Dis appointing Experience

Our first experience on Costa Cruise line was not one we would want to repeat.  The ship was run efficiently but their "no frills" philosophy is just not for us.  Until we discovered the order driven dining room on Deck 2 for breakfast and lunch, we were really miserable.  The dining area on Deck 9 was like being herded in like cows.  The employees were not the least friendly or helpful.  And, to see that there were always at least two waiters in each area who could not even refill your coffee cup or aid you in any way except to hurriedly clear the tables for other poor souls.

The food itself was unimpressive.  We always had a difficult time finding anything we could enjoy eating.  It became a matter of centering in on that one thing (often times it was the hard dinner rolls) to satisfy our hungry stomachs.  The evening meals were not appealing either, and that should be the time you feel most pampered and indulged.  We could not even be served coffee with our desserts.  Talk about "no frills." 

We have been on a number of cruises with various cruise lines so we are not beginners in these experiences.  Usually on "days at sea,"  we get the option to have breakfast brought to our cabins free of charge. 

It would have been helpful to know that we were going to be in the minority as far as being English speaking was concerned.  My husband and I just sat alone for every evening meal with no one near us who could speak English.  Surely they could have made more of an effort to seat us with others who spoke our language. 

On a positive note, we would like to compliment some of your staff.  The first being our cabin steward, Edgar Villas.  He was excellent in attending to our needs and quick to respond to any request.   The "front desk personnel were very helpful in making the arrangements with the airlines to locate our luggage which was 6 days late.  I wish I could think of the young woman's name.  She was one of the more mature young ladies, and she had beautiful "dreamy-like" eyes.   We believe she was in a supervisory position.  A couple of the younger front desk girls were not helpful and were very snippy with us.

Another positive experience was in the infirmary where my wife had to spend several hours due to a touch of seasickness.  Both the doctor and his assistants were very caring and very competent so we do appreciate that and know that is an extremely important service.