Anyone back from Atlantica??

[Gaynors]

Just wondering if anyone is back from the first Caribbean sailing of the Atlantica? The first sailing out of FLL was Nov 7-14th.

[CrusingJoe]

Just wondering if anyone is back from the first Caribbean sailing of the Atlantica? The first sailing out of FLL was Nov 7-14th.

 

Me too......How was it?

[RubySoho]

We were on that sailing. DH, myself, DD7, and DS3.

 

Embarkation and debarkation went very smoothly. Seas were a little rough the first couple of days, but other than that the weather was great. Problems w/slow service in the main dining room the first night too, but as promised they were resolved and everything went smoothly. Staff was excellent and the ship is gorgeous. Food was hit or miss. Most of the offerings for dinner at the buffet are the same as what was served in the main dining room. No problems getting on or off in the ports either - we had lots of problems on our Carnival cruise last year.

 

Any specific questions feel free to ask.

[BigJohn1968]

Did they have a poker table on the boat for Texas holdem??? I hope so.

[yunksr]

We were on that sailing. DH, myself, DD7, and DS3.

 

Embarkation and debarkation went very smoothly. Seas were a little rough the first couple of days, but other than that the weather was great. Problems w/slow service in the main dining room the first night too, but as promised they were resolved and everything went smoothly. Staff was excellent and the ship is gorgeous. Food was hit or miss. Most of the offerings for dinner at the buffet are the same as what was served in the main dining room. No problems getting on or off in the ports either - we had lots of problems on our Carnival cruise last year.

 

Any specific questions feel free to ask.

What were the offerings on the dinner menus? I've heard that the food is a little different than on other cruise lines...more Italian.. did that hold true for the Carib cruise?

[RubySoho]

I would definitely say there was an Italian flair to the dinners, but not the Italian that I am used to. I guess I'm more accustomed to the American versions of Italian foods. Definite lack of garlic. One example that sticks out was the fettucini alfredo, it was very thin and almost a soup with pasta in it. I know I will probably get blasted for this, but I would take the Olive Garden version any day over this.

The filet steaks were very good, and if you like seafood, you will be happy (mahi, tuna steaks, herring, salmon, swordfish). I remember a few duck entrees, chicken cacciatore, lamb a few nights, (I liked the chops much more than the shank) and a stuffed turkey breast that was very good.

Make sure you check out the different pasta stations at the buffet, the veal raggout was my favorite.

 

As for Texas Hold'em, I dont recall seeing it. There were a couple poker table games like Carribean Stud and 3 Card.

[mimicsr]

What night was the toga party, and what was provided, anything besides the bed sheet with instructions? I'm particularly interested in whether or not head bands looking like laurel leaves were provided. Also, what was the percentage you would say dressed up in togas? How was the entertainment, dancers and singers, as well as comedians? Thanks for any reply.

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Glad to hear you had a good cruise!

 

Besides togo night, were there any other "theme" nights that we would need to pack for?

 

Did your kids use the kids clubs? If so did they enjoy them? Which nights does the kids club have a special dinner for the kids?

 

Were the pools open while in port? How often was the slide open?

 

Sorry for all the questions - we're sailing in January and it's been difficult finding recent info!

 

Thanks so much!

[sunlover58]

What type of room did you have? Plenty of storage space? How was the casino? Also interested in the pool area. How many pools are there and were there lots of lounges around? Any info you can share will be appreciated. We sail in April if we can get decent airfare. Right now we are looking at around $900 to Fll from Va.

[Gaynors]

Thank you for responding!! I'm glad to hear you had a good trip. I'm sorry to hear the food was just OK. We have loved the "authentic" italian in the past over the americanized italian food, but everyone has their own tastes.

 

Is toga night the last night? Usually that is when the have it, so it is easier to pack up all your belongings. However, on our cruise the last evening is Christmas Day :) I can't imagine having a toga party on Christmas Day :eek:. We'll just have to wait and find out.

 

Did your kids use the Squok club?

 

Thanks.

[OrlandoD]

Saw somewhere on the boards that the ships has pricing on board in Euros instead of $$$ and it was quite expensive.....true?

[G.M.T.]

The TOGA NIGHT is on the last night! So don't forget to put out a change of clothes, before packing, to leave the ship the next morning, as your suitcases have to be put outside the cabin by 01:00 am.

 

You may have some explaining to do, with the Immigration, if you are wearing a Toga.:confused:

 

There are stories of passengers leaving the ship in pyjames or the Costa one piece paper overalls used by the engine staff.

 

Ron

[tenpin]

Did they have a poker table on the boat for Texas holdem??? I hope so.

 

 

Was on her in 01 and certainly played it then on three nights of seven, other was 5 card stud and draw. might have change a bit but think I have had a game on most Costa ships.

[RubySoho]

Toga night was on the last night of the cruise. However it was done a little differently than what I had read on the boards. Instead of putting bedsheets in the room, Togas were giving out at the entrance to the last show, the passenger talent show. So no togas at dinner. Unfortunately we didnt make it up late enough so I'm not sure what type of participation there was.

Our kids 3 and 7, loved the kids club, especially the seven year old. The staff was amazing. There were several nationaliteies on board, so activities in the kids club were scheduled and done in different languages. For instance there were different movie nights in English, Spanish, Italian etc. I was amazed at how all the kids mingled and played together even with language barriers. I really liked that aspect of the kids club, exposing kids to other cultures and languages. I can't overstate how impressed I was with the staff at the kids club, they did a wonderful job.

[RubySoho]

Pricing on board was all in US dollars. They must only do this on Carribean sailings, as some of the shops were still switching over from Euros during the first couple days. With the exception of photos I actually found it quite reasonable. Twice a day all the bars had a buy one get one free happy hour.

We had an obstructed view balcony on deck 5, which was great. Bathroom shelves are plentiful, but closet and drawer space in the bedroom was a little tight for our family of four.

[RubySoho]

There are 3 regular pools and 1 kiddie pool. Our cruise seemed pretty empty so there were always lounge chairs available somewhere. It was difficult to find space around the main pool, but plenty of open ones on the upper decks.

 

The waterslide wasn't open much due to strong winds. It was open while we were in port. The hours posted were from 10am-12pm and then again from 3-5pm. My DD and DH did it a few times but were pretty disappointed.

[RubySoho]

Other than the toga party the last night, there was a circus night, Italian night, pirate night, and Carribean Carnavale night. Other than the employees no one else dressed for these.

[treasurespast]

We will be on this ship out of FLL on 11/28. Since the ship doesn't leave port until 7pm, what is the earliest we can get on the ship?

 

Is this a new route for this ship?

[lngtmecruiser]

This is our first ont he same sailing dates, have tried numerous others hope this one takes

[TinyBeLittle]

We will be on this ship out of FLL on 11/28. Since the ship doesn't leave port until 7pm, what is the earliest we can get on the ship?

 

Is this a new route for this ship?

 

Embarkation time is from 13:30 to 17:30, as indicated on your boarding documents.

[MalNZ]

We are a family of four and will be on the Atlantica on the 3 April.

 

Was deck 5 - Roma Deck? We also have an obstructed view cabin, our cabin number is 4124. Did you have any view from your cabin?

 

Great to hear that your 7 year old had so much fun, as we have two girls aged 7 and 8.

 

Did you eat in the dining room each night? I heard that the service can be slow and can take a couple of hours - is this correct?

 

Was the food suitable for your kids?

 

What was your favourite port? Which ones did your 7 year old like the best? Can you recommend any shore excursions?

 

Sorry about all of the questions.

 

Mal NZ

[winkfam]

We are also a family of 4 going on the Dec. 12th sailing. We have 2 kids, 2 and 5. We are also in a balcony cabin on the 8th deck. How did you all sleep in the cabin? Did your kids use the beds from the wall?

 

Thanks for replying!

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Rubysoho, thanks for your replies!

[RubySoho]

I don't know if it was because we were the first carribean sailing or not but we were on board by 12:30 or 1:00.

 

As for the sleeping arrangements we put our DD in the pull down upper berth and DS on the sofa that was made up as a bed. It worked well for us and there is a small bed rail to keep little ones from rolling off.

 

We made it to the dining room w/ the kids twice and DH and I went twice w/out them. Although our waiter always made sure to bring the kids food as soon as it was ready, the long drawn out meals were really too much for them. 1.5-2 hours was the norm for dinner each night.

 

We did the early seating. After the first couple of nights we ate at the buffet. The offerings were basically the same and we could eat on our own schedule. Kids choices included fish sticks, hot dogs, hamburgers, and spaghetti. They can also order off the adult menu. In the future DH and I will probably take the later seating and just run the kids up to the buffet before dropping them @ the kids club.

[RubySoho]

If you are doing the eastern carribean sailing I highly recommend a tour of the island and some time @ Megan's Bay. We used Papa Bear and Air Force One Tours. He has a great passion for the island and we got some beautiful pictures. Megan's Bay has nice gentle rolling waves, beatiful white sand beach, shade trees, and picnic tables. The best beach day ever!!!:D

 

We also ended up really enjoying San Juan. We did our own thing, toured San Cristobal, and then wandered the streets. We stopped and got some great empanadas at a little stand. Stopped into a cute little 100-year-old bakery w/ the cutest little old man behind the counter. He invited the kids behind the counter so that they could pick out their sweets. Then later in the day we got some shaved ice. It was fun to have no timetables to stick to.