Nasty review of Fortuna

[williamske]

Pros- The food was decent. The service was great. The excursions were nice and the places of port were beautiful. The captain did a good job under hurricane circumstances.

 

 

Cons -My ipod video was stolen out of the room. If you are in my age group (i am 22) - do not sail on this ship. Everyone was 50+ years old. There was absolutely NO NIGHT LIFE...we booked this cruise thinking it would compare to carnival....but it did not on any level. The highlight of the cruise activities was super bingo (daily i might add) and something about 50's couples....do not book if you are looking for a good time.

 

I made due because I was with my boyfriend on a romantic get away....so we made the time past ;)...but i was EXTREMELY disappointed. There was only one club type bar place near the casino....and it was always filled with kids...even after 12am.

 

There were 4 other young couples on the boat....and one was a newly wed couple (the couple in the newly wed game with the elevator comments lol) - we all were seated together at dinner because they grouped our table by age group....and we were the only young ones there. Every one of us had the same reviews.

 

Also....all of you parents who let your kids hangout in the jacuzzi --- when i was a kid my parents always told me the jacuzzi was for adults and the pool was for kids. It is not only dangerous to your kids heart....but it's annoying to the adults around you trying to relax!!!!!!!!! :mad: The kids are in the jacuzzi's 24/7....even in the adult area.

 

Oh yea, and the jacuzzi shuts down at 10pm.

[DarkJedi]

The adult hot tub was filled with kids? This goes exactly opposite of what another person's review was - that Costa was kicking kids out of the adult area even if they were with parents.

 

If everyone else was 50+, who did the kids belong to? :confused:

 

Sucks about the night life though. Our trip on the Carnival Miracle had a small crowd in the night club but not as busy as I expected with college spring break going on.

 

Really sorry about your iPod, that can ruin a vacation all on it's own :(

 

Sadly the hot tub and pools have shut down around 10-11 on every cruise we have ever been on. And I still don't know why :confused:

[RichieRocket]

No offense but why in the world would you think this cruise would compare to Carnival?

 

My tip would be for any kind of trip Cruiseship or not.. Research, Research, Research before you go.

 

On more of a silly note and a matter of perspective mostly its always makes me giggle a little when someone in their early 20's compares/seperates themselves to kids. Like i said a matter of perspective.

 

Sorry about the Ipod thing, that reallys sucks. But i dont think its fair to give a bad review of your cruise based on the age of fellow passengers and the types of activites/nightlife.

 

Research, Research, Research...

[njbrunete]

Hello all! I do agree with williamske on a lot!!!!

 

I was talking to a travel agent on the ship and she has been on 20 cruises she said this is the most elderly people she has seen on a cruise. I must say there were a lot of older people(I am 33 so older I mean 70 and over) but that wasn't such a bid deal though.

 

The Jacuzzi was a big deal for my husband and I...First let me say that there were SOOOO MANY kids on this cruise...(I guess cause kids sail FREE) but it did get annoying when they were all in the hot tub..and jumping from rails into the pools...personally I agree with willaimske kids should not be aloud in the hottubs! sorry.

 

The Club was also an upset..there were teenagers like williamske mentioned in the club until after midnight..what is that about? Shouldn't they be sleeping? So the crowd didn't start showing up until after 2 I think. Oh well...but we had a good time! :)

[chelle74]

That does suck about your iPod.

 

However, I think it's pretty lame of you to proclaim that parents of children that were in the hot tub all "suck." My son was in a hot tub, but certainly not in an adult area. In fact, there were never ANY kids in the adult hot tubs. And the water was only bathwater warm, so I'm fairly confident that his heart is just fine. Thanks for your concern.

[njbrunete]

Hi chelle 74,

 

I am sure your child wasn't one of the kids jumping into the hot tub and diving ,or even swiming in the hot tub..because me and my husband were the hot tub mostly everyday and experienced this. But like i said they are kids what are you going to do..There were kids though that went in and sat down like the adults. I also didn't see any kids in the adult hot tubs. The water in the hot tubs by the way were HOT!

[G.M.T.]

The kids are in the jacuzzi's 24/7....even in the adult area.

 

Oh yea, and the jacuzzi shuts down at 10pm.

 

If the kids were in the jacuzzi's 24/7 what happened to them at 10pm.:confused:

 

Ron

[sakapfet]

Pros- I made due because I was with my boyfriend on a romantic get away....so we made the time past ;)

 

The kids are in the jacuzzi's 24/7....even in the adult area.

 

Oh yea, and the jacuzzi shuts down at 10pm.

 

I dont get it, were you and your boyfriend getting "busy" in the jacuzzi for you to know the kids were in it 24/7?

[chicknamedmick]

I'm sorry that you did not find the cruise that was right for you. My husband and I were on the Sovereign of the Seas 9 yrs ago and had a similiar experience.

I'm gonna go on a soapbox a moment...and if this offends a parent out there...I'm willing to risk it if it saves even one childs life.

I have 5 children...ages 5-14...and come from a family of Doctors (working from ER to EMT). There is no way in heck I would let one of my kids in a hot tub!

Just since 1990, 800 drownings. The product has been redesigned to help curb accidents, but nothing replaces common sense.

Thousands of accidents due to the suction in these things pulling hair and body parts into a vacume. Even if you have enough sense to figure out where the shut off valve is...if your child is stuck..underwater...you still couldn't release your child due to the vacume seal (case in point... teenager my EMT uncle watched die as they had to empty a hot tub to get the seal released). Then there is the issue of body temperature... a childs body doesn't regulate the same way an adults does. The common thought is that if a child can stand in the center of the tub...and his head is FULLY above water, his/her max. time is 5 minutes. I know that these tubs are fun, and there may be limited activities for youth, but consider the risk. At least now you're informed.

[DarkJedi]

I was talking to a travel agent on the ship and she has been on 20 cruises she said this is the most elderly people she has seen on a cruise. I must say there were a lot of older people(I am 33 so older I mean 70 and over) but that wasn't such a bid deal though.

 

I'm guessing she never went on HAL LOL. My mother just got back from her cruise on the Vonderdaam (sp?) and she said it was all OLD people. This coming from a retired teacher in her early 70's!

[joetrizeo]

Everyone was 50+ years old. There was absolutely NO NIGHT LIFE...we booked this cruise thinking it would compare to carnival....but it did not on any level.

 

There was only one club type bar place near the casino....and it was always filled with kids...even after 12am.

 

first cruise? 50+? it's this way on most cruises, cept when you sail in march.

 

you shoulda seen my NCL cruise i just got off, like a sea of gray hair!

 

you're right on one thing, carnival doesn't even hold a candle to costa!

 

even tho my costa cruse had oh about 10 people age 21-30 and about 20 age 15-20, we all had a BLAST hanging out in the disco dance club by the casino you talk about.

 

it's really nice they let the teens and adults dance in the same place. makes it a lively atmosphere :)

 

The best part was hanging out with these 'kids' (young adults) and i'm even older than you (but not too much)

[joetrizeo]

The adult hot tub was filled with kids? This goes exactly opposite of what another person's review was - that Costa was kicking kids out of the adult area even if they were with parents.

 

DarkJedi, have you been on one of these class ships before? by your sig i assume not. but there are two sun deck sections, one in the middle and one aft. unless i'm mistaking the aft one (should have a pool and 2 hottubs) is adults only. it is there kids are kicked out.

 

OP is perhaps talking about the hot tubs in the midship section?

 

BTW, the "F" deck (tho costa doesnt call it that) should still be free to use and free of kids like any similar class carnival ship (glory, liberty, victory, triumph, etc)

[DarkJedi]

DarkJedi, have you been on one of these class ships before? by your sig i assume not. but there are two sun deck sections, one in the middle and one aft. unless i'm mistaking the aft one (should have a pool and 2 hottubs) is adults only. it is there kids are kicked out.

 

OP is perhaps talking about the hot tubs in the midship section?

 

BTW, the "F" deck (tho costa doesnt call it that) should still be free to use and free of kids like any similar class carnival ship (glory, liberty, victory, triumph, etc)

 

If there is a hot tub in the non-adult area that kids are using - good for them :) I don't see any issue with kids being kids and enjoying the areas that they are allowed in.

 

We won't be on Costa until '09, sadly our plans for '08 just aren't going to happen. And in '09 I'm sure our group will end up taking over some section of the deck, last group was 400+ couples.

[Cruise4Andy]

Sometimes it's just interesting to just listen in... :rolleyes:

 

But then again... I'm also not the person who can just sit still. LOL :D

So here I go...

 

In regards of the kids, hot tubs, pools and sundecks:

There are a total of four pools on the ship (2 on Deck 9 (one aft, one midship), 1 on Deck 10 (at the end of the water slide) and 1 Kiddie/Wading Pool on Deck 12 (forward by the playground).

Both "main" pools on Deck 9 have 2 hot tubs EACH, for a total of 4 outside hot tubs. There is one indoor jacuzzi, which is located within the gym/spa on Deck 11 (forward).

 

The aft pool and hot tubs are in the adult "area". Honestly during our cruise I have not seen any kids playing in the pool or hot tubs.

 

The main center pool (by the pool bar and grill) do allow kids. During sea days there were quite a few kids and parents, but it wasn't overrun in my opinion. Yes, there were kids jumping in the pool and splashing water, but considering that it is a "family friendly" ship (not an adult only ship) that was expected. Again, nothing which was not bearable.

 

The pool by the slide (Deck 10) also had adults and kids in them. This pool has no hot tubs close by, but has the end of the water slide close by. Expect some kiddie traffic there, as they will make their way up the stairs to go down the slide again.

 

The jacuzzi INSIDE the gym/spa does not allow any kids under the age of 16. I have not seen any kids (even with parents) using that facility.

 

If you're looking for a shallow wading/kiddie pool, make you're way up to Deck 12, which features a playground and especially designed kiddie pool.

 

 

To the OP:

I assume that you used the hot tubs by the midship pool? Otherwise, the aft pool/hot tubs were kid free whenever I went by, morning, afternoon or evening. I know it is sad that you can't use the hot tubs/pools after a certain time in the evening, but you'll see that happening on pretty much all cruise lines. Cleaning and maintenance is a must and is not a bad thing.

 

I admit, I'm not a "spring chicken" anymore, but I'm only in my early to mid 30's... (okay...I'm past my 20's!), but I met and became friends with quite a number of fellow cruisers, not necessarely 50 or older. Although of course there were many elderly people on board, you'll find that the case with pretty much any cruise... (as it was mentioned here as well)... there is no exception to that.

 

And afterall, aren't we all only as old as we feel? I don't care if my fellow cruisers and passengers are 18, 25, 33, 46, 57, 63, 72, 89, 95, above the magic 100 or anywhere else in between: Matter of fact, you can make wonderful friends and expand your friendship, no matter what age, color, race or nationality somebody is... that is what makes cruising so much fun! ;)

[rocknrobin]

"Andy: I admit, I'm not a "spring chicken" anymore, but I'm only in my early to mid 30's... (okay...I'm past my 20's!), but I met and became friends with quite a number of fellow cruisers, not necessarely 50 or older. Although of course there were many elderly people on board, you'll find that the case with pretty much any cruise... (as it was mentioned here as well)... there is no exception to that."

 

Heeeyyy....Andy, you crack me up - mid 30's - you old game, you! Well, I guess you guys will consider me an old bird - 50+, but we have a wild time - bet we can out party any of you young'ns any day!! But seriously, we were on HAL last January and while the majority of the cruisers were quite a bit older than us, we had a great time and met a lot of nice people. We would meet 2 older (I mean OLDER) couples (from Ireland) almost every day by the pool and had such wonderful conversations with them, and plenty of laughs. There's a lot to be said about talking to many different people - all ages, nationalities - it's an education and we can realize that there's not too much of a difference between any of us!

[joetrizeo]

andy, isn't there a hot tub by the pool by the water slide? it's kinda under the waterslide? there was one there on the magica.

[mcdermott]

Age is only a number I know miserable 30 year olds and livley 70 year olds

 

Anyone who books a holiday with 2500 others can only expect that by the law of averages there will bve kids and elderly people however I will offer a little advise.

Dont ever book out of Italy for New Year we have been ontwice and there were 650 kids on board being lead around the ship in a long snake

Look at the offers that dont concern you ie kids free there are likly to be more on these trips thn others parents like free holidays for their kids

 

I have never been on Carnival because it has a reputation for being a party ship and we dont wish to party definatley think before you book also ask yorelf would you book if it were twice the price then if the answer is yes you are in with a chance of booking the correct holiday

[retdon]

Hello,

OK, everyone we are SENIORS who like to gamble, have some martinis, dance, put sound machines under chairs in the bars:rolleyes: , have some more cocktails, have the waiter put rubber chickens under the entree covers at dinner, and have some more martinis................ GET THE PICTURE. Stop with the flames on SENIORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We were on X in Feb. and that was an OLD FOLKS cruise, even we talked about it. It seemed that we were the "roudys" of the cruise. We have also seen this on HAL.

 

If you are on the New Years cruise look out for the "roudys" there are 16 of us (2 couples are not seniors) and WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME even if the other passengers don't. We make every sailaway, we have closed the casino more than once, we gather for cocktails and dancing before dinner, we love BINGO and yell a lot, we will be the hit of the Toga Party, and will participate in almost anything we can.

 

As for kids, don't go on a sailing that is offering "kids sail free". I am sure there will be some but likely there will be more when they can sail free.

 

How many times do you have to be told, a cruise is what you make it, join in the fun, or complain...........Hope you are not on boardwith us......:p

[Cruise4Andy]

retdon:

I just wish I could be on your cruise... we would have a ball!!! :D

 

Robin:

Let's rock!!! I'm ready again! ;)

 

Joe:

Did not recall seeing a hot tub close to the slide/under it... maybe I missed it while walking by and only thinking about what I might have for lunch from the buffet??? :eek:

 

 

IMHO: There are no OLD people, there are only mature people. As it was already said... age is just a number... nothing else! Let's all have some fun!!! :)

[tomml]

My friend just got off the recent cruise on 12/16 and had her jewelry stolen from her cabin. She was on the 6th deck. She indicated that she put it in her carryon on the morning of the debarkation and when she returned it was missing. She said that her cabin steward was quite attentive during the week but on the last day was very standoffish.

[debbyfelse1963]

RETDON we are also on the New Years Cruise me 44 and mom 63 and believe me we like to have fun so we will be right there with you. We plan on hitting the disco and the deck parties and definitely TOGA night so look forward to meeting you guys...Debby and Joyce

[retdon]

Hi Debby and Joyce,

We will be there at sail-a-way, probably on board around 11:30-12. Looking forward to a great cruise. Linda

[abitaturbodog]

Pros- The food was decent. The service was great. The excursions were nice and the places of port were beautiful. The captain did a good job under hurricane circumstances.

 

 

Cons -My ipod video was stolen out of the room. If you are in my age group (i am 22) - do not sail on this ship. Everyone was 50+ years old. There was absolutely NO NIGHT LIFE...we booked this cruise thinking it would compare to carnival....but it did not on any level. The highlight of the cruise activities was super bingo (daily i might add) and something about 50's couples....do not book if you are looking for a good time.

 

I made due because I was with my boyfriend on a romantic get away....so we made the time past ;)...but i was EXTREMELY disappointed. There was only one club type bar place near the casino....and it was always filled with kids...even after 12am.

 

There were 4 other young couples on the boat....and one was a newly wed couple (the couple in the newly wed game with the elevator comments lol) - we all were seated together at dinner because they grouped our table by age group....and we were the only young ones there. Every one of us had the same reviews.

 

Also....all of you parents who let your kids hangout in the jacuzzi --- you suck! When i was a kid my parents always told me the jacuzzi was for adults and the pool was for kids. It is not only dangerous to your kids heart....but it's annoying to the adults around you trying to relax!!!!!!!!! :mad: The kids are in the jacuzzi's 24/7....even in the adult area.

 

Oh yea, and the jacuzzi shuts down at 10pm.

 

Williamske--Sorry that you didn't enjoy your cruise.

 

Unfortunately, you won't get much sympathy from members of Cruise Critic because we're all cruise info junkies! Gathering info on cruiselines, ships and ports of call is what we do! AND the backbone of Cruise Critic is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, to quote an earlier poster.

 

It appears that you didn't do your homework and now you're lashing out. Too bad. This is a good lesson for you to learn. Next time you book a vacation, learn everything you can about the options and pick one that suits your style.

 

Good luck on your next vacation choice!

 

P.S. We just got off the Costa Mediterranea today and it was packed with young couples! My DH had a blast checking out the multitude of young ladies at the pools!;)

[BambiRumsey]

I realize each cabin is different and has a different steward but I left my ipod mini OUT in the the portable speakers all week long on the vanity and it was not touched and I often forgot to replace my jewelry in the safe each morning and it also was not touched.

 

The safe is there for a reason and my husband's iphone, my cell phone, 2 ipod shuffles and a few hundred in cash and all our credit cards were fine in the safe.

 

I don't think having something stolen out of the cabin is a costa specific or even cruise specific issue - all inclusive resorts and hotels have problems with theft too. Whenever not in your own home you should be waryt and safe guard valuables appropriately.

 

For the person who feels they had something taken out of their bag I would maybe check again or check other places since the cabin steward would not typically have the time to go rifling through a bag when they have several cabins to service that night or several cabins to completely strip and get ready for the next passengers.

 

I have often found service to be more standoffish on the last night/debarkation morning but I just chocked it up to getting ready to do the big clean/get ready for the next weeks cruisers. I would imagine the lions share of their work must be done once I vacate the cabin.

 

As for the night club issue - unless you have been to a club in Europe or NYC it may seem odd to you that things did not get jumping until 2am when most land based clubs close in the US. I know in NYC or New Orleans where things do not close until the wee wee hours, we never even started GETTING DRESSED to go out until 11:30 or midnight, finally stumbling home around 4 or 5 or when we realized the sun had risen....

 

RE: Hot tubs - yes there is a hot tub hiding under the slide. And my husband and I had no problem with the aft pool and hot tubs and specifically saw security telling a woman and her 12-14 year old son that he was not permitted in the aft pool. In fact, we never even saw any kids IN the aft pool area in general, not even coming by to ask mom or dad a question.

 

I will agree that the median age of our Fortuna cruise was closer to 70 than 40 but as someone else said, most cruises will have more older than younger people unless you sail during spring break time. There were also several families sailing too which typically means adults in the 30-40 range which may also be too old for the OP.....and I doubt that demo went to the disco often since we were all too busy letting our monster children do swan dives off the railings into the hot tubs 24/7 ;)

[markr33]

Pros- The food was decent. The service was great. The excursions were nice and the places of port were beautiful. The captain did a good job under hurricane circumstances.

 

We (my wife and I and our 5 kids, and 17 total in our party - I am one of the BIL's of southernmomga) were on the 11/18 sailing of Costa Fortuna and all had a great time. I agree that the food at the buffet was perhaps just decent, but the food in the dining rooms was terrific. Too bad you got stuck out there during the week of a tropical storm, especially such a late-season one!

 

Cons -My ipod video was stolen out of the room. If you are in my age group (i am 22) - do not sail on this ship. Everyone was 50+ years old. There was absolutely NO NIGHT LIFE...we booked this cruise thinking it would compare to carnival....but it did not on any level. The highlight of the cruise activities was super bingo (daily i might add) and something about 50's couples....do not book if you are looking for a good time.

The iPod theft sucks, are you absolutely sure that it was taken from your cabin? We kept our cabins locked at all times and trusted our cabin steward completely. Maybe it was swiped while you were on deck at soem point? I was a little worried about my stuff out on deck, but since we were a large party, there was always someone around to watch our stuff.

 

As far as the night life, maybe you somehow ended up during a week without many younger folk. During the week of 11/18, there were lots and lots of younger folks, perhaps not 21-22, but certainly 25-30, and on the nights that I was out and about, there was tons of night life until the wee hours of the morning. The average age of our party of 17 people was 23-24 :-) I will admit that some of the activities (such a bingo) are geared to older folks, but come on, how many 22 year olds play bingo anyway :-)

 

I made due because I was with my boyfriend on a romantic get away....so we made the time past ;)...but i was EXTREMELY disappointed. There was only one club type bar place near the casino....and it was always filled with kids...even after 12am.

The kids usually leave the disco area at 11:45 or so, but for about an hour or two, they have the kids from the squok club at the disco. Personally, I don't think that is the right place for the kids at that time either.

 

Also....all of you parents who let your kids hangout in the jacuzzi --- when i was a kid my parents always told me the jacuzzi was for adults and the pool was for kids. It is not only dangerous to your kids heart....but it's annoying to the adults around you trying to relax!!!!!!!!! :mad: The kids are in the jacuzzi's 24/7....even in the adult area.

There are 6 hot tubs on the Costa Fortuna, 3 of them are off-limits for kids, and 3 of them are for kids and adults. Why didn't you use one of those 3 adult-only ones? [2 adult only ones on deck 9 in the back, 1 adult only one in the fitness center, 2 kids+adult ones on deck 9 in the middle, and 1 kids+adult one on deck 10 under the slide]

 

Also, those hot tubs are barely hot and won't hurt anyone. One evening, I was in the hot tub with all 5 of my kids (ages 2 through 8) for about 2 hours. My kids preferred the hot tubs by far over the salt water pools!