Costa Fortuna February 9, 2005

[soonercruisers]

This is our first posting for this site so please excuse us for any Faux Pas.

 

We are considering the Costa Fortuna cruise on February 9, 2006 from Savona (Italy, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey). There have been mixed reviews regarding quality of the food, extra charges for beverages, and smoking.

 

We would appreciate some recent experiences in these areas as they pertian to this ship and itinerary.

 

For the most part we have been sailing Princess exclusively for the past seven years with a few Royal Caribbean cruises as well. Can we expect the Costa service and food to be up to par?

 

Thanks,

 

Marie and Frank

[PatMan329]

Hi Marie and Frank,

 

My name is Pat(rick) and I'm going to be taking my mom (Jane) on this cruise. I setup a temporary reservation tonight and will confirm it tomorrow. I cruised on Royal Caribbean to the Western Caribbean (7 niights) last year. My mom just did a Carnival to Western Caribbean (4 nights). She also did a week long Alaskan cruise on Celebrity about 8 years ago. I know nothing about most of this cruise yet. I have visited Athens and Crete and Rhodes when my brother and sister-in-law lived on Crete. As far as the food, I think it will be edible, the drinks are costly on any cruise. Mom may have a glass of wine at dinner, but doesn't drink sodas at all. I on the other hand am partly Irish, so I have these grand beer tastes. As far as smoking, I was concerned with that on my first cruise. Whatever they do, they do get rid of the smell in the room. The only place it was bad was in the casinos. Now granted we'll be in Europe where smoking attitudes differ, but hopefully it won't be allow in the dining rooms.

I need to do some more research on Costa to see if I can find any policy statements.

 

Pat

[soonercruisers]

Pat, thanks for your reply. We've been reading so many mixed reviews about Costa and we're concerned about spending all this money and effort to get to Europe and be disappointed. We have previously sailed on Costa twice before in the Caribbean. The first cruise on the Romantica was terrific, then we sailed on the Victoria and we didn't enjoy it as much.

 

Are you traveling to Savona from Georgia? How are you getting there and are you arriving the day of the cruise or prior?

 

Thanks again!

 

Frank and Marie

 

PS - Enjoy your cruise.

[PatMan329]

We're leaving on Monday to Milan. I work for Delta so it will be standby. I think we'll spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Milan and then take the Costa shuttle to Savona. I read somewhere its $38 or Euros, can't remember which. My mom is 78 and I don't think I want to risk the trains with luggage and stuff. She'll probably be in a wheelchair for the airport, but that leaves me to carry everything. She is very excited about the excusions. As soon as I get the confirmation tomorrow, I'll try to schedule the ones we want.

 

I've not read much good stuff on Costa either, but I'm looking more for the excursions that the cruise itself. Do you know if Costa has internet access on board? I've been asked to do some work while I'm away. I'm also hoping the weather is pretty nice to sit outside by the pool.

[soonercruisers]

Hi Pat,

 

I'm retired American but plan to use Skymiles to travel ORD to GOA on AF and Britt Air if we decide to go. We're still on the fence about going. If I read more positive comments we would pull the trigger and make the trip.

 

I did read on one of the notes that internet is available .65 per minute with slow response.

 

Frank

[ddjwms]

My husband and I, our adult (27) son, and our daughter and her husband and 4 kids have booked this cruise (son, son-in-law are Continental employees). Guess we all saw those too good to miss interline rates...I haven't seen a Roll Call for this ship. Have either of you? Do you know if this ship has guest laundry facilities? We will be flying stand-by, so we will be going as light as possible on luggage. We plan right now to come in on the 8th, stay over, and maybe take the train out from Milan. Is that a bad idea? Where did you get your info. on the shuttle? We have not seen anything and our travel agent did not say anything about it...

[PatMan329]

Hi ddjwms, we're leaving for Milan on Monday night, spending Tuesday in Milan and then taking the train to Savona. Right now, our flights look good, so getting there shouldn't be a problem. I'm just concerned about getting around in Milan. The hotel we're staying at is just across the street from a subway stop, so it won't be too far a walk (I hope). Plus when I checked the weather on Friday, it was 27 and snowing. Not my favorite type of precipitation. I guess most of the weather for the trip will be in the 50's.

 

I'm glad you asked about the laundry. My mom asked about that last night and I said I would check. Did you make your reservations with Dargal? I had them check on the shuttle and I was told that they (Costa) don't take interliners on the shuttle. Stupid in my opinion, but I guess the rail system over there is pretty good. I'm still going to try to get a Costa transfer back to either Genoa or Milan after the cruise. DL only flies out of Milan, but we can get a discount GOA to MXP. I think there are trains from Milan to Savona about every two hours, so it should be too bad. Plus that's an added adventure!

 

In Savona, we are staying at the Hotel Crocodilla (or something like that) and they have a shuttle from the hotel to the pier for 20 Euros, but it says they only hold 3 people. Not too good for your crowd. The hotel also has a shuttle to/from GOA for $30.

 

We'll have to compare airline notes on the boat. I'm guessing we're pretty much ready to go. My mom is flying up from Tampa on Friday to spend the weekend at my house then we're on our way. I've never been to Italy, but have been to Greece (Athens, Crete, and Rhodes). I really liked Rhodes for some reason.

 

Pat

[happycruiserco]

Two more on the Fortuna with you guys. Interline folks, too. Husband is with UAL. We're flying from Denver to Munich with UAL then to Genoa (of course havae tickets to Milan as well, just in case. We're at the Ramada in Genoa and will be taking the train to Savona. One of the couples we chatted with said they're going to contact Costa at the airport regarding a transfer from Genoa to Savona. Apparently, too late to book the transfer direct with Costa. They mentioned it was like $25.

 

You guys booking tours with the ship? We're not ship tour people, but going to do Egypt (jeep and Camel) and Turkey with them... just for fear of venturing out there on our own. Have no clue about the other ports. We, too, couldn't resist the incredible price. Just booked a week ago, so not time to plan much. Hope to meet up with you guys.

Sharon & John Williams

Colorado

[PatMan329]

Hi Sharon,

 

Maybe you have my camel. We had originally book the jeep and camel tour at my mom's request, but I started having 2nd thoughts. She just had a knee replaced last year and I don't know how bowlegged you have to sit on those things, but didn't think she'd be very comfortable. So now, we're doing the Nile River cruise and I'll throw some grapes at her and she can pretend she's Cleopatra! (Just kidding about the grapes, she'd probably throw back). Especially since we're doing a long tour in Rome. We have something scheduled for each port, when will be the next time we have the opportunity to see some of these places? I've been to Greece (Athens and Rhodes) before, but everything else will be new.

 

Pat

[cronestein]

You really have a wonderfull intenerary cruise.

Be save in Egypt and take a guided tour!

 

AND- ---baby its cold outside--- in februari in the Mediterranea.

Its not the Caribbean.

From Savonna till the Greek isles you need warm sweathers/jacks

Egypt has a wonderful temp.

I am nearly as old as your mother with the same complaints .

A jeeptrip ,

I should never do that on my age They are crossing!!! .

A Nilecruise seems a marvellous option !

 

PS the day the vessel leaves Savonna there are shuttles from Milan airport. Your TA must know that. I pay 30 E pp On board you can book the return shuttle!

Happy cruising and may Neptunes bless you !

[happycruiserco]

Heck, we probably won't get ANY tours. We are still unable to log into Costa's booking site and they won't help. We've spoken with them every day for the last 4 days. Every day they keep saying they emailed ITALY to update info. Today, they said the email never went, but would send it. We've escalated to a manager who still swears that no one can book tours for us. We must book on line. SO, here we are. We did ride camels once on Bruny Islands, Tasmania, and it was a stitch. Loved it.

 

Dumb me never thought about it not being warm for the trip. Heck, I am NOT in to cold weather, but too late now. Oh well; we almost went to Anartica, so certainly it's warmer than there.

 

The grape throwing idea doesn't sound at all bad. I have always wanted to "cruise the Nile," so that will definitely be our 2nd choice if the camels poop out on us.

 

Safe travels. Guess we'll all be there soon. What time are you guys going to try to embark. Since we've never sailed with Costa, not sure what their rules are. Would like to ditz our luggage and then go grab some time in Savona.

[ddjwms]

As of now (you know how things change with interliners...), we have permission from Costa to board in Rome: that way we will get an extra day there. My husband and I have been there a couple of times, and the rest of our kids have been there once, but grandkids have never been there, so we thought the extra time there would be better than the Milan/Genoa/Savonna embarkation--and we'll see that when we get back anyway.

 

Should we plan a Meet and Greet for our first at sea day? Sounds as if we could have an interline party!

 

Has anyone found out anything about self-serve laundries yet?

 

We booked the Egyptian Museum and Pyramids tour. We don't usually do ship tours if we can help it, but felt this one was too long to chance on our own, and one place we don't want to miss. I booked it through the Costa website, but it was pretty confusing and took more than one try.

 

I saw some really good directions for catching the subway at Piraeus and going straight to the Parthenon area in Athens. Sounded pretty easy. I think it was down in the Destinations section, but I will trace it down again and copy it before we leave. We have done Athens on our own before; the buses and public transportation are cheap and good.

 

I think it is also pretty easy to get into Rome from Civitavecchia on the train, although it is more than an hour trip. But then if you come into the Termini--main station--all the tourist buses, including the double decker on and off, are right out in front. You can buy a day pass and go just about anywhere you want. The Colosseum and Forum are just about ten minutes away. The Pantheon is close to a bus line, although a little hidden, and St. Paul's and the Vatican Museum are also very easy to reach by bus. I can't imagine the ship tour could offer much more than you could do on your own.

 

Will look forward to seeing everyone next week!

[ddjwms]

Oops, back again! I am glad someone said something about the weather. My son mentioned that he thought it would be cold last week, and that was the first I had thought of it. So we checked temperatures for a few days, and it looked pretty chilly (for Texans): really cold and snowy in northern Italy to highs in the 50's to 60's other places. I probably would have packed much too warm-weatherish if he hadn't mentioned it. Guess I'll break out the coat and gloves and trade my shorts for jeans and long pants...

[Marinabay]

I agree their website needs a little work. I had trouble too with excursions a week ago until I clicked on 'My Costa", then "My Order" in the menu box on the left and entered my booking number in the "My Order" box. If I typed the booking number in My Order box first even though it was already on the screen, I recieved an error message. After my itenery was up I was able to book excursions.

 

I booked my cruise through a travel agency so my booking number does not automatically come up when I log in so it may be different from what y'all are experiencing.

 

My wife and I are doing the Nile River deal too. Not sure if I will be throwing grapes, my wife will likely through them back and I don't want to be the next missing person from a cruise ship if you know what I mean.

[Captain Canuck]

my wife and I just got back. anybody have any questions while it is still fresh on our minds are welcome.

 

couple of points that hop to the front of my mind

 

1. can do Rome easily on the train...free shuttle from the ship to the entry to the port...3 blocks to the right to the station...watch out for low hanging trees..one attacked me...ticket to rome includes use of metro and buses in rome...don't forget to cancel your tickets in yellow boxes in the station...train takes about 70 minutes....coming back it is usually on tracks to far right of the first 25 tracks so it can be a bit hard to find. watch out for pickpockets...2 couples from our group on the same train car had attempts made on them...both foiled but could have been bad

 

2. athens...the metro is to the far left of the U shaped port...takes about 20 minutes into Athens...we could not find the metro on the way in so we took a bus to Omonia square...tickets are less than a euro and you can buy them at newspaper stands...again cancel the ticket on board the bus or you could get into trouble and be fined. trip in was an hour and 20 minutes..trip back 20 minutes but then at least 25 minutes walk to the ship...there are buses but my Greek was not up to navigating these..lots of people speak English so it would likely be possible to get directions.

 

 

3. cairo...ships tour almost a must...we did the pyramids and nile cruise...cruise was just a restaurant boat doing a quick spin of the city while we ate buffet....belly dancer entertainment...got back about 15 minutes before the ship left. ship will take you to a papyrus store/jewellery shop...not much time and I am pretty sure the ship and your guide both get a cut of the action.

 

4. ismir...cab on your own is 90 euros to ephesus taxi rate board as a picture

 

gotta go hockeys on

[Marinabay]

Captain Canuck,:confused:

 

Thanks for the update! I am attempting to pack light, what is the available options on-board for laundry & cost? How many formal nights and how formal? Any suggestions to help on the luggage situation. We appreciate the insight since you are just returning and love reading your feedback. Give us any suggestions you may come up with. Thanks for your postings.:D

[Captain Canuck]

there were 3 formal nights on the 11 night cruise...I packed the tux..did not need it..there were only a handful of really dressed up people...dress pants and a nice shirt goes a long way...

they had a deal on board towards the end of the cruise 20 euros for laundry of 40 items that fit into a brown paper bag..pair of socks is 2 items....not my idea of cheap

..we tried to cut down on luggage for this trip..ended up with 2 large roller bags and a suit bag...could have lost the suit bag with the tux...there were 3 days at sea so 7 port visits...I wore tshirts under a hockey sweater that doubled as a jacket on the ship....on shore needed the parka most of the time except in Egpyt....I would plan to wear the same clothes until they actually get dirty...you can cycle them so you don't show up every day in the same outfit..most of our day pictures have me in the same hockey sweater....I got some great nylon pants at costco just before the trip...did not show dirt and had lots of cargo pockets for maps, spare batteries and the like...

with roller bags you should not have too much trouble getting around except in some of the train stations...if you have to go to an inner track you have to use tunnels to get to them..that means stairs up and down....

I miscalculated on the number of t shirts I needed...bought a bunch on sale on board the ship..you can probably plan on buying a couple of items of souvenir type clothing anyways....great deals to be had in Athens on 2004 Olympic gear

 

...if you need anymore details just ask...I am still adjusting to the time change from Europe and its 4 in the morning body clock time and I am losing track of stuff

[soonercruisers]

Well we chickened out on this cruise and choose to sail the warm Caribbean on Celebrity Constellation instead.

 

I haven't seen any threads/comments regarding the February 9th cruise. We're curious to hear some feedback about the food, service and the weather conditions at the itineraries for this cruise.

 

Anyone care to respond?

 

Frank and Marie

[margmx]

We are on the Costa Fortuna on April 13th? Is the voltage on ship European or American? Do we need an adapter? Thanks.

Marguerite

[Captain Canuck]

I wasn't sure so I called She who must be obeyed...we did need a converter....I had one anyways as we stayed over before and after the cruise. I got a nice travel converter with several plug adaptors to fit all the various worldwide types of plugs...think it was around $20 at Walmart...came in a soft bag that was easy to pack. Enjoy

[margmx]

Thanks for the information. Costa told me the Fortuna had both voltages, so I wasn't going to get the converter. The Costa information in the States about the Mediterranean is highly deficient! Thanks again.

Marguerite

[Captain Canuck]

I think the shaver outlet in the bathroom had both voltages