Costa Atlantica - Jan 28-Feb 4, 2011 - West Carib. - Just Back

[NancyJewel92]

Well, not exactly "just back" as it's been almost a week. But it's been a hectic week since we've arrived back to the cold climate of New York State. ;)

 

Let me say that we had a TERRIFIC cruise! We enjoyed the Costa Atlantica last year, but this year was even better. Same Cruise Director - Andrea, but different Captain and different Executive Chef. I think both of these changes have had a huge positive impact on the crew and the food.

 

At the very first dinner, the improvement in the culinary offerings were apparent. The quality of the food, as well as the presentation was vastly improved. (It should be noted that our 2010 sailing was only the second week of the then Exec Chef Antonio DeLuca. He indicated to us that he had much work to do.) Truly, the term "culinary art" could be used at every dinner of our 2011 trip. (I'll try to post some pictures later.)

 

In addition to the improvement in soups (hot and cold), pasta (always al dente), and entrees, all of the breads, pastries, cookies and desserts were also tremendously improved. We think there must have been a change in the Exec Pastry Chef, though we don't know for a fact. What we do know is that the breads, cookies and cakes did not come out of a freezer. (Some background - we are foodies as DH is a chef.)

 

Let me also say that I was part of a large group (almost 800 pax) and that we bring our own entertainment. Various musicians and groups traveling with us played at the pool each day, which anyone on the ship could enjoy (or not). Further, we had several time slots at various venues reserved for performances of our musicians that were accessible to only those in our group. In addition, the ship's musicians and production shows were available to all. All this is to say that our daily experience aboard may not be representative of a trip where there is not a large group of predominately US folks.

 

The ship's musicians are super talented. If you like live music, Costa is the line to sail. And be sure not to miss the performance of the ship's Italian tenor. He brought tears to the eyes of folks who have heard world-class tenors.

 

Some notes:

 

- The crew seemed happier. In addition, each and every person I passed acknowledged and greeted me. (Perhaps the new captain instituted the Publix supermarket rule - when someone is within a few feet, say hello :)).

 

- Something new - Rolling Coffee cart in the buffet area at breakfast (and I think at lunch). Two people bring coffee around to the tables offering refills. Nice!

 

- Something gone - Roman / Toga Night -- Last year we had Roman night (last night of the trip), but togas (bed sheets) were not left in our cabins. This year, the last night was not a themed night. While we enjoyed the old Roman / Toga night, we didn't miss it. There were themed and formal nights in the dining room. But overall, I'd say there was less goofiness.

 

- Something changed / improved - One thing we did like was that the photographers only came through the dining room once and that was on a formal night. On another night, dancers were posed at the doors of the dining room if you wanted a picture taken with them upon exiting. We thought this was a better idea than having the photographers come around the the tables several times during the trip.

 

- Something shifted -- First seating dinner time - Last year was at 5:30p. This year was at 6p. While we think 5:30p is early for dinner, having it at 6p tightened our evening entertainment timing. The waiters seemed to work some sort of magic once they found out we had shows at 7:45p, they were able to get the courses served and cleared without seeming rushed. As much as we would have liked to linger a bit longer (especially the night we had a chocolate birthday cake for one of the folks at our table), we really wanted to get to the theater for the start of each show.

 

We were at table 117 (table for 10). Our waiter (Sunny) and assistant waiter (Franco) were great! The first night we let them know that we like to have tap water with our meal. Every dinner after that, our table always had two pitchers of ice water that they used to fill our glasses and we were able to self serve. Also, Franco was terrific at remembering who wanted milk with their coffee, who wanted cream, and who wanted decaf.

 

By the way, if you're having a birthday or anniversary the cake choices are fabulous. In the past, the generic cake seemed like the frozen square Pepperidge Farm kind of cakes. Now, there is a menu from which to select a cake to be made. Cakes are $15, but if you're a Coral or higher level member in the Costa Club, you can get one free cake. Yum!

 

- Another improvement -- This was the first trip which we experienced an Assistant Maitre'd actually pitching in and helping the staff. The gentleman responsible for our section of the dining room was out and about every night. He was a professional as he just knew where he could facilitate without getting in the way and he treated the staff nicely. And he didn't come around with his hand out at the end of the cruise.

 

- Happy Hour Drink Bargains - Three times a day for an hour each time. I'll check my copies of the Today for the exact times, but I think they were 11a-12noon, 5p-6p and 8p-9p. Great deals.

 

 

Ports:

 

- Key West - We tied up at the dock closest to town. It's a short walk from the ship to the beginning of the pier, which will bring you to the Westin Hotel. (Being at the other dock really requires that you take the Conch train shuttle. The P&O Oranian was docked there.)

 

Key West is lovely, clean and walkable. There is a CVS and Walgreen's within walking distance. Many folks picked up bottled water here. Placing it in back packs to go through the ship's scanner when boarding was not a problem.

 

- Ocho Rios - We docked at the industrial pier. (A Carnival ship was at the other pier which has shops and Margaritaville on the land side.) Taxis were readily available to take folks to a beach or wherever. My DH and two friends went to a beach, which they thought was okay. A couple of others walked about a 1/2 mile to the shops. I stayed on the ship and enjoyed having empty pools, gym and hot tubs.

 

- Grand Cayman - Tenders - DH and friends took a ship's snorkel excursion and enjoyed it. I stayed on the ship and took advantage the spa discounts that are offered on port days. Specifically I had a great foot massage and pedicure. Wonderfully relaxing.

 

From what my folks experienced, the tender boarding was handled smoothly. If you have an excursion booked, the meeting time and place will be listed in the Today. If you are in a suite, you will be notified of a priority tender meeting placing if you'd like to get off earlier. The last tender, as with all port departings, was precisely on time. Don't miss it or you will be left behind.

 

- Cozumel - Dock in town - Again, DH and friends took a taxi to a beach. Umbrellas and chairs were all arranged for the cruise tourists at no charge. Only requirement was that $10US be spent at the food/bar, which was not a problem. DH said that the food was good.

 

We were last in Cozumel two years ago and we could see a difference. Overall, the streets, buildings, etc., seemed cleaner. And the vendors were not aggressive. They stood in front of their carts and shops, greeting and trying to entice, but did not "space invade". I felt safe walking around on my own.

 

By the way, if needed, there is a great pharmacy (kind of like a very small CVS in terms of the products carried) right at the end/ beginning of the pier on the ground lever - before you go up one story and walk across the walkway to leave the pier area. The woman there is very helpful, speaks English and takes US$. Also there is a supermarket (Mega Mart) within walking distance. With the ship at your back, walk down the main road to the right. (To say it another way, once you cross over the walkway, face the ship and walk to your left.) There's a cafe inside the supermarket as well as a liquor department. I purchased water there -two 1.5 liter bottles for $1US and got 3 pesos change. :p Again, no problem bringing beverages onto the ship. I think the thing security did got alarmed about was bringing on beer.

 

Also - there is a time change for Cozumel -- one hour earlier than Eastern time. Some other cruise lines do not change the ship's time as they change time zones, but Costa does. So if you arrange your own land excursions, you will always be on local time.

 

 

Our last full day aboard was at sea - which I think is a great way to end a trip. We took part in some of the pool games run by the Cruise Directors' team. The crews' command of multi-languages is astonishing. At one point, eight of us were participating and we spanned five languages. The crewman leading the game seamlessly flowed from one to another. We all understood and played along, having many laughs along the the way. I thought - if the rest of the world could communicate as well with each other, what a much better world we would have. :)

 

 

- Embarkation - A breeze. We got to the terminal about 11:30 and there was no waiting. Be sure to do the web check-in and print out your boarding pass. A short health form will be distributed that you must fill out before getting on line to check in. (It's handy to have your own pen.) Check in at the counter is fast. Then it's a short walk and escalator ride to the gangway. Upon entry, your boarding pass will be scanned and collected and a photo will be taken that will be used by the security department every time you reboard the ship.

 

Your Costa Card will be in your cabin. This serves as your room key, ID, and charge card while on board. Sometime in the first or second day, you can use one of the terminal to register a credit card to your Costa Card. There's a terminal near the main reception desk - which is always busy. There's a few others around, including one near the casino.

 

 

- Disembarkation - Also fast. The main dining room will be opened at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast on the last morning. We've made it a tradition to have breakfast there on the last morning as there is plenty of time to do so.

 

Release of passengers is according to the color of luggage tag received on the last night. The waiting point for each color will be listed in the Today along with a time. However, if the ship clears customs early and the luggage for each color is processed rapidly, it's possible that your color may be off earlier than the time stated.

 

This was our experience in Fort Lauderdale. In Miami, however, things seemed a bit slower. I think this was attributable to the luggage system there. In Fort Lauderdale, all the luggage is lined up by color. We've found it's pretty easy to find all of our bags within a few minutes and be out the door. Miami uses an airport-like conveyor belt, which really slows things down as you have to stand and watch every bag of your tag color pass by. As we approached the conveyor, we could see one of our bags, but couldn't get close enough to grab it before it was out of reach. We then had to wait until it traveled through again.

 

Another note about tag colors - if you have a few cabins in your party and they got different color tags, but you need everyone to get off at the same time, in the past the customer service desk was very accommodating in handing out different color tags. Just find out which color predominates in your group and change the rest to that color. (We didn't do this this time, but I would imagine they would still hand out different colors.)

 

We were in the first color group released. We had our luggage and were through customs by 9 a.m. Folks had no problem making an 11 a.m. flight from Miami.

 

 

One last reminder - Costa is understated about announcements - there are not many. You must read the Today fully if you really want to know what is happening on the ship.

 

Overall, we had a great trip and would not hesitate to sail Costa again.

 

Ask any questions that come to mind and I'll try to answer them. :D

[G.M.T.]

Loved your review, made great raeding.

 

Ron

[NancyJewel92]

Thanks, Ron!

[ColKlink]

Thanks for the great review. We are on the Atlantica (same itinerary) leaving on March 11 and your review gives me hope that it will be great.

[NancyJewel92]

ColKlink - Looking at your cruise history, I'm guessing you've been to these ports on prior trips. If so, you'll understand why I opted to enjoy the ship on a couple of the port days. :) Have a wonderful trip!

 

P.S. On the survey, everyone I know wrote that Ocho Rios should be dropped from the itinerary as they didn't feel safe there.

[stowawaykc]

Thanks for taking time to post! I enjoyed the read.

We are sailing on atlantica on 3/18. Going eastern, but I am glad to see a positive review of the ship.

 

We really enjoyed our cruise on the Magica in 2006, and thought the food was great, in spite of many negative reviews prior to sailing.

It sounds like we can expect to be more than satisfied again.

 

Did anyone in your group have any particularly postive or negative experiences with the kids club?

 

Did your group enjoy (or dislike) the casino?

 

Again, thanks for the review!

[ColKlink]

ColKlink - Looking at your cruise history, I'm guessing you've been to these ports on prior trips. If so, you'll understand why I opted to enjoy the ship on a couple of the port days. :) Have a wonderful trip!

 

P.S. On the survey, everyone I know wrote that Ocho Rios should be dropped from the itinerary as they didn't feel safe there.

 

That is true I have been on this itinerary a couple of times. I would love to see something different other than Ocho Rios. I will be parking my butt at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville - having some drinks and enjoying the sun. I would like St Croix to be added to some of these itineraries. I love Costa so i am stuck with what they choose.

[NancyJewel92]

... Did anyone in your group have any particularly postive or negative experiences with the kids club?

 

Did your group enjoy (or dislike) the casino?

 

Sorry - No one in our group had any kids with them, so I can't comment on the kids club.

 

As to the casino -- those in my immediate group that played in the casino did so on the slots and they seemed to enjoy it. One woman played the penny machines and claims to have been quite successfull. ;)

 

 

One thing I didn't comment on previously was about the difference I noticed with the Friday - Friday schedule as compared to Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. The difference was in the ports --- less ships = less tourists. :D

 

Key West - only one other ship. Grand Cayman - two. Ocho Rios - one. Cozumel - one at our pier; two further at another pier in another area. This constrasts greatly with what we experienced last year when the Costa Atlantica was joined in many ports by the Oasis of the Seas and usually two or three other ships. In Nassua, we were among 6 other ships - including the Oasis of the Seas. The area was so packed with people, one really couldn't just stroll around. I made my way out to the main street area, and went right back to enjoy my balcony and observing the other ships. :)

 

The downside for us of Fri/Fri was that it cost us seven vacation days (6 for the cruise + 1 to travel to Miami the day before the start).

[EJKorvette]

So that's why I loved the food on the Costa Atlantica (see my review of the January 14th Western Carribean cruise). Loved the squid on the buffet!

 

I agree about Ocho Rios - I get enough "Jamaican culture" living and working where I do. I don't ever want to go back to Jamaica again.

 

We had the second seating and loved the later time. Our waitress Natalya and beverage guy Naveen were wonderful.

 

I missed not having a craps table at the casino.

 

The happy hours are great! And I loved the drinks of the day. I really enjoyed the "Costa Atlantica", the one with orzata in it.

 

Even though our next cruises will be on Oasis of the Seas and then Emerald Princess, I am looking forward to another Costa cruise.

 

 

EJKorvette on the boards

[bodget]

We were on this cruise and the following week.toga night was on the 2nd week.we had a 6 year old in the kids club and loved it.shows were repeated the 2nd week.

[NancyJewel92]

bodget - Two weeks - how wonderful for you and your family! :) Nice to hear that you did have toga night. I figured the shows would be repeated for your second week, but the daytime poolside music was certainly different between week one and two. ;)

[B744]

Nancy, thanks for the review of the Costa Atlantica. I really enjoyed reading it. After reading your review, I am of the opinion that Costa is making a concerted effort to improve their image for the US cruisers who have oft complained about the food and attitude of the crew. I am a travel agent and none of my US clients who tried Costa wanted another cruise with them. I cruised with Costa once on the Magica in March, 2007, loved the experience, and I've toured the Mediterranea, and Fortuna, had lunch aboard each ship, and I enjoyed the food then. I'm contemplating taking a cruise with them next year to see the improvements and changes.

I have to say, I enjoyed the Toga Party on the Magica. Maybe it's not well received by the European passsengers. Costa is now advertising to Europeans to cruise the warm Caribbean in the Winter months.

I always select late seating as even 6 PM is too early for dinner for me. On ships with Anytime Dining, I prefer that.

I do not go to the Theater every night of the cruise anymore. The only line I go to every show is on MSC Cruises. Love their shows, just 30 minutes long, Cirque de Soleil type shows.

Again, thanks for the review and mention of the changes and improvements you noted.

[Maestrous]

Hi Nancy;

Thanks for your great review, it was a joy to read.

We're on the March 25 repositioning to Venice and we're excited to share your positive experience with the ship, crew, and the whole 10 yards.

Cheers!

[toadies2]

Can anyone confirm the times for the main dining room on the Atlantica. I can't seem to find it anywhere.:confused:

 

Thanks.

[ksanmartin]

So glad to read the great review! We are aboard 3/18 sailing, Our first with Costa!:D

[Derrygirls]

I was so pleased to read your review. We have good friends travelling on Atlantica soon (Transatlantic & first time with Costa!). We have always had great service with Costa but for their sake I'm glad things are good for the team on their voyage! Can you remember who the Captain was? The Captain & Hotel director seem to make all the difference:)

[Salve]

Can anyone confirm the times for the main dining room on the Atlantica. I can't seem to find it anywhere.:confused:

 

Thanks.

 

 

Tiziano Restaurant

First seating: 6:15 pm

Second seating: 9:00 pm

 

Bon Voyage!

[Salve]

Tiziano Restaurant

First seating: 6:15 pm

Second seating: 9:00 pm

 

Bon Voyage!

 

 

I forgot to mention that this was earlier this month in the Caribbean.

[portcruiser]

Stowawaykc - have a great time on your cruise!!!

 

Hi there, we too were on the Jan 14th Atlantica cruise with our family and had a great time, even though we've read many posts that were the opposite. I thought the food in the MDR was great! The wait staff were really friendly and we all really enjoyed the dancing with dinner which was a nice touch! The ship was clean and elegant

 

I would appreciate it if anyone who's been on the Atlantica and order the IX wine deal, if they know the name of the red that's part of that pkg. I think it's called Nero something....but we can't remember:(.... does anyone out there know what the name of that wine is... it really was good, but we can't locate it without the proper name. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!