I'm glad to see a positive review of Costa by an American who understands that each part of the world can have different expectations when it comes to cruising.
Yes! That's actually why my next (next) cruise review video will be on Spectrum of the Seas since it is a Singapore based ship which is designed specifically for the local market. If anything, on the American lines, a lot of what you're paying for is 'fluff', if you know what I mean. Thanks for watching 🩴
i love that over the years, your channel has not only been growing, but evolving too! Everytime i watch, there's always a new "something" to your videos. Keep improving your channel like this!
Kevin - this foray into cruise videos is great. Love how you point out the good *and* the bad. Getting tired of other travel youtubers to whom everything is "literally the best ever ever ever".
And I might add, "literally the WORST ever ever ever" hahaha. Negativity sells and too many content creators have realized that. Can't remember the last time someone mentioned 'balanced' as being sexy haha. Thanks for watching 🩴
I think it's great you are doing this. I agree that no one is actually doing Cruise Reviews, they're doing essentially advertorials dressed up as Cruise Reviews in exchange for free Cruise Holidays. So good on you Kevin, and I liked your grading system.
Yes! I know RU-vid is trying to crack down on it by facing creators to disclose when something is an ad, but fact of the matter is many don’t. Thanks for watching 🩴
I've never been on a cruise and i've no desire to ever go on one, despite what friends tell me about how much they enjoy them - it's just a gut feeling that they are not for me. Now, at least, thanks to your really clever overview of the cruise experience, i feel like i've got something to use as evidence to say why i don't fancy it (I accept this might just be my personal aversion to spending a week in a box with 8000 other people!) Another really well curated video and we should all be grateful that you count the seats in the restaurant so we dont have to (above and beyond!) , although it did make me think about lifeboat space....
The 8000 people comment is a very valid point. While the 'concept' of being on a boat with 8000 people doesn't really bother me, to be honest, I hate (I mean, really really hate) crowds and no matter what cruise I'm on always manage to find a way to enjoy some peace and quiet. For me personally, the love for being on the water simply outweighs the aversion to crowds. Thanks for watching 🩴
Absolutely loved this report. The categories are such a novel way of reviewing cruises, and a remarkable change from the usual cruise review formula which is so often frustratingly full of predictable categorizations. I support your proposed dual focus, and I think that focusing on the cruise line itself (as in this video) provides fantastic insight into what the experience will be like. Looking forward to your future reviews.
Thanks very much. This first video of the cruise line will hopefully keep the actual specific cruise reviews ‘lighter’ so I don’t need to go into a crazy amount of detail in the review itself. The cruise review that comes out next week will reference back to this one for those that don’t know what Costa is generally like. Thanks for watching 🩴
Great job on this cruise review. I like the deeper thought out aspect of your reviews (eg. inefficient use of space of the ship) which is very refreshing. Looking forward to your other reviews.
I loved how you kept this video moving at a good pace through all the review topics. Also, that you didn't hesitate to put something into the F category when it was warranted. Too often, ship review videos get bogged down in watching the reviewer walk the ship, eat endless dinners while talking with a mouthful of food, and repeat how much fun they're having. That might be entertaining (to a limit) but it's not very helpful planning my own trip.
Brilliant. Comments, insight, graphics, visual appeal. By far the best non review I've ever seen! And starting with Costa! That was left field.......but brilliant. I'm 19 cruises in too and this was enlightening. Thanks.....
I thought Costa would be a good place to start on the channel since it’s kind of the least “cruise-y” of all of the main stream cruise lines. A good way to ease in for those that fear cruises are taking over the earth 😅 Thanks for watching 🩴
The "I'm not a cruise person, but I really enjoyed this" is becoming my favorite type of comment on this video! Glad it resonates even if it's not specifically up your alley. Thanks for watching 🩴
This detailed rating and stating what services are missing and what are offered compared to other cruise lines is very informative. I never travelled on a cruise and dont know if i get chance to experience this journey, but I loved your explanation and reasoning about the services offered. would love to see more of this type content.I watched your flight reviews and love the format. subscribed.
After spending the first half of today editing a Celebrity Cruises video… I then spent the 2nd half of the day searching for more cruises next year. They’re kinda, addictive lol.
I really like your video because you justify all the ratings. I particularly like the food review because Costa is often treated unfairly in sensationalized videos.
Your overview and comparisons to other cruise lines were exactly what we were searching for. Thank you! We've taken a few cruises in the US on Carnival, Royal, and Disney. We wanted to get a clear sense of what to expect on our first Costa cruise so we wouldn't be disappointed. And I love your smart sprinkles of humor. Much appreciated! Solid "S" earned.
How does this channel not have 5 Million subscribers already? I've been subscribed for such a long time and always assumed this to be one of those 10M something channels. What?!
Channels that grow very rapidly (with subs) tend to do so at the peril of their audience quality. It’s very easy to get someone to subscribe, but it’s not easy to get them to continue to watch your videos. A sub who doesn’t engage further damages channels. That’s why you don’t see clickbait or attempted viral videos here. Slow and steady with an audience that’s actually engaged is my goal. Plus, subscribers are only one KPM on the road to success. Don’t let lower (or higher) than expected sub counts fool you into assumptions about any channel. This all coming from someone who 18 months ago, believed the same as you about subs. Thanks for watching 🩴
I’ve been watching every single video you post since the past year or so and every time a notification comes I click! I’d love to see more cruise reviews, did you consider checking out Virgin Cruises, it certainly fits a low-touch service but with some high-quality foods and tech!
Ah man, I love your videos and now you are featuring cruise lines. I enjoyed your reviews even though I will never get to try them out. Keep the content coming but try not to get burned out.
Very professional and very dedicated review of cruise ship. I love this new frontier to this channel! My suggestions are: a) it's a bit too long, an appropriate length might be 20 minutes or under. I understand there are really a lot of stuffs to be included, why not split them into episodes? b) I might find it a bit dry when voice-out occupies the whole video. c) the style of this video looks like a formal report from a consultation firm, it's great for its professionalism. But to most audience, I guess they look forward to feeling the experience that you had on the ship. It would be better if there's a way to blend the seriousness in relaxation.
Understood fully what you mean, but keep in mind, this is not meant to be a cruise tour or review. For someone who is curious about Costa, this is meant to answer as many questions as possible about whether they’d enjoy it- whether they’d enjoy the cruise *line*… not a specific ship or itinerary. It’s really more of a ‘research’ video than out right entertainment. Coming out today I have the actual cruise tour and review video which will be about my specific cruise and the full experience. Publishing this ‘research’ video first allows me to do the review much more concisely (still long, but at 40 minutes, my review is a lot shorter than most 90 minute full tours out there). Unless Costa changes something in the future drastically, a video like this wouldn’t be made again even if I did 5 more Costa cruises since I can still reference back to it. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft I didn't mind the length at all. Quite the opposite; I appreciated the thorough, informative coverage. If someone finds it too long, they can quit, pause until later, or tap the screen/arrow to skip ahead. Thank you!
You're tellin' me! haha. For my next Celebrity cruise i had over 1000 video clips. I've now learned, sometimes... three videos of the same thing is enough haha. Thanks for watching 🩴
Demographics is most important detail! Thanks for sharing that. MSC I like a little more…but only gave Costa one chance and did MSC many times definitely feels more like traveling on the Italian cruise lines. Love this new twist !
As a Loyal Supporter from Forest Hills NY… Love the Pizza Analogy 😎😎😎. I agree with your thorough review in many aspects. Thank you for your fantastic work . Stay Healthy GG
I am enjoying the ranking design and very detailed for each category. I have never been on a cruise before so it is very interesting to see that the even buffet food looks decent. Great job with the new content and design of the video :).
Thanks so much for moving into cruising videos! I’ve followed your air and hotel ones for a while and appreciate the “scientific” approach. Always wished there was your equivalent in the cruising vid world.
Thanks for the review. I have been on so many cruises with many cruise companies, and your review completely puts me off Concordia. If I accidentally got on one I would disembark at the next port and fly home.
Wow my 1st time viewing cruise review. You done it in great details include; I believe, all categories of the cruise. If someone searching for information for deciding to buy their cruise holiday, you review will be the answer. BTW, I check Thai caption and it is pretty accurate; 8/10. Thanks for great work, Kevin.
G'day Kevin. Thanks for this review. We have never been into cruising but enjoyed your review and look forward to others. We are watching from New Zealand. Debbie & Patrick
I'm not overly interested in cruise lines but may be willingly to giving lines like windstar, virgin and viking a look in. Even if its only for a weekend. I do think this a good addition to your channel.
Great review... it gave me much info needed for an upcoming cruise on this ship in September. A couple suggestions that may help others: Maybe one thing that would help people more would be a little more detail on the drink options and what they include. Also, some more detail on the cabin such as additional sleeping options for a family of four. I saw that four people may be in some cabins and I am curious as to where the fourth person would sleep (drop down bunk?)
Thank you for this Costa review. My husband and I are long time cruisers but have yet to cruise Costa. We are taking our first Costa cruise next year and your review was very interesting and helpful. Being from Ireland our Costa app should work and I hope they get it sorted for our trans Atlantic friends soon. The low cost is attractive to us and so we are hoping our first Costa cruise will not be our last. Thank you again.
I'm also a fan of low budget cruise lines, mostly for longer two or three week trips in the fall or spring. After a few MSC trips, I switched to Costa for two trips last year. In some categories MSC is better, in others Costa. I found your review to be accurate for the Costa product. My biggest negatives with Costa are - 1. smoking is allowed on the balconies - which completely ruins the trip for any non-smoker who has booked a balcony cabin. 2. the one half liter bottle of water per day per passenger in the drinks package is a "bad joke". On MSC you get the bottled water as much you wanted - if you have a drinks package. 3. the pizza payment policy on Costa is a very "bad joke" too. On MSC you get pizza in 6 styles fresh from after breakfast until midnight and without additional payment! My summary for my next cruise - MSC for cruises with balcony and Costa for cruises without balcony.
By the way you explained some of the catagories, I would have gave them lower grades. But I do agreee, I wouldn't want someone hovering over me every second to serve me.
Great review Kevin! I've only been on one cruise in my life and that was to Alaska in the late 90s. My mom and I traveled together and we were on a smaller ship that only held about 150 people. We were able to sail into the smaller passageways and see the wildlife up close. Because it was a smaller ship the experience was very personal, I loved it. We didn't have to worry about overcrowded hallways and not being able to find a table. One of these days I would love to try a big ship and compare the experience.
I'm very much a feed me and then leave me alone cruiser. Based on this breakdown, I might give Costa a try. All sounds just fine to me...., especially for the prices I just looked up. Thanks.
Super informative video!! Loved it! Did you have a favorite sit down dining room amongst the 4 they have onboard? Going on a Costa cruise in a week (Costa Smeralda).
You are not given the option to try more than one of them. They all serve the same food. We chose La Colombina on the recomendation of a Costa phone agent for being the most open and bright. Based on my limited peaks into the others, I'd say she was spot on. Thanks for watching 🩴
I have no idea what Costa Cruise you were on, but the theatre, and shows were brilliant, the crew were brilliant in all languages, and the main dining rooms were magnificent dining rooms
@@tfft Also the time,,Mine initial cruise was in 2000 on the Atlantica, We had booked inside cabin and upgraded to a sea view, The best thing was the food The menu's were on velum rolled and tied with a blue ribbon, there were Seven courses with three choices at each courses and all good quality The shows were all good, though as you say no language, but magnificent whirling dervishes, magicians, and Italian tarantela music shows Worst was I was unaware of Drinks packages (being a newbie) so we spent as much on drinks as the cruise No problem with the language announcments first Italian then English and then several others, but most europeans speak english and announcments are only made in the language that concerns you All in all Costa was magic and I have sailed with them for the past 20 odd years with a couple of MSC
Please try Cordelia cruises when you're back in India again. Your reviews are very professional and the best part is the information in the description. The next 5 videos information is really helpful so as to not miss anything,
I'm on the Smeralda right now (1.2024) and agree with your many points! I confirm that the Costa app *still* does not work for N. American phones (at least not for iPhones). At 12:45, your closed caption typing had an important + helpful point that you didn't say aloud in your talk, regarding the WaterUSA package. I was indeed shocked that they were charging for water at the seated lunch, but checking my card, I see I have that package. So thank you, as I now have time to use it! Totally agree with the offensive feel of paying for pizza on an Italian cruise! :) I have not found the food on the level of Celebrity, although I'm always grateful for food someone else cooks for me. Your coffee tip around min 25 was also worth saying (but I read it only in the closed caption). Totally agree with matching staff to the guests' language for everyone's benefit. Also, a meetup for solo travelers, or seating them together, or at least seating solos with people who may speak a similar language would make it more comfortable for all. OMG, that paper map! LOL! Any Disembarkation advice after your own experience?
Interesting - but not typical for Costa! They have several older ships with the strange design by Joe Farcus (USA) which are completely different. The cabins are quite big as well, the food in the main restaurants is great as well, in the buffet it is only sometimes crowded. But the great shows are performed in real theatres, there is much space on the upper decks and I had no problem with the Costa app. The prices of the cruises were very low and the next is planned for May.
We are in Costa Fascinosa now. Surprisingly, we are having a good time. Yes, there are some little annoying things like you have to ask for ketchup, mostly in Italian language but they interpret also in English, German, and Spanish. I would give them an A- grade. I'll post more of our experience later.
I think you are hitting the nail here. However, the Costa ships are very different and for instance, cooking is not consistent. The newer ships have excellent cooking. 😊 Some of the older ships have not. It is at the best, average. The crew is excellent on most ships. All ships can be crowded. 😢
If I decided to not review any hotel brand, airline or cruise line that has ever had an accident, scandal, etc- there would be nothing left to review. Of course I know what happened, the result of an idiodic and selfish captain. That one person though has no bearing on my choices.
🛳🛳🛳 Today was my lucky day, finding your channel in the feed. I enjoy cruising an awful lot, 50 sailings across 7 lines. All were out of United States with several not returning to America. There were 3 from Singapore returning to same. There seem to be a big difference between usa and asian bookings, cost, boarding and disembarking. With your channel i'll learn many helpful topics. For myself it doesn't matter where the ships go as long as i'm onboard. From what was shown today Costa or another Line with similar styles can help fit my needs. If i am sailing at least 121 days per year i am happy. Our challenges are finding a full service travel agent & the much higher cost. By the way have left USA soil, have made home base here in Thailand.. I am ready to learn more from your channel.🛳🛳🛳
Glad you enjoyed the video and yes, I am in the same boat (no pun intended) and like to compare how the same cruise companies are catering to different markets. I have videos on the Singapore based Spectrum of the Seas coming in a few months. Thanks for watching 🩴
@@tfft 🛳🛳🛳 Speaking of different markets. With Carnival we bought several b2bs out of Australia. Then wished to direct the funds to another "market" Caribbean. Answer sorry you can't do that, taking it as a learningexperience. 🛳🛳🛳
For an unsponsored review, very unlikely. Recouping the cost of a cruise like that would be a massive stretch in the best of circumstances. Thanks for watching 🩴
36€ including service charge is very reasonable for even a limited drinks package that includes beer and wine. Celebrity charges $36. with gratuity for a non-alcoholic drinks package. Celebrity also just cancelled my South America cruise on Equinox cruise late next year, so I’m looking at other lines. Thanks for the helpful video! 😎
Heey! Love your first cruise review I'm 24 and I made 13 cruises most of them with Costa, there are two "new" cruises in Costa the Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze that made the difference, they are the best ships in the company.
Hi, first of all thank you for all the amazing videos 😊 Are you planning to come to Hungary one day? If so, a review about Anantara New York Palace hotel and The Corinthian hotel Budapest would be amazing.
Hungary is in my trails next year... I was about to ask you why a hotel in New York was relevant in Hungary, but I figured I'd google it first haha. It seems I need to get up to date on Budapest properties :) Thanks for watching 🩴
At the start of the video, we are told "Welcome to Costa Cruises", so I immediately thought that this was a promotional video produced by that company. As a result, I very nearly turned off, thinking that it would not be an unbiased report. But then I thought that it may be a video uploaded by a reviewer. So I was frankly caught off guard, not knowing exactly what I was looking at, especially as I had never encountered the site titled The Flip Flop Traveller before. As I am contemplating a Costa Cruise in the Mediterranean later this year (2024), I will continue to watch this video and see what tips may be useful, as I am now assuming that it is an unbiased report put up by a genuine independent reviewer.
Even though I cannot see myself ever be on a cruise ship, I thoroughly enjoy this content, especially because it is so informative! Thank you Kevin for this amazing content! (Ps. Costa for me is synonymous to captain coward Schettino, unfair I know but cannot get rid of the association…)
Yeah, I know- hard for me to separate it as well, but I do my best to force myself to think of cruise lines like hotel brands. One ship or crew are not necessarily indicative of the full lot. Thanks as always for the support and glad you enjoyed it 🙏🏻
I agree, because the ships that hold 6000 people are no where near twice the size of those that hold 3000. The reason you don’t see many grand open spaces on ships like the Smeralda is because those spaces are filled with rooms. That said, it depends on one’s cruise priorities. As long as I can find a few quiet nooks with sea views, I’ll be a happy camper. Thanks for watching 🩴
I just thought to saw how the cruise ships are and the next second i saw your video notification. Good timing 👏🏻 What is "SABCDF" ranking?? I didn't understand. If you can explain 🙏🏻 Please upload more cruise ships video 🙏🏻. From india 🇮🇳 🙏🏻
A B C D F are ranking from best (A) to failing (F), the same as school grading. S is a special rank higher than A this is popular in co tent creation these days. Thanks for watching 🩴
I have looked forward to your cruise videos. As much of a “hotel junkie” as I am, I have never been at all interested in cruising. Still not and I am happy to let you do all the work. I like your rankings. Maybe you’ll take the cruise that might finally make me reconsider my aversion to huge, resort-like ships. Thanks!
Yeah, while you will see some of those huge resort style ships on the channel over time, they are not my personal favorite style. I prefer something a bit more intimate (still large ships) with around 2000-3000 pax as opposed to 5000+. I'm a firm believer that there is a cruise line for everyone, but since so much of the crap we read about them is sponsored, it's really difficult to sort through that and know what to really expect.
I haven't actually done the tiers for RCL yet, those videos won't be out until October. If you have any specific questions about it I'm happy to answer on Patreon. I have a specific tier there (Roamer) which is primarially for pre-publish takes and advise. Thanks for watching 🩴
I've never been on Cunard, but you are correct, you will never see Costa the same way, but I don't necessarially think it will be in the way that you expect :)
Appreciate that! The route and all info about my actual cruise experience (as opposed to Costa in general) will be in my Costa Smeralda review coming out next week. Thanks for watching 🩴
The cruise videos set sail! Good stuff. I’ll enjoy these as I worked on various cruise lines (HAL, Cunard, Star) for several years many moons ago. If you would like any insights from a crew perspective feel free to reach out.
Well done Kevin, way to expand your repertoire! I've taken your reviews as guides for at least two hotel properties. Now that you are doing cruises as well, it's very exciting! Going to go on a Paul Gaugin cruise for our honeymoon next year, I'll take your content as a guide to what to look for in a good cruise. Again, congratulation!
interesting.. i wonder if the lack of info and tech is due to the USA limits.. i could find tonnes of info about Costa pricing than I could Royal Caribbean as they change daily...
Those who try to compare other western styles of pizza to NY style pizza have pizza insecurities. And it’s just not the same thing. It’s like “my F150 is better than your Tesla…” … “Ok, congratulations, any more irrelevant things you’d like to add to the conversation?” 😂
So, overall, very very good start! Well done. Before I forget, please give MSC cruises the same thorough treatment. I've been wondering how you were going to do with cruise reviews b/c as you mention, there really aren't any good ones out there. Yes, some reviews are informative and entertaining but they do not convey the amount of information you transmitted. I was also worried that you were a newbie without sufficient experience to really evaluate a cruise. But you have that. Prior to watching this review, I would not have considered a Costa cruise. Now I will at least consider one. (I have status on Celebrity from a decade ago and Holland America from current times). The crush in the buffet was very disheartening and may not make up for "hands off" treatment, lack of upselling, etc.. And I avoid family cruises b/c I do like to meet and socialize with other people. I wonder if Costa has cruises that are not family centric. In terms of substance, I thought you erred on the side of being too generous. About half your categories seemed correctly placed; the other half I would have lowered one notch. But, given the number of grouchy and negative cruise reviews (see Cruise Critic), perhaps it is better to err on the side of positivity. BTW, I like cruising in distant parts of the world, areas which folks cannot drive to in order to board. This draws a different type of cruiser, more of an adventurer, which is why I like Holland America. Take a HAL cruise from Miami to the Caribbean or from Seattle to Alaska and it is a much less enjoyable experience even with the same ship and the same staff. Go from Singapore to London on HAL and it is a different world. Again, please give MSC the same treatment. And after that, do Virgin.
Keep in mind, my ratings, tiers, reviews, scores and all of that is always very relative to the price I paid. If I got the Costa experience on a Celebrity cruise fare, then the tiers would have been very different. But for the price I paid, if anything I'd say I was a bit too harsh lol.
I'm thinking of doing a last minute solo cruise with Costa from Hamburg to Iceland, it's incredible value. But I'm worried there will be very few English speaking passengers to meet. Would you still recommend it for a fairly chatty introvert who can only speak English?
On an itinerary from Germany to Iceland I would expect quite a large northern European crowd- many of whom speak English, so I think you'd have a decent shot. Whether or not northern Europeans want to chat though, that's another question entirely haha.
Oh come on flipper flopper ( as you’re affectionately known in this house). I’m a Londoner, but via Pennsylvania and I recognize your accent. You may be an adopted New Yorker, but come on I hear your Pa loud and clear 😊.
London must be weighing heavily on your ears because I’ve never lived in PA or within an hours drive of it a day in my life 😂 What you may be hearing is New York + 10 years of Asia lol
@@tfft lolz 😂 it’s the way you say water. Everyone I know from Reading PA pronounced it “wooder” same as you. How a New Yorker stumbled onto that will have to remain a mystery 🤷♀️.
This review gave me a new perspective on cruise ships. I still don’t think they are my thing. I do think I would enjoy this more than the more highly touted cruises. It’s nice that the food got good ratings for the most part. I think this is a pass for me. Thanks for all the information.
I wonder how costa serena would be since it primarily serves the asian market now. In fact, Im going on the cruise in March next year from Malaysia. I wonder if the food is also more asianized to suit the local palate more since most Malaysians dont enjoy western food as much. Pretty bland to us hehe
I have a Royal Caribbean (ex. Sing) cruise video coming up in the next couple of months. That ship also designed just for the Asian market. The food is VERY different, but considering I live in Asia, I didn't mind at all. Thanks for watching 🩴
I understand what you mean and that's also why I chose to start with Costa. I think Costa (for better or worse) is quite different from what most think the cruise industry is, so felt it a good place to start to break a few stereotypes form the jump. Thanks for watching 🩴
