You guys are scaring me....about Magica

[LisaT12]

We (a family of 4) were considering booking Costa Magica over Easter break this year. We have been on Carnival and Princess a number of times -- and we truly love cruising. BUT I have read so many bad reviews that I am really thinking twice about booking. However, I do not want to let the "kids cruise free" promo go by without looking into it -- Does anyone else have any input.

Thanks..

[packercruising]

Don't put a lot of stock in the bad reviews. We had a great time on the Magica and there are lots of other posts from people that had a great time so I am curious as to why you only noticed the negative opinions.

 

Specifically what negative remarks are you referring to? The ship is beautiful, the service was great, the food was very good and people were friendly. There were lots of activities even for the kids.

 

Go and have a great time!

[Taf]

I keep hearing of people being put off by negative reviews of Costa.

Why are negative reviews 10 times more influential than possitive ones?

There are loads of very positive reviews too!

I have cruised Costa, NCL, Carnival & RCCl - and love Costa, especially the really great value for the money when travelling with kids. The staff go out of their way to look after the kids . eg, my daughter asked for melon & palma ham as a starter one evening at dinner, it wasn`t on the menu. Every night then on, our waiter bought her a plate of her favourite starter!

There are problems with any cruise line, and everyone it entitled to express their opinion of their trip.

I would say, go with an open mind, enjoy the cultural differences, and have a great time.

[LisaT12]

Thank you for you reply. I will look into it alittle more. It is the Caribbean trip -- I was already hesitant to cruise over Easter break (because of the amount of people/college students etc) but then I was reading about loud obnoxious people on board, being charged for water, no food on the buffet, and on and on and I began to doubt my choice. However, I should point out that we are easy going people and we have fun doing everything. Thanks for your comment.

[joetrizeo]

if you are detered from going on any cruise just because of what one person on the other side of a computer, somewhere on the internet says, then you are seriously missing out. you are your own person. never let ANYONE else make up your mind about how to spend your hard earned vacation!

[GOLDENBONNY]

We (a family of 4) were considering booking Costa Magica over Easter break this year. We have been on Carnival and Princess a number of times -- and we truly love cruising. BUT I have read so many bad reviews that I am really thinking twice about booking. However, I do not want to let the "kids cruise free" promo go by without looking into it -- Does anyone else have any input.

Thanks..

 

I have read many bad review about Costa ,but we had a best cruise ever on Atlantica 2 years ago.I read so many good reviews about NCL and guess what...it was waste of money and time:( Dont belive for any reviews you should try it to understand whats good for you.

[Jdleong]

We are going on the Mediterreanea on April 1st, using the Kid's free promo, and I too was a bit worried about the reviews. However, now I am excited to be trying something different from the 8 Carnival cruises I have been on in the past. I am looking forward to the " Italian Style" of cruising. I am looking forward to a different menu than the "same old stuff" that Carnival has offered each cruise. The cabins are the same, except for the mattress, and I plan to ask for toppers right away. As for too many kids, that is the time that the kids are out of school, and there will be a lot of them. We have never cruised at this time, but every line has more kids in the Spring.. With the $1300 savings over the Miracle (same week), we can do alot of excursions,and have a great time..

Read more reviews...there are plenty of really great comments about Costa,and don't let one man's opinion stop you from trying something new...

if we never ventured out..tried something new...where would we be?

What ever you decide , hope you have a great cruise...

Jan

[joetrizeo]

Thank you for you reply. I will look into it alittle more. It is the Caribbean trip -- I was already hesitant to cruise over Easter break (because of the amount of people/college students etc) but then I was reading about loud obnoxious people on board, being charged for water, no food on the buffet, and on and on and I began to doubt my choice. However, I should point out that we are easy going people and we have fun doing everything. Thanks for your comment.

 

the ship will be packed with families, children and college kids. i can tell you that, but so will every other cruise ship that week.

 

as far as loud obnoxious people, from what i've read, costa has far less than other cruise lines. but really that just depends on the crowd at the time, luck of the draw. its generally the same group of people rather than a conglomerate representative of the entire cruise line.

 

water is free

there is always plenty of food at the buffet, and good food at that.

[ILov2cruise]

Thank you for you reply. I will look into it alittle more. It is the Caribbean trip -- I was already hesitant to cruise over Easter break (because of the amount of people/college students etc) but then I was reading about loud obnoxious people on board, being charged for water, no food on the buffet, and on and on and I began to doubt my choice. However, I should point out that we are easy going people and we have fun doing everything. Thanks for your comment.

 

 

Don't worry about the college kids, they are not a problem. Because of the kids cruise free the ship has more kids than adults.

 

I cruised over Easter on Costa and would never go Costa again.

Costa in the Med was very different than Costa in the US.

 

You can't compare, Princess, Carnival, RCCL to Costa. Costa is the bottom of the barrel. Since you have been on other cruise lines you will see the difference.

If I still had children under 16 then I might feel different since kids cruise at a very low fare. Price is a big issue when you have children and it seems Costa is the only line that has a very cheap children's fare. We cruised with my sister and her family of 5, so we went with the best kids fare we could find. During Easter on any other line it would have cost my sister at least $5000 more than she paid on Costa. She paid $99 for each child+ taxes. Where can you take a vacation for 7 days and only pay $99 per child.

 

 

I didn't see loud obnoxious people. You are only charged for bottled water. Buffet was fine for lunch.

I don't know if being in suites made a difference but our cabin ste. left little cans of juice for the kids along with the fresh fruit and cookies everyday.

 

As much as I didn't care for Costa we still had a great vacation.

[mtl kid]

I have been on 4 Costa Cruises and have yet to be let down. The food was very good, the entertainment was a blast and the ships beautiful. It is true that they have slid a little bit since Carnival has taken over and Americanised it. Italians know how to eat and the earlier real Italian Midnight buffets were to die for. Europe is not the number one tourist center for nothing. The only bad reviews and negative feedback were 99% from Americans. Costa is different and if you like Olive Garden Italian and IHOP breakfasts do not go on this Cruise Line.

There is a cruise line for everyone and it is just a matter of finding it. Just remember when you see reviews that start with

1.Wosrt Cruise Ever

2. Cruise Disaster

3.Did not eat anything at all

4.We were prisoners on the ship.....and so on, take it with a grain of salt. How bad could a week of no cleaning no cooking and no work be.......REALLY!:eek:

[ILov2cruise]

I have been on 4 Costa Cruises and have yet to be let down. The food was very good, the entertainment was a blast and the ships beautiful. It is true that they have slid a little bit since Carnival has taken over and Americanised it. Italians know how to eat and the earlier real Italian Midnight buffets were to die for. Europe is not the number one tourist center for nothing. The only bad reviews and negative feedback were 99% from Americans. Costa is different and if you like Olive Garden Italian and IHOP breakfasts do not go on this Cruise Line.

There is a cruise line for everyone and it is just a matter of finding it. Just remember when you see reviews that start with

1.Wosrt Cruise Ever

2. Cruise Disaster

3.Did not eat anything at all

4.We were prisoners on the ship.....and so on, take it with a grain of salt. How bad could a week of no cleaning no cooking and no work be.......REALLY!:eek:

 

Maybe you need to try another cruise line.

 

Food is not very good.

Entertainment was not very good.

Ship was beautiful.

If you like Olive Garden Italian and IHOP breakfasts Costa is the cruise for you.

Carnival has nothing to do with Costa going down, the only thing Carnival did was bring Costa back to the US.

 

I was born and grew up in Italy, You are getting Italian style food NOT italian food.

 

What does being American have to do with bad reviews.

 

After cruising the Med on Costa we took a Caribbean cruise on Costa. Big difference. If they left Costa Italian and not tried to make it American it would be alot better.

[mtl kid]

Hello there I love To Cruise, I am of Italian heritage and go to Italy every year. Just got back from a tour of Nothern and Southern Italy and if you check my post history you will see that I mention that my wife is a graduated Italian cook. The food on Costa was very good. The entertainment with the Cruise Director Max was outstanding. That was one of the reasons we booked the Magica because of Max and his wife. As far as Italian cooking goes I am sure that you have noticed that Italian cuisine in Italy is shifting to a more lighter version of itself. On our 2 week trek across Italy and eating at some of the best restaurants I noticed that the restaurants themselves although Italian were owned and run not by Italians but by non Italians. In Italy the northerners and the southerners are of complete different styles. The cooking of the north is way different from the cooking of the south. Italians themselves have preferances for either northern cuisine or souther Italian cuisine. My comment of Americans complaining about Costa was in no way a putdown but rather a confirmation that Americains on the most part like to travel to places with Americain customs and Americain flavour...hence HOLIDAY INN, MARRIOTT and so on. Costa is different from the Americain main street cruiselines but since Carnival has bought it out is has definetly been watered down in Italian flavour. Proof is the difference in the Car sailings and the Med sailings. How could 100 different food selections all be awful...!

[packercruising]

Don't worry about the college kids, they are not a problem. Because of the kids cruise free the ship has more kids than adults.

 

I cruised over Easter on Costa and would never go Costa again.

Costa in the Med was very different than Costa in the US.

 

You can't compare, Princess, Carnival, RCCL to Costa. Costa is the bottom of the barrel. Since you have been on other cruise lines you will see the difference.

If I still had children under 16 then I might feel different since kids cruise at a very low fare. Price is a big issue when you have children and it seems Costa is the only line that has a very cheap children's fare. We cruised with my sister and her family of 5, so we went with the best kids fare we could find. During Easter on any other line it would have cost my sister at least $5000 more than she paid on Costa. She paid $99 for each child+ taxes. Where can you take a vacation for 7 days and only pay $99 per child.

 

 

I didn't see loud obnoxious people. You are only charged for bottled water. Buffet was fine for lunch.

I don't know if being in suites made a difference but our cabin ste. left little cans of juice for the kids along with the fresh fruit and cookies everyday.

 

As much as I didn't care for Costa we still had a great vacation.

 

why you shouldn't put too much stock in other people's opinions. IMO you can't compare Carnival to Costa because Costas is waaaay much better!

[ILov2cruise]

If you think Costa is waaaaay better, than I'd guess you have never been on another cruise line.

 

Have you ever been on Carnival, it's waaaaay better than Costa.

 

Costa is the very bottom of cruise lines. If Costa was so great they wouldn't discount their children fares. The only reason they sell is children are either free or $99.

[ILov2cruise]

................................................................

[joetrizeo]

If you think Costa is waaaaay better, than I'd guess you have never been on another cruise line.

Have you ever been on Carnival, it's waaaaay better than Costa.

 

Have you ever read his signature?

 

Costa is the very bottom of cruise lines. If Costa was so great they wouldn't discount their children fares. The only reason they sell is children are either free or $99.

 

are you speculating here? this must be your opinion, not fact.

The only way you can assure us that this is true is if you are a business/accounting manager who works for costa and has compared sales during promo time vs. sales without promo.

i speculate your speculation is false ;)

[packercruising]

If you think Costa is waaaaay better, than I'd guess you have never been on another cruise line.

 

Have you ever been on Carnival, it's waaaaay better than Costa.

 

Costa is the very bottom of cruise lines. If Costa was so great they wouldn't discount their children fares. The only reason they sell is children are either free or $99.

 

Since you already know that I have been on Carnival there is no need to respond to that. Is it possible that your Costa experience was different than my Costa experience? Your Carnival experience? I'd say it was.

 

So when I say not to put too much stock in other people's opinions, I am not flaming you. It includes everyone including me. People have specific experiences on cruises which may or may not have a bearing on someone else's. You didn't like Costa, I did. Both opinions are valid but I wouldn't recommend someone deciding for or against cruising on it based on either one.

 

The only mediocre service we have had was on Carnival. So that naturally influences my opinion. Does that mean I think someone else on a different Carnival Cruise at a different time is also going to get mediocre service? No.

[Jdleong]

If you think Costa is waaaaay better, than I'd guess you have never been on another cruise line.

 

Have you ever been on Carnival, it's waaaaay better than Costa.

 

Costa is the very bottom of cruise lines. If Costa was so great they wouldn't discount their children fares. The only reason they sell is children are either free or $99.

 

 

If you feel this way about Costa, why are you still so active on their thread?Do you feel that it is your mission to "inform" everyone of you views and to not respect other people viewpoints? I think if I didn't feel I was happy with a cruise line, I would just stay away and look for another ... you are sure welcome to state your opinion, but I feel you are out on a mission to make everyone think your way, and perhaps what makes you not like Costa could be the same reason others don't like NCL or RCCL or Carnival etc...

 

I for one, want to try it out and if I find out for myself that it's great, I will be a past guest with a new discount...we will see

[GOLDENBONNY]

Hello there I love To Cruise, I am of Italian heritage and go to Italy every year. Just got back from a tour of Nothern and Southern Italy and if you check my post history you will see that I mention that my wife is a graduated Italian cook. The food on Costa was very good. The entertainment with the Cruise Director Max was outstanding. That was one of the reasons we booked the Magica because of Max and his wife. As far as Italian cooking goes I am sure that you have noticed that Italian cuisine in Italy is shifting to a more lighter version of itself. On our 2 week trek across Italy and eating at some of the best restaurants I noticed that the restaurants themselves although Italian were owned and run not by Italians but by non Italians. In Italy the northerners and the southerners are of complete different styles. The cooking of the north is way different from the cooking of the south. Italians themselves have preferances for either northern cuisine or souther Italian cuisine. My comment of Americans complaining about Costa was in no way a putdown but rather a confirmation that Americains on the most part like to travel to places with Americain customs and Americain flavour...hence HOLIDAY INN, MARRIOTT and so on. Costa is different from the Americain main street cruiselines but since Carnival has bought it out is has definetly been watered down in Italian flavour. Proof is the difference in the Car sailings and the Med sailings. How could 100 different food selections all be awful...!

 

WE LOVE MAX TOO:D I HOPE HIM AND HIS TEAM(ERIC,STEPHAN,PEPE???AND HIS WIFE )GONNA BE ON OUR DEC CRUISE???:confused: WHATS ABOUT FOOD -YES I THINK AMERICANS COMPLAINE MORE BECAUSE FOOD IN EUROPE AND AMERICA ITS DIFFERENT FOOD.FOR MY FEMALY IT WAS JUST FINE(YES,WE HAD MUCH BETTER FOOD IN OUR LIFE,BUT WE ARE NOT CRUISING FOR FOOD WE ARE HERE FOR FUN) COSTA ITS A PARTY LINE WE HAD NO TIME TO SLEEP:D

[GOLDENBONNY]

If you think Costa is waaaaay better, than I'd guess you have never been on another cruise line.

 

Have you ever been on Carnival, it's waaaaay better than Costa.

 

Costa is the very bottom of cruise lines. If Costa was so great they wouldn't discount their children fares. The only reason they sell is children are either free or $99.

 

I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW ITS POSSIBLE TO COMPARE LINES????ITS HARD TO COMPARE SHIP TO SHIP,EVEN ON THE SAME SHIP IF THEY CHANGE THE CHIF' THE CD AND CREW YOU WILL HAVE DIFFERENT EXPIRIENCE.I DID NOT LIKED NCL SPIRIT BUT HOW CAN I TELL HOW IS OTHER SHIPS FROM THIS LINE IF I NEVER BEEN THERE?

[boatlover]

LisaT12 -

 

As you can see there are some fairly strong opinions on both sides. I don't know why people get so worked up one way or another. So you like Costa or don't like Costa, why do people take it personally either way??? No one is insulting anyone’s character or questioning anyone’s morals or ethics! RELAX!

 

We have sailed on Holland America and Celebrity. We tried Magica late last spring. Service was great - except in the dining room at night, but everybody has different experiences, I am sure some people had great dining room service. The ship was as nice as any I have been on. Clean and beautiful. Cruise Directors and entertainment are not important to me but from what I could tell were on par with past cruises. Food wasn't as tasty and varied but was plentiful and of equal quality. I certainly didn't lose weight.:)

 

Take a look at value. We got a great deal on our Magica cruise. I would say that if there is a significant price difference, say 25% or so below other lines (but only you can determine magic number for yourself) go with Magica. Is itinerary important to you? Consider that. If it is the destination that is important then Costa might be right for you. If it is food then maybe another line. I don't think Costa has a private island like Princess/Carnival/HAL so if that is something you enjoy Costa might not be for you. How often do you get a chance to do something like this as a family? We don’t get a chance to schedule things like that often so when we do we are usually willing to pay more to get something we really want. But if we could go more often, we might cut corners here and there to swing it. Up to you. Whatever you decide, have fun!

[itsmlf]

In the first place Costa is not even near the bottom of the cruise lines....and they are not the only Cruise line that discounts for children. They all have special promotions. Magica is a beautiful ship with good service and good food....the buffet line had tons of food and they are no different what so ever from the other lines......at dinner tap water is free and you pay for bottled water as you do on all ships. Obviously this person or persons had a bad experience of some kind and it can happen on any ship. Loved Magica and have been on near 30 cruises and am in the travel industry. Costa has the cleanest ships on the seas and the cabins are of great size. You wont be sorry sailing on Costa.

[joetrizeo]

Unfortunately, when people have had personally bad experiences, they strive to obtain a false sense of accomplishment in trying to dissuade others from going on a particular cruise. As if to single handedly bring down and entire cruise line to its knees when approx 2% of actual cruisers read these forums.

[jana_banana]

how do you know only 2% read the forums where did you get this information?

[joetrizeo]

how do you know only 2% read the forums where did you get this information?

 

registered members (available information on this forum)

vs. number of cruisers who cruise per year (also available from cruise industry statistics)

and other offset factors for kids and repeat cruisers.

 

i saw it on a another forum, think it was carnival. i'll try to find it for you but the math would probably bore you :)