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Cruises4 U Ltd, Spain, Cartagena (2026)

06/01/2025

Costa Diadema – Celebrate the Med and Canaries
Cruise number 67

Costa Cruises – Costa Diadema
2nd November to 16th November 2024
Cabin number: 7163 - Mid ship, Deck -7 : Suite
Total pax :3724 , Crew :1253 : Decks : 13

Cruise for 14 nights.
Ports of Call: Marseilles, Savona, at sea, Malaga, Cadiz, At sea, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Las Palmas, Funchal, at sea , Barcelona , Marseilles.

On arrival from Marseilles airport, it was a swift priority check in. A quick 45 minutes from drop off to suite.
The Suite as expected on arrival was spotless and perfect our suite steward Jeffary on hand to welcome us along with our butler, Gino very attentive and ensured all our requests where met.
Our meals were assigned to the club restaurant and as expected the first-class service was the norm. However, what a wonderful surprise to see the awesome Evelyn again as Club restaurant manager, the revamped club restaurant is our favourite in the fleet of Costa Cruise Ships. Excellent service by our table waiter Ariel and his wonderful assistant Beatriz.

When it comes to our excursions, the 2 stand out excursions where the Jeep tour of the volcanic island of Lanzarote and the other was the very comprehensive tour along with Cestinhos in Funchal. When it comes to the issues of cancellations due to low numbers or languages not spoken this is an ongoing problem with Costa and really needs to be sorted out. Rather do not advertise an excursion if you know you can’t provide it in either English or German. I still find this unbelievable as other cruise lines we travel on have no issue in contracting tour guides in English or German.

With regards to evening entertainment on board by far the stand out shows was the new look XLive , The tenor Emanuele Servido and The Voice at sea.

The Costa club event was well attended and great to see new initiative in handling of this event by the best in the business Cruise director Sabrina and her entertainment team. The entertainment team on board are clearly managed very well and this shines through. With a well structured goodbye event celebrating all the crew and departments. Awesome job Sabrina.

In conclusion, a very average Costa Cruise with exceptional service, great food and good crew. Speaking to other frequent travellers the lack of variety in routes offered by Costa Cruises needs to be addressed as other lines grow and offer a larger variety.

Highly recommend this itinerary. 2024 rating – 4.5 stars

06/01/2025

Costa Fortuna – Autumn in the Med
Cruise number 66

Costa Cruises – Costa Fortuna
27th Sept to 11th October 2024
Cabin number: 7274 - Mid ship, Deck -7 : Suite
Total pax :2702 , Crew :1090 : Decks : 13

Cruise for 14 nights.
Ports of Call: Barcelona, Marseilles, Savona, Civitavecchia, Catania, Heraklion, at sea, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Argostoli , At sea, at sea , Ibiza , Barcelona

On arrival from Barcelona airport, it was an effortless priority check in. The cruise was 100% full as it was a cancelled itinerary which was supposed to include Israel, Egypt and Cyprus.

The Suite as expected on arrival was spotless and perfect our suite steward Sravan on hand to welcome us. The butler, Peter was very attentive and ensured all our requests where met.

Our meals were assigned to the club restaurant and as expected the first-class service was the norm. However, Costas cruises new policy on wine listing has changed and not for the good. The high standard of variety was kept up through all meals we had in the restaurants, along with destination selections on the menu each day this made for a very special dining experience. Excellent service by our table waiter Risus and his assistant Leoandra.

When it comes to our excursions, the 2 stand out excursions where the 4 x 4 and exploration of Mt Etna (great guide Antonio) the other was the walking tour of old town Ibiza including a tapas lunch (well organised and well off the beaten track)

When it comes to the issues of cancellations due to low numbers or languages not spoken this is an ongoing problem with Costa and really needs to be sorted out. Rather do not advertise an excursion if you know you can’t provide it in either English or German. I still find this unbelievable as other cruise lines we travel on have no issue in contracting tour guides in English or German.

With regards to evening entertainment on board by far the stand out shows where XLive , Duo Dream and The Voice at sea.
The Costa club event was well attended, and the English rep Sarah was always at hand. The Cruise director Tiziana and her entertainment team not at the same standard we have had on other ships be they in the Caribbean or Europe. The entertainment team is very average.

In conclusion, a very average Costa Cruise with exceptional service, great food and good crew. Speaking to other frequent travellers the lack of variety in routes offered by Costa Cruises needs to be addressed as other lines grow and offer a larger variety.

Recommend this itinerary. 2024 rating – 3.5 stars

05/01/2025

Costa Toscana - Sail into the Meds sunset
Cruise number 65
Costa Cruises – Costa Toscana
23rd June to 30th June 2024
Cabin number: 9285 - Mid ship, Deck -9 : Terrace Suite
Total pax :6338 , Crew :1678 : Decks : 20
Cruise for 7 nights.
Ports of Call: Marseilles , Barcelona , Ibiza , At Sea , Palermo , Civitavecchia , Savona , Marseilles

On arrival from Marseilles airport, it was a bit chaotic within the cruise terminal building. With Costa Toscana being 80% pre-season sold and on the cusp of school holidays it was inevitable. However, once the check in process started it was fast and from first check of passport to onboard was a mere 45 minutes.

The terrace suite as expected on arrival was spotless and perfect our suite steward May on hand to welcome us. The suite steward was on time daily and very attentive, our terrace suite was situated midship with clear views out to sea and along the boardwalks below. These new extended balconies are a good upgrade to increase to balcony size from the standard 4msq to 8msq. Another wonderful surprise was to see that our ex-butler (Gideon) and suite steward (Leo) from our cruise in late September 2023 on Favolosa.

Our meals were assigned to in the club restaurant Bellevista as well as eating in the MDR L’Oliveto. as expected, first class in service however Costas cruises new policy on wine listing has changed and not for the good. The high standard of variety was kept up through all meals we had in the restaurants, along with destination selections on the menu each day this made for a very special dining experience. Excellent service by our table waiter Reza and his assistants who where sometimes out of their depth.

When it comes to our excursions, the one excursion was well organised and on time. When it comes to the issues of cancellations due to low numbers or languages not spoken this is a ongoing problem with Costa and really needs to be sorted out. Rather do not advertise an excursion if you know you can’t provide it in either English or German. We ended up having one excellent tour Barcelona &Barrio Gotico the others cancelled. So, exploring in many of the repetitive cities like Savona, Marseille and Civitavecchia is highly recommended.

With regards to evening entertainment on board, the same design flaw exists with this lack of for thought in creating a 3-deck high colosseum which has max seating capacity of +-800 with a load of LED screens dotted around. This means unless u miss your set dinner you will never get to be seated for any show. The second venue Teatro San Remo also holds max 1000 again not the traditional size theatres you find on the older ships which is far better than these restricted in both audience and the same repetitive acrobatic and flying rope or hoop acts. Even the Voice at sea felt squashed in and not as effective.
The Costa club event was well attended and was put together very well

Cruise director Kiko and his entertainment team. Most definitely not at the same standard we have had on other ships be they in the Caribbean or Europe. The entertainment team very average.
The extra “destination events” created this season ranged from Good (Formentera Sunset Party) to waste of time ( Cetacean Sanctuary – well advertised and billed as a major event fully packed with 75% of the passengers for a very average laser and light show .Audience disappointment was audible.)

In conclusion, a very average Costa Cruise with exceptional service, great food and good crew. Speaking to other frequent travellers the lack of variety in routes offered by Costa Cruises needs to be addressed as other lines grow and offer a larger variety.

Highly recommend this itinerary.
2024 rating – 3.5 stars

09/06/2024

NCL ENCORE – Atlantic to Pacific
Cruise number 64
Norwegian Cruise Lines – NCL Encore
7th April 2024 to 28th April 2024
Cabin number: 9228 - Mid ship, Deck -9 : Club Balcony Suite
Total pax :4903 , Crew :1735 : Decks : 20
Cruise for 21nights.
Ports of Call: Miami , at sea ( 3 days) , Cartagena, Panama lakes, Panama City , at sea , Puntarenas , at sea , Puerto Quetzal , at sea , Manzanillo , Puerto Vallarta , Cabo San Lucas, at sea , Long Beach (Cal) , at sea , San Fransisco , at sea , Victoria (BC) , Seattle.
On arrival at the Norwegian cruise lines terminal at the port of Miami it was busy but yet organized. Movement through he new terminal was continues and fast. Within an hour we were onboard and finding our way to our Club Balcony suite. Slight departure delay due to another cruise line in a very busy Miami port but made up good time as we had the first 3 days of our 21 day cruise at sea.

14/02/2024

Costa Fortuna meets the Southern Caribbean Sun

Cruise number 63

Costa Cruises – Costa Fortuna
9th January to 28th January 2024

Cabin number: 7262 - Mid ship, Deck -7 : Suite

Total pax :2200 , Crew :1000 : Decks : 13
Cruise for 15 nights.

Ports of Call: Guadeloupe, At Sea, Bonaire , Aruba , Curacao , Grenada Martinque , Guadeloupe , At Sea , Tobago , Grenada , Barbados , St Lucia , Martinque ,Guadeloupe.

After 3 wonderful days relaxing at the Le Creole hotel we watched our ship arrive and had a late embarkation so allowed for another day in the sun.

The suite as expected on arrival was spotless and perfect our butler Sakharam and suite steward Richard were listed for our Suite. The suite steward was on time daily and very attentative, his talent in towel work and design was the best we have seen ever. Alongside his daily routine Richard was fantastic. Our minibar always stocked, and our suite spotless every day after breakfast. Our suite was situated midship as all the suites were located on deck 7. However, after being in suites and samsara suites on Costa Cruises new builds it could be time to update these premium cabin products on the older ships as some of the furniture needs repair.

Our first dinner in the Elite club restaurant as expected was first class in service. This was a level kept up through all meals we had in the restaurant, along with destination selections on the menu each day this made for a very special dining experience. Excellent service by our table waiter Ruddy and his assistants Hazel and Czarina and the restaurant manager Anil who was always at hand to assist.

When it comes to our excursions, all other excursions where well organised and on time. When it comes to the issues of cancellations due to low numbers or languages spoken this does not seem to affect the ports of call in the Caribbean as much as it does in the Europe. Our top two tours taken where the Jeep tour in St Georges, Granada, very informative on time well organised and great guide. The other outstanding tour was the island tour and folk show in Scarborough, Tobago. Two wonderful ports of call which cater for self-walking tours exceptionally well is Willemstadt in Curacao and Oranjestad in Aruba.

Once again, the productions on board the ship where first class with stand shows being H20 and Romeo and Giulietta (acrobats). The Voice at Sea is a great production and always a crowd pleaser. Then the two shows by the good talented singers being Francesca Aureli and Maximillen Phillipe.

The Cruise director Sabrina was outstanding as usual and entertainment team average. Th VIP functions attended by the Captain Vlaho Lazarevic where handled well and on time , The Costa Club event had some new features to it which where interesting.

In conclusion, a wonderful Costa Cruise with exceptional service and overall great crew. Good to see new islands being added to the itinerary as Costa Cruises needs to start to broaden its routes around the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Speaking to other frequent travellers the lack of variety in routes offered needs to be addressed as other lines grow and offer a larger variety.

Highly recommend this itinerary.
2024 rating – 4.5 stars

12/02/2024

Review of latest Cruise to follow

05/11/2023

Cruise number 62
Costa Cruises – Costa Favolosa
Costa Club Cruise – Special Event
21st September to 6th October 2023
Cabin number: 1007 - Forward ship, Deck -10 : Samsara Grand Suite
Total pax : 2810 , Crew : 1230 : Decks : 17

Cruise for 16 nights.
Ports of Call: Marseille , Barcelona ,Savona , Civitavecchia (Rome) , Palermo , La Goulette, At Sea , Cartagena , Cadiz , Casablanca, Casablanca , Tangiers, Malaga , At Sea, Barcelona , Marseille.

A lazy morning in Marseille started as our boarding time was set for !3h00, so a relaxed transfer to the new improved Marseille Province Cruise Terminal was hassle free. On arrival it was clear that this was special Costa Club Event and what would normally take us an hour plus was fast tracked and completed in under 30 minutes. Well done, now I expect that every time.
The Samsara Grand suite was spotless and perfect our butler Leo and suite steward Gideon were listed for our Suite. The suite steward was on time daily however it took 3 days before we got to meet the butler and he was very scarce thereafter. Not the standard we used to at all. Our minibar always stocked, and our suite spotless every day after breakfast. The whirlpool bath we never got to use this time round due to a very hectic schedule of events, functions and excursions. The Samsara suite was forward on the ship we had panoramic windows in which the private enclosed balcony and whirlpool bath where in. Alongside a separate long external balcony, the bathroom had whirlpool tub (pictures as attached) However after being in mini suites and suites on Costa Cruises new builds it could be time to update these premium cabin products on the older ships as some of the furniture was marked and scuffed.

Our first dinner in the Elite club restaurant as expected was first class in service and what was presented to us from the guest chefs was amazing. This was a level kept up through all meals we had in the restaurant, along with destination selections on the menu each day this made for a very special dining experience. Excellent service by our table waiter Basilo Jnr and his assistant Rosalie and the restaurant manager Leslie who was always at hand to assist.

The guest chefs aboard where Michelin star Helene Darroz and Group Head chef for Deserts and Pastries Ricardo Bellera. The gastronomical delights served up according to the destinations made the courses a delight each day. Then came the deserts, innovative, unique, tasty, and just amazing flavours.

When it comes to our excursions, Costa seem to have the same struggle within the Mediterranean routes where they are very seldom in English. Again, we had 5 excursions cancelled due to tour guides not speaking English or not enough English-speaking people booking the excursion. Good customer service does mean that you then send one of your Costa MY Tour desk staff to translate and not lose the revenue and goodwill of the passengers as happened before OR come up with a better solution for all guests. All other excursions where well organised and on time, the standout excursions on this trip where the day trip from La Goulette to Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said, great informative guide who went out of his way to ensure the group enjoyed every bit of the day. The Casablanca by night with dinner and show was a special event for the Club members which was very well put together and went off without an issue. A very good way to see Cadiz was a self-guide routing which the tourist board gave on disembarking well worth it and is comprehensive.

Once again, the productions on board the ship where first class especially on this Costa Club Event cruise. The build up to the birthday productions with “Duo Ice Air – Destiny, Flamenco production and Anthony Alveraz all set the tone for an awesome week over and above the normal cast shows. The Voice at Sea is a great production and always a crowd pleaser.
Then the two shows by the awesome talent that is Talia Alexis elevated the entertainment even more an amazing singer never to be missed if onboard when you cruise. Finally culminating in the one night only pure Gold of Tony Hadley (of Spandau Ballet fame) . The best 16 days on board of entertainment we have had in a very long time.

The Cruise director Sabrina was outstanding, holding the very busy events timetable on course. Another very welcome change was the constant attendance of the Captain Federico Sias at all the invited events (and there was a lot) as well as out and about on board.

In conclusion, a wonderful Costa Cruise Club event with exceptional service, new ports of call and a great new look entertainment program.
Highly recommend this itinerary and a experiencing a Costa Club Event cruise.
2023 rating – 4.5 stars

24/10/2023

Cruise number 62 review to follow soon

29/09/2023

Wonderful Costa Club Cruise on Costa Favolosa

23/09/2023

Its cruise number 62 . On a special Costa Cruise Club event for 16 days on Costa Favolosa.

02/07/2023

Cruise number 61

Costa Cruises – Costa Diadema
10th June to 17th June 2023

Cabin number: 11008 - Forward ship , Deck -11 : Samsara Grand Suite
Total pax : 3810 , Crew : 1230 : Decks : 20
Cruise for 7 nights.

Ports of Call : Marseille , Savona , Civitavecchia (Rome) , At Sea , Ibiza, Palma (Majorca) , Valencia , Marseille.

A lazy morning in Marseille started as the Costa Diadema only arrived at 13h00, so a relaxed transfer to the new improved Marseille Province Cruise Terminal was hassle free.
On arrival it was clear that no pre boarding status for frequent cruisers or suites existed as advertised. This was a free for all and very disjointed. However miraculously all 680 embarking passengers in Marseille made it on time.

The Samsara Grand suite was spotless and perfect our butler Rosh and suite steward Dan where always at hand and never missed a beat. Our minibar always stocked, and our suite spotless everyday after breakfast.
The whirlpool bath was set to our liking whenever we required and spotless within the hour of usage. Both highly recommended, being in the front of the ship we had panoramic windows in which the private enclosed balcony and whirlpool bath where in. Alongside a separate long external balcony, the bathroom had whirlpool tub (pictures as attached)
However after being in mini suites and suites on Costa Cruises new builds it could be time to update these premium cabin products on the older ships.

A lot of people always question the purchasing up from standard balcony to suite to grand suite, its not always about the massive extra sq meters you get and the awesome service you receive from Butlers and International onboard consultants. But take into consideration the unlimited spa accesses the extra gifts the special exclusive events you invited to and the forward discounting levels for future cruises it all makes for a very relaxed hassle-free cruise.
Not forgetting if you are a gold member with costa cruises your luggage (1 suitcase each) is flown out to the ship 7 days before and wating in your cabin for you.

Our first dinner in the Elite club restaurant as expected was first class in service and what was presented to us from the chefs This was a level kept up through all meals we had in the restaurant. Excellent service by our table waiter Stanley and his assistant Abijhit and the restaurant manager Vera who was always at hand to assist, a pleasant surprise was to see Christell from our previous cruise on Pacifica last June.

With regards to the excursions, Costa seem to have the same struggle within the Mediterranean routes where they are very seldom in English. Again, we had an excursion cancelled due to a Spanish tour guide not speaking English.
Good customer service does mean that you then send one of your Costa tour desk staff to translate and not lose the revenue and goodwill of 42 passengers as happened before.
All other excursions where well organised and on time, the stand out excursions on this trip where the day trip from Civitavecchia to Civita di Bagnoregio the village that is fading away and Exploring Ibiza by Jeep awesome driver Gregorio from Oscar Jeep a great day off the beaten track on Ibiza.

Once again, the productions on board the ship where first class and stand out above those on Both Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda. The traditional staging of productions and themed correctly are always full house and enjoyed especially the production called “Kings and Queens“ and “Feel the Beat”, The Voice at Sea is a great production and always a crowd pleaser . Sadly the cruise director on board never met the standard we used to on ships like Firenze , Deliziosa and Pacifica.

In conclusion, a wonderful cruise with exceptional service and always good to see a ship near capacity and operating well. Just wish Costa would be more exciting with there ports of call and not so repetitive. See you at sea.

Highly recommend this itinerary.
2023 rating – 4 stars

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