Costa Deliziosa Jan 13 2018 10 day Caribbean Cruise
Costa Deliziosa Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 58
10 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 13, 2018
Ship: Costa Deliziosa
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 8378
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
We had many customer service issues. None of which should have happened. The great banana hunt! I was getting leg cramps and repeatedly asked buffet, room service and customer service for bananas. They all said they didn’t have bananas. Really? After another agonizing talk with customer service, we got two bananas. Low and behold, on fourth day, buffet had large bowls of bananas! And they were gone at 09:40 – both the bowls and bananas! Three days later, we received 2 more! Desperate times call for desperate measures! I Started each morning with banana coladas (double the bananas NOT the liquor!) The Diario di Bordo. Comes late evenings for next day. Found out what time excursions are at that time. A bit concerning to me as there is no coffee available on board ship before 07:00. Had to call customer service as soon as I realized this and insist on 06:00 coffee service for following morning! Very upsetting to me as I did not expect the timing issue or the reluctance of customer service to help me. I did manage to get this done after raising my voice and insisting. Totally not necessary for them to allow the issue to escalate like that. We later spoke with Ciara during “hospitality time” and she told us that the room service time adjusts depending on ship’s arrival time in port. So if reaching port at 08:00, then room service is available at 07:00. If ship arriving at 07:00 then room service available at 06:00. If arriving at 06:00 then room service at 05:00. HOWEVER, we attempted to get 0600 coffee room service the morning we arrived in Roatan ( 07:00 arrival time). Room service DID NOT deliver until 06:50. Also, we always ordered 2 coffees, 1 hot milk, 2 hot coco packages, 1 OJ and sometimes croissants each morning. They had 9 mornings to get this right and they never did. So my conclusion is that this department is not customer oriented and needs a robust overhaul! (btw, we continued to tip the delivery person each morning in spite of this)Embarkation
Our travel documents said that we could begin boarding at 13:00. We arrived at about 13:30 and it was a Zoo!! It took over two hours to complete! We were moved by group through three different rooms. We waited the longest in the last room. Only 2 crew members to check boarding tickets to board the ship was seriously inadequate. Then once aboard, crew herded everyone to elevators to go to buffet. I’ve never boarded a ship and not been allowed to navigate freely. We were told the cabins weren’t available and an announcement would be made over the PA when they were, which never happened. We took a chance and went up at about 16:30 and the room was ready and our luggage already delivered!
We had to switch out our cards... as others have said, the previously purchased drink plan (Piu Gusto) was not listed on them. We used the receipt that I printed off at home to obtain our first drinks. The bartender said that my receipt showed a cost $30.00 pp higher than the schedule he had. So we questioned the price at customer service when we went to exchange our cards and she first said she didn’t have the ability to adjust pricing for previously purchased services, and when I said that I would check with Corporate after the Cruise, she asked to look at my receipt again and then stated the bartender was wrong and that the schedule he had was $30.00 pp more than what we paid. I think she was lying but since I didn’t see the schedule, I can’t prove it.
Even though we knew in advance that the departure was at 23:00 the wait for Bon Voyage was agonizing! Ha! I did later confirm that this is done to allow for late flight arrivals from Europe.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Morning room service is very limited for “premium” cabins / mini suites. (the only benefits derived over “classic” cabins are this limited room service and ability to choose early or late dinner seating and maybe a better cabin location. You would have to decide for yourself if these meager benefits are worth price difference) Full room service for breakfast $7:00 pp. premium or not.
Dinner experience (always something I look forward to on a cruise) was delightful! We chose 1st seating, upper deck. We liked the variety and pacing of the courses. Always managed to eat something great and usually ate too much! Our waiter was excellent and prompt. Never an empty glass! We noticed that we consistently received our dishes before those on the main floor! It may be because of the large dance group presence, but I was pleased to see most dinners beautifully coiffed at dinner!
However, the Buffet was AWFUL! Octopus inedible!
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
We had to switch out our cards... as others have said, the previously purchased drink plan (Piu Gusto) was not listed on them. We used the receipt that I printed off at home to obtain our first drinks. The bartender said that my receipt showed a cost $30.00 pp higher than the schedule he had. So we questioned the price at customer service when we went to exchange our cards and she first said she didn’t have the ability to adjust pricing for previously purchased services, and when I said that I would check with Corporate after the Cruise, she asked to look at my receipt again and then stated the bartender was wrong and that the schedule he had was $30.00 pp more than what we paid. I think she was lying but since I didn’t see the schedule, I can’t prove it.The Diario di Bordo. Comes late evenings for next day. Found out what time excursions are at that time. A bit concerning to me as there is no coffee available on board ship before 07:00. Had to call customer service as soon as I realized this and insist on 06:00 coffee service for following morning! Very upsetting to me as I did not expect the timing issue or the reluctance of customer service to help me. I did manage to get this done after raising my voice and insisting. Totally not necessary for them to allow the issue to escalate like that. We later spoke with Ciara during “hospitality time” and she told us that the room service time adjusts depending on ship’s arrival time in port. So if reaching port at 08:00, then room service is available at 07:00. If ship arriving at 07:00 then room service available at 06:00. If arriving at 06:00 then room service at 05:00. HOWEVER, we attempted to get 0600 coffee room service the morning we arrived in Roatan ( 07:00 arrival time). Room service DID NOT deliver until 06:50. Also, we always ordered 2 coffees, 1 hot milk, 2 hot coco packages, 1 OJ and sometimes croissants each morning. They had 9 mornings to get this right and they never did. So my conclusion is that this department is not customer oriented and needs a robust overhaul! (btw, we continued to tip the delivery person each morning in spite of this)
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
mattresses, couch cushions and TV all need replaced!
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Key West: one ship in port. (Us!) It was cold and windy but we still enjoyed walking around and stopping for appetizers. Everyone was friendly! We even saw a newly married couple, in full bridal costume, returning to our ship! They got married in Key West! What a wonderful memory for them!
Thumbs Up
9
Grand Cayman: Five ships in port. Very crowded. Turtle farm and rum cake factory tour. The turtle Farm was very crowded and I felt we didn’t get the full sea turtle experience I had on a previous cruise 15 yrs ago but it was still entertaining thanks to our guide! Made for an interesting trip and we made great acquaintance with our bus-mates!
Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
Roatan: one ship in port.(Us!) It stormed all the previous night and it was truly torrential! Amazing experience! It’s been said that there are two kinds of people when it rains: some who get wet and some who FEEL the rain!! The port was very nice. It rained lightly through the morning and was cloudy during day. You don’t need to pre purchase “swing” tickets. They are same price ashore. It’s actually a ski lift. We took a lot of pictures on there. We really enjoyed the beach... walked to the end and had a nice spot to ourselves.
Belize: one ship in port.(Us!) 20 minute tender to shore. Diario di bordo warns of crime and to be vigilant. Sure enough... went to shops and restaurant in port. Ordered cocktail at entrance of a restaurant to the right. Then went in for an appetizer and more. When we settled the bill, we walked out on dock for pictures and as we walked back, a restaurant worker said we still owed for the first drinks ordered at entrance. We knew that was b.s. but paid it with no extra tip. We had observed another table having problems with a credit card and one of the gentleman went back to ship for cash. In hindsight, we wonder now if there was another fleecing under way.
Costa Maya: two ships in port. (HAL arrived at 12:30.) Very nice port area. Dolphins, flamingos, & parrots. Lots of shops and restaurants/bars. First one we ate at watered down the wine! Hope they used bottled water! Second one, down by the little beach wonderful spot! Started raining on way back to ship and we were drenched! Had to take off my glasses to see!
Cozumel: 2 ships in port. We docked at the “down town” port and walked throughout town with another couple we made acquaintance with on the ship. The other couple had been there before and also to other areas in the vicinity. It was a sleepy Sunday and enjoyed the park and appetizers at a nearby restaurant. We really did enjoy this port. It had an “Old Mexico” feel.
Disembarkation
Disembarkation: The ship arrives in Port Everglades at 06:00. The airport is only a few miles from the port. There is no room service this morning and they did remove the coffee machines. The Buffet is open 06:15 – 09:00. If you desire to self-disembark, the earliest time would be 07:15 and you must manage your own luggage and transportation. If you want to utilize this method, you must register with customer service the last 2-3 days of the cruise so that they can arrange your immigration clearance prior to the rest of the passengers. General disembarkation starts (by color coded groups) at about 07:30 to 11:30. Cabins must be vacated by 09:30. As we were not flying out until the next day, we left at about 09:30. Luckily we’d been assigned 08:30 so they let us go right away whilst there was a very long queue for the other groups of that time. U.S. Immigration was about 30 minutes since there were so few of us. The Europeans were not so lucky…. Their queue was horrendous and I have no idea how long they languished.