alicat58

On 9/13/2021 at 3:50 PM, ohnonotmeagain said:

There is practically NO social distancing, even before you get on board, we had to wait an hour and half in what I can only describe as a glorified shed with hundreds of other people waiting for paperwork to be checked , that's even before the covid test.

Which terminal was this? 

Very sad that MSC has slipped their previous handling on board. We were on her on 3/7. We had a LFT prior to boarding and one mid way through the cruise. Temperature check every morning whether you went into the main dining room or buffet and also asked to wash your hands or use the hand sanitiser. As it was pre 19/7 mask were worn everywhere in doors and only taken off if you sat at a table eating or having a drink. No more than 4 people in a lift as well. All food in the buffet served by staff wearing gloves and masks. Social distancing was mostly observed by passengers but there were a few large groups who got together at times.

Had quite enough of this pesky virus but it looks as if we are going to have to put up with it for much longer if you look at the infection rates.

Latinprincess I have seen somewhere the 5d quarantine does not apply once you are on the cruise. Best check directly with Costa whether that is correct though.

Good luck.

Hi Sal

We have been on Grandiosa, Virtuosa and Seaview. The ships are beautiful. We prefer Grandiosa and Virtuosa. 

I think it depends where you sail when comparing with Costa. I would say the MDR food in general is better on MSC. They are a bit more adventurous. Like Costa was years ago! Hubby thinks the Costa buffet breakfasts are better but he has a few favourite pastries on Costa.

As far as Covid safety is concerned we felt very relaxed. Everyone bar kids under 12 had to be double vaccinated. No teens allowed unless vaccinated. We had a LFT in port before embarking and another half way through the cruise.

Virtuosa is a big ship and only had about 1300 guests I think. Lots of seats blocked off to ensure social distancing. Everything spotlessly clean. Service in the bars excellent. We had a drinks package included which was good but we upgraded and had the most amazing cocktails and wines. A lot better than on Costa.

I have responded to Stockjock on the MSC board I think and was totally shot down for my comments by other MSC cruisers.

We have been loyal to Costa for many years and only just started trying other lines. We are currently booked on Celebrity for another UK cruise. They are the only ones allowing fully vaccinated people off their ships to do their own thing. To be honest it is not about being claustrophobic. We just like to do our own thing and have a nice meal where we visit.

Ask away if you have more questions.

Alicat

We have cancelled this cruise. Really don't want to do the ships excursions and no point staying on board for a week.. We have been on the MSC Virtuosa on 3/7. Also a new ship and absolutely beautiful. Only ships excursions , so we stayed on the ship the whole time. Just not our thing.

Hopefully we will be able to cruise on her in the future. Specially when she does the current route again.

😪

I sincerely hope not. We prefer to do our own thing as well. The excursions are very expensive at the moment and around the UK currently mostly scenic or city driving. A few walking tours but you have to stay with the group.

Just off the Virtuosa today and stayed on board the whole time. Prefer to explore to be honest. Beautiful ship though.

Re dining time, I would say don't worry about it. We got late and prefer early. Just go to Restaurant manager and ask for a change. We got off today. On boarding day arranged this in the afternoon. No free dining as lots more on board. Tables spaced out though which is nice. 

Anyone can use the gym. 

And she is coming back to the Med in Spring next year apparently. 

We are still hopeful to go on her at the end of September but will wait with flights and hotels till much closer to the time.

The way things stand with "freedom day" one does not know what to expect.

I have been hesitant to chip in on this conversation and if you go back to your post on the Costa boards you'll see a few more responses.

We have sailed on Costa more times than my list on this board. Our third MSC cruise is coming up soon.

As far as the decor is concerned: Used to be Farcas designs and he was a little OTT with colour to be honest. It has not been a major issue for us and in comparison the MSC ships are much "muted" except for the blingy staircase full of crystals. The cabins in Costa look identical to photos I have seen on Carnival ships. The Smerelda is totally different in design and layout.

I think the food on Costa has become a bit boring more recently. We love Italian food so that is not the issue. There is no free pizza as everyone will tell you. They do serve some slices at the buffet lunch times but the pizzeria is basically the only pay for restaurant on Costa ships. The pizzas are pretty good and not slices but fairly large individual pizzas. The price used to be extremely reasonable.

With my limited MSC experience I would say that the lounge entertainment on Costa is way better and the lounges are more set up to have dancing and an entertainer/band. The theatre shows are similar in a way. No story and lots of dance and music. We sail mainly in the Med so lots of Europeans and lots of languages. The venues on the Smerelda is totally different to any ship I've been on. There is no large theatre but smaller venues with entertainment/shows. On our last cruise last year beginning of March they had comedians etc. No English though.

The drinks packages on Costa are cheaper than MSC but MSC has a lot more variety when it comes to cocktails.

I cannot say we cruise for "the ship" but we rather like different ports and getting off and doing our own thing. Unfortunately that is not happening during Covid times. Even if you go to Rome loads of times on a cruise you will always be able to do something new. The same applies to many of the ports in the Med.

I've just learnt that the Costa Firenze (brand new) is going to the Middle East in November and will then be based there. She was supposed to go to the Chinese market. We're booked on her towards the end of September. Not sure whether that will happen but lets wait and see.

I dislike it when people have negative only opinions and I can see the good things and not so good for both lines. I just love cruising and felt withdrawal symptoms for the last year. I think the only "ship" I cannot see myself on at the moment is a dingy without a drinks package.

Alicat

Unsure what you want to know. Please give a little more detail.

Interesting. She was supposed to go to the Asian market.

Hi Stu UK

Thank for all the info. Glad to see some curry.

I devastated that I could not see the Fizz la Poire on any of the drinks menus. Specially upgraded to Premium plus to have a few of this in the Sky lounge/bar. We had some on the Grandiosa last January and they were so delicious.

Not telling hubby. I will just have to make up by having lots of champagne. Same trip last year we could only have the one Veuve on the Premium plus. It was the Demi-sec. Not bad but I prefer the yellow label.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Counting down to ours and hoping for slightly warmer weather.

Alicat

PRE-BOARDING MEASURES AND SCREENING
Pre-boarding health and COVID-19 screenings will be conducted to all
Guests, crew and ship visitors such as temperature check, health
questionnaire, and a COVID-19 swab testing. All unvaccinated or
partially vaccinated guests (i.e did not receive the full set of vaccine
shots) will need to take a lateral flow (antigen) or PCR (molecular)
swab test within 72 hours prior to the ship’s departure. Proof of a
negative test result will be requested at the terminal and we will
accept evidence such as an email, SMS or a printed document. The
test is not required for fully-vaccinated (any proof of vaccination
needed) or under 2 years old guests. Guests over 65 years of age or
with serious health conditions, are advised to consult a doctor or local
health authority for guidance before travelling. Boarding will be
denied depending on screening results and if - during the last 14 days
– ship guests have been in contact with COVID-19 patients or have
symptoms including: cough, fever (exceeding 37.5 °C, 99.5 °F),
shortness of breath, or loss of taste/smell. The MSC COVID-19
Protection Plan is required to cover any Guests with COVID-19-related
cruise expenses.

The above from my booking document. I think this only applies to UK guests on UK cruises.

We manage to change out cruise to start 24/9 the original route. From other social media I think it is because Spain has closed their ports from cruise ships till 12/9.

Hi Dritan

That's just it! We don't have an itinerary. The cruise prior to 12/9 has vanished. From 12/9 onward it is still the original. I only know it goes to Savona, Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo, Messina and Cagliari. 

We're going to phone tomorrow and see if the later cruises are going to the ports shown on the website. 

Alicat

Anyone booked?

Had an email last night stating itinerary changed. All Italian ports now. No idea where we depart from even. We really wanted to go on her prior to her going East.

If it is only Italian ports, will we be the only Brits on the cruise. Near enough always hardly English speaking people. Not bothered us ever but will this be different. Only Italians?

Alicat

Not quite true. Bottled water used all over the ships and not free unless USA booked. Water available in cabins and in buffet when it is open. Not sure between times. Not usually water on tables free of charge in dining rooms because of being bottled. Not had ice cream in dining rooms for many moons and we are(were until pandemic) very regular Costa cruises. There is usually basic pizza available in buffet lunch times. Just about all of the ships have a speciality pizza restaurant. Order from menu. They are not expensive and very good. You will additionally have a bowl of olives and a dessert for the cost. Costa club members pay half price. I think just about everyone cruising is a member. You can join prior to your cruise if not.

Hi

I've not been looking at CC for a while.

You are brave to plan for Easter. We have actually booked on MSC for March but the cruise was cancelled and then amended. We decided to wait for later next year. Looking at the Firenze before she goes East.

Riana

Nice to read a review for a change. We had an aft balcony cabin on the sailing just before you.It was amazing. We had 2 wardrobes, one was a walk-in. The balcony was also huge. It was a funny wedge shape. Unfortunately too chilly to make much use of it.

Like you we did not like the new theatre/entertainment setup. We stopped at the Colosseo one evening and there was no seating available and people were standing multiple levels deep. We also liked the Jazz bar and entertainers there the best. The "piano bar" was very odd in that the piano was too far from the bar. We actually spent quite a lot of time there with a barman called Vishal. He has been on a few of our cruises and is very good at making cocktails and tweaking them a little.

I had a look at November Med cruises and there are some amazing deals. Whether we will be cruising by then I do not know. Can but hope. I am having withdrawal symptoms.

Riana

Hi guys

I am fine thank you. I am touched by you wanting to know how I am.

I am still working and alas not from home. I work for the NHS so it is still all wheels to the pumps. I am fortunately not at a hospital. I think that must be nerve racking. I work in General Practice. We are still seeing patients but not very many. Most of our work involve telephone consultations and the paperwork has not stopped. Lots of people are panicking about getting medication and ordering when they clearly do not need their next meds yet. This concerns us because some might then not have access whilst others will sit on on stock similar to the recent loo paper and pasta thing. Also some concerns about people having far too many potential dangerous medication available and being at home being sad and maybe taking too many impulsively.

We are totally fine with PPE though it took a little while to get all the stuff we need. I now work in stylish burgundy scrubs and I totally hate it. Never mind, all for the good of staying safe and washing the blasted things at 60 degrees celcius.

Geoff sorry about you being stuck but you are safest in isolation with your COPD.

On a happier note, the sun is shining, I have a small garden, we are going to have our first BBQ of the season tonight and Kipper(the ginger cat in my life) is going to love it sitting out with us. We will need coats, scarves and gloves probably but who cares.

Look after yourselves, stay safe and hopefully we will be cruising again in not too long.

Riana

Hi All

I thought I would wrap this up. Clearly out timing was good and we are home. I hope safe and sound. Neither of us ill. I am back at work to DD's great concern. She thought I should have self isolated for 2w after coming back from the ship.

Though we enjoyed the cruise the Covid really put a damper on it for us. In retrospect we should maybe not have gone but we would have lost all of our cruise fees and insurance would not have paid. As it is we lost the flight and hotel costs to Milan. That does not bother me at all.

She is big but I did not feel that much bigger than Diadema. I know tonnage and passenger size is very different. The biggest difference I thought was the multiple slightly smaller MDR's. e were in a section of Arlencchino. It is right at the back of the MDR. This is souley for diamond pearl guests. The whole restaurant is sections and decorated differently, some nice and some looking like a fast food place. We really did not rate the food. You all know we are very loyal to Costa but the food in general was poor. We actually went to the Pizza restaurant 3 evenings. The biggest disappointment there was they don't do those yummy burgers, only pizza. The pizzas were very good and the service way better than any of the other pizza restaurants. The staff seemed to have training. The Teppanyaki was next door. We are not so keen but they were desperately trying to flog that all the time, including in the MDR.

We did our own thing in all the ports so not much there.

The ship is very understated for Costa. We enjoyed the Jazz club/bar. A good buzz and enjoyed the band. The piano bar is a bit odd. The bar is in a separate section to the entertainment area. We met up with a barman, Vishal, whom we first met when in India on the Neoclassica and last year in South America on the Fascinosa. Great guy. Hope he stays well.

We thought the theatre set up(of lack there of) was rubbish. The performance times we odd, the seating limited and the shows not to our taste. We stood in the Colosseo one evening and watched a little. My biggest gripe is the lack of those reserved front row seats😂. They also had lots of comedy shows. Now that was new . Only problem, they were Spanish, French and Italian!

We were going to book a cruise whilst on board , but to answer Bobbingbob's question in another thread, decided we will wait for now. Today the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic. It looks as if Kip is going to have mum and dad home for some months.

I am not going to bother with photos unless someone asks. I did not take a lot anyway. Kip snuck in inbetween my writings. As you can see this one rules the roost and is very comfy.

Riana

COSTA CROCIERE REVIEWS ITS ITINERARIES IN ITALY TO RESPECT GOVERNMENT CONTAINMENT MEASURES. Genoa, March 10, 2020 - Following the new measures introduced last evening by the Italian Government in an effort to contain the health emergency on the national territory, Costa Crociere has reviewed the itineraries of its ships calling at Italian ports up to April 3. "As an Italian company and the only cruise operator flying the Italian flag, we are committed to guarantee compliance with the regulations and support to the Italian authorities and the community in this extraordinary effort to face the current situation of emergency" said Neil Palomba, President of Costa Crociere. Cruises currently underway will call at Italian ports only to allow guests to disembark and return to their home, with no excursions or new embarkations. The company is promptly informing all guests involved by these changes, offering them a future cruise credit so that they will be able to enjoy the cruise experience at a later date. In the past days, Costa Crociere had already cancelled all outgoing Italian guests departing from cruises outside the Mediterranean in an effort to contain risks, preserve the environment and enforce the specific measures issued by the Italian Government. The protection of health and safety of guests and crew members is the utmost priority for Costa Crociere. On board Costa ships, the level of sanitization has been increased to ensure maximum hygiene and safety for guests and crew members. The Company has adopted rigid health screenings upon embarkation since the beginning of the Covid-19 emergency.

From Costa Press centre.

I think it will be near impossible to get through to them on the phone. They must be inundated with calls.

I don't think people will reply to the questions about cancelling on my original post. 

There is a very active group on Facebook that might be able to help.

Today is our last day. We are disembarking tomorrow and I won't have Internet till Wednesday. I'll post some photos then. 

Riana