swknutson
Level 2 Member
my wife and I sailed this ship last November. We had a great time. At $299 I just might have to go again
Repositioning Cruise for Good Value
- Thread starter CKaway
- Start date
CKaway
Level 2 Member
This is one I was considering as well; thanks for the feedback.
Coldmode
New Member
Holy cow, I had never heard of this concept until now. This is amazing!
Hmm, now I'm not sure if I booked such a good deal.
We're booked for a November 2017 Transatlantic from Savona, Italy to Buenos Aires, Argentina on the Costa Facinosa. Two inside cabins for five people (3 kids in one and us in the other).
It came out to just over $4k for the five of us, taxes and fees in. I jumped on the fare rather than doing a last minute booking because it came with a $400 USD per cabin credit. That $800 will cover the mandatory tips.
Ports:
Savona, Italy (embarkation)
Barcelona, Spain
Casablanca, Morocco
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Recife, Brazil
Maceio, Brazil
Salvador Bahia, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
We need a reciprocal Visa for Brazil.
It's our first cruise. Perhaps a careless choice given the 18 nights and many sea days but we'll need the break to catch up on school work etc. We head off for a year of travel 1 July 2017.
August to November we'll be in South East Asia and Italy. I think SEA will be tiring and almost overwhelming so I'll be happy to do nothing much for the crossing.
South and Central America and Mexico until end March 2018 when we'll catch another TA to Europe. Three months in Europe and a bit of time in Africa will bring us to July 2018.
Comments on the price would be appreciated. It all adds up over a year so any little savings gets significant. I thought the overall out of pocket was comparable to a last minute booking without the cabin credit. But I'm a noob cruiser.
We're booked for a November 2017 Transatlantic from Savona, Italy to Buenos Aires, Argentina on the Costa Facinosa. Two inside cabins for five people (3 kids in one and us in the other).
It came out to just over $4k for the five of us, taxes and fees in. I jumped on the fare rather than doing a last minute booking because it came with a $400 USD per cabin credit. That $800 will cover the mandatory tips.
Ports:
Savona, Italy (embarkation)
Barcelona, Spain
Casablanca, Morocco
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Recife, Brazil
Maceio, Brazil
Salvador Bahia, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina
We need a reciprocal Visa for Brazil.
It's our first cruise. Perhaps a careless choice given the 18 nights and many sea days but we'll need the break to catch up on school work etc. We head off for a year of travel 1 July 2017.
August to November we'll be in South East Asia and Italy. I think SEA will be tiring and almost overwhelming so I'll be happy to do nothing much for the crossing.
South and Central America and Mexico until end March 2018 when we'll catch another TA to Europe. Three months in Europe and a bit of time in Africa will bring us to July 2018.
Comments on the price would be appreciated. It all adds up over a year so any little savings gets significant. I thought the overall out of pocket was comparable to a last minute booking without the cabin credit. But I'm a noob cruiser.
I think you got a good deal. As @CKaway mentioned, the price drops as you get closer to sailing, but if you are trying to lock it in it makes sense to go ahead and book. I have booked a couple of these this year and you just have to figure out what you are willing to pay and book and not watch the price go down later. I watch these all the time and sometimes they do sell out.
Hope your travel adventures go well. Go ahead and get the ten year visa for Brazil. It can be used even after the passports expire. You just bring along the old passport. That can take time to get, so don't postpone it.
Great tip!
I just did a quick search and can't confirm I can get one as a Canadian but I'll certainly explore it further.
BuddyFunJet
Level 2 Member
I've never cruised with Costa so I can't speak to pricing but, in general, the higher and lower category cabins usually sell out first. Since you want two insides, buying early is a good plan.
It's been years since I applied for a Brazilian visa but back then, I had to include air tickets and hotel reservations within about 90 days of the application request to get a visa. Since my travel was further out, I got cancellable bookings so I could apply for the visa early. After getting the visa, I cancelled the dummy bookings. Might be different now but be prepared in case.
It's been years since I applied for a Brazilian visa but back then, I had to include air tickets and hotel reservations within about 90 days of the application request to get a visa. Since my travel was further out, I got cancellable bookings so I could apply for the visa early. After getting the visa, I cancelled the dummy bookings. Might be different now but be prepared in case.
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Thanks BFJ, I can cancel right up to August 2017 so I'll keep an eye on things. Good to know about the lower category cabins.
My big rationale is the price is comparable to airfare but with a lot more perks. I didn't try to book the five of us on airline miles because I'm sure we'll use them up somewhere along the way.
My big rationale is the price is comparable to airfare but with a lot more perks. I didn't try to book the five of us on airline miles because I'm sure we'll use them up somewhere along the way.
BuddyFunJet
Level 2 Member
I don't think I was clear about the cancelable reservation. I'd heard that the Brazilian embassy was VERY fussy about the visa applications and that the turn around time was very variable. To avoid worry, I booked cancelable air and hotel well in advance of the actual trip to allow via applications well in advance of my actually planned trip. Once I got the visa, I cancelled the placeholder trip.
I did the same for Russia for the same reasons.
CKaway
Level 2 Member
Nice itinerary. I think it is an ambitious one for a first time cruiser but you will have your family with you, two separate cabins, and a lot to do. As far as the price goes, it is difficult to say as there are trade-offs. As Smittytabb mentioned, whether the price goes down after you purchased really isn't the issue because perhaps they would have taken away the cabin credit or only had less desirable cabins available, even no adjoining cabins. So you got a deal that worked for you and that is what is important. You will have a wonderful time regardless and you paid a decent price, in my opinion. Safe travels.
You are probably right. Looks like it might be less for Canadians. You will want to consider yellow fever shots for sure.