This was our 5th cruise with Costa, and once again, we enjoyed every moment of it. It was another wonderful experience, where the memories will last forever. For us, Costa did it again: An overall outstanding cruise experience in every aspect.

Here's the detailed story of our cruise aboard of the Costa Fortuna, January 10 through January 17, 2010.

DAY 1 - FORT LAUDERDALE & EMBARKATION: We live only about 2 hours away from Fort Lauderdale and arrived at Port Everglades around 11:20 am on an extremely cold (at least for us Floridians) morning. The Costa Fortuna was anchored at Pier 19, where I dropped off our luggage and proceeded to park the car in the parking garage right next to the pier. We proceeded into the terminal at about 11:30 am and had no lines at the security screening. Once security screening is completed, you are asked to complete a "Health Questionaire" mainly geared towards the question if you have any symptoms of H1N1. It's only a short form, and has to be completed before you check in (it's NOT part of your online/web check-in form!), so to make it easier for you, make sure to bring a pen. Once completed, you have two options: You can either use one of the self check-in kiosks (similar to airline check-ins), or proceed into the next hall, where you have Costa staff members checking you in at the counter. There was some confusion amongst some travelers, who thought they HAD to check in at the kiosk. We skipped the kiosks and proceeded to the check-in counter. Suite customers, as well as Costa club members of Coral status or above will have a separate check-in line, which we took advantage of. My parents did not have a suite, and they proceeded towards the "regular" check-in line. We experienced no wait and were promptly greeted by a Costa staff member, who checked our passports and reviewed the web check-in form I had printed at home. In less than two minutes we were ready and proceeded towards the ship. Due to the large amount of Costa check-in staff, my parents were done with their check-in in similar time. A small line formed, as a picture is being taken before you go onboard, followed by another security/I/D/ check point. We boarded the Fortuna, and before you enter the main lobby, your mug shot/head shot will be taken (used for identification when exiting/entering the ship at ports). We were all set and ready to enjoy the welcoming buffet at around 12:00 noon, even though the cruise documents state, that the check-in time starts at 1:30 pm. We enjoyed the buffet, which offered a variety of cold and hot specialties, salads and desserts. The buffet was quite busy. Apparently a lot of people checked in early, plus there were a lot of back-to-back cruisers still onboard. The poolside grill in the aft of Deck 9 opened around 12:45 pm, offering hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and other "domestic" food. The state rooms were ready at approximately 1:15 pm. Read more