World Travel Guide Online

It's All In The Name
The name says it all. Definitely Italian though Carnival Corporation took sole possession in 2,000 of the Costa Cruise Lines. The officers are Italian. Like all ships, most front desk, booking tours, hostesses, are from westernized countries, while the waiters, cabin stewards, pool maintenance crew are from developing countries. The supervisor of pool maintenance works midnight to noon, seven days a week. He's from Honduras.

Some Information
Five languages are heard. The first, of course, is Italian. When the Cruise Director announces the show, I feel I should have picked up more Italian, Spanish, French and German at the end of the cruise. Unless it’s a major announcement, like the lifeboat drill, you won’t hear any other announcements in five languages. If you hear only French, then the announcement pertains only to the French people. Not to worry if you're not French. Prices on board are in euros. You can register your credit card at the Guest Service desk on Deck two, you won’t have to scramble at the end of the cruise to pay. But do read your statement for any discrepancy. Save your receipts, just in case.

The Layout
Drinking at the lobby bar, I looked straight up and saw three glass elevators (a total of 12 elevators on the ship). At night, I must admit the Guest Service desk was in the wrong spot since the music was loud, making interaction between the staff and passengers frustrating.

The main dining room, the Tiaziano, is used for all three meals, but we ate there only for dinner. We had the window seat but since it was dark, we couldn't see much, except for one night when there was a full moon that shone over the water. For breakfast and lunch, we ate at Botticelli Buffet Restaurant, which had in or outside seating. Outside the sliding doors, was the grill for hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, fries and made-to-order pasta. The Caruso Theatre, three decks high, seating for 1,000, had two different shows, nightly.

There are bars for a variety of entertainment, including two ladies (one on piano, the other violin), a couple entertaining in Piazza Madame Butterfly. I sat and watched, enjoying the drink of the day.

The gym has three sides of windows to get a good view. There are also other amenities to enjoy, though not cheap. A massage could set you back two euros a minute! I enjoyed having a cappuccino at Cafe Florian, named after the famous cafe that started in 1720, in Piazza San Marco in Venice. The seating was a cushioned bright red, small tables, barely held orders of two cups of coffees. But the atmosphere – made me feel I was in Venice! An automatic seven-euro-a-day per person is added to your bill. If you want to pay less or more, let the Guest Service Desk know two days prior to ending the cruise. The ship doesn't use powerful air conditioning, like most. We figured the passengers, being mostly European, don’t like air conditioning, neither do I.

Excursions
Excursions are not cheap. Though I enjoyed the two I picked, they weren't worth the price. The first was in Tortola, a land rover jeep tour, five of us with our driver from Jamaica, who has lived here for seven years. He took his time and let us soak in some of the stops. Since the other four in the group were from Canada, he only needed to speak one language. On the tour in Guadaloupe, our guide had to speak English and German. If he had French people on board, he would have had to speak French also. I don’t mind that but at the same time, as he’s narrating, you can miss part of what he's saying.

The Daily Newsletter
A daily newsletter, Today, gives the schedule for the following day and provides information on the weather, entertainment, port of call. You're reminded to bring your Costa Card when leaving the ship. It acts as a key to get off and on. An identification is required also with a photo.

I was lucky I had my old Black’s film camera. With this ship being European, I needed the adapter to fit into the socket. What gets me is this. I went to the shop for a European adapter (if it was too much money, I wouldn’t have bought it). The clerk said they only had North American adapters for the staff to purchase to use in their room. How crazy is that? Mine didn’t let me down (22 years old), pictures turned out fabulous.

I'll Be Back
The ship slowly pulls into Tortola as the sun behind me is rising. I notice a small sailboat from behind the rocks going the other direction. It’s almost seven in the morning, the only ones around are the pool deck staff – cleaning, getting ready for a busy day. It's nice and quiet. My eyes focus on Tortola, visualizing myself living in one of the white houses along the hill. A few small boats are docked along the shore.

The sun shines on a hill, I manage to capture the moment. The anticipation of stepping onto this island for a few hours excites me.

Our driver, a Jamaican living on the island for seven years, drives our land rover jeep. There are a few bumpy roads, but nothing more than what I had expected. When he catches the bumps, we joke about how one of us may fall out. Our stops include Guana Island, where scientists study the flora and fauna, Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson’s private estate. The temperature is pleasant all year, steady at about 25-27 Celsius, not much humidity – my kind of weather.

Before we reach our pit stop at Beef Island International Airport, the driver pulls over so we can watch a small plane land. To get to Tortola, you to fly to St. Maarten, then take a small jobber in as the airport can’t handle large aircrafts.

Other jeeps with approximately five people in each follow and join us basking in the white sands and turquoise water of Long Bay Beach, on Beef Island. There are no facilities, bathroom stops are at the airport. In the distance, I see lovely white homes on the green hills. Perhaps this is a good spot to own a house. Keep dreaming!

On our way back to our ship, the driver made more stops for us to see the breathtaking views. I hated leaving the island. If we had more time, I would have explored Road Town, the capital of British Virgin Islands.

As people were taking their deck chairs, I stood by the rail, waiting and watching as our ship made its departure form this island. I’ll be back.

Antigua, My Third Trip
The first time I was in Antigua, we stayed at a resort called Jolly Beach. The second time was at St. James’ Club for a family wedding. Here I am again, three times a charm! This time I explored St. John’s, its capital of 45,000. With ocean liners, such as Sun Princess and Holidays Dream docking as well at Heritage Quay, the population swells.

As we walked away from our ship, it began to drizzle. We made it on time to stand under the awning watching it pour for a while. Liquid sunshine, it’s called. We meandered in and out of the usual T-shirt, souvenir and jewellery shops. Shopping isn’t for me. We climbed the stairs of Hemingway Cafe, ordered three cappuccinos for $10.75. After that, I explored St. John’s on my own.

There’s no time limit at the Antigua and Barbuda Museum ($3.00). Behind the glass cases, tools for bread making, hunting methods such as bow and arrow, fish hooks, weapons and warfare are shown. Also on display, is a model of a sugar plantation. There was a receipt, $1200.00 for sold slavery.

Walking along side streets, seeing colourful buildings, I had to watch my footing, sidewalks were uneven, huge cracks, some ended with a huge step. At last I found the Anglican Cathedral of St. John Divine. It has gone through numerous destructions and rebuilding in its history. The present neo-Baroque style dates from 1845. Three years later, it attained cathedral status. Its 70-foot twin towers can be seen from many points of the city, including the ship.

I returned to the ship, relaxed on a deck chair, letting the sun’s warmth soak into my skin, thinking I would be in bitter cold soon. I would have liked to stay longer and explore many of the 365 beaches, one for each day of the year.

Sailing from St. John’s was gorgeous, the sun just starting to set, moon already full. Entertainment was spectacular that evening. I looked forward to the next day and Castries.

Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, has plenty of historic buildings and quiet areas to explore, once you get away from the hustle and bustle of the shops.

After purchasing bottled water at P.J. Clarke Ltd. Drug store, I made my tracks. I meandered around side streets and finally found the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The interior is old (built in 1897) and rustic, with colourful green yellow along the sides. The rework was done in 1985, prior to Pope John Paul II’s visit. After I made a small donation and was given permission to take pictures, I went toward the altar. To the left was a statue of Jesus surrounded by flowers and lots of lit candles in front.

Across the street is the quiet Derek Walcott Square, bordered by Brazil, Laborie, Micard and Bourbon Streets. The blue and white uniformed school kids behaved as they ate their lunch under the gazebo. When I entered the park, I noticed the “Do not walk on grass” sign right away. There are two statues of Nobel Prize winners, both St. Lucians – honourable Derek Walcott won for literature in 1992 and Sir William Arthur Lewis for economics in 1979. Down further is a beautiful 400-year-old samaan tree providing welcome shade. I sat at the gazebo; the children were still eating their lunch. I sipped my water focusing on the tower of the cathedral.

Down the way on Micoud Street is Carnegie Public Library. You might say, "big deal". Well, I work in a public library, plus mine was once called Carnegie. This library opened in 1923, though it looks older; I saw mostly old books. It was quiet, some students sat quietly at a desk working. The open windows let in the cool breeze – refreshing.

As I made my way back to the ship, it began raining. I stood under an awning, watched people waiting for the rain to subside. I love observing people, wondering where they’re going, what they’re doing. Although it poured, the air was warm.

Our time in the Dutch capital of Philipsburg, St Maarten, was not enough. Our ship docked at 1:00 p.m., left at six. After meandering around the usual shops near the ships, I went to town. Front Street is the main shopping drag. I was trying to find an Internet Cafe. I was given different directions every time I asked someone, but finally, I spotted Cyber Surf Cafe, for $4.00 a half hour. On my way back to the ship, I saw another one, Art Gallery International Cafe. Wouldn’t you know it.

Through one of the buildings on Front Street, I found the promenade – Great Bay Beach. I could see our ship and two others docked as I walked along the white sand heading towards the promenade.

There were lots of restaurants, most were playing loud music. The Fire House Bar and Restaurant cools customers who sit outside the patio, as a light mist drifts off the edge of the ceiling. I kept walking, to see more. I passed by a residential area, wanted to go further, to the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort and Casino, no time.

I felt rushed, wanted to soak in what I was seeing. I passed by the prominent landmark white colonial Courthouse, built in 1793, now serves as a post office.

The Holland House Beach Hotel has the best of both worlds. Front Street is at the front of the hotel, shopping mecca at your doorstep; Great Bay Beach is at the back and in the lobby has free incheap ternet access.

I made it back to the ship wishing for more time, missed seeing Fort Amsterdam (first Dutch military post in Caribbean) and St. Maarten Museum.