Category: 2011 – Costa Atlantica, Eastern Med & Black Sea, 19 Sep – 1 Oct

I don’t if you are familiar with the 6 part series about life on board a cruise ship which was originally shown on the Geographical channel, the ship being the Costa Serena. Our captain is the same one as featured on that series, Captain Russo. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

It is really strange today passing through the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea that I have a full set of bars on my phone. Our current location is just west of the island of Milos and there is not a mast to be seen anywhere yet Vodaphone have full coverage. I wonder how they can do this? Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

As non smokers we are very aware of people smoking in our vicinity. Costa appear to allow smoking just about everywhere including the cabins. Certain areas in the bars are designated non smoking but generally you can smoke more or less everywhere. It always amuses me that I seem to find myself downwind of a smoker and never the other way around. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Last night was the Captains Gala Dinner and it was what Costa regard as a formal night. The average age of the PAX on this cruise must be in excess of 60 and the dress code was relatively well adhered to. Not the formal diner suits you associate with other lines but lots of very smart Italian suits which I have to say looked very smart. Costa have no rules regarding attire in the dining room and they only state the dress code is “suggested attire”. Being as the PAX are much older on this cruise the dress code is being well maintained. I have only seen 2 children so far which is probably the least I have experienced on a cruise. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Today we are at sea for almost a full day and are due in at Mykonos at 5.00pm where we will stay until 11.00pm. This stop we will be anchored so there will be a tendering service ashore. This does appear to be a very unusual time to stop and not something I have experienced on previous cruises. The sea is much calmer today and the wind has dropped so it will out on deck to lie in the sun. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Carnival Magic in port Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

We are just passing through the straight now and it very windy. There many up on deck watching us pass through. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Just as we are entering the strait I have signal so a quick photo opportunity Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Quoted from the Costa Today daily.

At 10.30am we will sail through a stretch of sea known as Stromboli, famous for its volcanic activity and for the Panarea seen on the port and starboard sides respectively. At 11.30am we will be 2 miles north of Capo Peloro, the most north eastern part of Sicily, where we will embark a pilot for our transit through the Messina Strait. This strait divides Sicily and Calabria between Scilla and Caridda and is the location where the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the Ionic Sea. A little more than 1.5 km, this strait was once a spot for many mythilogical legends. After our transit through the strait at 12.30pm we disembark the pilot sailing left until we reach the southern tip of Calabria at 1.30pm. Throughout the afternoon we will continue in the Ionic Sea in an East South East route at 20 knots. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

There is one main dining room on the Atlantica which is on 2 levels at the aft. Decks 2 & 3 and it is called Restaurante Tiziano. There is speciality dining but it will not be something we will bother with. We are on table 57 and our waiter is called……..wait for it…….Heinz! Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device