Costa Mediterranea Review

Came for the itinerary.

Review for the Mediterranean Cruise on Costa Mediterranea
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Luli2017
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Apr 2017

6 ports in 10 days plus a rare opportunity to go to an Arab country. The itinerary was fantastic and the ports themselves met my expectations. As for the ship, well, that also met my rather low expectations. I had cruised once when I was much younger and didn't really enjoy the experience of being trapped on a boat with people with questionable hygiene and d-list entertainers (hey, I've lived in some of the world's greatest cities and I have standards!). The hygiene and manners of my fellow cruise goers was still suspect (yes, let's ignore the don't put your dirty water bottles near the water dispenser signs) and the entertainment wasn't even third rate. The bar staff was quite nice but the hospitality staff, well, wasn't, particularly the Russian speaking one. On the last day when we were getting our passports back, she kept insisting a passport was mine when it wasn't (honey, that woman in the passport is thin and white and 70 years old and let's just say I'm neither white, nor 70 nor even thin).

Took 4 excursions. The day in Provence was nice, although I would have preferred to have had time for lunch on my own dime rather than the awful sandwiches. The tour guide was quite professional and competent although she spent too much time talking about Van Goh. Marrakech was excellent and the guy made sure we were all safe. Cadiz was godawful. Some Dutch Jorah Mormont look alike was disorganized, had us drinking alcohol at 9:30am, and told way too many awful jokes. After that excursion, I didn't really want another one but they wouldn't let me cancel, so I was stuck with some failed kindergarten teacher in Valencia. Really, a bridge? Are we 4?

The good news is, you can avoid all the bad stuff. There's plenty of time offshore so you can avoid your fellow passengers. With the exception of Casablanca, You don't have to do an excursion to get around the city. When you focus on what you really came for, the ports, it really is a great trip.

Cabin Review

Port Reviews

Malaga

Took the shuttle into the center. The Picasso museum was quite disappointing but there are other better museums, particularly the Carmen Thyssen. Lots of good restaurants. Had coffee and Churros at a place called Luke's Bar, where I met a friendly, English speaking german guy, then took the shuttle back near the port and then walked to the beach.

Marseille

Saw St. Remey and Arles. Both excellent towns. Really would have liked to have spent more time there but it was well worth the experience.

Barcelona

This is my rating for a previous visit to Barcelona. I had arrived the day before but was so tired, I didn't venture far out of my hotel. But there's a lot to do there. Like other spanish cities, there are hop on/hop off tours that make site seeing easy and convenient. The city is excellent and you need a few days to really enjoy it.

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