Day 1. Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA Depart 7:00pm (usually).
On this day the sailing was delayed.
Day 2. Key West, FL USA Arrive: 8:00am Depart: 5:00pm
There are free shuttle busses to downtown. We have been in Key West many times, thus we have visited all of the interesting places including President Truman's Little White House, The Key West Shipwreck Historeum, the Hemingway Home and the famous Sloppy Joe's Bar. This time, we just did some shopping downtown.
Day 3. At Sea.
Day 4. Georgetown, Grand Cayman Arrive: 8:00am Depart: 5:00pm
Tendering ashore. We did not go ashore. However, among the tours we prefer are the Stingray Sandbar Snorkeling (2.5 hours, $ 47) and the Stingray Observatory and Island Highlights (3 hours, $ 60).
Day 5. Roatan, Honduras Arrive: 10:00am Depart: 5:00pm
We took the West Side Highland Tour (4 hours, $ 46) and were disappointed in both the Carambola Botanical Garden and the visit to the Butterfly and Parrot Park.
Day 6. Cozumel, Mexico Arrive: 8:00am Depart: 5:00pm
We consider this port as the best shopping place in the Western Caribbean. For those interested in archeological tours, the visit to the Ancient Mayan city of Tulum is a must (8 hours, $ 82). Several great snorkeling and SCUBA diving tours are available.
Day 7. At Sea.
Day 8. Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA Arrive: 7:00am
Debarkation from the Costa Mediterranea
Immigration authorities were speedy and debarkation began at 8:15am. We had wheelchair assistance from our suite all the way through passport check, luggage pick up, customs and out to the curb. Very smooth, and we were off by 8:45am. Excellent.
Conclusion
We enjoy cruising on new ships; however, we frequently return to those ships where we had some of our best cruises and that is understandable, since we like to repeat pleasurable experiences. Some of our favorite ships of Costa are the Atlantica and the Mediterranea, thus we have cruised four times on both of these ships. One of the major reasons for these preferences is the people we have met aboard, and when we return it is like coming home, and enjoying seeing familiar faces in familiar places.
Cruising Italian Style is just great, "That's Amore."
Happy Cruising!
