I lost 3 pounds on the Costa Fortuna.

The service was great but the food was the worst I ever had. It was obvious the cruse line was trying to maximize their profit by buying the cheapest food they could get. Everything was bad from the watered down orange juice, watered down egg mix for the omelet stations to the extremely fatty and gristly meat. My meal on the plane ride home was much better than any meal on the ship. This was the first cruise I was ever on that did not offer lobster ever. We also had inquired about smoking on the ship and were told that smoking was restricted. The main smoking lounge was in the main atrium on the ship and smoke was everywhere. If you hate cigarette smoke and like good food avoid this ship.

Third Time Around

My friend and I have taken two other Go Ahead tours(both land tours). We were attracted to this cruising tour as it included Venice(which is my favorite world city)and an itinerary of ports that we had not visited before. Unfortunately, my travel companion has limited mobility and could not participate comfortably in any of the shore excursions. This tour is "Easy" only if one stays on board the ship. It would be useful if you mentioned this in the tour description. Of course, l could and did go off on my own, but traveling is so much nicer when shared with a companion. That was a bit of a disappointment, but from my own perspective each stop had its own unique charms which I enjoyed immensely. Venice is always magical, Bari was unexpectedly charming, and Olympia allowed me to tread where the ancients competed. Wow! Santorini, Rhodes, and Dubrovnic were equally enchanting.

Some Constructive Criticism

This tour is rated a 1 in the catalog. Actually, it's only a 1 if you don't get off the ship. Nearly all of the excursions to the ports are rated a 2 or higher, so if you have any mobility problems, you would have difficulty negotiating the amount of walking, climbing, etc. involved Go Ahead Tours should add a disclaimer to their rating so potential travelers would be aware of this. Many of the .people on the tour expressed disappointment in the ship, Costa Fortuna, myself included. The ship was lovely, but the food and the shows were below those you would find on an American cruise line. If you're not a smoker, you will be unhappy with the many areas of the ship where smoking is allowed. Some of the decks did not go through from bow to stern, so navigating the ship was somewhat confusing and inconvenient. I would not cruise again on this ship, and I would encourage Go Ahead to select another cruise line, an opinion many of my fellow travelers expressed. The itinerary of ports was excellent. All were beautiful and worth visiting.

A Cruise to Remember

As a first time cruiser, I had quite a few preconcieved notions of what lay in store for me. I was pleasantly surprised. The Costa Fortuna works like a mini-town and houses a melting pot of cultures. The ports of call were lovely, one better than the next. Dubrovnik was my favorite - definitely a place I'd like to go back to. The Go Ahead Tour director was very helpful and made everything so easy. If you're a cruise enthusiast, you must go on this Go Ahead tour!

Italy,Croatia and the Greek Islands Cruise

Very unhappy with this cruise - if it were my first Go Ahead tour I would NEVER take another. Cruise ship not at all up to standard that Go Ahead has come to let their customers expect and want. Ship WAY too crowded - we were right over main ballroom and felt the base beat shake our room every night until 2:30 am. No place t\o sit and relax and read. Dining room food OK - cafeteria very very average. Ports good - not ship

Costa Cruise Line is a bust!

The ports visited were great; especially Olympia. The cruise ship and the cruise line, Costa, were terrible. Too many people packed into too little space. No indoor relaxarion areas; only bars with waitstaff constantly pestering you to buy drinks. Only 3 decks out of 12 where you could go from front to back of ship; one, deck 5, through casxino area, smoky and crowded. Dining riom crowded but food okay. Buffet food so-so at best. LOUD entertainment (??) every night until 2-2;30 am. In summary, Cpsta Cruise :Line is an insult to loyal Go Ahead customers!

Lovely Trip

Enjoyed every minute of it. Wish we could have spent more time in Santorini, Dubrovnik and San Marco Square in Venice. Travelled a long way only to spend a few hours in each place, so much to see and do! Chiara is a great leader, kept us fully informed about everything. Was not impressed with daily the "hurry up" and "stop." That's where we lost our valuable time!

Italy, Croatia, and the Greek Isles

Chiara from Milan was a wonderful, caring tour director. I would recommend going earlier in the year. Venice was gloomy and rainy, but the Greek Isles were sunny. Jet lag going and coming in 10 days was a problem.

Fall Vacation

Should have gone in October when it was a little warmer, but overall the trip was great. The Go Ahead tour director was just great. She was very helpful in making sure we had all the information we needed wherever we stopped. The ports of call were the best for the length of the tour (cruise). Would highly recomment to anyone who would like to see Venice, Greek Isles and Dovronick. Wouldn't mind doing it again.

cruising in another world

lots of other types of people, customs, and manners..