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The booking process started well good information from our Uk travel agent.
We only needed a single entry visa for Shanghai this was confirmed by the Chinese visa section in Madrid.
Although ports of call included Hongkong and Island of Sanya we were told for Hongkong no visa required Sanya Landing visa available in terminal building.
Flight out to Singapore was with Emirates so high expetations?? We were booked in as Mr and Mrs but on the plane from manchester to Dubai the A380 we were not seated together not even in the same row but booking agents seated us together.
Second leg Dubai to Singapore same thing only this time plane was full and no free seats.
Embarcation was a joke, boarding staff gave us a form saying as we only had a single entry visa for Shanghai we could not get off the boat in Hongkong or Sanya and it also cleared Costa of any blame and if I did not sign it I would not be allowed on the boat. I endorsed the form that I sign under duress as all the information had originated from Costa.
On board I asked for a complaints form after I explained why the staff said " you don't need a visa for Hongkong" its a small landing card and Sanya you can get a visa on landing costs 7 euros.
Generally cruise was poor meals average staff poor best person on the boat was our Chinese cabin steward LU she made up for the rest of the crew
Clearly some one at Costa get this very wrong it was not just the English the info had gone out world wide but they had enough time to produce a form to absolved themselves of any blame.
This was our third cruise with Costa because we like the ports of call and only a few days at sea. but I think we have reached the end with them.
One thing of note in Shanghai all the notices in the cabins and on board were changed to Chinese there was a big do on the dockside with the CEO of Costa coming down and all the high ups from Shanghai there.
Rumours had it the Chinese had bought the Costa Victoria or even the whole company.
It could become "THE SHANGHAI BOAT COMPANY " SOON.
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