live-ish from Costa Mediterranea 11/20/2012

[Jennkean]

Thanks.

 

Please be sure to write about Belize. Some of the reviews say it's dangerous. I'd like to know if it's okay for a 61 year old woman to wonder around the town? If anything is within walking distance, or if you have to take a tour. Belize and Roatan are the main reasons I took this cruise as I've been to most of the other ports quite a bit.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

day seven 26NOV2012 monday roatan

 

nah nsh nah nah nah no work for me today, but happy monday :P

 

i believe the movie was 'all about eve' where bette davis uttered "what a dump!" this sums up my feelings about roatan. if you are a beach person, the beach looked nice. you can walk across a short bridge there - no need to shel out the 12 bucks for the flying magic beach chair (a short sky lift). there's some dutyfree shopping there (i bought a carton of cheapish cigs).

 

morning started off as usual with cappucinnos. forlaine, my butler, remebered me mentioning the chocolate filled croissants with chocolate sprinkles (look for them!) and scored a couple for my tray.

 

went back to bed for a while before walking around the beach area to burn off them croissant. light lunch of pizza and salad from the buffet. i'm engrossed in a book, but reading inside because there are so many bugs outside. agressive, persistant bugs.

 

there crew show is tonight. i absolutely love the crew show. they are doing this because they want to do it for us (as if working 12 hour days isnt enough.) i'm sitting in the theatre typing this into notes right now, waiting for the show to start. the main theater is a 3 deck affair and there always seems to be lots of seats available. i'm sure the show will be great. udate: it was!

 

it was balcony glass cleaning day, again, today. people from the crew wash off the glass railings so when you are sitting in your chair you can see clearly. this is the 2nd time they have done it. they come onto the balconies and open the dividers, then hose the entire thing down, then squeegee the glass. lovely.

 

that reminds me, the whole ship is very clean (and i'm a clean freak). lots of shiny surfaces kept shiny. i can't imagine how many man hours go unto polishing every week.

 

dinner tonight was a mixed vegetable and potato flan, gratinated semolina dumplings with tomato cream sauce, roast spring chicken flavored with garlic and rosemary served with mashed carrots, broccoli and roast potato. cheese plate for dessert. the dumplings were unusual and delicious. everything else was pretty good which was a relief after the last two nights' entrees being so poor (i thought i might have to apply for my 'costa hatern cardn if they failed three nights in a row).

 

there was white party tonight at 9:45pm and an ice craving demo at 11:30pm. weird time for that. i made a n appearance at the white party then went to bed.

[Ex-vogue model]

Yes, some advice on Belize would be really helpful - not sure what a family of four could do - there are supposed to be some Mayan ruins but not sure how far away they are. You are doing a great job by the way, really appreciate and value this review so a big thank you.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Thanks.

 

Please be sure to write about Belize. Some of the reviews say it's dangerous. I'd like to know if it's okay for a 61 year old woman to wonder around the town? If anything is within walking distance, or if you have to take a tour. Belize and Roatan are the main reasons I took this cruise as I've been to most of the other ports quite a bit.

 

There are two sets of ruins within reach of belieze. I had booked the one to xunatunich (spelling?), but that is thre one they cancelled for lack of participation. The other is alta hun which did not get as good of reviews. I may or may not get off the ship. I am so disappointed about not getting to see xunatunich, but those ruins have been there for a 1000 years and arent going anwhere.

 

For better advice, i would suggest checking the belieze board here on CC.

[swedeepie]

We will be going on Mediterranea on Dec. 10, 2012. Can you please let me know what other theme nights there are besides your mentioned "white night"? Thanks so much for all your help!

[AnonymousCruiser69]

We will be going on Mediterranea on Dec. 10, 2012. Can you please let me know what other theme nights there are besides your mentioned "white night"? Thanks so much for all your help!

 

Tonight is italian night. Red/white/green attire requested. Besides the white party, that is it, so far.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

day eight 27NOV2012 tuesday Belieze

 

today was a big disappointment because the only excursion i booked - to see a mayan pyramid - was cancelled for lack of english language partcipants. i think they should have arranged smaller transport and did it anyway. buttheads. i stayed on the ship. consider this a sea day. the pyramids have been here for over 1000 years. i may be back someday.

 

breakfast, as usual: cappuicnnos, rolls, fruit. i am really going to miss the breads on costa. they are consistantly excellent. as youve read before, consistancy can be a problem with costa (and other cruiselines, too).

tanning, readin, exercise and napping filled the day. i is nice to be on the ship when most people are off touring.

 

lunch was a burger and fries from the grill. strawberry ice cream for dessert. yummy.

 

dinner was proscutto and melon, pasta with garlic, chilis and oil, and osso bucco with rissoto milanasse and gremolata (very respectible, i was skeptical that they would get it right). cheeseplate for dessert (there was tiramasu on offer, but i am allergic to alcohol).

 

the show was 'samuel and friends'. samuel is a tenor who did a few opera number. very good voice. the 'friends' were some of the other acts we've had throughout the week. most interesting was alex carolli doing paintngs in sand on a lightbox that was then projected on a large screen while samuel was singing. very unusual and very cool. one of the dancers did a aerobatic routine that was good.

 

after the show i went down to the isolobella lounge to listen to the sharade band. i do like them. it is a shame they are suck down there becuase few people know the lounge exists. isolobella is on deck one below the main theater. look for it.

 

that sums up day eight. aside from the excursion being cancelled, it was a good day.

[Ex-vogue model]

What a shame about the tour being cancelled - is the ship full or do you think people just prefer to do their own thing when they get off the ship and see what tours are on offer by independant companies? Tirimasu - unfortunate that you can't have alcohol - missing a treat there!!

[bandt]

Hi Anonymous

 

Sorry that you were disappointed with Roatan. We had heard that the coral reef is one of the finest in the world. We were hoping to do some good snorkelling.

 

Just to put the record straight "what a dump" comes from the Bette Davis film "Beyond the Forest". Elizabeth Taylor, as Martha, gave it second life in "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?".

 

Hope that you won't encounter any more dumps !!!

[AnonymousCruiser69]

day nine 28NOV2012 Wednesday cozulmel, mexico

 

not a beautiful day in the neighborhood :( cool, windy, cloudy, rainy. not a bit of sunshine.

 

same early morning routine of cappucinnos, croissant and fruit.

 

walked around cozumel for a couple hours to get some exercise. i looked at a couple sterling silver necklace/bracelt combos, but they were asking outrageous prices:15 - 18 USD per gram which come out to over 400 USD per ounce. silver was trading this morning at 33.75 USD per ounce this morning. needless to say, the items i admired are still in cozumel.

 

lunch was cheese croquettes with tomato sauce and a double order of quail served with roast potatos and mushy vegges. chocolate gelatto from the buffet for dessert.

 

reading and a long nap occupied the rest of the afternoon. went to the gym.

 

this is a gala night and 50s night. the show for 2nd seating was at 6:45 called 'jukebox jive'. mildly amusing 50s numbers except for a couple italian ballards (weird). general observation about the costa dancers: talneted group of mostly scantily clad girls but the boys wear too many clothes ;)

 

the costa repeater cocktail party was tonight. i did not attend (same old, same old). that reminds me, i have not received the bottle of prosecco due for being coral (i will be pearl after this cruise).

 

gala farewell dinner tonight complete with singing, baked alaska-ish, music and napkin waving. i know this because i passed by the dining room as first seating was enduring this ridiculous cruise ritual. i will be having dinner in my suite, peacfully. on order tonight: carpaccio, cream of mushroom soup, dual entrees of beef tenderloin and duck. no dessert.

 

in answer to ex-vogue model: i was told the excursion was cancelled due to lack of participation of english language speakers, but was. offered to join the german speaking tour. i know a bit of german, but not enough to spend 82 bucks on. i asked natalie, the english speaking hostess, how many english speakers are on this cruise and she said around 200. the next cruise has over 1000. there were 23 tender groups called (and they were using large tenders from the port, not lifeboats) so i would assume most people did not book tours.

 

later, 12:15 am, there is something called 'angels and devils' party. i hope there are more devils than angels. devils have more fun ;),

 

there was a dinner party for the kids tonight in the buffet. i happened to walk by. there were about 10 kids with native american headresses on, playing some sort of game.

 

clocks are turned ahead one hour tonight, returning to eastern standard time. i feel sorry for the crew. i can sleep an hour later, they cannot.

 

here were the shipboard actvities, typical for a port day:

5:00am - 2:00pm the morning show with cruise director max on tv

8:30am healthy walk

9:00am fitness class: oriental awakening

9:30am fitness class: abdominals

10-11:00am library open

11:15am quiz: general knowledge

11:45am interactive game: mysterious object

2:45pm card players meeting

3-5:00pm library open

3:30pm table soccer tournement

4:00pm the clock game

4:30pm brazilian dances

4:30pm dance lesson: tango

5:00pm quiz: cartoons

5:00pm fitness class: sunset gymnastics

5:45pm LGBT meeting

10:30pm greased lightning and the hand give with the animation team followed by the election of the ideal rock and roll couple

11:45pm rock'n'roll blues with the musicians of costa mediterranea

12:15am angels and devil party

[Club210]

Thanks for sending your comments. Four of us want to get out of Dodge (Florida) for Christmas. No company this year!!! But we are skittish about Costa. AAA says they don't recommend it and other agents are hesitant also. We really don't want 10 days of stale smoke and Dennys quality food. I know not to expect Holland America or Celebrity, but how does Costa compare to Carnival?

[AnonymousCruiser69]

day ten 29NOV2012 thursday at sea

 

when is a butler not a butler? on costa. i've minor problems with my butler the whole trip. today was my breaking point. after waiting 15 minutes for the lunch menu to arrive, and 40 minutes for the food to arrive, the order was wrong again. it is very stupid to be messing up on the day comment cards are filled out and extra gratuities are distributed. needless to say, he was given a bad comment on the comment card and no cash (i had planned on $100). my excellent cabin steward did get his $100 and an good comment on the card.

 

when is priority disembarkemnt not priority disembarkment? on costa! i am supposed to recevie priority disembarkment for being in a suite. ha! i was given tags for the fourth group. after arguing with the front desk i am now doing self disembarkment, which is group one. groups 2 and 3 are people who booked costa's tours ending at the airport. i am quite sick of being put behind people who book tours. priority is priority in english and most other languages. apparently not in italian.

 

in case you can't tell, i am quite ticked off right now. as of this moment i will never give costa a penny of my money or any of my precious vacation time again.

 

get me off this ship and back to reality, please!

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Thanks for sending your comments. Four of us want to get out of Dodge (Florida) for Christmas. No company this year!!! But we are skittish about Costa. AAA says they don't recommend it and other agents are hesitant also. We really don't want 10 days of stale smoke and Dennys quality food. I know not to expect Holland America or Celebrity, but how does Costa compare to Carnival?

 

I don't think costa would be a good choice for you because of the smoking. Pretty mich every bar/lounge has a smoking area.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

We will be going on Mediterranea on Dec. 10, 2012. Can you please let me know what other theme nights there are besides your mentioned "white night"? Thanks so much for all your help!

 

for the 10 night cruise, there were 2 'gala' nights, one italian night and toga night (final night).

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Hi Anonymous

 

Sorry that you were disappointed with Roatan. We had heard that the coral reef is one of the finest in the world. We were hoping to do some good snorkelling.

 

Just to put the record straight "what a dump" comes from the Bette Davis film "Beyond the Forest". Elizabeth Taylor, as Martha, gave it second life in "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?".

 

Hope that you won't encounter any more dumps !!!

 

i don't snorkel, so you may have more things to do. thanks for the correction on the movie quote.

[Shoobaby1]

It's true, Costa is not for everyone. My husband & I have enjoyed Costa ships on 20+ cruises. If you like slapstick Italian games, meeting international cruisers & love to dance, Costa is for you....& for us. Costa ships offer the best dance floors we have encountered & ballroom music into the early morning hours. Question: We are booked 20 days winter 2013 with Canadian friends & we all wonder if anyone who cruised this November recalls the band presently playing in Mediterranea's main ballroom? A favorite on several Caribbean cruises is "Trio Tringali." P.S. We are Italian-American, do not speak Italian fluently but cruisers should be aware that they will hear Italian, German & French throughout their Costa cruise. This is what makes Costa a special & different cruise line!

[CatFive]

So there is a Toga Night. Do we have to supply our own toga?

[Salve]

Question: We are booked 20 days winter 2013 with Canadian friends & we all wonder if anyone who cruised this November recalls the band presently playing in Mediterranea's main ballroom? A favorite on several Caribbean cruises is "Trio Tringali."

 

Piazza Casanova, deck 2 had "Alexa & Ritz" & "Lorenzo Band" from 5-20 Nov 2012.

"Sharade Band" played in the Isolabella Lounge, deck 1.

"Trio Tringali" was not onboard.

Enjoy!

[AnonymousCruiser69]

So there is a Toga Night. Do we have to supply our own toga?

 

no, a sheet and instructions for hot-to-tie-a-toga were provided.

[Shoobaby1]

So there is a Toga Night. Do we have to supply our own toga?

 

Costa does have Toga Night (last night of cruise). Had Toga Night this Jan-Feb. on Atlantica. Exception is when a very large group is on board that changes the nightly theater schedule. This happened only once on our many Costa cruises. You do not need to supply a toga, although some do. You will have appropriate sheets & paper weath with instructions on various ways to wear toga brought to your cabin. The passenger talent show takes place 10 p.m. in theater with Animation staff dressed as Julius Ceasar & company. We have attended Toga Nights that completely filled the theater, had noise makers, streamers. Other Toga Nights have had few passengers in attendance, not many dressed in toga for dinner. You never know. Before Carnival Corp took over the line, Costa had more Italian-themed nights. Also keep in mind that beginning 2012 (Caribbean) Costa does not have alternative dining aside from 2 pay restaurants. They do have 4 p.m. tea time with deserrts, small sandwiches, hot chocolate, tea etc. Hope info. helps & happy to answer other questions.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Costa does have Toga Night (last night of cruise). Had Toga Night this Jan-Feb. on Atlantica. Exception is when a very large group is on board that changes the nightly theater schedule. This happened only once on our many Costa cruises. You do not need to supply a toga, although some do. You will have appropriate sheets & paper weath with instructions on various ways to wear toga brought to your cabin. The passenger talent show takes place 10 p.m. in theater with Animation staff dressed as Julius Ceasar & company. We have attended Toga Nights that completely filled the theater, had noise makers, streamers. Other Toga Nights have had few passengers in attendance, not many dressed in toga for dinner. You never know. Before Carnival Corp took over the line, Costa had more Italian-themed nights. Also keep in mind that beginning 2012 (Caribbean) Costa does not have alternative dining aside from 2 pay restaurants. They do have 4 p.m. tea time with deserrts, small sandwiches, hot chocolate, tea etc. Hope info. helps & happy to answer other questions.

 

unfortunately, when there is a large group it does change things. costa isn't going to tell you there is a group booked. i ALWAYS google the ship and date to see if there might be a big group. not 100% accurate, but i have read too many bad things about large groups taking over the ship.

[Shoobaby1]

Unfortunately, Costa & other popular cruise lines now have large groups onboard. The bottom line is $$ for the cruise line. Large groups may result in specific lounges being closed to other passengers to accommodate private group activities. Unfair possibly, but true. Happily, Costa does not close down their main ballroom so dancing is not restricted. On Costa, music/dance groups, often numbering over 500, are usually assigned to the pool area or a tucked-away lounge on a lower deck. We have cruised with these groups several times & know this to be true. It's almost impossible to get group info. from cruise line reservations or Special Services at time of booking. After more than 20 Costa cruises, I am familiar with most Costa policies. We sail Costa with friends to dance, never know what to expect & look at it as an International adventure away from the snow & ice! Do not choose Costa if you prefer an American passenger list & look forward to participating in nightly kareoke! I once heard a dis-embarking passenger say she wasn't happy with Costa because there were too many Italians onboard? This Italian cruise line is not for everyone!

[Egle]

sitting here in south beach anticipating my 10 cruise on Mediterranea. Precruise stay was at the Beacon hotel, south beach. Perfect for a one night stay (excellent location, free breakfast, free port shuttle.)

 

It has been a couple years since my last cruise with costa. This time i have an aft Grand suite.

 

I will mainly be reporting on the ship itself as the ports have been done to death. I'll update this as internet access allows.

 

Time to checkout and head for the ship. :D

 

Dear AnonymousCruiser69,

I am looking for a man from Denmark who was in same Cruise. do you know any possible way to get a list of travelers? I was in same line, just somehow missed him.. Would be very appreciate for any answer.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Dear AnonymousCruiser69,

I am looking for a man from Denmark who was in same Cruise. do you know any possible way to get a list of travelers? I was in same line, just somehow missed him.. Would be very appreciate for any answer.

 

welcome to cruise critic. costa certainly isn't going to provide that information... i can't help with that one.