Here’s the belated review of our 15-day Caribbean cruise on the COSTA MAGICA from March 1st to 15th.
It’ll be illustrated with photos for each port of call. You’ll need to click on them to enlarge.
We bought this cruise from AZUR CROISIÈRES, in an outside cabin, with the TOTAL COMFORT CLASSIC package, which includes:
- The "Pranzo & cena - Lunch & Dinner" drinks package with unlimited drinks during meals: water, wine, sodas, and draft beer.
- A discount on excursions: the more you book, the bigger the discount.
The "Pranzo & cena - Lunch & Dinner" package was offered onboard for 19.90 € per day per person for those who didn’t already have it.
The itinerary was as follows:
Fort-de-France (Martinique) / Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) / At sea / Scarborough (Tobago) / St. George’s (Grenada) / Bridgetown (Barbados) / Castries (St. Lucia) / Fort-de-France (Martinique) / Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) / At sea / Willemstad (Curaçao) / Oranjestad (Aruba) / Kralendijk (Bonaire) / St. George’s (Grenada) / Fort-de-France (Martinique)
After many cruises with MSC, this was our first COSTA cruise. We couldn’t help but compare the two companies and made the following observations:
- The elevators are faster on COSTA than MSC. You wait less often.
- Fewer storage spaces in the cabin closets on COSTA than MSC.
- Impossible to check your onboard account balance on the TV with COSTA.
- The cost of excursions booked in advance online is deducted at the end of the cruise with COSTA, but immediately upon booking with MSC.
- The decor is more contemporary and elegant on MSC than COSTA.
- COSTA’s restaurant meals are just as good as MSC’s but more generous.
- COSTA: On the first evening when you arrive at the restaurant for dinner, no staff member shows you to your table, unlike MSC!
- The buffet desserts are better on COSTA.
- COSTA: No "napkin folding" during the Italian evening, no pizzas at the buffet, no complimentary drinks in the lounges during the gala evening, and no Baked Alaska either!
- The shows are slightly less impressive on COSTA but a bit longer.
- COSTA offers the option to skip the evening turndown service (preparing the beds for the night with the sheets folded back).
Of course, this list may also depend on the ship you’re traveling on. Some of these observations might be specific to the COSTA MAGICA.
Before the cruise, we spent 2 days in Fort-de-France at the "La Batelière" hotel.
www.la-bateliere.com/
Some rooms need renovating, but the sea view is stunning. We had to carry our two large suitcases up two flights of stairs ourselves because there was no elevator in the part of the building where our room was. The restaurant is good, but service can be slow if it’s busy. Breakfast is excellent. The beds are comfortable. The area around the hotel isn’t interesting—it’s best not to venture out. At the foot of the hotel, there’s a tiny beach (not private) and a nice restaurant/bar with a good reputation: "Lili’s Beach." I recommend booking a superior category room rather than a standard one, or you might be disappointed.
I recently booked a cruise on the MSC MERAVIGLIA in a Yacht Club cabin, and the company assigned me a connecting cabin (with a shared side door to the neighboring cabin, which wasn’t occupied by anyone in our group). I really struggled with the soundproofing compared to the neighboring cabin. Just one door separates the two cabins, and while non-connecting cabins are usually very well soundproofed, the one we had let us hear the neighbors’ conversations and even their toothbrushing. I asked to change cabins, but the ship was fully booked. I think a single door (instead of two) isn’t enough for proper soundproofing, and if it’s even slightly misaligned, it lets air—and therefore sound—through.
If others have experienced this issue, I’d love to hear about it because MSC tells me it’s not a recognized problem (except by me, apparently!)...
Hi,
Could anyone give me some info about Formentera island? We arrive at IBIZA port with MSC Armonia around 9 AM. We set sail again the next day at 7 AM.
How do we get to this island?
Thanks in advance
Hello
Which cruisers from the forum who’ve already stopped in Barcelona with the cruise ship Splendida could give me some info:
Is the port far from the city? What are the best ways to explore on our own—taxis, hop-on-hop-off buses, something else?
And prices, if you remember any.
Thanks in advance
Visiting the islands of the South Pacific is a dream we’re trying to make come true, so we’re doing our research to make sure we don’t miss out.
We’ve been dreaming of visiting French Polynesia for a long time, but now that we might finally be able to go, we’re torn between a cruise or a traditional stay.
Our plan is to visit Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine... and we’re also considering the Tuamotu Islands.
For us, the priority is to explore the islands properly, not so much to enjoy life on a boat—we do cruises closer to home for that. But sailing through those lagoons must be an extraordinary experience too.
I’m reaching out to get your help in weighing the pros and cons of each option.
I’d love to hear from travelers who’ve done this trip.
How many nights would you recommend staying on each island?
