Category: 2015 – Costa Deliziosa, Italy, Greece, Croatia, 13 – 20 Sep

I reviewed the cabin on our last cruise and have decided to do the same again this time round too in the hope that somewhere along the line it will help someone else’s decision making when it comes to choosing a cabin.
On our first visit to the cabin we approached it from the rear stairs and were surprised how close it was even after studying the deck plans. Its in an excellent location to allow you to get to key areas like the buffet and restaurant without the need to walk for miles down the corridors.

The cabin door from the stair lobby

Cabin 7346 door and 7344 at a right angle to it

View of the cabin door coming from mid-ship

The above photos show the exterior aspect of the cabin giving an indication of the distance from the rear stair well and cabin 7344 which its door is at right angles on a small dog leg before the corridor continues forward along the ship.

We have found there isn’t a great deal of difference in the Costa Cabins and this one was no exception. Give or take a few different colours and artwork along with flat screen TV’s on the newer ships they really are quite similar. The cabin is very spacious compared to cabins of a similar grade on other ships and this cabin had a very uncluttered feel to it. The lack of cabinets over the worktop may well have contributed to this and it allowed for the mirror to be viewed from more areas of the cabin. The flat screen TV mounted on the wall also took up less room as there no need for a cabinet to house it.

Our first view inside the cabin	More of the cabin	View from the other direction
No cupboards giving a more spacious feel	The inside of the cabin door	From a slightly different aspect

There were 2 sockets over the worktop (1 European and 1 US) and I found a spare European one behind the TV which became my tablet and smart phone charger. There was also a hard-wired hair drier in the top drawer.

The sockets over the desk

The socket behind the TV Perfect for my charging

Close up of the sockets behind the TV

The mini fridge

Storage directly under the TV

Why do they put the bin there?

There are 3 tall wardrobe doors opposite the bathroom which provide plenty of storage, the furthest into the cabin has shelves and also houses the safe while the other 2 provide ample hanging. The nearest to the door also contains the life jackets on a shelf at high level.

The bathroom I would say is just about as identical to any we have ever had on Costa, the main difference being with this one is the pink worktop and the tile is different over the WC keeping with the ships theme. The clingy shower curtain is still there to annoy the hell out of you.

Cabin 7346 bathroom interior

Cabin 9346 bathroom interior

Cabin 9346 bathroom interior

The balcony is nice and deep but is totally covered by the one above. Nice if you want a bit of shade but not so good if want sun during the day, although this is dependant on the time of day and year (and position of the sun).

Cabin 7346 balcony

The overhang

A nice deep balcony

As far as cabins go on Costa for us this one was probably the most modern we have stayed in and I have say the one we have enjoyed the most, generally we found the cabin in excellent repair, it was clean, comfortable and as planned we found the location for us to be spot on.

Costa are full of surprises and this morning was no exception as we arrived an hour earlier than we had anticipated. Not too much of a problem but we did have to be out of the cabin by 8:00 which left us hanging around the ship for an hour and a half while we waited to get off and collect or luggage.

There were atotal of 7 ships in port this morning and it was extremely busy everywhere, what with people disembarking and visiting Venice the shuttles to St Marks had really long queues but fortunately they did move very quickly. We managed to arrange for our cases to be taken to the airport for a fee of €12.50 each which was brilliant because it freed us up and gave us additional time without the need to come back to the cruise terminal later to collect then.

We soon found ourselves in Venice itself and a good 1½ hours earlier than planned so decided to avoid all the crowds and head off along the water front to kill some time. Believe me today was not a day to be wandering around the tourist areas. The crowds thinned out as we walked and it was nice to do something a little different. We had often admired a Wisteria covered cafe on previous sail ins and today walked as far as that before turning back to get to our meeting point for today’s tour.

Our main reason for coming into Venice today and not going straight to the airport and home was that we had arranged a tour with a company called Walks of Italy, this was a VIP Doge’s Palace Secret Passages Tour and cost us €74 each. The tour lasted for 2½ hours and was amazing. We got to see all manner of places not open to the general public as well as all of the large ornate public areas too. Our guide Susan was excellent at bringing the history to life and explaining the intricacies of life in those dark days of the Doge’s Venice. Money well spent and an experience never to be forgot.

After a quick Pizza and a beer we caught the Alilaguna red route boat back to the airport where our cases were there waiting for us. The good thing about a later flight is the airport wasn’t so busy and there were no queues at the check and similarly with the security checks. It just remains now to sit out the remaining hour before our flight back to Heathrow.

Last nights gala dinner finished off with the traditional Baked Alaska parade. Love it or hate it, Costa still do it and it does seem very popular with the passengers. Lots of napkin waving and glass of fizz from the captain.

Today was our last full day onboard the Costs Deliziosa and we spent the morning docked at the port of Dubrovnik. We have been here quite a few times and lovely as it is we decided to spent the paltry 5 hours allocated for this stop onboard the ship. The weather was again glorious and we were very conscious that we would be returning to much cooler conditions in a days time so really it was an easy decision for us to make. We had discussed walking round the perimeter of the harbour side but for us an empty ship has a certain attraction.

Costa were charging €10.95 per person for shuttle tickets which is a lot for the short distance it is to get to the Pile Gate, a local taxi costs just €13 so if there are 3 or 4 of you it would be a more cost effective way of getting to the old town. The taxis also offer a 1 hour panoramic tour for just €50 so it you ever find yourself here then that looks a good deal and you would be supporting the locals. (Not that we did today!)

Besides our ship we were joined today by the Costa Classica and MSC Magnifica so the town would also have been quite busy too. Far better for us to do what we did today I think than get off just for the sake of it.

Considering today we were in port, we pretty much did the same a our sea day yesterday and finished off the afternoon with 5 laps of the prom deck before going for a couple of drinks prior to starting the dreaded packing. One thing that has puzzled me if the fact we haven’t yet received out disembarkation tags or information yet. I am sure we have had this 2 days before on previous Costa cruises.
Tonight is Italian evening which has always been one of the nights we have enjoyed on Costa but again I don’t remember it being on the last night.

We dock in Venice at 10:00 in the morning and have organised a tour which I will tell you all about while we are waiting at the airport tomorrow night.
Right I’m off now to finish the packing, take a quick shower and then make the most of out last night onboard the Costs Deliziosa.

Today was a sea day and one where there wasn’t a great deal happening for us. We dabbled with going to the dining room for breakfast but in the end kept with our usual format. We have heard reports that the service in the dining room can be a little on the slow side and I am not that desperate for an egg at the moment especially when there is an abundance of custard filled croissant’s and doughnuts available and some nice coffee to go with it.

We eventually made it up to our favoured spot at around 10:30 which today being a sea day was a lot more popular than usual. All of a sudden this deck was the place to be.  The weather today has been fantastic and for us the best way to spend a sea day.

And that is basically where we stayed all day apart from doing 6 laps of the prom deck before coming in to shower and get ready for dinner. It’s probably easier for me to just post a few photos taken today on our sea day.

Hot off the press we have just received the Farewell Gala Dinner Menu

 

Last night’s dinner in the Costa Club Restaurant was excellent, the food, the service and the setting was fantastic. We had a window table and watched the light fade over Santorini and all the buildings start to light up like a Christmas tree. It was all rather special and we were fortunate enough to be sat enjoying our meal as we sailed away. I will edit this post with some of the photos when I get back as I don’t want to use up all of my internet minutes and the ships system can be a bit sluggish at the best of times.

During the meal there was also a public announcement which came as a bit of a surprise to us, the captain had deemed the port of Mykonos unsafe for us to visit and the announcers explained in about 8 languages that we would be going to Piraeus instead. We immediately thought it might be something to do with the current migrant crisis but it later transpired it is down to some high winds being experienced in the area and the team on the bridge decided to go elsewhere. So at 7:00am this morning we found ourselves not in Mykonos but in Piraeus so with no Alex with us this time we decided to set off and finish what we started earlier this year in May when we stopped here on the Norwegian Jade. According to the information given we would be there from 8:00am to 6:00pm which is I believe longer than we were due to be stopping at Mykonos.

I awoke this morning around 7:45 just as we were sailing into the port passing MSC Opera & Musica in the process. We didn’t go down for breakfast into 8:45 and once again missed the crowds which we seem to have done quite well at this week. After that it was off the ship and to the HoHo bus stop to get our transport into town. I don’t consider it too expensive at €20 per ticket and its also very convenient with the buses running every 30 minutes. We got off at the Acropolis stop and headed off on foot to our first destination today which was the Parliament building and the tomb of the unknown soldier to watch the changing of the guard. It was timed to perfection as it was almost as if they were waiting for us to arrive.

From there we walked through the National gardens past the Zappio and on to our next venue which was the The Panathenaic Stadium which was the site of an ancient stadium and more recently where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896. €5 to get in and wander round is an absolute bargain and we spent a good two hours wandering and climbing the steps. Nicole seizing an opportunity to put some of her acrophobic demons to rest.

Our next quest was to find to leather sandals which had been part of our plan in Mykonos and we again hit the jackpot finding a shop called Sandal Mania which had everything we needed…… and more!!!!!
Before making the return journey back to the ship which is around a 30 minute trip we stopped for a coffee, beer and baklava. We found a nice shaded taverna where we could sit in the shade and watch the world go by.
The rest of the afternoon was as you would imagine sat out in the sun in our now favoured deck.

Last night’s food in the dining room was absolutely delicious, and once again our table mates were excellent company. The waiters were busy again like the first night but seemed to just about manage OK.
We followed dinner by wandering towards the front of the ship and stopping first for a drink in Caffetteria Sugar which specialises in coffees and liqueur’s. 80-90% of which are included in our drinks package. From there we rounded the evening off in the Piano Bar Excite which despite its name had two sets of performers who rotated their acts. Both groups (a duo and a trio)’accompanying a backing track with a guitar and piano. We found them very easy to listen to and the occasion was enhanced with a couple of cocktails. All in all it was a very pleasant and fun evening.

Breakfast was once again taken in our usual spot and we again seemed to beat the crowds, we followed that up with a walk round the prom deck which on the Deliziosa allows you to do a full circuit. It’s great to be able to walk all the way round and this morning was special because we were still at sea. It’s one of my favourite places to be on a ship when there are waves crashing against the side of the ship. After that it was back up to the sun deck to relax in the sun before we arrived at Santorini. The weather has been fantastic so far and I hope it continues.
As a general observation I have found the bar staff on Costa to be the most efficient and hard working of all the lines we have sailed on. Even though we have an all inclusive package they cannot do enough for you which we have found amazing. Nothing is too much trouble unless it involves hot water in the afternoon!!!!

We arrived at Santorini just before 1:00pm and made the decision that we would stay on board today mainly due to the amount of other ships in port. With us was Crystal Serenity, MSC Musica and Splendour of the Seas.

Because of Nicole’s acrophobia she wasn’t wanting to stand in the long queues waiting for the cable car ride up down while getting all worked up at the prospect of doing something she wasn’t comfortable with. The bonus for us being we once again had the ship to ourselves and 2 deserted pool decks. The ticketed tendering took about 1½hours before it went to anyone without a ticket. The ship itself seemed to be well empty some time before that announcement went out.

We are her until 8:00pm tonight so I imagine the main dining room will be empty on first sitting, it won’t affect us as we are dining in the Club Costa restaurant as one of our Pearl membership privileges.
So until tomorrow…..

Last night the dining room was only about two thirds full and it meant our waiters were a little more attentive than the previous night. There were a lot of passengers getting on and off yesterday at Bari and we heard another muster drill going off at the same time we had ours, the down side was the accompanying soundtrack in 4 languages was piped at a high volume into the cabin and bathroom too.
The food last night was first class and we also seemed to have inspired our table companions into getting a drinks package. As they only serve you by the glass we have got managed to get quite creative with obtaining extra glasses so that we don’t have to wait too long when empty.  Needless to say quite a bit was consumed by the drinkers on our table last night. All in all it was a very enjoyable evening and to finish off with we just had a good walk around the ship after dinner opting to give the show a miss.

We were awake fairly early this morning for the sail in which is daft considering the clocks went forward an hour last night and we witnessed a beautiful sunrise over the  mountains along the Greek coast. The temperature was already quite warm when we arrived at Corfu just before 9:00am. We then took breakfast on a virtually deserted ship, I have to confess to getting to really enjoy being on board when everyone else has got off.

Because we were only in port today for just 5 hours we elected to stay on the ship and enjoy the sunshine, after all that is what we really came for. The only break from lying in the sun was when I had a wander round to take some photos of the deserted upper decks and also of the Thomson Celebration which was moored along side us.

Around 1:00pm we popped down for some salad, some grilled chicken and a nice cold beer. Timed to perfection as it was again quiet when we arrived but by the time we left lots of passengers were returning to the ship as we were due to leave at 2:00pm.  Today we had bing bong people and were 10 minutes late leaving but when we did sail the other two ships (Thomson Celebration & Aida Vita) gave us a good send off by some continued horn blasting. All that was left then for the remainder of the afternoon was to just lie and snooze in the sun. Bliss!!!

It’s Costa’s Gala night tonight so I am anticipating the ship to be quite lively and busy. As Pearl members we get a copy of the evenings menu delivered to the cabin.

 

This morning we awoke to find ourselves at sea, there was quite a wind and this was how it had been throughout the night but best of all there were clear blue skies. I can’t think of a better way to start your morning by looking out to sea while on a ship.
Finally getting the chance to read through our literature we have spotted a sheet giving an itinerary change, nothing major as all they have done is swap Santorini and Mykonos around because of what they describe as heavy traffic on the day we were due to port in Santorini. From what my quick calculations tell me we have gained an extra hour in Mykonos and are there during the day now and not afternoon and evening.
Our steward is a young lady from the Philippines who is called Sonia and on the times we have encountered her to date has been very smiley. While we were out at dinner she had delivered a few extra hangers that we had requested so now we have enough for all of my shirts.

Back to this morning, we eventually went for breakfast which today we sat out at the back on deck 9 in the open area of Muscadins which is the name of the buffet on this ship. It was quiet when we arrived just after 9:00 but by the time we left there wasn’t a table free. For my first breakfast on board I took the healthy option with 2 doughnuts (1ring + 1 custard), a fruit tart and several pieces of melon washed down with a couple of Americano coffees which come as  part of the all inclusive drinks package. If you require a cooked breakfast I gather you need to go to the main dining room for your breakfast.
There are a few noticible changes since our last Costa cruise and the breakfast set up is one of them. Another is in the main dining room where there are now a few items you can choose which cover a surcharge. For example last night on offer was Veal chop (€10), Prawns grilled out steamed with pasta (€15) or lobster at your choice (€15). Even Tiramisu comes at an additional cost of €5. I am not sure I like the sound of where this is all heading. Having said that there were the always available and at least 3 nightly options available too.
Another issue we have is a hot water one, no hot water in the buffet in the afternoon and when we wanted to take a pot of tea down to the cabin late afternoon using our all inclusive package we were told we couldn’t. We could take a tea bag and a glass of hot water or alternatively call room service. We could have a pot in the bar but just not remove it. Bonkers or what!

The rest of the morning we spent up on one of the sun decks in the warm breezy sunshine before we arrived at Bari. A quick lunch at the same place where we had breakfast before getting off for a stroll. Once we made port and the breeze had gone it was amazing how much hotter it felt. If the weather stays like this then it will be perfect.
When off we made our way to the old town and just wandered round and getting some exercise. We eventually succumbed to a gelato and a Peroni before making our way back to the ship. Being Pearl members we have a free night in the Costs Club restaurant which we have now booked for Wednesday night. The weather has been ideal today and just what we had hoped for.

Tonight we will again be joining our table mates from the first night on the early sitting and maybe go and see the magic show. Who knows what we will eventually decide to do…..

Today began with an exact repeat of the start of our last cruise in as much as we got up early to drive to Heathrow to catch the same flight to Venice from Terminal 5. The only difference being this time there was only the two of us. Our journey along the M4 took only 1 hour and 45 minutes and we were in the bus and on the way to the terminal before we knew it. The good thing about an early flight is all the baggage drops are queue free as was security.

The flight took just under 2 hours and we arrived in a humid Venice shortly before 11:00am local time. From there we decided to get to the cruise terminal a different way to what we have done previously and used the Alilaguna water buses. We bought a return ticket on line for €25 and saved ourselves €2 each. The trip takes a little longer but you do go a different route and see some different sights.
We arrived at the cruise terminal to find the ship berthed at terminal 108 which has been the one we have used on four occasions in the past. Fairly large queues waiting to get on but we played our trump card as Pearl members of the Costa Club and exercised our priority boarding privileges. On in just 15 minutes which must be a record for us and Costa.
Once on we immediately found the ship to be very airy and bright. It also has a different layout to the other five Costa ships we have been on. It might take a while to get out bearings.
Our cabin is spacious and a typical Costa cabin, by that I mean colours, layout, etc. There isn’t a great deal of difference in any of the cabins we have had on Costa.

Muster was at 4:15 and on the prom deck in life jackets. Four languages today, Italian, English, French and Spanish. Sailaway from Venice was again spectacular.
Costa seemed to have messed up our dining options but to be honest tonight we are both tired and it worked in our favour to be on the early sitting. We are on a table of 6 but there are only 5 of us and tonight we got on famously with the other 3 so I think it so be a regular thing on this cruise.
I am going to keep it short tonight as we are well in need of some sleep. Time to test the WiFi……

Earlier this year when our future plans changed direction we thought that we should reassess any forthcoming trips that we had lined up. One of these trips was a 3 night cruise on the new Norwegian Escape which was sailing from Hamburg to Southampton in late October. We decided to book this trip following the two fantastic sailings we had taken from Rotterdam on NCL new builds (Epic & Breakaway). Even though it wasn’t exactly cheap, this 3 night cruise looked very tempting and being as we could get to Hamburg relatively cheaply using a Flybe flight from Southampton we thought it would be a fun trip to do and so we booked it. After our rethink and the fact that Flybe then cancelled their service to Hamburg we started to investigate alternative methods of getting to and from the various places en-route and it started to become obvious that the 3 nights were becoming more and more expensive and given the cruise was in late autumn and the weather doesn’t tend to be too good in that area at that time of year we decided to cancel and look for something else using the funds we had set aside, our  aim being to find something longer and warmer instead but not necessarily the same time of year.
My immediate thoughts turned to Costa with whom we have picked up some really good deals with in the past and thinking the eastern Mediterranean would be a good bet for somewhere warm I set out to see what was available. We had previously sailed on the Costa Atlantica and had really enjoyed the ships layout and noticed that her sister ship the Mediterranea was doing a 7 day cruise out of Trieste, this looked to be ideal but once again we found getting to Trieste was proving to be not as simple and straight forward as we wanted. Eventually we opted for a 7 night cruise around the same date on the Costa Deliziosa departing from Venice. Much easier to get to and as an added bonus we managed to get the flights using our Avios points so the cost has been kept to a minimal figure. The itinerary is as listed below and is not too dissimilar to our MSC Musica cruise in 2012 with the exceptions being that Piraeus and Katakolon are missing. What is more remarkable is that not only did we have the 2 additional ports on the Musica cruise but we actually had 12 additional hours in port (43 compared to 31). So this cruise is not so port intensive and like the Musica cruise there are some short stays at most if not all of the ports but being as this cruise is for warmth and relaxation then we are not too bothered by that, 7 nights on a cruise is the winner for us.

DATE	LOCATION	ARRIVAL	DEPARTURE
Sunday, September 13, 2015	Venice, Italy	—	05:00 PM
Monday, September 14, 2015	Bari, Italy	02:00 PM	08:00 PM
Tuesday, September 15 , 2015	Corfu, Greece	09:00 AM	02:00PM
Wednesday, September 16, 2015	Mykonos, Greece	03:00 PM	11:00 PM
Thursday, September 17, 2015	Santorini, Greece	07:30 AM	02:30 PM
Friday, September 18, 2015	At Sea	—	—
Saturday, September 19, 2015	Dubrovnik, Croatia	08:00 AM	01:00 PM
Sunday, September 20, 2015	Venice, Italy	09:30 AM	—

Our cabin selection was relatively straight forward too, we have chosen a Premium balcony cabin on deck 7 towards the aft close to the elevator lobby and stairs. It is the first cabin on the rear hump section and will hopefully be able to provide views both backwards and forward. I’ll be impressed if the balcony is as big as the schematic below.

As you might of noticed from previous cruises, prior to sailing I always like to have a look to what other ships we may encounter at each of the ports as it gives a good idea how many other passengers are likely to be there at the same time as us. Below is a list of my findings for this cruise.

DATE	LOCATION	SHIPS IN PORT
Sunday, September 13, 2015	Venice, Italy	River Countess MSC Musica 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MSC Magnifica 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM Costa Deliziosa Depart: 5:00 PM
Monday, September 14, 2015	Bari, Italy	MSC Musica 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM Costa Deliziosa 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday, September 15 , 2015	Corfu, Greek Isles	Sea Dream II Costa Deliziosa 9:00 AM – 2:00:PM
Wednesday, September 16, 2015	Mykonos, Greece	Costa Celebration 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM Costa Deliziosa 3:00:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Thursday, September 17, 2015	Santorini, Greece	Costa Deliziosa 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM Costa Celebration 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM Crystal Serenity 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM Celebrity Reflection 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Tender) Azamara Journey 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Tender) Wind Star 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday, September 18, 2015	At Sea
Saturday, September 19, 2015	Dubrovnik, Croatia	Costa Deliziosa 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM Costa Celebration 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM MSC Magnifica 11:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Sunday, September 20, 2015	Venice, Italy	Oriana Arrive: 8:00 AM Costa Deliziosa Arrive: 9:00 AM Costa Celebration 12:00 PM – 11:59 PM Island Princess Depart: 6:30 PM River Countess MSC Musica 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MSC Magnifica 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

And with 14 days before the sail date our cruise documents turned up from Cruise club UK in a bright eye catching little wallet featuring lots of the worlds landmarks on the front and back. Also inside were a couple of leaflets, one of which was offering up to 60% off shore excursions. There seem to be lots of company’s now cottoning onto the fact that people are fed up with the cruise lines overpriced tours and are looking to offer cheaper alternatives. I will say though part of my enjoyment is researching and booking direct myself.

So I will finish this preamble by saying I just hope that the WiFi is good enough to be able to make a few posts throughout the week.