy the suite very much we felt that for us we would nothave liked to have paid the full asking price so unless we get a veryspecial deal again, i doubt whether we'll get a full suite again.
Becausewe have reached Costas top tier of their loyaly programme regardlessof what cabin we choose, we get 1 Laundry service, free collectionand delivery of luggage from our home (within western europe)
Breakfastat no charge in the cabin. Exclusive use for ALL meals in the clubrestaurant. 75€ obc, reserved seats at shows in theatre, day spause (where available) plus some little extras. We feel this is goodenough for us.
Restaurantand meals.
Onthe Costa Meditarranea we had most meals in the club medussarestaurant.
Breakfastwas serve yourself from a cold buffet and/or a waiter service themedhot breakfast, choice of American Spanish Norwegian German Belgian orEnglish style breakfasts. Omelletes and eggs cooked to orderavailable.
Lunchwas a help yourself cold buffet station with salads cooked meatscheeses and various seafood treats including on 1 day a deliciousLobster salad.
Youthen had a choice of several hot and cold starters, Mains anddesserts.
Dinnerconsisted of waiter served hot and cold starters, Pasta, a selectionof entrees, cheese, and desserts.
Allof our meals whilst not high gourmet were better than what we wouldeat at home and there was always something you could eat. Food whilstnot served really hot was not served cold and was very appetising.Service was fantastic and our Main servers Wyam, Trang and Karin werean absoloute delight, indeed all the staff in the Club medussa are acredit to Costa.
Mostpassengers in the restaurant were extremely friendly with a veryinternational mix. French, German, Spanish, Swiss, Russian, Italianand a very few native British. We always looked forward to meal timesand had so much fun with our fellow comrades.
Youcould of course always opt to eat in one of your other assignedreataurants or the Buffet, pizza or grill.
Buffetbreakfast was continental only. Drinks are charged for unless youtake a package. This includes Water tea coffee except for meal timesin the buffet.
Barsand Drinks.
Therewere plenty of places to get a drink from however when the ship wasreeally busy especially sea days, service could be a little slow butif you are patient somebody will come.
Drinkson average cost no more than in a 4 star hotel or theme park. We dontreally drink a lot of alcohol but there are some delicious non alcococktails which cost about 7€ plus 15% service on ALL drinks. Inorder to help with drink package versus pay as you go here is anapprox example.
Basedon some alco drinks
Morning.
2cappucino at breakfast 6€
midmorning coffee 2.24€
nonalco cocktail 6€
Lunchand afternoon.
Glassof wine 5.50€
1ltrbttl water 3.50€
afterlunch coffee 2.24€
alcococktail 8.25€
evening
predinner sherry 5.50€
glassof wine 5.50€
afterdinner port 5.50€
totalpay as you go 50.23€.
Brindiamodrinks package (ship branded drinks no alco cocktails) 26.99€
PioGusto package (ship branded drinks including alco cocktails) 29.99€
IntenditorePackage (premium branded up to 9€ drink.) 45.99€
Pricesare per person per day. Prices are inclusive of 15% service.
Allof the bar staff we encountered in the lounges were friendly and allhad a smile.
Entertainment.
Theentertainment team were very friendly and they had the usual shipboard activities from craft classes to port talks during the day. Notas much as on the American/ British lines, but i can never be boredwith people watching, chatting, reading and charity crochet.
Eveningentertainment ranged from theatre production shows (very good)
guestartists (very good) Disco and musicians in various bars around theship.We found all of the music on this cruise to be very good.
TheShip
TheCosta Mediterranea was kept spotlessly clean and the crew all workedhard constantly.British and American passengers may find the glitzydecoration a little overwhelming but it grew on us.
Mealtimes are a little later than these passengers may be used toespecially second seating and the buffet closes earlier, which for usis a good thing (less waste) There is a compulsary 10€ pppd servicecharge that can't be removed. In all honesty we find this a fairsystem and dont begrudge paying this at all. We have NEVER receivedenough bad service to warrant removing this charge. You may encounterthe odd person but this in no way should stop payment to the vastmajority of the staff who look after you so well. The passengers onboard are mainly from Western Europe and some may not speak english.A few local words and a smile and gestures will open conversation andyou will be greeted with a wave and a smile should you next encounterthem. We got really friendly with Maryvonne and Claude a delightfulFrench couple who we hope will now be friends for life. We had such alaugh with them and looked forward to meeting up with them throughoutthe voyage.
Theports.
Portsvisited were Stockholm. Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Harwich, Le Havre,Vigo, Lisbon, Barcelona and Savona. As we had been to these ports onmany occasions we only took 1 excursion. Hornfleur from Le havre. Itwas a charming town which we both fell in love with and would visitagain in a heartbeat.
Conclusion.
Wasthe Costa Mediterranea magic or mayhem. There was a little mayhemespecially in the Buffet area but on the whole it was magic and wewould sail on her again. It did'nt capture our heart as much as theCosta Neo riviera Our favourite ship. We have previously sailed withP&O and Princess and had very good experiences with them but wehave grown to love the Costa brand and the glitz. We have neverreceived bad customer service and any problems have always been dealtwith efficiently and friendly service even from Costas sales officewhere Simona and Amanda have looked after us so well.
Ournext cruise is back on the Diadema which is 2nd favouriteand then we are giving the Costa Victoria a try.
Thanksfor reading and whoever you sail with Happy Cruising.
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Sorry for threadjacking, but I've booked the 2018 Mediterranea Dubai-Savona, bazbov- any advice?
Hi Dancer bob, We are still thinking about doing this too, Never been on the Meditarranea so cant tell you what the ship will offer.
Dubai- very easy to get around using the metro and the dancing fountains at the dubai mall were worth seeing, If you dont want to stand with the masses, TGI Fridays restaurant was fairly reasonable and has outdoor seating, but get there early as it does get busy and they wont accept reservations.
Muscat- we visited here twice as we did back to back. First time we did a ships excursion, Dhow cruise, relaxing but really not much to see but it was a nice experience. Second time we walked along the corniche and then explored the souk and some of the side streets, very clean and we felt safe.
Sir Ban yas island. We took the ships safari excursion which lasted about an hour and a half. you go in by ships tender and the ship sets up a bbq. shore appeared quite rocky and pebbly so take sea shoes, shelved quite steeply.
Salahla. we just stayed on the ship as we didnt really fancy any of the excursions.and had heard that a taxi cost between 80 and a 100 dollars to get to town, however our waitress told us that if 4 of you share it worked out at 30 dollars return each.
Aqaba. we'd previously done an excursion to petra from here,long day but worth it. we just got the shuttle to town,which was small but quite pleasant, however there will be a lot of taxi drivers trying to get you to take a tour, a polite but firm no thanks will stop them pestering.
Eilat, Tours to Masada fortress, dead sea and Jerusalem, all previously done, again very long day but worth it.. Free shuttle will drop you off near the town and beaches, very pleasant to walk around and shop.
etc
Limmasol. Having stayed on cyprus a number of times wev'e seen the sights. however if you havent, theres lots to see and Limmasol is nice to walk around, ship charges for shuttle here. Places nice to visit include Paphos and the land of the kings, apollos temple and aphrodites rock, the troodos mountains and Niccosia. depending on the time docked here it's easy and relatively cheap to hire a car.
Rhodes. very easy to walk into the old town which is a unesco world heritage site and very interesting to walk around and soak up the atmosphere.
Piraeus for Athens. Hop On Hop off buses just outside the terminal.or a 25 minute walk to the metro and then a 4 euro day pass to see that all Athens has to offer .Metro station beside teminal/gate e5
Not sure if you will visit any more greek ports, Hope this helps and Happy Cruising. :)
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Hello, we have done may transatlantic cruises,usually march apr and november, really enjoyed them all. never had any really bad weather for a prolonged period of time. Just got off the repositioning dubai to Italy cruise and weather was great all the way. Happy cruising. :)
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Hello Everyone, just caught up with all the reading and i'm so pleased that on the whole you enjoyed yourselves. Hope your next cruises are just as good. Happy cruising. :)
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:cool:That sounds idyllic!
Think we'll give a Samsara cabin a go very soon although we haven't been terribly impressed by the food in the Samsara restaurant so far. Service and ambience were very pleasant but what was on the plate was rather disappointing.
Is anyone able to confirm that you can have breakfast and lunch as well as dinner in the Samsara restaurant at no extra charge if you are a Samsara guest please? Maybe the food at these times would be less important but peacefulness (and good service) would be worth a lot.
Thank you.
Hello bobbingbob. We have done 2 cruises in an inside samsara cabin but since they stopped giving the meals in the samsara restaurant and the free spa treatments we now stay in an ordinary cabin and buy a samsara pass once on board. This still gives access to the thermal area and pool etc as well as earning you more Costa points so you can climb the tiers more quickly. Top tier enables you to use the club restaurant for ALL meals as well as other perks. If you are a Club Pearl orGold pearl member this would include 1 Free meal to be taken in the Samsara restaurant Hope this helps. Happy cruising. :)
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Hi Bazbov
Looks as if you had a great cruise. We've not been on the NeoRivera yet. There is a Med cruise later this year that looks quite nice.
We had the worst food ever on our flights to and from Mumbai travelling with BA. We both love curry but this was inedible and over heated. Must say that I was not impressed with Emirates recently either. Everyone I spoke to before said how good they were. I beg to differ. Same old stuff: No we've run out of the beef you'll have to eat more chicken". Blegh! I actually like chicken but not 2 meals in a row! I even tried their vege food. It was even worse but you get served before the other passengers. I might try the diabetic food next:evilsmile:.
Still planning our Diadema trips. 4 weeks today!
Happy cruising
Alicat
Hello Alicat. Many thanks and yep we enjoyed the cruise very much.
Lol about the airline food and good luck with the Diabetic menu :D. Hope you have a wonderful time on the Diadema. Happy cruising.:)
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Thanks for posting!
We took BA from San Francisco to Barcelona via London, and it was like a tale of two airlines...On the TA flight we had great food and service, just like you did. On the intra-Europe portion, after a long delay, we had to pay for everything (even water), only credit cards accepted, and many of them didn't work. I would say half the plane never even had the opportunity to get something.
What I liked about the buffet on the Mediterranea was the variety of choices. In the MDR, it was always great pasta followed by so-so meats in our opinion. The salad offered with the meal was just some pale lettuce and tomato. The buffet however had many nice salads, and of course you can take tastes of things to see what might appeal to you.
I think sea days are a matter of personal preference. It seems like chairs by the pool are always hard to get (any cruise line), the gym is crowded, etc. I really don't like them, I always feel its not a good use of a vacation day. So, I liked just having one on our recent cruise. But, I know many people enjoy just being to relax and do very little on their sea days.
Hiya ej. Thanks for the reply. I'm fortunate enough to love sea days so we do tend to opt for cruises with as many as possible. We are looking forward to the Meditaranea in September.
On the neo-riviera the salds in the buffet always had more choice too and if you asked to have a salad in the restaurant they just bought you a plate of 2 different types of lettuce and dressing. you had to specify what you wanted in the salad and then they brought it. Happy cruising.
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Bazboy, welcome home. Glad for you that both cruises wroked out so well for you.
You have booked to go on neoRiviera in 2019, what are you doing for 2018?
Hello and thanks G.M.T. For 2018 we are just going to do last minute availability but are looking at doing the same dubai cruise as we enjoyed it so much.
Hope all is well with you and that you've got cruises planned. :)
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Tipping is not something expected where I am from so I just want to check what is the protocol on Costa.
If we are having a regular meal (not the high end restaurant), are we required to tip? Do we tip right at the end of the meal? Or only end of the cruise?
How about if we order a drink?
Will there be any hidden surprises at the end of the cruise on our bill? Just want to plan and prepare ahead of time.
Thanks!
Hello Ausabroadable. Just got back from the Costa neo riviera and made friends with a lovely OZ couple who live in Brisbane. They told us that they have to pay the 10€ pppd service charge but they didnt mind as the cruise cost so much less than a normal aussie cruise would have done. No further tipping is required or asked for but you can leave something extra to a particular member who made a difference to you,if you so wish. i'd budget the 10€ pppd and then if you dont need it then this is an added bonus. Happy cruising. :)
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I read about Costa having Robots on their cruise ships:
https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/15579-costa-welcomes-pepper-robots-on-diadema.html
Did anyone ever see one of these robots? Are they on all the ships? I´d really love to see one.
Hello Bluebear, Pepper was on the Diadema and made us smile. Just got off the Neo-riviera but no pepper on there- apart from on the tables in the restaurant ;p happy cruising.
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Hello Alicat. Welcome home and so glad that you enjoyed your cruise, thanks for sharing your photos and experiences. :)
Costa Victoria 13/1/18
in Costa Cruises
Posted
Hiya Alicat (Riana). Glad that your'e now on the mend and thanks so much for the insight on your cruise and pre-cruise, i too love the photos but your'e braver than i am, i have no idea how to do that sort of thing (G) It will be interesting to see what the Victoria looks like after her refit, i will let you know our impressions when we return from her in June. Like Tenpin i too now find it more difficult to move around and tend to stay on board ship a lot more, which i also love. Probably be able to do a couple more long distance flights but then after that we'll just stick to the Med. Happy cruising and welcome back..