Costa Deliziosa Review

Great Itinerary & Great Ship

Review for the Middle East Cruise on Costa Deliziosa
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Paul&Kathy
First Time Cruiser • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Apr 2010

Background This was our 4th Costa cruise out of about 30 in total but this time we took our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter for their first cruise. It was good to see some of the things we take for granted through the eyes of first-timers and we were all very pleased with the holiday. The Deliziosa is a nice new ship, rather bright and gaudy in places. We knew what to expect from the food on Costa - excellent pasta and fish, variable quality meat and less than exciting desserts, and it did not disappoint. The buffet weas nothing special but our waiters in the main dining room were excellent, in fact the crew in general were very pleasant and friendly, despite the ongoing problem of multiple languages. Some menu items lose something in the translation (eg slow cooked rib-eye steak = prime rib). Costa may not be the most luxurious of cruise lines but we always admire their ability to cope with the multiple languages, and our family particularly liked the relaxed party atmosphere on board.

Embarkation We had already spent a few days in Dubai before the cruise (very nice family apartment in the Dunes Hotel Barsha, near the Mall of the Emirates) and been to Ski Dubai, Aquaventure water park at Atlantis on the Palm, seen the Burj Khalifa and explored several shopping malls and souks.

Having booked cruise-only and organised our own flights & hotel 2 of us took all the luggage to the ship by taxi on the first day. Our tickets showed embarkation from 8pm but we had heard from other CC members that we could board from 3pm and this was indeed the case. Arriving back at the port shortly after 3pm we expected a long queue but in fact must have beaten the crowds as we walked straight on board. Cabins were not supposed to be available until 6.30pm but our steward kindly allowed us to leave our hand luggage so that we could explore unencumbered. At 6.30pm we returned to find our Costa cards in the cabin, as usual. The family had the X1 drinks package and got drinks during the afternoon buffet by showing their booking form. As widely reported on CC drinks on Costa are very expensive and at about £10 per day this is an excellent package for anyone who likes a few glasses of wine/beer and was well worth it for them. The only glitch they reported was that some of the staff at the pool bar did not always know whether the buffet was open so whether or not they could get drinks there.

Cabin Review

Cabin in

Perfectly fine inside cabin in a convenient location.

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