Review of the Costa Atlantica 1-2-05

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

I have been waiting for CC to be feeling better before I started to type a long review so here goes:

 

Embarkation: We got to the port quite early, around 10:30 am and only had to wait about 30 minutes or so to be let onto the ship. This process ran quite smooth. The ship left quite late because there was a flight that was delayed quite a bit so they waited for all of those passengers that were late. I guess they booked air through Costa.

 

Ship: It was quite clean and everyone was so nice and helpful, we had a fun morning exploring and finding a nice spot to look around the port at the other ships. My mom was amazed at the size of the ship considering the last ship she was on was a very small ship in the early 70's. Our cabin was wonderful as well, the number was 6215.

 

Food: I only have one complaint this year, the last night they really need to have something besides pizza on the vegetarian menu. Other than that everything was great. We special ordered bruchetta (sp?) one night and my DH ordered fried calamari one night and they came out perfect. Everyone was quite pleased.

 

Other passengers: I love being with people from other countries, so it made the week feel like I was in Europe again. It is nice to observe other cultures sometimes. There was a group on board that were a bit rowdy and they wore jeans and hawaiian shirts on the first formal night and wore swimsuits and t-shirts on other nights, they did not ruin my cruise, it is just an observation.

 

Activities: we did not do a whole lot on board, by time we visited the ports and had dinner we were just so tired. My husband and I did participate in the Newlywed and Not-so-Newlywed game. We became quite infamous the last day and a half of the cruise. Anyone on that cruise will probably remember that. We also did a few trivia games and won twice.

 

Ports and excursions-

 

Key West: The ship docked at the old naval base so you have to ride on the Conch Train on and off of the base and you have to have your picture ID to get on and off, and you have to take to shuttle, no taxis are allowed on the base. That was a pain in the rear, but since there is only one berth downtown and Carnival was in town on the same day I guess they have priority on where they dock since they are there just about everyday. We didn't do anything except go into town and purchace a few things at CVS since we have been there a few times.

 

Cozumel: We went on the Jeep ride to Passion Island and had a fun time! The jeep ride was great and exciting. It was interesting to see some of the Mexican "jungle" as the guides called it. And the beach was beautiful and EMPTY! Nice to get away from the crowds for a bit. If you decide to go make sure your kids don't drink a lot of the water, our son got ill that night and he was chomping the ice there like crazy. I brought water but since they had all the soda you want he went a bit overboard and my mom didn't think of the montazuma's revenge and let him do it. Gladly he was fine the next day.

 

Ocho Rios: Since our excursion on the San San yacht didn't leave until the afternoon we went to the village marketplace (or whatever it is called, I know that is where Margaritaville is) to do a little shopping. The place was so empty but we had fun looking in all of the little shops and buying souviners. The excursion on the yacht was ok, I wasn't really crazy about it but my family seemed to enjoy it. My DH and DS loved snorkling near the reef and saw all sorts of great fish. The yacht went to Dunn's River falls and my DH and DS climbed to the top but my mom and I opted to walk up the chicken way. I got into the water, whach was freezing, to see what it was like.

 

Grand Cayman: Just as I remember it, beautiful water and beaches. Downtown seems to have recovered enough from the hurricane to be up and running full blast, but when you go futher away from the main part there is still a lot of damage. It looked so much like Miami did after Andrew and brought back many memories to my DH and I of all of that destruction. We went to Stringray City which was not crowded at all this time (it was overcrowded last time we were there) and also snorkeled at the coral reef and it was so clear and beautiful. I need money to retire there.

 

Staff: All of the staff was excellent except for our butler Alex. Anna was our stewardess and she was excellent. Everything was done to perfection and there was always a smile when we saw her in the hall. Das our waiter was great and a wonderful dancer! I think DH might be jealous. My son loved Daisy and Marco at the kids club and he could not wait to go every day. Max the cruise director was so cool! He was so great and he sent us a hand written thank you note for taking part in the game show. Now that is what I call good manners. BTW ladies he's HOT!!! I also have to mention Jorge who is on the entertainment staff, he is a great person and was really funny to talk to. We met him on Wednesday morning for the excursion and he talked to us the rest of the week and asked us how all of the excursions were and told us about the things going on around the ship.

 

One odd thing: There was a medical emergency aboard and we had to make a u-turn and go back to Grand Cayman on our sea day. My son said that was the most exciting thing because they announced it several times in five languages and I guess to a kid that is really neat-o.

 

If there is anything else anyone wants to know let me know and I will try to answer any questions.

[kywebb]

We have decided to do a "spur of the moment" Carib. cruise. Costa is offering some good deals. Our exp. has been Celeb. and RCL. What are the differences. We enjoy the food on Celeb. and other amenities.

 

I appreciate your review and willingness to respond.

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

I have only been on Carnival and Costa. I love everything about Costa so I am sticking with them for now. We have been talking about maybe doing Princess for the southern Carribean in a few years, but no for sures yet.

[dogbeau]

We have decided to do a "spur of the moment" Carib. cruise. Costa is offering some good deals. Our exp. has been Celeb. and RCL. What are the differences. We enjoy the food on Celeb. and other amenities.

 

I appreciate your review and willingness to respond.

kywebb - I haven't been on Costa either. Only RCCL and Cunard - but we signed up for an unplanned vacation cruise because the price was so right. My philosophy - how bad could it be?? You're not at work! :)

[Cruise4Andy]

Ta421sBtrHalf:

 

Welcome back! I am really happy that you had a wonderful time and enjoyed your cruise!

 

I am getting excited... only 9 days to go until we sail!!!

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your review with us!

 

 

Andy

[chris209]

We were on the New Years sailing of the Costa Atlantica (PS 6219) and have also been on Celebrity, RCCL and Norwegian. In my opinion there was not a lot of difference between the quality of each of the cruises. We thought Costa was definitely the best value however- the price was very good for quality comparable to the more expensive offerings of Celebrity and RCCL. I would also say the food was comparable across all the lines. In my opinion NO mass market cruise line offers true 5 star dining - it is more like good or very good banquet food (except for some of the optional restaurants). Given this, we quite enjoyed the meals on Costa and many items were VERY good. The buffet also was quite good. The only thing that needed some improvement was the breakfast buffet as it was EXACTLY the same every day. Certainly I would not say that Celebrity was any better in the food department (in my experience). Some differences between the lines are the greater proprtion of non-English speaking guests on Costa but we had absolutely no problem with this. I had worried about smoking but never found this to be a problem at all. Also I felt that the Costa ship was the most uncrowded of the ships I have been on - even though it was at full capacity of 2700 we could always find lounge chairs on any deck- this was not my experience with RCCL or to a lesser extent with Celebrity and NCL. Given the great value I would definitely sail Costa again.

 

 

 

We have decided to do a "spur of the moment" Carib. cruise. Costa is offering some good deals. Our exp. has been Celeb. and RCL. What are the differences. We enjoy the food on Celeb. and other amenities.

 

I appreciate your review and willingness to respond.

[Babakay]

Thanks for the great review. We are sailing on the Costa ATlantica Jan 30 and are very much looking forward to it. I posted a question awhile back but got no response. Still wondering if Costa serves gelatto. I got hooked on that on one of my other Costa Cruises in the 80's. Love that stuff--no comparison to regular ice cream. Also, any special tips to fully enjoy the Atlantica?

[mccard]

We are leaving on Sunday to go on the Atlantica...what were the breakfast and lunch and dinner buffets like on the ship? I've seen a listing of what was offered for the midnight buffets. How did you find the buffet selection?

[bobbob160]

Babakay, you will love the cruise. I don't remember seeing any gelatto being offered, but I did not ask for it. As for tips..bring a toga, go to a costume shop or something. It's a real blast. Must do the glass staircase. When embarking, skip the elevator and go right for the stairs to your room. You enter on deck 2. Have a great time.

 

Andy, will you be leaving room for other people to post?:D You have been a very active member, can't imagine how much more you will post upon returning. Thanks for keeping things moving.

[Cruise4Andy]

Bobbob:

 

LOL... Sure I leave room for everyone! Until the memory of the server expires... LOL

 

;-)

[daisy-mae]

Jenn,

 

I'm just back from a week on the Costa Atlantica ( our first cruise ever ). I agree with all of your review, particularly the part about Max, the cruise director. What a classy guy! I was amazed to see that he could also belt out a not-too-shabby rendition of "Soul Man" on toga night.

 

We were lucky enough to have an outside cabin with a "verandah" -- don't know why they call it that...sounds just like an old front porch to me... Anyway, it was a treat to be able to sit outside and have our breakfast, or step out to watch the stars after tucking DH into bed...No midnight buffets for us middle agers. That's the one thing I regret; I wish we had at least made the effort to go and see the galley on the night when the buffet was served there. Maybe next time, as this will hopefully not be our first and last cruise.

 

Cheers!

 

Linda

[dogbeau]

That's the one thing I regret; I wish we had at least made the effort to go and see the galley on the night when the buffet was served there.

 

They serve the buffet in the galley one night? So you get a galley tour? That would be very cool!

 

Are they offering ship tours (Engine room, bridge, etc)? I know on RCCL, no matter how hard I tried - no ship tour. 9/11 and all that.

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

I didn't go to any of the buffets, except for the fancy-schmancy buffet magnifico. I heard that it was in the galley. There are absolutly no tours of the workings of the ship. Not even for the kids.

[daisy-mae]

They serve the buffet in the galley one night? So you get a galley tour? That would be very cool!

 

Are they offering ship tours (Engine room, bridge, etc)? I know on RCCL, no matter how hard I tried - no ship tour. 9/11 and all that.

 

Because we had missed the buffet in the galley, we asked the Maître d' if we could have a tour on the last day. He told us he would have to check with the Chef, and he would let us know. Our last day at sea was so warm and pleasant that we didn't want to spend it in the bowels of the ship, so we didn't bother asking again; but at least they seemed amenable to the suggestion.

[JeySas]

Hello All,

 

I am leaving on the Cruise on Feb 06 and was wondering if anyone can give me any info on the activities that we can do on the respective stops....what are the cost of these excursions.

 

Thx

[rski]

Hello Jeysas:

 

My husband and I just booked the same costa cruise! We are very excited as this will be our first cruise. I have been researching private snorkelling tours in Cozumel and Grand Caymen ... the cost appears to be approx. $50 US per person plus a $10 taxi ride ... I've never been a fan of the package excursions, but prefer hiring a cab and doing it my way ...

[Ta421sBtrHalf]

Hello All,

 

I am leaving on the Cruise on Feb 06 and was wondering if anyone can give me any info on the activities that we can do on the respective stops....what are the cost of these excursions.

 

Thx

 

You can look in your docs and there is a list of excursions with the prices. You can order online at Costacruises.com, but you will need to do it very, very soon.

[JeySas]

Thank you for the input. From what I have heard the popular choice is to use a Taxi and drive through the city.

[Cruise4Andy]

JeySas:

 

Here's what I just posted on another thread about Cozumel...

 

...We rented a Jeep from Avis and drove around the island at our pace. It's not hard to navigate around the island as there basically is only one main road. Beautiful beaches on the way where you can pull on the side of the road and park your car. We were all alone at the beach where we stopped. Absolutely georgeous (close to El Mirador on the east side of the island!)

 

Make sure you visit the Punta Molas Lighthouse on the North/North Eastern tip of the island. You can not drive there with your own vehicle, as it is a wildlife preserve area. When driving towards the lighthouse you will eventually come to a small sand/gravel parking lot. There are several buildings towards your right where you can purchase tickets for the preserve area. An open bus (if you want to call it that way) or mini van will bring you to the lighthouse, which you can climb. Great views of the beach and the surrounding area!!! Great picture opportunities! You have to sign a liability waiver though, before you climb... LOL...

On the way back the driver will stop at two different places to view wildlife (crocodiles, etc.) and an ancient wheather station... pretty interesting.

It was only $3 per person, well worth the money!

 

If you decide to rent a car, make sure to reserve one ahead of time, as the rental car companies are getting sold out quickly, depending on how many ships are docked that day.

 

Happy Cruising and Happy Exploring!

 

Andy

[tuvok37]

We took the Atlantica on 16 Jan 05 and did the Western itinerary. This was our 9th cruise (CCL, RCL, Celeb, HAL). We're 38 & 41 and we were pleasantly surprised at the intergenerational age group on board.

 

Embarkation was great. 12:25 dropped my bags off and by 1 pm I was sipping grapefruit juice and eating pizza on deck 9.

 

Disappointed - ship is the same as the Legend (CCL) so no fun in exploring and getting lost. Carnival decorates better, although the carpet didn't give me seizures this time (ha ha).

 

Food - ooh, for some good food on board this ship. I didn't starve, but I was not impressed. Tip: you want steak, BYO steak knife. Lots of complaints heard. Oh, and to get the sitting you want, be patient because the Maitre d' sure isn't good with Admin. It took 25 of us over 3 hours to get our requests in - and most of us were there to say our sitting request had not been honored in the first place. No worries though - we got what we wanted on the second night.

 

Shows - don't go there. Seriously, don't bother. They'd rather you go to the casino anyway.

 

Max. Dear Cruise Director Max. Makes you think he's Italian, but he's a good ol Canuk, Montreal boy. Has anybody seen John from the Triumph??? Now THERE'S a cruise director.

 

Cabins: typical. Nice balcony, totally uncomforable furniture though. Steward treated us well. No bathroom goodie basket, no robes, pillow mints only on formal nights, and no towel animals on my bed either. Where are all the nice touches?

 

Room Service. Prompt - and free if you want continental, otherwise pay up. You can put a rose on your sweetie's pillow for 14 USD... And you're better off trudging up to deck 9 to get coffee, it'll be worth it.

 

Desserts: no worries there. You won't gain weight cause it's not worth the calories.

 

Gym: good size. New equipment. Good sauna and change rooms. Didn't use the spa or salon, although it seemed pretty busy.

 

Smoking: smokers are attracted to me that's all I can say. No matter where I am on an empty ship, one will light up beside me.

 

Ports of Call: Same old. Passion Island in Cozumel was great. Place was deserted. Buffet and kayak tour definitely not worth $75 USD per person.

 

Night Life: ho hum. Might just have been our fellow guests weren't party animals, or maybe the activities were just lame. But then, there was the Toga party. Now that's novel. Worth the price of admission.

 

Disembarkation: smooth. Out of your cabin by 8. Go to breakfast and linger until your tag color is called.

 

PA System: you must read the daily newsletter, or you'll miss out. They don't like to disturb guests with needless announcements, like when you can go ashore... And if you're picky about spelling, like me, have your cabin mate read it to you instead. Hoo baby it's bad.

 

Drinks: expensive. Drink in port instead. Our table mates did a tequila tour of Cozumel and had a blast.

 

Tips: on your shipboard account unless you request otherwise. I still think it's nicer to tip personally those who have done an outstanding job for you. In our case, service at the table was no better than at Friendly's. Certainly they had no time to ask how things were, and didn't. Still, a 5:45 start got us out at 8 pm. Too long!! And boy, do they love cranking their Bose sound system. O Sole Mio, oy ve.

 

Anyway, it was a rest, and we didn't get sick (seasick or otherwise). Been to all the ports before so it wasn't about that either. Internet was .50 cents a minute so didn't bother with that. Library books were free though, I got a new Clive Cussler hardcover to read all week and that made me happy. Not a lot else to choose from however.

 

I maintain that Carnival has the best food (yes, I said it and I have experienced it) And what the heck is gelatto? Whatever it is, they had ice cream and sherbet, but get it fast because it's not in a machine it's in a tub and buddy's scooping it. Carnival also knows that little things like towel animals, mints, goodie baskets, robes and hot breakfasts in your cabin are the way to go. Carnival can also entertain you, and it's reputation for being party ships haven't been noticed by us. For reference we'be been on the Holiday, Sensation, Paradise (when it was non-smoking), Triumph (the best), and the Legend. RCL: Explorer of the Seas, now there's a ship. Wow. Celebrity Galaxy, not so great, and HAL Zuiderdam, which seemed to be having an identity crisis at the time we sailed in fall of 03.

 

Sorry about being so long-winded.

 

Bottom line: I know everyone's experience on every cruise is different. Ours unfortunatly wouldn't rate more than a 6 out of 10.

I came, I saw, I cruised, Carnival I'm coming home!!!!!!