Costa Europa - Feb 14/10 to Mar 5/10 - Dubai to Savona

[Jambalaya07]

Hi,

We've booked this 18 day cruise and have never sailed with Costa before (Prior sailings include Princess and Royal Caribbean) and don't know what to expect. Is anyone else booked on this same cruise? Has anyone booked any excursions for it yet? Are people extending their trip in Italy?

 

Thanks for your input, it's much appreciated!

[Capricruiser]

I did the reverse of this cruise on the Europa in Dec. 2007 and posted a review in the Costa Europa reviews. You might read it and get a feel for what to look forward to. For me it was a great cruise on a great ship.

_________________________

2/2010 - Costa Marina - Atlantic Islands (France-Spain-Morocco-Canary Is.-Madera)

8/2009 - Costa Serena - East Med (Greece/Turkey/Croatia/Italy)

4/2009 - Costa Concordia - East Med (Greece/Turkey/Cyprus/Egypt/Italy)

1/2009 - Oberoi Philae - Nile River Cruise (Luxor-Aswan)

12/2007 - Costa Europa - Savona-Dubai Repositioning (Egypt/Suez/Jordan/Yemen/Oman)

5/2007 - MSC Opera - Norwegian Fiords (Germany/Norway/Denmark)

6/1994 - MSC Monterey - East Med (Egypt/Israel/Turkey/Greece/Italy)

[prettyblue_eyes]

Hey, we're on this ship......we're from Ontario Canada...where are you from, where are you flying from.....We are in the process of booking our excursions. My husband is from the middle east, however, the only country in this group he's been to is Eygpt......drop me a line, and we'll communicate.......prettyblue_eyes252004@yahoo.com

[Jambalaya07]

I emailed ya, can't wait to hear back from you!

[fayruz]

Hi,

We've booked this 18 day cruise and have never sailed with Costa before (Prior sailings include Princess and Royal Caribbean) and don't know what to expect. Is anyone else booked on this same cruise? Has anyone booked any excursions for it yet? Are people extending their trip in Italy?

 

Thanks for your input, it's much appreciated!

I did it the other way : from Savona to Dubai.

Please take time to explore Dubai airport before getting out : it has one of the biggest duty free shops in the world.

Shore excursions :

in Muscat you can get a taxi to take you to the souk (it is a safe place) or go for a tour to see one of the biggest mosques in the world, ladies need to cover up (arms, legs and head) and men cannot wear shorts.

In Al fujairah there is not much to see, you could go to see the tomb of the prophet Job (the very patient one :) )

Salalah : nothing to see, apart from the beaches, you will be docked in the middle of nowhere

Aden : do take a shore excursion to see the Queen of Sabah's water resevoirs, and ask if there is a stop in the market, here you can buy absolutely fabulous fabrics for almost nothing. Do not go on the Sa'nah tour: the jeeps are driven by drunken drivers.

Safaga: again, in the middle of ships carrying onions :), eventually take a tour in the submarine to see the red sea corals and fishes or enjoy a day at the beach. If you are the adventurous kind, take a bus tour to Luxor.

Sharm : day at the beach (normally they take you to the Marriott), follow the path towards the little town of Naama and buy original Louis Vuitton bags (check they do not have the Made in china tag inside, because they are of both kinds) for less than 25 USD. Gucci scarfs go for 8 USD and bikinis for 30 USD. You will also find Armani tee shirts for 15USD.

All original :) because they are made in Egypt.

Alexandria : nothing to see, the library is just a modern library. if possible, take the day tour to see the pyramids in Gizah.

The Suez Canal : take a day to rest, there is only desert to see :). They have bellydancing lessons on this day, normally.

Napoli : do go to Capri :)

Savona : is a plain city, nothing much to see :)

 

The Costa Europa is quite an old ship, less passengers make it a nicer place.

[Jambalaya07]

Thanks so much for all your input, I know it will definitely help!

[fayruz]

Thanks so much for all your input, I know it will definitely help!

hope so :)

You will find Dubai amazingly modern :)

If your ship offers the "dine on the creek" excursion in Dubai, do it. It is a very romantic dine out while you go up and down in an arab boat eating arab food :)

[Jambalaya07]

How did you get around Dubai, did you use the taxis?

 

We were debating doing the 48 hour Big Bus Tour, but it's a little pricey at $71USD each!

 

We were hoping to go to the malls, see the big hotels, tower, etc. but didn't know if it's easier/cheaper to go on our own by taxi or if it's easier to go on a hop on/hop off tour.

 

Your input is always appreciated :-)

[CtheW0rld]

i thought shalallah was pretty interesting. I took one of the ship's tours, which was a full day, including lunch. the lunch stop was a bit long, but still a nice day.

 

in dubai i rented a car with driver for about $75 US for about 8 hours. he drove me to all the main sights (such as they are) then dropped me at the ship.

 

muscat was a big dissappointment. the ship didn't arrive until noon. everything was closed by then.

 

post cruise i took the costa shuutle from savona to the airport in genoa. the airport is a very short walk from the ramada hotel (or maybe it was the sheraton, in any event it was adjacent). the hotel had a free shuttle into town. genoa is a beautiful city to just walk around and get lost.

[fayruz]

How did you get around Dubai, did you use the taxis?

 

We were debating doing the 48 hour Big Bus Tour, but it's a little pricey at $71USD each!

 

We were hoping to go to the malls, see the big hotels, tower, etc. but didn't know if it's easier/cheaper to go on our own by taxi or if it's easier to go on a hop on/hop off tour.

 

Your input is always appreciated :-)

 

If you have a limited time, a hop on and off bus tour, even if it seems expensive, is the best thing to do. Dubai has so many things to offer :) that there is hadly time to see everything.

See what the bus tour offers and compare it with a "do it yourself" tour which would be more relaxed :)

At Dubai terminal, you walk just outside and there are taxis, or you could take the shuttle that takes you to the shopping mall in town.

You could even ask excursion desk to arrange for a private tour, if you prefer.

You can easily take a taxi around, I would not suggest renting a car even if the roads are like Miami's :)

Here you can take a look at what there is to see:

http://www.dubaitourism.ae/

 

The old town market does not offer much, the gold market has plenty to offer :)

You can go and lunch at the Burj Al Dubai but be sure to book well in advance.

http://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Burj-Al-Arab/Restaurants-And-Nightlife/

 

If you prefer a more arab situation, dine on the Creek:

http://www.dhowdinnercruisesdubai.com/

 

Shopping tips : in Dubai you get griffe items at european prices (very costly), you get them cheaper in turkey or egypt.

[fayruz]

i thought shalallah was pretty interesting. I took one of the ship's tours, which was a full day, including lunch. the lunch stop was a bit long, but still a nice day.

 

in dubai i rented a car with driver for about $75 US for about 8 hours. he drove me to all the main sights (such as they are) then dropped me at the ship.

 

muscat was a big dissappointment. the ship didn't arrive until noon. everything was closed by then.

 

post cruise i took the costa shuutle from savona to the airport in genoa. the airport is a very short walk from the ramada hotel (or maybe it was the sheraton, in any event it was adjacent). the hotel had a free shuttle into town. genoa is a beautiful city to just walk around and get lost.

 

:) in salalah we arrived on a friday and the only tour was to go and see a camel farm...

Muscat : Pity no one told you that after 4 o'clock everything opens again

Dubai : It is a very good idea to rent a cab for the day :)

[CtheW0rld]

:) in salalah we arrived on a friday and the only tour was to go and see a camel farm...

Muscat : Pity no one told you that after 4 o'clock everything opens again

Dubai : It is a very good idea to rent a cab for the day :)

 

had to be back on the ship by 4:30 or 5. that's the one thing I hate about costa. there port times are sometimes very short.

[fayruz]

had to be back on the ship by 4:30 or 5. that's the one thing I hate about costa. there port times are sometimes very short.

this is a problem with almost all companies : they do too many ports with short stop times