Cheap Cruise Holidays & Latest Cruises Deals
Thursday 9th Feb 2012
Sign up to our newsletter for all the latest cruise news, reviews, photos and answers...
On Costa Pacifica To The Holy Land
On Costa Pacifica to the Holy Land |
10 of 11 people found this review informative
|
| |
|
Reviewed By: Kennedy, BONNYBRIDGE on 26th Feb 2010
|
| Cruise Line: Costa Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Costa Pacifica |
Sailed:
January,
2010 |
| Destination:
Mediterranean
|
Age: 65+ |
| Cabin: Inside |
|
We cruised on the Costa Pacifica - 29 January to 9 February 2010 – sailing from Civitavecchia and visiting Savona, Katakolon, Piraeus, Rhodes, Limassol, Ashdod, Port Said and Alexandria. We chose this cruise because (a) it gave us an opportunity to visit Israel (b) the price was right for us and (c) Costa operate a reasonable smoking policy. Because we had visited most of these ports before we intended to have a leisurely and relaxing time, with no obligation to rush around exploring in every port. This was our second cruise with Costa, having sailed on Costa Europa in November 2007.
Our outward journey went smoothly, flying with KLM - Edinburgh to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Rome. At the airport in Rome we were met by a Costa Representative and after a rather long wait for our luggage, we boarded a mini-bus (there were only 10 of us from the Amsterdam flight) for the transfer to Civitavecchia which took around an hour.
Although there were lots of people waiting to check-in at the terminal building, the organisation was good with people being called forward to check-in in small groups according to the numbered tags that were issued to everyone on arrival. While we waited to be called, we were able to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea (free) while various Costa personnel tried to persuade us to purchase one of their drinks packages - we are not great drinkers so did not feel the need for a drinks package.
Once the formalities of check-in were over, we boarded the Pacifica and went in search of our cabin - a basic inside cabin on Deck 2. The cabin was of a satisfactory size, clean and bright, with plenty of wardrobe space, a mini-bar and safe. The bathroom was adequate, immaculately clean with good storage and the usual rather clingy shower curtain. We were impressed with the speed of delivery of our luggage which arrived in the cabin almost as soon as we did.
A quick wash and brush up and we went off to explore the ship. The Pacifica is a beautiful ship, with a musical theme to all of the decoration. The public rooms are bright and spacious with comfortable furnishings; there are three banks of lifts so you are never very far away from one even on a ship of this size; the central atrium is impressive and overlooked by a set of glass fronted lifts which add to the grandeur of the central area of the ship.
We had requested early sitting for dinner, but had been allocated to the My Way restaurant for late sitting. During the afternoon we saw the Maitre D' to ask for a change of sitting. He was very accommodating and assured us we would have a change for the following night as passengers were leaving and arriving the following day in Savona, but asked us to stick with our allocated table for the first night - which we did very happily. True to his word, we had a change of table for the rest of the cruise to early sitting in the New York Restaurant where we were fortunate to have very friendly and entertaining dinner companions.
Throughout the 11 night cruise, the food was plentiful and varied at all mealtimes and in all venues. Those who wished to do so could have a seven-course meal each evening in the restaurant - starter, soup, pasta, salad, main course, desert and cheese. Our own preference was for a three-course meal, and we had no difficulty in finding something to our taste on the menu. The service in the restaurant was good, with friendly waiting staff, but unfortunately the food was lukewarm at best and could by no means be described as hot.
We used the buffet on a few occasions and found the selection of food to be good and provided we were careful about our timing, we didn’t have much problem with long queues or difficulty getting a table. Here again the food tended to be lukewarm.
We usually used the restaurant for breakfast and really enjoyed the cappuccinos. We did have a problem, however, when trying to get a hot cereal (oatmeal) and a cooked breakfast without either having to wait a very long time between courses or having everything served at the one time. Having said that, the waiting staff were happy and friendly and by the end of the cruise had managed to get used to our strange ways!!!!
We made good use of the tea/coffee machines in the buffet throughout the day and were delighted that jugs of iced water were available on request in the restaurant.
We were disappointed to see that many passengers ignored the hand sanitizers outside the buffet and restaurants and that staff made no attempt to encourage their use. On more than one occasion we had to point out to staff that these sanitizers were empty.
The entertainment in the Stardust Theatre was of a reasonable standard most evenings. Apart from the resident singers and dancers we saw a magician, acrobatic displays, comedy and mime acts, a juggler, a crew show and various individual singers. The choice of entertainment was such that the multiple languages on board did not present any problems.
In the evenings, there was music to suit all tastes in the various bars and lounges – our own favourites were the Grand Bar Rhapsody and the Atrium Bar, which was great for people watching.
Drinks were expensive, but since we are not great drinkers this did not trouble us too much. The prices in the on board shops also seemed higher than usual for alcohol and tobacco products. The other items stocked by the shops followed the usual pattern of most cruise lines, with special promotions being offered each day.
There seemed to be plenty of activities during the day including craft classes, talks, games, sporting activities and quizzes. We attended most of the quizzes, which were very enjoyable, although it has to be said that sometimes the real challenge was in understanding the questions (which had to be read in many languages) rather than knowing the answers. The animations team worked really hard and couldn’t be faulted for their enthusiasm and friendliness.
We didn’t take any ship’s excursions. Having visited many of the ports before we were happy to have a stroll around on our own in Savona and Rhodes. It was very wet when we visited Katakolon and Pireaus, so we didn’t go too far. We took the shuttle bus into Limassol and had a walk around the town, and we stayed on board when we visited Egypt having already visited the main sites on other cruises. In Ashdod we had arranged to take an independent tour of Jerusalem and Bethlehem with Guided Tours Israel along with 8 other passengers. The tour of Jerusalem was excellent, with a very entertaining and informative guide, but we were very disappointed when we went to Bethlehem as no guide was provided although one was promised.
We were a little concerned that an Israeli stamp on our passports might cause problems if we wanted to visit some of the Islamic countries in the future, but we had no need to worry as no stamp was placed on the passports but instead we were each issued with a Landing Card with all our information on it. This Landing Card was shown along with our passport when we disembarked in Ashdod and the Landing Card was collected when we returned to the ship at the end of our visit.
Having cruised with Costa before, we are members of the Costa Club (Aquamarine)
As well as having a discount off the price of the cruise, we had a lovely bowl of fruit in our cabin, a discount off purchases from the mini-bar, chocolates on the three Gala nights and an extra Cocktail party with the Captain at which a complimentary souvenir photograph was taken. There were other discounts offered with Costa Club membership but we did not use these. Costa are to be congratulated on their loyalty scheme - it is much better than many other cruise lines, certainly at the lower levels.
Disembarkation went well. Our flight from Rome departed at 5.20 pm, and, although we vacated our cabin by 8.30 am we were allowed to stay on the ship until our transfer to the airport at 1 pm. We managed to have a quick lunch at the buffet before leaving the ship, collecting our luggage and taking the 1 hour mini-bus transfer to the airport. Unfortunately there was no Costa representative in evidence at the airport on our arrival and, since the mini-bus dropped us at the wrong terminal for our flight, we spent some time finding our way to check in. We were able to check in almost immediately which gave us time for a leisurely coffee and a look around the shops before our flight time. All went smoothly with our flights to Amsterdam and onward to Edinburgh.
All in all we enjoyed the cruise and, if the itinerary were right for us, we would happily travel with Costa in the future.
|
| Quality of Food |  |
| Ate in both Restaurants and Buffet. Good selection of food in each venue but unfortunately the food was served lukewarm at best. Lots of pasta, seafood, veal, pork and chicken with occasional lamb and beef. Made good use of the tea/coffee facilities in the buffet during the day and loved the cappuccinos at breakfast in the restaurant. | | Entertainment |  |
| Good mix of shows in the Theatre - most of a reasonable to good standard. Good choice of music in the bars in the evening - something for everyone. | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| We did not take any of the shore excursions | | Staff |  |
| All staff were pleasant, courteous and helpful. Special mention of our cabin stewardess Mylene who kept our cabin immaculate; Michael, a member of the security staff, who always had a friendly word for us when leaving or returning to the ship; the waiter in the New York Restaurant at breakfast (don't remember his name) who remembered that we liked tomato juice and not orange juice in the mornings and Lisa (I think that was her name) of the Animation Team who was there to give us a hug as we left the ship at disembarkation. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| There seemed to be a good variety of activities going on throughout the day. We took part in the quizzes which we felt were good fun. The animation team were lively, friendly and enthusiastic in everything they did. | | Cabins | |
| Our cabin was just as we expected - of a good size, with plenty of storage space, both wardrobe and drawers. Bathroom also satisfactory with plenty of storage and a good shower (pity about the shower curtain though) | | Overall Rating | |
|
Receive a FREE copy
of Fodor's
Complete
Guide to
European
Cruises
|
|
.JPG_thumb.jpg "Atrium Adonia")
Previous Cruise Reviews
