Wansbrough's Cruise Blog

We finally exited the Suez canal at Port Said around 8:30pm last night in darkness and headed out into the Mediterranean sea towards Naples and not Heraklion.

I know we weren’t due to be in Heraklion for a full day stop and it was also one of the rescheduled ones but however we were looking forward to stretching our legs on dry land.

For today’s weather we had clear blue skies but there was a marked difference in the wind temperature which had quite a nip to it compared to the one we experiencing on the other side of the Suez canal. The outside temperature being given at only 16C so providing you could find a sheltered area on deck it still felt really warm.

On another note, I got a bit of a shock yesterday when a message popped up on camera screen. Memory Card Full! 8GB card and only 1620 photos on it, luckily I had a spare one in the cabin but can you imagine my horror if it had happened at Petra? Its not something I have ever done before on a cruise and it will certainly make me more cautious in the future.

We have since discovered that Naples has now been dropped too. No formal announcement has been made and we discovered this looking at the TV in our cabin. Guest services was a very interesting place I can tell you with a few very animated Italians going beserk!

The rest of today has been spent slowly cruising the 87.5 nautical miles (162 kms) north along the Suez canal. The only things we have constantly had behind us have been 2 tugs. The reason for this wasn’t announced until 5:00pm when the captain revealed over the tanoy that the ship is experiencing technical problems, hence our delayed entrance into the canal. I had noticed we had problems docking in Aqaba but nothing was said so I assumed it was something else. The result of all this is that we are experiencing a delay and Heraklion has been dropped and so we are now heading straight to Naples.

It wasn’t until we reached the first basin that we encountered any ships coming in the opposite direction. There has been a light breeze and beautiful sunshine all the way through which has been fantastic. The crowds which were on deck at the start have slowly disappeared and it feels more like the usual space we have come to enjoy.

Tonight is another gala night and we have received an invitation to join the captain with the other Costa Club members for a cocktail in the theatre. One of the perks of being a Pearl member is we get a free photo if we have one taken with him. Hmmmmmm.

2nd post of the day with some photos of the Costa Fortuna entering the Suez Canal at the Red Sea end.

At 5:00am we arrived at the entrance to the Suez canal where had to wait for our turn to enter. Looking out from our cabin we counted 19 other ships all doing the same. We need not of got up so early because as it turned out we were the last to go through, eventually setting off just before 9:35am (ships time).
It will take most of the day to transit the canal at a speed of 7.5 knots so I may well make several posts today as I am sure there will be plenty of photo opportunities.

Last night we sailed from Eilat 10 minutes before our scheduled departure time of 11:00pm. As soon as all the excursions had arrived back we eased away from our mooring position and started on our way again. One of the trips Costa had offered was to Jerusalem by flight and coach which seems a bit OTT to me on a cruise but I suppose once you in Israel then maybe it makes sense to make the most of it.
Today our cruise involved sailing round the bottom of the Sinai peninsula and then a northerly path towards the Suez canal. We should arrive at the entrance to the canal tomorrow morning around 5:00am.
Today there was a marked difference in sea conditions with a good strong sea breeze and a nice swell to go with it. Lots of white tops all around and when the sun was shining on them it did look quite spectacular. My kind of sea day.
We also spotted the security on guard still even though we are out of pirate country. Obviously Costa are not taking any chances while passing Egypt either. I am not sure about the first line of our defence though.
Tonight is Italian night and the suggested dress attire is red, white & green. We have always enjoyed this night on Costa ships as most people tend to join in with the fun.

In the early hours of this morning the ship made the very short trip across the end of the Gulf of Aqaba to Eilat, Israel.
When we first boarded the ship in Dubai we had our passports retained for collection so that the Israeli authorities could do face to face identification when we reached Eilat.
We were given the impression that all this would be done onboard ship which is how it has been done with us when we have done transAtlantic crossings. Not so in Eilat!

We were instructed to go to the theatre deck 3 to collect our passports and receive the landing cards, even if we had no intention of getting off. We thought that would be the end of it but how wrong we were. After getting our passports back we were then told to go to deck 0 to receive the stamp on our landing card. What they didn’t tell us was we then had to get off and proceed to the cruise terminal and go through immigration. We queued for 45 minutes before finally getting the stamp. Then all we did was turn round and get back on board placing the landing card in a collection box as we boarded. We had previously taken the decision to spend the day on board today after the long day yesterday.
So all that just to follow Israeli procedure. 1 hour of my life I won’t get back!
Even all of the crew had to go through this procedure which makes it even more so ridiculous.
Some Arabic countries will refuse you entry if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport but I do have some nice Oman, UAE & Jordan stamps in my passport now.

That’s it from me today, I have a date with a sun bed!

After 4 straight sea days today was a most welcome change and a port we have been really looking forward to. Before the itinerary was changed, we had pre booked a private tour with a company called Memphis Tours, Egypt but when that port was cancelled we were able to use the deposit against a similar tour in Aqaba but still with Memphis.
After leaving the ship at 8:15 and meeting up with Joseph, our driver for the day. We drove for about an hour and a half to Wadi Rum, stopping briefly at Wadi Rum railway to see the old Turkish train.
At the Wadi Rum visiter centre we were introduced to our 4×4 driver, a Bedouin called Abdul. We had arranged for a 2 hour trip through the park and can only say what a shame it was only 2 hours. Absolutely amazing scenery which I cannot really begin to explain. The photos do not do it justice either and it is difficult to select which ones to show.
We were then taken for another hours drive to Petra where we met all the ships tours coming out. Great planning on our guides behalf. Again the long walk down the gorge was a photographers dream and I can only apologize for not being able to show more at this time.
We then we taken for a 3 course meal at a restaurant in Petra before the long drive back to the ship. The itinerary was advertised as 10 hours but we actually arrived back at 8:30 so we had an extra 2 hours. Exhausted but very happy.

Today was our 4th consecutive sea day as we continued our crossing of the Red Sea to reach Aqaba.
Once again we have had calm seas, clear blue skies and brilliant sunshine with temperatures slightly lower than yesterdays.
Over the last 4 days things have been fairly routine for us with breakfast around 8:30 to 9:30, then lying up on deck in the sun until 12:00 when we do our walking round the jogging track (we are now up to 25 laps). Then its back to the sun beds until 1:30 when we go to the buffet for a nice big salad and a couple of drinks. Back to the sun beds until around 4 – 4:30 when we go down to the atrium for a couple of drinks & Costa nibbles.
Its then back to the cabin to shower and get ready for pre dinner drinks which preferably would be in the atrium. However we have only managed to get seats there twice so have usually moved on to one of the other bars.
Dinner is at 9:00 and we usually finish around 10:30 and then retire for evening. We have on the odd occasion gone for a walk after when we have had a particularly large meal just so we haven’t gone to bed on a really full stomach.
All this is just to let you know that we don’t have it easy!!!! Its tough work being on a cruise especially on a sea day.

Tomorrow is going to totally different as we have a 10 hour tour planned. Its going to be a real shock to the system!
……..And fingers crossed, I might be able to send more than 1 photo!!!

The third day of our 4 day stint of sea days has now passed and today we have continued in a north westerly direction towards Aqaba. We have had clear skies and a nice light sea breeze today with temperatures between 27C & 29C. Perfect for a sea day.

As there has been little happening for us then perhaps I could tell you about a few of the crew who have been making our cruise what it is. I will start with our steward Raul who is from Goa, India and has the biggest grin you could imagine and constantly on the go but can always find the time to greet you when you pass in the corridor.
Next we have our waiter Gilbert and his assistant Julius both from the Philippines. Gilbert is a veteran of 10 contracts and knows the ropes well. Julius on the other hand is only on his third, and unfortunately was on the Costa Concordia the night it went down. We have deliberately not pursued the subject with him as we could tell when he initially told us that it wasn’t a pleasant experience for him. Fortunately for us it hasn’t put him off and we think he will quickly climb the ladder as he has all the attributes to make a good waiter himself.
We have also chatted to many of the bar staff and found a few of them to be great fun. Dennis from India on his 17th contract and Jamie from the Philippines on his 10th just to name a couple. The crew we have spoken to have come over as very loyal to Costa so they must be doing something right to keep the staff happy and renewing their contracts.

Tonight is the second Gala night on this cruise and we will again be dressing to suit the occasion. It is always nice to see the waiters all dressed up too.

Today we continued our cruise through the Gulf of Aden which is now known all over the world for the possible activities of piracy. Any ships passing through this area are guarded by international naval forces. The scheme for ships passing through this area is called the ‘Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor’ which the Costa Fortuna entered into fully at 3:00am this morning.
We arrived at Aden at 8:00am to disembark at passenger needing medical attention which took just over an hour. We then proceeded as planned and didn’t actually start our transit through the strait of Bab el Mandeb into the Red Sea until 3:00pm because of the earlier diversion.
The strait has a small island called Perin which divides the channel into two. I was hoping to get a phone signal strong enough to post a couple of photos of us passing through but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.
Apart from that there is nothing much to report today, we have spent the day lying in the sun on deck and the occasional foray into the buffet for something to eat.

To finish with I will mention that for the first time on Costa I have made Pearl status in the Costa Club, and like all loyalty schemes it aims to provide you with some little perks not available to other passengers. Looking at what there is available to us has left me wondering what it is actually worth. Lots of things seem to have disappeared since our last Costa cruise. I suppose the biggest thing on offer is the free meal in the speciality restaurant but to be honest we are enjoying the food and waiters in the main dining room so may not bother.