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goodbye COSTA CLUB.


tenpin
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Just been looking for June & September cruise.

 

All suites sold out.

Now this is a direct result of the stupid new club rules that gives preference to members who cruise more this year than last, yet we who cruise 4/5 times a year with them cannot get a suite even at full price.

 

The exlusive Club Restaurant, you know the one that declares, ' The Club Restaurant offers you a selection of fine dining in an elegant setting.'

 

Which in fact is now so over-subscribed that there are two sittings but still not enough tables, kids running about & shorts & vests the norm.

 

For many years, we enjoyed the wonderful meals served in the club restaurant this was Italian fine dining at it's best, now all meals throughout the ship are the same excluding Samsara which has reduced your selection down to 3/4 dishes.

The Costa club is now a joke we will never get an up-grade because we cruise 4/5 a year with them, yet if we decide to go back to other lines, within three years we will be down to CORAL losing nearly 55,000 points along with all our well deserved privilege's.

 

While some who only cruise as we do will get suites up-grades which we are quite willing to pay full price for.

 

After 21 years it is going to be goodbye Costa I'm going to where we are appreciated.

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So club dining is not what I thought, thanks for the tip. Costa Club looks to be the most demanding and yet based on your review, the least rewarding! Thanks for your tip, as i was thinking of booking a Caribbean cruise with them, in a suite. Also, one World Cruise in a JR suite, would get you their top level, but it does not look like it would be worth it. Thanks!

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Have Costa now got a death wish, you cannot book a cruise without a drink package included, what about those of us who don't partake in alcohol.

Brindiamo package is £356.86 per week cruise per cabin has gone up by (250 (£500) although my wife likes a glass of wine with meals and I normally have one or two coffee in the evening, our bill has never been more than £200.00. another rip off by a Company that seems set on removing loyal customers.

 

About to go on our last Costa cruise after twenty years with them.

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Have Costa now got a death wish, you cannot book a cruise without a drink package included, what about those of us who don't partake in alcohol.

Brindiamo package is £356.86 per week cruise per cabin has gone up by (250 (£500) although my wife likes a glass of wine with meals and I normally have one or two coffee in the evening, our bill has never been more than £200.00. another rip off by a Company that seems set on removing loyal customers.

 

About to go on our last Costa cruise after twenty years with them.

 

Loyalty in the Costa dictionary is spelt €oya$ty.

 

In the past, we were always loyal customers only cruising with Costa, but things changed for us with their 3 year loyality club.

 

Costa looks to becoming a cattle truck, stuff more in and only fed and water once aday.

 

6 weeks and we are off on our first non Costa cruise.

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Loyalty in the Costa dictionary is spelt €oya$ty.

 

 

 

6 weeks and we are off on our first non Costa cruise.

 

I can't wait to hear what you think about Celebrity. Just as a point of interest, how did their pricing compare to Costa's.

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In the first place we went for the iternary. But I think we got a good price, €1249 p.p outside cabin for 14 nights including the Classic Drinks package (which if bought is US $55 per day per person), on a 2000 passenger ship.

 

From the reviews Celebrity beats Costa on all fronts.

 

So, we'll just hae to wait and see. Six weeks to go.

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Yep Im hearing you.

I always picked Costa for the itinerary plus the bonus of the drink packages!

 

Im just really torn now between booking on the Fortuna- although the dates fit and the itinerary really suits us. Or looking elsewhere like Celebrity. I have looked at Princess but its not just right itinerary and date wise for us.

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I for one can honestly say, Celebrity is a great line, okay it is now six years since we have been with them but I would not think they have changed that much.

 

Certainly dearer than Costa but yes worth paying it, cruises are like food, some are bad, some are good & some are excellent.

Guess Celebrity gets the last one from us.

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I just lost Diamond Pearl status myself. I figure club benefits are worth maybe 100 euros. That's not nearly nearly enough difference to make it worth my while to be bored out out of my mind on some American ship, say Holland America, Princess or Celebrity, all of which I have been on. There are certainly far too many people with "exclusive" status, they have to prune the numbers.

If you want to stay in business, a "good" customer is a profitable one. Unless I'm with a group, I only travel when I get a good deal, I'm a long way from being a really profitable customer, from a business perspective I can't disagree I'm one of the ones to be pruned..

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  • 3 weeks later...

Its interesting to read everyone opinions on this, our current train of thought is coming back to Costa from sailing mostly Celebrity (78 nights) for the last 3 years. I am wondering what is so different that is making you want to try elsewhere? We have Elite status on X but have found the prices are easling us out.

 

Sad to see we have dropped down to Coral from Pearl but as nice as it was it isn't a deal breaker.

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Hi Wansbrough nice to hear from you.

 

Costa has indeed changed over the past few years, menu's now are very limited at least in the 'Med' in the two week cruises over Christmas we only had a choice of ten different main dishes, one twice in one week, one again in second week, although the food was indeed acceptable, it was very bland and ingredient's often all piled on top of each other, mixing flavour so you could not tell what the main thing was.

Crew are under so much pressure due to cut backs it is starting to show with no bar service now in the theatre & no bar waiters now in buffet.

As you know we were very much Costa loyalists but giving them up after our cruise from Dover this May on the Mediterranea.

 

WE have over 50,000 club points but it means nothing to Costa if you have read my other thread we believe they are again about to change rules again. I can't believe there were no suites left after trying to book the Mediterranea last October.

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Hi Wansbrough nice to hear from you.

 

Costa has indeed changed over the past few years, menu's now are very limited at least in the 'Med' in the two week cruises over Christmas we only had a choice of ten different main dishes, one twice in one week, one again in second week, although the food was indeed acceptable, it was very bland and ingredient's often all piled on top of each other, mixing flavour so you could not tell what the main thing was.

Crew are under so much pressure due to cut backs it is starting to show with no bar service now in the theatre & no bar waiters now in buffet.

As you know we were very much Costa loyalists but giving them up after our cruise from Dover this May on the Mediterranea.

 

WE have over 50,000 club points but it means nothing to Costa if you have read my other thread we believe they are again about to change rules again. I can't believe there were no suites left after trying to book the Mediterranea last October.

 

Hello Tenpin, its nice to hear from you too. (y)

 

I think this downward service spiral is becoming the norm amongst the larger cruise lines. Cut backs are rife!

 

Some obvious and some not so. We will be doing three nights on the Mediterranea in October to introduce some friends to cruising, I know these circular routes round the western Med don't often produce the best experiences so we will just have to wait and see.

We do have 2 booked with MSC and it will be interesting to compare their current product. Costa always came out tops in the past but I am now wondering if thats still the case. I always ook back very favourably to our previous Costa cruises. :D

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  • 1 month later...

I'm on Mediterranea doing a B2B around Dubai, then back to Savona. I paid while I was still a Diamond member, they're honouring that status, I'm not arguing.

First segment, only a few dozen Diamond members, open sitting in the Club restaurant. This segment, 90% full with 290 Diamond members, down to the corner of the MDR with two fixed sittings. Not bad, but not really special, the buffet is much improved recently and I'm eating there, eat when I want and done in 20 minutes.

It's hard to predict what your experience will be on a short trip.

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