Costa All Inclusive Drinks Package

[phider]

Yeah!

 

I've been searching for the current menu for a month.

 

Sorry to hear that. It's available directly on Costa's website:

 

http://www.costacrociere.it/B2C/SharedResources/allinclusive/pdf/All-inclusive_premium.pdf

 

I have attached the menu as well.

 

Philip

Extra All Inclusive.pdf

[lisiamc]

The cappuccino is very good, but bring your own tea bags. The ship's tea bags are dire, except for the herbal ones.

[buchhalm]

The cappuccino is very good, but bring your own tea bags. The ship's tea bags are dire, except for the herbal ones.

 

Tea (and tea bags) are indeed a very personal thing. :-)

I have it confirmed from several of the major brands that they put different blends in the tea bags, depending on where they are sold.

The packaging looks exactly the same, but the contents are very different.

For example a Twining's English Breakfast blend that is sold in the UK is VERY different from a Twining's English Breakfast tea that is sold in Germany.

:)

If you are particularly fond of a certain tea, B.Y.O.

[CASPALL]

Just back from 20 nights on Favolosa

It is so good to get a decent cup of tea I must say! I agree with the previous poster - the teabags are awful! The water from the machine is never hot enough so that makes a difference too. We ordered tea from the bar service on our all inclusive package and it was ok. They came with a pot of very hot water and a tea bag each.

As regards wine at dinner on our cruise. Hmmm! No chance of a bottle being left anywhere near us - or at any table around us. It was even difficult to get a top up some nights! Our waiters were really good with everything else but they really held back on the wine pouring. On several occasions my husband had to ask for another glass.

This is all part of the cut backs. It was also annoying to only be given half a can of diet soda in a small glass when you asked for a coke. Always ask for a big one - with NO ice then you will get a decent measure!! Same with water!

A bar tender told us that this is now the policy because passengers wasted so many drinks when on the all inc. They would ask for a bottle of water, take 2 sips from it and then leave it - same with cans of soda.

Its all very frustrating but the all inclusive is still a great deal - even if you just drink sodas and coffees.

One thing I couldnt get over was the very small glasses of Prosecco they served - like a glass you would get in business class when you fly - really tiny!! They charge 5 euros for this!! I asked for a double prosecco in a wine glass as my drink only lasted a short while and the service is so bad - one time I waited 25 mins to get another!!!

[phider]

Just back from 20 nights on Favolosa

It is so good to get a decent cup of tea I must say! I agree with the previous poster - the teabags are awful! The water from the machine is never hot enough so that makes a difference too. We ordered tea from the bar service on our all inclusive package and it was ok. They came with a pot of very hot water and a tea bag each.

As regards wine at dinner on our cruise. Hmmm! No chance of a bottle being left anywhere near us - or at any table around us. It was even difficult to get a top up some nights! Our waiters were really good with everything else but they really held back on the wine pouring. On several occasions my husband had to ask for another glass.

This is all part of the cut backs. It was also annoying to only be given half a can of diet soda in a small glass when you asked for a coke. Always ask for a big one - with NO ice then you will get a decent measure!! Same with water!

A bar tender told us that this is now the policy because passengers wasted so many drinks when on the all inc. They would ask for a bottle of water, take 2 sips from it and then leave it - same with cans of soda.

Its all very frustrating but the all inclusive is still a great deal - even if you just drink sodas and coffees.

One thing I couldnt get over was the very small glasses of Prosecco they served - like a glass you would get in business class when you fly - really tiny!! They charge 5 euros for this!! I asked for a double prosecco in a wine glass as my drink only lasted a short while and the service is so bad - one time I waited 25 mins to get another!!!

 

This experience seems very different from my experience on the Deliziosa.

 

Wine was by the glass, but top ups was urgent and frequent, and it was very easy to get in contact with a waiter, as there was two waiters for every 5 tables! In 12 days, we never had a day where we had to wait more than 5 minutes. One was focusing on delivering food, one was focusing on delivering drinks and removing used plates, e.g. one was the main waiter the second was a waiter assistant.

 

Prosecco was delivered and poured in normal size restaurant glasses that you expect to have it delivered in. This was the size of glass we was presented with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prosecco_di_Conegliano_bottle_and_glass.jpg

 

You always had a choice or still water or bubling water, and the glasses was completely normal sizes that you get in any restaurant on the planet.

 

The service was top notch and very attentive, and ALWAYS with a smile, and food serving was really fast - there was never more than 5 minutes of downtime between dishes, which was top quality.

 

Regarding any kind of soda order under the Extra AI. All soda's, such as Coca Cola was delivered to the table with the can (33cl) and a glass, either with ice or without ice depending on your order, which they always asked your preference for.

 

To summerise - I am having a really hard time to recognise your experience from my own.

 

Philip

[CASPALL]

Sorry but thats how it was and the bar tender told us it has just changed recently:confused:

[Wansbrough]

I'll tell you what...... I'm still none the wiser. :confused:

To AI or not to AI?

 

I suppose I need to break down what sort of usage I am expecting to get from it?

[phider]

I'll tell you what...... I'm still none the wiser. :confused:

To AI or not to AI?

 

I suppose I need to break down what sort of usage I am expecting to get from it?

 

Have you looked at the bar menu posted on this thread several times. I think that will give you the complete overview of how many drinks you need to purchase to break even with the 19.50 euro pppd.

 

Philip

[phider]

Sorry but thats how it was and the bar tender told us it has just changed recently:confused:

 

Well, I am not doubting or challenging your statements whatsoever. I can just not relate to your experience from my own experience.

 

I am sure you have experienced what you state, but I am not too sure if it is because your expectations are far from mine, if you are more sensitive than me or if there can be such a vast difference between service levels across their ships.

 

Philip

[Wansbrough]

Well, I am not doubting or challenging your statements whatsoever. I can just not relate to your experience from my own experience.

 

I am sure you have experienced what you state, but I am not too sure if it is because your expectations are far from mine, if you are more sensitive than me or if there can be such a vast difference between service levels across their ships.

 

Philip

 

We have had nothing but excellent service on Costa apart from the last one. We took a 7 day western Med on the Pacifica (the one that goes round and round and round and picks up at all the ports like a bus service). Service was dismal but we put to down to the itinerary and maybe some cut backs. Our next is a repositioning on the Fortuna so I have fingers crossed it will be more like the Costa we are familiar with.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Wansbrough

[Wansbrough]

Have you looked at the bar menu posted on this thread several times. I think that will give you the complete overview of how many drinks you need to purchase to break even with the 19.50 euro pppd.

 

Philip

 

Thats the problem really. My wife doesn't drink and will quite happily put away litre bottles of water all through the day. Opting for sparkling in the dining room while I enjoy a glass or 4 or wine. We don't drink much during the day (apart from water that is) and by the looks of it water is by the glass. :(

 

We generally have a couple of pre dinner drinks but this is not always the case.

 

We could benefit from the coffee in the morning but at the moment it doesn't look as if it would provide any real saving for us.

[phider]

Thats the problem really. My wife doesn't drink and will quite happily put away litre bottles of water all through the day. Opting for sparkling in the dining room while I enjoy a glass or 4 or wine. We don't drink much during the day (apart from water that is) and by the looks of it water is by the glass. :(

 

We generally have a couple of pre dinner drinks but this is not always the case.

 

We could benefit from the coffee in the morning but at the moment it doesn't look as if it would provide any real saving for us.

 

Well, then buy a package or two and get it over with.

 

Philip

[CASPALL]

Maybe some of the service probs were because there were a lot of South American staff on board - some of them new to the ship.

This was our first Costa cruise and because of the fantastic value we will book another.

I say again - the all inclusive package is a fantastic deal - no bar bill at the end if the cruise with 15 % added on. Our bill would have been over 2k for 20 nts !!!

BUY before you cruise

Caryl

[CASPALL]

Maybe some of the service probs were because there were a lot of South American staff on board - some of them new to the ship.

This was our first Costa cruise and because of the fantastic value we will book another.

I say again - the all inclusive package is a fantastic deal - no bar bill at the end if the cruise with 15 % added on. Our bill would have been over 2k for 20 nts !!!

BUY before you cruise

 

I should mention that we had just been on MSC Opera where the service was excellent and the drinks package really good with cans of soda, bottles of water and fresh squeezed orange juice all for roughly the same price as Costa.

Caryl

[dark star]

service does seem to vary depending on what ship and what route your on. still i think overall the package is worth it, even on a port intensive cruise.

[chrispb]

Our trip on Favolosa was nothing like yours, either. I know things can change within a matter of weeks, sometimes.

 

On another cruise the majority of staff were also great, walking around looking for customers so we never waited long. There was only 1 lazy so and so whom we mentioned on the customer survey form on our penultimate day, and he'd been moved elsewhere by the next day.

 

Just shows it's worth filling in those forms - someone is listening. I would hate that all staff would get a bad name just because of 1 guy.

[lisiamc]

Just got back from the Deliziosa, and it was Carlsberg.

 

Philip

 

It was Carlsberg on Serena too. I asked the waiter, just to be sure, since I'm not a beer drinker.

[lisiamc]

Maybe some of the service probs were because there were a lot of South American staff on board - some of them new to the ship.

This was our first Costa cruise and because of the fantastic value we will book another.

I say again - the all inclusive package is a fantastic deal - no bar bill at the end if the cruise with 15 % added on. Our bill would have been over 2k for 20 nts !!!

BUY before you cruise

 

I should mention that we had just been on MSC Opera where the service was excellent and the drinks package really good with cans of soda, bottles of water and fresh squeezed orange juice all for roughly the same price as Costa.

Caryl

 

That sounds good! We were getting cans of soda on Serena, but not bottles of water, only by the glass, and the fresh-squeezed orange juice was not included in the package if I'm remembering correctly. One of our friends was having a DIY chocolate kit every day, with a hot chocolate, a brandy and a spoon delivered to him for mixing.

[CASPALL]

We met 4 couples on our cruise who did the exact same cruise last year. They were all surprised by the changes!

[iloveglee]

I realise that this is quite a late post following on from the others, but having read all the information from other cruisers about this package have decided it is definitely worth it. so, into the costa website, into our booking and try to book it. nothing. the website brings up a window saying request is being processed then nothing. there is a basket showing, which i presume will contain what you have bought and also presume you the checkout and pay, much as you would do with any online shop. unfortunately, the basket will not open so that i can proceed to payment. have tried to do this 3 times, and with two different browsers. no joy. has anyone else had any problems with purchasing anything, drinks or shore trips with costas website. i have made sure i am registered in the correct country (uk), but this simply does not seem to want to work. am i missing something here, doing something wrong, or is the website just useless.

[phider]

I realise that this is quite a late post following on from the others, but having read all the information from other cruisers about this package have decided it is definitely worth it. so, into the costa website, into our booking and try to book it. nothing. the website brings up a window saying request is being processed then nothing. there is a basket showing, which i presume will contain what you have bought and also presume you the checkout and pay, much as you would do with any online shop. unfortunately, the basket will not open so that i can proceed to payment. have tried to do this 3 times, and with two different browsers. no joy. has anyone else had any problems with purchasing anything, drinks or shore trips with costas website. i have made sure i am registered in the correct country (uk), but this simply does not seem to want to work. am i missing something here, doing something wrong, or is the website just useless.

 

Just an idea, have you considered calling Costa directly? I know it's a wild fetched idea, but give it a shot. They can actually also add it to your booking.

 

As an alternative, you can purchase the Extra AI onboard the ship on your embarkation day.

 

Philip

[AnonymousCruiser69]

I realise that this is quite a late post following on from the others, but having read all the information from other cruisers about this package have decided it is definitely worth it. so, into the costa website, into our booking and try to book it. nothing. the website brings up a window saying request is being processed then nothing. there is a basket showing, which i presume will contain what you have bought and also presume you the checkout and pay, much as you would do with any online shop. unfortunately, the basket will not open so that i can proceed to payment. have tried to do this 3 times, and with two different browsers. no joy. has anyone else had any problems with purchasing anything, drinks or shore trips with costas website. i have made sure i am registered in the correct country (uk), but this simply does not seem to want to work. am i missing something here, doing something wrong, or is the website just useless.

 

could be anything. website down for maintenance, pop-up blocker on your computer, etc. costa isn't know for their website. it's pretty crappy.

[lisiamc]

I had to do it through my travel agent. If you booked direct with Costa then you can ring them. Otherwise you can take care of it after boarding, as Philip suggests.

[buchhalm]

Just returned from a week long cruise on Costa Victoria (which is a terrible ship. Review is pending with CC).

The all-inclusive package was the best thing about the entire experience and worth every cent.

We had pre-purchased it via my travel agent, but many people bought it on board. There are flyers everywhere, advertising it. I believe it was even possible to just swipe your cruise card and credit card at some self-service kiosks that were on the ship. No need to stand in line at the front desk.

Drinks service was swift, drinks decent, selection decent and pours were generous.

We had no trouble at all ordering several drinks at once or using one of our cards to get drinks for myself and my wife at the same time. So no need to show two cards to get drinks for two people.

The coffee that is included with the package seems to be Lavazza. I don't drink coffee, but people that did seemed quite pleased. Alcoholic coffees, such as Irish coffee were NOT included, but waiters brought the coffee drink and a shot (or 3) of spirits without any fuss.

The tea selection is quite random. Well known brands such as Lipton yellow label or sometimes Twinings teas were available "for free". The apparently "better" teas you have to pay for (included in the package) was some weird brand I had never heard of, and was mostly of the "flavoured tea" kind. If you are hooked on any particular brand, I suggest to b.y.o.

[AmoMondo]

I realise that this is quite a late post following on from the others, but having read all the information from other cruisers about this package have decided it is definitely worth it. so, into the costa website, into our booking and try to book it. nothing. the website brings up a window saying request is being processed then nothing. there is a basket showing, which i presume will contain what you have bought and also presume you the checkout and pay, much as you would do with any online shop. unfortunately, the basket will not open so that i can proceed to payment. have tried to do this 3 times, and with two different browsers. no joy. has anyone else had any problems with purchasing anything, drinks or shore trips with costas website. i have made sure i am registered in the correct country (uk), but this simply does not seem to want to work. am i missing something here, doing something wrong, or is the website just useless.

I booked a cruise last Friday via their website and then was able to go in and book the all inclusive deal and pay for it at the time. I've been able to do that before too but then all my cruises have been booked direct with Costa UK via the website or by phone. It's worth prebook ins rather than doing it onboard as the 15% service charge gets added on with onboard sales. Definitely call Costa or your TA about it.

 

I agree with CASPALL, it's a great deal but I do prefer MS's similar product as they give you bottles of water rather than just pour a glass and they certainly don't stint on the wine pouring either. Last cruise with them, hey left me the bottle of wine to work y way through. It will be interesting to see what my experience will be on the Fortuna in a few weeks time. Last time on the Atlantica, I had no issues getting refills but the time before on the Favolosa (samsara restaurant) it was a struggle to even get one drink, never mind a refill. I'd be on the 2nd or 3rd course before it would arrive and that was with frequent reminders. On one occasion, I told them I didn't want the course they were about to lay before me until such time as I had my water and wine. I got an apology and the drinks arrived within minutes. It seems to vary from ship to ship, although there could be a policy behind it, encouraging crew to restrict consumption.