Fortuna Feb. 18 Roll Call

[2Scots]

Thanks, for finding out about the Toga Party or lack of... Now I won't be shopping for our Toga outfits!

 

I re-read some of the posts back from December and I haven't told anything about us so here goes..

 

Kim and I live in Texas on the NW side on Houston. We both have worked for a computer company for several years and are in our late 40's except Kim who had a birthday on an Eastern Med. cruise last August and turned 50! We loved our Eastern Med cruise in July/August however it was very very very HOT. We knew that but were still surprised even coming from Houston.

 

Now the 2Scots name... our babies are 2 Scottish Terriers (we are not Scottish). We are totally obsessed with our babies as we do not have any children and they get all of our attention. One Black and one Wheaten in color.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

 

Pamela

[but292]

Hi again

 

I have a list of the excursions from the ship; remember these are last year’s prices.

There was shuttle bus service provided in every port except Casablanca. In Barcelona the shuttle bus drops you off very near to the Ramblas, there is no need to get a taxi. Also very near to where the shuttle bus drops you there is an open top bus tour round Barcelona which is very good. If you go on this trip keep your ticket because that would give you a discount on other open top bus tours e.g. Funchal and Malaga.

 

 

Barcelona

 

Duration Price

 

Tour of Barcelona 4Hrs €37.5

 

Gaudi’s Masterpieces 4Hrs €28.5

 

Picasso museum 3.5 Hrs €28.5

 

Panoramic tour& shopping 4Hrs €36.5

 

Bicycle tour 3Hrs €49.0

 

Tapas Tour 3.5 Hrs €58.0

 

 

CasaBlanca

 

Fes 13Hrs (7 on the bus) €105

 

Casablanca +Mosque+Rabat 10.5Hrs €105

 

Marrakech 13 Hrs(8 on the bus) €105

 

Casablanca +Mosque 4Hrs €47

 

 

Arrecife

 

North Lanzarote 4Hrs €41

 

Timanfaya 4Hrs €41

 

 

Tenerife

 

Puerto De La Cruz 3.5Hrs €37.5

 

Teide 7Hrs €82.0

 

Loro Park 5Hrs €45.0

 

 

 

Funchal

 

Scenic tour 4Hrs €36.5

 

scenic tour + toboggan ride 7Hrs €79

 

Madeiran village + toboggan ride 9Hrs €83

 

 

Malaga

 

Tour 4Hrs €37.5

 

Mijas 4Hrs €35.0

 

Marbella and Puerto Banus 4.5Hrs €38.5

 

Nerja caves 4.5Hrs €39.5

Hope this is useful

John and Maggie

[2Scots]

Hi John & Maggie - good information. Did you do any of these ship excursions? In addition to Barcelona which other ports are very easy to get around in your opinion?

 

Any other information on the ship itself rooms, meals, shows, wine, pools, drinks, etc. is also very much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Pamela

[ECCruise]

Hi all...

When we talked to Costa last month they said that there would be a Toga night on this cruise so now we don't know what to believe. They supply the togas so guess we will bring our headgear just in case they do have it...

Here are our still tentative plans...

Barcelona: Shuttle to Las Ramblas (thanks for the info John & Maggie)

Casablanca: Hassan II mosque, train to Rabat

Arrecife: Rental car, volcanoes and camels

Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Rental car, Teide and Plaza las Americanas

Funchal: Have a driver scheduled but will need to confirm with him shortly before we leave (last email was returned)

Malaga: Short time here so probably just wander around the city near the waterfront

 

Only about 3 weeks now guys...the excitement is starting to build. Cathy spent tonite looking at things to do in Genova so we are getting close!

 

Ed and Cathy

[but292]

Hi all

The women seemed to dress up every night, men tended to wear a dinner jacket, a tuxedo or a suit. The other night’s smart casual seemed to be the order of the day, e.g. a jacket, shirt and tie. I’ve copied the Welcome dinner menu for you below; the menu is printed on parchment type paper and tied with a ribbon for you to keep as a souvenir. I’ve got 2 other menus but I won’t bore you with them

 

Welcome Gala Dinner

 



 

Shrimp cocktails with aurora sauce

 

Duck foie gras with celery and walnuts

 

Papaya fan with berry fruits and mango coulis

 



 

*****

 

Cream of lobster soup

 

Chicken consommé with dumplings and chives

 

Chilled cream of melon

 



 

*****

 

Trofiette with pesto sauce

 

Pasta filled with spinach, ham and ricotta, served with tomato sauce

 



 

*****

 

Baked fillet of salmon served with Hollandaise sauce, strips of polenta and fresh asparagus.

 

Grilled fillet of Beef with Béarnaise sauce.

 

Duck a la orange served with Bigarade sauce and Berny potatoes.

 

Grilled pork cutlets served with herb butter.

 

Aubergine pudding with bell peppers, served with tomato sauce with basil.

 



 

*****

 

Mixed vegetables, balsamic vinegar and walnut oil

 



 

*****

 

A selection of Italian and international cheeses served with crackers, nuts and dried fruit

 



 

*****

 

Vegetarian menu

 

Papaya fan with berry fruits and mango coulis

 

Chilled cream of melon

 



 

*****

 

Trofiette with pesto sauce

 

Hope this is of interest

 

John and Maggie

[ECCruise]

Hey John and Maggie...

Thanks for all the info! Menu looks great!

 

Ed and Cathy

[Makeithappen]

Hi All,

 

Ed, I gave a call to Costa reservationist's and they said the same thing our DSM Tom said, no Toga parties on the European itineraries. I wonder why they don't do it in Europe? I was looking forward to the party.

 

Hope this helps, and thank you John and Maggie for the info. I am headed to the treadmill, but really I'd love to just eat something really fattening!

 

Jill

[but292]

The Costa Fortuna is quite new; it came into service on 13th November 2003. It’s a large ship 105,000 tons. It’s the largest Italian Cruise ship ever built, its identical sister ship the Costa Magica came into service exactly one year after the Costa Fortuna. These will only hold this record until the spring of 2006 when the 112,000 ton Costa Concordia will start operating and this in its turn will have a sister ship in 2007 as yet this is unnamed maybe they should call it the Costa Plenty.

 

 

When you first see the Costa Fortuna you really appreciate the size of the ship. When you embark and step into the atrium that is 9 decks high, you can’t help but think WOW. The décor of the ship with its strong vibrant colours threatens to overpower your senses. My first impression of the public areas was that it was a bit garish, but as time went on I became accustomed to it and finally grew to appreciate the work and vision behind it. Although the murals on the walls are so well done its not easy to find the rest room door because any notices would detract from the mural (you need to look for a light).

 

 

The décor of the staterooms was much more subdued. I found the cabins were quite roomy and pleasant. I found the service and organisation on board to be superb. Announcements were made in five languages Italian was always the first and English seemed to be the last, with German, French and Spanish somewhere in the middle. At first this seemed annoying but you got used to it. Indeed it was quite funny one day they were doing a cookery demonstration and by the time they got round to the English translation it was obvious that the chef did what they were describing a few minutes ago.

 

 

In addition to the normal stuff they arrange on cruises, there were Italian classes on the 4 days at sea. We must have been particularly good students because we all got a certificate with “eccellente” on it.

 

 

You can imagine that finding suitable entertainment for 5 different languages could be difficult but the seemed to manage it quite easily. I really enjoyed the entertainment I thought it was first class. There was a mime act that was so funny, it made me laugh so much that tears were streaming down my face and Maggie said she never known me laugh so much (We’ve been married for 34 years so you can tell that mime artist was brilliant).

 

 

I thought the organisation onboard was excellent, it has to be with over 3000 passengers and over 1200 crew speaking many more languages, cooking 30,000 meals a day, loading and unloading 15,000 pieces of luggage belonging to 3000 departing passengers and 3000 incoming passenger.

 

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so if you look at the following websites they can explain things far better than me.

 

 

http://www.laperlenoire.net/costa/COSTA002.html

 

 

http://www.cruises.com.sg/Costa_Cruise/Costa_Fortuna/costa_fortuna_overview.htm

 

 

Hope you enjoy these sites

 

 

John and Maggie

 

[ECCruise]

Thanks even more for all the information. Just what we needed, both with your personal observations and the links. Looking forward to meeting everyone in just a few weeks!

 

Ed and Cathy

[but292]

Hi all

Here's a link thats a must to view its the Costa GB site and you can get 360 pics of everything on the Costa Fortuna staterooms, lounges, bars even the engine room.

http://www.costacruises.co.uk/Costa/GB/CostaSite/OurFleet/PresentFleet/Flotta/CostaFortuna/ComeOnBoard.htm

 

John and Maggie

[Makeithappen]

The ship is in port today.

[Makeithappen]

We've been looking at the Webcam on Costa's site for the last several weeks to see where the ship is and the temperature. Fortuna is docked at Savona this morning and the temperature is a chilly 5.3 degrees C. In the Canaries the temp is has been staying in the 70's.

 

http://www.costacruise.com/Costa/USA/HomePage.htm

 

and click on WEBCAM

 

John and Maggie, do the workout facilities have many different choices for weights and cardio? I've looked at the 360 pictures but have learned from experience the pics can be deceptive.

 

Thanx,

 

Jill

[2Scots]

Hi - your efforts with the information here is very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

We have really enjoyed the pictures of the ship. We have also been checking on the WebCam site each day to follow the ships route.

 

Hoping to receive our documents today in the mail.

 

Question - do the documents reflect the seating times (early or late) and assignments? We did request the late seating for our dinners.

 

This is going to be a fantastic cruise.. so looking forward to it as I know we all are!

 

Best Regards,

Pamela & Kim

[Makeithappen]

Pamela and Kim,

 

The docs should have the seating time stated. If you have any concerns you can call your travel agent who can contact Costa for you. Or upon boarding ask who to contact (usually the matre'd (sp?) concerning your dining preference. I wouldn't think it would be a problem to fix it to your liking.

 

Jill

[2Scots]

Hi - we received our cruise documents yesterday.. they do not have our seating time referenced.

 

Question - for those of you that also have the cruise documents did you receive a booklet with coupons received from the agent however comes from Costa.. re. Cruise Ticket, Hotel Voucher etc. ? I thought that the seating time would be referenced in the booklet which BTW is complete except for that dining information.

 

Thanks for the information... oh Jill - Kim is asking "do your documents exactly say your seating time"?

 

Pamela

[Makeithappen]

Our docs are in transit to us from 02cruise.com and should arrive in the next two days. I know our fax from Costa says "see matre'd" but when I call Costa direct they always tell me I am on my requested first seating. Originally we'd chosen second seating, but after seeing the late time was 9:00 pm we switched to the earlier seating.

 

I'll let you know what our docs say when they arrive, Pamela.

 

I'm getting psyched for this trip, but hope the weather warms up. No matter the weather we'll all have a great time.

 

Does anyone know if the health club area offers work out (ie. Kick boxing, or aerobic, step, whatever) classes?

 

Jill

[2Scots]

Hi - I'm calling Costa tomorrow to find out about our dinner seating time. My documents did say that boarding time on the 18th would be 1:00 PM.

 

BTW - on our cruise from Rome in July we were on the ship @ 10:30 AM! The documents also said boarding would start at 1:00PM but we were there and they boarded us right away. For those that are doing your own transportation on that day I would go early and you would probably get on earlier than 1:00.

 

Talk later -

 

Pamela

[Makeithappen]

The docs came last evening. No dinner time on our either. I am soooo looking forward to some R&R.

 

Where do you all want to meet aboard the ship? Do you want to meet the first day at sea or at sail-away? Or pre dinner first/second evening?

 

 

See you all soon,

 

Jill

[2Scots]

We are all pretty quiet lately.

What's everyone doing? I started seriously looking at my clothes today. That really got us going and excited... again.

 

BTW - did anyone purchase the "Boys & Girls" Soda Cards for $30.00? I did sign up for one on the Web site because it looked like a decent deal. Its 20 non-alcholic beverages for 30.00. I sometimes like a Coke Light or Virgin drink so looked like a decent deal.

 

We will be at the Jolly in Genova on the 17th so maybe those of us staying there pre-cruise can meet.

 

We will be looking to hop on the bus to the Jolly on the 17th from the airport. We are using FF so couldn't book the bus in advance through the cruise line.

 

What type of information is anyone uncovering about Genova? Any must go to restaurants? I am finding that information about Genova is very limited.

 

Ciao -

 

Pamela

[Makeithappen]

Hi Pamela,

 

We're staying one night pre-cruise closer to Savona (Hotel Residence Coccodrillo), so unfortunately we won't get together with you then.

 

We'll be flying into Genoa from CDG (Paris) on Air France flight 5847. Our departure from Paris is 10:50 AM arriving in Genoa at 12:30 PM. Might we see you then? I think Ed and Cathy and family are on this same flight.

We stay one night post in Genoa.

 

We still need to pick a place to meet aboard the ship.

 

How about we meet at the Solarium Bar, on Funchal Deck starboard side, between 4:00-4:30 after we board the ship. We set sail at 5:00. Even if it is a short meeting we can at least decide to meet up again later perhaps?

 

On board we are in Cabin 7322, L. "Mike' Miller and Jill Miller;early dining.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing you all!

 

Jill

[ECCruise]

Hey all...

Can't believe it is less than 2 weeks before we leave. Yes, we are on the same flight with Mike and Jill from Paris to Genova. Meeting at the Solarium bar sounds fine...does anyone know what time the Muster drill is? That might be the only thing that could conflict with the 4-4:30 time frame. If we can find out if the drill is before we sail, maybe we could meet right after it.

 

Ed and Cathy

[2Scots]

Hi Jill&Mike - Ed&Cathy - We are on the same flight to Genova from Paris. We think meeting on the Funchal Deck between 4:00 & 4:30 on the 18th sounds good to us too! We will be looking on the flight from Paris to Genova for you as well and maybe we can talk than. Maybe buy a bottle of Champagne in Paris.

 

We are so excited - BTW - I got some Ambien so we can sleep really well on the plane. We also have the Bose head sets from previous trips that work well.

 

I hope it warms up. Can't wait for Sangria in Barcelona. We will take the shuttle to Las Ramblas and walk around a bit.

 

This is going to be a lot of fun. Any information anyone gets before the trip and before the 16th please share if possible. We are not taking a computer.

 

Ciao - Pamela

[Makeithappen]

If Mr. Muster is close to the time we are scheduled to meet we can always bring out our lovely new orange vests with elegant 24 K plastic accessories (and our winter coats).

 

I just checked and the ship is in Savona for the 10 day sailing prior to our 11. The temp is a chilly 39 degrees F at 10:35 AM.........brrrrrrr.

 

We're hoping the weather will warm up in the next week, it should judging by past weather history:)

 

Pamela you are so funny! Just last evening I was watching the superbowl and thinking, I really can't wait for some sangria on Las Ramblas. Also wondering if this colder weather will keep the street preformers away? Nothing says vacation like a live-silver-coated-statue.

 

We are taking our laptop and can receive emails.

 

What time do you all leave home? We're leaving afternoon on the 16th.

 

We have Ambien, headsets, purchased some back support thingys called 1st Class Sleepers from http://www.Magellans.com. I love getting on crowded economy, taking an ambien and next thing you know it is time for breakfast on the plane. We got Hep A vaccine's yesterday at our local Kroger store, figured with the trips we have planned for the next year it was the right time to do it. I've read where Hep A is called the travelers immunization.

 

Jill

 

Jill

[Makeithappen]

Ok, I am starting to get excited. My co-workers are saying, you seem 'tense' today. I think, NO! not tense, excited for leaving (I don't wish to rub it in I'm going and they aren't).

 

So I reply no, just concentrating on my patient. :)

 

Jill

[ECCruise]

Yes, Jill, getting excited too. Things are crazy here but not so that we aren't thinking about where we will be in about a week! Actually started packing, reviewing docs, etc. A week from today we will be already lifted off from Atlanta on our way to Paris....Ambien at the ready!

 

Las Ramblas a week from Saturday!

 

Ed and Cathy