Advice needed. Reading bad reviews. Considering Costa for first time.

Hello everyone,

 

My apologies if you see a duplicate post from me, as I can't seem to find the one I wrote first, it seems to have disappeared!

 

It has been my dream to visit Europe and I have started doing research. I am a 41 year old female who would be traveling alone. I am from the USA and only speak English. I thought it would be a good idea to take a cruise in Europe due to a few facts. I'd like to visit the W. Mediterranean and would want to visit Spain, France and Italy. As a single female traveler who speaks only English, I thought it may be easiest to take shore excursions off the ship and use the ship obviously for transportation since I thought it may be really confusing to use transit like train/bus/taxi if I can't understand French/Italian/Spanish. After doing some research, I landed on Costa because it visits the ports that I am interested in. The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.

 

Then I started reading the reviews from English speaking passengers and am concerned that the entire reason I was considering this, may be just as much of an issue. Reviews say that the crew speaks SOME English, but that most of the passengers do not. What concerns me is the crew as they'd be responsible for advising me and pointing me in the right direction. One of the reviews I read said that the ship they were embarking could not be docked in the original location so they were put on a shuttle to drive to the next location. However, the Costa rep only spoke in Italian and didn't explain anything in English which left the couple confused and frustrated not knowing what was going on. I do not want to feel this way being that I'd be a single female traveler.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I want to be immersed in the culture, I want to hear the different languages, I'd even like to learn some! But when it comes to my safety and feeling comfortable, I don't want to get myself into a bad situation.

 

Can any English speaking past Costa passengers weigh in on this at all? Many thanks for any help you can offer.

Hello everyone,

 

My apologies if you see a duplicate post from me, as I can't seem to find the one I wrote first, it seems to have disappeared!

 

It has been my dream to visit Europe and I have started doing research. I am a 41 year old female who would be traveling alone. I am from the USA and only speak English. I thought it would be a good idea to take a cruise in Europe due to a few facts. I'd like to visit the W. Mediterranean and would want to visit Spain, France and Italy. As a single female traveler who speaks only English, I thought it may be easiest to take shore excursions off the ship and use the ship obviously for transportation since I thought it may be really confusing to use transit like train/bus/taxi if I can't understand French/Italian/Spanish. After doing some research, I landed on Costa because it visits the ports that I am interested in. The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.

 

Then I started reading the reviews from English speaking passengers and am concerned that the entire reason I was considering this, may be just as much of an issue. Reviews say that the crew speaks SOME English, but that most of the passengers do not. What concerns me is the crew as they'd be responsible for advising me and pointing me in the right direction. One of the reviews I read said that the ship they were embarking could not be docked in the original location so they were put on a shuttle to drive to the next location. However, the Costa rep only spoke in Italian and didn't explain anything in English which left the couple confused and frustrated not knowing what was going on. I do not want to feel this way being that I'd be a single female traveler.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I want to be immersed in the culture, I want to hear the different languages, I'd even like to learn some! But when it comes to my safety and feeling comfortable, I don't want to get myself into a bad situation.

 

Can any English speaking past Costa passengers weigh in on this at all? Many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

First of all, don't worry. Most of the passenger-facing crew speak very good English. There seems to be more English speaking passengers nowadays than previously.

 

For your independent trips, do your research on Trip Advisor or on the Ports of Call threads here on CC. The fun is in the planning:)

 

Spain - many Brits holiday/live in Spain so you will find English is fairly widely spoken, especially in touristy area.

France - pretty much the same as above but perhaps due to France not being on the package holiday trail, not quite so much.

Italy - roughly same as France.

 

Tip - find a younger person in each country if you need to ask anything, most of them have at least a smattering of English.

Hello everyone,

 

My apologies if you see a duplicate post from me, as I can't seem to find the one I wrote first, it seems to have disappeared!

 

It has been my dream to visit Europe and I have started doing research. I am a 41 year old female who would be traveling alone. I am from the USA and only speak English. I thought it would be a good idea to take a cruise in Europe due to a few facts. I'd like to visit the W. Mediterranean and would want to visit Spain, France and Italy. As a single female traveler who speaks only English, I thought it may be easiest to take shore excursions off the ship and use the ship obviously for transportation since I thought it may be really confusing to use transit like train/bus/taxi if I can't understand French/Italian/Spanish. After doing some research, I landed on Costa because it visits the ports that I am interested in. The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.

 

Then I started reading the reviews from English speaking passengers and am concerned that the entire reason I was considering this, may be just as much of an issue. Reviews say that the crew speaks SOME English, but that most of the passengers do not. What concerns me is the crew as they'd be responsible for advising me and pointing me in the right direction. One of the reviews I read said that the ship they were embarking could not be docked in the original location so they were put on a shuttle to drive to the next location. However, the Costa rep only spoke in Italian and didn't explain anything in English which left the couple confused and frustrated not knowing what was going on. I do not want to feel this way being that I'd be a single female traveler.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I want to be immersed in the culture, I want to hear the different languages, I'd even like to learn some! But when it comes to my safety and feeling comfortable, I don't want to get myself into a bad situation.

 

Can any English speaking past Costa passengers weigh in on this at all? Many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

This is what I would recommend to my best friend.

 

First time on a cruise in Europe - forget about Costa.

Their staff speak English. No problem.

There are many other reasons to avoid Costa for the first cruise.

 

The only reason why Savona is present on cruising map is because it's a base port for Costa.

There is nothing to do there.

There is no airport there.

It'll take you hours to get there from airports in Milan or Genoa using ground transportation.

 

Book RCI Liberty of the Seas.

It's not the best idea to cruise on the same line again, but the Liberty is absolutely different experience vs the ship mentioned in your history.

And also it's way above Costa product in all aspects.

Start from Barcelona.

It's a big airport with many options for airlines/schedules.

The airport is close to the city.

The airport bus is cheap and easy to use. Drivers speak English.

The bus will take to the center of the city. Tons of hotels are within walking distance from bus stops.

Barcelona has extensive subway network. Easy and safe - just mind your pockets.

Enjoy at least a couple of days in Barcelona. It's beautiful. Don't forget to visit Montjuic.

Get rid of jet lag.

Cruise port is in the city.

 

Barcelona is the easiest and most convenient point to start and finish a cruise: all in one - world class international airport, easy connection with city center, convenient public transportation in the city, cruise port in the city, the city itself is a major attraction for international tourism, various cruise lines/ships to choose from.

 

Barcelona & Liberty OTS - you'll be safe, have peace of mind, still be immersed in cultures and languages.

RCI excursions are safe and well organized.

 

You'll try Costa some time in the future when you are more familiar and confident, and get a bargain price.

 

Links to video reviews:

 

 

 

This is what I would recommend to my best friend.

 

First time on a cruise in Europe - forget about Costa.

Their staff speak English. No problem.

There are many other reasons to avoid Costa for the first cruise.

 

The only reason why Savona is present on cruising map is because it's a base port for Costa.

There is nothing to do there.

There is no airport there.

It'll take you hours to get there from airports in Milan or Genoa using ground transportation.

 

Book RCI Liberty of the Seas.

It's not the best idea to cruise on the same line again, but the Liberty is absolutely different experience vs the ship mentioned in your history.

And also it's way above Costa product in all aspects.

Start from Barcelona.

It's a big airport with many options for airlines/schedules.

The airport is close to the city.

The airport bus is cheap and easy to use. Drivers speak English.

The bus will take to the center of the city. Tons of hotels are within walking distance from bus stops.

Barcelona has extensive subway network. Easy and safe - just mind your pockets.

Enjoy at least a couple of days in Barcelona. It's beautiful. Don't forget to visit Montjuic.

Get rid of jet lag.

Cruise port is in the city.

 

Barcelona is the easiest and most convenient point to start and finish a cruise: all in one - world class international airport, easy connection with city center, convenient public transportation in the city, cruise port in the city, the city itself is a major attraction for international tourism, various cruise lines/ships to choose from.

 

Barcelona & Liberty OTS - you'll be safe, have peace of mind, still be immersed in cultures and languages.

RCI excursions are safe and well organized.

 

You'll try Costa some time in the future when you are more familiar and confident, and get a bargain price.

 

Links to video reviews:

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your response. The reason I am avoiding leaving out of Barcelona or Rome is that I really *like* the idea of cruising out of Savona. There may not be anything exciting in the immediate area, its proximity to Nice and Monaco are the big draw for me. If I take one of the other cruiselines out of another port, I may not get enough time in that area or it may not stop there at all.

 

The issue with RCCL is that they do not offer single cruisers ANY kind of advantage. I could pay $1500 with Costa or DOUBLE that with RCCL. That's not an option.

 

I'm also flying to Europe from Florida on frequent flyer miles and will need to work around the schedules of when my points are good.

 

I didn't see a big issue with flying into Nice and using Costa's transfers from the airport. It's not all THAT far. My concern really is with the language barriers.

 

Thank you for the info on Barcelona, it's actually the port I'm least interested in going to, but with the info you listed here, perhaps it will turn out to be one of my favorites.

 

Nothing is planned yet as I am still in the prelim stages, gathering lots of info. Thank you again for your advice.

We have travelled on Costa on many occasions. The med cruises do attract a lot of the home Italian Market. However there will be a fair few Germans, French, Spanish and British on board. We have never had an issue with being English only speaking. A lot of the restaurant staff are Indian and speak perfect English ( they struggle thru the Italian!)

 

The announcements are done in all languages. It is a different product to Royal/ Celebrity etc , we are Diamondplus/Eliteplus with them, but still enjoy going on Costa now and again.

 

The ships are pretty much the same as Carnival Cruises, the interior design is from the same guy. Food wise, the Pasta is the best! Meat dishes can be a little on the rustic side.

 

Costa is an old Italian cruise line, with an interesting heritage,

 

Have a good time

Thanks for your response. The reason I am avoiding leaving out of Barcelona or Rome is that I really *like* the idea of cruising out of Savona. There may not be anything exciting in the immediate area, its proximity to Nice and Monaco are the big draw for me. If I take one of the other cruiselines out of another port, I may not get enough time in that area or it may not stop there at all.

 

The issue with RCCL is that they do not offer single cruisers ANY kind of advantage. I could pay $1500 with Costa or DOUBLE that with RCCL. That's not an option.

 

I'm also flying to Europe from Florida on frequent flyer miles and will need to work around the schedules of when my points are good.

 

I didn't see a big issue with flying into Nice and using Costa's transfers from the airport. It's not all THAT far. My concern really is with the language barriers.

 

Thank you for the info on Barcelona, it's actually the port I'm least interested in going to, but with the info you listed here, perhaps it will turn out to be one of my favorites.

 

Nothing is planned yet as I am still in the prelim stages, gathering lots of info. Thank you again for your advice.

 

Oh! That's an important update.

You are flying on bonus miles - good!

The best value for bonus miles is flying to Europe.

I understand that you want to stay in France for a few days. I would do the same!

$1500 is too much for a solo on Costa unless you are in Samsara category. Samsara is a different experience. If you are in Samsara for $1500 - no more questions.

If not - there is a different story.

 

Norwegian Epic from Barcelona - 7 days in July - $1000 (Total). This is what I see online right now. This is a dedicated inside solo cabin. I also see $100 free onboard credit. It's great because you'll need to pay for dinners in specialty restaurants on this ship (dinners included in the price are not good).

Don't be surprised. It's normal for this line. This is actually what they want you to do.

 

Itinerary: Barcelona-Naples(12 hours)-Civitavecchia (13 hours)-Livorno(12 hours)-Cannes(10 hours)-Palma de Mallorca(7 hours)-Barcelona.

 

Flight Nice-Barcelona 2 days earlier - $ 126 One Way (Iberia airlines) - this is your transfer to Barcelona.

How much is Costa transfer to Savona?

Enjoy 2 days in BCN and take your cruise on the Epic - 7 days in the Mediterranean.

Honestly - the Epic is far from being the best ship at sea, but considering the circumstances (prices and other options) it's a variant. As a new solo cruiser you'll enjoy the Epic.

My airline would give me "open jaw" bonus trip: Florida - Nice; Barcelona - Florida. There is a chance that your airline will cover Nice-barcelona portion as well if there is a partner airline on this route.

 

Utilize the flexibility of bonus tickets, be creative in planning your trip, don't be afraid of language barrier, book best affordable ships and enjoy your vacation!

Edited February 10, 2014 by cruisetrail

Addition:

Compare hours in ports. It may be important.

Hello everyone,

 

After doing some research, I landed on Costa because it visits the ports that I am interested in. The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.r.

 

-------

 

Hello.

 

Serene is a beautyful ship, medium size, nice clean and with very good pizza.

 

That Costa is not for firsttimers is more BS than what comes out from a horse sometimes......

 

We european may not speak perfect english, and our writing is even worse :p

 

But we start to learn english at the moment we start to go to school, so mostly european speaks at least some english if they are under around 70 years old.

 

Some people from Spain or Germany sometimes forget that they som english, but because to day we have something brand new in Europe, called internett, which mostly is in english even them can unserstand.

 

Language for "airportss" in Europe is english, and almost everybody in policeforces speaks perfect english.

 

So travelling in Europe in not that difficult.

 

When are you travelling? Or how soon can you travel?

 

Since you're from mia,fll,orl, why don't you take the Disney Magic in end of may -14 from Orlando, now around 1800 dollar for the transantick 12 days to Barcelon, then take the fast-train to Savona, do your cruise with the beautiful costa serena, then take a cheap flight to London, and then take the cheap flight back home with Norwegian?

 

Any ports you want to know something about seen from an euopean wiev???

 

I have been to most med-ports more then one time..........:)

 

Onboard Costa you will find a lot of new friends that want to share tables with you, and you can have all the pasta and pizza you want.....

 

If you want something more upscale. Don't do Rccl because to expencive, to big ships and to many americans :rolleyes:

 

Do costa if you want a ladeback vacation at a low price, but in beautiful ships where you can dance all night.

 

Do ncl if you want dark Jade, long, long Epic with no elevators or stairs all the way in the middle, og just find something else.

 

Do princess if you want a new quite large ship and more formel.

 

Do Hal if you want something upscale from costa.

 

Do Celebration if you want to spend that much money.

 

And when you have done the Med, please come to Norway and take the costal line Hurtigruten all the way up to north cape.......;)

-------

 

When are you travelling? Or how soon can you travel?

 

Since you're from mia,fll,orl, why don't you take the Disney Magic in end of may -14 from Orlando, now around 1800 dollar for the transantick 12 days to Barcelon, then take the fast-train to Savona, do your cruise with the beautiful costa serena, then take a cheap flight to London, and then take the cheap flight back home with Norwegian?

 

Any ports you want to know something about seen from an euopean wiev???

 

And when you have done the Med, please come to Norway and take the costal line Hurtigruten all the way up to north cape.......;)

 

Thank you very much for your response. I can understand your writing in English so I suppose that is good!

 

I live in Orlando, FL. I am 10 miles down the road from Disney World. I am a huge Disney fan, go there once a week and have an annual pass. That being said when I go to Europe, I don't want it to feel like home, you know?! I don't want to be on Mickey Mouse's ship, when I live down the street from Mickey Mouses house and go there all the time! So Disney Cruiseline is out for my once in a lifetime trip to Europe.

 

I have frequent flyer miles to use for this trip which requires me to fly round trip to/from the same location in Europe. The best flights right now seem to be in/out of Nice. I've also checked Barcelona....the availability changes daily so I'm just checking my options right now.

 

I will likely have many more questions about actual ports soon! Thank you again.

Thank you very much for your response. I can understand your writing in English so I suppose that is good!

 

I live in Orlando, FL. I am 10 miles down the road from Disney World. I am a huge Disney fan, go there once a week and have an annual pass. That being said when I go to Europe, I don't want it to feel like home, you know?! I don't want to be on Mickey Mouse's ship, when I live down the street from Mickey Mouses house and go there all the time! So Disney Cruiseline is out for my once in a lifetime trip to Europe.

 

I have frequent flyer miles to use for this trip which requires me to fly round trip to/from the same location in Europe. The best flights right now seem to be in/out of Nice. I've also checked Barcelona....the availability changes daily so I'm just checking my options right now.

 

I will likely have many more questions about actual ports soon! Thank you again.

 

It is possible to board from marseille which is near Nice also. Genoa port is onbviously doable too, just as Savona. You're not restricted to Savona just becuase nice works best for you to fly to.

Thank you very much for your response. I can understand your writing in English so I suppose that is good!

 

I live in Orlando, FL. I am 10 miles down the road from Disney World. I am a huge Disney fan, go there once a week and have an annual pass. That being said when I go to Europe, I don't want it to feel like home, you know?! I don't want to be on Mickey Mouse's ship, when I live down the street from Mickey Mouses house and go there all the time! So Disney Cruiseline is out for my once in a lifetime trip to Europe.

 

I have frequent flyer miles to use for this trip which requires me to fly round trip to/from the same location in Europe. The best flights right now seem to be in/out of Nice. I've also checked Barcelona....the availability changes daily so I'm just checking my options right now.

 

I will likely have many more questions about actual ports soon! Thank you again.

 

You may also want to look at Milan airport for Savona, Costa do bus transfers from both Nice and Milan airports to Savona.

 

Don't worry about the language, English is the widest spoken language amongst the crew, most Europeans will have some knowledge of English (even if it is only school English. If you don't find anyone who speaks English just start waving your arms about and you'll get lots of Italians talking to you.:D

 

The other good thing Costa does is to sit native English speakers together at Dinner (assigned table and dinner sitting) so you will meet people there.

 

Go with an open mind with no preconceived idea and you will have the time of your life - after all it is your vacation.

 

If you have any other questions just ask, most members are friendly and helpful, not so many "haters" as on other boards.

 

Ron

I recommend travelling at least three days early, to account for jet lag. That gives you a lot of choices- I've flown into BCN, MRS, NCE, MXP and GOA for Savona. Nice, Genoa and Savona are all pleasant towns.

This is Europe! Most of the ports you'll be visiting need way more than a single port stop to see properly. Worrying about a couple of hours more or less is absurd.

The working language for hotel staff is English. Speak slowly and simply, enunciate clearly, and avoid colloquialisms, and there should be no difficulty. Other passengers do indeed often speak the Queen's English quite well- I'm currently sitting with some Swedish ladies, the youngest is perfectly fluent.

Be aware food service in Europe is somewhat different from America. Costa doesn't provde 24-hour feeding troughs and the menu items and recipes are somewhat different.

The Americans I talk to all agree the atmosphere is far, far different from a line like, say, Holland America. If all you want to do is go to bed at 8PM to rest up for the breakfast buffet, you'll be missing the Costa experience.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Dancer Bob

If you want to immerse yourself in the cultures of Europe then i would suggest you forget a cruise and go overland. Travelling across Europe by rail is very simple and cost effective. It will allow you to see the real Europe rather than tourist ports.

 

In all major European cities english is common and not an issue and most hotels have english speaking staff

If you want to immerse yourself in the cultures of Europe then i would suggest you forget a cruise and go overland. Travelling across Europe by rail is very simple and cost effective. It will allow you to see the real Europe rather than tourist ports.

 

In all major European cities english is common and not an issue and most hotels have english speaking staff

 

I'm with Stormy. I totally get being concerned about being a single woman travelling alone, but I don't think a cruise is the best way to see Europe. Barely a tease of the countries you want to see. Why not look into an organized tour? There are many companies that offer tours across Europe, visitiing various countries by both rail and bus. You will be with people who speak English, feel safer, and I guarantee you will see lots more.

 

I don't want to recommend any tour company in particular but there are loads of them that do a great job, at different price levels. Also some geared towards more active tours, singles, just a variety of options you won't get on a cruise. I love cruising, but do not feel it is the best way to see Europe, meet the people, taste the food, and just get a feel for each country you viisit. Happy travels, whatever you decide to do.

I'm with Stormy. I totally get being concerned about being a single woman travelling alone, but I don't think a cruise is the best way to see Europe. Barely a tease of the countries you want to see. Why not look into an organized tour? There are many companies that offer tours across Europe, visitiing various countries by both rail and bus. You will be with people who speak English, feel safer, and I guarantee you will see lots more.

 

I don't want to recommend any tour company in particular but there are loads of them that do a great job, at different price levels. Also some geared towards more active tours, singles, just a variety of options you won't get on a cruise. I love cruising, but do not feel it is the best way to see Europe, meet the people, taste the food, and just get a feel for each country you viisit. Happy travels, whatever you decide to do.

 

Have to agree with the previous two posts. Cruising is not really for those looking to immerse themselves in a country, but for those who like to be waited on hand, foot and finger with maybe a stroll around near ports (some never even get off the ship - dunno why they just don't stay in a 5* hotel instead).

This spring, I'll be doing a cruise on neoRomantica, then a couple of weeks on my own in an area of France I want to know better, then a specialised historical bus tour. So I guess you could say I agree with everyone.

Positives for cruising- When I did Adriatic on Serena, the per day cost was less than traveling around Italy, and that without considering the nightlife on Costa compared to sitting in a hotel bar, as well as sitting on a bus or train for hours and changing hotels regularly. A cruise is a nice way to persuade yourself that Western Europe is a great destination.

I loved our costa cruise on luminosa.

 

Do not worry about English being spoken. There is an English speaking rep who does your intro talk and muster and holds daily surgeries.

 

The English speaking guests all made an effort to talk to eachother. We met two fabulously fun Cockney ladies who made our evenings. Such fun! We met non-Europeans who prefered to speak English. And some Americans who couldn't wait to start up a conversation at the bar, it was lovely. Perhaps it will be easier to make friends when less people speak English? People seem to seek each other out. Yes, all Engilsh speaking people sit together at dinner.

 

Savona is a lovely port, there is not much to do except eat, walk, shop, watch locals....exactly what I like to do on my holidays! It is an authentic pretty town.

 

I thought the food on Costa was delicious. The meat options are not fancy like other ships, but well prepared and tasty...also quite healthy. I did not put on weight!

 

The all inclusive drinks package is brilliant, even if you do not drink much alcohol. It makes the cruise much more affordable.

 

I think you will have a great time in europe. There is so much to expereince and see, perhaps our cuisine is not as exciting or tasty as it is in the US, or the service is not as friendly, but we are very rich in culture and beautiful buildings, and unque local cultures.

 

Have fun!! :)

Edited February 28, 2014 by kfowinst

Lilystar, I applaud you for being willing to get out of the comfort zone of Florida and venturing out to Europe as a solo woman traveler.

 

The advice in all these posts has been really spot on!

 

I've done both land tours and cruises and would suggest if this is to be your one and only lifetime trip across the pond then you'll have to give yourself time to combine both - you really must visit Paris and Rome!

 

But if you have constraints such as time, budget, safety fears and first-time jitters, then I suggest go ahead and do a Costa cruise from Savona or Genoa or Rome. It may be nothing more than a "sampler" of the Mediterranean ports but that's exactly what the ancient Roman and Greek civilizations were built around - those ports.

 

And you lucky lady, you won't be rowing a three-banked trireme.

 

Go Lilystar, go!

Hello everyone,

 

It has been my dream to visit Europe and I have started doing research. I am a 41 year old female who would be traveling alone. I am from the USA and only speak English. I thought it would be a good idea to take a cruise in Europe due to a few facts. I'd like to visit the W. Mediterranean and would want to visit Spain, France and Italy. As a single female traveler who speaks only English, The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.

I am a sort of single traveller in my mid 40s and female. I am sailing on Serena in June 2014. Going with Parents but have own cabin. Did the same last year on Costa ship. Last year I spent time with them and time on own with others I met, and hope to do the same this year, In fact I had such a good experience last year concsidered going it alone this year but parents wanted to come ( mum is not one to miss out on a cruise!!)

 

Then I started reading the reviews from English speaking passengers and am concerned that the entire reason I was considering this, may be just as much of an issue. Reviews say that the crew speaks SOME English, but that most of the passengers do not. What concerns me is the crew as they'd be responsible for advising me and pointing me in the right direction.

 

All the crew I came across last year spoke very good English. My Parents have cruised with them for many years and say the same- never had a problem

 

One of the reviews I read said that the ship they were embarking could not be docked in the original location so they were put on a shuttle to drive to the next location. However, the Costa rep only spoke in Italian and didn't explain anything in English which left the couple confused and frustrated not knowing what was going on. I do not want to feel this way being that I'd be a single female traveler.

you wont feel that way, never had a probelm. Sure ports etc change due to many reasons, but that could happen on any ship, any cruise line, ( didnt happen last year, but has to mum and dad) the reps speak English, They will use the most common language for those on the trip, then repeat in the next language and so on, maybe the others were not listening, If they dont speak in your language ask them to, or another passenger to translate, most Europeans speak very good English.

 

 

Please don't get me wrong, I want to be immersed in the culture, I want to hear the different languages, I'd even like to learn some! But when it comes to my safety and feeling comfortable, I don't want to get myself into a bad situation.

 

because they make all annoucements on board in mutliple languages you may find that you start to absord certain phrases in many languages!!! I did, now can understand and speak a small amount spanish and italian

 

people on the cruises were very friendly. I met up with Americans and Australians on some trips out. Paired up in exercise class with a German Lady. Seemed to be doing many activities at the same time as one American family with 2 beautiful little girls- one who had a melt down because she did not want to get off of the ship!!

 

There were more Americans on boards than us Brits- think there were only another couple from the UK but more than 2 coach loads of Americans ( many from forces based in Europe)

 

We dinned with a very nice US forces family in the MDR and continued to chat on line afterwards

 

If you happen to be on the same cruise, we may even buddy up for somethings

Hello everyone,

 

My apologies if you see a duplicate post from me, as I can't seem to find the one I wrote first, it seems to have disappeared!

 

It has been my dream to visit Europe and I have started doing research. I am a 41 year old female who would be traveling alone. I am from the USA and only speak English. I thought it would be a good idea to take a cruise in Europe due to a few facts. I'd like to visit the W. Mediterranean and would want to visit Spain, France and Italy. As a single female traveler who speaks only English, I thought it may be easiest to take shore excursions off the ship and use the ship obviously for transportation since I thought it may be really confusing to use transit like train/bus/taxi if I can't understand French/Italian/Spanish. After doing some research, I landed on Costa because it visits the ports that I am interested in. The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.

 

Then I started reading the reviews from English speaking passengers and am concerned that the entire reason I was considering this, may be just as much of an issue. Reviews say that the crew speaks SOME English, but that most of the passengers do not. What concerns me is the crew as they'd be responsible for advising me and pointing me in the right direction. One of the reviews I read said that the ship they were embarking could not be docked in the original location so they were put on a shuttle to drive to the next location. However, the Costa rep only spoke in Italian and didn't explain anything in English which left the couple confused and frustrated not knowing what was going on. I do not want to feel this way being that I'd be a single female traveler.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I want to be immersed in the culture, I want to hear the different languages, I'd even like to learn some! But when it comes to my safety and feeling comfortable, I don't want to get myself into a bad situation.

 

Can any English speaking past Costa passengers weigh in on this at all? Many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

 

Hi there,

 

First just let me say that although English speaking people on Costa ships seem to be in the minority, this in no way spoilt it for my partner and I on our 1st Costa cruise 15 months ago.

 

We met some lovely people & plenty spoke English but you do have to remember that this is predominently an Italian cruise line. On our dinner table we were placed together with fellow English speaking people, one a lady who came on her own due to her friends father taking ill the night before they were due to sail out !

 

Costa have a meeting for anybody on board travelling alone, which we thought was a great idea, it gave this lady a lot more confidence and she thoroughly enjoyed her 1st cruise even though she did travel alone!

 

I travelled with my partner and we booked independently from the ship for a excursions with ' cruising excursions ', they were great and so much cheaper than the ships prices, please don't feel daunted by any uncertainty over the language issues, it would be a shame to miss out on an adventure due to worries over the language. We are travelling again with Costa on the Serena on April 25th and can't wait ! May be we'll see you there :)

Was on a cruise were there were only 12 english as main language speakers.

 

It was no problem, there was an english language rep and english is the primary language so was used everywhere. Most of the staff and crew knew language.

 

The excursion for english filled up quickly because people with a none prime language all knew english and got placed in the english excursion.

 

 

One major problem with that few english speaker there were no educational lectures that happened for German, where the cruise was coming from so had the most people.

The only I could add is that after 30 cruises I`d never take this cruise for free . I just got off the costa luminosa 10 day caribbean cruise and between the breakfast buffet n the dinner menu your better off odering the pasta everynight . If by chance your a little late for dinner 8:45:pm late is 8:55 they shut dining room door and tell you pizza or room service . Which is no choice at all . We started buying alot of snacks in ports . Of course these boards won`t let the real truth stay on the boARD SO GUESSING THIS WON`T BE ON LONG . i DIDN`T RUN INTO ONE PERSON ON THE CRUISE THAT LIKED IT . tHIS WAS EVEN FROM ITALIANS THEY TOLD US CRUISE msc INSTEAD .

Have you booked yet, Lilystar?

Nice is a great base to start your journey. The bus ride into town along the seafront is scenic, short and simple; it's easy and cheap to get to all those gorgeous Riviera towns; the Costa transfer to Savona is like the Amalfi coast ride (I'm told - I'm doing it next month!), and Nice is a lovely, safe introduction to France and Europe.

Don't worry about the language - a lot of crew are from the Philippines, so fluent, while most people speak or understand some English.

I've met all sorts of people on Costa, from all around the world. You may find some Italian attitudes to queuing different - getting in lifts as you're trying to get out! - but I've found them good fun to learn new dances with.

I hope you have a good trip, whatever you choose. :)

Hello everyone,

 

My apologies if you see a duplicate post from me, as I can't seem to find the one I wrote first, it seems to have disappeared!

 

It has been my dream to visit Europe and I have started doing research. I am a 41 year old female who would be traveling alone. I am from the USA and only speak English. I thought it would be a good idea to take a cruise in Europe due to a few facts. I'd like to visit the W. Mediterranean and would want to visit Spain, France and Italy. As a single female traveler who speaks only English, I thought it may be easiest to take shore excursions off the ship and use the ship obviously for transportation since I thought it may be really confusing to use transit like train/bus/taxi if I can't understand French/Italian/Spanish. After doing some research, I landed on Costa because it visits the ports that I am interested in. The Costa Serena out of Savona to be exact.

 

Then I started reading the reviews from English speaking passengers and am concerned that the entire reason I was considering this, may be just as much of an issue. Reviews say that the crew speaks SOME English, but that most of the passengers do not. What concerns me is the crew as they'd be responsible for advising me and pointing me in the right direction. One of the reviews I read said that the ship they were embarking could not be docked in the original location so they were put on a shuttle to drive to the next location. However, the Costa rep only spoke in Italian and didn't explain anything in English which left the couple confused and frustrated not knowing what was going on. I do not want to feel this way being that I'd be a single female traveler.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I want to be immersed in the culture, I want to hear the different languages, I'd even like to learn some! But when it comes to my safety and feeling comfortable, I don't want to get myself into a bad situation.

 

Can any English speaking past Costa passengers weigh in on this at all? Many thanks for any help you can offer.

 

Hi there,

Hope the reply is not too late. I cruised with Costa for the first time in 2012. Prior to that I cruised many times but not with Costa. I chose it because it was convenient for us as my partner is french living in south of france and the departure in Marseille. Anyway, they do speak many languages on board, French, Italian, Spanish and English plus others but not everybody (staff) can speak all the languages, for example when my partner went to the purser's desk and spoke french most of the available staff on duty could not speak french so I had to take over to speak in english. What you do get, is all the announcements are in various languages. I suppose they would find people who speak good english to communicate with you if required. On most cruise ships they employ UK citizen on the purser's desk but it is not teh case with Costa, it is truly multi racial.

 

Passengers were a mix bag though, I recall mainly Spanish so very very noisy they tend to shout not speak lol. Costa is ok of a cruise line but I feel I have to air my grievance here in that I was due to sail with the Concordia on 14th January only to find it capsized on the 13th and Costa did nothing useful and I lost that trip as well as holiday etc. They did offer an alternative holiday months later with a credit of 100 euro hardly worth it but we went as it coincided with our holiday at short notice.

Costa is ok of a cruise line but I feel I have to air my grievance here in that I was due to sail with the Concordia on 14th January only to find it capsized on the 13th and Costa did nothing useful and I lost that trip as well as holiday etc. They did offer an alternative holiday months later with a credit of 100 euro hardly worth it but we went as it coincided with our holiday at short notice.

 

What a shame and how inconsiderate of Costa to loose the Concordia and spoil your planned cruise.

 

Shame and inconsiderate is how I would describe your message. Not a word about the 32 poor souls who lost their lives and will never be able to cruise again or hold their loved ones in their arms.

 

Give me a break.

 

This message shows the bad side of cruising today, the me, me, me, ideology and **** (I put the starsi n and I didn't want my message to be deleted) the rest.

 

Ron