This Ship Sucks

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 25

Review summary

So I'm just gonna be straightforward with the good, bad, and the ugly. Buckle up kiddos, because you're in for quite a ride with this one. GOOD: -Embarking and Disembarking was a very simple process -- usually pretty quick. -Rooms were nice and clean with decent amount of space -- Balcony rooms came at a great rate. -Photographers were experienced and friendly. Pretty much were willing to try whatever you wanted for memorable photos. -Great if you want to interact with people from different cultures & diverse backgrounds. BAD: -You could literally feel the ship moving at all times. We've been on other cruise ships before and no other ship has rocked as much as this one to the point where it interrupts your day. Members of my family were literally sick for whole days on this ship because you could constantly feel the rocking. Apparently this is a common problem because the front desk gives out seasickness pills for free... -All help desks/excursion desks are open at strange times and for very short hours. -There is a language barrier a lot of times in general with most employees because most of them speak Italian, French, or Spanish as a primary language. Service overall is TERRIBLE. -Waitstaff is understaffed, especially in the main dining room. Service is slow due to the fact that one waiter is assigned to about 4 tables to serve 3-5 course meals per table without assistance. Meals can last up to 3 hours. -Nothing is included in your package except for dinner and the buffet. All other food places, spa areas, snacks, movie theater, even WATER, etc. all cost extra. This was different for us compared to Royal Carribean because all snacks, movies, and such were included. -Pool is tiny. Only two hot tubs. Not much on the top deck. -Not much to do when at sea. Entertainment is basically the same performers doing different things. Mostly music acts. "Parties" only include a DJ and pretty much nothing else. The only club on board is what the ship uses as the "Teen Club" during the day and converts it into the adult club at starting at midnight. UGLY: -Excursions poorly planned and priced. Most excursions are 2x-3x more expensive than if you purchased the same trip after arrival at the local excursion booths. We signed up for an ATV adventure and it was not in the pamphlet nor did they tell us ahead of time that we needed Sneakers and Drivers Licenses with us when we arrived. One employee told us it was fine, but another told us 15 min before departure that it was mandatory. Had to run all the way back to the ship to collect our things frantically, returned only for the group to have left without us. Employees were rude when we asked questions and basically told us it wasn't their problem. Highly DO NOT recommend doing excursions with Costa. If you HAVE to take this ship, do excursions with the locals on land!!! -Food is poor quality-- bland and very strong/unclean tasting fish. For an Italian ship, pasta was often not made very well. Was often undercooked and sauces were bland. There was also never much variety. You will basically be eating the same food every day. -Food areas are open at weird times. The buffet is open for about 2-3 hours at a time for meals. If you're hungry for a snack or something in between, you will have to pay extra at other places. TL;DR The service sucks. The food sucks. The experience sucks. This ship sucks. If you want a floating hotel, this is a cheap option. If you want a cruise, look to Royal Carribean, Princess, Carnival, or Norwegian instead. This is not worth your time or money.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

Nassau, Bahamas

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

George Town, Grand Cayman

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

Disembarkation

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