Saturday 10th January 2009
FREEPHONE
0800 091 1629
| | |
| Cruise Guide |
|---|
Berlitz Overview »
News for 2008 »
Cruise History »
Life Aboard »
The Right Ship etc... |
|
| Cruise Lines |
|---|
Cunard » P&O »
Fred. Olsen »
Holland America »
NCL Cruises etc... |
|
| Destinations |
|---|
Caribbean »
Mediterranean »
World Cruises »
Alaska etc... |
|
Latest Photos |
Costa Notalotta |
| Reviewed By: Nattriss, Reading on 1st Dec 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Costa Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Costa Concordia |
Sailed:
November,
2008 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 56-65 |
|
We have just got back from a 5 night cruise on the huge, 2 year old Costa Concordia. A late booking bargain offer gave us the ideal opportunity to sample cruising Italian-style.
With just under 3000 passengers on board speaking Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, Chinese & Japanese (and others!) Costa did an excellent job with their announcements, printed information, entertainment etc.
The ship itself was literally dazzling - bright colours everywhere, decor styles clashing, noisy bars, lively deck activities and gameshows - a sort of Las Vegas at sea. The evening production shows were very professional and had the largest team of dancers(8 girls & 4 boys) we have seen on any ship.
Cabins were attractive with good lighting, a reasonable size with enough storage space, excellent bathroom and very comfortable beds.
The food in the main restaurants was of a good standard and the Gala nights were enhanced by the waiters providing entertainment on both occasions. Unfortunately the self-service buffet was disappointing - lack of choice at breakfast with virtually the same items every morning(cereals and cakes were inferior quality) and it was not much better during the day.
Half day stops at Palma and Tunis were rather too short to 'do your own thing'. In fact, in Tunisia, we were more or less obliged to take a ship's tour as the port of La Goulette is some distance from the town of Tunis. Unfortunately because of high winds and waves Valletta port authority did not let any ships enter the Grand Harbour on the day we were due to visit Malta. It is a shame that the Cruise Director and his team did not put on extra on-board activities that day to help make up for everyone's disappointment at not being able to go ashore. Palermo was a much better day with the sun out, the wind calmer and a good CitySightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus service (with 2 routes included) to see the town.
We certainly haven't been put off this rather different 'continental' style of cruising and would recommend Costa, especially if the itinerary and price are right!
|
| Quality of Food |  |
| Better in the main restaurant than in the self-service buffet | | Entertainment |  |
| Production shows excellent and the guest singer was very good with a well balanced selection of songs.
But the music for shows appeared not to be live. The large entertainments team made the gameshows etc fun and very entertaining. | | Shore Excursions | |
| The only excursion we took was to Carthage and a village called Sidi Bou Said. The guide was very good but the sights were not. | | Staff | |
| The multilingual Cruise Director and team | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Reasonable | | Cabins | |
| Yes | | Overall Rating |  |
|
|
|
Happy HOLIDAY's
Qeen Mary 2 cruise dec 2008
Queen Victoria - Caribbean 2008
MSC Fantasis Christmas Cruise
