CASPALL

We are wondering if theres anyone else flying into Perth on 1st March and travelling on to Fremantle

We arrive in Perth 12.10 pm Terminal 4 on 1st March

Looking to share a taxi to Fremantle if anyone is interested? :)

Caryl

I agee wholeheartedly with Skipper Tim

I won't tell you how much we saved - I don't want MSC to know or they will increase the price of the Allegrissimo package!!:rolleyes:

Caryl

The last time we were in tunis on a ship, we stayed on board = simply because we had seen all we wanted to a few years before when we hired a taxi at the port. We had US$ as currency but they will take euros I bet!

Im sorry I cant remember how much the taxi was, but our driver took us to the nearest medina where we walked around a while. He was with us all the time and took us into a tearoom for a mid morning tea experience. I remember buying perfume oil - my favourite perfumes in little roll on bottles. We wondered at the time if they were fake, but they were the real thing. A fantastic buy as it takes up so little weight and space.

We then went to Sidi Bou Said - the beautiful blue and white town. I highly recommend this place! We wished we had missed out the medina in the morning! The driver stayed with his car and we arranged to be back at a certain time - we enjoyed a wonderful lunch overlooking the sea.

When you get off the ship, head for the farthest away taxis and get prices from more than one driver.

Hope this helps a little

Caryl

Thanks for the review - I was really interested to read it

We have a lot of experience now with chinese service as we visit our son regularly. We know exactly what you mean - They just havent got a clue and cannot seem to get any understanding of how things are meant to be done.

I don't think we will book a Costa Far East cruise!

Glad to hear you got water in bottles though:)

Cayl

On our recenht cruise on Queen Elizabeth the smell was grim!!!!

It was worse when we were in port

caryl

Public area wasnt any better

Just one thing to tell you -make sure you know how to LOG OFF before you even go online with Costas wifi

My husband went on with my i phone and lost quitea few minutes as he couldnt find the log off info! Panic!

Caryl

We left Genoa on 25th October where it was raining heavily. We had 2 days there pre cruise and out of that we managed a half days sight seeing with no showers.

When we were in Villefranche we actually lay on the deck sunbathing in swimwear!!

There's just no telling what it could be like.

Be lucky!

Caryl

We had Coke Zero on Favolosa

Fanta and Sprite were not diet drinks and the fruit juices full of sugar but very nice and tasty

They also had Schweppes drinks but I dont know if they had diet or not

If you like your coffees and non alcoholic cocktails - and water - the all inc is good value.

The teabags in the self service are horrid so we always ordered tea from the bar staff at breakfast

Remember there is no 15pc if you buy before you go.

Costas drinks are mega pricey imo.

Caryl

We were waitlisted for Auroras Xmas/New year cruise in December 2013.

The well known Derbyshire TA called us in November to see if we wanted a cabin. Unfortunately it was way out of our budget and we opted for a very disappointing cunard cruise instead.

Caryl

Just been looking at the pics - Arcadia is looking smart again.:)

When we were on last Xmas we were thinking she was quite shabby.

Caryl

On Favolosa in December we paid 9euros an hr plus 15% - that was us taking the 3hrs of internet which worked out a little cheaper than 1hr.

There was also a one off connection charge - think it was 2 or 3 euros to pay. Sorry I cannot remember exact amounts.

We got wifi in the cabin but it was painfully slow. All in all it was an expensive and frustrating business and we wouldnt buy it again.

Caryl

After experiencing 14 days on Cunards Queen Elizabeth I can honestly tell you that the food we had on our Costa cruise was of a far higher standard.

Entertainment was similar as was service

Pity we paid x3 for Cunard - never again!

Caryl

We were lucky enough to be on the wonderful Opera on 23rd Oct 2013 from Genoa to Cape Town.

We loved the ship so much - she is a classy medium sized ship - nice decor and furnishings. The very best thing about Opera is that she is a friendly ship. The staff are all EXCELLENT - we have never had such good service on a cruise. There is great teamwork among them all - the friendliness rubs off on everyone.

Food was good - especially the pasta dishes - I couldnt get enough of them!

You will love your cruise! Make sure you buy the Allegrissimo - it really is an absolute bargain - it includes delicious ice cream and fresh squeezed orange.

I have just returned from Queen Elizabeth today - a horrid experience and it cost us 3 times the amount of our fantastic Opera cruise!!

Caryl

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

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

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

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

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!!!

Its the same with all the ship's refits - they have limited time to do the work so hundreds of workers are onboard to work day and night

Im so glad Arcadia is going to be spruced up - thought she was a bit shabby in places last Xmas

Caryl

I booked the Allegrissimo yesterday - only £19 ppp day! It's a no brainer not to buy:)

Shaving mirror ?

Hair dryer ?

:)

"I believe it was sold as a 28 day Xmas and New Year cruise. May be wrong though!"

It was indeed intended as a 28nt cruise but as time drew nearer they sold it as 2x14nts. Around 1000 people left Ventura at New orleans on the 31st and less arrived on -one flight only arriving at 9pm thanks to Thomas Cook Breakdowns.

Caryl

Just back from 28nts on Ventura (2nd time on her)

Couldn't believe how many old frail people were on the cruise. It used to be that the fly cruise attracted a younger set, but not any more it seems.

It was disappointing to see so few people around the ship after midnight.