We booked this cruise to the Far East for my husband's 65th birthday and retirement, and out of 25 cruises we've done it was the worse ship we've been on. Our problems started when we checked in Hong Kong. Desite checking in on line to save time, we waited almost 2 hours, and the photocopier for our passports wasn't working, the next one had on paper in it! A sign of things to come! Although our cabin was clean and our steward excellent, we didn't get the cabin we paid for, instead we were allocated a single mobility cabin with an extra bed put in. We had hardly any room to move, and had to make sure the mattress of one bed was pushed over to the wall before we could open the bathroom door. The bathroom sink did not accommodate a plug. When we queried this with guest services we were rudely told nothing could be done until we got to Singapore which was a week away, to which my husband asked if he was willing to shave under running water for a week! The following day they changed the drainage system in the sink. The water coming out of the tap was brown, and we were told to run the tap for a few minutes to clear it, which it didn't. When we requested a change of cabin, again we were told when we get to Singapore. This came and went, and eventually we were offered a change on day 11 of a 14 day cruise. We told them not to bother.
Although our table waitress in the restaurant was polite and efficient, she was under incredible pressure as she had to serve several tables with 10 people alone. The selection of food for the first week was good, but seemed to deteriorate the 2nd week, as if they had run out of ideas. The staff in the buffet restaurant were very rude and uncaring. The selection of food was very poor and there were occasions when there was no hot water to make tea, or no cold water available. There were several items they ran out of during the cruise.
The entertainment was rubbish apart from the crew show which was excellent, and the musicians who played in the lounge in the evening were good. One good thing is that the tours were well arranged.
Everytime we reported a problem to guest services, we found a letter asking us to see them, and then they didn't know why we contacted them!
The overall standard of cleanliness on the shop was disgraceful and it wasn't until the last day, when we heard there was a boss from Costa on board, that everyone was running round like headless chickens trying to make a good impression. We are very surprise there wasn't an outbreak of a sickness virus as the hand cleansing stations outside the restaurants only worked when thumped by the restaurant manager. The whole expreience can only be likened to Carry on Cruising crossed with Fawlty Towers without the laughs!

Just returned from Jewels of the Emirates on Costa Classica ...Try to get to the airport in plenty of time to check in as, although we booked together, we were not seated together on the plane....because we were early we could get that remedied but not all managed to do so. I did try to check in online beforehand but because it was a group booking by Costa I was unable to do so. BA flight from Heathrow was delayed for two and a half hours ...making up time we arrived two hours late around 1.15 am. We were on board by 2.00 am after an easy embarkation and there was food in the buffet for the late arrivals.... we then had to wait two hours for luggage so a very late bedtime!! Just as well we had nothing planned for the morning as we slept until 10 am !! We were in a suite (it was my special birthday treat) which was spacious and well furnished with a good sized balcony, also well furnished with two steamer type chairs and table. Marble bathroom with twin washbasins and jacuzzi bath and separate shower cubicle with good powerful shower. We didn't use the bath as the jets looked a bit discoloured and grotty and the bath was fairly worn. Plenty of hot water at all times. We had breakfast in the cabin each morning and I think this was available to all cabins at no extra charge. Only one English speaking tv channel which was BBC World which was fine just to catch up on the news. Our only complaint re the suite was that they are situated under the ‘sun’ deck and we were disturbed most mornings early (5.30 - 6.00) by the sunbeds being dragged into position. Also any late night deck parties were noisy. The lounges and public areas are all well furnished but we did not like the marble clinical looking staircases, which magnified any general noise . there was limited deck space for sunbathing…no promenade deck for passengers use...it did appear very crowded at times. (Apparently next year they will be operating Costa Europa which is a larger ship and Costa Romantica, sister to Classica but on slightly different itineraries cutting out Bahrain and having a sea day…just info from a crew member so not gospel) We ate in the buffet at lunchtime and the dining room in the evening (no other choice for dinner) the food overall was OK but not brilliant. I had to return a fillet steak on one occasion which was tough but it was replaced immediately with a more tender one! the choice at dinner was good I thought...I managed to choose 4 courses on most evenings with no problem (the diet has now started!) my partner (who is a meat and two veg man) managed 3 courses every night. The waiting staff were good we had a Philipino and an Indonesian always smiling, and I had the obligatory ‘Happy Birthday‘ sung to me as only they can!!. And also an iced birthday cake with my name on from them. We also had Valentines day where each of the ladies was presented with a red rose at dinner. There were two formal dinners during the week (one preceded by the Captains cocktail party) but really dress wise anything goes. A few men in dinner suits, about fifty per cent in suits or jackets and trousers and the rest in open necked shirts and casual trousers!! I presume if there was an alternative more relaxed venue for dinner then those people would go there and not to the restaurant. The lunchtime buffet was a different matter the 'hot' food was rarely 'hot' unless one happened to catch the grill when they'd just cooked something!! Free Tea and Coffee was not available 24 hours a day and was not served in the restaurant after dinner. So if like us you like a coffee after dinner you had to pay for it in the bar! There is ’compulsory’ tipping on this cruise of 6 euros per person per day but they still add 15 per cent to the bar bills.

The passengers on our cruise were made up of approximately 60 per cent German with probably 15 per cent each of French and Italian and 10 per cent British and half a dozen or so Japanese! One of the staff said it did fluctuate each week. It was a bit frustrating that the announcements (especially before the evening shows) had to be done in all four languages!! But the excursions were kept in groups of passengers speaking the same language with an appropriate guide. Our guide on our two excursions was a young lady called Asma who was excellent, very knowledgeable and a very friendly personality. We found the shows to be OK but nothing special. Just one male singer, six female dancers and three male dancers. (our minds went to the talented singers/dancers male and female who danced and sang through twelve different shows on our two weeks on Thomson Emerald!!!)

The first port of call was Muscat where we decided to take a taxi to a nearby fort and local sights…took the shuttle to the port gate and agreed with a taxi driver to take us for an hour for an agreed price of 30 euros. Unbeknown to us we chose the wrong man who took us to the Grand Mosque three quarters of an hours drive away where we couldn’t go in because I did not have enough clothing to cover myself completely!! Then when we asked to be taken back to the port he continued to drive north up a dual carriageway muttering to himself as he went when we repeatedly asked to be taken back to the ship…eventually he managed to find a slip road to come off and turn around and then proceeded to drive us back to the port around every little side road he could find! We arrived back at the port two hours later with him demanding 70 euros (saying he agreed 35 euros an hour!) I gave him 50 euros and he threw it back at me! To cut a long story short we found an English speaking taxi driver there who tried to mediate and accepted another 5 euros making 55 euros which he said he would make him accept. We walked away at that stage. So BEWARE …not all taxi drivers are honest, some obviously can’t resist the temptation to make a fast buck!! It really upset us both especially as Muscat looked a really nice place and all we saw was the back of the car in front and a Mosque we couldn’t go in!! As we sailed away from here we saw dolphins leaping not far from the ship.

Fujairah was the next port we were greeted by local girls who presented each passenger with a hand made pot and we did the East Coast tour here with the lovely Asma as our guide. Several photo stops at a couple of forts and a fruit and veg market, then the Fujairah museum all quite interesting.

Abu Dhabi we got the shuttle bus into town and did our own thing as we did in Bahrain. Then we did a tour of Dubai on the Friday afternoon after berthing, again with Asma, which included a visit to Jumeirah beach to see the famous hotel, a water taxi across the creek to a spice market and then an hour in the gold souk. Saturday morning we got the shuttle bus into town which drops you at one of the huge shopping malls.

The flight home was not until 3.00 am Sunday but we didn’t have to vacate our cabins until 6 pm (luggage out at 5 pm) then we had dinner in the restaurant at 6.30 pm and left the ship at 10 pm picking up our luggage on the way to the coach to the airport. We finally got through the various security checks and check in procedures at 11.30 and then went through to Duty Free which was wonderful!!!

My pay as you go Orange Mobile phone did not work in any part of the UAE or Oman (if I had a contract one it would have done apparently) so if you need/ want to contact home better to check with your company first. I did ring on the Satellite phone from the ship …6 euros for 40 seconds!!!! There is also an internet room but it seemed very slow and cost about 4 euros just to send a quick email!

the weather was sunny and very warm upper 20s to lower 30s I never needed to wear a cardigan or jumper.

By the way for those of you who smoke, the cheapest cigs we found were in the Duty Free Shop in the cruise terminal in Dubai. Marlboro were about £6.50 for 200 and B & H were £6.00. I think they were about the same in the airport but we had already got them by then. Our flight home was more or less on time leaving and arriving. All in all an excellent itinerary not so sure about Costa Cruises for us again because of the language situation and I am sorry to say the rudeness of some of our European colleagues! We spoke to someone who had done Costa cruising in the Caribbean and who said it was a lot better with mostly Americans and Brits so all English speaking passengers (probably less of a headache for Costa as well!)

COSTA CLASSICA CRUISE
JEWELS OF THE EMIRATES 17/02/2007

This was our second cruise with Costa which we selected for this particular itinerary. We flew from Aberdeen via London Heathrow with British Airways. Very enjoyable flights with good food and drinks. We arrived in Dubai at 23.30 and there were plenty of Costa staff around to help us. We were fast tracked through Passport control, right through to collecting luggage then onto the Coach. We arrived at the Dubai cruise terminal just after midnight and had the speediest embarkation ever. Immediately onto the ship and shown to our cabin which was Category C outside on Pisa deck. The cabin was very spacious with the most comfortable double bed. Our only disappointment with the cabin was that there was only one plug socket (US style adaptor required) and above the socket was a notice for no hairdryers or adaptors. Food was available through the night as there were people still arriving at 3.30am.

The ship was spotlessly clean, older and smaller than the previous Costa ship we have sailed on (Costa Fortuna) and obviously not as grand. However the ship had character. A lot of people we met did not like the fact there was no atrium or carpet covered staircase, but for us it didn’t matter. The staff were exceptional and always had a polite smile and always very helpful. The food was OK, not brilliant, but not poor. The meat dishes tended to be on the tough side. I ate a lot of vegetarian meals which were excellent. Jugs of iced water were on the table every evening. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Trattoria self service restaurant and they had the usual omelette and pasta stations. Each day was a themed menu ie Indian, German, Arabic etc. It was our 5th Wedding Anniversary during the cruise and we got a nice celebration cake and song from the waiters!

We only went to one show which was the crew talent night which was excellent. In fact others said that was the best show out of all of them. The shops on the ship have some lovely gifts and I bought two Guess handbags which were a real bargain. We also treated ourselves to a massage which was 79 euros for 40 minutes. We used the gym each day for a 20 minute workout and the staff in there were extremely friendly and helpful.

The ports of call, first was Muscat in Oman. We did the Mystical Muscat tour and had the most excellent local guide called Massoud. The Grand Mosque was something else, absolutely out of this world. Massoud certainly made this tour for us.

Second day was Fujairah. There is only one tour here (apart from 4x4 in the sand dunes) and we read beforehand don’t bother with it. In fact Costa’s own staff told people who had booked this East Coast tour to think about changing it! We took the shuttle bus to the shopping centre which was basically one shop like a very large Matalan!

Third day was Abu Dhabi. We did the Sheiks Shopping tour which started off at a heritage centre which was quite interesting. Then we were taken to the Marina Mall which was the nicest shopping Mall I have ever seen. We had over 2 hours here. We did not think this tour was worth the 45 euros per person Costa were charging for this. Basically we could have got a taxi to this mall for a couple of pounds!

Fourth day was Bahrain and we did the Heritage and Traditions of Bahrain. We had another excellent guide Lucinda who was English and married to a Bahraini and had lived there for 12 years. This tour started off with another Mosque visit which wasn’t as grand as the one in Muscat, but we had a guide from the mosque that was absolutely brilliant telling us everything and giving demonstrations of the call for prayer. We then went to a museum which stored Old Qurans. We actually found this quite boring. We then went over the King’s Causeway and stopped for a buffet at a place that had a viewing tower where you could see both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The only disappointment was this restaurant was quite dirty. In fact we found Bahrain quite dirty, lots of rubbish lying around. Totally the opposite of Abu Dhabi and Muscat. Others from the cruise ship took the shuttle bus to the shops in Bahrain and said they more or less took the shuttle bus back as they felt it was dirty and not very nice.

Finally we arrived in Dubai and WOW what a City. Makes the UK seem like a third world Country. There was a free shuttle bus to the Burjaman shopping Centre which was another excellent centre. Here we bought the Big Bus Tour tickets which cost around £20 per person for 24 hours. We did the blue line beach tour first which was excellent. The next day we did the red line the City tour and hopped on and off the bus. The Mall we liked best was the Emirates Mall, huge and very impressive. We had a fantastic meal in there, 2 fillet steaks, fresh hot bread, fresh veg, chips, water, Turkish coffee, latte coffee all for less than £20. Incredible. At night we went to the Al Karama where you can buy the best fake bags, watches and any other designer gear. Don’t be put off when they approach you in the Street and want to take you through the “secret” door to show you all the designer handbags. It was amazing, they had Chloe, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, in fact every possible designer you could think off. Oh and you don’t pay the first price they quote, you barter. Taxis in Dubai are so so cheap. A taxi from the ship to the Burajaman shopping centre cost less than £2.00. The building work that is going on in Dubai is phenomenal and we found Dubai the most amazing clean, safe City we have ever visited.

Our flight back to the UK was 3.00am so we were allowed to stay in our cabin until 18.00. Suitcases had to be out by 17.00. We had our evening meal at 18.30 and were being picked up at 22.00 to take us to the airport. Disembarkation was swift and well organised.

To summarise we had a FANTASTIC cruise and holiday, so much so we are looking to book Costa Europa for same time next year. Costa will have 2 ships, Europa and Romantica doing this itinerary next year. The other bonus was the weather which was between 22 and 30 degrees every day with low humidity. We met some wonderful people who we shared dinner with and will keep in touch. A truly memorable holiday and probably the best holiday we have experienced.

Great Holiday. Ship is spotless and well maintained everywhere.
Food suited us very well. As you would expect lots of Italian dishes. Buffets excellent with diferent choices everyday. Unlimited coffee all day. Good value wines package worked out at about £10 a bottle - not plonk either!
Staff certainly earned their tips which were £10/day for our cabin
Entertainment - We had our 8 year old with us who was entertained by the childrens club when he wanted to. The waiters were good to him as well. The show was a it amateurish but was suitable for families although the childrens activities were aailable until 1am!
Overall a great family ship, like a high quality resort hotel. However if it is elegance, cocktail dresses and black tie that you want its not for you.

Ship ha 90% Italians which meant that noise level, particularly in dining room was high (the Italians like their families)

All announcements were in 5 languages before english which meant everyone else had started to talk again.

We had a fire onboard off the coast of Athens which was very well dealt with by crew but the cruise had to be ended early. There was some confusion over arrangements but was dealt with well by Costa.

I would not use Costa again, not because of fire but noise on board and very few dressed up for dinner, even on Captain's night some wore jeans.