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Never again with Costa

Ketchikan

I hadn't cruised with Costa before, but with 5 other lines. The itinerary (Spain to Brazil) interested me as a biologist and natural history photographer, and the price was very reasonable, probably because the relocation nature and the lack of port visits meant the ship was (according to the crew) about half empty. My double cabin, for one person and no single supplement, was outstanding value and the cabin staff personable and friendly. Many of the other staff were Brazilian, because of Brazilian government regulations, and many seemed to be novice crew and spoke nothing, or almost nothing, apart from Portguese. One good point is that ship's announcements are made in several languages and your daily newsletter is dedicated to your native language. I had three meals in the main (formal) dining room which were average quality, and all other meals in the cafeteria, which was decent, competent food but (for example) nothing like the cafeteria standard on HAL I experienced earlier this year. I like the ship, with its many open decks for watching and photographing wildlife but the Deck 3 (promenade) layout is frustrating, with only one exit door per side, meaning long walks to get outside, and no circular route around the entire ship - apart from that it's a lovely place to sit and watch the ocean. I didn't visit the horrendous 'Las Vegas' of Deck 5, other than to consult the English cruise consultant, nor the bars, theatres, and swimming pools, so no opinions on those except, as usual of ships, alcohol prices exorbitant.

Communication and general organisation was not good. Entering the cabin and switching on the TV briefing, you are told to join the ship's WiFI (simple) and download the Costa app to your phone for all your journey's communications and information. The problem is that you couldn't download the app from the ship's WiFi and that is something you should have done in the Barcelona terminal, except the terminal, at least when I was there, had no WiFi. After trying to follow the TV instructions for almost an hour I realised this just didn't work and visited the IT consultant who told me I couldn't do it like that and, really, I should download the app to my phone before I joined the ship. Useful to know but a little too late. Because of that I couldn't complete the app-based 'LifeBoat Drill' in time and received a naughty letter from the administration! That first night, the app also told me my assigned formal restaurant was not open, even though I had an assigned table of 8 people, so I did not go, using the cafeteria instead. When I went formal the next night I found it had been open!

The miscommunication reached its peak upon disembarkation in Rio de Janeiro. I wanted to book a trasnfer from port to International Airport, asked several times during the trip if there was such a thing, to be told each time they didn't know. Two days before the end of the trip I asked another staff member in another location and was told, yes, there would be a transfer for EUR 45 and would I like to book it. I did. The day before disembarkation I received a note, with tags, telling me a transfer would be leaving from 'immediately outside the disembarkation terminal' at 11:00 am. The note contained no other information - was it a taxi, a coach, a minibus and how would they contact me?? I left the ship carrying my own luggage and was in position about 90 minutes early thinking that the transfer would be obvious but, by 10:50, nothing seemed to be there and so I asked two nearby Costa staff (with badges) if they could help. They couldn't and they knew nothing and didn't offer to contact anyone else on the staff who might know. By this time I was one of very few passengers still outside the terminal, complete with distinctive, bright yellow transfer tags and still no-one approached me, there was no-one with a sign, nothing. I had a flight to catch so, by about 11:20 I decided I had to make the best of it and take an official taxi, of which there were hundreds waiting, to the airport. I paid by card, the card was defrauded, and the taxi driver attempted to fleece me of almost £300, of which £220 was stopped automatically by my bank. In addition I had to pay £30 using a cash machine at the airport as the driver claimed the card hadn't worked (he even showed me the screen) but clearly there are some clever scams going on here.

I have complained about this mess to Costa and asked them to at least reimburse the EUR45 I paid for a tranfer I didn;t use, but they have refused. No apology either. Instead they now imply that (a) I shouldn't have left the ship early with my bags (b) that I should have waited inside the terminal and not outside which is where my instructions stated I would meet the transfer, and (c) that some staff spent over 20 minutes looking for me before leaving at 11:15. Those first two points should perhaps have been made clear in the live briefing the day before and, more importantly, in the note left in my cabin, but clearly they are making this up as we go along. The third point must simply be a lie, as one of only 10-12 passengers remaining outside the terminal at 11:10 those "staff" had the time to question each one of us, and certainly to look for yellow bag-tags, before allowing the bus or whatever to leave the terminal. 

So, all in all, by far the most unpleasant treatment I have ever had, after about a dozen cruises all over the world and something that, if you listen to all the stories about taxi drivers in Rio, could have turned out even worse. Costa clearly don't believe or trust their customers when we make constructive criticism, instead preferring to deny and deflect any responsibility. I had another cruise booked with Costa for later this year but I will be cancelling and don't mind losing the deposit. I won't be using them again and I guess we get what we pay for??

PS The photos shows the taxi that swindled me, for info for other to avoid, and the VERY detailed information sheet I received for disembarkation .....

A cheap, cheerful but interesting itinerary, spoiled by an unpleasant disembarkation and offhand customer service.

What should have been a relaxing cruise for two ended up as a constant battle against a ship and its crew.

There was no hospitality on board, worst cruise experience I have ever had. At one point I had to fear for my life and not one person would take responsibility. We were stuck in line on deck 2 with over 100 other passenger for more than a hour with no information or assistance, only after a hour someone from Costa came rushing through the line to tell us that the ship won't be opening on this deck and that we had to move somewhere else. It got so hot and crowded in that narrow hallway if only one person would started to panic or freak out who knows what could have happened. When asked at the reception what was the cause of this and if we could get an explanation they could only tell us there was an malfunction at the door and that it was not their fault but the fault of the shore personnel, later it turns out they will blame everything on the shore personnel and it is never Costa's fault. After voicing my concerns about the safety of having so many people packed together for that long of a period they told me that they would make a note of it. I asked for an official complaint form but they told me they didn't have any.

The ship itself was mostly dirty with the worst part being the food court on deck 9, tables were only cleared after service forcing people to sit at dirty tables. Dirty cups and plates scattered throughout the entire ship and with no one around to clear them we unfortunately saw a fair share been blown into the sea. Complaints were not dealt with and actively ignored. The ship was severely understaffed with an under experienced entertainment team having to pitch in almost everywhere. The general bad organization making it a complete chaos from the beginning till the end. Most of the staff were not able to smile or even acknowledge you and sadly enough it was the seniors and officers who were the worst of them all. 

The food in the main dining restaurant was good, the rest was poor quality at best and no variety what so ever. Everyday they would serve the same food for breakfast and on deck 9 it was the same for every meal. Struggled to find any vitamins or vegetables even the orange juice was so watered down that it might as well been just water, if you were able to get it all because they close most stations mid service. 

Every 2 á 3 days the ship was filled with new passengers, making it feel more like a ferry service than a cruise. Most passengers seem to have booked the cruise as quick holiday getaway bringing their entire families for a 3 day bender. They closed the fire doors almost everywhere on the ship making it feel like you are trapped inside with very limited ways to escape the crowds. 

Shameless manipulation at the end of our cruise were they would try to manipulate everyone to give them a 10 rating, anything below that would be at severe punishment for the crew by Carnival Corporation & plc. They gave an entire 20 minute presentation just to get this point across.

My conclusion is that I will never go on a Costa Cruise again.

A struggle

Trip from IJmuiden to the Shetland islands and Iceland and back. Reading all the reviews I don't need to add much more comment. Costa is not learning from the reviews people are writing . In short: food is always cold/ extra payment for water!!!!/ extra payment for frenche fries/ pizza/ snacks.

Embarkation was a chaos in IJmuiden. Much too less tender boats in some harbours with resulted in long waiting time .

We did another Costa cruise in 2012 which was very good....in 2023 the quality decreased a lot. 

The crew is doing their best but management is not taking a leading role. Dinners and lunches are very poor. Not much variation. Food is important during a cruise so try to serve something special. They did not show this at all. The sightseeing of Iceland was wonderfull. We were blessed with good weather.

Entertainment is just above moderate. The theater has a very bad climate control and to see the show was almost impossible since you are always looking at a horizontal or vertical bar so that you did not see the show.

For more reviews please have a look at the internet.

Very bad ship, food and management

Everything was far below normal standards

No heating in the buffet restaurant in iceland and greenland

You had to eat with thick socks and coat on

A lot op people got sick with the flu during this cruises

We both were sick for one week

There was a lot of sneezing.

No hygienic measures for the guests.

Hand sanitizers were mostly empty

Staircase rails were sticky

Food was everyday the same and always cold and of very poor quality

Even fried eggs were cold

Ice machines were mostly empty

No port information on destinations

Unfriendly crew and trying to manipulate to give a good review afterwards when you get the email when you are at home

We waited in que for 90 minutes for a return tender to the schip in the freezing cold in Kirkwal together with hundreds of older and handicapped people 

Only 2 tenders for all the people who must return to the ship

You have been warned!

Avoid Costa

I chose this cruise because it was going to Greenland.

I boarded in Bremerhaven.

Boarding there was chaotic.

We had opted for an inside cabin, because it is financially better.

In addition, we had booked a number of excursions.

In IJmuiden a day of your own in Amsterdam.

On the boat it was again chaotic, the time that we had to report was exceeded, without us being informed by the staff why this was. This made the guests impatient.

Communication was bad.

We were scheduled for dinner at 8.30 pm, since that is too late for us, we always went to eat on the 9th floor.

However, here the food was consistently cold. The only thing warm was the soup.

Too bad, cold food for 21 days.

In Greenland we had booked the excursion, getting in touch with the local population and their food and beer culture.

This sounded very promising.

However, in the end, it turned out that we were led to a restaurant led by a Danish guide, served here by grumpy Greenlanders, with some cold lif cobblers and 4 different beers, a sip in disposable cups. We were also not allowed on the WIFI in the restaurant, they said loudly that there was no WIFI, while the telephone clearly indicated that it was there.

So little beer that you could not judge the beer. For this excursion we paid 119 Euro per person. And there was really no contact with the local population. I think they charged a little too much for this excursion.

After 2 weeks in the hut on the first floor, a ticking sound suddenly started behind the hut. Passed this on to the flight attendant. However, he couldn't do anything about it. So to the reception, who did not believe us at first and had to take a closer look. We had recorded the sound, but that was not enough.

After more than 5 hours and getting angry, we finally got a new cabin, now on the 7th floor.

This hut was not clean, there was still a peanut on the floor. This was never picked up by housekeeping in the remaining time of the cruise.

Due to ice, we had to leave Greenland earlier, so we were only there for 3 days instead of 4 days.

However, the trip was booked for Greenland. The way there was also canceled due to ice. However, no compensation.

The fitness room was too small, which created dangerous situations.

The evening shows were very good. My compliments.

Little service in the bar, which made collecting your drinks yourself faster.

Often you were sent away in a seat, because the space for taking pictures had to be arranged if necessary.

And not nice.

Disembarking in Bremerhaven was terrible.

We had to report to the theater at 08:30.

Only after half an hour, because people were getting restless, was it only communicated that there were problems.

Finally after an hour and a half we were able to disembark.

The information was often incorrect or incomplete.

In Bremerhaven, all the color codes were mixed up, so finding your suitcase was difficult.

Poor cruise

We chose this cruise because of the dates and the itinerary, which fit with other travel plans. Also, the price for the cruise was extremely reasonable compared to other cruise lines making the same itinerary. However, we were hesitant about booking with Costa, largely because of the negative reviews on this and other sites from U.S. Citizens. 

But I must conclude that these negative reviews were wildly off base, and could only be from the kind of malcontents who obsess about minor matters. The cruise was exceptionally pleasant at every turn. We were taken care of with enormous consideration and hospitality, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. This cruise was one that is organized by Costa for its Costa Club members, many hundreds of whom were on board, so I am prepared to think that there may have been special care taken for this group of loyal passengers, but the entire atmosphere on board was one of continual attentiveness to passenger needs and comfort.  One of the passengers had cruised with Costa 84 times! (She got an award), and there were many who had been on this cruise line dozens of times, so it is hard to believe that they were dissatisfied with their experiences. 

We were two of only very few native English speakers on board, although we speak the main languages used on the ship (Italian, Spanish, French, German), we were made to feel completely welcome with a special English language guest director, and all excursions with English guide options. We were on the ship over the 4th of July, and the ship arranged a 4th of July party just for us (only 5 U.S. Citizens). 

Our cabin (a mini-suite) was pleasant, with a large balcony, and comfortable bed and storage space. The cabin attendants were excellent, and if we  needed anything, they appeared almost immediately with whatever we requested. We used room service for breakfast on early excursion days, and the  room service was scrupulously on time, and catering accommodated our special orders though not on the menu. 

The itinerary was fabulous through the Norwegian fjords to beyond the Arctic Circle with breath-taking scenery and well organized shore excursions. I was traveling with a mobility scooter and was  able to bring it on every excursion, where it was loaded into the undercarriage of the tour buses and offloaded when we had walking tours. 

Dining was very good. The main dining room had generally high quality food--breakfasts being especially extensive. The ship does have only three specialty restaurants. Archipelago is a fantastic dining experience which we highly recommend. Three set menus from Michelin starred chefs, two of which joined the cruise for part of the time. The food was gorgeous and extraordinary. No one should miss this experience.  Sadly, the other two specialty restaurants--the Teppanyaki grill and the Sushi restaurant were below the standard we would find in any large city. They were not terrible, but also not the special treat one would hope. 

There were some oddities about the food service. As U.S. citizens we got a special consideration of "free water" provided by the glass at dinner. Other guests  had to purchase bottled water. Also, free coffee was only served during breakfast and at "coffee hour" from 4 to 5 in the afternoon (where patrons loaded up on an astonishing array of pastries). 

One of the most enjoyable experiences was a very economical wine tasting with imaginative wines that proved to be a real education for us. 

Entertainment was varied and suited to many tastes--dance, vocals, acrobatics, magic shows, and comedy, in a wonderful theater with no columns to block the view. This was one of the best theaters I have seen on a ship--and the shows were especially noteworthy for their fantastic projections and technological complexity. 

The spa and gym were extremely well equipped and widely used. 

All in all we had a great time on this cruise, and I feel sorry for the guests who have downgraded the cruise and the ship because they didn't get coffee without paying for it any time they wished, or because they thought their food was served to cold. This is minor stuff, and the crew and staff of the Favolosa on this cruise did a great job. Plus, it was honestly great value for money.  I would recommend this ship and this cruise company highly.

Excellent cruise on a very happy ship with wonderful itinerary

I can't even begin to start, the captain is a terrible driver we were on the 9th floor and we felt the ship moving so bad that the whole family got sick the food is extra and the buffet food is the same every day we couldn't even play bingo correctly without people yelling about the numbers and it was rigged to drop down from 5000 to 500 dollars no one ever wins the 5000$ I suggest if your gonna go on this cruise or plan to embark on costa cancel immediately trust me you won't regret it it's 4$ for water on the ship and the service is awful we wanted two beds and instead got bunk beds the service was horrendous they gave us the wrong room and the cleaning people where in our room for hours at times the internet would stop and is 120$ to use for the whole trip

I have never been so disappointed and dissatisfied 

All us residents should read this review before opting for costa cruise lines (in europe) or this ship, the costa favolosa. If you are familiar with the “normal” us-type ships (e.g., carnival, royal caribbean, ncl, holland america, etc) then favolosa will come as a shock to you and the standards you are used to.    i am not trying to be disparaging but simply stating the  facts in comparison to our 25 years of what we considered “normal” cruising on ships other than costa/favolosa.  the differences may make you think twice about selecting this ship or the costa line. This review is based on the 12 day costa favolosa mediterranean / morocco cruise that departed barcelona on  october 18th 2022.

I will state the very positive – the itinerary was great (barcelona, cadiz, gibraltar, tangier, casablanca, malaga, valencia, savona (opted to visit monaco) and marseilles.  and for the most part the excursions were generally good.  but if you want to visit these areas then you must be ready for some vast differences in what you’ve been used to!  the standards, policies and practices that are common place on all of the other ships that predominantly serve the us (to include rccl for our past baltic and british isles tours and holland america for our past greek isles  tour) are very different of what you will find on costa (favolosa).  i cannot say that the comments below refer to all the italian costa line ships but for certain they are what we found on the favolosa.


First off, reservations are normally made by a us based (miami?) element of costa which can only talk to reservations.  they do not know (or only will guess) what really happens once you get in europe and on the cruise.  there is very little online, except peoples’ reviews, to tell you what exactly happens on costa, so be prepared for an adventure.  as we got into this cruise, and the daily challenges, we coined the phrase:  “costa—it’s not just a cruise, it’s an adventure!” - - and take that any way you want.  following are some bullet points that hopefully you will find useful, and again, they are using all the non-costa cruise line ships as a baseline.

Costa is relatively cheap to book.  but you will pay for almost everything else – including things you have previously taken for granite – like coffee, tea, water, pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, etc.

The favolosa takes on and discharges passengers at savona, marseilles and barcelona so people are embarking and disembarking at each of these ports (in addition to people getting on and off for tours).  this didn’t seem to present any problems, just unusual.

The currency is euro’s.  you have to link a credit card to your onboard account or make cash (euro) deposits into an atm -like machine during the cruise to cover your expenses. You must do this within 24 hrs of boarding.  you do not need any cash.  us dollars are not accepted on costa (but at each port, generally speaking you find shop keepers accepting  $).

The casino is very small and not emphasized on the favolosa.  it has maybe 40 slot machines and some small tables that i rarely saw anyone playing at.   you can insert euro’s into the slot machines or you can charge your room for slot machine “vouchers”.  there is no limit - - and the dollars you use (charge) simple go on you final bill to be settled in your account.

Boarding was actually quick and easy—no issues there.

Italian is the principal language spoken; next french,  spanish and german.  most costa employees speak some english and some are fluent – but that is not the predominant language and most announcements are in italian/french/spanish.  the reception desk has several sets of different workers and all are multi-lingual, with most speaking some english.  but don’t get confused with their ability to converse in english with their ability to understand and solve problems.

Most importantly for us resident/citizens- you must have the costa app but there is no app for us phones—almost everything (95%) you do on costa is via the app-- (from looking at itineraries, to checking your upcoming tours, to even being able to see the dining menus (there are no menus on the dining room tables) – and if you don’t have the “app” you are at a major disadvantage.  and when you have an issue, or problem or want to know something, and you ask a costa cruise employee, the first thing they say is “look at the app”.  but (important !!!!) costa does not, repeat not, have an app that you can download on a us phone—and you cannot use a uk or other app - -you simply can’t get it!”.  so in the vernacular, you’re screwed.  and when queried, costa  admits it.  some reason about legalities, but bottom line, there is no app for us phones – period!

Excursions, services, wifi etc – if you are trying to “purchase” these prior to boarding be aware that they may be different from what you see on board.  for example, the largest wifi package we could opt for (and pay for) before boarding was 3 gb ($95) – which we paid for; but when we got on board you could now get unlimited (for $160) – but they were unable to “undo” or upgrade our 3gb package – they couldn’t do it. So we had to order another unlimited package.

Wifi- - very, very spotty; off and on; and most of the time for some reason, it did not work when you were in port.  often it was down and there is no wifi desk/expert onboard.  the reservation desk tries to handle the issues, but they all admit  that wifi is handled by some  mysterious off-ship (non-costa) organization  and they are helpless to fix things—except to reboot the router/server and hope for the best.  many of them are shocked that we didn’t have the app, but those with a bit more experience know that us  phones can’t get the app. (And if you look for the app, do not confuse it with the Costa coffee app.)

There are very few us/british/english speaking passengers on the ship – maybe 5%?  hence english is not predominant and presents some/many challenges. But you are  in europe on a foreign ship so can’t complain - - you’re  not us-based - - you’re in a foreign country.

Having said that, when you opt for a tour, you need to specify the language for your tour.  since english is in the minority, of our 10 tours we had scheduled (in english) 3 were cancelled the night before due to not enough english participants as required by the tour operator.

You don’t purchase (or get billed for) tours before you actually take them.  you can reserve them all on line before you go on your cruise, but they are simply “reserved” and not guaranteed.  when the tour actually takes place, then you are billed for it. You don’t know when your tour will depart or the bus number until you get the daily program (“compass”) or as costa calls it “ogga de bordo”, normally about 9-10pm the night before you dock.—unless you have the app.

With all due respect, going to 10 different ports in 5 different countries, and operating in several different languages, finding and getting on your bus each port day is challenging to say the best.  the costa tour people try their best but even they are overwhelmed – too many (“emotional”) people, too many busses, some busses not even showing up until later, too many languages, so before you tour each morning, get ready for a real zoo! Note there is no announcement over the pa system  that you have docked or that you are ready to disembark.  (maybe it tells you that on the infamous appp).

Tours generally were good and not as expensive as the other cruise lines.  however, do not believe what the write-ups say o line and in brochures.  the tour lengths are about correct but for those with mobility challenges, many tours list one hour walking.  there are no one-hour walking tours.  most that say  one hour are closer to two hours.  and that does not include standing.  and almost all tours require climbing stairs- - 200 steps to visit a castle or cathedral is not uncommon.  even the tour guides said the brochures and online info are misleading.

Generally, the  bus drivers and tour guides were decent (bus drivers were amazingly adept and negotiating all the very small streets and hairpin turns) - -but the walking pace is necessarily quick to see all the sites on the agenda.  on the casablanca tour, our guide wanted to see how fast he could run thru the market (which was  like a maze and packed with vendors) and almost lost people – and  you do not want to get separated from your group in casablanca.  We also heard a horror story about a similar incident for the group that went to Marakesh where the tour guide (moving way too fast for the slower walkers to keep up with) did indeed lose a few folks but fortunately they were able to spot their group later on (no thanks to the guide.)

The layout of the ship is not conducive to effective operations.  two of the best examples are the buffet (café d’ oro) and the main reception area on deck 3.

Deck 3, is the main area, and has the band and bar located right in the middle.  on one side (right next to the bar/dance floor is the tours desk and on the other side is the reservations desk (or you might call it concierge, or where most of your business is done – for everything.)  but when the band is playing (loud!  or the dj – loud !) you cannot hear what the desk people are saying.  one poor (costa) employee said that at the end of her shift she is hoarse since she has to scream at all her customers so she can be heard.  she said it is a terrible arrangement --and it is.

The buffet (café d’ oro) is another example of inefficiency.  in “normal” cruise lines, if you want hot food, you go to the hot food “island”; and if you want salad, you go to the salad island; and if you want dessert, you go to the desert station.  on the favolosa everything is on one line!  and the lines are long.  even if you want one item, you stand in the long line.  and items aren’t necessarily in “order”—you may find salad at the beginning of the line or at the end of the line.  granted there are maybe 3-4 separate lines, but again - - it’s all in one – no islands/ or stations.

Dining/food:  if you have visions of high-end rich, hot, savory italian dishes - -forget it. At least what americans consider italian food – which is not what (real?) italians consider italian  food.  separate the buffet from the two dining areas.  the single buffet is on deck 9.  the favolosa has two non-buffet areas (on decks 3 and 4) – one in the forward part of the ship and another in the aft end.  you have assigned tables and can only pick from one of two seatings:  7:00 pm or 9:00pm.  dinner is served (slowly) and takes between 1 ½ - 2 hours to eat (to get your 4 courses – starter, first, main, and dessert).  most food comes at room temperature – never had any “hot” food.

There is no coffee served in the dining rooms.  if you want coffee (like with your dessert – which apparently most europeans don’t) -  then you (yourself) must get up from your table, exit the dining room, go to the bar, order (and pay for) coffee, and bring it back to your table.  there is also no ice cream offered for dessert – in the dining rooms or buffet - -if you want some, you have to purchase it (no freebies) at the gelato shop.

Don’t get used to any hot food – the hottest food is warm at best with most foods being room temperature or cold.  just the way it is.

The buffet is predominantly made up of many small plates (4” x 4”) mostly cold/cool, mostly some aspect of fish and many flatly unidentifiable.  there are lots of mysterious things to pick from.  note this is the only cruise i have lost weight on and i eat about anything (preferably identifiable).

In the dining rooms you have the 4 courses and generally you can find something you can eat - - if you can understand what the description is – and most do not contain meat.  as said before, the menu is available on the app, but you can request a paper menu from your waiter.  each portion is about ¼ the size you’re used to on a normal cruise line.  we normally weren’t hungry (as we could always order a garden salad (strangely, not listed on the menu – you had to ask for it) and minestrone soup (which tended to be whatever was leftover the day before was now in your minestrone.)  marinara sauce is not the norm – normally the pasta is plain, or a light butter, or something unrecognizable – like squid or anchovy sauce)—although i personally liked the cuttlefish offerings.

Formal (“elegant”) nights- -  this means wear a t-shirt with sleeves.  while each sea day has a “formal night” (which costa terms “elegant” dress -- no  one (meaning no one) even had a coat on.  most of the european clientele wore short sleeved shirts (some outlandish hawaiian shirts) and many of the 30-somethings just wore collarless t-shirts.  while the daily program (which is  delivered to your cabin each night) says what the recommended attire is for the next evening – no one pays any attention to it.  mainly short sleeve shirts, some shorts, but nothing dressy.  and again, while they call the sea days “elegant nights” – i was the most elegant with a sport jacket and no tie and i was overdressed. Oh, and don’t even dream about having lobster - -unless you pay for one of the specialty restaurants.

Bottom line – food was edible but most disappointing.

Cabin attendants only come and straighten your room / give you new towels once during the day.  no service at night. No towel animals.

With the DJ or band blasting til past midnight, do not get a cabin close to the atrium area (which is NOT in the center of the ship, but on Deck 3 more forward.)

On the really positive side, almost all the costa employees are cheerful, nice and try to be helpful.  but they are swamped by the hordes of international customers clamoring to have their problems solved. And when you do have the luxury to talk with one, they admit the way the ship is run is not conducive to effectiveness or efficiency -  and they say that the issues have been pointed out – but they are hapless and helpless to change things.

The cabins do have small refrigerators that are stocked w some drinks (non-alcoholic) and goodies (you pay for them if used)   they are not pressure sensitive, so you can remove and replace things)—you have a bit of room to put in some items or you can remove some of the items there and replace with your own.

Covid cleanliness --  while the staff habitually wore masks, none were required on board and we saw virtually no passengers wearing masks (less than 1%).  while tables and slot machines were cleaned we did not observe any regular cleaning of common surfaces like handrails. There were some hand dispensers for disinfectant.

In closing. Us phones cannot get the “app” and the entire ship runs on the app. You will find yourself wandering about, seeking info and becoming very frustrated.  but if you want an adventure and not just a routine cruise, then by all means, try out the favolosa from europe.  

Did we have an experience(s) that will always remember - -yes.  would we do this again?—absolutely not  (and we are seasoned, world travelers.) we hope this review will help you be prepared.

12 Days of Exciting Ports ...But Challenges With the Favolosa Itself

Nevis

If you are a North American traveller and have done cruises with American companies (Royal, Carnival, NCL etc.) you will be extremely disappointed.

The service sucks - not enough staff to accommodate all the guests.

The employees are rude and do you a favour they want to help you.

The service is super slow and takes forever to get anything.

The food options are mediocre, really nothing special at all.

The shows were somewhat ok but the problem is that most of them are in Italian. I know 3 languages and it was difficult to get by with staff and understanding the entertainment.

Moreover, they make announcements in 5 different languages which is super annoying that you have to listen to them 5 times a day. 

The service desk staff are rude and that’s a compliment. 

Really horrible cruise line with horrible service.

Do not waste a dollar with them - they are TERRIBLE!!!

Avoid at all cost - not worth a $

The restaurant staff very professional and well trained. Out cabine room was superficial clean every day lots of dust and the bedsheets not changed for the entire week. The excursion staff lack of knowledge and very rude not happy to offer any excursions in English unless is just downtown were we can go by ourselves. We we looking forward to have a nice hiking and engage with nature but NOT POSSIBLE NOT POSSIBLE. When we book the excursion there was nowhere mentioned that they don’t have a English guide available not the necessary number of people needed so the tour can be offer. The excursion assistant manager poor poor quality of service and very disrespectful. I wasn’t expected to have such a unprofessional staff.They absolutely were so rude that I will never try a cruise with this company and I will let everyone know about my terrible experience on the ship. It almost felt that staff were angry when speaking to them in English. They don’t have the urge to offer quality service as you seen been advertised.

Excursion assistant manager very rude 

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