COSTA MUSINGS

First at sea day – of only 2 in a row – but 9 altogether.

My expectations of cruising on Costa were not very high after reading on trip advisor, however it is leaving me even more underwhelmed.  Even saying that, the itinerary was the big draw and it is proving to be the greatest part of the adventure and even with only 1 stop, I am enjoying that so very much.

The food leaves a lot to be desired and the service is even worse.  Diana’s cod last night was not cooked – quite pink actually… and she was unable saw through her cantaloupe with the non serrated knife.  I had thin filet of beef that was quite tasty and rare – but the same dish was served to a tablemate and was chewy and overdone.  If you want water at the dining table, you must pay for it.  Diana and I have a water package that came with our cruise ticket, but just try and get a refill – you must ask and are lucky if they are back in 5 minutes.  Three packages of butter for a table of 6 yet the bread baskets are full of dry buns. (European way I suspect…I like the warm soft ones – American style).  Thank goodness I have good teeth.

The buffet service is closed for the day at 4:30 and is not available for dinner.  If you desire something other than the dining room fare, you can pay separately for a pizza or a sandwich.  I have definitely been spoiled by other cruise lines.  The only beverage available without charge for 24 hours…is water from 1 of 3 drinking fountains.  You can only get tea or coffee from 7:00 until 4:30 – when the buffet closes.  The coffee last night in the dining room was Nescafe packages.  Nothing brewed.

When we boarded, we were greeted by our cabin steward, Cecille – I have not seen her since.  So used to the happy greetings of “Good morning, April…Good morning, Eileen” we received on Holland America.  Have not seen nor heard from the captain on board.  At least I hope there is one on board – Costa doesn’t have the best reputation for a captain on  board until the last passenger is off.

The daily calendar of events is quite skimpy.  Today there is a lecture on the upcoming cruise ship ports and the excursion itinerary.  I will attend that to be better informed about our destinations.  I would love to see a cooking demonstration or a tour of the ship galley, but nothing yet.  Yesterday Diana made paper flowers and today is jewelry making.  I might go to that one.

We are at sea for 2 days before we arrive at Casablanca.  With the excursion I have booked, I found that a couple we met from Palm Springs are taking the same one.  I am glad of that.  Diana is not looking to do anything while were are in that port – so it will be nice to have someone English speaking and somewhat familiar to walk with.  I think they say that 5% of the ship are from North America.  This doesn’t surprise me, and a great many of the European passengers can speak English well enough to converse.  They say the language of the ship is English…and with the strong Italian accent, it can be difficult for us to understand, but overall, it works.  Everyone tries – even me – that’s what is important.

Today, we will be going through the straight of Gibralter later in the afternoon and I will be sure to be on the deck for that.  I am not sure what time, but I know it will be interesting and our first sight of land in about 36 hours. 

So there you have it.  I will keep you informed.