Negative Costa reviews

[chrispb]

Too manu annoucements can be bad even if they are made in one language.

 

BTW, MSC is also Italian line, but I hardly remember any of them. Only in main theater we heard five languages spoken.

 

Strange, it's always Americans who complain about the announcements in different languages. Surprising really, as I heard Spanish spoken a lot in California - practically a 2nd language there.

 

Guess we must be a tolerant lot this side of the pond:D

[Tatka]

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.

[chrispb]

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.

 

Have you sailed on Aida? I don't see much on CC about it and the one time I looked at their website it was all in German which made me think perhaps they are not interested in selling cruises to other nationalities.

I should look again as that was some time ago.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

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:

Edited October 10, 2013 by AnonymousCruiser69

[AnonymousCruiser69]

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:

[Tatka]

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

 

Which makes us, Americans, look a bit better. :)

[Tatka]

Have you sailed on Aida? I don't see much on CC about it and the one time I looked at their website it was all in German which made me think perhaps they are not interested in selling cruises to other nationalities.

I should look again as that was some time ago.

 

My friends from FSU (I am originally from there ) cruised with them and loved it. They said staff can speak English and some are even Russian, but all entertainment and everything is in German.

 

You can book their cruises thru Aida's website and some other webagencies. I sent a question-request once mentioning that I am an American and will they be able to book me and answer was No problem. :)

[shipfriend_max]

Oooh, I just agree with those people who had a bad experience with Costa!!

I also would not book them again and only recommend to people who I don't like! :D

 

You have the impression that the crew is not allowed to be friendly to the passengers and to fulfil their wishes, the breakfast biffet is very, very, very poor, no buffet in the evening and so on...

 

And just compare the prices: A 14 night iceland/Norway cruise on CELEBRITY ECLIPSE, an outstanding ship, is cheaper than a 16 night Iceland/Norway cruise on COSTA PACIFICA, which is definitely not as good as CELEBRITY ECLIPSE - there are also a lot of other examples, just compare the Caribbean cruise fares of COSTA MAGICA with those of CELEBRITY SUMMIT!!! The cruises on SUMMIT are cheaper, and CELEBRITY SUMMIT is an awesome ship, COSTA MAGICA (I have been on FORTUNA, her sister ship) is awful, especially compared to SUMMIT!!!

 

Costa is just a waste of money - never book it! :mad:

Edited December 3, 2013 by celebrity_fan

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Oooh, I just agree with those people who had a bad experience with Costa!!

I also would not book them again and only recommend to people who I don't like! :D

 

You have the impression that the crew is not allowed to be friendly to the passengers and to fulfil their wishes, the breakfast biffet is very, very, very poor, no buffet in the evening and so on...

 

And just compare the prices: A 14 night iceland/Norway cruise on CELEBRITY ECLIPSE, an outstanding ship, is cheaper than a 16 night Iceland/Norway cruise on COSTA PACIFICA, which is definitely not as good as CELEBRITY ECLIPSE - there are also a lot of other examples, just compare the Caribbean cruise fares of COSTA MAGICA with those of CELEBRITY SUMMIT!!! The cruises on SUMMIT are cheaper, and CELEBRITY SUMMIT is an awesome ship, COSTA MAGICA (I have been on FORTUNA, her sister ship) is awful, especially compared to SUMMIT!!!

 

Costa is just a waste of money - never book it! :mad:

 

i see you have 3 previous costa cruises in your signature - they must have done something right :confused:

[shipfriend_max]

The cruise on Deliziosa was okay, but we regret that we did not Book Brilliance.

Pacifica we have booked because of the itinerary, Fortuna also...

[cruisetrail]

As soon as the Concordia goes out of sight, Casta has to make a huge marketing move, thorougly reconsider their product and start from fresh.

[sidari]

What a total load of crap! the very same people were telling others this would happen hours after Concordia lay on its side and look Costa are doing just fine, how many other cruise lines have poor reviews or Engine fires etc are they still sailing their ships ?

[cruisetrail]

What a total load of crap! the very same people were telling others this would happen hours after Concordia lay on its side and look Costa are doing just fine, how many other cruise lines have poor reviews or Engine fires etc are they still sailing their ships ?

 

What a beautiful English! Sounds like music.

 

Are you asking how many cruise lines have as many poor reviews as Costa?

Don't you know?

 

It's not about the Concordia (Classica, Europa, Pacifica). It's about the reputation and product quality.

The only way to recover the reputation is to change the product.

If they believe what they offer now is "fine", it's fine - that's their business.

Edited December 4, 2013 by cruisetrail

[AnonymousCruiser69]

What a total load of crap! the very same people were telling others this would happen hours after Concordia lay on its side and look Costa are doing just fine, how many other cruise lines have poor reviews or Engine fires etc are they still sailing their ships ?

 

consider the source ;)

[chrispb]

Oooh, I just agree with those people who had a bad experience with Costa!!

I also would not book them again and only recommend to people who I don't like! :D

 

You have the impression that the crew is not allowed to be friendly to the passengers and to fulfil their wishes, the breakfast biffet is very, very, very poor, no buffet in the evening and so on...

 

And just compare the prices: A 14 night iceland/Norway cruise on CELEBRITY ECLIPSE, an outstanding ship, is cheaper than a 16 night Iceland/Norway cruise on COSTA PACIFICA, which is definitely not as good as CELEBRITY ECLIPSE - there are also a lot of other examples, just compare the Caribbean cruise fares of COSTA MAGICA with those of CELEBRITY SUMMIT!!! The cruises on SUMMIT are cheaper, and CELEBRITY SUMMIT is an awesome ship, COSTA MAGICA (I have been on FORTUNA, her sister ship) is awful, especially compared to SUMMIT!!!

 

Costa is just a waste of money - never book it! :mad:

 

Please tell me what you have for breakfast on the other lines that you can't get on Costa? I've always found exactly the same breakfast items that I've had elsewhere so not sure what you found missing?

 

Wouldn't try Celebrity if you paid me, thanks very much. I know what suits my cruising style and it doesn't take me 3 attempts to find I don't like something. Once bitten, twice shy:cool:

[cruisetrail]

Please tell me what you have for breakfast on the other lines that you can't get on Costa? I've always found exactly the same breakfast items that I've had elsewhere so not sure what you found missing?

 

Cruise on a "Cruise Ship".

Breakfast buffet.

 

1. Cruise Ship: 10 kinds of juices. Freshly squeezed OJ.

Costa: poor quality OJ, too concentrated from one station, watery from another.

 

2. Cruise Ship: Smoked salmon

Costa: nothing

 

3. Cruise Ship: tasty croissants

Costa: worst croissants ever. In fact, we had no croissants.

 

4. Cruise Ship: cold muesli with fruites and nuts

Costa: plain cold oatmeal

 

5. Cruise Ship: some 8-10 kinds of eggs benedict (including those with crab meat)

Costa: did not see it, but did not look for it.

 

6. Cruise ship: Crepes with various fillings.

Costa: did not see it, but did not ask for it.

 

7. Cruise Ship: good selection of fruits.

Costa: limited selection of fruits.

 

Photos available on request. Don't ask, be merciful to Costa. :)

 

Based on our cruise on Costa flagship.

 

 

.

Edited December 5, 2013 by cruisetrail

[AnonymousCruiser69]

cruisetrail, you're lying. you posted pictures of the salmon and croissants you had on costa. the presentation might not be up to your stringent specifications, but please stop posting false and out-of-date information. your opinions are several years old and now irrelevant.

 

i've been on several cruiselines (carnival, princess, hal and costa) and have never seen the majority of the selections you are continually (several years, now) complaining about.

 

eggs bene are frequently available in the main dining room (or via room service if you are in a full suite). so are many of the other items.

 

pics are of the croissants on costa:

Edited December 5, 2013 by AnonymousCruiser69

[cruisetrail]

Am I lying?

Please...

I don't know what should I post if someone is lying saying that I am lying.

I will post a smile.

:)

FYI I have never posted pictures of salmon "we had on Costa" because we did not have salmon on Costa. :)

 

The cruise was last year. Not too long ago.

The buffet was the worst I have ever seen on a cruise ship.

The ship itself was much better than many believe...

 

 

eggs bene are frequently available in the main dining room (or via room service if you are in a full suite). so are many of the other items.

 

Who cares of room sevice in full suites?

We are talking about breakfast in the buffet.

In the buffet on the "Cruise Ship" you have eggs bene made to order in your presence. That is not available "frequently" - it's offered every day.:)

Edited December 5, 2013 by cruisetrail

[Tatka]

Is 10 kinds of eggs benedict a standard feature of cruise ship? :)

 

Yeah... studying cruising via internet is FUN.

 

Eggs benedict are never made to order in buffet. Most of the ships do not have them in buffer at all. Omelets are made to order.

 

Looking at other things. Not every ship has everything listed. We did not have salmon on Grand Princess for example. Not a real cruise ship? Hardly.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Tatka

[cruisetrail]

Is 10 kinds of eggs benedict a standard feature of cruise ship? :)

 

Yeah... studying cruising via internet is FUN.

 

Eggs benedict are never made to order in buffet. Most of the ships do not have them in buffer at all. Omelets are made to order.

 

Looking at other things. Not every ship has everything listed. We did not have salmon on Grand Princess for example. Not a real cruise ship? Hardly.

 

Why not follow the thread where you are posting?

 

I've always found exactly the same breakfast items that I've had elsewhere so not sure what you found missing?

 

Eggs benedict are never made to order in buffet.

Expand your cruising experience. You'll find things you have not seen. :)

 

Yeah... studying cruising via internet is FUN.

Yes, it is. You've just known something new.

Edited December 5, 2013 by cruisetrail

[Tatka]

10 kinds of eggs benedict were too funny to skip, as well as other fantasies and "definitions" of a real cruise ship. :)

 

Thank you for a good laugh.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Tatka

[shipfriend_max]

I think 10 kinds of egg benedict are a littlebit much. :D

 

But the Costa breakfast is very poor, because:

-poor selection of rolls and breads

-cramped buffet restaurants, layout very confusing

-scrambled eggs taste like nothing

-only two omelette stations, very crowded - if you are lucky, you only wait 20 - 30 minutes. :D On CELEBRITY SUMMIT, I did not need to wait even 10 minutes!

-"orange juice" seems to be artificial (no real juice)

-no lemonade/ice tea included

-coffee of worst quality

-plastic plates: OK, many oter lines also have it due to safety reasons. But Costa has very unappealing plates, the cups you know from the Kindergarten or from a camping shop

-crew seems to be overwhelmed

-tables are not cleared off plates and dirty

-you feel like in a trucker cafeteria

-buffet restaurant, no matter at which time: always overcrowded (exception: in the evening)

 

Buffet at other times:

-lunch is okay

-ice cream: a very tricky topic: only an indefinable mixture (a littlebit looking like soft icecream) from a machine, seems to be artificial and did not have any contact with chocolate, vanilla, strawberries etc... you only get it for 2 hours a day...:rolleyes:

When cruising with an ITALIAN cruise line, I expect high quality italien ice cream!!!!!

Celebrity offers high quality ice cream, 24 hours a day, 10 different

varieties, with sprinklers, sauces etc... for FREE!!!!!!!!

Also Princess offers ice cream for free the whole day - okay, three different varieties of soft ice cream, but also it's okay!!

 

Evening:

-you need to eat in the main dining room at fixed times or pay extra for a Club Restaurant

-buffet is closed in the evening (okay, two varieties of pizza are offered :rolleyes:)

-food is okay, but also the waiters are overwhelmed, although they are friendly

-reduced portions

 

Bars:

-quality of drinks is okay

-crew also overwehelmed, they seem to have too less sleep

-you need to wait up to 30 minutes for your drink, even when you tell the waiter that you are already waiting for a long time

(Celebrity and Princess: ca 5-10 minutes waiting time :D)

 

I could extend the list but I think it is enough so far.

If the price were very less, than I would except all those problems.

But they are not really cheaper than Celebrity, RCI, NCL..., sometimes they are more expensive!!!!

And I think that is a huge mistake.

When Costa goes on like that, the company is likely to get bankrupt soon!

[AnonymousCruiser69]

deleted...

Edited December 5, 2013 by AnonymousCruiser69

[cruisetrail]

10 kinds of eggs benedict were too funny to skip, as well as other fantasies and "definitions" of a real cruise ship. :)

 

Thank you for a good laugh.

 

Have more fun! :)

 

[iloveglee]

I have read these posts with interest and trepidation as we are booked on a costa cruise in february 2014. we have sailed before with holland america, carnival, royal caribbean and ncl. they are all different but we have thoroughly enjoyed every one despite their differnces some of which suit and some not so much. one thing i am uncertain about is buffet dining on the serena in the evening. i have read in various posts that it is not open during the evening only lunch and breakfast. is this correct? our only potential problem and frankly this is bizarre - is what dining options are there to choose in the dining rooms. we have booked classic cabin with dining allocated. problem is there are 4 of us travelling together, in 2 cabins and the bookings had to be made separately, no facility to link them together (i have spoken to costa and this is definitely the case). so they suggest we upgrade to premium but what choice is there from this - dining time i understand, restaurant evidently depends on where your cabin is located. but how to ensure you can sit at the same table as your travelling companions. how do costa ensure this when family groups (especially with kids) are travelling together if there is no way to link the bookings. i have never experienced this with any other cruise line. we have booked guaranteed cabins and dining but have always been able to link the bookings so that we are located near each other and sit at the same table in the same restaurant at the same time. big black mark against costa here, unless of course someone can explain to me from experience how this works. i understand that you can always ask to change on board but this is a bit of a risk in case its not possible. if there is no buffet dining to fall back on then what? we are usually very flexible about things not being 'the same as last time', but dining is such a major part of a cruise we do feel it is important we get this bit right. don't much care whether our cabins are near or not, do care about the dining.