Costa Magica - Just Returned Today

[oshun11]

Magica 12/10 - 12/17

Have To Say This Is Really A Nice Ship. Very Clean And Well Decorated. Service In Dining Room Was Excellent. Cabin Steward Was Exceptional. Had Inside Cabin And Had Plenty Of Room. Making Four Ports On A Weeks Cruise Is Great. I Think Princess Does The Eastern Side Of Carribean And Makes Two Ports In A Week. The Beach In Grand Turk Being Right Off The Ship And Margaritaville Was A Good Time. The Food In The Dining Room Is Acceptable However I Found The Food In The Buffet To Be Not Quite Up To Par. The Entertainment Is Mediocre. Someone Asked About Tipping And You Can Tell Them At The Purser's Desk To Leave The Gratuity Off And They Will. You Will Still Be Charged The 15% On All Drinks. I Think For The Dollar Spent, This Cruise Was Worth The Price. If I Had My Choice Again, I Would Probably Consider Hal Or Rccl Over Costa. You Have The Feeling That Costa Is Trying, But They Just Haven't Quite Made The Grade Yet.

[REVDONAUCTIONEER]

Magica 12/10 - 12/17

Have To Say This Is Really A Nice Ship. Very Clean And Well Decorated. Service In Dining Room Was Excellent. Cabin Steward Was Exceptional. Had Inside Cabin And Had Plenty Of Room. Making Four Ports On A Weeks Cruise Is Great. I Think Princess Does The Eastern Side Of Carribean And Makes Two Ports In A Week. The Beach In Grand Turk Being Right Off The Ship And Margaritaville Was A Good Time. The Food In The Dining Room Is Acceptable However I Found The Food In The Buffet To Be Not Quite Up To Par. The Entertainment Is Mediocre. Someone Asked About Tipping And You Can Tell Them At The Purser's Desk To Leave The Gratuity Off And They Will. You Will Still Be Charged The 15% On All Drinks. I Think For The Dollar Spent, This Cruise Was Worth The Price. If I Had My Choice Again, I Would Probably Consider Hal Or Rccl Over Costa. You Have The Feeling That Costa Is Trying, But They Just Haven't Quite Made The Grade Yet.

 

I was on this ship two weeks ago. I agree HAL and RCCL might be slightly better but if you consider what your iside cabin cost on Costa verses HAL or RCCL you got the better deal on Costa. I personally thought the entertainment was the best on any ship I have ever sailed on.

 

Don

[lazygal]

I'll chime in here with my review and agree with most that has been said. For a ship that has gone to automatic tipping, I was VERY impressed with the service we recieved and tipped extra for the cabin steward (exceptional) waiter (seemed very overworked and frazzeled, yet very polite) and the busboy -very charming. The tips are minimal as they are, so I would hope no one would have them taken off their bill. Overall the staff was friendly, including officers who greeted us whenever we walked by - a big plus.

 

The ship was immaculate but the design was horrible for traffic flow. I was on the Triumph and said never again, but this is a sister ship as far as design.

 

One person stopping in the centrum to look at a sidewalk sale from the shops would stop all traffic cold coming from the theater - that's how narrow the walkways are. The pool deck area, with all of the steps and tiers is another nightmare to navigate. This is NOT a handicapped friendly ship.

 

I did not have high expectations since the negative reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised with the overall cruise. The food is hit or miss. Some dishes were excellent. When my husband asked if he could have a shrimp cocktail, since none of the appetizers appealed to him, the waiter apologized and said no, but he had the Head Waiter come to our table who said he would arrange for us to both have shrimp cocktails the remainder of the cruise and he would personally prepare a special pasta dish for us. How's that for service? The lunch service in the dining room was another matter. Again, the waiters seemed very overworked and anxious. I didn't even get what I ordered, but didn't say anything.

 

Most passengers seemed to be having a wonderful time.

 

The person who said not to expect much in way of desserts was correct, but the New York Cheesecake is a definite plus and available every night. I actually dieted the first four days until I broke down and had some pasta. It was delicious. The beef dishes are not very good and the buffets seldom vary. Also, someone posted that all dishes in the dining room are available in the buffet. That is not true at all. Some are the same, but no lobster or specialty desserts or entrees. Also, the plastic coffee cups are reason alone to not eat at the buffet.

 

The ship's dancers and singers are some of the finest I have witnessed at sea, if not the best I've seen in 15 cruises, but the other entertainers ARE mediocre. One show was horrible, I have no idea how it got booked and I'll never get that hour of my life back.

 

Stay away from the slots. After not getting a single hit, I walked around and observed that absolutely none were paying out. That saved me some money!! But there were not many other activities, except people watching.

 

Finally, the ports were fantastic, and this was a rare itinerary from the same 'ol Western/Eastern routine. The price was unbelievable. Was it my best cruise - No. Was it my worst cruise- absolutely not. It was a pleasant getaway for an unbelievable price, with a great mix of fellow passengers.