Thinking of trying Costa

Hi all

I have never cruised with Costa before but it has been highly recommended on the previous P & O cruises we have done.

We are looking at the Italy, Balearic's & The French Riviera in April, just as a taster cruise before venturing further afield.

With P & O we are allowed to take alcohol on board for consumption in cabin we believe this is not allowed with Costa???

What will the AI upgrade cost us for 7 nights and is it worth it?

Any advice for new Costa cruisers would be really appreciated, I have tried the search button but could not find what I wanted to know.

thanks in advance

No regrets about trying Costa for us, though we could have been put off by the bad reviews.

It's excellent value for money and costa keep their ships spotless.

We were Baltic level with p & o but find that Costa are more generous rewarding loyalty. After our first cruise we were upgraded on a 5 nighter to a fantastic balcony cabin. We are now Pearl Gold which means a free meal in the speciality restaurant ( beats the gold lunch on P&O ), a bottle of prosecco and a bowl of fruit on arrival and a leaving gift!

You must embrace the Italian experience - treat it like being on holiday abroad.

The continentals love to dance and the party goes on late - though we have never seen any bad behaviour.

The food may not be the best but you will always find something to eat. There's a lot of choice just like any cruise ship.

We buy the drinks package as even if you only gave coffee and soft drinks you will get your money's worth. Their bar prices are very expensive. They need to get cash in from somewhere with fares being so cheap. Of course they add 15% on to the bill as well! Buy the package!

The daily service charge is slightly annoying as its mandatory. We always want to give some euros to waiters etc at the end of the cruise when we have had good service so it all adds up .....

Go for a premium cabin. They are in the best positions and you get a discount off your next cruise and a few more little perks

I say go for it! A 7 day taster is a great idea

Any thing else you need to know, just ask

I'm off on my 3rd Costa cruise in a few days time

Caryl

The AI costs €25 per person per day, all passengeres in the same cabin have to take the AI or none at all.

The AI is great value, even if you don't drink alcohol, no bad surprises at the end of the cruise with your onboard account.

Absolutely worth trying. Don't expect a replica of P&O, just in the way you don't expect a holiday in Greece to be the same as a holiday in France :)

But you should expect a lively atmosphere, clean ships, never to be hungry, great staff and fantastic value for money!

We have done 2 Costa cruises - Pacifica repositioning from Kiel to Savona last September and Serena in the Arabian Gulf in January. We have Favolosa booked to Norway in June and looking at Mediterannea in the Adriatic in November. Just iffy on the last one - not because it is Costa but not sure what the weather will be like in the Adriatic in November.

We are very please we have found Costa! For now, they suit our needs.

I've not sailed P&O but from what friends tell me who have it will be a different onboard experience and atmosphere and a lot of that down to it being Italian and having different demographics in the lassenger base.

It depends why you like P&O whether you'll like Costa. If you like things being geared towards English speakers mainly and a high proportion of British and English speaking passengers onboard, you may not enjoy Costa as English speakers can be in a minority.

I long like the garish decor of the newer bigger ships much but still find them a reasonably priced and sometimes low cost cruise line with some interesting itineraries. Food is always subjective but never had an issue with it. It is not "wow" standard but what mass catering is? Crew/service has always been fine or good.

I cannot imagine anyone who loves P&O would like Costa

I cant stand P&O - my most loathed line (never be back)

all the booze in the bar wouldnt get me on her decks again :p

P&O - they have "buy a bottle from the duty free for your cabin" - that still in operation?

Def not Costa for P&O passionatas!

Don't do it......