Costa Allegra Cruise Ship, Costa Allegra, Costa Cruises
Hotel Information
Hotel Description:
The luxury cruise ship Costa Allegra can carry up to 800 passengers, cruising in the Mediterranean style fir which this Italian cruise line is renowned. A wide choice of restaurants, bars, pools and entertainment greet passengers, as they are pampered with Costa's legendary service. Enjoy the fitness center, spa, shopping and all of the amenities of this cruise liner, or just relax in your plush stateroom or mini-suite. A Costa Allegra cruise is a sure bet for a memorable cruise ship holiday. loading...
Costa Allegra Cruise Ship Reviews
" Fab Far East Cruise "
Submitted By: Lancashire Cruiser
Considering all the negative reviews, I felt compelled to give our experience which on the whole was extremely positive. We are well travelled and used to high standards, and whilst some of the entertainment on the boat was amateurish, the whole cruise experience has to go down as one of our best holidays to date. The food in the main waiter service restaurant was good, the waiting staff superb, very friendly and professional. Do try the "Elegant Tea" during the at sea days - lovely. We also had the X1 drinks package which I would highly recommend - saved us a fortune. The itinerary was outstanding - you can easily do HK, Singapore and Brunei on your own, we booked excursions for the other destinations - the Panjansan Falls was especially good and doesn't particularly require "physical fitness" as the description suggested. Other tips - head for the pizzeria during happy hour - half price cocktails in a relaxed area rather than the main bar. Our only real gripe with the boat was the Murano Bar - smoking is allowed in a number of public areas on the ship and was particularly noticeable here, hence we avoided for the whole cruise. All in all, a great trip with many happy memories...enjoy!
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Virgin
" COSTA ALLEGRA THE CRUISE FROM HELL "
Submitted By: KenFrom Kent
This was our 10th cruise, which was just as well, had it been our first it would have put pay to cruising for ever.
So Where do I begin?
Having boarded the ship in Hong Kong on the 11th of September 2009 a day to remember, we collected our keys to Cabin 4124 when we opened the cabin door,we were greeted with a damp smell, this was due to the Carpet being soaking wet.
Apperently, the ship had been through a typhoon the night before, I am still unsure how the carpet became so wet?
Unless the ship leaked of cause!
It was Eight days, yes, Eight Days before, this issue was resolved, we asked to be relocated and indeed offered to pay for an upgrade, but we were told in no uncertain terms by the front Desk Staff that there was no other cabin available.
Next Problem, We turned on the tap in the bathroom and had brown coloured water delivered by the bucket, when i queried this, i was told by the Hotel Director that ( its the chemicals we use... its quite safe) So instant sun tan...
Then as a hat trick the A/C never worked properly, delivering a blistering.... but consatant 24.6o ( this was the engineers test result) ambient temparature
with no individual control... we assumed this had been disconected
The food in the main Restaraunt was either luke warm or cold.. Some of the meat dishes were so dry and tough we assumed caused by over microwaving the food
The Self Service Buffet was uneventful and poor quality also, the area was dirty with sticky tables, again explained to me as a product of the storm... an excuse the ships management used constantly, which wore a bit thin after two weeks!!
The entertainment... I have heard and seen better Karaoke singers drunk out of their brains, than the rubbish we were subjected too.
Accept in fairness that is, for two Chinese Acrobats and an Iranian Mime Artist both acts were good.
Also be careful what you wear, My Partner was stopped from using then the only available toliet on Deck SIX
( the only other ladies tiolet was out of action due to the storm) for being inaproproperly dressed, She was told, and I Quote,
(Sorry Madam, you cannot use the toliet we have a cocktail party going on )
When arriving in Singapore we were isssued with pre completed immigration arrival cards, only problem was
1) It listed the last port of call as Ho Che Minh City, we had not even been there yet!!
2) both the passort numbers listed for my Partner and I were wrong!
We were told by the Pursers office (don't worry, not a problem you will be OK) Oh Yeah... A Landing card is a legal document, My Partner and I had no wish to languish in a Singapore Jail for making a false declaration..
As for the Staff, well the Chinese and general staff were great, but the management is the poorest i have ever had the misfortune to meet.
My suggestion to you reading this review... If your only choice is the Costa Allegra... then DON'T, Get a rowing Boat and sail naked accross the atlantic, you will have a far better time.. trust me..
Ken Mulley, A fan of Cruising but not the Costa Allegra
So Where do I begin?
Having boarded the ship in Hong Kong on the 11th of September 2009 a day to remember, we collected our keys to Cabin 4124 when we opened the cabin door,we were greeted with a damp smell, this was due to the Carpet being soaking wet.
Apperently, the ship had been through a typhoon the night before, I am still unsure how the carpet became so wet?
Unless the ship leaked of cause!
It was Eight days, yes, Eight Days before, this issue was resolved, we asked to be relocated and indeed offered to pay for an upgrade, but we were told in no uncertain terms by the front Desk Staff that there was no other cabin available.
Next Problem, We turned on the tap in the bathroom and had brown coloured water delivered by the bucket, when i queried this, i was told by the Hotel Director that ( its the chemicals we use... its quite safe) So instant sun tan...
Then as a hat trick the A/C never worked properly, delivering a blistering.... but consatant 24.6o ( this was the engineers test result) ambient temparature
with no individual control... we assumed this had been disconected
The food in the main Restaraunt was either luke warm or cold.. Some of the meat dishes were so dry and tough we assumed caused by over microwaving the food
The Self Service Buffet was uneventful and poor quality also, the area was dirty with sticky tables, again explained to me as a product of the storm... an excuse the ships management used constantly, which wore a bit thin after two weeks!!
The entertainment... I have heard and seen better Karaoke singers drunk out of their brains, than the rubbish we were subjected too.
Accept in fairness that is, for two Chinese Acrobats and an Iranian Mime Artist both acts were good.
Also be careful what you wear, My Partner was stopped from using then the only available toliet on Deck SIX
( the only other ladies tiolet was out of action due to the storm) for being inaproproperly dressed, She was told, and I Quote,
(Sorry Madam, you cannot use the toliet we have a cocktail party going on )
When arriving in Singapore we were isssued with pre completed immigration arrival cards, only problem was
1) It listed the last port of call as Ho Che Minh City, we had not even been there yet!!
2) both the passort numbers listed for my Partner and I were wrong!
We were told by the Pursers office (don't worry, not a problem you will be OK) Oh Yeah... A Landing card is a legal document, My Partner and I had no wish to languish in a Singapore Jail for making a false declaration..
As for the Staff, well the Chinese and general staff were great, but the management is the poorest i have ever had the misfortune to meet.
My suggestion to you reading this review... If your only choice is the Costa Allegra... then DON'T, Get a rowing Boat and sail naked accross the atlantic, you will have a far better time.. trust me..
Ken Mulley, A fan of Cruising but not the Costa Allegra
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Virgin
" Costa Too Much "
Submitted By: Neuseline
It was a 6-day cruise leaving Shanghai on 17th July with visits to the islands Che Ju (S. Korea), Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kagoshima (Japan) returning to Shanghai on 23rd July. I wish to make it clear from the outset that the staff at Eclipse of the Century were at all times courteous and helpful and, I am sure, were taken in by Costa as much as we were. The problems started several weeks before we even left the UK. Once logged in on the Costa website as residents of the UK one could not book the shore excursions which one was advised to do up to a fortnight before departure. E.of the C. informed us that we should register as US domiciled, however, it was impossible to change. E. of the C. had to contact Costa on our behalf to have the country of origin changed. It was difficult to choose between the shore excursions because they were very expensive and all involved a great deal of "time for shopping"; we chose three. Once on board we learnt that all the excursions pre-sold on Costa website were designed for the Chinese passengers "who liked shopping" and that for the "Westerners" more cultural excursions had been arranged, at even higher prices. I could not find out how many Chinese passengers had pre-booked their excursions on Costa's German website where they were understandably advertised in the German language. The word "hogwash" springs to mind.
I had booked an outside twin cabin and was allocated one that I found acceptable. Some weeks later Costa approached E. of the C. to enquire if I was prepared to switch cabins. I was assured that it was the same size (though I had my doubts as it was in the bow), just a slightly different lay-out, so I agreed. On entering the cabin my heart sank. It was cramped to say the least, and that at the same price as the original. The berths were not parallel to the ship's side but perpendicular which meant that our heads went up and down with the swell instead of the body rolling. After lying down for a few minutes I became seasick and finished the night with my torso across the bed and my legs on the seating provided, a tall pouffe. When I asked for a different cabin I was told that the ship was fully booked. The next two nights I laid my mattress on the floor between the two beds with a third of it underneath the second bed as there was not enough room. I had to lie in the foetal position, but at least facing the cruising direction. After the third night and another intervention from E. of the C. a bigger cabin was miraculously made available. It had previously been held for more passengers to come aboard in Japan.
The cabin and restaurant personnel were at all times pleasant and helpful. The food was variable, but the table water (not bottled) was undrinkable as it was too chlorinated. It was like drinking from a swimming pool. No bottled water was provided free of charge in the cabin and it was forbidden to bring in any drinks or food from shore, allegedly for health safety reasons. I bought a 1 1/2l bottle of freshly squeezed mango juice and a 1 1/2l bottle of Pepsi at the equivalent of 20 pence each from a stall at a Japanese island port and smuggled them aboard.
The nightly entertainment, including twice during dinner in the dining-room, was all Italian orientated. A musical show staged in the "theatre" was designed to praise the greatness of Italy. It might have been fitting on a Mediterranean cruise but jarred somewhat in East Asia.
Internet access was charged at €0.50 p.m., but when Googlemail and AOL were barred and I could not close down I told the Information desk that I would pay only for 1 1/2 minutes max. They agreed to charge nothing. However, a 15% surcharge per person on everything spent on board is levied, though in my case, no doubt because I complained energetically about the water and cabin, the surcharge for my grandson was reduced to 7 1/2%. This was my first ocean going cruise and definitely the last.
I had booked an outside twin cabin and was allocated one that I found acceptable. Some weeks later Costa approached E. of the C. to enquire if I was prepared to switch cabins. I was assured that it was the same size (though I had my doubts as it was in the bow), just a slightly different lay-out, so I agreed. On entering the cabin my heart sank. It was cramped to say the least, and that at the same price as the original. The berths were not parallel to the ship's side but perpendicular which meant that our heads went up and down with the swell instead of the body rolling. After lying down for a few minutes I became seasick and finished the night with my torso across the bed and my legs on the seating provided, a tall pouffe. When I asked for a different cabin I was told that the ship was fully booked. The next two nights I laid my mattress on the floor between the two beds with a third of it underneath the second bed as there was not enough room. I had to lie in the foetal position, but at least facing the cruising direction. After the third night and another intervention from E. of the C. a bigger cabin was miraculously made available. It had previously been held for more passengers to come aboard in Japan.
The cabin and restaurant personnel were at all times pleasant and helpful. The food was variable, but the table water (not bottled) was undrinkable as it was too chlorinated. It was like drinking from a swimming pool. No bottled water was provided free of charge in the cabin and it was forbidden to bring in any drinks or food from shore, allegedly for health safety reasons. I bought a 1 1/2l bottle of freshly squeezed mango juice and a 1 1/2l bottle of Pepsi at the equivalent of 20 pence each from a stall at a Japanese island port and smuggled them aboard.
The nightly entertainment, including twice during dinner in the dining-room, was all Italian orientated. A musical show staged in the "theatre" was designed to praise the greatness of Italy. It might have been fitting on a Mediterranean cruise but jarred somewhat in East Asia.
Internet access was charged at €0.50 p.m., but when Googlemail and AOL were barred and I could not close down I told the Information desk that I would pay only for 1 1/2 minutes max. They agreed to charge nothing. However, a 15% surcharge per person on everything spent on board is levied, though in my case, no doubt because I complained energetically about the water and cabin, the surcharge for my grandson was reduced to 7 1/2%. This was my first ocean going cruise and definitely the last.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Eclipse of the Century
" APALLING "
Submitted By: Sheena Wood
My husband and I have been on a few cruises - all of which have been first class, NOT WITH COSTA. My husband booked this cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary.
The litany starts with the cabin bathroom whcih was dirty and never cleaned during our 14 days. When I passed my comments to Costa, they advised it had been replaced within the last few weeks before our cruise, if it was, it was with pre-used materials, which had still not been cleaned. The pool side was cracked, the jacuzzi was full of what appeared to be sand, but when I complained I was advised that thie jacuzzi was cleared daily, absolute nonesense.
The food was atrocious, this is the only cruise I have been on where I actually lost weight (feel free to go if you wish to diet). An elderly Welsh lady whom we befriended, ate in the restaurant twice, and said she would never go into the restaurant again. They served by husband frozen brussell sprouts and when he complained he was told they were 'al dente' my husband asked the waiter to put a knife through them, and guess what it flew off the plate - IT WAS FROZEN. When we complained Costa said the waiter had 15 years unblemished service - WHAT HAS A WAITER TO DO WITH FROZEN BRUSSELL SPROUTS?
I wanted to go and visit the Orang-u-Tang sanctuary and they told me on the ship, this was not possible, it was too far and they did not run excursions - GUESS WHAT - when we landed we went to a local tour guide and he advised, if you book 3 days in advance it is not an issue. We could have done this by e-mail from the ship.
When we arrived in Brunei, the Costa was charging $95.00 dollars each to get from the Port to the City, we hired a taxi with driver, for the whole day, at the dock, who took us to all the attractions, including the water village for $120 for the four of us.
The prices of alcohol and soft drinks is extortion, and they do not allow you to bring anything on board, they actually confiscate it. They make very few concessions to english speaking passengers, most of the entertainment, which is very poor - is done in Italian and then translated. The only high spot of the entertainment was a tenor who sang one night, but that was it.
ALL IN ALL - THIS WAS THE WORST SHIP I HAVE EVERY BEEN ON - BOTH IN TERMS OF COST, SERVICE, FOOD AND CLEANLINESS.
Costa are aware they have the only ship that can enter some of the ports and therefore are NOT INTERESTED in how many complaints they receive, they will just lie, lie and lie again.
The litany starts with the cabin bathroom whcih was dirty and never cleaned during our 14 days. When I passed my comments to Costa, they advised it had been replaced within the last few weeks before our cruise, if it was, it was with pre-used materials, which had still not been cleaned. The pool side was cracked, the jacuzzi was full of what appeared to be sand, but when I complained I was advised that thie jacuzzi was cleared daily, absolute nonesense.
The food was atrocious, this is the only cruise I have been on where I actually lost weight (feel free to go if you wish to diet). An elderly Welsh lady whom we befriended, ate in the restaurant twice, and said she would never go into the restaurant again. They served by husband frozen brussell sprouts and when he complained he was told they were 'al dente' my husband asked the waiter to put a knife through them, and guess what it flew off the plate - IT WAS FROZEN. When we complained Costa said the waiter had 15 years unblemished service - WHAT HAS A WAITER TO DO WITH FROZEN BRUSSELL SPROUTS?
I wanted to go and visit the Orang-u-Tang sanctuary and they told me on the ship, this was not possible, it was too far and they did not run excursions - GUESS WHAT - when we landed we went to a local tour guide and he advised, if you book 3 days in advance it is not an issue. We could have done this by e-mail from the ship.
When we arrived in Brunei, the Costa was charging $95.00 dollars each to get from the Port to the City, we hired a taxi with driver, for the whole day, at the dock, who took us to all the attractions, including the water village for $120 for the four of us.
The prices of alcohol and soft drinks is extortion, and they do not allow you to bring anything on board, they actually confiscate it. They make very few concessions to english speaking passengers, most of the entertainment, which is very poor - is done in Italian and then translated. The only high spot of the entertainment was a tenor who sang one night, but that was it.
ALL IN ALL - THIS WAS THE WORST SHIP I HAVE EVERY BEEN ON - BOTH IN TERMS OF COST, SERVICE, FOOD AND CLEANLINESS.
Costa are aware they have the only ship that can enter some of the ports and therefore are NOT INTERESTED in how many complaints they receive, they will just lie, lie and lie again.
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" More than Happy!! "
Submitted By: Cowcill
We have recently return from a cruise on the Costa Allegra and I have to say on reading of past reviews and there comments I find myself having to respond to the critics.
Boarding the ship in Hong Kong we did the 8 night cruise down to Singapore, We were abit dissappointing as there was little information supplied on where and what time to board the ship, on arrival we weren't lucky enough to get out photo's taken on embarkment.
Our cabin was clean and comfortable for and inside cabin, The buffet food was more than acceptable, as was all the staff.
We only attended a few of the shows and the ones we did attend we found to be well presented. The other activities we enjoyed as people watching and it appeared that the people participating in the activities were having a ball.
I will agree that the drinks onboard the ship where alittle over the top with pricing, although the ship offered several happy hours throughout the day and in several of the bars thoughtout the ship. We made the best of the happy hours.
The staff!! well I have nothing but phrase for the entertainment co-ordinators they worked the butts off to ensure the activities ran smooth. The reception staff need to take a coarse service and public relations!! as for the Australian representative well I left a message for her to contact me, I was instructed to contact her in the main lobby at certain hours she didnt show I am still waiting to hear from her. I believe that she should be available all the time while on the ship.
In closing we did not pay for 5 star cruising or service so I did not expect 5 star service, our trip was restful, entertaining and more than comfortable. I have no hesitation in recommending this ship.
Boarding the ship in Hong Kong we did the 8 night cruise down to Singapore, We were abit dissappointing as there was little information supplied on where and what time to board the ship, on arrival we weren't lucky enough to get out photo's taken on embarkment.
Our cabin was clean and comfortable for and inside cabin, The buffet food was more than acceptable, as was all the staff.
We only attended a few of the shows and the ones we did attend we found to be well presented. The other activities we enjoyed as people watching and it appeared that the people participating in the activities were having a ball.
I will agree that the drinks onboard the ship where alittle over the top with pricing, although the ship offered several happy hours throughout the day and in several of the bars thoughtout the ship. We made the best of the happy hours.
The staff!! well I have nothing but phrase for the entertainment co-ordinators they worked the butts off to ensure the activities ran smooth. The reception staff need to take a coarse service and public relations!! as for the Australian representative well I left a message for her to contact me, I was instructed to contact her in the main lobby at certain hours she didnt show I am still waiting to hear from her. I believe that she should be available all the time while on the ship.
In closing we did not pay for 5 star cruising or service so I did not expect 5 star service, our trip was restful, entertaining and more than comfortable. I have no hesitation in recommending this ship.
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" far east "
Submitted By: wiggyx
well where do i start
fistly when we got to our room (box)I have been married for 23 years and still like to cuddle up to my wife not sleep in single bed so i made my 1st visit to customer services and requsted a double room to be told the ship was full,so i asked for the beds to be put together only to be told this could not be done but after speaking to the english rep called rebekah (resign now)3 days later the beds were put together and the table which was in betweeen the bed left in front making the room even smaller, back to the desk, Please can you put the cabinet by the side of the beds(sorry sir we can not move it) so me and the wife did it ourself and re-connected the electrics, back to the first day time to have a drink £5 for a bottle of becks oh well if that the price so be it(1st drink bill 15% sevice carged added) thats now 5.75 for a bottle. back to room for a clean up, turn tap on (omg)the water was BROWN wife in shower getting dirtier with brown water coming out of the shower, water stops, oh well back to service desk, GOOD NEWS wife looks at the today paper theres a happy hour in the bar buy one ger one free, the bar packed order drinks 15 mins later we get drinks.ok by now you get the picture but let me list below why you sould not do this cruise
1. the ship is smelly
2. the rooms are to small
3. the entaintment is so bad at night the day entaintment well if you have the brains of a donkey then you`d enjoy it
4.well i like a good drink and when i got home i had one the prices are as stated £5 plus a bottle £2.50 a soft drink £7.50 a spirit and dont forget the service charge
5 food very poor Brekfast the same ever day White bangers runny scrambled eggs. runny cornbeef hash and allways cold, food not alivable all the time like other cruses,(if you like cakes fruit and bread then this is the cruise for you)
The trips well over priced and you will be told by the rep Rebekah you need to do the trips with them because you will not be able to do them yourself (LIES) for an ex-sample we spoke to a couple we saw on a day out they paid 75 euros each for a trip to a beach a river trip me and the wife did the same trip only we had longer and it cost us around £25 for the both of us.
And in ending here comes the best bit , My final bill arrives and not only do i see the 15% sevice charge added to all my drinks there the final straw 5 euros per day per person for what they call Hotel service charge that a total cost of £140 euros added to your bill and this was not advised by virgin.(letter on the way to them)
I hope you read this b4 you book but if not and your on you way
1. Use happy hour and get you bootle un-opened and keep them for the day time
2. eat when you get of the ship
3 dont book trips with them it easy to get around and you save money to have a drink or 2 day time.or pay for the HOTEL SERVICE CHARGE
fistly when we got to our room (box)I have been married for 23 years and still like to cuddle up to my wife not sleep in single bed so i made my 1st visit to customer services and requsted a double room to be told the ship was full,so i asked for the beds to be put together only to be told this could not be done but after speaking to the english rep called rebekah (resign now)3 days later the beds were put together and the table which was in betweeen the bed left in front making the room even smaller, back to the desk, Please can you put the cabinet by the side of the beds(sorry sir we can not move it) so me and the wife did it ourself and re-connected the electrics, back to the first day time to have a drink £5 for a bottle of becks oh well if that the price so be it(1st drink bill 15% sevice carged added) thats now 5.75 for a bottle. back to room for a clean up, turn tap on (omg)the water was BROWN wife in shower getting dirtier with brown water coming out of the shower, water stops, oh well back to service desk, GOOD NEWS wife looks at the today paper theres a happy hour in the bar buy one ger one free, the bar packed order drinks 15 mins later we get drinks.ok by now you get the picture but let me list below why you sould not do this cruise
1. the ship is smelly
2. the rooms are to small
3. the entaintment is so bad at night the day entaintment well if you have the brains of a donkey then you`d enjoy it
4.well i like a good drink and when i got home i had one the prices are as stated £5 plus a bottle £2.50 a soft drink £7.50 a spirit and dont forget the service charge
5 food very poor Brekfast the same ever day White bangers runny scrambled eggs. runny cornbeef hash and allways cold, food not alivable all the time like other cruses,(if you like cakes fruit and bread then this is the cruise for you)
The trips well over priced and you will be told by the rep Rebekah you need to do the trips with them because you will not be able to do them yourself (LIES) for an ex-sample we spoke to a couple we saw on a day out they paid 75 euros each for a trip to a beach a river trip me and the wife did the same trip only we had longer and it cost us around £25 for the both of us.
And in ending here comes the best bit , My final bill arrives and not only do i see the 15% sevice charge added to all my drinks there the final straw 5 euros per day per person for what they call Hotel service charge that a total cost of £140 euros added to your bill and this was not advised by virgin.(letter on the way to them)
I hope you read this b4 you book but if not and your on you way
1. Use happy hour and get you bootle un-opened and keep them for the day time
2. eat when you get of the ship
3 dont book trips with them it easy to get around and you save money to have a drink or 2 day time.or pay for the HOTEL SERVICE CHARGE
- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" holiday on the Costa (lotta) Allegra "
Submitted By: mrs.jan butler
just returned from cruise to the far east.Not been cruising before so wasnt sure what to expect..CABIN...was fine ,plenty of storage space ,nice and clean and comfortable... STAFF>cabin maid was a delight ..bar waiters great and dining room staff also great. ENTERTAINMENT..acceptable although a bit amateurish for my taste and the deck games were a bit juvenile ,but most people seemed to enjoy. FOOD. i found the food really good although being a woman if its cooked for me i'm quite happy...NOW FOR THE BAD BITS......the price of the drinks was really unacceptable in english pounds about £7.50 for one vodka and lemonade...the bar was full to bursting at happy hour which lasted from 5.30 to 7 and then almost empty after that...luckily for us my hubby and i are not big drinkers..but most people like to have more than one a night would turn out to be very costly for them.. THE EXCURSIONS were very highly priced between about £45 to £100 EACH these were pushed by rebekha as the only way to see the ports we were stopping at with horror stories thrown in about people going off on their own and missing the ship sailing....not what you want to hear when you are cruising for the first time ...would have been nice if we were told of alternative ways of seeing the countries we were visiting although scare tactict were obviously employed to get people to buy the trips.....THE LIBRARY was two windowsills with books on ,when i went in to have a look for something to read could only find one in english...INTERNET CAFE..spent a fortune and only got through to my desired page about 3 times were so slow and the money starts ticking over as soon as you are conected to the internet so even if you dont get where you want to go you still pay ...at the end of our holiday were amazed to find an extra $5 per day per person was added to our bill.that is $140 in total presumably for tips for the staff but how do we know they actually get them..and i would prefer to do my own tipping ..also there was no information about this from travellsphere ,and it was tucked away in the very small print from costa...we were constantly told by everone we talked to that we shouldnt be put off cruising by this paticular cruise BUT i wouldnt recommend the costa line to anyone ,what looked like a very good deal for 18 day holiday turned out to be really expensive once you add all the bits and peices on ...i would like to say we met some smashing people
- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:travellsphere
" Bad news "
Submitted By: jeantoml
Having just completed a 16 day cruise on this ship, we returned home totally disappointed with the cruise. Firstly, on arrival at the dock, after an all night flight from Perth, Western Australia to Singapore, we had to hang around from 6 am to 10am with all our luggage before they would accept them for loading. Boarding was not permitted until 2.30 pm. Other cruises we have been on (P&O and Holland America) have accepted our luggage on arrival, leaving us free to explore the local area and boarding was allowed from 11 am onwards. On boarding we found the "luxurious" cabin to be only 2.3m wide, with two single beds, making moving around extremely difficult. We had outside noise problems with the cabin, made 3 complaints to the Service Desk and were told there were no alternative cabins available, but, after 11 days miraculously they discovered another cabin, which was equally as small, but quieter. Generally speaking the food was of a high standard although not available as frequently as on other cruises. The staff worked extremely hard to try to entertain us, but during the day there was little to do and even less in the evenings, unless you liked listening to the same trio singing the same songs every night. One of the best stage shows was the talent night where passengers and entertainment staff put on skits. We found the drinks expensive, as they were priced in Euros and when converted to Australian Dollars, on average it totalled AU$25 for a cocktail of the day and one small beer. If draft beer was ordered, it was served in plastic glasses. Overall a very disappointing trip, though the ports of call were interesting.
- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Itinerary:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:horizon holidays
" thanks "
Submitted By: ningnong
we were a group of 14 Australians and we would like to say that we had an absolutely fantastic time on the cruise we would like to thank all of the crew from the captain down to the cabin crew for all the help and service given to us while on the cruise. most of us had not been on a cruise before we have no problems about sailing with costa again.
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Costa Allegra - Costa Abysmal "
Submitted By: pjsing
Extract from our letter of complaint to Costa
At the time of booking we specifically requested an inside cabin with a double bed, we were assured that our request would be met. This holiday was to be a holiday of a lifetime for us, one that we had saved hard for. On arrival on the ship in Singapore we were shown to our cabin, which much to our dismay had twin beds with a large pillar in between. We mentioned at the time to the steward that the bed arrangements were not what we had requested. The very helpful cabin steward advised us to speak to customer services, which we duly did. The customer service desk was most unhelpful to the point of being very rude and we were informed that the ship was full, nothing they could do. The attitude of the staff was brusque to say the least, to add insult to injury, someone having only recently booked (a few days ahead of the cruise) were not only given a cabin of their choice but were in fact upgraded)! This we are sorry to say was only the start of what for us was a very disappointing cruise experience.
The English speaking hostess Rebekah was very unprofessional, her welcome to Costa presentation was full of spelling mistakes, her presentation skills poor and she basically told us nothing, in fact her audience had more information from the website than she was able to give us, another hard sell for the overly priced shore trips! We never found her helpful, much the opposite; her manner was very rude and dismissive! We had constant excuses ranging from the ship has only just come out of dry dock, the crew are new and still being trained, it’s an old ship, it can’t carry enough people to warrant paying for good entertainment, she even told customers she was fed of complaints and wanted to get off in Hong Kong! – Very poor customer service
We quite often found that uniformed crew and hostesses were served before guests in the Murano bar, equally the crew did not associate with guests whilst in the Murano bar – very poor customer service
The evening entertainment was diabolical, in fact it was an insult to adults, very cheap holiday camp type – very poor customer service
Almost every day there were basic mistakes on the Today programmes distributed to the guests, they ranged from half the programmes stating gala dinner (smart dress) to casual dress, causing great confusion, to publishing the wrong times for cocktails with the Captain, the list is endless, where is your quality control? Exceedingly poor customer service
We were on the second dinner sitting (by request) and had the most helpful waiter ever Jose (table 28), who ran round all the tables he was responsible for to ensure all his customers needs were met (excellent customer service, any top restaurant would be proud to have him in their employ). However, we did have to make a complaint regarding the tepid temperature of the food set in front of us (not the waiters fault). As we pointed out there are EU regulations regarding the temperature of food being served (under food hygiene and health & safety regulations). We will hasten to add once we had complained there was a marked increase in the temperature of the food being served. But where was your quality control?
We had visited the Costa website endlessly before the start of our holiday so we were very well informed regarding dress codes etc. Even in the documentation we received it stated that shorts would NOT be permitted in the dining room in an evening and that gentlemen should wear jackets, hence we packed appropriate clothing. To our great dismay, jeans, sandals, shorts, in fact anything you wanted was permitted. Why? There was a self-service restaurant upstairs for those who did not wish to smartly dress, why state a dress code and then not follow it? A very disappointing experience!
Daytime activities, we can only liken these to a kindergarten! We did not pay to paint paper plates, thread beads onto string, or make a crepe dress and run around the ship, following the crew shouting I am the wind! On deck it was just as bad, tip a ping-pong ball from one paper cup to another! Needless to say we did not partake in any activity, a shame really with a little bit of imagination and an increase in the entertainment budget, all passengers could have had an enjoyable activity experience. Poor customer service
Tea & coffee – at the deck bar, self service restaurant and Montmatre restaurant were undrinkable due to the tainted water taste, however if buying a coffee in the Murano bar there was no tainted taste. Why was there such a significant difference? We can only surmise that it was yet another way to empty guests wallets!
The prices onboard were extortionate, grossly overpriced £20 for a cheap bottle of wine that can be bought for around £2 - £3 by the public, much cheaper for Costa as you buy in bulk, then add 15% service charge which adds insult to injury! Thankfully on a review site just 3 days before we left for the cruise we heard about the X1 package which we managed to purchase, but were told by the English speaking hostess to keep it quiet! Neither of us could be termed heavy drinkers, but this package should be advertised, guests pay vast amounts for this cruise, they are charged over the top prices onboard plus 15% service charge on everything and an additional £5 per day each. Tours were ultra expensive, hence we didn’t buy any tour package but at every port of call we managed to visit all the places the tours did and more besides for a quarter of the price. The cost of shuttle buses was also outrageous and on the one occasion we did take a shuttle bus, the time of departure from Manila was confusing, the Today programme stated 4.30, on the bus the sign said 5.00, the guide stated 5.30! Poor customer service.
The waiters and cabin crew together with the waitresses in the Murano bar were very helpful, well mannered and polite which far exceeded the attitude of your other customer facing crew, especially those in uniform who were surly, unhelpful and very abrupt.
Finally, we were at sea for 20 hours before any safety briefing on safety at sea and that was a very unorganised event, even worse for those joining the ship in Hong Kong, who got a life jacket waved at them in their welcome briefing, told it was in their cabin and they would find the muster point number on their cabin door. We are sure this breaches any basic safety at sea regulation. We can only hope there will never be an incident.
We feel that we paid 4 star prices for just about a 2 star experience, it had been our intention to book a further cruise with Costa for Christmas 2009, we certainly will not be doing so now, another company will get our business. Friends who were waiting for our return as they were considering a Costa cruise will also be spending their money elsewhere
Everyone we spoke to or came into contact with during our 14 days onboard were in despair over the poor service, high costs and lack of adult type entertainment.
At the time of booking we specifically requested an inside cabin with a double bed, we were assured that our request would be met. This holiday was to be a holiday of a lifetime for us, one that we had saved hard for. On arrival on the ship in Singapore we were shown to our cabin, which much to our dismay had twin beds with a large pillar in between. We mentioned at the time to the steward that the bed arrangements were not what we had requested. The very helpful cabin steward advised us to speak to customer services, which we duly did. The customer service desk was most unhelpful to the point of being very rude and we were informed that the ship was full, nothing they could do. The attitude of the staff was brusque to say the least, to add insult to injury, someone having only recently booked (a few days ahead of the cruise) were not only given a cabin of their choice but were in fact upgraded)! This we are sorry to say was only the start of what for us was a very disappointing cruise experience.
The English speaking hostess Rebekah was very unprofessional, her welcome to Costa presentation was full of spelling mistakes, her presentation skills poor and she basically told us nothing, in fact her audience had more information from the website than she was able to give us, another hard sell for the overly priced shore trips! We never found her helpful, much the opposite; her manner was very rude and dismissive! We had constant excuses ranging from the ship has only just come out of dry dock, the crew are new and still being trained, it’s an old ship, it can’t carry enough people to warrant paying for good entertainment, she even told customers she was fed of complaints and wanted to get off in Hong Kong! – Very poor customer service
We quite often found that uniformed crew and hostesses were served before guests in the Murano bar, equally the crew did not associate with guests whilst in the Murano bar – very poor customer service
The evening entertainment was diabolical, in fact it was an insult to adults, very cheap holiday camp type – very poor customer service
Almost every day there were basic mistakes on the Today programmes distributed to the guests, they ranged from half the programmes stating gala dinner (smart dress) to casual dress, causing great confusion, to publishing the wrong times for cocktails with the Captain, the list is endless, where is your quality control? Exceedingly poor customer service
We were on the second dinner sitting (by request) and had the most helpful waiter ever Jose (table 28), who ran round all the tables he was responsible for to ensure all his customers needs were met (excellent customer service, any top restaurant would be proud to have him in their employ). However, we did have to make a complaint regarding the tepid temperature of the food set in front of us (not the waiters fault). As we pointed out there are EU regulations regarding the temperature of food being served (under food hygiene and health & safety regulations). We will hasten to add once we had complained there was a marked increase in the temperature of the food being served. But where was your quality control?
We had visited the Costa website endlessly before the start of our holiday so we were very well informed regarding dress codes etc. Even in the documentation we received it stated that shorts would NOT be permitted in the dining room in an evening and that gentlemen should wear jackets, hence we packed appropriate clothing. To our great dismay, jeans, sandals, shorts, in fact anything you wanted was permitted. Why? There was a self-service restaurant upstairs for those who did not wish to smartly dress, why state a dress code and then not follow it? A very disappointing experience!
Daytime activities, we can only liken these to a kindergarten! We did not pay to paint paper plates, thread beads onto string, or make a crepe dress and run around the ship, following the crew shouting I am the wind! On deck it was just as bad, tip a ping-pong ball from one paper cup to another! Needless to say we did not partake in any activity, a shame really with a little bit of imagination and an increase in the entertainment budget, all passengers could have had an enjoyable activity experience. Poor customer service
Tea & coffee – at the deck bar, self service restaurant and Montmatre restaurant were undrinkable due to the tainted water taste, however if buying a coffee in the Murano bar there was no tainted taste. Why was there such a significant difference? We can only surmise that it was yet another way to empty guests wallets!
The prices onboard were extortionate, grossly overpriced £20 for a cheap bottle of wine that can be bought for around £2 - £3 by the public, much cheaper for Costa as you buy in bulk, then add 15% service charge which adds insult to injury! Thankfully on a review site just 3 days before we left for the cruise we heard about the X1 package which we managed to purchase, but were told by the English speaking hostess to keep it quiet! Neither of us could be termed heavy drinkers, but this package should be advertised, guests pay vast amounts for this cruise, they are charged over the top prices onboard plus 15% service charge on everything and an additional £5 per day each. Tours were ultra expensive, hence we didn’t buy any tour package but at every port of call we managed to visit all the places the tours did and more besides for a quarter of the price. The cost of shuttle buses was also outrageous and on the one occasion we did take a shuttle bus, the time of departure from Manila was confusing, the Today programme stated 4.30, on the bus the sign said 5.00, the guide stated 5.30! Poor customer service.
The waiters and cabin crew together with the waitresses in the Murano bar were very helpful, well mannered and polite which far exceeded the attitude of your other customer facing crew, especially those in uniform who were surly, unhelpful and very abrupt.
Finally, we were at sea for 20 hours before any safety briefing on safety at sea and that was a very unorganised event, even worse for those joining the ship in Hong Kong, who got a life jacket waved at them in their welcome briefing, told it was in their cabin and they would find the muster point number on their cabin door. We are sure this breaches any basic safety at sea regulation. We can only hope there will never be an incident.
We feel that we paid 4 star prices for just about a 2 star experience, it had been our intention to book a further cruise with Costa for Christmas 2009, we certainly will not be doing so now, another company will get our business. Friends who were waiting for our return as they were considering a Costa cruise will also be spending their money elsewhere
Everyone we spoke to or came into contact with during our 14 days onboard were in despair over the poor service, high costs and lack of adult type entertainment.
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Planet Cruise
" Gems of the Far East "
Submitted By: barmitch
Best bits - The staff were a credit to Costa. All were charming, cheerful and helpful. The itinerary was imaginative. The cabin was clean and the food was very good. The entertainment was often different to what I am used to, but there were some excellent unconventional entertainers who I thought broke the mold of the conventional singing/dancing routines.
The bad bits - The self service tea and coffee was dreadful. Was it the toddlers cheap plastic mugs, the water or something else. If this is Italian coffee - pass. The excursions were generally good but pretty expensive, although to be abandoned in a market in Saigon for 90 minutes to face the highest pressure sales approaches was definitely not fun. Ten minutes would have been five minutes too long. The non-theatre entertainment was very unimaginative, especially considering the number of days at sea.
Conclusion - Costa seems to do some things very well, particularly developing its staff, but they could do a lot better at little cost by upgrading the tea/coffee facilities, laying on more imaginative morning and afternoon entertainment and asking customers for feed-back on the excursions. Not expensive.
The bad bits - The self service tea and coffee was dreadful. Was it the toddlers cheap plastic mugs, the water or something else. If this is Italian coffee - pass. The excursions were generally good but pretty expensive, although to be abandoned in a market in Saigon for 90 minutes to face the highest pressure sales approaches was definitely not fun. Ten minutes would have been five minutes too long. The non-theatre entertainment was very unimaginative, especially considering the number of days at sea.
Conclusion - Costa seems to do some things very well, particularly developing its staff, but they could do a lot better at little cost by upgrading the tea/coffee facilities, laying on more imaginative morning and afternoon entertainment and asking customers for feed-back on the excursions. Not expensive.
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Travelsphere
" Just back from hol 23rd june.... "
Submitted By: Mrs S Birch
Just back from hol 23rd june. Itinerary fantastic. Ship crap. Food crap. Facilities crap. Own fault i suppose. We should have checked other peoples comments before we booked. 15% surcharge on all goods and services. Day at sea activities may or may not occur depending what we never did find out. Sky high prices for drinks. Most passengers bought in supplies ashore rather than be robbed at the bars. No option on whether to tip or not was added on the bill. English chef brought on board because of complaints. He was PROUD believe it or not, to introduce to the menu, fish+chips,sausage+mash, liver+bacon and a mixed berry crumble. Well excuse me but i thought i'd booked and paid for a cruise, not a stint in the nearest transport cafe.
All the excursions we booked we really enjoyed, but the shine was rather taken off when you talk to more experienced cruisers who inform you at dinner that they did the same as you but with a local taxi for at least half the price you've just been fleeced out of. Am glad this was not our first cruise as it would've put me off for life. Will NEVER ever go with costa again. Is not just me that was unhappy 90% of passengers we spoke to ALL complained of the same things
All the excursions we booked we really enjoyed, but the shine was rather taken off when you talk to more experienced cruisers who inform you at dinner that they did the same as you but with a local taxi for at least half the price you've just been fleeced out of. Am glad this was not our first cruise as it would've put me off for life. Will NEVER ever go with costa again. Is not just me that was unhappy 90% of passengers we spoke to ALL complained of the same things
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Itinerary:far east
- Tour Operator:Travelcare
" We boarded the Costa Allegra in... "
Submitted By: Mr A Dean
We boarded the Costa Allegra in Singapore recently for a 14 night cruise in South East Asia. Looking forward to a romantic holiday imagine our horror to discover that our cabin had 2 single beds that could not be converted to a double....no spare cabins.
The Costa Allegra is 28000 tonnes, small by cruise ship standards, but this is an advantage as we never need ed the ship's tenders (boats) to go ashore and it was small enough to sail 45km up the amazing Saigon River.
The ship is kept very clean and the public rooms have a nice refined Italian look. Service by cabin stewards, bar staff and restaurant staff was excellent, information desk less so.
We had read reviews of the food and had low expectations but were pleasantly surprised..we found the food in the restaurant and the buffet was really good, I especially liked the pasta dishes.
Accomodation was the big problem for us..but we must have been unlucky as others seemed content. Our cabin had 25% of the carpet flooded. It smelled awful and for 2 days a machine slowly drtied it out..but we had to slleep in the damp cabin and my partner became very sick for 2 days, coughing, sleeping and unable to eat. Could Costa help us with a apare cabin? No.....no spare cabins. Most ships have spare cabins for emergencies but not this one. Fortunately my partner recovered after missing Hong Kong.
The itinerary of the cruise was excellent and made it all worthwhile...Singapore,Vietnam {2 ports), Sanya in China, Hong Kong (36 hours), Manila, Borneo and Brunei. Costa are very innovative in selecting unusual itineraries and the ports of call were great, from busy prosperous cities to third world poverty we saw so much on this cruise.
The crew and staff seem happy and that makes a happy atmosphere on the ship
The passengers were 50% British 20% Italian 10% French 10% Spanish and a few Australians and Germans.....harldly any American passengers. There was a nice ambience on board and though many drank of course nobody caused trouble and people were polite and civil. A very European feel on board which we liked.
I pitied non smokers as even non smoking lounges smelt of smoke from smoking areas.
Would we cruise with Costa again? Yes, despite the cabin hassles we experienced, we would definately sail with Costa again.
The Costa Allegra is 28000 tonnes, small by cruise ship standards, but this is an advantage as we never need ed the ship's tenders (boats) to go ashore and it was small enough to sail 45km up the amazing Saigon River.
The ship is kept very clean and the public rooms have a nice refined Italian look. Service by cabin stewards, bar staff and restaurant staff was excellent, information desk less so.
We had read reviews of the food and had low expectations but were pleasantly surprised..we found the food in the restaurant and the buffet was really good, I especially liked the pasta dishes.
Accomodation was the big problem for us..but we must have been unlucky as others seemed content. Our cabin had 25% of the carpet flooded. It smelled awful and for 2 days a machine slowly drtied it out..but we had to slleep in the damp cabin and my partner became very sick for 2 days, coughing, sleeping and unable to eat. Could Costa help us with a apare cabin? No.....no spare cabins. Most ships have spare cabins for emergencies but not this one. Fortunately my partner recovered after missing Hong Kong.
The itinerary of the cruise was excellent and made it all worthwhile...Singapore,Vietnam {2 ports), Sanya in China, Hong Kong (36 hours), Manila, Borneo and Brunei. Costa are very innovative in selecting unusual itineraries and the ports of call were great, from busy prosperous cities to third world poverty we saw so much on this cruise.
The crew and staff seem happy and that makes a happy atmosphere on the ship
The passengers were 50% British 20% Italian 10% French 10% Spanish and a few Australians and Germans.....harldly any American passengers. There was a nice ambience on board and though many drank of course nobody caused trouble and people were polite and civil. A very European feel on board which we liked.
I pitied non smokers as even non smoking lounges smelt of smoke from smoking areas.
Would we cruise with Costa again? Yes, despite the cabin hassles we experienced, we would definately sail with Costa again.
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Itinerary:Costa Allegra Cruise Ship
- Tour Operator:ecruising
" Have rated this holiday for itinerary... "
Submitted By: Mrs S.J. Routledge
Have rated this holiday for itinerary only--had we cruised with another cruise company, would have had the holiday of a lifetime--but would not advise anyone to cruise with COSTA as all they are interested in is taking you money. 4.5 euros per person per day added to the onboard account--15% added to all drinks and other items bought on board--charges for visas and shuttle buses --which we've never had to pay for on other cruise ships. The entertainment was rubbish--very juvenile, and at times an insult to ourintelligence!
- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Itinerary:Treasures of the Far East
- Tour Operator:Virginformerly FAST TRACK
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after cruising before to a high standard of service & cleanliness to sail with costa on the allegra was the pits
all previous reviews are correct and the comment about safety at sea i can verify and nobody was told not to fetch their life jacket from their cabin in the event of problems as sufficient were kept on the lifeboat deck
WHEN THE SHIP LOST ALL POWER AND WE WERE LEFT ADRIFT IN COMPLETE DARKNESS BECAUSE THE TWO EMERGENCY LIGHTS NEAREST TO OUR CABIN WERE NOT WORKING WE AT THAT POINT DECIDED THAT CRUISING SHOULD BE A PLEASURE AND NOT A HEALTH OR SAFETY RISK
COSTA CRUISES [NEVER AGAIN]