AnonymousCruiser69

Thanks for the info. What a shame though. It was so nice to have coffee in bed without waiting for room service. Perhaps Costa will eventually make it a fleet wide feature......fingers crossed!

i would say that is highly unlikely. they want you ordering (and paying for) room service. fyi - the allegra had kettles and instant coffee. sadly, she was scrapped.

Again I believe different languages is not a problem, just amount of announcements.

 

And about languages... Aida has only German language on their ships, despite people from other countries sailing on their ships as well. I guess some Europeans like to hear only they own language too.

it's actually a fairly common complaint by some posters. i don't know what the problem is, really. do they they they are being talked about? do they think they are missing out? is it just re-inforcing their insecurities about not speaking other languages? :confused:

Again I believe different languages is not a problem, just amount of announcements.

 

And about languages... Aida has only German language on their ships, despite people from other countries sailing on their ships as well. I guess some Europeans like to hear only they own language too.

or they don't want anyone else on their ships :eek:

I just dont get the concept of "bring your own drinks" on board. I own a restaurant - I would freak if people came in with their own drinks. A cruiseline - is a business - like any other. Costa offer THE most affordable cruising out there.. WHY on earth would anyone expect to add to that equation "think I will bring my own sodas" - :confused:

19.5 euro per day - whats that - fifteen quid = 20 US$ per day - having travelled the US - cant imagine how few sodas I could buy for 20$???

Nah - think the OP is taking the proverbial here - :rolleyes:

What are you going to do - carry up your Diet Coke to the bar and ask for a glass???

19.5 euro per day???? For ALL the sodas waters, cocktails, mocktails, wines, etc etc etc etc - and you think thats overboard...

Only one thing that should be overboard and it aint the price of soda!

you forgot their delicious esspressos :D i easily drank my 20 bucks a day in just esspressos.

Thanks for your comments. The unlimited drink package of 19.50 E translates to $831.68 US (for the two of us) for my upcoming cruise. I can't imagine consuming that many beverages and even if I/we could, the package does not include Diet Coke.

i had many diet cokes. all soft drinks/soda would be included. water is always available in the buffet - just bring a bottle with you.

most cruiselines are beginning to restrict what can be brought onboard. holland america is now restricting how much wine can be brought on (you should here the complaints over there!).

I have only been on one Costa cruise and we did not like it. Too many smokers, too many loud anouncements in 4 different languages. Food was terrible most of the time. Pizza was aweful. Pizza Hut has better pizza. Shall I go on.................:confused::confused::confused:

no need to go on. whenever i hear someone complain about too many languages, anything else they have to say is meaningless.

Is it?

No problem. Things may change.

Let's see.

Please tell us - what ships?

Did you pay for Samsara dinner only on your cruise?

Where did you pay for Samsara dinner only: spa, front deck, the restaurant?

Did anyone you know pay for dinner only?

Does Costa say that one can pay for Samsara dinner only on their ships?

 

Anything factual will be appreciated.

i would suggest you look at costa's website for specifics as things change constantly (and your contant bickering and beligerant attitude doesn't really want to make anyone answer your nit-picking questions).

PS - and on another note - anyone else feeling the phrase "brick wall" - "bang head" come to mind..

never mind the popcorn - feeling "someone" here is seriously in need of some social etiquette skills and a chill pill...:rolleyes:

i have no idea what you mean :confused:

We are joinng the Mediterranea on 24 October in Rhodes, embarkation from 13:00. We have the All Inclusive Drinks package but note on our Cruise ticket from Costa that it is delivered to the dining room at 23:00 on 24 October. Surely that can't be! Please reassure that I do not need to smuggle a bottle or two on board on embarkation. It may be good for us not to drink too much on the first day .... I suppose .... (reluctantly), Mike pp Ruth

there's nothing to deliver - unless something has changed (costa is NOT known for consistency). there will be a notation on your key card (also used for onboard purchases). when your card is swiped, the amount charged will be $0. you still get a receipt and still have to sign for it.

Not sure about the rest of the fleet but am 100% sure we could pay to have dinner at the Samsara on NeoR. We had been booked one night, but had to cancel as I had been ill and opted to in-suite dine instead. It was 25 euro - same surcharge as the Club. Was it perhaps - "suite guests only" - not sure, will have a look at our dailies when I have a chance.

Actually - no - 100% sure it was for all guests - we met couple who were in a basic OV - and they dined Samsara - :confused:

So yes, must be open to all guests for a charge..

when i booked my last cruise on mediterranea, there were OV and even inside cabins offerred in the samsara grade. costa is not known for their consistency, though, so your mileage may vary.

how dare that couple in a regular OV presume to dine with their betters in the samsara restaurant. :mad: JOKING! :D

What ships?

Strange to hear that.

If so, it would immediately have lost its status of exclusive dining room for Samsara clients.

in your opinion. most of costa's ships have the samsara spa and spa cabins/suites, now. i believe one can only 'buy their way in' for dinner service. breakfast and lunch are still for samsara grade cabins only.

4,100 double, at least 4,500 full.

 

Guys, leave NCL Epic alone.

NCL has built new flagships.

 

Delizosa/Luminosa are best designs in Costa fleet.

no, and you can't make me :p

normally, i like a little extra on the backside, but this is ridiculous:

ugh:

fail:

I'm fond of NCL too but not tried the epic - loved the Jade and the Star, though.

it is my opinion that the epic is the ugliest ship afloat on the outside, anyway. what were they thinking?

Good grief, what a horrid thread. Courtesy of one disagreeable poster! Philip, I responded earnestly to something you posted, hope you caught my reply! Blondie, I laughed when I read your post that your next cruise was the Epic! I was pulling whatshisnames leg when I suggested he chug over to NCL and the Epic.

 

We have cruised NCL and loved it. It was not a knock at all. I wish you so much a fabulous cruise. As I wish all here wonderful cruises, wherever they may take you, regardless of the cruise line you purchase.

proves the point of the OP's original post.

btw, i think 99.9% of people with even a basic grasp if english know the difference between fact and opinion. that's just my opinion, though.

Again. Different people look for different things on their cruises, so only they can decide if particular ship provides everything they want from a cruise. Different designs are not better or worse, they are for different needs.

 

How difficult is this to understand?

apparently, VERY difficult :rolleyes:

Because of positive posts here got the all-inclusive Costa Fortuna Sept 1st from Copenhagen but can confirm it has changed for the worse.

 

No bottled water only glasses (though at dinner they gave us the bottle from which we took away the leftovers), only draught beer, cans are opened so you can't take them off ship, only house wine at dinner choice is red/white by the glass (poor quality) slow service/understaffing means topups take time, no fresh orange juice and the alternative is the free stuff they serve with breakfast (which is foul chemical stuff, clearly at 4,50 no one was that tempted to pay). Other juices in glass bottles are also excluded. Can't take hot drinks to the room for H&S (you can get round this by lying) instead you have to get room service...which of course isn't included.

 

If you overdose on cocktails its good value (but clearly unless you watch them they put the cheap nonbranded spirits in). Kids version (which you are forced to take as part of the group) is clearly poor value now unless you stuff them with cans of Coke.

 

Scan of current menu and prices attached, apologies for the size but the file size restricts what I can do, clearly anything starred is not available to you.

 

Rather than feeling relaxed I felt the staff were in competition to be hard on the all-inclusive and that I was the lowest class of passenger rather than someone who had paid upfront. I heard a head waiter telling off one of the junior waiters as he thought he had served them some better red wine than he should at dinner (I found the wine headache inducing and no I didn't drink that much of it which indicates to me its cheap).

 

Otherwise a good cruise so I think Costa are shooting themselves in the foot a little by not being clear and changing the definitions of what is and isn't included each year as I think if I had have known I wouldn't have taken the all-inclusve as the wine list at dinner is quite nice so felt a bit constrained/cheated which I would guess is not the impression they want to create .

thanks for posting that. :eek: they really did eliminate a lot of things. i'm surprised coffee is still included.

The Deliziosa is one of their four best ships.

Enjoy your cruise.

this poster is still mad about the quality of salmon offered on the breakfast buffet. take their comments with a grain of salt. it's been years and the complaining goes on. :rolleyes:

Thank you.

We cruised with all massmarket lines and cannot say they are very much alike. We find differences not in absence or presence of nightly buffet, but in activities, service, atmosphere. It is different for example on Princess vs Carnival. So I am interested in where Costa stands.

costa's activities are more similar to carnival - stupid pool games, bingo, etc - than princess.

from an article on CNN.com: "The freezers that have not burst under the water pressure are still locked with their rotting thawed contents sealed inside. Fridges too, filled with milk, cheese, eggs and vegetables, have been closed tight since the disaster."

i wouldn't want to be the one to have to open one of those food lockers :eek:

amazing.

Thanks, I have seen those, and really appreciate your effort to both take and post these. It gives a good insight into the actual standard.

 

I showed them to my wife, and we both agreed that it looked like reasonable quality.

 

This is what I don't understand. How can this produce the reviews some have made?

 

I do understand that this is not 5 star quality - but I really don't expect that either. We expect reasonably well made quality food, which provides you with an experience fit for the occasion, but not something overly complicated or individually made (I do expect that food is prepared to be served for a large number of people).

 

Philip

some people just like to complain. i think your expectations are reasonable.

i posted photos of almost all my meals from my last costa cruise (nov 12). they can be seen here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1748219