Req Info: Costa Cruise E. Med - Fortuna October '08

[Agendavid]

Greetings all:

New to this board, not new to cruise travel but mostly Caribbean. Traveled a bit and very adaptable to other cultures. Wife wants to do an E. Med cruise with itinerary to incl. Greece (i.e. Santorini, Mykonos, etc. ) Timing and FF Miles restrictions put us on Costa/Fortuna late Oct. out of port of Venice for 7 days, ( will spend a day prior resting and a couple days on shore before heading back to U.S. )

Guess I'm asking if anyone has done this particular cruise & itinerary?
Is this a good pick or should we take a look at other options & lines, etc.?
Was a little disappointed in shorter port stays...considered HAL out of Rome for 10 days as the Noordham had longer port calls. But FF miles couldn't be used during scheduled cruise dates. Just a little concerned about Costa, giving the considerable negativity some folks have. I know some are harder to please and I take reviews with a grain of salt..but you just can't help but be concerned.


Was curious about Classica out of Trieste as I read good things about the port area...but not-so-good about the Classica. Again...not sure what to believe online these days.

Thanks, in advance...also any tips would be appreciated. (You know the things the agency doesn't tell or doesn't know to tell.)

Chaz

[Agendavid]

Well given the nature of my post, I was half-way expecting some type of response by now. Is anyone out there?

[Paul Motter]

Sorry you did not get a reply!

We generally do not recommend Costa in Europe for Americans. The cruise line caters to the European market and uses Italian as its primary language.

There are so many ships in the Greek Isles that cater to Americans (or English-speaking people) it makes little sense to take Costa.

I suggest you look at almost any other line. If you are looking for a bargain: Carnival, NCL.

If you are looking for port intensive itineraries: Windstar, Oceania, Azamara. (these are the best choices, but more expensive)

Somewhere between the two: Princess and Holland America.