Greetings from the CostaAtlantica, presently in San Juan... 12:30am Wednesday morning. So far, simply superb. The ship is full and we're having a rollicking good time. Main dining room is excellent and lots of fun. Buffets are great. The specially prepared pasta's in the buffet at lunch every day are just remarkable. This January 13th sailing to the Eastern Caribbean has just been a delight so far!!!
Ernie, it is soooooo nice to hear some good reviews of this ship. My hubby and I are on the 2/24 sailing. We have been on several of the Costa ships, The Flavia, The Romantica, The Carla C, and always enjoyed them. However,I have not really heard lot of good thinga about the Atlantica. Will look forward to your full report when you return. How formal are the formal nights? Is a jacket necessary on the rest of the evenings, for men?
I Guess everythings always great when the you are the travel agent and the trip is free. Hope the people you con into believing the cruise is great haven't spent their hard earned money on their only vacation of the year.
As usual you've got it exactly backwards! A travel agent whose income depends entirely on his client's cruise experiences has to be an extremely sensitive critic. On December 16, I sailed with 60 or so people, the group on the ship for the second time. On January 13th, we had 108 on the ship. Tomorrow we take off 90 who are on it for the second time. Our results (the results from those we put on the ship) are uniformly good. It is the results from dozens and dozens of groups, as well as 7 or 8 personal sailings on the ship that I am reporting here.
Criticism is always in order. Personal attacks are suspect. For better or worse, criticisms of cruise product (based on anecdotal experience) should be taken for what they are; one person's opinion based upon one experience.
Just got back tonight from Western Caribbean on the Atlantica and we LOVED IT! My husband and I are teachers and are in no way affiliated with the travel industry.
We found the food to range from acceptable to superb; considering the price we were paying per day and what it would cost to eat out in our home town, it was superb value. What pleased us the very most, however, was the first-rate entertainment. There's a lounge with live music to please any taste. The shows in the big theatre were mostly astonishly wonderful. The gusto, the enthusiasm of the staff were infectious. I will write more details later....but as a music lover I could not have been more happy wandering from the classical music in the Caffe Florian to the piano bar, to the wonderful Tringali Trio, to Cali and Linda....
We traveled with a couple who had been on three cruises before (Celebrity) and they said: "Celebrity has better food, but the Atlantica has HEART!" By which they meant the spirit, the brio, the elan, the atmosphere.
Before we cruised my husband and I had thought that maybe we would try out a number of different boats as the years go by, but now I think I am addicted to the Atlantica....
Of course all depends on what you like. As a music lover, I cannot imagine getting a better range of constantly wonderful and varied entertainment. There's a lot else we loved, but alas! I have to go to bed and get to work tomorrow.
ErnieMCC wrote:
>
> As usual you've got it exactly backwards! A travel agent
> whose income depends entirely on his client's cruise
> experiences has to be an extremely sensitive critic. On
> December 16, I sailed with 60 or so people, the group on the
> ship for the second time. On January 13th, we had 108 on the
> ship. Tomorrow we take off 90 who are on it for the second
> time. Our results (the results from those we put on the
> ship) are uniformly good. It is the results from dozens and
> dozens of groups, as well as 7 or 8 personal sailings on the
> ship that I am reporting here.
>
> Criticism is always in order. Personal attacks are suspect.
> For better or worse, criticisms of cruise product (based on
> anecdotal experience) should be taken for what they are; one
> person's opinion based upon one experience.
Your comments are essentially what we hear from our clients, over and over. The duo in the Cafe Florian are just terrific. By the way... can you think of any ship afloat that devotes so much space to such a unique cafe... and to the beautiful music is houses? I cannot.
Yes, it's a duo called Concert Strauss and they truly are wonderful. They specialize in classical and "light classical" and play in the Florian. They did some dazzling work; also I was very pleased to hear them each do some solo work to highlight their talents. The pianist played a Beethoven sonata that was fantastic, for example.
There is a Trio...the Tringali...who play in the Piazza Madama Butterfly. They do standards, international songs, etc. They have a singer who is just delightful, a pianist, and another singer who also plays flute and flugelhorn. A typical session with them might include songs such as "Stand By Your Man" "The Blue Danube Waltz" "Al di La," "Besame Mucho"
There are many other superb musicians on board and if anyone wants to email me about where to go for what kind of music, I would be glad to help.
I sailed on my 10th cruise and first time on Costa 01-27-02. Booked an inside cabin and it was good value for the money. Have sailed on more beautiful and luxurious ships but the customer service on this ship was outstanding. The pasta dishes were excellent. The only complaint I have is the casino. I play blackjack at the $25.00 table and also $5.00 slots yet I had to buy a bottle of water or a coke. On Princess sodas and water are complimentary! I do think Costa could buy a good casino customer a bottle of water. I realize that the casino is most likely leased out to the British but nevertheless they are operating under the Costa name. For an inexpensive cruise you can't beat the Costa line. Carol Eskra
Carol... interesting... we play Roulette and are at the tables every evening. Some of the pit boses bought us drinks from time to time... some did not.
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