Leaving Costa

[Hei1980]

We love Costa and would cruise with them in a heartbeat but they have out priced us. It is over but we have fond memories! We are moving back to Carnival where the food is always great along with their prices.

[JR Ewing]

while the majority of the leading lines (Costa and Cunard for example) are owned by Carnival Corporation, comparing Costa to Carnival is like comparing a Jaguar S-TYPE sedan to a Ford Mustang GT. Both vehicles are produced by Ford Motor Company, but one is a sleek, sophisticated luxury car while the other is a kick butt sports car. I've been on both cruise lines and have enjoyed them for different reasons. I have also owned both the aforementioned cars - so I can't be condemned. Costa is trying to push the luxury feel - Carnival is appealing to the party animals. I'm sorry - you just compare these two lines IMHO - regardless of price. A completely different experience and comparing apples and oranges. Flame me if you wish :)

[Hei1980]

Not kidding. We have been on seven Costa cruises and have loved each cruise. We will be watching the rates and hope to return someday?

When cruising we live in our own little world which consists of sitting on the balcony enjoying the sea, when in port, going to the beach, late meals in the dining room, a show or two.

Both cruise lines have wondrous ships. On Carnival, the balconies are well, balconies, the ports all have beaches. The service in the dining room is first class as is the food. The shows are top-rated. (the military rate for even old civil war veterans is amazing)

As to the party animals, Carnival is like a small village, you have all types of people on the ship, young, old, and yes, even a few village idiots.

[TDOTCRUISR]

Hei1980: I am a Canadian who has just returned from a Costa Magica west med cruise. The price I paid for the cruise/air pkg was unbelievably reasonable-the pricing offered right now is even better with a $300US on board credit. Of course, the price would not be the same in the U.S. or Europe. Also, perhaps the fab price is because it is still early in the season for Europe and Costa needs to fill the ship with last minute cruisers--I booked a month before leaving. Regardless, I hope they continue to slash their rates so that everyone will be happily cruising.

[Jo42]

Here in the UK we are still getting good rates with Costa, and it is coming up to school holiday time too. Please never go by what you see in the brochure or on their websites (particularly uk), go to your TA and they will always beat these prices - we saved around 30% this way for our July trip which is getting on for peak season as schools have already broken up for the holidays.

[jeb9860]

We also got a great rate for the Carribean for December , not through Costa. Saved over 3 k for back to back in a suite

[rocktheboat]

JR Ewing

 

When was the last time you cruised Carnival. You can t compare Carnival to Costa, Carnival out ranks Costa any day of the week.

Your right about 2 completely different experience Costa sucks.

[JR Ewing]

Last year. Short cruise. So maybe the week longs have improved. Full of a bunch of immature kids - I can say that now cuz I just turned 36 - drinking way too much (I do too but can hold it a lot better) - acting like absolute jerks and puking at various places throughout the ship. Doors slamming at all hours. It reminded me of my fraternity days. The ship was a 24 hour fraternity party on the high seas. At one time that appealed to me. Now it doesn't. Maybe I just had a bad experience or took a bad cruise. I personally don't take a cruise to be entertained. I don't go on a cruise to cut loose. I go on a cruise to get away from the kid/dog and enjoy some time with my wife. Always table for two. Always doing our own stuff and having a fantastic time. I don't go on a cruise to meet people or make new friends (although that does happen from time to time). I book my top-shelf suite (only have 2 weeks to take off a year as I run my own business) - look forward to being catered to and actually enjoy the ship/cabin/balcony more than I do our itinerary. If it were up to me, I would just kick back in the suite - enjoy the ocean waves and couldn't care less if we ever docked until we returned to our embarkation port. That's me - I guess I'm different - oh well.

[rachly]

Hei1980: I am a Canadian who has just returned from a Costa Magica west med cruise. The price I paid for the cruise/air pkg was unbelievably reasonable-the pricing offered right now is even better with a $300US on board credit. Of course, the price would not be the same in the U.S. or Europe. Also, perhaps the fab price is because it is still early in the season for Europe and Costa needs to fill the ship with last minute cruisers--I booked a month before leaving. Regardless, I hope they continue to slash their rates so that everyone will be happily cruising.

 

HI TDOTCRUISR,

I am curious to know what kind of "deal" I got on my upcoming 7-day med cruise in July. I have a cat 10-balcony cabin and paid $1949 (cruise only, including taxes). What about you?? Does that sound fairly reasonable? Thanks!

[TDOTCRUISR]

Rachly: As you are travelling in July, I'm sure the price would be higher. I pd $1675 Canadian per person>incl air/cruise & taxes. I was on deck 8 & took an inside cabin (itinerary too hectic & still too cold for me to enjoy balcony in May). The $300 US on board credit being offered now would have pd for my excursions. I think airfare alone to Rome is over $1000. Now you see why I couldn't pass it up.

[Jo42]

HI TDOTCRUISR,

I am curious to know what kind of "deal" I got on my upcoming 7-day med cruise in July. I have a cat 10-balcony cabin and paid $1949 (cruise only, including taxes). What about you?? Does that sound fairly reasonable? Thanks!

 

Hi Rachly, I'm cruising on the Fortuna in July - cat 9 balcony cabin and have paid just less than £900 pp including flights and taxes (about $1800 each) with your $300 on board credit I would think this works out around the same.

[Hei1980]

We also got a great rate for the Carribean for December , not through Costa. Saved over 3 k for back to back in a suite

 

jeb9860: Could you e-mail me the name of your TA, I have been using Costa. Thanks.

Hei1980@aol.com

[Cruise4Andy]

Hei1980:

 

Hey, I hope you still remember me... really did not have much time to be on the forum lately. I would hate to see you go and leave Costa!

 

I was actually hoping that maybe one day we would meet up on one of the future Costa cruises.

 

;-(

 

Andy

[Hei1980]

Hei1980:

 

 

I was actually hoping that maybe one day we would meet up on one of the future Costa cruises.

 

;-(

 

Andy

 

Maybe another year we can meet up on Costa but booked a November cruise with Carnival out of San Juan and today we will book a spring cruise with Carnival's new ship Liberty, cannot beat their military discounts and for us Costa's suites are way high.

Years ago I heard an old Hill Billy song called "If I'm not near the man I love, I love the man I'm near", guess, for me, the song also applies to cruise lines.

[Grace Land]

Last year. Short cruise. So maybe the week longs have improved. Full of a bunch of immature kids - I can say that now cuz I just turned 36 - drinking way too much (I do too but can hold it a lot better) - acting like absolute jerks and puking at various places throughout the ship. Doors slamming at all hours. It reminded me of my fraternity days. The ship was a 24 hour fraternity party on the high seas. At one time that appealed to me. Now it doesn't. Maybe I just had a bad experience or took a bad cruise. I personally don't take a cruise to be entertained. I don't go on a cruise to cut loose. I go on a cruise to get away from the kid/dog and enjoy some time with my wife. Always table for two. Always doing our own stuff and having a fantastic time. I don't go on a cruise to meet people or make new friends (although that does happen from time to time). I book my top-shelf suite (only have 2 weeks to take off a year as I run my own business) - look forward to being catered to and actually enjoy the ship/cabin/balcony more than I do our itinerary. If it were up to me, I would just kick back in the suite - enjoy the ocean waves and couldn't care less if we ever docked until we returned to our embarkation port. That's me - I guess I'm different - oh well.

I have never been on a Carnival cruise, but I was on a Norweigan Cruise Lines cruise and we saw Carnival ships at ports. I have to agree about the immature, drunk kids. They were staggering off their ship at noon on St. Thomas, VI. I do love my glasses of wine and cold beer, but I can handle my alcohol. Drunk, loud kids is not what I would want to pay to be faced with constantly for a week. You get what you pay for. If you're a military man, well, raise your glass up high and get drunk enough to drown out the loud, drunk idiots. Once again, you get what you pay for.

[caviargal]

I have never been on a Carnival cruise, but I was on a Norweigan Cruise Lines cruise and we saw Carnival ships at ports. I have to agree about the immature, drunk kids. They were staggering off their ship at noon on St. Thomas, VI. I do love my glasses of wine and cold beer, but I can handle my alcohol. Drunk, loud kids is not what I would want to pay to be faced with constantly for a week. You get what you pay for. If you're a military man, well, raise your glass up high and get drunk enough to drown out the loud, drunk idiots. Once again, you get what you pay for.

 

I am just off Carnival GLory 7 day Western. I had not sailed Carnival for 8 years because I did not enjoy Fantasy nor Inspiration.

 

Carnival has made a lot improvements. Glory is not as garish or tacky as the others and the staff was very good.

 

However, the passenger mix on my sailing was much as described above. Plus, the ship is too small for the # of pax they cram aboard. I felt like a sardine and was eternally grateful for my balcony where I, quite contrary to normal cruise behavior, spent most of my time. I read five novels and took afternoon naps. I was grateful I was working aboard as I would not have chosen to spend a vacation in this particular environment.

 

In the dining room, shorts, caps and tanks were "not permitted" but were everywhere. Food was good and service good as well, but not great. We had to ask for refills of water, coffee, bread, etc. Food was often lukewarm. ANd I could have done without the Maitre D's lengthy nightly announcements in the DR regarding some silly red, white and blue team contest and also the dancing waiters.

 

There were broken beer bottles and cigarette butts everywhere, more than the usual - IME - loud and obnoxious drunks, and the pools are postage stamps filled with diaper dressed kids and diving teens. I simply could not find a place that did not feel like a zoo! Teens and kids were running about everywhere.

 

I have not been on Costa for some time - frankly after Carnival purchased them I lost interest - and am reading these boards to see if there is a reason to try Costa again.

 

From any recent cruisers who have done both within the past couple of years, I am very interested in comparisons.

 

Thanks!

CG

[jeb9860]

I have not been on carnival but docked next to them quite a few times on my costa cruises and I would not go on them. The people getting off the ship were loud and IMO scruffy and rude ( I am sure they are not all like that, but that's what I saw). The ships we saw, probably the older ones looked scruffy. I was glad my children were mixing with the polite people on our Costa ship, who wants to take their children or themselves for that and spend a week or two surrounding by loud obnoxius people drinking all day and. I too like a drink but can still have a few beers and enjoy myslef without being loud and ruining other people's fun. As for the overcrowding, on Costa we always found space to relax, never heard or saw drunken people and there definitely was not diapered kids in the pool, at most 6 or 7 people in the pool and plenty of room to relax and catch some rays. In the dining room everyone appeared to make an effort and looked smart and on formal nights about 75% of the ship including the kids all looked great. I never saw groups of teens running around and there was plenty of children on the ship. It was IMO a 5 star experience which we all loved and will return again this December. The cabins are clean and spacious and all the staff we encountered were superb. Costa has a great european flair which we love, as we are English living in the US, the food is good, the service is excellent and I would struggle now to sail another line. We did have a break and tried Princess which was good too, but the food on Costa was better, the cabins were bigger and overall the staff were better.

[Hei1980]

Hey Guys, I am sorry I even mentioned Carnival! But mention it I did.

 

Now in fairness to Carnival, we have met Doctors, Lawyers, and even some Indian Chiefs, we are not all drunks and we clean up GOOD.

 

Concerning the hot tubs, even on Costa I would not go in the hot tubs thanks to parents bringing their babies into the tubs, not once did we see a crew member stop them. We have been on seven Costa Cruises, it happens.

 

Just like Fort Lauderdale and now Cancun, Carnival is doing everything in their power to stem the young people from treating their ships as a year around spring break haven. They have very strict rules, some rules are broken, when that happens the offenders are removed from the ship. What more can you ask of a business?