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Costa Cruises

Costa Atlantica

Mexican Magic Or Mexican Mayhem?

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Mexican Magic or Mexican Mayhem?

Reviewed By: Mansell, Ashford Surrey on 29th Aug 2010
Cruise Line: Costa Cruises	Times cruised before: 1-2
Cruise Ship: Costa Atlantica	Sailed: January, 2010
Destination: Caribbean	Age: 36-45
Cabin: Balcony	Occasion: Birthday

We booked this cruise after seeing the virgin ad on TV. It was my husbands 50th and my 40th and we decided to celebrate with our daughters (14 & 5) on a trip to Disney and cruise in the Carribean. After reading some of the reviews on here i was wondering if i had done the right thing but decided to go with an open mind. We had decided on a drinks package for my husband only but were told as there had been too many people abusing the system either we all had to have a drinks package or not at all but they were flexible enough with the packages mix so we had one alcoholic & 2 non alcoholic packages and the youngest (5) had a book of vouchers. At the end of the holiday we worked out it had been cheaper with the package so I would recommend taking a drinks packages - especially if you are on a budget or have kids etc. We had 3 days in Disney before we drove down to Fort Lauderdale to catch the cruise. Embarkment went very smoothly and we were advised that there was a welcome buffet. We had a deck plan and the kids and I explored the ship from the bottom up. This came in very handy as we became familiar with the whole of the ship. Our cabin was situated about half way down on deck 8 1/2. The room was very spacious as was the balcony and although we had a small problem with the catch on our door this was rectified whilst we were unpacking. Each member of the family had their own Key card which again was very handy and you also used it to charge drinks to your room if you had the appropriate package. Unfortunately our eldest daughters costa card had not initially been activated to accept the drinks package but we notified customer services who rectified the problem and after the second attempt. We ate in both the Tiziano restaurant on deck 2 and the Botticelli buffet restaurant on Deck 9. The food was good and you had plenty of choice. The kids mostly ate at the buffet on deck 9 as there was more choice but we never went hungry. Even when the main restaurants are shut there is always room service (which turned out to be very good) or outside on deck 9. The kids club is a good idea if you want an hour to yourself. I rarely feel safe leaving my little one anywhere but they were very security conscious and she said she had a good time so it was great all round. At our first stop (Key West) we just got off and had a look round, but we booked a couple of excursions for Cayman (Stingray City) Islands and Roatan (beach excursion) and before we went we had also pre-arranged a visit to Chankanaab in Cozumel (not via Costa) for the kids to swim with the Dolphins. Every day you get a newsletter telling you about events for the following day but the printed time changes were somewhat confusing and due to us changing our clock incorrectly we missed our original excursion for the Cayman Islands. The staff could not do anything about that but after ringing around they managed to arrange to put us on another similar tour leaving at that time which turned out to be very good. I would say that getting on/off the ferry boat shuttles that take you to some of the destinations can be a little daunting and would be in my opinion unsuitable for disabled or elderly guests who are a little fragile. The waves can be choppy and the embarkation/disembarkation between boats somewhat scary!. For some reason we had to queue at the commercial side of the harbour in one of the ports and my youngest and I slipped on some oil so beware if you have to use that side of the port!. We didn't see much in the way of entertainment but what we did see was fine. My husband enjoyed the Casino and the eldest and I did some of the classes during the days we were at sea. ie painting & flower arranging which were mostly frequented by Americans and fun if you were prepared to join in. We found all the staff to be pleasant and helpful and not at all discriminative as some of the reviews suggest. If you are the sort of person who can accept that things sometimes do go wrong and people can only do their best to help you, then you will have a good time. If not then you would probably find fault in any cruise. We had a lovely time and would be only to happy to book another cruise with Costa.
Quality of Food
we ate mostly breakfast and lunch mostly in Botticelli buffet on deck 9 and dinner in the Tiziano Restaurant.
Entertainment
Entertainment was on par with other places i've been.
Shore Excursions
The excursion in Roatan, Honduras was the best as we didnt expect it to be so lovely and it was a really relaxing day.
Staff
The excursion staff impressed us the most - arranging an alternative excursion when we missed ours.
Children's Facilities
The childrens facilities were good but they could do more variety of activities and have a few more toys in the playroom.
Onboard Activities
Although There were plenty of things to do on days you had activities on shore they could offer a few alternative things on the days you are at sea all day.
Cabins
The cabins were spacious, well organised and had good facilities. We were very happy with our cabin.
Overall Rating