Cruise on Costa Pacifica from la Romana. My 3rd Costa cruise the last one being 5 years ago on Costa Diadema and I was quite shocked at how much the levels of quality and service had fallen on a Costa Cruise. La Romana cruise port is very disorganised and we had to queue for hours in the blazing hot sunshine as there is very little shade outside of the registration/customs area. My cabin was an outside cabin with nice picture window and a good size but the decor was extremely dated and ugly however it was kept clean and tidy. Pacifica's decor was music inspired but the colour palate was very dark and made all areas of the ship feel gloomy. I sensed that there was some kind of issue on board the ship and there was a bit of an 'atmosphere' as staff did not seem as welcoming or even enthusiastic to look after guests and frequently observed managers or supervisors approaching staff. I even heard one manager telling servers in the New York restaurant at breakfast time to 'hold back on the orange juice', obviously a money saving move. I felt that one female (Italian I think) receptionist was quite rude and condescending . Male receptionists were very polite and helpful. Food on board was very basic and I hated the buffet concept which was served to passengers in very long queues and was luke warm at best. The main dining rooms were nothing special decor-wise and the food quite bland and tiny portions. Lots of foods and even coffees cost extra which are normally provided as standard on cruises. Lunchtime burgers and hot dogs by the pools were never served hot. Afternoon snacks consisted of just very small sandwiches, focaccia bread and tiny cakes and the same each day. I was entitled to breakfast in my cabin at a charge but this was refused on board and was advised it was now only provided to passengers in suites. Drinks at pool bars were limited even for a pre-paid package and cocktail list quite small with some drinks such as Pina Colada not even available to anyone. Bar staff seemed the most friendly out of all of the staff onboard though. Entertainment was pathetic. On deck 'games' reminded me of children's party games and the big 'shows' received very muted rounds of applause the 2 nights I attended. Excursions were quite expensive for what was provided and the company was that desperate that they were even giving paid guided tours of the ship which from memory was 89 Euros per person. Too much printed material was left in the cabin each day and after 7 days I could cover my entire double bed with printed material most of which was double sided and could not be used again as it was printed specific to that date and time. Disembarkation seemed well organized at first but was a nightmare and free for all on the day with passengers ignoring there allotted time slot and just leaving when they wanted which caused massive queues in the hot sunshine at La Romana. And finally, Covid still exists and despite many hand sanitizing units being on display throughout the ship, very few passengers used, even when entering and leaving all dining outlets and even when queuing and saw me using one so knew they were there, passengers did not making any effort to consider personal hygiene and possible contamination of fellow passengers. I doubt I will ever cruise with Costa unless it was on one of the newest ships if prices were more affordable and passenger reviews were favourable.
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