Costa Fortuna Cruise Review

Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Costa Fortuna - Page 1

This cruise was like "Old Home Week" for us. It was another wedding anniversary cruise, in the company of our son Marcello, his wife Paige and their son Marcello (5.75 yrs). Once on board, we were reacquainted with so many of our Costa friends, that we now dispute the old saying "You can't go home." Costa's cruising Italian style delivers distinct hospitality which is wonderful, and we basked in it for a whole week. On Day One, at the boat drill, Guest Relations Manager Martina Fantoni greeted us so warmly and by name, that we felt special. She proved to be so helpful and kind throughout the cruise, that we can't wait to cruise on Costa again. In the culinary department, we have many friends including the following: Chef Antonio De Luca, Maitre D' Bartolmeo Vitiello, 2nd Maitre D' Raffaele Bailo (Music Man), and 2nd Maitre D' Marcantonio De Candia. Later we will enumerate our new acquaintances including the elegant Captain Paolo Benini.

EMBARKATION ON THE COSTA FORTUNA
Ft. Lauderdale is secure to a fault. Because we had an motorized wheelchair we arrived in two autos. Our son Nicolas brought his son Nicky (6 yrs.) along for the ride, just to see the ships in Port Everglades. Big mistake! We soon found out that this can be a problem, since Nicky did not have a picture ID with him. At the security gates entrance to the port, we were stopped and not allowed to proceed to the pier with Nicky in the car, so we had to go back a few hundred feet into a parking lot and transfer all the luggage into one auto. Nicky went home with his Dad, without ever seeing the ship. Nicolas was supposed to drive our car home. Instead we parked in the Port's Garage ($105 per week). There is a lesson to be learned here: Even small children cannot visit the pier without an ID. The security guards could use a bit more common sense in inspections and not being nitpick, when it is evident that a six year old boy accompanied by his father is no threat or danger to anybody. What normally takes one half hour, last Sunday took one hour. Once at the pier we had to wait for Marcello to return from the parking garage --- another half hour. Costa's boarding and check-in were swift, and we had wheelchair assistance to our cabin. Total time from home to cabin --- two hours. It was too long on the pier, but Costa's check-in time was fast.

COSTA FORTUNA CRUISE SHIP
The Costa Fortuna is the sister ship of the Costa Magica; thus, we are quite familiar with the deck plan. The major differences are in the decorations and the theme of the Fortuna. On the Fortuna, Ship Architect Joe Farcus pays homage to many of the former Italian Liners (naming major rooms and restaurants after them) and to ports of call (naming the decks after them). On board are many ship models, some arranged as a fleet and suspended upside down from the atrium ceiling. This was very disturbing to us, and we speculated on a better way to display these marvelous models. They would look better if floated on a clear blue plexiglas sea and suspended in the Atrium so that they could be visible from both above and below from several decks. The nautical motif is instantly apparent at the Welcome On Board Buffet: Deck 9 Napoli, Restaurant Buffet Colombo, named after the liner Cristoforo Colombo 1954, is decorated with huge Cobalt blue globes of the Earth and the walls have a series of ancient maps, so interesting, that passengers stop and stand to admire them, while temporarily forgetting the food!

The Costa Fortuna was built in 2003 at the Fincantieri Sestri Ponente Shipyards near Genoa, Italy. She weighs 105,000 gross tons, her length is 272 meters and beam is 36 meters; guest capacity is 3,470 with a crew of 1,030; there are 14 passenger decks and she has a top speed of 22 knots. Her registry is Genoa, Italy.

Deck 1 Rio de Janeiro and Deck 2 Miami are all passenger cabins in Categories 1, 2 (inside) and 6, 7 (ocean view).

Deck 3 Buenos Aires has the Costa Atrium Michelangelo. Aft is the beautiful Restaurant Michelangelo 1965 (all ships have their launch dates attached) with ceilings depicting the scenes of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, Italy. There are gorgeous blue and gold (Costa colors)Murano glass ceiling lights --- so elegant. At the entrance is an accurate ship model of the Michelangelo launched in 1965, and on which we sailed in November 1968 from Napoli to New York, just before our marriage January 26, 1969.

Midship is the Restaurant Raffaello 1965, named for the Michelangelo's sister ship and it also has the beautiful Murano ceiling light fixtures and on its wall are displayed enormous posters from the Raffaello's hey day. Midship is the main floor of the atrium. Forward is the main level of a three deck high Teatro Rex 1932, The most famous of all Italian ships and a Blue Riband winner.

Deck 4 Santos aft holds the balconies of the two mentioned restaurants, the Atrium and the theater. Also on Deck 4 is the Library, Biblioteca Galileo Galilei 1963, and the Internet Cafe`.

Deck 5 Genova aft has the Salon Leonardo Da Vinci 1960, the Conte Rosso 1921 Piano Bar all in red, and the Conte Verde 1923 Ballroom all in green. There was dancing in this room day and night, between lessons and parties. The ship has many venues with live music and dance floors. Next is the Casino Neptunia 1932 and the Grand Bar Conte Di Savoia 1932. Forward is the theater .

Deck 6 Lisbona, Deck 7 Caracas, and Deck 8 Vigo are all passenger cabins including inside, ocean view, veranda and suites.

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