JosieS

You cannot expect the same level of service on Costa as on the American cruise lines, and no, I would not call it "upscale". It does seem somewhat comparable to Carnival, much less luxurious than Celebrity or Princess for example. The food is fine, some very good. We also enjoy being in the minority and meeting and learning about Europeans. We cruise to see the world, and the ship is for "a place to sleep and something to eat" as my husband says, and if that's your goal, then Costa will suffice. If you want luxury and to be catered to, then it's probably best to go elsewhere.

Costa Smeralda or Portofino, which is best?

Looks like we are just missing you. Are you going late November on the Magica? We will be on November 6 - 17 as well as the previous cruise.

We have only ever been on the NeoR and the Magica - They are worlds apart. Like two different cruiselines.

Can you elaborate? We went on the NeoRomantica last fall and are doing the Magica this fall. Fortunately we have a premium balcony...hope that will help.

Coffee and water machines are not available all day in the buffet as they are on American lines. But despite the stated policy to the contrary, they allowed us to bring on one or two bottles of water or soft drinks when returning after port stops. The cabin steward brought us ice every day at our request, so that is how we solved our hydration problem.

The NeoRomantica also had "tea" every afternoon at 3 p.m., which included a wide assortment of teas and coffee. And I believe you can use room service at no charge--but check that before you do.

Hot (and cold) water from the tap was fine to drink. Tea bags were available at the buffet that you could take back to your cabin, and we had single serving instant coffee bags we had taken with us (rather than bothering with a coffee maker).

There was always some question about water in the dining room (not the buffet). I think it depended on the waiter. Some would serve you bottled water at no charge, but we found we could always get iced tap water in a glass.

A note of caution on Costa: do not expect the same level of service that you get on the American lines. However, to us, being on an Italian line and quite in the minority made our cruises all the more interesting. We did 31 days on the NeoRomantica last fall and enjoyed it immensely. Not to say there were not problems! One to be prepared for is that your pre-booked shore excursions may be cancelled because there are not enough English speakers who signed up for the trip. If you are going to the Baltic, this shouldn't be a problem but it can be in the Mediterranean and on any cruise that departs from Italy.

Do we know if this is now the case on all Costa ships or just the Fortuna? We were on the NeoRomantica last fall and the buffet was open for dinner and the food was plentiful--especially the ice cream!

I will be interested to hear if this works for anyone!

Thanks very much! I can buy Dolce Gusto pods here for about $.50 each, so we will do so!

Thanks! Now who knows if they are the same as Kuireg?

Guess then we won't feel bad about eating in port and missing our dinner on the ship :)

Going on the neoRomantica Aug 26 through Sept 28 2014--three cruises in a row. Anyone else out there on any of those cruses? email me jaasimon@comcast.net

By pods, do you mean the ones like are used in the Keurig machines? Why couldn't we bring and use our own?

Good point. I will do that. There aren't many for Costa, but I will start one and hopefully people will look there. Thanks.

We are taking three connecting Costa cruises on the NeoRomantica beginning Aug 26 and ending Sept 28, 2014. We are looking for other Americans or Canadians on each cruise to connect with, perhaps share expenses (such as a taxi or rental car), and share research and ideas. Please post here and/or send me an email jaasimon@comcast.net.

Thanks!