Nous sommes parti de Nice en car a 11h30 et arrivé a savonne vers 13h30 billet d’embarquement et vers 14h15 nous sommes sur le bateau qui est splendide et nous sommes allé au buffet avant que celui-ci ne ferme.
Puis direction notre chambre ou au moment ou nous arrivons nos valise arrivent et puis la découverte de la chambre qui est ffffffffffff superbe avec corbeille de fruit , canapés , et bouteille de vin italien pétillant franchement nous avions une cabine balcon a la base et costa nous a proposé 1 mois avant notre départ une suite balcon pour 100 euros de plus par personne qui au début ne m’emballait pas trop car je n’aime pas être poussé a la consommation mais vu le résultat final je ne regrette pas le moins du monde au contraire…
Enfin je vous passe les détails de la chambre et des avantagent qui y sont liés que du bonheur…rangement des affaires des valises pour le commencement de notre croisière.
Naples
Le matin pour moi levé très tôt par habitude et direction la salle de sport pour 1 h de sueur puis ballade sur le bateau et connaissance de richard qui sera la personne avec qui je partagerai tout les matins de longues discutions
Puis retour dans la chambre pour prendre le petit déjeuner en cabine avec ma femme qui est monstrueusement bon et beau midi déjeuner au lunch hummmmmm que du bon c’est parti pour le kilos superflu j’adore enfin non enfin si…
Arrivé a Naples a 13h 30 ou nous avons fais les magasins du centre ville avec la surprise de voir les magasins ouvert l’après midi car normalement fermé a cette heure
Nous sommes rentré vers 17h30, douche et resto vers 19 h00 car nous sommes au 1 service puis nous rentrons dans notre chambre sans aller au théâtre car fatigué et avec cette chambre nous sommes impatient déjà d’y être.
Malte
Levé tot comme d’habitude , salle de sport et petit déjeuner matinée tranquille et arrivé vers 13 h au port de la valette qui est superbe a ne pas loupé mais ca maintenant je croit que tout les croisièristes le savent que cette escale est magnifique
Nous avons fait tout a pied comme nous le faisont a chaque fois , la ville est superbe nous somme ébloui par sa diversité a tout les niveaux , je ne pourrai décrire tout ce qu’on a vu tellement , c’était beau mais pour résumé nous avons fait toutes les hauteur de la ville du rond point principal au fort puis le long des corniches et pour finir les canons qui donne sur la mer
Les photos prisent sont magnifique
A ne pas loupé : le café CORDINA qui est au centre de la vieille ville qui est superbe aussi bien l’intérieur qui est très spécial et les gateaux sont délicieux (et vraiment pas cher)
Voila puis souvenir et descente au bateau pour ce préparer pour le soir qui est la soirée de gala
Diner et spectacle le soir puis petit cootail et nous rentrons dans notre chambre
Cagliari
Levé tôt pour moi et sport et bien sur richard sur le pont pour le café du matin et les nouvelles puis petit déjeuner en cabine avec ma femme puis lunch le midi et le bateau arrive vers 13h30 au port de Cagliari.
Nous avons prévu de faire tout par nous même comme d’habitude c’est un peu le Bazard pour sortir car il y a des numéros et très mal organiser enfin je vous passe les détails.
Sorti du bateau c’est le commencement d’une journée mouvementer Cagliari est une ville en hauteur donc beaucoup de marche pour arrivé tout en haut nous sommes aller voir l’hephitheatre qui ne vaut pas trop le détour car très loin et pas super en plus enfin pas grave car nous avons pris de super photos car en hauteur avec vu sur le port et les salines de Cagliari puis nous avons vu le bastion qui est super mais juste avant le bastion il y a L’ ANCIEN PALAIS ROYAL (palazzo regio) qui est après la grande place demander ou il se trouve car meme moi qui suis pas trop « palais » je suis resté bouche B devant vraiment ne pas le loupé et qui peut être visité et gratuitement de plus, il n’est pas marqué sur les plans mais je vous assure aller le voir
Puis nous commenceront a redescendre sur le long de la mer et je veut voir la plage el puetto de Cagliari qui est a 15 kilomètres du centre nous regardons l’heure il est 16h15 le trajet en bus fait 17 minutes aller la dernière navette Costa pour remonter sur le bateau est a 18h15(car on ne peut pas circuler a pied sur le port) ok nous sommes parti pour la plage pas de soucis juste un petit retard de bus de 10 minutes , arrivé a la plage l’arrêt de bus est en face de la plage vers 16 h50 , la plage est superbe l’eau est limpide et le sable est blanc enfin vite quelques photos souvenir car le timing est très cout et redirection l’arret de car qui part a 17h10 mais c’est la que commence le hic… retard du bus de 5 puis 10 puis15 minutes pour un trajet de 17 minutes et le dernier Costa qui part a 18h15 je vous laisse calculé comme ca se ressert de plus en plus pour l’horaire et bien en finalité nous n’avons eu que comme dernière solution de ce la faire comme dans pékin express oui bonjour nous sommes en train de loupé notre bateau pouvez vous nous accordé 2 places dans votre voiture…
Après une tentative échoué la deuxième sera la bonne 2 femmes ont eu la gentillesse de nous prendre en voiture direction le centre de Cagliari , elles n’ont pas voulu que je les paye ce qui aurait été la moindre des chose… les sardes sont vraiment gentils
De ce fait nous avons pu prendre le dernier le dernier bus costa qui nous ramene au bateau
Sans elles nous loupions notre bateau…
Le soir diner et spectacle et au dodo après notre journée mouvementé
Ajaccio
Matin levé tot mais ça vous commencer a me connaitre café, salle de sport et petit déjeuner avec ma femme en cabine , puis promenade sur le bateau et shopping puis déjeuner au self et arrivé au port vers 13h 00 nous descendons du bateau et prenons le petit train pas loin du port qui va faire un tour de la ville , puis direction les iles sanguinaires.
Le petit train viens de partir et le prochain est 1h30 plus tard nous ne voulons pas attendre et nous partons a pied a la grotte napoléon au plus loin de la ville, arrivé devant la grotte nous voyons le petit train que nous avons loupé de peu et voyons 2 personnes descendre du train et criant sur le chauffeur car l’arret au grottes est trop long et s’en vont a pied pas content , nous discutions avec richard(personne avec qui je buvais mon café matinal) et le chauffeur me propose de monter a leur place , chouette super et nous montons en plus sans payer les 10 euros par personnes et destination la villa de tino rossi , puis la sepulture et la cathédrale , puis la citadelle et enfin les iles sanguinaires , le tour est vraiment complet et vaut vraiment le coup
Après tout cela revenu au centre de la ville nous alons visité la maison ou est né napoléon et puis shopping en passant par magasins de charcuterie artisanal
Retour au bateau pour ce préparé pour le soir et puis spectacle et dernier achat pour le dernier soir
Savonne
Nos sortons du bateau vers 9h00 et prenons le car pour nice et arrivons vers 11h30 , nous déjeuner a Niçe sur la promenade des anglais puis demi journéé au 65 eme festival de cannes en prenant le train avec un petit trajet de 30 minutes super sympa cet après midi , ballade et restaurant pakistanais le soir pour l’anniversaire de ma femme qui est du 19 mai puis retour a Niçe pour dormir et le lendemain ça y est retour a la maison en tgv et les vacances sont fin
Joli voyage qui donne envie . Je rêve d'arriver à La Valette par la mer . Et en plus , vous avez terminé par le festival de Cannes ! Un final en apothéose !
Merci
Anne
Non aux parcs aquatiques et aux dauphins captifs
Le Havre ,502 ans : jardins suspendus, Maison de l'Armateur, Architecture Perret classée par l'UNESCO, plage immense.
je vous conseille vivement de faire la valette par la mer c'est magnifique , je l'est fait 2 fois sur 2 croisière différente et toujours aussi magique , ca me dérangerais pas de le refaire une 3 fois pour vous dire
Oui j'en suis persuadée . Ces remparts et cette belle ville tout en pierre jaune vus d'un bateau ...
Merci pour les photos !
Non aux parcs aquatiques et aux dauphins captifs
Le Havre ,502 ans : jardins suspendus, Maison de l'Armateur, Architecture Perret classée par l'UNESCO, plage immense.
Non aux parcs aquatiques et aux dauphins captifs
Le Havre ,502 ans : jardins suspendus, Maison de l'Armateur, Architecture Perret classée par l'UNESCO, plage immense.
Je me lance dans un C/R de cette magnifique croisière sur ce magnifique bateau, avec un peu de retard, Alexandre867 et Minouche10 en avais déjà fait un,…
Concernant le luminosa, c’est bien évidemment un très beau bateau avec quelques nouveautés bien agréables (cinéma, totems d’achats, golf etc...) et une…
Allez, je me lance! Ayant emmené mon notebook avec moi, j'ai pu chaque soir ou presque faire un premier jet de ce CR. Ce qui est bien pratique, sinon, on…
Bon je me lance dans le compte rendu de notre croisière sur le costa fascinosa du 29/10/2012 au 05/11/2012. Samedi 27 octobre Nous voila partis pour 9 h de…
Ce forum a vraiment été très utile a la préparation d'un voyage réservé a la dernière minute. Merci a tous pour les infos offertes. Je vois qu'il y a déjà 3…
We just returned from a cruise from 08/13/26 to 08/20/26 on the MSC ORCHESTRA with stops in Tarragona, Valencia, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Genoa, and back to Marseille.
The ship was fully booked. Deck chairs were already occupied by beach towels early in the morning, and there were only 1 or 2 people in the pools... However, on the day the Italians disembarked, there were very few towels on the deck chairs.
We found the Italians less talkative.
We had a balcony cabin on deck 9, starboard side. The cabin was spacious, but the sofa was facing the desk, making it a pain to watch TV (neck strain guaranteed). So, we changed the sofa’s orientation to face the TV (we put it back in place on disembarkation day).
There were 325 French speakers on board, and a lot of staff from Mauritius, which made communication easier.
No annoying announcements about bingo, etc.—a nice change from COSTA.
For dinner, we were at the first sitting at 7:45 PM, at a table for 6. On the first night, we were two "gray-haired" couples at the table. The second night, two young women joined us but asked to change tables after seeing us...
The show for our dinner time was at 10:15 PM and ended around 11:00 PM. We found that a bit late for us. The shows were varied and of good quality.
The restaurant menus offered plenty of choices, but at the buffet at lunchtime, there were a lot of dishes with quite a few carbs. Afternoon tea from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM included some great pastries, among other things.
We had an issue with the air conditioning and bad odors in the cabin one afternoon. I reported the problem to the reception, and staff along with our cabin steward came to check the cabin. The issue was resolved that same afternoon.
Two days later, we were surprised to find a bag with items inside: 2 MSC mugs and 2 MSC thermos flasks that keep drinks hot or cold for 10 hours. It was a gift from customer service following the bad odors in our cabin. We weren’t expecting this at all and thanked MSC’s customer service.
For excursions, MSC always offers port-to-city-center transfers for 14 € per adult in Valencia and Tarragona, and 12 € per child. In Livorno, it was 10 € per adult and 7 € per child.
In Civitavecchia, there was a shuttle to the train station for 6 €.
On the MSC for Me app, there were "promotions" on certain excursions.
We really enjoyed this cruise, but we couldn’t revisit some stops (Tarragona and Valencia) on our own because it was too hot.
Great evening: Mum49
I'm considering a cruise on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Bergen over 11 days in mid-March 2027.
Has anyone already done this trip?
I think it’s a great way to discover the Norwegian coast with the chance to see magnificent northern lights, but isn’t the trip a bit *too* long?
There are about thirty stops, but most last only a few minutes, with just one daily stop of over 2 hours, which gives a quick glimpse of a few towns but doesn’t allow for a full excursion.
Is the supplement for an outside cabin with a porthole (800 € for 2!) really worth it?
It’s more pleasant than an inside cabin, but do you spend enough time in your cabin to make the most of it?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this journey.
Best regards.
We're leaving on August 25th for a Danube cruise from Vienna to Bucharest. The travel agency refuses to postpone this cruise despite navigation changes due to the exceptional drought, which include bus transfers that don’t interest us.
Have you had any experiences with this that you’d like to share?
Hi there!
I’m going on a cruise with MSC on the World Europa this coming October.
Stops: Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta.
Has anyone visited Mount Etna and Pompeii?
Could you share some tips for each of these stops?
I’d like to explore on my own without booking the ship’s excursions.
Thanks for your advice!
hi there
Here’s the cruise schedule for 2026.
It’s a great way to get ideas and maybe even meet up with other members.
2 essential rules:
1) never "quote" the calendar when replying—this’ll avoid any confusion
2) follow the format below
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
REMINDER Despite my requests, few people follow the requested format. Cruises that stray too far from it won’t be listed anymore—sorry!PLEASE respect the templates!
COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT BELOW AND REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
It takes time to fix mistakes, so THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help!
YOUR TURN 😉
NUMBER OF CRUISES 2026:
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Just back from our first cruise on the Renaissance, and I’d like to share a few thoughts about life on board. Our feelings are mixed—we wanted a change after several MSC cruises, but the value for money on this repositioning cruise left us torn.
After taking advantage of successive promotions, we finally secured a well-located balcony cabin for 2600 € (almost 50% off the brochure rate). Given the amenities and the ship’s age, this now feels like the absolute maximum we’d pay for that period.
Overall, we were happy with our vacation on board, but a few details—when added up—left us with a somewhat mixed impression.
The pros:
- Ship size
- Reasonable noise levels, except in the restaurants (aside from the covered pool area)
- Spacious balcony cabin (20 + 5 m²) with plenty of storage and a bathtub with jets
- Understated, tasteful decor
- French language spoken on board
- Friendly staff for the most part
- 100% French-speaking clientele
- Decent food with French dishes (even with an Indian chef)
- Tables for two available (though the ship was full, so no changes possible)
- Some high-quality shows, thanks to an excellent English-speaking troupe
- Interesting lectures (especially on history and cetaceans)
The cons:
- Unreliable air conditioning in common areas (you’d go from a freezing lounge to a hot one, as if the system only worked in certain spaces at certain times)
- Aging ship with a few glitches (noises, AC, toilet flushes, lights) reported at reception (luckily, our only issue was the bathroom door not closing...)
- Industrial, thawed-out bread and pastries (a letdown for a ship with a French image)
- Limited fruit selection (often just apples and watermelon/melon) and not much variety in vegetables
- Worn, sometimes stained restaurant towels
We’re not ruling out another cruise on the Renaissance—their itineraries are unique—but only at a very competitive price.
Hi everyone ...
We’re planning to do the 83-day Cunard cruise ...
departing from Southampton on January 10, 2027 aboard the Queen Anne ...
has anyone done it ... or have any info ... or tips ...
for example ... deck and cabin choices ... drink packages ... excursions ... etc.
... anything good to know about this ship???
Thanks everyone ...
Hi everyone! I’m used to sailing on a sailboat with two or three people—it’s amazing. But I’d love to try the experience of a cruise. Just to clarify, I’ll be going alone. My first question: are there other solo travelers on these cruises, or is it mostly couples and families?
For a first cruise, I’d prefer a short one (maximum 8 days). Do those exist? And on the smallest boat possible. I live in Marseille, so a departure from Marseille would work, but I’m open to other ports too. If you have a cruise line to recommend and a destination you’ve enjoyed, or if you’ve had a great experience on a more intimate-sized ship, I’d love to hear about it!
I discovered solo cruises last year, and it was a wonderful experience. Since then, I’ve decided to do one every year, usually between October and March, departing from Marseille or Le Havre.
I travel alone, but I enjoy sharing certain moments with other travelers: having meals together, attending shows, enjoying the evening entertainment, grabbing a drink, or going on a few excursions. Of course, everyone keeps their freedom—the goal is simply to have a good time in a friendly atmosphere.
For the end of this year, I don’t have a cruise planned yet. However, I’m already booked on the MSC Magnifica from October 29 to November 3, 2027, departing from Marseille with an itinerary to Spain and Italy.
If you often travel solo or if you’re on this cruise, I’d love to chat with you before departure. Looking forward to meeting you! 🚢😊
Hi there,
Here’s the 2027 cruise schedule.
It’s a great way to get ideas and maybe even meet up with other members!
2 essential rules:
1) Never "quote" the schedule when replying—this avoids any confusion.
2) Follow this format:
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
REMINDER Despite my requests, few people follow the requested format. Cruises that stray too far from it won’t be listed anymore—sorry about that. IMPORTANT Please respect the templates!
PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT BELOW AND REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
It takes time to fix mistakes, so THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help!
YOUR TURN 😉
NUMBER OF 2027 CRUISES: 1
JANUARY
14/01 - poupou10 / AZAMARA JOURNEY / 74 days / South America Tour / Miami
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Hello!
After a lot of hesitation between different cruise lines (Explora, Oceania, YC, HAL, NCL) and several destinations like Norway, Ireland, and Iceland,
I finally chose NCL’s Star for Iceland.
I had already looked at this itinerary when I went to Scotland in April with CFC, but it was really expensive.
You should know that CFC often offers last-minute deals 45 days before departure (the point when you can no longer cancel or modify).
So, I got a great opportunity and grabbed it.
Departure is on August 23rd.
If there’s one trip I’ve always wanted to take, it’s a long boat journey far from my daily routine—something like crossing the Atlantic. I first thought about traveling on a cargo ship or similar, as some of these boats used to accept individual passengers, but I’ve read that this has become very rare since COVID. Plus, the options that might work for me are way out of my budget, like Neoline, for example.
A cruise seems like the best solution for me, especially since what I really love is the idea of a long stay on a ship—making stops in different places, exploring them, the change of scenery, and a real break from the daily grind. I’ve never been on a cruise before, so I was thinking of doing a 21-day cruise between a port in mainland France (Marseille) and Pointe-à-Pitre. The departure port doesn’t really matter—Marseille, Le Havre, or even a nearby European city would work.
Since I want to travel solo, I’m really keen on cruises designed for solo travelers. MSC has one from Marseille to Pointe-à-Pitre, lasting 21 days, departing next November (so in a few months). The price is within my budget, just over 1800 €.
I see that other cruises with similar routes and durations are planned for next year, November 2027, but the prices are totally different—around 3500 €, which is clearly out of my budget.
So, my question is: do you think I should wait for a possible price drop for the 2027 cruises (if I understand correctly, prices are adjusted based on how full the ship is and how close the departure date is) or should I book the one in November 2026? I could easily take three weeks off this fall. Also, is it too late to book for November 2026? I’ve read that visas might be required for some stops.
For the rest—accommodation in Guadeloupe and the flight ticket back to France—it’s not a problem; I can sort that out pretty easily.
Hi everyone,
I’m staying in a suite on the Pacifica in October and I can’t find any details about the suite benefits beyond the elite restaurant, the butler, and the espresso machine.
What about breakfast and meals served free in the cabin, and the spa?
Costa’s been cutting back on perks for Gold members, and it seems like suites are next.
Thanks for your replies!
Hello,
We’re back from this cruise.
Boarding in Dunkirk: The doors opened around 12 PM. Since we were a bit early, I asked if my husband, who uses a walker, could wait inside instead of outside. I left him with the two suitcases and our two backpacks in the small hall while I parked the car in the reserved CFC parking lot for 10 € per day.
The shuttle that was supposed to take people from the parking lot to the model pavilion was supposed to arrive in 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes, nothing. After waiting 15 minutes, I saw a man walking and asked if I could follow him. In 15 minutes, we arrived, and still no sign of the shuttle—it must have passed us. Arrived at the model pavilion.
My husband had already checked in the suitcases with the help of a CFC staff member. The remaining formalities were completed quickly. We were on board by 12:15 PM. Headed to the buffet on deck 11 and waited in a lounge to access our cabin.
At 2 PM, we discovered our balcony cabin on deck 9 at the rear: spacious with a large balcony compared to MSC/COSTA.
Since we were at the rear, cabin 9202, there was always an issue with elevator number 4: "priority."
Elevator number 2 stops at deck 10... and elevator number 3 was often out of order, leaving only number 1 for those with mobility issues to reach the buffet, especially for people who struggle with stairs. Note: only one child on board and lots of "gray hair."
DAY 2: At sea. Lots of activities offered.
Day 3: GOTHENBURG (Sweden). Sunny, 19°C at 11 AM.
Excursion booked with CFC: Gothenburg and Haga for all.
Interesting visit with a great guide. The HAGA district, in our opinion, is full of cobblestones and nothing special, not suitable for people using a cane or wheelchair. Elevator number 3 was out of order again.
Day 4: Copenhagen. 15°C in the morning, showers in the afternoon.
We didn’t book an excursion since we’d already stopped here with CFC in 2025, and based on advice from this forum, we took the hop-on/hop-off bus right in front of the ship. I still went to see the Little Mermaid again.
No TV, but the elevator was fixed.
DAY 5: At sea. Still no TV.
DAY 6: GDANSK (Poland). 15°C, rain all day.
There’s a shuttle to get to the city center.
We took the excursion: Panorama of Gdansk.
The guide left us at the entrance of the city center for 45 minutes, telling us what to visit. Meet-up for the rest of the tour at 3 PM. The bus left at 3:15 PM to cover 10 km to see St. Mary’s Cathedral. We arrived at 4:16 PM... The guide said there are often traffic jams in that direction. We had 10 minutes on site before heading to see the lighthouse and the Westerplatte monument, where we also had 10 minutes.
Many of us wondered why we didn’t do the tour in the opposite direction since they knew there would be traffic...
I went to reception to complain about the organization. The staff member read me the program: we were supposed to start with the lighthouse, then go to the cathedral and stay for 30 minutes before heading to the center of Gdansk for a short guided walk with some free time to buy souvenirs, etc.
The guide did the complete opposite of what was planned and didn’t even give us a guided tour—just dropped us off in the city...
DAY 7: Bornholm Island (Denmark). 14°C, a few sunny spells.
We saw in the excursions that there was a walking tour of RØNNE. So, like many others, we explored on our own. There was a small orchestra welcoming us at the port and two people with city maps. We took the shuttle to leave the port—it ran every 15 minutes. The tourist office was next to the "shuttle bus." A pleasant visit at our own pace.
DAY 8: KIEL (Germany). 18–23°C, nice weather.
We took the "Kiel for all" excursion. Great guide and interesting visits.
The port is in the city, and in 10 minutes, we were in the city center by following a blue line on the ground from the port. Elevator 3 was stuck again... and the TV was back.
DAY 9: At sea. Elevator 3 works.
DAY 10: At sea. Elevator 3 is out of order again...
DAY 11: Disembarkation in Dunkirk.
Cabins had to be vacated by 7:30 AM. Buffet open until 9 AM.
Elevator number 1 was "reserved," leaving only number 2, which doesn’t go up to deck 11... a problem for people with mobility issues who had to cross the entire deck 11 and try to use one of the four working elevators at the front, which were crowded.
My opinion: Interesting stops.
The onboard staff were always welcoming, smiling, and mostly French-speaking.
Evening shows were better than in March/April 2025—better singers, dancers, and presenters, and the costumes were improved.
I liked the "magician" shows less.
There were three onboard lectures by a very cultured person, but they went off-topic and were too historical for my taste. I didn’t attend the other two; my husband went to the second but not the third.
For this cruise, there was a bridge theme, but we’re not players or interested.
We didn’t take a drink package on board—water, coffee, tea, and herbal teas were available.
We had a water leak in our cabin the night before disembarkation. We reported it, and after the technical staff came (with a translator who didn’t speak English), we were asked to leave the cabin for a while for repairs. We went to a lounge, and after 1.5 hours, I checked in at reception. The repair took longer than expected... we had to change cabins... not ideal the night before disembarkation. No balcony cabins were available, so we got an ocean-view cabin, 6075, with a bathtub (impossible for both of us to use). We packed our suitcases, took a shower in our cabin, and moved to the new one. Noise from chairs until 12:30 AM because the cabin was under a lounge, and constant ventilation noise in the hallway... sleep was hard to come by.
Disembarkation: Well organized. We were helped with transporting the two suitcases and bags to the waiting room while I took the shuttle to get the car.
Guylène
We’re taking an MSC cruise in May, and after the Cinque Terre, we’ll be stopping in Naples. We’d like to know if it’s possible to walk out of the port quickly and reach a nice area of Naples on foot (we’re two older people). While we’re at it, I’ll ask the same question for Palermo, since we’ll be there the next day. Thanks for your replies.
hi,
I’m leaving Hamburg for Iceland at the end of July. The boat arrives in Reykjavik on Tuesday, August 4th at 8 AM, and I’d like to book a day trip like the Golden Circle or Secret Lagoon… The sites like GetYourGuide and others list departures at 8 AM. If you’ve used these sites with the MSC Preziosa, could you let me know how to go about it?
Thanks! 😉
allyMB007
Hello everyone,
It’s with immense sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of our friend Nathalie (nadu). Many of us knew her through this forum, which she loved so much. She enjoyed reading your travel stories, joining discussions, sharing her cruise reviews, and offering valuable advice—always with kindness, gentleness, and discretion.
For me, Nathalie was so much more than just a cruise enthusiast. She was a friend, a deeply kind person who was always there to listen, despite the many health challenges she faced with tremendous courage. We corresponded regularly, and sometimes we had the chance to visit each other’s homes or attend the cruise show together with our respective husbands.
We shared a common dream: when we both retired, we had planned to finally go on a cruise together. Life had other plans, and that trip will forever remain a journey we never had the chance to take. That thought weighs heavily on my heart today.
I’ll remember her as a gentle, generous woman who was always ready to help others. Her presence on this forum will leave a huge void, just as her friendship has in my life.
I send my sincerest thoughts to her husband, her family, and all those who had the chance to know her.
Fair winds, Nathalie. I like to think you’re now sailing on an infinitely calm sea, under an eternally blue sky. You’ll remain in our thoughts and hearts every time we talk about cruises or set off on a new journey.
Rest in peace, Nathalie.
For those who’d like to send a message of comfort and sympathy to her husband, you can send me a PM, and I’ll pass it along.
THANK YOU
Hello everyone,
So happy to be back on this Forum!
We’re heading off on another cruise—our 7th—after a 5-year break...
We’ll be leaving from Venice on April 26th with stops in Kotor, Mykonos, Santorini, and Ancona.
Could you help me plan the stops by sharing tips, tricks, and advice?
For those who already know me, you know we prefer not to take the cruise line’s excursions but instead organize everything ourselves.
Thanks in advance to everyone, and looking forward to chatting with you all!
hi there, a group of friends and I are going on a cruise at the end of June with CFC in Norway. I’d love to get some info on the different stops we’ll be making. Most of them are one-day stops (from around 10 AM to 8 PM on average). Here are the stops: Andalsnes, Trondheim, Honningsvåg, Alta, Hellesylt, Sandane, Austefjorden.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can share what there is to see or do in these places.
When I get back, I’ll post what we did—it might help others who come after us.
Also, does anyone know if the boat sticks to the arrival time in Dunkirk for catching tickets to head back south? We’ll plan a buffer just in case.
Hi there, The day before boarding the Costa Favolosa for the Norwegian Fjords cruise departing from Hamburg, I'd like to book a hotel. Which one would be the most convenient location-wise relative to the port?
Thanks in advance for your reply.