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Copyright ©
1995-2004
Linda Coffman |
 Costa
Atlantica
Western Caribbean
Nov. 28 - Dec. 5, 2004
by Mary & Vincent Finelli
There comes a time when the ship becomes a destination in itself, and
that is what has happened with the Costa Atlantica for us. This
is the fourth time we have sailed on this elegant ship; each time we
marvel at her ornate beauty and the many distinctive areas in which
passengers can enjoy the pure celebration of all things Italian:
wonderful food, wines, art and of course music. We have done the
Western Caribbean itinerary many times, so this cruise was booked for
pure relaxation and pleasure on board.
This ship is dedicated to the Great Italian Federico Fellini, film
director extraordinaire, and
both decks and corridors are named and imbued with the character of
the Maestro. There are a multitude of enlarged paparazzi style
photographs of the '50s and 60's period of "La
Dolce Vita" by Tazio Secchiaroli. The many actors of
the times are forever preserved at the height of their beauty and
youth, including the following: Anita Ekberg, Jayne Mansfield, Ava
Gardiner, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, David Niven and of course
Marcello Mastroianni, etc. All are shown strolling on the
streets of Rome, which brings back our own youth, nostalgically
renewed while we stroll around this magnificent ship: Ah, Marcello
Mastroianni driving a Triumph sports car with Carlo Ponti holding on
to his Fedora and seated next to him. Oh look, there is the
movie star, sex goddess Anita Ekberg frolicking in the Fontana di
Trevi. There is Fellini walking right up the middle of Via
Veneto, as if he owns it, which he did in those days! Thanks to
the Costa Atlantica, we are invigorated by our youthful memories of
Rome and another more elegant and playful time.
EMBARKATION:
In Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the Costa Atlantica was
berthed at Pier 21. Baggage handlers quickly took our luggage
and we went directly to a separate Check-in Counter for Wheelchair and
Suite passengers. There was a crew member to assist us: We
arrived at 12:30pm and were on board by 1:00pm. Very efficient. In our Panoramic Suite we were greeted "Italian Style" with
a bottle of Prosecco Spumante chilling, a huge assortment of fresh
fruit (mangoes, grapes, kiwi, strawberries, etc.) and a wonderful
floral arrangement of exotic flowers (orchids, antherium, pittsoporum,
etc.) all coordinated by our terrific Butler Alex Cortes.
We were off to the "Welcome Aboard" buffet, where cruisers
recognize immediately the Italian influence on food and service. We have already published three reviews of the Costa Atlantica, so
this review will concentrate on what "Cruising Italian
Style" means. We met Captain Giuseppe Russo, an elegant
gentleman, who wanted to converse with Vincent in their Neapolitan
dialect. This took Vincent back 50 years to his youth and
memories of Naples, Capri, Sorrento, Salerno and the Amalfitan Coast. We also met Hotel Director Ann Ryan, whose knowledge of the Costa
Atlantica goes back to construction days at the Kvaerner Masa Shipyard
in Finland. She was kind enough to share her insight with us.
SHIP:
The Costa Atlantica is first of six sister ships: Costa Mediterranea,
and Carnival's Spirit, Pride, Legend and finally the Miracle. Having sailed on all but the latter, we feel that the Atlantica is the
one whose interior is most true to Italian design. Here are many
exquisite reproductions of fine Italian paintings by Titian,
Botticelli, Raphael etc., original Venetian glass work in passage
ways, stairwells and elevators, and a multitude of artworks by a dozen
or more contemporary artists, which make this ship a truly floating
museum. However, the most characteristic place on board is the
beautiful replica of the famed Caffè Florian (original in Piazza San
Marco, Venezia). This caffè with its frescos, along with the
Fellini memorabilia and the beautiful artwork throughout the ship,
evoke Italian Style. Costa Atlantica also has a Pompeian mural
recreated down to the original cracks in the fresco. The bird
cage elevators in the atrium give passengers a wonderful view of this
well executed reproduction of an ancient Pompeian painting as they
ride.
The ship's statistics are a Panamax 982 ft. long, 104 ft. wide with a
gross tonnage of 85,000. Eighty percent of her cabins are ocean
view and most of these have private balconies. We refer
you to our previous reviews for ship details and deck by deck
descriptions. (See Costa
Cruise Reviews)
CABIN:
Suite #6219 is quite familiar to us, since we have stayed in it
before. Combinations of dark and light woods, brass, copper and
granite all give the effect of a traditional Captain's quarters on a
brigantine. It is large roomy, stylish and comfortable, all in
warm shades of peach and coral. When entering, on the left there is a
small ante room with a lighted vanity and two huge wardrobes; then
there is the full bath with two sinks and a Jacuzzi tub with shower. The bathroom is done in marble, tile and granite. Next is a full
granite bar, a private safe, TV, a huge dresser and two more
wardrobes. There is also a king sized bed with night stands and
reading lamps.
On the right upon entering there is a mirrored wall and a desk with
mahogany pillars and ebony capitals and a refrigerator. There is
a leather sofa bed, a comfortable arm chair and a large granite coffee
table. The far wall has a floor to ceiling window and a door to
the balcony which holds two teak chairs and a table. In
addition, our wonderful steward Anna Agustine brought a chaise lounge
for Vincent. The draperies and sheers were coordinated to the
bed linens and there was even a blackout drape. Excellent.
FOOD & SERVICE:
Under the close eye of Ann Ryan, both food and service are great. We usually reserve a table for two near the dining room entrance and
table #276 was just that. We still enjoyed conversing with the
couple at the next table, who were curious about Vincent's wine
selections and items on the menu. The lady was turned on to Prosciutto
& Melone (Napoleon and Josephine's wedding breakfast) which
she proceeded to order frequently.
Unique to the Costa Line is the placement of extra virgin olive oil
and balsamic vinegar on each table. We were pleased with the
quality of both ingredients and we used only these condiments for the
entire cruise on the excellent fresh, crunchy rolls, bread sticks and
salads. Food favorites are very personal; however, "when in
Rome..." we suggest trying the Italian specialties, you will not
regret it. Executive Chef Paolo Maspera runs a great galley. At Ms Ryan's suggestion, we tried the Pizzeria at 10pm where four
different types of pizzas were piping hot. We noted that the
crew was waiting for the hot pies to arrive, so we knew that changes
had been made and the quality improved. We now can say the pizza
is good on the Costa Atlantica.
Food & Service in the Tiziano Dining room and all around the ship
are under the expert direction of Maitre D' Ciro Onorato, whom we had
previously met on the Costa Mediterranea. He frequently visited
us at our table to ascertain that everything was to our satisfaction
and recommended us to his Assistant Maitre D' Riccardo for anything we
may desire. We wish to thank them both for their courteous
attention. Our waiter Randi and his assistant Dan were
excellent. Both food preparation and presentation were
wonderful. The menu and quality were superb. The only
culinary lapse was in the soups. They were certainly not
traditional and mostly bland. For example, French onion soup was
not a clear broth but rather a potato thickened one, and certainly the
clam chowder was not creamy. Several of our fellow passengers
commented in a similar fashion. However, the rest of the menu
was delicious, including appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts.
The wine list included a variety of good wines, moderately priced.
Guest Relations Manager Gisella Iasi is friendly and cordial even in
the face of rudeness from a passenger: A female travel agent wanted to
view occupied cabins at 10am and would not understand why both the
request and the timing were inappropriate. All this occurred
while we were being assisted by Gisella; so, we turned to the agent
and politely told her that obviously she was in a bigger hurry than we
were; thus, she should be served before us and we would return later
and wait on line again. None of this made an impression on the rude
woman. Gisella you deserve a medal for that one.
We know that service on board emanates from the Captain and the Hotel
Director on down. Both Captain Russo and Hotel Director Ryan are
detail people who exemplify the manners their crew emulate.
ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES:
Cruise Director Max Bertolotto is an old acquaintance of ours from the
Costa Romantica, 8 years ago. He has come up through the ranks
and knows how to engage passengers and entertain them. His
rendition of "Just a Gigolo" at the Thursday night Variety
Show was a great opener. Each evening the crew using games got
passengers to participate in programs all over the ship. MINGLE
was the buzz word. There is musical entertainment all over the
ship. Salone Corallo on Deck 1 had one of our favorite singers
accompanied by the Nite Out Band. Tiziana Sinagra (Sicilian),
who sang in both English and Italian ("Are You Lonesome
Tonight?" "Only You," "New York, New York"
and "O Sole Mio") has a powerful voice and a range that
rivals the famous Yma Sumac.
The Caruso Theatre presented New Yorker John Ciotta an Italo American
tenor, who brought the audience to its feet. There was also a
"Classical Concert At Sea" featuring violin virtuoso Joan
Badea of Romania accompanied by Mihail Zadic on piano. Their
repertoire included "Roumanian Rhapsody" by Enesco and
"Czardas" by Monti. They were brilliant playing very
difficult pieces. They also performed at the Caffè Florian.
There were games like Bingo, Bridge and Casino Tournaments, Trivia and
Passport Visa Night. Any passenger who collected four stamps at
the ethnic (Greece, France, Spain, and Turkey) shows received $100 off
their next Mediterranean Costa Cruise. The nice mix of
activities is eclectic enough to satisfy all passengers. Even
Ann K. celebrating her 90th birthday, while on her 100th Costa Cruise
was having a good time!
PORTS OF CALL:
Since we have cruised the Western Caribbean and visited these ports
many times, we did not leave the ship at all. During port days
we enjoyed the ship by getting a hydromassage in the whirlpool early
in the morning and then leisurely visiting the various interesting
public areas. We did not have a rigid schedule, our priority was
relaxation. And relaxed we were throughout this cruise!
Day 1. Ft. Lauderdale
Day 2. Key West
Day 3. At Sea
Day 4. Cozumel, Mexico
Day 5. Ochos Rios, Jamaica
Day 6. Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Day 7. At Sea
CONCLUSION:
This was a great cruise, almost a perfect one. This was our
eighth cruise on Costa ships and the fourth on the Atlantica, so we
knew well what to expect, and everything met our expectation. The delicious Italian cuisine, the friendly and festive atmosphere,
meeting again old acquaintances, Maitre D' Ciro and Cruise Director
Max, and making new friends is truly "Cruising Italian
Style." What more to expect? Not much! The
Pizza on board has improved since our critical review of an earlier
cruise on the Atlantica, and hopefully, when we'll return on a Costa
ship, in a not too distant future, the soups will be better. We
feel that Costa Management listens to passengers and tries to achieve
the highest possible customer satisfaction. We noticed a
large number of cruisers at the repeaters' party, where we met a
ninety year old lady celebrating the 100th cruise on Costa, a telltale
indication of satisfied customers. Happy Cruising Italian Style!
Back to Costa
Cruise Reviews
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