Should I go with Costa for a Mediterranean cruise?

[LAX]

I have heard a lot of bad reps (not sure whether it's deserving) about Costa--the food sucks, service almost non-existent, public areas filled with smoke, etc. I am currently planning a Mediterranean cruise and have a choice of Costa, RCC, MSC, and HA. I was leaning towards Costa because if offers a lot more choices of itinerary within my preferred dates until I read about the poor reviews. In general, Costa is regarded inferior to HA, Celebrity, etc., but it's also a bit cheaper. I really don't mind spending a little bit more money for better quality (not luxury, though), so how does Costa measure up to other cruise lines in terms of overall quality? Thanks in advance.

 

LAX

[Mahya]

Western Mediterranean and stop at Casablanca..and I think you're right..the price is lower, but they are also older ships

and only have three stars, so I'm wondering about the food,

the service, the room accomodations.

 

Is it like being in the "motel from hell" and seedy or

a nice comfortable trip?

 

Anyone here ?:confused:

[latex]

:cool: Try the Costa Magica- new ship-we did a week in May and had a great time- not inferior- but superior!

[o2byoung]

Costa Atlantica was delivered in 2000, Costa Mediterranea was delivered in 2003, Costa Fortuna is new than that. They have several older ships but they are in the process of updating the entire fleet.

[2Scots]

Hi - We sailed the Med in February 2005 on the Costa Fortuna. I would love to go on Costa again ASAP. Don't avoid this line you won't be disappointed. The food was great but in Europe not like american Italian a bit more refined and maybe that turns some folks off. The cabins were very very clean as was the rest of the ship and the staff was exceptional.

 

We also have cruised Celebrity in the Med and I would choose Costa not Celebrity if I were going again.

 

Don't pass up a good value!

 

2Scots

[jql999]

We just returned from the Italy/Turkey/Greece/Egypt sailing on the Romantica and we had an awesome time. Romantica is one of the older ships in the fleet (refurbed in 1993) but we found it to be very comfortable and clean. It was a nice size, about 1300 passengers, and this cruise was pretty full. We found the staff to be courteous and helpful. Internet access was slow and expensive. The elevators were hot, inefficient and slow. We took the stairs most of the time.

 

I thought the food was fine. Not 5 stars mind you - soups and salads weren't the best - and I would've liked some coarse ground pepper or ground red peppers to spice things up a bit. But the pasta was always great, and if we didn't like something, the staff cheerfully exchanged it for something else. They also brought multiple dishes when we couldn't decide on just one.

 

My only real complaints about the food were that the pancakes and french toast were always barely warm both in the restaurant and buffet. They still tasted good though. Coffee in the buffet was pretty nasty - much better in the restaurant. Espresso drinks and sodas cost extra.

 

Our outside stateroom was roomy, comfortable and cheerful. The bathroom was small but serviceable. Romantica does not have balconies or verandas except in the suites. I didn't find the smoke to be more than a minor annoyance. It was much worse in the Munich airport than anywhere on board Romantica. The main lounges had designated smoking and non-smoking areas and the passengers were pretty good about honoring that.

 

The best way I can describe the whole experience was that it was very European. I would say about 50% of the passengers were Italian, 30% French, 10% German, 5% English-speaking (more Americans than Brits though - that surprised me) and the rest Spanish and Portuguese. There was a wide range of ages too.

 

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your perspective. If you want to experience European sensibilities when you are in Europe, then things like:

 

* Listening to announcements and directions in three languages *before* they get to English (and occasionally they would forget English altogether)

 

* Being in the minority on excursions so you have to share with another language or make do with smaller, less comfortable busses.

 

* Dealing with smokers and that ashtray smell in limited areas of the ship.

 

* The only English-language news is the BBC or British newspapers

 

* Having to wait until after 10PM to learn the next day's schedule

these things come with the territory. If you are looking for a floating American luxury hotel with a free Starbucks inside then Costa may not be the best choice.

 

We found Costa to be a lot of fun. (Does anyone enjoy life with more gusto than Italians?) We paid about $2500 each for the cruise plus another $1K each for airfare from San Francisco. We're not drinkers, so that wasn't a major expense for us. For 11 nights on board and a 12th in a luxurious hotel in Genoa it was a great value.