vamp23 77 Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 Looking at doing a Dubai cruise next year and Costa cruises do that area . What are peoples thoughts. I have been on Ocean Village, Fred Olsen , P&O and Cunard ??? Family of 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Land Ahoy 797 Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 Hi I saw your post yesterday but I didn't reply as I was hoping you would get a positive response, unfortunately you haven't. I have only sailed with Costa once and although I can say I did enjoy my cruise it was still my least enjoyable having sailed on over fifty voyages. The décor of the ships are "over the top" or stunning depending upon your tastes, I fall into the former opinion. The food served is fine but nothing special (I have eaten frozen pizza which was tastier). The ships are crowded and the flow of people isn't helped by the fact that many of the passengers just stop and chat in the main corridors. The entertainment is OK but the daytime activities wouldn't look out of place in a fifties holiday camp. The announcements are in five languages and English is the last one given, by this time most passengers are talking and Italians don't do quiet. The service levels were fine, the cabin steward kept the place spotless. The dining staff were fine but don't expect ideal service, if you don't order the starter and opt for the second course on the menu, you will have wait, they only served dishes in order, unlike most cruise lines. Others like the Costa ambience but I wouldn't recommend this cruise line IMO most others outperform this company. PS Before anybody suggests I am a "little Englander" my two favourite cruises are owned by Italian and Japanese companies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sammy sun 1084 Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 I've never sailed with Costa but have received mixed reviews. The one thing I have heard a lot of is that they are extremely good value for money. Some friends of mine cruised with them back in 2014 and booked a Mediterranean cruise with a drinks package at a ridiculously low price. The ships themselves looks impressive from the exterior but I agree with Land Ahoy from the images I have seen of the interiors. They seem too over the top for my liking and almost like they are trying too hard to impress. As I say, I have never cruised with them so this is purely speculative. If you do decide to go ahead, I hope you have a lovely holiday and they prove to be an excellent cruise line. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 132LK132 Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 I have not sailed Costa either. Try reading the reviews on the Cruisingmates site. Some Avid Costa fans over there! Some terrific pictures of the ships in some of the postings. I think it is Fortuna that is cruising in the gulf at the moment - there is a Fortuna review. I think the cruise taken on her was a repo from the Gulf back to the Med. There is a review on Serena which was in the gulf last season. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Oceanview 24 Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 I’ve never sailed with Costa Cruises and haven’t really heard much about them on the forum... But if you like what you see through your research it may be worth giving them a try . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sammy sun 1084 Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Hi vamp, did you make a decision on Costa? I see MSC and Celebrity are also over that way in 2016 so could also be worth looking at. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MG16 149 Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 I think if you are looking for a cheap and cheerful holiday Costa will do the job. If you are looking for 5* food, service and entertainment I would look elsewhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wanderlust 18 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 is anybody aware of when Costa's Luminosa september 2016 world cruise goes on sale? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Portsmouth 2 Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 I have been on Costa but it was quite a while ago and now the ships are much bigger. My overall impression was of a European cruise line with a variety of different guests and so they put announcements out in 5 languages. Food was good & still is from what I've heard. I am not so sure about the ratio of staff to guests as I think it may not be a good on the newer ships & have yet to find that out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2torts 346 Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 That was our impression as well although it was over 20years ago. Announcements were naturally in Italian first & when they were eventually in English you couldn’t hear them properly as all the other nationalities were chatting away loudly which want good if waiting for instructions to join trips etc. incidentally one of my bugbears on all ships is that when the Captain or other officers do announcements people do not shut up to listen or to let others listen. I find this very rude. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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