Back to Venice

Cruise over, just a couple of days left in Venice before we return home and back to work.  We had a terrible start with our dining table mixup and drinks package mixup but once sorted we could get back to enjoying our holiday.  Because Costa lost so many customers after the Concordia sank and the captain buggered off, they have had to resort to lowering prices to get people back.  This is when we sailed with Costa last time.  However, now they have chance to review their position in the market, they now aim for the lower end of the market.  The ships are still the same, the food is reasonable but they water down the wine and beer and don't have quite the quality of food that they have in the past.  Their drinks package is reasonably priced but they have took many things off the permitted list and made them premium such as all the nice coffee’s they had last time.  Lots more cocktails are now on premium.  The biggest cheapening is that you only have half a day in port, either the morning or afternoon.  This means that they don't have so much port duties to pay and that they can sail very slowly saving fuel.

I wouldn't say that I would never sail with Costa again because we might find something to cheap to miss but we wont be looking for their packages.  We don't tend to take the ship package tours anyway but not only are they much more expensive than ones available locally but I don't like them.  You spend ages being herded around in groups, sit on an uncomfortable coach and then herded around again like proper tourists when you get there following someone holding an umbrella. I find them ball aching, and always want to come back before they actually come back.  In Izmir outside the port, taxi’s were advertising taxi tours around the city for €120 which might not sound too bad for 4 of you, especially when the ships tours are usually over €60 a head but we walked along the coast, had a coffee in an internet bar then took a tour from a normal taxi rank for €30.  One quarter of the price offered at the port.  Our taxi drove inside the port to drop us off outside the ship, while the expensive ones drop you outside the port where they wait for their next prey.  Another cheap way to get about, especially on an island if you have the whole day, is to rent a car ahead of time.  They are usually very accommodating, dropping the car off at the port and picking it back up from there and it will cost you around £50 for the whole day in a 4x4.  If you can be bothered to organize it before hand and there are 4 of you its a real cheap way of seeing exactly what you want but don't forget your satnav.

As Sue hasn't been to Venice before and they are new lovers, we will be doing our own thing in Venice, I guess walking for miles like we normally do.  This time I will keep a good lookout for proper restaurants for the evening.  More pictures to come then.