Costa Arabian Peninsula |
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Reviewed By: Smith, Cwmbran on 7th Mar 2010
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| Cruise Line: Costa Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Costa Luminosa |
Sailed:
March,
2010 |
| Destination:
Dubai
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Age: 56-65 |
| Cabin: Balcony |
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This was the first time my wife and I have cruised with Costa. We chose the Luminosa because it had an itinerary visiting ports we have wanted to visit like Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
The flights were with Emirates. This is also the first time we have flown with Emirates. We have flown millions of miles with lots of different airlines, and these are by far the best airline we have flown with. We flew economy. The seat pitch was great, the service and meals were superb, and the in flight entertainment system was fabulous.
Flight out was on time, and we arrived in Dubai at 7.45 in the evening. A luxury car was waiting to take us to the ship. The check in process was simple. Just wish the staff were happier. There was no 'welcome to Costa' or even a smile. We went straight to our cabin which was a balcony one on the sixth floor. The cabin was spacious with plenty of storage space. The was a settee, which was very comfortable. The bathroom was small, but the shower was nice with a good flow and force. The balcony was larger than other balconies we have had on other cruise lines.
The following morning we toured the ship to get our barings. My feelings were that the ship is very 'loud'with the decorations and colours. The styles of the furnishings is nothing like we have seen before. It is very modern and sleek. Certainly not our taste. It is very OTT. The atrium is very high, but dissapointingly small at the bottom. There is a bar, and the reception desk, and tour desk on the same floor. It tended to get crowded and cramped, and very difficult to get through there. There are some nice bar areas and lounges with different styles of entertainment. We went to the theatre every night where we saw some very good shows. The dancers were excellent, and the chinese acrobatic show was very good. The only dissapointing show was the one with a female singer who was not particularly good. The theatre seating is not particularly good because the seat backs are very high which spoil the view. Every night many people were continuously moving to see if they could get better seats.
Diinks were very expensive. Much more than other cruise lines we have been on. We had a 4 bottles of wine and 7 bottles of water package which cost 69 euros.
The staff on board were excellent. They were courteous at all times and were genuinely wanting you to have a lovely cruise. On one day our shower flooded the bathroom because the drain was taking the water away quickly enough. The maintenance guys came up within ten minutes and fixed the problem. We had a call later that day to check that the shower was working correctly. Another day they delivered bread instead of toast with our breakfast. We had a call to say they thought we did not have our toast, and said they would bring it up straight away. They brought a bowl of fresh fruit as well to say sorry.
Food in the restaurant was excellent. Service was very good. We had a meal in the Club Luminosa on the last night, and this was well worth the 20 euro cover charge. The atmosphere, the food, the ambience, the service, and the piano playing was lovely.
We did not do any of the ships tours. In Muscat we took the free shuttle to the port gates and hired a taxi for 4 hours. The cost was £30 per hour. In 4 hours we saw lots of lovely sights, and experienced the souk. The driver spoke reasonable english, and was very polite. We felt the cost was worth it. It was raining in Fujeirah so we did not get off the ship. Lots of people said that the town was not very nice. In Abu Dhabi we took the Big Bus tour which is a hop on hop off bus. The cost with this and Dubai was £70. This was well worth it. We saw lots of sights, and it is such a lovely place. Bahrain was disappointing because it was dirty and very busy on the roads. We went to the port gate to get a taxi, and the negotiating for a fixed price was not easy. The police were also there to ensure fair play. Lots of people were having problems with some taxi drivers. We negotiated a fixed rate of 50 euros through the local police and government person who was there. We got into the taxi and drove off. A few miles down the road the taxi stopped and the driver, who could not speak very good english said that we were on the meter because that was the best price. We tried in vain to to sort it out but felt we had to go with the meter because he wasn't budging. We were in the middle of nowhere so felt trapped. We continued our 'tour' which eventually cost £116 for 4 hours. We went to a lovely mosque, the bridge that goes to Saudi Arabia, and the F1 circuit.
Back in Dubai the next day we di the Big Bus blue route along the coast. Very nice trip.
Overall we felt that the cruise was excellent value for money. Stabalisation of the ship was great because, even in some strong winds and moderate seas, you could not feel much movement. We will not travel with Costa again unless it is an itinerary that we wanted to go on. The line caters mainly for Italian people, and the announcements in six different languages was very iritating at times.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Taurus restuarant. Varied menu, good choice. | | Entertainment |  |
| Both dancing shows were excellent. Costumes were lovely, and the two break dancers were superb. The female singer was not very good | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| Didn't go on any excursions | | Staff | |
| All staff were lovely | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| Every day was a port day. Limited choice of activities | | Cabins | |
| Quie spacious and lots of storage space. Could fit two large cases under the bed | | Overall Rating | |
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