1st cruise as a guest | Costa Fortuna

[MasterNotCommander]

Hello,

 

This is my first post, and it's about my first cruise, although I already have literally thousands of days at sea onboard ships as an officer. I'm a Master Mariner and previously sailed as a Deck Officer with Holland America Line, but eventually got lured away by higher salaries on other ship types.

 

I met my wife on the cruise ships and we both miss the atmosphere and experiences we had.

 

We live in the Middle East, and are a young family with young children (6 & 3 ) and have decided that the Middle East 7 night cruise over Christmas on the Costa Fortuna would be a cheap and all inclusive way of relaxing and also to give the children a little taste of cruise ships.

 

We have so many questions, like what time can we board, are the all inclusive drinks packages worthwhile, what sort of entertainment and activities onboard can we expect, do they serve Sushi onboard, can we just dump the kids at the kids club on some days for some peace and quiet, can we organise a babysitter any evenings? How does Costa compare with Holland America Line? Which restaurants shall we book a table in at night? What time does the show start? Which dinner sitting should we take?

 

Some finds think its madness for us to take a cruise around the places that we live within driving distance of, and or me a seafarer to actually take a cruise. But seriously, it's cheaper then flying back to the UK to be with our family for Christmas and its better then a local hotel because we know that all the meals and onboard activities are included. Essentially it's just a relaxing stress free resort for us.

 

I'm also happy to offer any advice on excursions in Oman, and where to go.

[AnonymousCruiser69]

Hello,

 

This is my first post, and it's about my first cruise, although I already have literally thousands of days at sea onboard ships as an officer. I'm a Master Mariner and previously sailed as a Deck Officer with Holland America Line, but eventually got lured away by higher salaries on other ship types.

 

I met my wife on the cruise ships and we both miss the atmosphere and experiences we had.

 

We live in the Middle East, and are a young family with young children (6 & 3 ) and have decided that the Middle East 7 night cruise over Christmas on the Costa Fortuna would be a cheap and all inclusive way of relaxing and also to give the children a little taste of cruise ships.

 

We have so many questions, like

 

what time can we board?

when i boarded in dubai, it was started at 2pm. this varies wildy. check your documents.

 

are the all inclusive drinks packages worthwhile?

i thought it was. there is a long thread on the main page here about the packages.

 

what sort of entertainment and activities onboard can we expect?

varies. bean bag toss, bingo, dance lessons, trivia, silly pool games. not a lot of enrichment lectures like hal.

 

do they serve Sushi onboard?

i have seen it on the lunch buffet at times. i don't eat fish, though.

 

can we just dump the kids at the kids club on some days for some peace and quiet?

i can't answer - no kids (whew!)

 

can we organise a babysitter any evenings?

i can't answer - no kids (whew!)

 

How does Costa compare with Holland America Line?

somewhat similar. hal is more elegant and refined, mainly american/english speakers, older demographic, nicer/larger cabins, smaller ships. costa is a bit livelier, your, maunly european/non-english speaking, less organized. people complain about the food on costa, but i thought it was quite similar to hal.

 

Which restaurants shall we book a table in at night?

just the specialty restaurant, which carries an extra charge. dinner is fixed seating. rumor-control thinks they may try open seating, but it is just a rumor at this point.

 

What time does the show start?

varies. there will be two nightly. early seating goes after dinner, late seating goes before. of course, this is subject to change.

 

Which dinner sitting should we take?

depends what time you eat normally. late is LATE on costa, 8:45 - 9:30, depending on the port. early was around 6:15 - 6:30 if i recall correctly.

 

Some finds think its madness for us to take a cruise around the places that we live within driving distance of, and or me a seafarer to actually take a cruise. But seriously, it's cheaper then flying back to the UK to be with our family for Christmas and its better then a local hotel because we know that all the meals and onboard activities are included. Essentially it's just a relaxing stress free resort for us.

 

I'm also happy to offer any advice on excursions in Oman, and where to go.

 

above all, remember, you get what you pay for.

[MasterNotCommander]

Thank you AC69 for the great response, very much appreciated. I do understand what your saying about the 'get what you pay for', and I think are going with the expectations of having a cheap glorified resort holiday, and everything more then that will pleasantly surprise us.

[MasterNotCommander]

A few more questions if I may;

 

We've booked an E2 Outside Premium Cabin No. 1101 on Cannes Deck (Tiepolo Deck on the Magica), is this a reasonable cabin? Or would cabins 1001 or 1002 be better?

 

We have the All Inclusive Drinks Package and Ruby Welcome Package, are these worthwhile?

 

Does anyone have any photos of the E2 cabins, specifically with the bunk/sofa bed folded out so that I can see whether this will be spacious enough for us?

 

Anyone who has recently been on recent cruises from Dubai-Dubai have any idea what sort of passenger loads are onboard, whether the ships are full, whether many kids are onboard and whether the kids club will operate if there aren't many children onboard?

 

Also finally, does Costa do anything special for Christmas onboard?

[AnonymousCruiser69]

i always look at what is above, below and around a cabin i am considering. 1101 has a bar above it. so do the other two.

 

i thought the drinks package was well worth it.

[Dancer Bob]

I don't know how much interaction the OP had with passengers, but there is a HUGE difference with Costa. I'm 63, but I refuse to go back on HAL because those people are (or at least act) way too old for me.

 

I've never travelled with children, but I've been told the lack of English-speakers can be a problem for teens.

[MasterNotCommander]

I don't know how much interaction the OP had with passengers, but there is a HUGE difference with Costa. I'm 63, but I refuse to go back on HAL because those people are (or at least act) way too old for me.

 

Hi Bob,

 

Interaction as a Deck Officer with HAL is as much or as little as you desired, but generally whilst hosting dinner tables, black & white balls, Q&A sessions with the Navigator and star gazing evenings. The guests definately are an older crowd, but this was never a problem as I tended to socialise in the OB (Officers Bar) with the dancers, spa staff and other colleagues (a reason why my dear wife is set against me returning to work on the cruise ships).

 

I get the impression that Costa is more family friendly and a younger crowd, we are just looking for a cheap break at Christmas that doesn't involve us flying across the world. Would be nice to introduce the kids to going on ships too.