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I had four cabins booked on this Western Caribbean cruise, including our own stateroom. My sister shared the balcony cabin with my husband & myself.
We checked in shortly after 1 pm. Embarkation was extremely smooth, probably the most efficient that we have ever experienced. We went directly to our cabin which was far forward on the starboard side. The stateroom was very comfortable and the bathroom quite adequate and well laid out. My sister had a comfortable lower berth which was a very nice touch. We especially liked the light, warm wood in the decor which made the room feel brighter and more spacious than the darker woods we frequently encounter. The storage space alotted was more than adequate for the three of us, even though some of us always seriously over-pack.
The ship is beautiful, spotless and immaculately maintained. Our waiter, Alan, did a fine job, as did our room steward, Olga. Breakfast & lunch were open seating and the wait staff did an exemplary job with both. The entertainment venues that we attended were exceptionally good, though we were not great fans of the female vocalist on the first evening. We especially enjoyed the Italian tenor, Antonio, the acrabats, and the dancers. The Elton John tribute was also very good. The itinerary and ports were excellent.
Now for the bad news: the food. It ranged from outright bad to just mediocre. The lido buffet was consistently terrible, except for the pizza and the soft-serve ice cream. The Michelangelo dining room didn't fare much better. The prime rib and steak offerings were obviously inferior cuts of meat and were consistently served medium-well rather than medium-rare as requested. Shellfish was also consistently overcooked, tough and rubbery. The only dish I had all week that I would say rose to a level of more than just "okay" was the moussaka offered at Saturday's lunch. If Costa is serious about competing toe-to-toe with the other cruise lines in the Caribbean venue, it needs to take drastic and immediate measures to improve the quality of its food.
It is a shame that with so much going for it, the Fortuna fell so short with its dining venues.
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