Help-Thinking about Costa cruise-your opinions

[bocagal]

Been offered a very good deal on Costa,to the Carribean.Has anyone got anything to say, good or bad about them? Have sailed on Carnival and Princess in the past. How is the food?, are they ok with restricted diets? Will they work with someone who has a limited diet? Love to hear your viewsThanksBocagal

[emjsea]

I sailed on Costa a few years ago. I thought they were very nice. The ship I was on, the Mediterranea was, I thought, quite gorgeous. Very nicely decorated and I liked that it had a lot of comfortable seating in odd little corners around the ship.

 

The people on board were a bit older and a little more sedate than on my two previous Carnival sailings. I enjoyed relaxing.

 

The food was good. I don't know anything about the special diets, though I believe most cruise ships will do their best to help you out. If your special diet is vegetarian, you're covered.

[kitty9]

In a personal ranking, I would put Costa near the bottom. There's a reason why it's so inexpensive, and for me, it's because the food and service aren't up to par with other lines. A majority of their food is Italian-based, so unless you like Italian food, it might not be the best choice. I also found that since they tend to advertise to European clientele, there's quite a bit more in the way of smoking. The ships themselves are quite nice, but for me, that's about the only thing positive. As far as restrictive diets are concerned, most cruise lines will help, unless the diet is highly unusual.

[judycruiser]

In a personal ranking, I would put Costa near the bottom. There's a reason why it's so inexpensive, and for me, it's because the food and service aren't up to par with other lines. A majority of their food is Italian-based, so unless you like Italian food, it might not be the best choice. I also found that since they tend to advertise to European clientele, there's quite a bit more in the way of smoking. The ships themselves are quite nice, but for me, that's about the only thing positive. As far as restrictive diets are concerned, most cruise lines will help, unless the diet is highly unusual.

 

Kitty 9 is right on. Only cruise of 85 which I would not repeat.

 

Judy

[fatcat04]

Our cruise on the Costa Mediterranea just a few months ago was wonderful. We are back on the Costa Med again next March. My pics and review are listed in my signature. :)

[RetiredMustang]

unless you like Italian food, it might not be the best choice.

 

Even if you like Italian food, beware. We lived in Naples for 6 years, and once took Costa Atlantica round-trip from Venice on an E. Med cruise. The food had the same names as the dishes we had in Italy, including in Venice the few days before the sailing, but the resemblance stopped at the names of the dishes. Once I was able to get a decent spaghetti carbonara with real pancetta, but in general it was about Olive Garden level. If you think Olive Garden is a real Italian restaurant, then you may think Costa is a real Italian experience. We know better, and were very disappointed in that aspect. The service was also Italian in name only -- Italian waiters and service staff personnel are among the most professional and finest in the world; the Costa ones were not. The coffee was good, though.

 

That said, the ship was finely appointed, and the intinerary was good. So, it will depend on what you want -- if the itinerary and price are right, the food and service levels may be acceptable to you. But, they are nowhere in the class of Cunard or HAL.

 

Dave

[mom and wife]

I really liked the Magica. We just got back. We were very scared after what we read. When we were on the ship the people kept saying how much nicer it is now. I do not know because it was our first time on Costa. I have a reveiw if you would like to read that and have any questions?

[fatcat04]

That said, the ship was finely appointed, and the intinerary was good. So, it will depend on what you want -- if the itinerary and price are right, the food and service levels may be acceptable to you. But, they are nowhere in the class of Cunard or HAL.

 

Dave

 

Well dang Dave, they are also no where in the price range of Cunard or HAL. When could I get a 360 sq ft suite on HAL or Cunard for $899 pp for 7 days in the Caribbean. We even had a butler!! :D

 

We just sent mom and dad on a HAL cruise and it cost more for them to go in a balcony guarantee (ended up in a Vista VD cat) for 7 days to Alaska out of Seattle than it cost my three person family to cruise on the 2nd best cabin on the Costa Mediterranea for a week in the Caribbean in March.

 

And we got that same outstanding deal for next March and jumped at it.

 

HAL and Cunard aren't in everyone's price range. And I would also add that more than likely Costa has improved since you cruised in 2001, especially in the Caribbean. ;)

[Bonnie J.]

We were on Costa Magica last Jan. and Feb. '06. We were VERY pleased and happy on her! It has an identicle floor plan to the newest Carnival ships. Yes, it does have pasta on the menu every night but most of food was 'American'. What really surprised us was my husband was not aware of ANY smoke in the casino - and he smells everything! WE paid $299 for each cruise and in '06 we got a balcony cabin, deck 9 (pools and buffet) for that. This year also deck 9 but inside- we don't care inside or outside but the balcony was nice! We won't hesitate to reccomend Costa to everyone. They are relatively new to the Caribean so are "Americanizing" cruises here - water at dinner eveynight, etc. and not doing what they all do in Europe so you can't compare a cruise in the Mediteranium to one in the Caribean. They are the #1 line in Europe.

[racingraysswimmom]

First off......Costa is not relatively new to the Caribbean. My first Costa caribbean cruise was in 1972 on the Flavia. My second cruise on Costa was the Carla C in 1988 and third cruise was Atlantica in 2005. We are planning on another Costa ship in 2008.(The last 2 with a large group that I arrange). In between these years we have been on many different cruiselines. I have enjoyed them all. The food is very hard to judge because people like different styles. We found some items we liked, some were just OK. This goes for ALL cruiselines. We have always had fun no matter which cruiseline. Do not be afraid to book with Costa.:o

[joetrizeo]

Costa is a top notch A1 cruise experience. If you love Italian style you'll love Costa. I found many similarities between Costa and Royal Caribbean.

 

People who cruise the Magica and the Med have constantly returned commenting on how clean and immaculate the ships are. The service is excellent as you will find on most cruise lines. Are there spot complaints about bad service? sure, but you get that on any cruise line.

 

Food:

The food is excellent, true Italian style. It's funny that RetartedMustang compared it to Olive garden because myself and others routinely say it is NOT anything like olive garden and furthermore if you are looking for that 'American Italian' experience you'll be disappointed. Maybe it was when he went in '01 but it wasn't in '06 for me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion in the food department though.

I have been told by Italians the food is authentic and I have been told by Italians it is not. I my self am Italian American 2nd generation, grew up on Italian food, worked in family Italian restaurants and have a rather extensive Italian dining experience.

 

As with all cruise lines, when you're booking make sure you spell out ANY special diet requirements exactly, and there'll be no problems on the ship!

 

The food on Costa was some of the best I've had.

 

There's a reason why Costa is Europe's most popular cruise line!

[Tampa Bay Irish]

We sailed with Costa for the first time this past Spring. It was not perfect but it was good value for the price we paid. We are planning to sail again with Costa next March. If price and destination were the same, I would prefer Carnival over her Italian cousin Costa. But Costa is less expensive for a similar cruising experience.

[AlbertusMagnus]

i just returned from a transatlantic cruise on the Mediterranea. There is a small charge for changing $ to Euros. No ATMs on board, so when you get cash from you credit card, they charge 3%,

The cruise was fantastic. Ship was clean, meals were great, shows were good, and the entertainment was excellent.

However, I have one complaint, and a big one.!!! It is the same complaint of most of the non-German passengers, e.g. Italians, Brits, Canadians and Americans.

For the most part, the German passengers were the most rude people I have ever encounted, male or female, young or old. They barge ahead in lines, pushing and walking ahead of you while you're waiting for an elevator, get all of the deck chairs by tying towels on them, or laying a hat, or whatever. They are like pigs in a feeding frenzy on the bufet lines. They are loud, obnoxious and have no regard for other passengers or the crew. This is the second time I have encountered these people on a trip, and I have learned that they are an ignorant, classless people who have never developed a respect for other's rights. Evidently history has not been a learning process for them.

Beware of Costa for this reason. This cruise left from Ft. Lauderdale.

I dread to think what a cruise would be like in the EU.

[jak378]

We cruised on the Crown Princess in January, and on kind of a lark cruised on the Costa Mediterranea in Feb/March. The Costa cruise was intended to be for 1 week as was the Princess cruise. During the first week on the Mediterranea they offered a second week at a greatly reduced price, so we took it. The long and short of it is that we spend 2 weeks on the Med for just abut the same price as 1 week on the Princess. I thought the Med was a great value.

 

I cannot say that I was ecstatic about the food on either one, but on balance it was better on Costa. It was also presented better and always at the correct temperature. Whether or not it was authentic Italian or not, I cannot say. It was different than what is found in the states. Generally I enjoyed it, especially the pasta, which was the best I ever had anywhere. OUr balcony cabin on the Med was considerably larger than the one on the Crown, with some room to move around. Bathroom was also bigger and nicer. The ship itself is actually quite well decorated, in a definite Italian style. Some would say gaudy. Both are too big, but then I prefer the smaller ships. The Med being slightly smaller wins there too. Surprisingly enough, the only thing that I actually liked better about the Crown was their pizza, it was much better than Costa's. There were a lot of Europeans aboard, probably around 40 to 50 percent. We had no problem with any of them.

 

I do think that HAL beats them both, if only slightly. We have sailed all of them many times over the last 20 years or so.

[lkb125]

i just returned from a transatlantic cruise on the Mediterranea. There is a small charge for changing $ to Euros. No ATMs on board, so when you get cash from you credit card, they charge 3%,

The cruise was fantastic. Ship was clean, meals were great, shows were good, and the entertainment was excellent.

However, I have one complaint, and a big one.!!! It is the same complaint of most of the non-German passengers, e.g. Italians, Brits, Canadians and Americans.

For the most part, the German passengers were the most rude people I have ever encounted, male or female, young or old. They barge ahead in lines, pushing and walking ahead of you while you're waiting for an elevator, get all of the deck chairs by tying towels on them, or laying a hat, or whatever. They are like pigs in a feeding frenzy on the bufet lines. They are loud, obnoxious and have no regard for other passengers or the crew. This is the second time I have encountered these people on a trip, and I have learned that they are an ignorant, classless people who have never developed a respect for other's rights. Evidently history has not been a learning process for them.

Beware of Costa for this reason. This cruise left from Ft. Lauderdale.

I dread to think what a cruise would be like in the EU.

I was on the same cruise and I did noty see any of the behavior that you mention and I thought you comments were very nasty.

[joetrizeo]

seriously, the people on Costa were not bad.

 

now carnival! holy cow I've never seen so many low class inconsiderate fools before. if there was ever a cruise line to avoid just because of the clients it attracts by 'competitive pricing' that would be carnival.

 

just my opinion :)

and yes i know Carnival owns Costa but it also owns Princess and the Cunard line as well:D

[racingraysswimmom]

Now joe seriously........you can get low class inconsiderate fools on any of the major cruiselines. Have had them on Costa as well BUT I managed to have a fantastic time no matter who my fellow passengers were. There will be some experiences better than others and if you have traveled on several lines it is hard not to compare. It's hard not to compare within the different ships of a cruiseline. Have a positive attitude and don't let little things bother you. Enjoy the ship you are on!

[michigan tim]

Went on the Mediteranea 2 years ago, western Caribbean itinerary; had a great time. Food, service, activities all excellent or better. Went on the Magica this past year, eastern itinerary; the experience left me a bit cold. The food was mediocre (I'm not picky, but I sent a beef dish back) and the service barely OK. Beautiful ship, but there was something with the service and overall attitude of the crew that was sub-par.

[Jdleong]

We were on the Mediterranea in March , and I loved the cruise. I have been on Carnival (8X) and I felt that Costa gave better service. If you have kids going ,I would choose Carnival as their Kids programs are stronger. The food was wonderful, and I choose a lot of american style dishes , not pasta. On Costa you have a very international crowd, shows are geared towards this, and there will be no comedians or hypnotists. They have singers and dancers, along with acrobats. They were very good, but due to language barriers, these acts fit the niche.Also the Toga night is so much fun! Costa has an X-1 drink package that was wonderful. You get unlimited Beer and Wine during Lunch and Dinner.. I would go again, I just wish that Costa would go to different ports in the next few years.

Jan

[Beowulfpk]

I've found the food on Costa varies quite a bit with who's the head chef at the time of your cruise. Generally the more Italian selections are quite good. On the cheaper Caribbean cruises you may run into passengers that won't come to dinner on time or some sneak in with shorts. Otherwise, I really don't think you can go wrong with Costa unless you are expecting a more American cruise experience. I once paid $430 a person for a partial view room on the Mediterranea; the large windows even opened up. It was a fantastic deal and experience that I would repeat 100 times over if I could. That's coming from someone we has been on over 20 cruises.

[cruisingjon]

Our cruise on the Costa Mediterranea just a few months ago was wonderful. We are back on the Costa Med again next March. My pics and review are listed in my signature. :)

 

Thanks for your review it is very informative.

 

I would like to ask a question, we are loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers, and are looking at our cruise choices for 2008 and I actually stumbled on Costa through another cruise thread.

 

It appears based on some of the pictures that I have seen that the ship is set up alot like a Carnival ship (pool deck etc.), what is your opinion of this. Is this cruise line owned by the same company that owns Carnival, because the ships look very much like Carnival and we are not big on Carnival at all.

 

Any info would be great.

[snaebyllej]

Thanks for your review it is very informative.

 

I would like to ask a question, we are loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers, and are looking at our cruise choices for 2008 and I actually stumbled on Costa through another cruise thread.

 

It appears based on some of the pictures that I have seen that the ship is set up alot like a Carnival ship (pool deck etc.), what is your opinion of this. Is this cruise line owned by the same company that owns Carnival, because the ships look very much like Carnival and we are not big on Carnival at all.

 

Any info would be great.

 

Yes, Costa is owned by Carnival, but so are Princess, Holland America and Seabourne. Most of the newer Costa ships are similar to other ships in the Carnival family because they are built by the same shipyards using the same basic plans.

[bboyack]

we just returned from a 16 night transatlantic on the Magica, Ft. Lauderdale - Copenhagen, which ended two days ago so my official review will be posted later, but sorry, I have to agree with the poster about the Germans. And I am of German descent, most of us originated in Europe somewhere before Ellis Island. I truly have not ever seen in 10+ cruises so much rudeness and dislike of 'americans' and I guess Canadians that speak English, anywhere. Even towards the last couple days the announcements, which consisted of 5 languages each and everytime, ceased in English. I got shoved, my husband got shoved, our friends' 9 year old very polite son got shoved (several times). I don't care who you are, you don't shove people. Nowhere. The staff was highly disorganized most of the time, and I think that didn't help the rudeness impatience, although with all those sea days, what's the hurry???

 

One other thing that really bothered us was the fact that the English speaking passengers were made fun of and heckled at Karaoke and in the guest talent show. Never seen that, anywhere and no call for it. Ok, take our money then make fun of us???

 

We won't sail Costa again, but we got a screamin deal with the airfare so no complaints on valoue for price and for the most part had a great time and met some wonderful fellow cruise critics!

 

Oh, by the way, first time we have ever seen the Captain of a ship play 'chicken' with a freighter in the North Atlantic. With our very eyes, a near miss of less than 1,000 feet. Not how I want to end a cruise, at the bottom of the sea.

[fatcat04]

 

It appears based on some of the pictures that I have seen that the ship is set up alot like a Carnival ship (pool deck etc.), what is your opinion of this. Is this cruise line owned by the same company that owns Carnival, because the ships look very much like Carnival and we are not big on Carnival at all.

 

Any info would be great.

 

Yep, though Costa Cruise Lines' (Costa Crociere S.p.A)history goes back a long way, at least back to right after WWII, Costa was purchased by Carnival. Carnival also owns Carnival Cruise Line, Princess, Holland America, Windstar, Seabourn, P&O, Cunard, Ocean Village Holidays, and Swam Hellenic cruise lines.

 

As you can see, Carnival owns most of the cruise industry but seems to want to maintain the variety of the different cruise lines.

 

I have no Carnival experience but I do know that the new Costa ships are built on the same platform as some of the Carnival ships... not an uncommon thing in the cruise ship building industry. Carnival also trades it ships around.. for instance the old Holland America Westerdam is now the Costa Europa.

 

But yes, the Spirit Class ships are Carnival Spirit, Pride, Legend, Miracle, Costa Mediterranea, and Costa Atlantica.

Destiny Class are Carnival Destiny, Triumph, and Victory and Costa Magica, and Fortuna.

 

There are going to be lots of different opinions concerning Costa on this board because Americans like American things and Americans are the most frequent visitors to this board. Costa does not exclusively cater to the American-centric vacation style. It is a European company and there are quite a few non-American clients on board so they have to cater to a variety of people. I personally found that delightful. We had a great many Canadians, Germans, and Brits, along with many Americans, on our cruise and I never noticed anyone acting rude or nasty. I am sure there are jackasses in every nation but they must have all stayed home that week :D

[joetrizeo]

I would like to ask a question, we are loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers, and are looking at our cruise choices for 2008 and I actually stumbled on Costa through another cruise thread.

 

It appears based on some of the pictures that I have seen that the ship is set up alot like a Carnival ship (pool deck etc.), what is your opinion of this. Is this cruise line owned by the same company that owns Carnival, because the ships look very much like Carnival and we are not big on Carnival at all.

 

 

Looks can be deceiving. Now do you not like Carnival because of food/service/activities or do you not like carnival because of their ships, Destiny and Conquest class. Those are two very distinct differences. Just because a ship looks like a Carnival ship doens't mean it IS a carnival ship. Companies buy multipul sister ships of the same hull design as you no doubt know from the 'voyager' class and 'freedom' class. magica and fortuna are similar to destiny/conqest class but have slight differences. the atlantica and mediterania are spirt class.

 

now with that being said i cruise costa then RC and found many similarities between them especially in food, service and activities. i have a more elaborate comparison in my Mariner review in my signature.

 

but since costa is owned by carnival like princess and cunard and tons of others, they bought that class ship for costa just as easily as carnival could have bought a 'voyager' type ship for their fleet. it's just MUCH easier from a maintenance aspect to have as few as possible types of ships in your fleet for many reasons, training, parts, etc.