Costa Fortuna

The 2003-built Costa Fortuna cruise ship is the fourth Destiny-class Costa ship, with sisterships Costa Magica and the CCL-Carnival Cruise Lines ships Triumph-Sunrise, Victory-Radiance and Destiny-Sunshine.

The vessel (IMO number 9239783) is currently Italy-flagged (MMSI 247094800) and registered in Genoa.

History - construction and ownership

Costa Cruises is a Genoa-headquartered subsidiary company owned by Carnival Corporation. Costa is Europe's second-largest cruise line (after MSC) with year-round operations in the Mediterranean. Costa was founded in 1854 as a cargo shipping company. It started passenger shipping services in 1947, with regular Transatlantic crossings between Europe (Italy) and South America. In 2000, Costa Cruises was acquired by Carnival Corporation (shipowner).

The 2700-passenger ship Costa Fortuna features a high balcony ratio, alternative dining, splashy decorations. The vessel was built on the same platform as CCL's boats Carnival Destiny (remodeled/reconstructed in 2013/USD 155 million), Carnival Triumph (remodeled in 2019/USD 200M) and Carnival Victory (remodeled in 2021/USD 200M).

Besides the ship's staff and crew, Costa cruise passengers are also served by Peper robots - the latest cyborg technology implemented fleetwide in 2016. These humanoid robots greet and guide passengers upon embarkation. They also assist them throughout the cruise by providing information and tips on onboard dining, entertainment, enrichment program (workshops, pre-scheduled events), casino and shopping promotions, shore excursions and tours. Pepper robots are mobile and communicate in 3 languages (English, German, Italian). They can also interpret human emotions by analyzing voice tones and facial expressions.

Decks and Cabins

Costa Fortuna staterooms (1354 total, in 9 grades) include 58x Suites, 464x Balconies, 321x Oceanviews and 511 Inside cabins. Most staterooms are sized 185 ft2 / 17 m2 (nearly 40% of all) and have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 27, single cabins are 14. The largest accommodations are the Grand Suites (345 ft2 / 32 m2, with terrace sized 85 ft2 / 8 m2).

The boat has 13 passenger decks, of which 8 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Mealtimes on Fortuna generally follow the traditions rather than set the pace for innovations. At breakfast, there is casual fare in ship's Restaurant Buffet Colombo 1954, including omelets to order, along with cold cheeses and cuts. At lunch expect the addition of an outdoor grill by the pool, where you can get grilled chicken, French fries and twice-cooked burgers. Lunch in either of the restaurants offers daily specials. There is also a daily "tea time" at the buffet. Dinner is the big event onboard Costa Fortuna. Most of the attention is focused on a formal-style meal that can last 3 hours. Alternatives are limited to Restaurant Buffet Cristoforo Colombo 1954, transformed into a pizzeria from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m., and Club Grand Conte 1927, at top of the ship, for a romantic experience (with EUR 23 service charge). Costa Fortuna also offers complimentary 24-Hour Room-Service.

Follows the complete list of Costa Fortuna restaurants and food bars.

• Ristorante Raffaello 1965 (complimentary forward Dining Room, operates with open seating Breakfast and Lunch, 2 assigned seatings for Dinner - at 6:30 pm and 9 pm)
• Ristorante Michelangelo 1965 (complimentary 2-level aft Dining Room with 2 fixed Dinner seatings)
• Club Conte Grande 1927 (specialty a la carte restaurant; Steakhouse menu and extensive wine list; dinner-only, reservations required)
• Ristorante Buffet Cristoforo Colombo 1954 (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary; offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea at 4-5 pm, and dinner; in the evening is transformed into Pizzeria, complimentary, with waiter service).

Introduced in 2021, "Destination Dishes" are complimentary and available at the MDR's/main dining rooms fleetwide. They are based on individual recipes designed by a "celebrity chef trio" (Bruno Barbieri/Italian, Helene Darroze/French, Angel Leon/Spanish) and interpret the traditional food of the destinations to be visiting by the ship on the following day of the voyage.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Costa Fortuna was designed by Carnival ships design-master Joe Farcus. What passengers get is a pan-European voyage mixed with the comforts of the American style. Fortuna cruise ship provides a casino, theater, 3 swimming pools, and 5 jacuzzis plus SPA. Club Squok is the ship's kids' facility. Teens have their own area next door. Club Squok counselors involve kids in various events, so activities are widespread. There is also a toddler pool area with a mini-jungle gym.

Follows the complete list of Costa Fortuna lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Teatro Rex 1932 (3-tiered theatre and main show lounge; hosts grand scale show productions, musicals, classical concerts, ballet performances, circus, and laser light shows)
• Grand Bar Conte Di Savoia 1932 (with own dance floor and stage for live performances; hosts quiz games and fashion reviews)
• Bar Classico Roma 1926 (Cigar Lounge and Bar; also selling cigars and fine liquor)
• Galleria d'Arte (Fortuna's Art Gallery)
• Sala Carte (cards room)
• Casino Neptunia 1932
• Fortuna Atrium (multi-deck Atrio Costa - an open-floor area with live music and entertainment, served by Costa Lobby Bar)
• Sala da Ballo Conte Verde 1923 (lounge with dance floor and own bar)
• Piano Bar Conte Rosso 1921 (stage for cabaret performances, live music, own dance floor)
• Salone Leonardo Da Vinci 1960 (grand lounge with round-shaped bar and stage)
• Discoteca Vulcania 1927 (2-level Disco Nightclub, DJ program nightly)
• Internet Point (Internet computers room); Biblioteca Galileo Galilei 1963 (Library)
• Galleria Negozi Shops (duty and tax-free shops for brand watches, jewelry, perfumes, fashion clothes, Costa-logo merchandise, sportswear, gifts, tobacco, and liquor)
• Area Foto (Photo Gallery and Shop)
• Mondo Virtuale (Video Games Arcade)
• Cappella (Wedding Chapel, also used for religious services)
• Squok Club (kids lounge with Mini Club (3-6 yo) and Maxi Club (7-11 yo) playing rooms; with complimentary kids program and supervised activities; complimentary babysitting)
• Teen Zone (teenagers' lounge with Teen Junior (12-14 yo) and Teen Club (15-17 yo) rooms; complimentary supervised activities, themed parties, sports contests)
• Club Salute Saturnia Spa and Wellness Center (14,000 ft2 / 1,300 m2, with Venus Beauty Salon, Gym, Relaxation Room, Massage-Treatment Rooms, UVA Solarium, Sauna, Turkish Bath, Thermal Suites, spa pool; the Gym and the Sauna are complimentary)
• Lido Oceania 1932 pool area (lido pool with two Whirlpools, served by Oceania Bar)
• Lido Colombo 1954 pool area (with two Whirlpools and with retractable glass roof; served by Colombo Bar and Grill)
• Lido Barcellona pool area (one Whirlpool)
• Kids Pool (wading pool)
• Solarium (open-air relaxation area, served by Solarium Bar)
• Campo da Gioco (combined court for tennis and basketball); Pista da Jogging (Power Walking/Jogging Track).

Itineraries

Costa Fortuna itinerary program was based on Caribbean roundtrips from Pointe-a-Pitre/Guadeloupe. In the summer, Fortuna sailed in Europe/Mediterranean leaving from Civitavecchia-Rome, Barcelona, and Savona, as well as to the Norwegian Fjords, leaving from Amsterdam, with Transatlantic crossings on seasonal relocation (RepositionCruises.com).

In April 2016, Costa Fortuna started homeporting in Shanghai China, serving the booming Asian market. Before the COVID pandemic, in 2019 Fortuna was deployed in Europe/Mediterranean, and in Asia was to be replaced by Costa Smeralda.

Fortuna's Mediterranean 2022 program was based on 3x homeports - Savona (Italy), Barcelona (Spain) and Marseille (France), and short breaks (3-4-day roundtrips) visiting all three homeports.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Costa ship Fortuna was paused for 2+ years (March 2020 through June 2022) restarting operations on June 11th from Bremerhaven Germany (14-day Northern Europe/UK and Iceland itinerary to IJmuiden, Lerwick, Seydisfjordur, Akureyri, Isafjordur, Grundarfjordur, Reykjavik, Kirkwall, Invergordon).

In winter 2022-2023 (thru March 29th) the ship was deployed in South America and homeported in Buenos Aires (Argentina). During the rest of 2023 were scheduled 14-day/2-week-long Mediterranean itineraries, including 3 new for Costa:

• Itinerary 1 (from June 24th to August 19th) from Savona visits Civitavecchia, Messina Sicily, Greek islands (Heraklion/Crete, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, Argostoli/Kefalonia), Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Barcelona, Marseille
• Itinerary 2 (from April 29th to June 10th, and September 2nd and 16th) visits the Canaries archipelago (Arrecife, Las Palmas, Puerto del Rosario, San Sebastian de la Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Savona, Funchal Madeira, Malaga, plus Civitavecchia (on select voyages only).
• Itinerary 3 (departures April 16th, September 30th, October 14th) visits Istanbul (overnight during Sept-Oct voyages), Izmir, Piraeus/Athens, Valletta Malta, Catania Sicily, Savona, Civitavecchia, Barcelona, Marseille.

In October-November were scheduled 3-4-day short breaks from Savona to Barcelona/Marseille.

Fortuna is of Costa's Destiny-class liners, with sisterships Costa Magica, Carnival Destiny (Sunshine since 2013), Carnival Triumph (Sunrise since 2019), Carnival Victory (Radiance since 2021).

Costa Cruises Fortuna has almost the same architecture as the Destiny-class (oldest) Carnival Cruise Lines ships. However, Fortuna is somehow resembling an old steamship/ocean liner. In the Atrium, passengers can see exhibitions of ship models. Many Italian steamships, along with 26 Costa ships (including Fortuna) are arranged upside down there. Fortuna's all public rooms are named after and inspired by a different vessel.

In 2016, Costa Asia confirmed that Fortuna will join the other three Costa ships homeported in China, further increasing the company's capacity on the Chinese market by 38%. In early 2016, Fortuna started roundtrips leaving from China (homeport Shanghai), with berthing at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal. In 2017, the list of Costa Asia ships also included Atlantica, neoRomantica, Serena and Victoria.

In 2019, the ship was deployed back in Europe (repositioned to the Mediterranean). In Asia, Fortuna was replaced by the newbuild (for China's source market) Costa Smeralda.