Thread: What is Costa Atlantica like ?

Can anybody give me opinions on the Costa Atlantica ? She is quite an old ship and I am concerned (after a not so pleasant cruise on the NCL Majesty) that older ships should be avoided.

Whoops she is not as old as I thought , launched 2000 but only a 4 star rating.

I was just about to say that it's not that old, but you beat me to it.

I'm not sure what the 4-star rating is all about. Out of how many stars? I would not agree that it's a 4-star out of 5-stars, if that is what is meant. On my 5-star rating system, I would rank this about 2-1/2 stars.

We were on the Atlantica years ago and we had a nice time. But based on our experiences and those of many clients, Costa is along the same as NCL - you either love them or hate them - doesn't seem to be much feeling about them from people in the middle.

It really depends on where you're boarding and where you're going. Costa is an Italian cruise line as as such, draws alot of Europeans, especially Italians. Towards this, the food and service leans towards that which they are accustomed to and not as much as what Americans are use to. While some Americans can accept this and enjoy the cruise, others are not quite so appreciative of the differences. Hope that makes sense.

We found the ship itself very nice and enjoyed our cruise, but we did understand how people on both sides felt about the food and service. It's sort of like when traveling in Europe - some people love the food, while others think the food is bland.

As with most cruises, if you let the small things bother you, you'll not enjoy your cruise. But if you don't let the small things get to you, then you'll have a very nice experience.

Pete

Thanks , I was mainly worried about the state of the ship in my first question. I had missread that it was launched in 1991. The star rating I took from 'Vacationstogo' a convenient place to compare all ships I find. They have it out of 6 stars so maybe they agree with you. We love italian food so maybe the food will not bother us. The crusies were on the East coast of North America.

Isnt the Costa ships designed by the same designer that does the Carnival ships??!!
It sure looks like it so expect a lot of bling and neon.

Here is a link to pictures of the Costa Atlantica:

Ship Parade - The online magazine dedicated to cruise ships

Scroll down to Ship Tours and the ship

Thanks Lars , very opulent .

Pete . you mentioned the service also , was the service was not what we normally excpect ? We have been to Italy and found the waiters prety snobish, is that what you meant ?

Don't want to put a label on it, but let's put it this way, the service is different than what you get when you have waiters from other parts of the world. How's that?

Pete

Originally Posted by *Lars*

Isnt the Costa ships designed by the same designer that does the Carnival ships??!!
It sure looks like it so expect a lot of bling and neon.

Here is a link to pictures of the Costa Atlantica:

Ship Parade - The online magazine dedicated to cruise ships

Scroll down to Ship Tours and the ship

The Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea are Spirit Class ships, exactly like the Carnival Spirit and her three other sisters. Yes, they were built by the same shipbuilder.

Originally Posted by tonylinsdell

Thanks Lars , very opulent .

Pete . you mentioned the service also , was the service was not what we normally excpect ? We have been to Italy and found the waiters prety snobish, is that what you meant ?

You welcome.
Those ships are a bit OTT for my taste.

Originally Posted by MD11F

The Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea are Spirit Class ships, exactly like the Carnival Spirit and her three other sisters. Yes, they were built by the same shipbuilder.

You are now talking about the super structure, right?!!
Many of the Costa ships looks just like Carnival, also the new ships from Costa. (Luminosa, Deliziosa, Pasifica....)
But I was tallking about the interior designer; Isnt he the same that does the Carnival ships also???
Looks like it to me.