I got up at around 6:30 am as the people I was with on the cruise were due to meet at the disembarkation point at 7:30 am. I went to a coffee bar andamp; had a cappuccino andamp; some pastries for my breakfast andamp; then went to where I had to wait to be disembarked.
Valencia.
I sat around until I was told by the Costa Toscana rep that I could leave & go to collect my case. As I disembarked the ship, I was met by another rep who told me that I had to board the coach & get my case at the terminal where we initially boarded & dropped our cases at the start of the trip.
I joined the coach with about 20 other people and we were driven to the terminal, where I saw the rep from the company I booked the tour with. She told me that cases were normally in the terminal so I crossed the road into the terminal. I asked another Costa rep where my case was and she said I had to get on another coach and showed me to the coach. I sat on this coach for about 10 minutes before another rep told me I was on the wrong coach and moved me to another coach. This coach was full of the people sent to the terminal by the original rep.
As we were being driven back towards the ship we had just left, the rep from the tour booking company called me on my phone. I explained to her what was happening & she said she would try to find out what was going on with my luggage. When we eventually got back to the ship, we were all taken to a tent outside the ship where all our cases were waiting for us. We quickly jumped back on another coach to go back to the terminal.
As I approached the terminal, I rang the rep on my coach home to tell her I was on my way back, and she met me at the terminal, where she grabbed my case and put it on the coach, which was now full of people waiting for me. I got on the coach and apologised to all the waiting people who greeted me with a big cheer. The coach set off and started to drop people off. When it approached Quesada, the rep came on the tannoy to tell me and my friends Sue & Bryan that we were being transferred to a taxi at Quesada for the last leg of our trip home.
The taxi got us home safely but pretty much summed up a lot of the organisation from the ground side people on this trip. It was non-existent, I certainly wouldn't hurry to go on a brewery tour with them in case I needed to use a toilet.
Summary.
I enjoyed most of this, my first real cruise. I loved meeting some very nice people. I thought the places I went to were fantastic & most of the crew on the Costa Toscana were very good.
The trip was let down by the poor service on the ground side of the trips and the number of screaming kids onboard the ship. I would go on another cruise, but I will look for a smaller ship next time and make sure it is either adults only or that the kids are confined below decks, swabbing out the bilge or doing other tasks to keep them away from the adults who pay a lot of money to enjoy a relaxing break. I am not sure I would return to use any of the Costa Cruise ships again as they were understaffed, and many of the cafes, bars & entertainment areas were underused & many were closed.
I will now start looking for a new cruise to go on, if you fancy joining me let me know.