Costa
Atlantica
December
16, 2001
Eastern Caribbean sailing
Uniquely The Same
By Jim MacQueen
The important reason to write about the CostaAtlantica is that by
doing so, I am also writing about Carnival Cruise Lines' Spirit, Pride
and Legend which were also built (or are being built) by Kvaerner
Shipyards at 88,500 tons. But the important reason to write about the
CostaAtlantica is that she is operated by Carnival subsidiary Costa
Cruise Lines, which makes sailing on her a unique experience. Uniquely
different, uniquely the same, these ships are a lesson in market
positioning.
It's
not often I take two cruises back to back. I am in the business of
organizing events, sports tournaments, and meetings. Occasionally,
travel becomes a component of my business planning, and when the
opportunity came to learn more about organizing group tours and
meetings on a cruise ship (especially since I was already in Florida
coming off a vacation cruise on another line, and thus saved an
airfare), the decision to go was a no-brainer. I simply transferred
from Miami on Saturday, stayed overnight at the Hyatt Pier 66 resort
in Ft. Lauderdale, got treated to the Christmas boat parade and a
dockside examination of the Forbes yacht Highlander, and then boarded
the CostaAtlantica on Sunday.
A
few words about Costa and some perceived changes are in order. Costa
Cruise Lines is one of the oldest and most popular lines in the world,
founded in Italy in 1854 by Giacomo Costa, with a long record of
freight and passenger carriage. In fact, many of the Costa's early
cruise ships were actually converted freighters and ferries. When
cruising caught on in the '70s and '80s, Costa made its reputation
with the slogan, "Cruising Italian Style". This was more
than a motto. It was a way of life on the sea and approach to every
aspect of the product that clearly differentiated Costa from all other
lines. It was certainly right for the European market. Costa was and
still is the most popular cruise line in Europe. Several years ago,
the Carnival Corporation acquired a majority interest in the company,
but has continued to allow Costa to operate as a totally separate
brand, a strategy also employed with other Carnival holdings such as
Holland America and Cunard. Today, while a cruise on a Costa ship will
certainly be different from a cruise on any other ship in the Carnival
fleet, and unique from any other popular cruise line, the influence of
Carnival on several aspects of the cruise experience is unmistakable,
and not always for the better.
That
having been said, it is also true that not all passengers,
particularly those from North America, have always appreciated the
uniqueness of the Costa experience. In fact, some Costa
representatives have gone so far as to say that the line is not the
best choice for first-time cruisers because the experience is atypical
in so many ways… a large percentage of other nationalities, more
smokers, a preponderance of Italian dishes on the menu, a bit more
formal dress code, naked children around the pools, less on-board
production shows, more on-board lounges and lounge acts, announcements
in at least five different languages, an Italian festival theme night
and a Roman bacchanal toga party night, etc. This European flavor is
either a plus or a minus in the US market.
Interestingly,
at least on this particular cruise on the CostaAtlantica, round-trip
from Ft. Lauderdale to eastern Caribbean ports, I thought I could
perceive a certain amount of Carnival creeping in. Perhaps it is
normal for the line to adjust the product to the US and Canadian
winter markets, or perhaps this is just the result of economies of
scale in purchasing and training. It's really rather hard to judge.
For instance, condiments such as sugar, jams, sauces and such still
come in packages packed by the line's European suppliers. If there are
attempts at economy of scale in purchasing food ingredients and
products, the passenger does not see them in these items, so the
European flavor and texture remain. On the other hand, the embarkation
procedure in Ft. Lauderdale is straight out of the Carnival operations
manual for Miami, Tampa, and other ports. A relatively quick and
painless (very short lines when I arrived) check-in procedure at a
main desk inside the terminal building is followed by a rather long
wait in an upstairs lounge as groups of 150 or so are boarded by a
numbering process. While the food in the dining room is certainly more
Mediterranean in preparation, ingredients, presentation, and dining
room operations are now much like Carnival… announcements, dancing
waiters and busboys, little reminders about the tipping process. The
bottom line seems to be that Costa and Carnival are now uniquely the
same, different in the really obvious ways (party life and Vegas glitz
vs. European sophistication and elegance) yet the same in many of the
underlying details.
And
this is certainly going to be the same for anyone who attempts to
compare the CostaAtlantica to her Carnival sisters. They may be the
same size and their layouts may be very similar. They may have the
same interior designer in the ubiquitous Joe Farcus. They may even all
have water slides! But they are going to come across to anyone as very
different, all the way from the CostaAtlantica's three blue stacks
compared to the winged stacks on the Carnival ships, to the details in
the furniture and carpeting used in each. The Murano hand-blown
glassware in the alcoves on every landing of every Atlantica stairwell
is as different from the artwork on the Carnival ships as the tile is
different from the neon.
The
first thing you notice about the CostaAtlantica when you begin to
explore is just how long this ship is at 960 feet. Another interesting
feature is that by a rather unique way of designing the main showroom,
the Caruso Theatre, there are actually three decks on which it is
possible to completely circumnavigate the vessel. The Caruso is not
pushed all the way into the bow, but rather, set back a bit so that on
the top of the three levels, the chapel, arcade and children's areas
are all placed BEHIND the stage. This also allows for a passage behind
the theatre on the second level on the La Strada Deck. This (Deck 3)
then becomes the official "promenade" deck on the liner. All
the decks have interesting names with Roman derivations, although
there are two unexplained exceptions in the "Clowns" and
"Fred & Ginger" decks.
The
upper decks 10 and 11 are more or less sun and sports decks, with
walking track, access to the indoor gym and spa, a basketball court,
water slide, etc. One nice thing about the ship is that virtually
every roof space can be accessed from a deck, so there are number of
small, more private patios and sun areas on top. One even is equipped
with two powerful telescopes! The pools are on Deck 9 (Ginger &
Fred… oh, I get it… those are the NAMES of the pools!) and one of
them can be covered by a solarium roof in rainy weather. The posh Club
Atlantica (lounge by day, alternative dining restaurant by night) can
be reached from Decks 10 and 11, or more spectacularly by taking a
glass stairway from Deck 9. Be careful of this staircase. At night,
you are hanging out over the ship's atrium, and it almost seems you
have no visible means of support. Several passengers reported they
simply were not able to climb those stairs at night without a serious
case of vertigo, and I can report that my own bifocals caused me to be
extra careful on my one and only climb down.
Decks
8 through 4 hold most of the cabins, and approximately 80% of the
cabins on all the ships in this class are outside cabins with a
verandah. This is very well designed in the respect that there are
three elevator/stair stacks nicely positioned and reaching all the
decks, plus another far forward stair stack. Because you can walk from
bow to stern on all the cabin decks, and cross from port to starboard
at all the stair stacks and at the stern, this is a very easy vessel
to get around.
The
main public decks 2 and 3 can also be walked from bow to stern, and
there are no unusual detours to reach any of the public rooms. The
design is very similar to most Farcus ships with the starboard side
used as a long walkway along which all the shops and lounges are
positioned to port. The three-level theatre is in the front, and the
main two-level Tiziano Restaurant in the back. Outside the theatre is
the Garden Terrace, which boasts a very large card room. This is
another "European" feature of the Costa product as European
cruisers travel with playing cards and a large number of board games,
and on sea days, it is actually hard to find tables in this area.
Just
a little further back is the Café Florian. Personally, I think this
is one of the most elegant yet underused spaces I've seen on a cruise
ship. The lounge is modeled after the famous Café Florian in Venice,
with a number of smaller "rooms" divided from the main
space, and the seats and chairs finished in red velvet. There is a
full-service bar, but the main offering is coffee and espresso in all
its variations. A string duet plays in the evening, so this a great
place to take after dinner drinks or your evening coffee. An area is
also set aside as a cigar and brandy lounge late at night. Although
the Atlantica is so large one never feels crowded and there seem to be
many quiet spots, I personally felt the Florian did not get the
traffic it deserved the week I was on board.
From
this café, you can take the curved walkway aft through the various
shops of Via Della Spiga, then passing through the atrium, arrive in
the conference area, called the Paparazzi Lounge and meeting rooms,
and then the upper level of the restaurant. Go down one deck, and you
are at the main entrance of the Tiziano dining room. Down one more
floor, and you are in Dante's Disco, decorated with some of the most
spectacular pieces of glass artwork on the ship. Don't miss them even
if dancing is not your thing.
Back
up to Deck 2, appropriately also called "La Dolce Vita" (the
good life) because on a Costa ship, this deck really is the center of
activities. There are a number of bars and lounges here… the Via
Veneto just outside the dining room, the La Dolce Vita Bar in the
Atrium, the Casino Lounge inside the casino, and Piazza Madame
Butterfly which serves as both a lounge and meeting room. It is
located directly under the Café Florian, and there is a spectacular
grand staircase between the two rooms. Further forward and under the
Caruso Theatre is the Coral Lounge with its undersea theme. If you
can't find a place to get a martini on the CostaAtlantica, you
probably don't drink them anyway!
A
word or two about the "ride" of this ship is in order. A
number of experienced cruisers commented on it, and there have been
comments from Carnival Spirit passengers, which are similar. Simply
put, the CostaAtlantica seems have a bow to stern pitch when under
way. It is not unpleasant, although it is very noticeable in the
forward parts of the ship, but it is unusual. When on open decks, you
can see the horizon rise and fall in much the same way you would see
it on a much smaller sailing ship. It's not going to make you seasick
unless you are prone to mal de mer in the first place, but in
these days of stabilized cruise ships, its odd. Now, one thing that
may explain or affect this ride is the fact that the CostaAtlantica
made a flat out run from Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan the first 18 hours
out of port. That's pretty much top speed running at just about 24
knots. The seas were calm, but perhaps the ship's stabilizers tend to
"plane" the currents, accounting for the rise and fall of
the bow. Or maybe not; I'm no ship engineer.
In
summary, the CostaAtlantica made a very nice movable hotel over this
seven-day trip. She was as different from the first week as were the
ports. I took an inside stateroom which was more than adequate for one
person. I had plenty of unused drawer and closet space, and if my wife
had stayed with me, all the things we had on the other cruise would
have fit into this room too. There was nothing particularly special,
either or good or bad, about the cabin, and I would rank it as well
designed, functional and pleasant. The service was particularly good,
and on a couple of days when I was being bothered by a minor oral
infection, the cabin steward was helpful and understanding.
The
trip itinerary is really not very special on the CostaAtlantica's
eastern Caribbean swing, although perhaps the western route is more
adventurous, calling as it does in a couple of ports off the beaten
track. For one thing, the eastern trip starts off with that long sail
to Puerto Rico, getting in mid to late afternoon. This means you
really don't get a chance to see much of San Juan. If you've been
there before, no big deal, but if you wanted to see the old city, this
schedule doesn't work. However, if you, like me, try to take some
meals off the ship for the sake of variety and local flavor, it is
nice to get an opportunity to have dinner instead of lunch in a port
city. Since the ship docks right downtown, within walking distance of
several hotels and restaurants, the late arrival and early morning
departure worked out for many passengers.
Next
up, comes a day in St. Thomas. The US Virgin Islands are best for
beaches and shopping. A stop here doubles your duty-free allowance.
And of course there are the Magens Bay and Coki beaches. Only a few
ships call at Catalina Island, the de facto private island stop for
Costa. It offers the opportunity to also visit the Dominican Republic
and Casa de Campo, the Oscar de la Renta private resort which features
three golf courses (one by Pete Dye), an equestrian center and Altos
de Chavon, an artistic center designed as a 16th century Mediterranean
village overlooking the Chavon River on which much of Apocalypse Now
was filmed. Of course, the Dominican Republic is a dictatorship, so
don't expect to be allowed to see the real country. Benevolent
dictatorships do not have zits.
After
another day at sea, the final stop is Nassau. This used to be one of
my favorites, but since the original Straw Market burned down, the
natives seem restless and much more pushy. Frankly, if you've been to
Las Vegas, there are much more spectacular theme casinos than Atlantis
located in the desert city. It sort of makes the day there seem long,
and maybe even a waste of time. I'm not quite sure how they get all
those people on those 3- and 4-day cruises anymore with Nassau as
their main destination. I suppose I'm missing something.
If
this brief description of the stops has given you the impression there
is more to do ON the CostaAtlantica than OFF it (at least on the
Eastern swing), then you get my point. This ship has three large
outdoor pools and more deck space than a full compliment of passengers
can use. It has the biggest exercise and training room I have
personally seen at sea, with every sort of computerized treadmill and
bike you've ever dreamed of, and all the weight training you can
stand. With spas and sophisticated beauty parlors and lounges
everywhere, there is little reason to get off. Although I personally
thought the shows were not up the standards found on lines like
Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the nightlife is exceptional in its own
way. Rather than concentrating on signing and dancing, the staff has
developed a tradition of theme nights that in many ways are more
entertaining, and certainly a refreshing change. From Caribbean night
around the pool to Italian night in the atrium, there are plenty of
activities on the CostaAtlantica you won't find on another cruise
line. And you sure won't find a toga party! There must have been a lot
of past Costa cruisers on this trip if the number of custom-made togas
that appeared the last night were anything to judge by.
There
was, in my opinion, a downside to "Cruising Italian Style".
Maybe it's just the Carnival influence creeping in again, but the food
was simply nothing to write home about. I think you expect that an
Italian cruise line will have that part down pat, but in fact (and
this comes from someone with significant restaurant dining experience)
even the Italian dishes were more often misses than hits. As a matter
of fact, there are really a number of very negative things I can
report about the dining experience. On the first formal night, for
instance, the CostaAtlantica completely closed the buffet line. This
means that anyone choosing not to dress up for the captain's
reception, or who was feeling a little under the weather, could not
get anything to eat except through room service. And the room service
offerings give a new definition to "limited".
On
the first night out, about the only offering worth trying was prime
rib. On an Italian ship? It was what you would expect… not the
world's finest prime rib. Thankfully, the meals got better from there,
but they never reached the level of better than the rubber chicken
banquet circuit. Many of the passengers even found things to complain
about in the pasta offerings, and certainly creative presentation was
not part of the program. About all I can say positively is that there
were always enough choices on the menu so that something sounded
better than it turned out to be, and there was always enough food so
that no one went hungry if they could get to the dining room. Frankly,
I think Carnival actually does a better job!
The
dining room service was pure Carnival. The same theme nights, the same
dancing waiters and recorded music, the same headwaiters working the
room for tips, even the same baked Alaska (although an Italian version
which was supposed to be Vesuvius, I guess). My waiter did a pretty
good job, particularly making up for the faults of a lazy busboy. The
busboy should be fired. Good thing the tips were prepaid by the group
sponsoring the clinic.
On
the final night, rather than be a lonely single toga-wearer, I tried
out the Club Atlantica alternative dining room. Here, at last, I found
some classic Italian cooking worth writing a little about. Here was a
wonderful salmon appetizer with pear sauce, some excellent fish, and a
creative pasta interlude. The sommelier even went out of her way to
find me a good half-bottle of classic Chianti. As is the case with
most alternative dining spots on cruise ships today, there is a cover
charge, which in reality is just the tip for the service staff in this
room (who would not be included in your regular tips otherwise). I
wish more people understood this as too many people are complaining
about paying extra for some meals. If they could get it that this is a
service charge, maybe they should think about tipping the dining room
staff a little less for the nights they don't go to the regular dining
room.
That
particular set of criticisms aside, I think this class of ship is
going to be the "next thing" for Carnival. While it might
seem that the last thing they need is a class of ships which are 20%
larger than the Fantasy class which makes up the majority of the
fleet, the fact is that the Spirit class which includes the
CostaAtlantica, is in many ways very right for the marketplace. These
ships offer a better passenger space ratio and more amenities, yet can
operate in the same ports of call. I think it was a very wise decision
to place one of these ships with Costa, because it gives the Carnival
Corporation the kind of niche fulfillment necessary to compete in a
market that may have more berths than it needs. Finally, I think that
overall the CostaAtlantica experience is a very good one, and that
anyone serious about cruising as a hobby or main recreational activity
should give it a try.
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