Costa Serena - Worst cruise ever!!

Worst cruise ever!!! I have been on over 20 cruises, Azamara, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival and Premier (got to be old to remember that one). I booked the Costa Serena for 8 of us, 2 families with adult children, mostly due to the itinerary.

We embarked in Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome). Most people had embarked in Savona, so embarkation was very quick. Strange thing, they insisted on taking our passports stating that Italian Customs required they keep them in a safe. The passports would be reviewed by authorities prior to disembarkation and returned to us. What if we had an issue in port?? Also in the past 2 years I was on a cruise from Venice and another from Stockholm and was able to keep my passport.

Muster drill was done in English for the few of us English speaking guests onboard. We met in a lounge then up to life boats. Paul, the English speaking host was very informative and stated that the ship would sail at only 50% capacity for this week. Wow, things don’t look good for Costa.

Considering the low occupancy rate, I thought it was funny that we were not given any upgrades. I paid full price for 3 cabins back in November and watched the price go down to $299 pp prior to sailing, after final payment. I called my travel agent and Costa to try to get an upgrade or any other type of compensation but they would not budge. You would think that an upgrade that costs them nothing would be good customer service, especially after all the bad press!

Then negatives…

-5 Euro charge for breakfast in your cabin

-2 Euro charge for room service

-10.50 Euro for a vodka and OJ, charge separately for each

-no lido deck buffet for dinner, dining room ONLY for dinner

-dinner menu with very few choices, 2 soups, 2 appetizers, 2 pasta, 4 main

-no steak, fillet or lobster

-breakfast in the dining room was a buffet? Same as lido deck.

- midnight buffet with all the carvings, but no food. Waiters walked around with trays of cookies??

-setting up onboard charges with a machine that didn’t work, purser’s desk would not help, yes I did it online prior to boarding

-very poor service from onboard staff, purser’s desk

The only excursion I booked with Costa was from Savona to Monoco which I paid for in March. Three days into the cruise I noticed a very small note in the “Today”, daily paper that the excursion had been cancelled. I went down to the shore excursion desk and was told that it was cancelled because it was too close to the grand prix. They stated that I would not be reimbursed with my original form of payment but they would give me an onboard credit to cover all my expenses and tips!! Since I had to pay for tips and onboard charges I figured it would all work out. I was wrong, the last day when the final bill arrived I was not given the credit and had multiple charges?? After talking to the shore excursion desk and the purser’s desk no one was willing to help. I was told to dispute the charge with my credit company.

When I came home I emailed Costa and a Costa representative called me. She said that in the fine print of the cruise contract it states that shore excursions cancelled after sailing will be reimbursed as an onboard credit. She went on to say that onboard credits do not include reimbursements for tips and that no cash refund is given. After much discussion Costa agreed to send me a check. Just Crazy!!

Upon disembarkation, the ship cleared customs and passengers were getting off but we had to wait for our passports. The passports sat behind the desk but we had to wait almost an hour because the desk didn’t open until 8am!!!

In over 20 cruises I have never had a bad cruise. This is actually my first cruise review, but I felt it necessary to let others know just how bad it was. I think the only positive reviews are from first timers. While I realize cruising has changed in 30 years I still find it a wonderful way to travel! Just not with Costa, never again!!

sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

i wonder if 'no buffet at night' is something new? both of the costa cruises i was on had almost everything at the buffet that was on the dinner menu. interesting.

as for the passports, i had to surrender it both times i was on costa. on carnival, too, for a med cruise and i believe i did on princess, also for a transatlantic.

Anyone traveling on a European cruise who are not from one of the European countries has to surrender their passports to the ship, it has been done on every Med cruise we have been on so far.

They were returned however the day before people were due to get off the ship.

Because the ship as you say was only 50% full it may well be that Costa made a decision not to have the Buffet open in the evening as well as the Dining room.

We'll take our first Costa in November, when we will spend the whole month in Southeast Asia on the Victoria. So it remains to be seen whether our experience will be different.

As others have pointed out, you may be an experienced cruiser but what happened with your passports in the Mediterranean happens with every cruise line. We have had it happen with Princees; last November with HAL. So whoever you choose to blame, don't blame Costa.

As to food, we'll see. But since we are going to be in Southeast Asia we are not worried. Cheap street food is plentiful. Some of the best in the world. And since we pay only $600 pp. for the 14-day second leg, we may be able to afford eating out if it comes to that.

As to the Costa way of dining -- only MDR, no buffet, no anytime -- that has been amply discused. You might have known had you done your advance research. And drink prices -- hey you were in Europe. If you itinerary only covered EU countries, you may even have been charged VAT! And duty-free cigs, no way. But, then again, you probably hate cigarettes, not that there is anything wrong with that.

we did the same cruise at the end of April from Barcelona, also on Serena. We are English, living in Spain and we also had to hand our passports in. Here in Spain by law you are supposed to have your passport on you at all times however for 10 euros you can take it to a solicitor who will do a photocopy and have it stamped and endorsed by a notary. This then becomes a legal document and you can leave your passport in the safe. I actually did a caribbean cruise and handed my copy in at every port and not once did they query it. I would think most countries would have this option. I agree with all you say about the cruise and wrote a review earlier, conclusion is Never Again with Costa.

On our recent NCL Jade cruise from Venice VAT payable to Italy was charged on many goods such as Spirits and Jewelery in the onboard shop, the Spirits were taken off sale during our 2 week cruise.

VAT was also added to onboard drinks.

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise. I think I would feel the same way.

Ah yes...yet another 'encouraging' Costa experience :D

and yet another reason I'd never waste my money!

After cruising on American lines/ships

(and twice on UK's Ocean Village Two, reasonably acceptable)

it's hard to even think about a Costa cruise..

to the point where I might even say No to a freebie

and not just because of the Concordia thing -although that doesn't help matters, does it?

I've read too many reviews like this, that point towards disorganisation

and circumstances being simply un-necessarily screwed-up!

NOT ON MY WATCH and NOT ON MY CRUISE! ;)

Is Italia! Yaaaay! :D

.

Ah yes...yet another 'encouraging' Costa experience :D

and yet another reason I'd never waste my money!

 

After cruising on American lines/ships

(and twice on UK's Ocean Village Two, reasonably acceptable)

it's hard to even think about a Costa cruise..

to the point where I might even say No to a freebie

and not just because of the Concordia thing -although that doesn't help matters, does it?

 

 

I've read too many reviews like this, that point towards disorganisation

and circumstances being simply un-necessarily screwed-up!

 

NOT ON MY WATCH and NOT ON MY CRUISE! ;)

 

 

Is Italia! Yaaaay! :D

.

i think the OP's complaints were pretty minor - mainly that they didn't get a free upgrade. nothing in life is free...

"Ah yes...yet another 'encouraging' Costa experience "

aplmac .... Compare the number of encouraging reviews you have read and put that against the number of people who are on Costa ships and have no problem! Miniscule in proportion and then look at where the majority of those who complain come from !

There is no buffet on Costa in the evening - and no midnight buffet. We were on Classica in Asia last year, we have done Costa before...and these are the changes we noticed:

No Kettle in the cabin

No buffet for dinner - only on the first night.

No late buffet ...the staff walk around the bars with mini sandwiches and or cakes.

That was 12 months ago, 12 months prior to that....all the above were part and parcel of the cruise.

These were the Asian Cruises - Singapore, Hong Kong etc. But I think it is across the board now with Costa.

We have taken more than 15 cruises and are yet to encounter a cabin with a kettle.

And most lines have gotten rid of midnight buffets because they are not well patronized by cruises who are tired even though they may not be fat and happy.

As to the lack of dinner-time buffet, we'll see how we like its absence when we spend the month of November in SEAsia on the Costa Victoria.

After such a dramatic title Worst Cruise Ever, I was expecting something really good like maggots in the rice. Epic fail. Such a shout requires a detailed account of really awful experiences. Cruise from Hell was already taken. An equally unsatisfying letdown as I recall.

As an aside,

Aplmac never intends to go on a Costa cruise yet curiously enough avidly follows the reviews of the line ....possibly to answer his burning question whether "they" can "run anything? " Intrigued by the question Aplmac has posed. Whom are they?

After such a dramatic title Worst Cruise Ever, I was expecting something really good like maggots in the rice. Epic fail. Such a shout requires a detailed account of really awful experiences. Cruise from Hell was already taken. An equally unsatisfying letdown as I recall.

 

 

I so agree! Many people feel they need to talk or write about something they know nothing about, especially when the discussion is Costa. Thus the reason for the dramatic title in this thread. Yes, "Cruise from Hell" was already taken, so was "OK Costa, Just Call it Quits" and lets now forget about my favorite that really set me in the defense mode "Americans Sailing Costa, you've been warned!" Just sailed Costa for the fifth time in April, not Silverseas or Crystal, but I paid a lot less. Some little issues, but still a very enjoyable cruise.

Look at the positive side - at least your ship did not sink or suffer from loss of power or be hijacked by pirates. Those options seem to be standard procedure for Costa ships.

DON

Look at the positive side - at least your ship did not sink or suffer from loss of power or be hijacked by pirates. Those options seem to be standard procedure for Costa ships.

 

DON

Yes. All those things have happened regularly on Costa in its long history on the sea and NEVER to other lines. Excellent point Donald.

Kate .... My thoughts exactly! Rose tinted glasses come to mind.

On our Deliziosa cruise in December 2011 there was a Midnight Buffet and have the pictures to prove it! so it may well be something that has happened fairly recently.

The last 10 cruises we have taken there was no midnight buffet. I did not care because I will be sleeping at this time. I think a buffet would be nice as an alternative to the mdr but no big deal.

I was just on a Mediterranean cruise out of Rome with Holland America 2 weeks ago and we were definitely not required to hand in our passports. I'm also from North America.:confused:

It sounds like a cruise line in fast decline. The Costa brand is ruined.

Look for a rebrand: 'CarnivalEU'.

Look for a rebrand: 'CarnivalEU'.

The way they are discounting, their next ship will be named the Costa Notalotta.

Discounting ? where ? looking at the prices they are more expensive than many others!

Anyone traveling on a European cruise who are not from one of the European countries has to surrender their passports to the ship, it has been done on every Med cruise we have been on so far.

 

They were returned however the day before people were due to get off the ship.

 

Because the ship as you say was only 50% full it may well be that Costa made a decision not to have the Buffet open in the evening as well as the Dining room.

In that they were cutting back on services and options because of their failure to fill the ship, an upgrade or some other low cost compensation would have been fair.

Wow - that sounds like a cruise I would not have enjoyed either. Sorry to hear you had that all happen.

I don't think I would enjoy ANY Costa cruise, as I personally don't like the very large ships (I like 1000 pp or less). That aside, why is Carnival (the line) so much better than Costa it seems (I've been on Carnival twice and is was OK - but too big/crowded for me). I haven't been on Costa, but I've been seeing a good deal of negative reviews lately... Wonder why the discrepancy in quality and amenities?

The discrepancy is in peoples expectations.

I can only speak from the Costa experiences we have had on two Asian Cruises on two of their smaller ships. Firstly the driving forces were: (1) Itinerary, definately different and more interesting, at the time, to other cruise lines. (2) Pricing, this was excellent - much cheaper than other lines in Asia. So after doing the usual info gathering on cruise critic - reading more negative than positive reviews, we took the plung with a "3 star" expectation. It all worked well. Did we get value for money? You bet. Did the cruise meet our "3 star" view? absolutely. We got what we paid for - within our budget - no complaints there. I could bore you with trivial niggles - and blow them out of proportion if you like - but I was too busy watching others do exactly that on the ship - it's not worth writing about.

Comparing "Carnival super cruisers "- or whatever to Costa - as a bit like comparing a Rolls Royce to a mini. One has all the attributes - the other is minimalisitc. But hey...the Rolls Royce's 70 mph - is the same as the Mini's. Both transport you from A to B - see the same sites on the way - job done.