Didnt end up sailing as cruise cancelled because of Coronavirus. Extremely rude, grumpy drink staff. Spent one night on board. Buffet was so small with well below average variety of food compared to other cruises I've been on. Food in dining room not good as well. Didnt get bread or coffee and having a drink card was a complete waste considering they dont serve cocktails or spirits in the dining room. Costa staff led us on to believe we were still sailing and very disappointing that the Captain didn't bother to make an announcement or an appearance at such a stressful time for passengers. Compared to other cruises it came out extremely well below average. Would not recommend Costa Cruise to anyone. Even in tough times staff should be friendly. They turned off air conditioning and at one stage NO soap in bathroom. If you asked a staff member where something was they didn't seem to know anything. Extremely disappointing, maybe a blessing the cruise was cancelled. Read Less

My experience with costa cruise would be the worst travel experience I have ever endured.only on the ship for 24 hours, never left the embarkation port before we were told to disembark. The process of passengers getting their documentation back was a debacle waiting in lines for several hours elderly persons fainting, no care for passengers welfare was apparent. After this Costa only wants to give passengers a voucher for future travel no refund. The one meal we had in the restaurant was nothing special and asking for water I incurred an outrageous cost. Before getting our passport back Costa demanded payment of 2 days gratuity The problems of cancellation could have been handled much better. We had a welcome to the cruise presentation, unlike other ships the captain or senior officer did not bother to present themselves to welcome guests. Not once did did did the captain get on the ships communications to speak with embarked passengers regarding problems with the cruise Read Less

We chose this cruise and were joined by two friends. As mentioned in other reviews we did not set sail due to Corona Virus affecting sailing ports of call. Have to say we found the staff extremely helpful and courteous at all times. Keep in mind these people were under extreme stress being far from their home base and not having any certainty of their position. The ship was very clean and there was only 800 people on board. We have traveled on over 20 cruises with various companies and booked this trip for the itinerary then read horrible reviews and were worried that it was not going to be up to scratch. Only criticism the food is pretty average however breakfast in the dining room was excellent. Didn’t like the fact that they don’t give iced water in restaurant with meals unless you pay for it. Costa went above and beyond as far as we are concerned under extremely difficult times that were changing hourly. They had buses ready to take us to a resort where they paid accommodation, food and drinks then they transferred us to the airport and paid our flight home. On top of this they gave us 150% credit to use on a future cruise. We say Good on you Costa Cruises you looked after us and got us home safely and we look forward to travelling with you again. Read Less

Having long wanted to visit the area of the Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, La Reunion) covered by this cruise, we were pleased to find the one operator, Costa, who seemed able to include all these in a two-week, very reasonably priced package in a circular cruise starting from Mauritius. We took the gamble of booking a reserved but unknown balcony cabin and were pleased to find it was no more expensive to book our own flights than pay for them via the cruise company, so we were able to spend a few days before and after the cruise in Mauritius. It was only after booking that we started to read the sometimes horrendous accounts of experiences on this ship on English-language websites including this one. So it was with some trepidation that we lined up to board on February 1st. To be fair, first impressions weren't great as we had to queue for nearly an hour in the heat under a canopy to check in, though there were accessible cold drinks during that time. Once inside , however, we were very pleased to find our spacious balcony cabin on Deck 6, with no restricted view. Suitcases went easily under the bed and generally there was easily enough storage room, also in the bathroom which is not always the case. The bed was quite hard but very comfortable and we slept extremely well throughout the cruise. The one disappointment in the room was the TV, most of whose numbered channels did not work or varied from day to day. It was only after a week that we discovered that channels like BBC World did exist on unannounced obscure numbers like 768 (!) which we came across purely by chance. Our cabin steward Juan from Honduras was always pleasant and helpful and kept the cabin clean. Part of our deal had been to leave open the dining time. To our dismay we found we had been allocated the 9pm sitting, but an immediate visit to the maitre d' on the first afternoon sorted that out and we had the earlier 6.30 sitting we wanted. We were allocated to a table for 8 which we shared with 3 Americans and later a Dutchman travelling alone. Fortunately we all got on very well and even shared a number of our own excursions. Opinions on our table about the food were mixed, but we thought that generally it was of a perfectly acceptable quality, the best dishes being the various pasta dishes ("primo piatto") and some very good desserts. Main courses were OK if less exciting. The theme over the two weeks was supposedly to showcase the cuisine of a different Italian region every night. Service was good and professional by the same dedicated waiters each night. Gustavo and Joseph were great in that respect and provided us with lots of "insider" information too! One annoying thing which Costa could certainly improve on is that there is no advance info on the dinner menu during the day, so you arrive blind and can't make an educated choice about your dining options on any one day. Our experience from previous cruises had taught us to avoid the buffet as much as possible and eat breakfast and lunch also in the main dining room. This was exactly the same here. Breakfast there was the same buffet choice each morning which was perfectly adequate but could have got repetitive for any more than two weeks, but was improved by a choice of British, American, Norwegian, Spanish etc. breakfasts which could be ordered separately. Lunch was by order and the only meal which on two occasions was very slow to be served. We only ventured up twice to the buffet for "special" lunches - a supposedly typical German lunch - so,so - and a Spanish paella lunch - quite good. On both occasions it was a nightmare to try to find somewhere to sit and eat. A small slightly quieter section of the buffet is set aside for the extra cost pizza meals which we used one evening and it was OK but no better than being downstairs in the main diner. There is also a special restaurant, the Medusa, on Deck 10 which tried to give off a very exclusive air. Mere plebs like us were not allowed in. I think it might have been possible to eat there for something like 40€ a head extra, though whether the menu was any different or better was hard to say. One issue which seemed to cause a lot of upset to some passengers was the way Costa charges for absolutely every "extra" - including items other cruise lines would consider basics, such as water with lunch and dinner or coffee after either (in the dining room). We were bombarded on board with offers for all sorts of drinks packages as well as the chance to pay extra for lobster, steak etc. Most fellow passengers seemed to be on one or more of these packages, but we didn't get one as you have to both buy the package for it to work. As my wife doesn't drink much, it worked out much cheaper for us to pay as we went e.g. for the odd cocktail, beer, lots of bottles of water and bottles of wine I got at dinner and made last for two or three days. While it is certainly galling to have to pay for a decent coffee after a meal and especially water with it, our view was that you have to work out the overall cost with the cabin and even paying for all these extras it still worked out much cheaper than other cruises would have been.(One piece of advice. Join the Costa Club on Day One. It doesn't cost you anything and you get 25% discounts on some drinks e.g. bottles of wine and 50% off some of the extra cost meals.) Our fellow passengers were the most internationally-mixed group we have travelled with before. Out of over 2000 passengers I was told only 18 were Brits with probably a similar number from the USA. So if you are an English native-speaker you have to adapt and quite rightly so. The largest group were French speakers, most of whom boarded in La Réunion. There were also many Italians and other Europeans. Announcements were therefore always in Italian, French, English, Spanish and German. As linguists, my wife and I had no problem with this. In fact it made it interesting to sit down at breakfast and lunch and talk to all sorts of people from several different countries. The multiplicity of languages does have some logical repercussions however on activities the ship can provide. It restricts the number and depth of "interest groups" which can take place. Despite this, we were pleasantly surprised that there was a very good craft group which met twice a day on ship days for about 30 minutes and my wife said it was very interesting and well run (by Corrado, an Italian with enough languages to keep everyone in line). Jean-Christophe, the resident destinations lecturer, gave good background talks on each of the destinations which he repeated to different audiences in English, French and Spanish. We only attended a few of the shows. mostly pleasant if not scintillating singers with mainly Italian, French and Spanish song repertoires. Also some quite good acrobats. The Osiris theatre itself is quite impressive over three floors and had very good sound and light effects. I went to quite a few of the quizzes, mostly picture-based questions to avoid the language issue. There was a good rep, Laura from Scotland, for the designated "English speakers" - which in effect meant everyone who was not French, Italian, German or Spanish. (They got their own reps as well). Otherwise information for each coming day is provided quite late each evening in the "Diario di Bordo". This comes in the various languages. However, what we did miss was a daily news print-out relevant to your home country in the various languages. All other cruises we have been on have provided this. Internet was available at the usual high cost, but we found we couldn't get the Costa system to work anyway, so gave up and just waited till we got to ports to log in. The gym was very adequate and mostly not too busy. I always like to walk round the deck and although you can't do that completely on Costa Mediterranea, you can manage an almost full circuit of about 500 metres on Deck 10 - easier in the early morning before all the loungers are out! The ship's decor takes some getting used to! It is very gaudy and completely over the top at times. So it's best just to laugh along with it. It is certainly geared up for lots of bars and dance floors. I found it strange, though not a problem, that all the main rooms, casino, theatre, restaurant were concentrated low down on Decks 2 and 3 with the majority of cabins higher up. Movement around was usually very good with an adequate number of lifts and disembarking at the ports was faster than I had expected. I can't say much about the ship's excursions as we just took the one which was really just a 20€ coach ride to drop you off for a few hours in St. Denis on La Réunion. Other people I spoke to complained about the cost of excursions and often their content too. We always try to be independent. The destinations were very good, also the fact that we had three overnights each allowing two consecutive days of sightseeing. On the Seychelles we drove our own hired car for the two days which worked out well. On Madagascar we had trips pre-booked with a local agency which took 5 of us in their minivan with English-speaking guide and were really enjoyable and instructive. On La Réunion on the first day we bartered with a minivan driver and 7 of us had a full day round the whole island and up to the Cirque de Salazie, fantastic views. So how to judge the overall experience? With the little niggles I have mentioned apart, I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had a balcony cabin for the first time, managed to find enough activities to keep us amused, met some great people, were satisfied with the food and, dare we say it, rather enjoyed not being in a totally anglophone environment for once. Yes, it's true that Costa is not as refined as many of the other cruiselines and if you are a stickler for "refinement" you will be disappointed. But it does what it sets out to do pretty well and at an amazingly reasonable price, much lower than we could have found for any other cruiseline plying these waters. So would we go on Costa again? If the itinerary were right, certainly. Read Less

poor as already expected "If you go on a cruise for the first time you might find the Costa Mediterranea great. But in my case , i had been at a Royal Caribean Cruise before , and i had already this impression that Costa wouldn't be at the same level... and in fact i was not mistaken.... i was travelling at Costa Mediterranea from 14 to 29/2 and the reason was because i was very much interested in the itinerary, so i thought it was worth trying, It started right from the beggining , when i felt massified among lots of people that behaved like animals in the eating time . Costa Mediterranea has a poor buffet , in terms of quality , and organization . Sometimes was kind of chaotic the lunch time, no place to seat , food was not located in the same room , so we had to look for fruit or other in other corners /rooms. i also remark the rudness of the Cruise Director , an austrian member of the crew that was scolding an young man of the crew that was explaining to us how to access internet , and he was using a table , and this rude director said to him that the table was not there for this purpose ... even seeing that he was talking to us ...he didn't care we were watching his ruduness.. but the worse thing was still about to come: i bought 3 packs of 1 GB internet each , that costed 65€/each , and in my account board there were invoiced 5 packs.... one of it , it had been consumpted in 1 hour!!! when i was only reading my emails and sending some whatsapp messages/phone calls , it was not possible to use 1 GB in such a short period of time. I have claimed and explained this , but they didn't accept the claim by saying that they confirmed the 2 extra puchases had been made by my mobil phone, so i had to pay. One person of my group that only bought a pack of 25€ for social networks , was debited 110€ correspondant to a 3 GB pack , and he also claimed because he didn't buy that pack ... and they said that was a mistake , so the debit was cancelled. i understand that internet in Costa Cruisers doesn't work properly , so my advise to every passenger traveling with Costa is to not to buy internet packs on board or to check on a dayly basis and carefully the board account to avoid these problems and not to have unpleasant surprises. the only positive moment and service , was the entertainement shows in the evenings, they were good and well performed. However , this was not enough to have a global positive opinion , so i wouldn't reccomend Costa Cruise at all in particular Costa Mediterranea" Read Less

We chose this cruise due to the locations it offered compared with other cruise lines. We embarked Costa Victoria in Male (Maldives). Due to it being an Italian cruise company, often English translations were forgotten about. The ship is tired and would benefit from a re-fit. The cabins were tired looking with what I would class as unsafe electrical sockets (loose). Compared with other cruise lines we have travelled with the food was very basic and what I would describe as a school canteen at times (however I think a school canteen would provide a better standard of food and selection) I would give it a 1/10 . Entertainment was of a poor standard. I have rated it this as poor due to previous experience with other cruise lines and they could do with booking on with their competitors to see how it should be done. Service staff were very friendly and eager to please, however you couldn’t sit for a meal without a hard sell to purchase Lobster or other exclusive dining. Ports and tour excursions were fantastic, however o could be biased as the Ports were places that we wanted to visit Would I travel with Costa again?, certainly not. Read Less

We selected this cruise and cruise line because of the itinerary as a visit to the islands in the Indian Ocean had long been on our bucket list. The only other cruise lines that regularly sail the Indian Ocean tend to be the deluxe luxury ships, such as Regent, Seabourn and Oceania, which are a bit out of our league pricewise so the Costa option was pretty much a forced choice. As a result we embarked on our cruise on the Costa Mediterranea with very low expectations and a high degree of trepidation, especially considering many of the highly negative Cruise Critic reviews and the poor image this cruise line seems to have with the self-appointed “ cruise experts” who rate the cruise industry! However, our fears were largely ill-founded and we must say that the Mediterranea exceeded our expectations in most respects. Admittedly, we had booked a Panorama Suite which entitled us to suite class privileges such as access to the only alternative restaurant on the ship essentially reserved for suite class passengers, so we accept our assessment of this cruise experience may be somewhat biased. Nevertheless, even though we may be accused of reviewing our experience through rose-coloured spectacles, we think Costa generally gets a bad rap and is by no means as sub-standard as many of the reviews suggest. In fact, we feel the cruise line has many qualities and innovations that their so-called more prestigious and more highly rated competitors can learn from. For a vessel that is one of the oldest in the Costa fleet, the Mediterranea is in pretty good nick. It apparently received an Euro 18 million makeover in 2018 and it clearly shows in the quality and condition of furnishings, carpeting, wall coverings, etc. throughout the ship. The initial impression on boarding the ship is somewhat overwhelming. Yes it is gaudy, bright, colourful and perhaps overly ornate with elaborately designed flooring, wall coverings, Venetian lighting, cornices and ceilings, but it is almost like sailing in a Rennaisance inspired art gallery! Beautiful framed prints of many of the Old Masters adorn the walls of the lounges, bars and restaurants, and interesting sculptures are strategically placed in most public areas. Even the passageways leading to cabins on all decks are covered with themed murals depicting much of Italian history and mythology. Yet it somehow seems to fit with Italian flair and bon homenie evident everywhere. As with most of the cruises we have taken over the years, our Mediterranea experience was much akin to the proverbial curate’s egg, some good and some not so good. Some of the positives of Costa Mediterranea include: • Dedicated concierges for each main language group on board. Being on a ship where English speakers were in the minority this was a special boon and made us realise just how difficult it must be for non-English passengers on the typical American cruise lines that make little or no effort to communicate in any language other than English! Laura, our Concierge was outstanding, ebullient, enthusiastic, always willing to help, and, as we were to learn from the ship staff concert later in the voyage, a Scottish dancer of note!! • Their embarkation process is very quick and simple with minimal documentation required. Essentially it just entails handing over one’s passport; everything else is already in one’s stateroom, including the Costa Card required for all on-board transactions, accessing and egressing the ship and, interestingly, for opening and closing the in-room safe. • Apart from a full range of standard and premium beverages, each bar throughout the ship is equipped with a coffee machine capable of vending a full range of top class speciality coffees, thus obviating the need for a typically overcrowded dedicated coffee bar found on most other ships we have sailed on previously. • Well laid out main recreation deck with three good sized well-spaced pools with plenty of showers to cool off. • Plenty of bars and lounges, all with dance floors, situated throughout the vessel offering plenty of spaces where one could just sit and chill or listen to one of the excellent on board entertainers. • In-lounge entertainers, solo singers, duos and trios, were invariably excellent. A special shout out to Pasqual who entertained passengers nightly in the Talia lounge, who in our view, was one of the most talented cruise ship singer/musicians we have yet come across. • Regular themed buffets on deck at lunch time, showcasing the fare from many countries including German, Greek, Italian, Spanish and British. A seafood extravaganza one day was especially good offering the best Paella we have ever had anywhere on our travels. • The ordering system in restaurants and bars is all on hand held tablets which allows each order to be immediately registered and sequenced in the relevant kitchen or bar. Quite unique. We appreciate that such systems are now commonplace in many upmarket restaurants worldwide, but it is the first time we have encountered such a facility on board a ship. • Service generally from stateroom butlers and attendants (Eutiquio and Jerico – great service guys), to bar staff and restaurant waiters - especially Sandeep, Khukan, Leslie and Joe in the suites only Club Medusa restaurant, with Maitre D Albert Jnr, pool attendants, and even Guest Relations and reception personnel, was invariably excellent – engaging, attentive and efficient. • A lot of credit needs to go to the hard working and highly visible Hotel Manager for the attitude and attentiveness of staff and for the efficiency of the whole operation. Of course, there were inevitably some negatives and if Costa could focus on addressing these, we feel their current reputation in the industry would be enhanced considerably. • Lack of alternative dining venues on board. Effectively, there are only two options, the buffet restaurant or the main dining room. As suite guests we had access to a dedicated suites only restaurant (The Madusa), but this offered essentially the identical menu to that offered in the main dining room (with a couple of additional standard options). This is extremely limiting and, on a two week cruise, very monotonous as the fare does not change all that often. The only other option is a fee paying Pizzeria that is situated in a portioned of area of the buffet restaurant in the evenings. Quite frankly incongruous for an Italian cruise line to charge extra for a basic pizza offering! To be competitive with other similarly sizes cruise ships, we feel the Mediterranea desperately needs at least one other included dining venue and at least one fee paying Speciality restaurant • The Mediterranea does not offer an anytime dining option which effectively means that passengers are limited to eating at either the early or late sitting each evening with no option to change between the set eating times. This is especially limiting on a ship that has no alternative dining venue. We like the anytime dining option that is available on most other cruise lines. We generally prefer to dine latish but not always at after 21h00 each evening! Some other general comments: Food: Generally Ok to good, but with no Wow offerings apart from the hitherto mentioned Paella on the open deck buffet one lunch time. We found the fare in the buffet restaurant to be well prepared but somewhat uninteresting with the exception of the varied pasta dishes on offer each meal time. We dined most evenings and the occasional lunch in the dedicated Club Madusa restaurant. Portions were small but very attractively presented. Appetizers, pastas and deserts were invariably good to excellent, but we found most main dishes to be bland and often overcooked. Meat dishes, especially pork and beef were often tough and unappetizing. Again highlighting the need for some alternative dining options. Itinerary: As mentioned, we chose this cruise primarily for the itinerary. We had visited Mauritius on numerous occasions so did not partake in any special excursions while we were berthed in Port Louis. Our primary interest was in the other islands to be visited. In the event we must say we were somewhat disappointed in Seychelles. We participated in one excursion – a glass bottomed boat cruise (major disappointment) which included a visit to the tiny Moyenne Island to see the giant land tortoise sanctuary, also a bit of a let-down as we have much larger tortoises in South Africa! We opted not to do another excursion while in the Seychelles and spent the second day of the Seychelles sojourn wandering around Port Victoria on our own. A mistake as, apart from an ornate Hindu temple and an impressive statue of Madiba, the town had little appeal. We probably should have opted for a tour of some of the other islands of the archipelago. Madagascar was very interesting. We docked at three ports that gave us a reasonable insight to life on this beautiful, impoverished island. In Nosy Be on the west coast we decided to do our own thing and just meandered around the town. At the next port, Diego Suarez on the north of the island , we took a three hour TukTuk ride where we viewed their version of Sugar Loaf mountain, some famed baobabs and one of the islands best beaches. A pretty hair-raising experience at times driving through some of the most pot holed (should we say crater) ridden roads we have ever seen. But we had a delightful driver, a university student who drives tourist tuk tuks to fund his studies. In Tamatave on the east coast, we took a ships excursion that included a sail down the man-made Pangalanes canal and a visit to a typical Malagasy village where we sampled their fresh fruit and sipped cool coconut milk. The experience of Madagascar was a bit of a shock to the system. The poverty levels are quite horrendous with more street children and beggars than we have ever experienced before including parts of the Middle East and southern India. Being one of the poorest nations in the world, it is a real third world experience with an economy destroyed though nepotism, maladministration and rampant corruption over many years. Yet the people are stoic and ever-smiling even though they exist, officially, on less than one US$ per day. As our charming, well-spoken tour guide wryly observed, “when you have already reached the bottom you cannot go any lower, so you may as well smile. Things cannot get any worse!” The island nevertheless has massive potential. It is rich in minerals and has immense tourism potential in a part of the world that still has so much unexploited opportunity for development. A new, more visionary Government is now, apparently, in power that is determined to stamp out corruption so, hopefully, efforts to raise the standard of living of its impoverished populace and exploit its untapped potential will start to be realized in the not too distant future. On the other hand, our final port of call was to Reunion, a return to the first world! As our tour guide said when we boarded the bus for our excursion “Welcome to France!” As a French colony Reunion inhabitants are considered to be French citizens in every respect and even qualify for the identical social be benefit structures that are operative in mainland France. We took a full day ships excursion that drove us through two thirds of this tiny island and included a journey through a lunar landscape of frozen lava, a distant view of the active volcano that had erupted only a couple of days before our visit, so we were prevented from getting too close to the eruption itself, followed by a typical Creole lunch. Concluding Comments: All in all, an interesting experience marred primarily by the monotonous eating schedule that is imposed on board. OK perhaps for a three to four day trip, but way too restrictive for a cruise of two weeks duration. The Mediterranea is beautiful ship with a deck configuration that makes it quite different from the sameness that typically characterizes the more modern cruise lines. However, in our view, it will never be able to compete with other cruise ships competing for the same mass middle market as it is currently structured. Costa already have a number of vessels that have a wider range of facilities that enable the cruise line to compete more effectively in this highly competitive market segment. We therefore strongly recommend that Costa consider rebranding some of their smaller, older ships to compete in the smaller, but more prestigious “Luxury Lite” segment currently populated by brands such as Oceania, Azamara and Viking. In the case of the Mediterranea this would not be too difficult as it already has much of the infrastructure that is more than comparable with its potential competitors in this segment, such as a plethora of attractive lounges, bars, well laid out entertainment decks and a full theatre. All it really needs is to reduce its passenger capacity to not more than 1800 to 2000, largely by converting one of its decks to provide for more suites – perhaps to include a few grand suites to cater for the really well-heeled , and to convert some of the relatively underutilized areas such as the disco lounge and Dionisio wine lounge into alternative themed restaurant dining venues. The main dining room could also be reduced somewhat in size to also provide space for additional alternative dining options. Also introduce an “anytime dining” option. Provided these alternative dining venues offer a range of relatively upmarket eating experiences, we are sure the Mediterranea would be more than able to compete in this market if restructured along the lines suggested. Read Less

My review of Costa Victoria trip Jan. 4th - 18 Mumbai First thing the inside cabins are about 4 feet smaller then -Princess, Cunard , RC, Celebrity, Carnival, and so on. Could not open my night beside side drawer see pictures. My bathroom think water was brown. When I had to call the front desk because my fire alarm was going off - nobody came to see what was up- nobody answer the phone # 88 customer service - after 15 min my husband finally found our cabin steward which got someone to change the battery. After he left -AGAIN the alarm went off ... eventually it got fixed. Shower curtain was to short - after a shower the BR was wet had it changed. Buffet: only packets for decaf coffee-at night when you need it or want it ---- all gone, sugar containers where empty numerous time, milk container same, no paper napkins, Supervisors just walking around doing nothing - Except " Indian looking one " Yogurt bowl empty, omelets cold, only same 5 vegetable available for 14 days- carrots, garbage red and white, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peepers. People taking buns out of the bread basket with their hands in front of Employees, no correction - out of cups and water glasses all the time, at night only only on water fountain available even so they had at lunch converted the Juice dispenser to water ???? why ? also only one out of 2 coffee and hot water dispenser open ?? logic?? Loved the Bread - soups - cheeses. Hand disinfect out of liquid- when I told " Sergio" a officer all in white- " does not matter since it is in front of the Hamburger place which is closed now ?? that it is also in front of a Bathroom seemed to have escape him - was speechless.... Same happened when I needed the bath room on the pool deck by the Spritz Bar which by the way was open only a couple of time ??? why?? in the 15 Day cruise- it was flooded and bowl was full of # 2- when I told the Officer having coffee at the Bar that was open - answer: "Thank you we are aware of it and working on it ???" no paper available to make a sign : out of order ???? Kids running around without parents in Casino touching machines - no casino host around...... We did not have a drink package which cost ....48 EU-40 pounds-53 US-69 Canadian- plus 18% tip added. Only 1 waiter on the Pool deck ??? or Back Bar?? so 95% of us had and did go to fetch own drinks and coffee. When we complained to Guest Servises and asked to remover service charges was told NOT POSSIBLE! Why these people who had drink packages did NOT complain for more waiters at the pool deck since they had to pay 18% for getting their OWN DRINKS baffles me ??!!! On all off the Cruise companies I mention before we got FREE PIZZA AND SOFT ICE CREAM - NOT ON A ITALIAN SHIP?- AND PIZZA PLACE FOR A CHARGE NOT OPEN AT LUNCH WHEN WE CHECKED?? DINING ROOM: Had to ask 3x for lemon, no butter on the table only bread. Not a lot of smiles on the staff. The lady who was in charge of the crafts was very nice. Guest services was not available by phone? gave up after 10 min. TV picture in the room was poor often My first Costa cruise and my last - to bad - you only have one occasion to make a good impression. To many companies available that even if they may cost a little more give me MUCH more service. Read Less

We had a great holiday but it’s the worst ship we have been on. The bars are so boring and old fashioned. No waiting staff at breakfast or pool deck or even in the theatre, even though we paid £300 in tips. Very poor entertainment, not much of it. All parties started very late. All the food was cold, I complained many times, I had upset stomach most of the trip. Very poor manners from Italians and Indians, pushing in. Sun bathing towels was a joke. From 6 am people put towels out, some had 3 beds each, 1 in the sun, 1 in shade plus a sofa and chairs. Great itinerary. Unhelpful reception staff. Lots of cuing for passports and e visas over 1.5 hours for worst time. Tips must be paid, way to much. We upgraded to the club restaurant at €420, it was beautiful and away from the bun fight below. But the food was still cold most of the time. You cannot serve luke warm rice and prawns. Hardly anyone used hand sanitiser, even though corona virus is rife. Great holiday but I don’t like the ship. Happy to be off. I won’t be using costa again. Read Less

We're Emerald on another line so we're experienced cruisers and have cruised many different brands. This ship was going where we wanted, when we wanted to go. Our usual travel agent wouldn't book this for us due to so many of her customers that had complaints about Costa. It's disappointing how horrible this was. The staff get paid tips no matter how bad the service is so they don't care and are rather flippant. Drinks that were advertised, they were out of, including Draft Beer. REALLY??? The food was the exact same every single day. The excursions we chose were canceled so if we wanted to go on their excisions, we had to scramble. It was just so disappointing. We complained at the desk but, although they spoke English, they just rolled their eyes and really appeared not to care in the least. They should be ashamed of themselves. It was embarrassing to expect we'd have a descent experience. Read Less

We chose this cruise mainly due to the itinerary as India has been on the list for a while. The negative reviews were numerous but we decided to go ahead as we were not expecting 5 star treatment. First the positives; Embarkation was quick and easy as was disembarking. The staff was pleasant and helpful in the dining room and bar. The excursion we booked for Goa was OK. Second the 'requires improvement'; food choice in the dining room was a bit repetitive. The availability of food after 10pm was non existent unless you paid extra. This was a first for us. (We are not greedy just grazers). Food was always tepid or cold. No bar service on pool deck or upper decks where the sunbathing areas were which made life difficult. Try trundling up steps with drink in hand (water of course). No shade on deck. Finally, the unacceptable; no hand sanitisation supervision despite the usual coughing and spluttering and I witnessed people using their hands to pick up bread. People leaning across food to get to the back row at the buffet. The incessant high volume of noise everywhere, high decibel screeching from animation team and most performers in the theatre and loud music...no peace and quiet. Ports OK but too long in The Maldives for us. We would have preferred an extra day in Cochin or Goa. Entertainment mainly dire. Gratuities excessive at €10 per person per day for lack of service and general grubbiness. Cabin OK but electrics on the blink at times. Read Less

The cruise was part of Imagine Cruising itinerary for our cruise of the Indian Coast. We would never have chosen Costa Cruises as their reputation precedes them. But with good intentions we went ahead. Rather a dated ship to say the least. Exceedingly Italian, but we could live with that. The cabin was adequate if a little crammmed in. Certainly no luxuries. The Restaurant Manager listened to our table request and on the second d night we had our ideal table with a lovely friendly and efficient waiter Jayson. Overall we enjoyed the food selections throughout our cruise and our included wine package of topped up wine at lunch and dinner was fine for us. The additional beverage packages were far too expensive. Plus when you purchased any other drinks outside the package the additional service charge was added. Then we left our cabin for the evening on our third night, ensuring that our door was locked, as it needed a good pull to do this, at around 7pm returning at 11pm. We found our door ajar and on going to the safe found that to be open as well. All our cash had gone....I won’t tell you how much, but enough, including GB Euros and Indian Rupees. We immediately informed Reception and five security men attended our cabin. They searched it fully to ensure we had either not forgotten where we had put it or had stashed it away. We both felt so guilty and we had been robbed. Security were adamant it was impossible to get into the cabins or safes with proper access and provided us with printouts to prove their point. In this technology age we all know that anything is possible. But not Costa Cruises! Read Less

When we first saw the prices of the cruise and the advantages of it all, it seemed too good to be true... BACKGROUND: We booked the 15 day Indian Ocean Cruise with one night in a hotel in Mauritius (with a *drink upgrade* stopping in Seychelles, Madagascar, Reunion, and Mauritius) with the round trip airfare from London Heathrow for 2 people for $5739, wow this is going to be awesome! We booked it well over 8 months in advance through Logitravel with Iris Madico. Iris booked it for us and was responsive and helped us out with any questions we had.... what we hoped they would have provided was a warning about Costa cruise’s upgrading schemes, disgusting food, and horrid service! Almost immediately onboard we found out that Costa’s main objective was to take advantage of us and milk us out of as much money as they could. The package included: o round trip flight from London Heathrow to Mauritius airport o one night stay at Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel (4/5 star hotel at the port) o 15 days in a “premium balcony” cabin with a drink package (during booking there were only two types of cabins, premium and standard) o private transfer from the airport to the hotel o private transfer to the cruise o private transfer back to the Mauritius airport. The excursions were extra but we estimated 1700-1800 euros for 2 excursions in Seychelles, 2 in Madagascar, 1 in Reunion, and 1 in Mauritius. This sounded like a great deal. We wouldn’t have to pay for anything else besides tips, dinner/lunch off the ship, souvenirs, and incidentals. We got our own round trip flight from Los Angeles to London and a one night hotel stay near the Windsor castle in Eton, England to make our wedding anniversary a little special. Eton/Windsor was awesome despite the 30/40 degree weather. It was well worth the luggage space for a couple of coats and warm clothes! The flight out of London on our anniversary was delayed and our layover in Paris was delayed (due to transportation union strikes in the entire country of France.) *Air France/ air Mauritius was our airline* we put up with the inconveniences of the airlines and airports, Off to Mauritius! The Mauritius hotel and restaurant nearby was great. It was pricey for the dinner and drinks but well worth it after 24 hours of flights to get there. We woke up the next morning excited for our cruise. TRIP BEGINS DAY 1 We arrived an hour and a half before “boarding” to see only a few people waiting under a plastic canopy for their luggage to be tagged. We waited on a short line to check in and were given cool towels. Once we got closer to the end of the line we were super surprised to see everybody handing over their passports and the lady putting them in a big box behind her! We were called up and the lady asked to see our passports and looked us up in a computer and said welcome aboard. We asked, “Why do they have to keep our passports, and if they could take photocopies instead?” She said it was for visas for Madagascar and we will get them back after we leave Madagascar.... this was very strange and was our first notice that they will hold our passports for 6 days! We even asked Logitravel prior if we need to do anything for the visas. They told us “You will get the visas at the port when you arrive.” Nothing was mentioned by Logitravel that they would hold our passports. We noted the ladies name and asked her to be extremely careful with our documents. Once we were on board it was time for a late lunch. We made our way up to the 9th floor to the buffet. Once we exited the elevator the smell overwhelmed us. There was a mixture of all types of food smells. We just ignored the smell and began to survey the buffet to find something appealing. We had to dodge all the other passengers with trays and the workers with empty trays of discarded food with flies buzzing around. When we got in line we noticed a few people cutting in line, we didn’t care, we said there should be plenty of food to go around. We noticed only about 10% of the people using the watery hand sanitizer dispensers before grabbing at the utensils and touching all of them before grabbing the one they deemed fit. As we got saw the food we were extremely surprised at what an “Italian” cruise company called food. It was horrid, the food extremely foul tasting. We picked a few pieces of semi stale bread and a piece of chicken grilled chicken without any sauces. We barely got that down as the lady next to us was eating an apple and spitting out the skin directly on the table without a plate and left it there!!!! We said well hopefully the dinner will be better. After going into our room we were happy to have our own little spot on the huge ship. Once we went into the bathroom we noticed a disgusting smell of sewage coming from the toilet. We said “Oh no imagine after a couple of days on the cruise the smell will probably get worse!” We had to wait for our luggage to be brought up. We then said let’s just go get a drink and try and have some fun. When we got to the 2nd deck we noticed a long line at the customer service and tables set up everywhere with confused passengers asking questions and looking bewildered. We made our way to the main bar and asked for two whiskies. The bartender had this smirk on his face and said, “Can I see you Costa card?” We showed him and he said, “That those drinks are not included in your package.” We said “are you sure we got the all-inclusive cabin and drink package?” He replied, “You should go to the drink package table over there and talk with them.” We went over to a table and waited in line behind a couple that was furious about the prices and couldn’t understand why it would cost so much! Also the wife did not drink, but Costa makes the entire party to have the drink package, so the husband said ok we will go without it and walked away. We talked to a man and he showed us a drink package pamphlet riddled with all these extra prices for “premium” liquor and cocktails. The worse part was that there were drink packages for water! We asked, “Why there are drink packages for water?” He notified us that bottled water and water at the bar is not included with our package!” We asked, “What is the top package then?” He told us, “It is 740 euros a person for 14 days for the top drink package.” We were astonished it would cost that much! We settled for the second most which ran us a little over 150 US Dollars. We said “Wow we wished we would’ve known earlier so we could’ve booked the better package 8 months ago. Instead of taken $150 out of our spending budget. We also walked by the “internet/WiFi” table and noticed that the WiFi is not free anywhere on the ship!!! We got a booklet and saw it cost 100 euros for 3gb of data! We again wished we were informed by Costa/Logitravel of this ridiculous priced added expense. As we would have got a portable hotspot, paid for it in advance, or worked it into our budget! We went to a different bar and got a drink prepared by a rude bartender. We retreated to a table away from the bar and started to voice our frustrations to each other. As we were talking we noticed every other party doing the same thing! After our drink we decided, hey let blow off some steam and hit the arcade and casino. Once there we realized that the arcade is not free either. We didn’t even bother with the casino as we felt it would be rigged even worse than other casinos. We wondered what else we will have to pay on this “all-inclusive” vacation! Skeptical of the food we wanted to see the dinner menu for our free sit-down dinner. The Daily Diary told us it was the “gala menu” so we went to the restaurant to try and find a menu. There was nothing there and nobody in sight. So we went to the customer service desk and asked them for the menu for tonight’s dinner. They actually laughed and threw up their hands and said, “We do not have the menus!” We looked at each other and just said, “thank you.” and walked away. We got changed and ready for dinner and headed down to the restaurant 10 minutes early to see a huge group of people waiting to get in. We noticed some obviously overdressed people that seemed to be pawns in the Costa scam. They seemed like actors that were trying to instill a fake sense of class and excitement for the cruise and the dinner. Once 7:45pm came they just opened up the doors and people literally ran inside to their tables. We thought we would have a “dinning seating choice” but we were put up against a wall at the back of the boat where the boat rocked the most. We looked at the menu and decided that we both would have the Lentil soup. I would try the pasta and my wife would try the prawn. Once the lentil came out and we tasted it we knew we have been tricked again. It tasted like literal watered down puke and we only had one or maybe two spoons each. Our entrees came out and my wife’s shrimp stunk of bad seafood and was the skinniest shriveled up prawn we have ever seen. She didn’t touch a thing. My pasta was covered in cheese sauce that tasted horrid and the pasta was chewy with a weird texture. We started to get nauseous and couldn’t take the smell of everyone else’s food. We got up and walked past the waiter and he said, “Is everything ok?” We said, “No! We are not feeling well.” As we walked out everyone stared at us and we tried to not look at the bad eating habits of the people. We had a couple of drinks (made with the cheapest of alcohols) and retreated to our room. We were so upset but we were out in the middle of the Indian Ocean and felt trapped! It was nearly 11pm and we were so hungry so we decided to order room service (which was included free in our package). We looked at the menu and noticed there were only 3 free items. Everything else we would have to pay for. Also they could not bring us water so we had to pay for two sodas. Not liking any of the free choices, I chose the “il Italiano sandwhich” and my wife chose the vegetarian sandwich (after her bad prawn earlier). The room service guy came in and said in a subtle sarcastic voice, “How are you enjoying the cruise?” We said, “Its okay so far” to avoid a weird conversation. We gave him 3 US dollars tip and he left. To our horror, as we looked at the food we almost puked immediately. The vegetarian sandwich was soggy and looked like a mashed up mixture of a bad eggplant and other indistinguishable “vegetables”. The prosciutto on the “il Italiano” was even worse it looked like spam and had some weird clear gelatin attached to it! ****see attached picture and video***** We asked room service to take the tray away and almost cried with disbelief. We could not find any decent food to eat! We then started to ask each other if we should leave and book something else. As a numbers guy I started doing the math in my head and knew if we left it was going to cost us a minimum of $5000 (for hotel and flights back to Mauritius) plus the $7500 we already gave to Costa/Logitravel! DAY 2 We went to breakfast and survived on stale bread and croissants. We spent the day sunbathing and fasting as we could not bear to even walk through the buffet area! We decided we would pay extra for a pizza as we could not, and would not, sit down for another free dinner. We said to ourselves how Italians could mess up a pizza made fresh. When we got to the pizza “restaurant” we realized it is just a section within the buffet area! People were looking at the guys kneading the dough as two guys would walk up and tried to lure them into buying a pizza. We were seated and realized only one other person was there. I asked for a pizza that included cherry tomatoes and burrata cheese. The waiter told me that they ran out of cherry tomatoes! I said, “Really on the second night?” They didn’t give a reason and told me, “They could make it with tomato sauce instead.” When the pizzas came out they were running and watery. The ball of burrata was so hard I couldn’t even cut into it! When the waiter came over to ask how the food was I said, “It is a little watery”. He replied with a belittling remark, “Well that is because you ordered it with tomato sauce.” My wife and I just rolled our eyes and couldn’t believe that he didn’t apologize or try and correct it. We decided we have to get off the ship! We paid for the small amount of data and started to try and search for our escape. We were trying to get into our Chase banking app as it gives us great deals for travel since we are reserved customers. The WiFi was so slow we could not even use it! And worse of all our data package kept draining and we kept upgrading (racking up the money for Costa!) A number of other apps did not work so we went down to the “Internet cafe”. Once there, we put in our card and the computer seemed slower than our phones! We left very discouraged and we kept searching through the Expedia app. DAY 3 We went down to customer service desk the second morning to ask for our passports back and we were thinking of disembarking from the boat. The lady wanted us to sign a disembarking form right then. We said we will not until our passports are returned to us. She said we could pick up our passports tomorrow morning. We spent the second day on the ocean sunbathing and fasting again. We ate two regular margarita pizzas again and both were soggy. We spent the rest of the night researching resorts to try and get the best deal, since we were going to lose a bunch on this vacation. We finally booked: • 4 night stay “half board” in a resort in Seychelles for $1500 and spent an extra $400 for drinks and food. (The resort and the food were spectacular!) • We also had to pay for a flight back to Mauritius so we can get the flight we already paid for from Mauritius back to London. The flight straight from Seychelles was way too expensive. The price for two passengers in economy was $800. • We also booked an all-inclusive resort in Mauritius for $3000, which was fantastic! We also booked an excursion since we lost out on our excursions with costa! Day 4 We went down to the customer service desk and asked for our passports back and the lady said, “You can have them back on the day you disembark.” We did not want to argue so we just said we will make sure we get them back before we leave the ship. We skipped breakfast and got something from a nearby vending machine on land at the port. We went on our one excursion in Seychelles. It was such a relief to be off the boat! The tour was a lot of driving and boat rides. The lunch buffet on the island of Praslin was delicious and so refreshing! Overall it was a good time (9 out of 10). We arrived back at the ship at 7pm. We packed and went to bed without dinner. We dreamt about disembarking in the morning. Day 5 We went down to the customer service, paid our bill, signed the form, and took our own luggage out and never looked back! Summary In the end we spent….. 5739 US Dollars to Logitravel/Costa for the initial booking. 2243 US Dollars for the excursions we could not cancel, the upgraded drink package, the WiFi, the pizza, and other items. Along with the accommodations we made we spent well over 13,000 US Dollars! We could’ve done without Costa/Logitravel and stayed in the two very nice resorts for the 8000 US Dollars. Never going to go on a cruise again! Read Less

We chose this cruise, as it was part of an Imagine Cruising package. The land content, Indian Tour, was most enjoyable. Once we boarded the Costa Victoria, things went spiralling downhill at a quick rate of knots. The room was very ordinary, discoloured and paper thin towels, NO TOILETRIES, and the double bed was similar to sleeping on the floor. We boarded later in the afternoon, so we went to our cabin, (which, I might add, cost a further AUD$2,000.00 for a porthole), and unloaded our belongings. We then proceeded to the bar area at the rear of the ship to enjoy a few drinks. This as where the "fun" began. The barman explained to us that our pre-paid beverage package was the most limited restrictive beverage package that we have ever experienced!! The beer ration was limited to One plastic cup of draft Heinekin, or, a small bottled beer I've never heard of. I proceeded to have three of these bottled beers, and on my forth visit, was informed by a different bartender, that in actual fact, I had to pay for the bottled beer, which the previous attendant told me, were included. So, after much anxious arguments later, I was informed that it was my lucky day, as the original attendant returned very apologetic. So, here we are, back to ONE BEER, being the Heinekin, in a plastic cup!! Our package was advertised as a SELECTION of beers. NOOO, only one draft in a plastic cup!! My wife likes to enjoy a wine, which was very similar to vinegar. We were shown a list of drinks that was on the bar. This list consisted of blue dots, (for our package), and was extremely limited in selection. I then visited the main service desk on level five, to enquire as to the limited beverage package, and also, to ask to have the gratuities taken off our room account, which I, and most people I know, do the same. We Australians give tips whenever we receive good courteous service. I was told that the 10 EUROS, per day, per head, per cabin, was indeed mandatory. I informed the service officer that this was the only Cruise Line that does not allow the passenger to opt out of gratuities. He then went onto informing me, quite rudely, that my information was not true. I might add, that we have been on many Cruise Lines around the world, and have not experienced mandatory gratuities. The bistro doesn't open until 7.00pm!!! The meals that were served up, were nothing short of slop, sitting on a bed of white rice. No carvery, The bar service was non-existent. There were three attendants standing near our table, and when I asked for some beverage service, he told me that he only cleans tables, and NONE of them serve drinks to tables!! Unheard of on any other ship we have been on. So, I had to leave my very ordinary meal, and walk to a tiny makeshift bar to order drinks. We enjoy a nice Shiraz, or Merlot with our evening meal, and the wine that we were permitted on our package was unpalatable. Disgusting, even coupled with the extremely ordinary food. After the terrible dinner, we always take bottled water to our room, so I went to the bar, and asked for two small bottles of water. After the barman checked our wonderful beverage package, he informed me that we were NOT ENTITLED TO A SMALL BOTTLE OF WATER!! So, we asked for two plastic cups, and filled these with water, which mostly had spillied by the time we walked back to our room. Also, there was no water supplied in our room. That was the final straw for both of us, and as the ship was in dock for two days, we booked our flights back to Australia on Singapore Airlines, and were leaving the ship at 6.30 pm the next day, as the ship was leaving at 9.00 pm. The cruise was for 14 days, and we were extremely glad that we did not stay on it. As we had all day, the next day, to fill in, we disembarked , and were going to take in the sights of Mumbai, but as we were about to get off, the security woman scanned our cards, and ordered us to stand aside, much to our embarrassment. We couldn't work out why, because of her limited grasp of English, but we did hear the word "money' mentioned. We were ordered back to the service desk and told to pay the 20 EURO "service fee", before they would let us off. Our bags were all still in our room. That afternoon I went to the bar to order my wife a cup of coffee, (which, surprise,surprise, was within our beverage package), and the barman told me that I would have to pay for the coffee, as the service desk had cancelled our cards!! Never have we been so glad to get off any ship in our lives. The whole enterprise cost us around AUD$6,000.00. So, any of you who are thinking of a cruise with Costa Cruiselines, you have our sympathy. Read Less

This cruise was very reasonably priced and the itinerary appealed to us. In fact it was so cheap that my expectations were not high.We had been on a number of cruises with different cruise lines including The Queen Mary so I feel we are in a position to compare. First of all, I’m afraid the embarkation was chaotic, as all passengers seem to arrive together. The result was that it took us over 3 hours to embark which was not pleasant. On the other hand, disembarkation went really smoothly with no delays. The cabin and we had a balcony was surprisingly good , not luxurious , a bit dated but the bed was comfortable and we had as much space as we needed. We had been allocated the earlier dining which didn’t always suit us , so we very often ate in the buffet area which gave us more flexibility. The food was fine , not gourmet but we enjoyed it. The best choice was definitely as you would expect Italian especially the pasta and husband loved the bread and the desserts. The theatre shows were mixed, excellent and mediocre but I would suggest appealed to a variety of tastes. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the Italian tenor and The Beatles look-a-likes.Though not as sophisticated as others we have enjoyed on other cruises, the shows were entertaining. The shore excursions on the whole were excellent. Overall, the service from all the crew was A1.Unfortunately the behaviour of some of the guests was abhorrent. They were rude to the crew and to the other guests. Thankfully it was only a minority but I was delighted that I had a cabin. I would suggest a movie in the theatre in the afternoons especially during sea days, and notices regarding towel- hugging chairs and sun beds around the pool area would alleviate tensions and hence make the cruise more pleasant for all. Read Less

We have cruised on many cruises ships over the last 30 years, sometimes twice a year and all cruises have been amazing except for Costa. We used Costa 3 years ago and said never again. However we were looking for a cruise and having been all over the world decided to opt for a different costa ship as the itinerary looked appealing. The attitude of the majority of the staff was appalling. we literally had to plead for English Breakfast tea bags, and butter. Please, thankyou and smiles were rarely used. The food was not good, the portions were small and always luke warm. We used the upstairs buffet mostly, this was not much better but at least there was more choice. We got talking to other cruisers and found that a lot had sickness bugs which leads to my main concern -----THE SHIP HAD HAND SANITISERS WHICH NOBODY WAS ENCOURAGED TO USE. Worse still a lot of the time they were empty. When we pointed this out we were met with a shrug of the shoulders. Passengers often used their fingers to pick up food from the buffet and filled their water bottles from the water machine. Oh and by the way be careful if you ask for a bottle of soft drink as we sat and watched the staff filling up bottles with the bits left over. we returned many bottles that appeared full but the seals were broken. There were many other bad points, but just please think twice before you spend your money on a costa cruise. Read Less

Cruise was chosen primarily for the itinerary and because we had travelled with Costa before. Although not 5 star, Costa has generally offered good value but this time there were cutbacks apparent which changed all that. Firstly, it seems that staffing has been reduced. For example, no poolside or buffet bar services offered - apart from the short period at breakfast, supplying coffee etc. Also, only one cabin visit from the steward per day which meant having to reuse wet towels for a morning shower. There seemed to be fewer staff around generally which might have been the reason for slower bar and restaurant service - and as a result this may explain the tepid or sometimes cold food being delivered to tables. The Cruise Consultant confirmed (sadly) that these changes were across all Costa ships, not just this one. There was a lot of pressure to buy the drinks packages, which we tend to do anyway but far fewer people seemed to be PAYG for drinks. With the reduced staffing it was much more difficult to get served and we began to wonder whether this was engineered to reduce the drinks bill for those having bought packages. Also, talking about the drinks package, we were on board for nearly 4 weeks and at dinner and lunch we were served only two different white wines and two red. It got rather monotonous after a while. Finding a table for a buffet lunch was a challenge to say the least. Queueing was the norm - at the buffet and bars, the information desk, to see the English host, the Costa Club rep, even the Cruise Sales rep. A friend, went back to book their next cruise but walked away because the rep allowed someone to queue jump. Additional quick points: No chance of getting into the gym - far too small At the quiz, shabbily presented - girl with a mike - and poor English. Embarkation - bit of a farce, but that's not unusual with Costa Disembarkation - they blamed Port Authorities for a long delay, but it was Costa that evicted us from cabins at 8am Informstion Desk - visited twice and twice given incorrect info Despite all the above comments, I do want to emphasise that overall, staff were trying their best, still smiling and obliging. They seemed to be hampered by trying to serve more people in less time. This seems to be more of a management issue - or dare I say, a profits issue. Overall, I do feel reviewers should rate cruises with some consideration of the price they have paid for the their cruise and I have done so. Previously, I have been more than happy with the more laid back approach to cruising proved by Costa, and found it to be good value. Now, I feel it's gone too far. Read Less

We sailed from Mauritius to Venice, we picked this trip because of the itinerary I did look at some of the reviews before we went, but unfortunately I was too late to cancel. A lot of what I have to say has been said elsewhere, so I will confine my self to the main points, i.e. cabin, food, staff, general wear & tear of the ship. The cabin was tiny, with no room to stow our suit cases, the safe was also very small with only enough room to stow my wives jewels, also set so far back it was an effort to open & close it, the shower tray & curtain didn't meet, so the first time I had a shower I flooded the bathroom. as for the beds, in this day & age you expect foam mattresses not ones with the springs sticking our, our cabin steward did his best. Next door there was a French couple, my wife speaks good French, the walls were so thin that she could hear every word they said, which she then translated for my benefit, Food, others have commentated on the standard of food, regardless of where you eat was equally terrible, The variety of the food on board was good, just that the cooks didn't know how to cook it, 9 times out of 10 it was served up cold, the meat was so tough I thought the knives were blunt. My wife & I used to run a hotel, we had regular inspections by the catering standards board, one of the things they always were hot on was that all food must be served at 60º F (15.55ºC) this is an EU regulation. on many occasion I pointed this out to the staff & they said yes, yes we will put it right, next day they were serving cold food again, the ship has a motto (Taste don't waste) the majority of the waste was due to cold food. The staff seemed to think it was alight if they put it in a bane-marie, you can not reheat food in a bane -marie. It didn't matter if you eat in the main restaurant or in the buffet it was just the same. Water this has been covered by other reviewers, I will just add a foot note that no other cruise line makes you pay for water. They do not serve coffee after dinner, you have to go up 5 decks to the buffet to get a cup of coffee, they only serve hot milk at breakfast & lunch, so it's. stewed coffee with cold milk or do without. while on the subject none of the dinning rooms have a sommelier, you have to ask for the wine list, which is handed to you with very bad grace, as if to say "why haven't you bought a wine package" For some reason all music on board must be amplified which means where ever you go on the ship your ears are assaulted by Jungle music, they even amplify the concert grand. The evening entertainment was supposed to be top of the range acts, at best they were feeble at worst vulgar. On the qustion of dress code, Gala Nights (formal nights on a proper cruise ship) I packed a DJ, waste of space passengers came to Gala Night dinners wearing any thing from jeans normal trousers, some of the ladies made an effort but not many, out of the 2000 odd passengers you could count the number of DJs worn on one hand, However Costa do like to confuse its passengers, they throw special nights, like red & black night, or Italian night when you should wear red & green, this is all very well but they do not tell you any where, web site or Costa club when the nights or even how many there will be, There have been some comments in the reviews that the staff seem surly, I feel this is due to passengers not being able to give gratuities to the staff that have served them well, whether you like it or not 10€ per person per day will be added to your account. The price of the cruise may look cheap, but add on all the extras, like paying for an invitation to the captains cocktail party, having to buy more than 1 photo I believe its 4 or 5. The ship has been nicknamed Costa Packet. The ship is past it's prime, perpetual maintenance is the order of the day. Tired & tatty. This is an Italian ship, but it doesn't have the Italian flare, unlike MSC also Italian but as different as chalk from cheese. To sum up, if you are an english speaker, don't sail with Costa. I likened Costa Victoria to a 50 holiday camp on water, i.e. Butlins, some one piped up that that was an insult to Butlins. Read Less

We had previously traveled with Costa and it was just wonderful. Hoping for a similar experience, we booked this trip with great difficulty. Costa would not return e-mails or phone calls with our travel agent. They shoved a comfort package up our nose, saying we could not have the room without the package. Our room steward was wonderful. The swimming pool was very small and the hot tub was extremely dirty. The food was boring to say the least. Two buffet tables each with the same: always two curry dishes and two pasta dishes that were the same. That means a grand total of four spaces for each. From the buffet,hot water and free coffee were limited to breakfast and tea time.The coffee was just horrid. The cruise had been initially listed as 2 nights longer and we booked a bus tour accordingly. So we almost had to pull teeth to get Costa to cover our two extra nights in Rome that would have normally been on board. For the most part, much of the staff were rude and very stuck in their job descriptions. But there were a couple of gems: Lewis in the buffet room, two very special little ladies in the buffet room who got me hot water when I need it badly, the gentleman at reception who made the arrangements for me to play the bar piano in the afternoon(grr - first time had to find someone with a key, AND a piano bench). And since I was sick from Mumbai to Rome, everything was extremely frustrating. It was just our bad luck that we were not Italian, or our fortune that we were not screaming out heads off in that language. I could go on and on, but I think I have expressed my extreme disappointment with the whole trip. Read Less

This was a 31 day repositioning cruise from Reunion to Venice and the main attraction was the itinerary around the Indian Ocean and the Eastern Med. The Victoria is an old ship and the decor, compared to MSC ships can best be described as ‘drab’. This was my first Costa Cruise so I had an open mind. The usual mix of five languages with French and Italians being predominant - very rude and very ignorant. The cabins were comfortable and the showers were always hot with plenty of pressure. Food was very good. Never a bad meal. I did not use the buffet after witnessing people handling food directly, replacing food from their plates having changed their mind (I assume) and generally coughing all over it. The standard of hygiene was a genuine concern - the Staff did nothing to enforce cleanliness and, as others have commented, hand gel containers were usually empty. Almost all passengers were affected to varying degrees with a severe cough and chest infection which the staff did nothing to prevent or restrict. Passengers that were clearly very ill and should have been confined to their cabins were allowed in the dining rooms - happily sharing their germs to all and sundry. Security was also very poor - the ‘Security Team’ inspired absolutely no confidence. Entertainment was generally good and the majority of the bar and restaurant staff worked very hard and always with a smile. My cabin steward was hopeless but he was probably the exception. Shore excursions were, basically, a rip off. Extremely poor value for money. Drinks prices in the bars were high - much higher than in a shore bar and with a 15% service charge. The daily service charge of 10 euros was mandatory. Pizza was available at an additional charge - on an Italian Ship! Because of the hygiene and security concerns I would never consider a Costa cruise again. Read Less

Visiting unique ports of call like Madagascar and the Seychelles the Costa Victoria was fine. The staff on the ship worked very hard and managed well dealing with the incredibly variety of languages spoken by passengers from so many different countries. Entertainment was first class and probably better or at least equal to the best on any of our previous cruises. The food supplied was very good but not outstanding with extra charges for things normally included on a cruise like ice cream (not even supplied with the desserts in the dining room) and pizzas ( on an Italian ship!!) As a European registered ship paying minimum EU wages it was consequently understaffed compared to some other cruise lines paying lower wages. This was evident in the dining room, bars and cabin care. No waiters or bar evident in the theatre either. Excursions (in such an impoverished part of the world) were very expensive but were generally very interesting and worthwhile. We suspect that staff would make extra efforts if the gratuities were not a compulsory automatic addition to the ship account. Another oddity was the daily debit of our credit card rather than the usual procedure of settling the bill at the end of the cruise. This made it difficult to dispute the bill or cancel a reserved excursion (if, for example! It became apparent that it required more physical ability than expected). However - we are confident that the totals at the end of the cruise were correct. The ship was in excellent condition and was constantly being varnished and painted. Read Less

We didn't have high expecations after all bad reviews on ths website. But by the end it was a very nice surprise for us! It was an excellent cruise as we could stay almost three days on Seychelles, we spent three days on Madagaskar and two days on Reunion! Crew on the ship was just perfect, entertainment team was unbelievable (entertaining for 24 hrs a day!), teather shows were excellent!, food in the restaurants very good (Club restaurant very professional!) - and some very very nice wines! Yes, gym was too small and some equipment broken, that could be improved. Internet was also very slow, we bought 3000Mb package, but we could use only half of that, that could be improved also. Some shore excursions were ok, some could be better, but it is everybody's choice. We had a rented car on Seychelles and Mauritius. CONCLUSION: Vivat Victoria! We will definetelly go again with Costa! Read Less

Excellent itinerary - The pearls of the Indian Ocean including Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Reunion. We are frequent travellers from Norway and we have been on cruise many times with Cunard, RCCL and Celebrity. We were rather surprised to read about the bad critics made by other travellers. We decided therefore to write this review in order to give other points of view regarding Costa Cruise. Although the Costa Victoria is old, she is very well maintained and very clean. The overall organisation and logistics on board are outstanding. In my view at same level as the other companies we know: RCCL and Celebrity. The security is taken very seriously and the service everywhere is excellent. The food is better than average and one will always find something he/she likes. Very large variety of menus. However, after 2 weeks, one loose appetite, which is rather normal. We "upgraded" our meals to the restaurant Club Victoria for 5 days at an additional cost of EUR 25 per day including breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is more elegant and smaller. The service there was more personalised and sitting place/time flexible. Activities on board are good. Dynamic teams entertain people on deck. In my view, there are a little bit too much activities on deck, but it probably suits younger people than me. There are quiet places many other places on board when it gets too noisy at the pool deck. The shows in the evenings were exceptional nearly every night. Bravo to the dancers! The fitness room needs to be refurbished. The size is too small and not adapted to the large number of users. The cabin (with balcony) is not very large but comfortable. The beds are good. We did not use the excursions proposed on board because we are used to take local taxis or other transportation means when we are on land. Excursions sold on board are too expensive. The spa and massages are far too expensive as well. But overall we will highly recommend Costa Victoria and the itinerary in the Indian Ocean. High value for the money paid. Read Less

My wife and I chose this cruise for its itinerary, its cost and not the cruise line. We had read a variety of differing reviews and were expecting to have some problems with availability of free drinking water and hot drinks. We encountered no such problems as both were readily available in the self service restaurants throughout the day and late evening. Staff were approachable and friendly given the fact they had to contend with so many different nationalities. Once we had recognised we were aboard a ship reflecting the United Nations we embraced the opportunities to interact with our fellow passengers who reciprocated in a similar manner. Fellow passengers were friendly and it is to be expected with so many people in a confined space there were some occasions when people acted in a discourteous manner. Embarkation was the quickest we had ever experienced and everything was available for us to use once we were aboard. Disembarkation proved to be a similar experience and because we were going to hotel later on in the day we were able to stay onboard enjoying the benefits until no later than 12 noon. Our outside cabin was comfortable and clean. We had no issues of disturbance from entertainment sounds even though we were below the Concorde plaza which had live music until the early hours. Lifts were plentiful and efficient. However, our cabin was on deck 6a and to get to it we had to climb down a flight of stairs from deck7 which would be challenging for anybody with mobility problems. Staff easily changed our assigned dining time to our preferred time. The menu choice in restaurants and buffet was varied given the large numbers of diners.The Sinfonia restaurant provided a more relaxed environment for breakfast and you were able to order items from a menu additional to the buffet. On our 14 night cruise there were two Gala dinners and dress code was optional, black tie, suit and smart casual. We were not able to find out before embarking on the cruise what the dress code was going to be. Additional to the two formal nights we had a white night and an Italian red white and green night, all of which were optional. The daily diary,delivered late evening, was full of the days activities, timings and venues. We participated in some and watched others entertain us and fellow passengers as is usual when cruising. Entertainment in the the theatre included a variety of genres and overall it provided a pleasant experience. Visiting the Seychelles for 2 days enabled us on the first day to tour the Island using the local buses from the central bus station in Victoria for 7 rupees per journey. On the second day we used the services of one of the many tour touts ,outside the port gates, to provide us with a days tour to to the marine reserve, Moyenne Island, snorkelling and Creole meal for 90 euros each, which was cheaper than the cruise line. During our 3 days in Madagascar we used the excellent services of Madagascar Excursions to provide us with 3 excursions offered by the cruise line but at a much reduced price. In all the ports we visited taxis were available to negotiate a price for an excursion and we heard of no one being disappointed by using them. In Reunion Island we chose to hire a car from Avis, who have a pickup location five minute walk from the cruise terminal.The location also provides rentals from Budget. We chose to tour Reunion using a car because it gave us greater freedom of choice. We booked the car knowing we had to find overnight parking which we were pleased to find was available in the cruise terminal char park. In Mauritius we secured the services of Mauritius taxis, operated by a Mr.Charles, to provide us with an 8 hour tour of the south of the island for 83 euros between 3 persons. Both Mad’Ex tours and Mauritius taxis can be contacted by email. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the islands we visited acknowledging we have only had a snapshot of them. Read Less

We booked this cruise mainly due to the itinerary and this was our first taste of a Costa cruise. I did not have high expectations of Costa after reading the reviews here and so was not disappointed!!. Our cruise was in February 2019 visiting Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Reunion. . My review is about the ship and not the ports visited. What is the first thing you associate Italy with and would presume an Italian ship would deliver??.....Pizza and Ice Cream!!!. What a let-down… Ice cream available at a cost from a small freezer cabinet at the back of the buffet on the rear deck in the style of a Cornetto. Pizza only available from one of the specialist outlet at €8.50. What a lost opportunity for them to incorporate an ice cream bar like other cruise lines and serve some of the amazing Gelatos you find in mainland Italy. Also, instead of serving beef burgers and chips (everyday) at the pool bar, this area could have served slices of pizzas, at, I’m sure, a lower cost than burgers. Arrival: This was one of the quickest embarkation we have experienced(Mauritius). N.B. Debit cards cannot be assigned to your account, only credit cards. Also, if you usually pay your account at the end of the cruise by cash, this money must be deposited within 48 hours of boarding. Drinks packages: These are a nightmare to work out…I believe there are about 30 different types. Here are a few: 24 Cappuccinos €75, 24 Expresso €44, 12 x 1ltr water €36, Brindiamo (beers, juice, coffee, wine by glass, shorts) €28 per day per person. Piu Gusto (as Brindiamo but includes some cocktails) €33 per day per person. Intenditore (total freedom for any drink up to €9 each) €46 per person per day. Coffee and water packages can be taken by one person per cabin but beware drinks packages must be taken by all persons in same cabin over 18 years old. We drink very little, and so only went for the water package and purchased drinks as and when we wanted them. We found the prices were not as high as some cruise lines i.e. €5.50 for glass wine, €3.45 for Coca Cola, €5 for a draught beer. Prices mentioned here includes the 15% surcharge. Minibar drinks not included in the drinks packages. N.B. No water or coffee is served with lunch or dinner in the MDR. Coffee, tea and water by the glass is available free in the buffet areas from approx. 6.30am to 9pm. Food: (Lack of hand sanitizer used by many passengers and no staff enforcing this) Buffet: Oh, what a let down. Same old, same old….. The buffet deck has 4 different food areas, but the choice changed very little day to day. No hot plates, so by the time you got to your table, the luke-warm food was now cold! The tea urn supplied during the evening in the buffet is very poor. I think they show the teabag to it as it was so weak. MDR: Breakfast and lunch is open seating with Dinner being served at 2 different times, depending on which dining room you are allocated. The 2 sittings are 6.30pm and 6.45pm and then 9pm and 9.15pm. Breakfast in the MDR was part self service and a few set items on the menu…again this was a fixed menu for the whole cruise. Beware some items are pre prepared and kept refrigerated, so arrive cold and solid. Coffee and tea available, but had to ask for a teapot otherwise it’s just a small cup, which takes ages to get a refill. Lunch: again very little choice and at best luke-warm food served. Dinner: A very basic 3 star affair and they know how to put you off eating too much!!...on entry to the dining room they display each of the meals on a plate in a cabinet, talk about a turn off. Any drinks, water etc is not free at the table, unless you have purchased a drinks package. I think this is the first cruise we have ever been on where water is not served free of charge with a meal ( I can get it free in the buffet, but not the MDR!). Formal nights/Gala nights were no different to any other night. We also saw people arriving in t.shirts etc to sit in the dining room. When I challenged the waiters to this ,they just shrugged their shoulders and said they couldn’t do anything about it…memo to myself: if I go on a Costa cruise again I will only pack casual clothes. Speciality dinner in Club Victoria…DON’T DON’T DON’T!!!! For a special offer of only €14 per person (this price is only if the lead person of the cabin books, otherwise the cost is €28pp) you can have a ‘gourmet dinner in an elegant environment’. We tried the restaurant one evening. The seating and décor is very well laid out but the food was nothing special. We took the menu with us to compare it to the MDR……guess what. IDENTICAL!!!! Word for word the menus read the same, even the wine they suggested with the meal. So for an extra €28, We ate the same food as if we had eaten in the MDR!!. By the way anyone who would prefer to eat in Club Victoria for the whole cruise, it will set you back €330 pp. Cabin: We booked an inside cabin. Our first cabin was 80527. It was the average size for a cruise ship. It had a hanging wardrobe with a few huge hangers locked onto the rail..grrrr, why oh why do they have to do that. Also it means there is very little room to hang more than about 12 items. There were also 4 drawers, 3 shelves, safe, fridge etc. Bathroom was a corner layout. Soap was in a dispenser in the shower and a small bar of soap on the side of the sink. No other toiletries were supplied. That evening we went to bed and then realised there was massive banging going on as much as 27 times in 15 minutes. By 2.30am my husband got dressed and went to reception, to be told it was ‘normal and just the waves outside’........it was flat calm outside!!!. With barely any sleep, in the morning, we asked our cabin steward to come in and listen..he agreed something was wrong. Complained again to reception and they sent an engineer. Again he agreed and even said he could hear it in his cabin. Anyway after a few more calls and meetings, they moved us to another inside cabin 90534…oh bliss, no noise. There is no turn down service in the evening and no chocolate on the pillow! There are no launderettes on board any Costa ship. In addition there was no washing line in the bathroom. To have a shirt laundered by staff was approx. €2.50. Shops on board: There was not much choice unless you like watches!. 3 watch shops, 1 handbag shop, 1 clothing shop and a general store. Toiletries were very limited in the general store. There was the usual sea day sales bonanzas going on. The best was the ‘scrum’ at these events, which seemed much livelier due to mainly European passengers!. Sunbeds etc: Usual complaints regarding sun beds being commandeered by passengers with towels left on them, unattended for hours on end. Again staff did not do anything about it. We had some passengers pulling sun beds across gangways and again staff just walked around them. Maybe staff don’t do anything as they are forcing you to buy time in the quiet area..€10-14 pp per day!! Tours/port transfers: Tours costs as usual were much higher than if you did them on your own. I only did one tour, on my own, by the ship (2nd day in Reunion). We did visit all places mentioned but due to the traffic congestion, time was cut from the stops, so we still arrived back at the same time. For all independent travellers there is no information or maps given out. Any port transfers to town were charged approx. €7. Generally…the staff are very friendly and helpful. We felt the staff were much happier than on other cruise lines we have cruised with. I wonder if this is due to the automatic tipping system that cannot be cancelled. On Costa it is called Hotel Service Charge at €10 pp p.n.. Finally, would I cruise Costa again??..never say never, but the itinerary and price would have to reflect another Costa cruise! Read Less