Bonjour a tous
Nous allons effectuer notre prochaine croisière a bord du Costa Magica le 21 Octobre 2011 et en tant que membre du Costa club coral , pouvez-vous me dire si nous bénéficions de la bouteille de vin ainsi que de la corbeille de fruit tous les jours ou uniquement une fois lors de l'arrivée à bord.
Merci pour vos réponses.
Costa Mediterranea 2009-MSC Orchestra 2010-Costa Magica 2011-MSC Splendida 2011-MSC Orchestra 2012-MSC Poesia 2013-MSC Poesia 2014-MSC Opera 2015-MSC Preziosa 2015-MSC Opera 2016 MSC Magnifica 2016-MSC Fantasia 2017-MSC Opera 2017-MSC Fantasia 2018
Bouteille une seule fois, corbeille de fruit remplacée tous les jours.
2009 Costa Mediterranea/2010 Costa Serena/2011 Costa Luminosa-Costa Mediterranea/2012 Costa Luminosa-Costa Fascinosa/2013 Costa Luminosa-Costa Deliziosa/2014 Costa Pacifica/2015 Costa Diadema/2016 Celebrity Eclipse http://notrecuisine91.canalblog.com/
corbeille de fruits une seule fois dès le 1er ou 2eme jour. mais pas renouvelée.
curieux pour moi toujours renouvelée quand j'étais Coral. 😮
Sur la dernière croisière, pour la deuxième cabine réservée sur un CostaClub Coral nous avons eu la corbeille de fruits remplacée chaque jour.
2009 Costa Mediterranea/2010 Costa Serena/2011 Costa Luminosa-Costa Mediterranea/2012 Costa Luminosa-Costa Fascinosa/2013 Costa Luminosa-Costa Deliziosa/2014 Costa Pacifica/2015 Costa Diadema/2016 Celebrity Eclipse http://notrecuisine91.canalblog.com/
Tout est très variable chez Costa... tout dépend, en fait, du chef de cabine... ou d'autres choses...
Nous sommes pearl depuis déjà quelques temps et nous avons seulement eu lors de notre dernière croisière la carte dite spéciale pour le petit déjeuner... quant à la précédente croisière, nous n'avons pas eu de peignoirs... (nous étions en suite).
Quant aux soit-disant 20 % sur les forfaits vin et consommations au mini-bar, j'en ai jamais vu la couleur...
Nous avons toujours été fidèles à Costa (8ème croisière en août) mais ce sera sans doute la dernière.
Le profit tue le profit...
corbeille de fruits une seule fois ; pas tous les jours
vous n'avez pas l'air tous d'accord... dans la doc Costa-Club, il est dit "Corbeille de fruits", il n'est pas dit "renouvelée chaque jour".
Après, il faut faire attention, si on est en suite de ce qui est "Costa Club" *et pas* "suite" (pratiquement rien sauf les jetons de casino ou les réductions SPA et boutiques, pour les Pearl et surtout Gold-Pearl). IL faut faire aussi attention que sur les nouveaux bateaux, les mini-suites "ne sont pas des suites".
Pour les suites, corbeille de fruits "renouvelée" chaque jour (pas remplacée, mais complétée par les fruits qui manquent tant que les fruits restant ne sont pas abîmés.)
Mais attention, le catalogue précise bien : "suite, Panorama suite, grande suite". (donc pas les mini-suites, ce que confirme souvent à bord l'équipage, surtout sur les bateaux récents, comme le Luminosa, le Deliziosa : les mini-suites *n'ont pas* les privilèges et avantages des suites)
la carte coral n 'ouvre pas bcq plus davantages que l'aquamarine
bouteille de Prosecco et embarquement prioritaire. c'est tout.
Je confirme pour la corbeille de fruits en suite. Elle est ré-approvisionnée chaque jour, selon les fruits manquants. La bouteille de mousseux, c'est une seule fois. Lors d'une précédente croisière, nous en avons eu 2 (1 pour la suite et 1 pour membre pearl, mais c'était la seule fois car à la croisière suivante, nous n'en avons eu qu'une... pourtant toujours en suite et toujours membre pearl)
Sur les 7 croisières précédentes, où nous avions à chaque fois une suite, nous avons pu voir qu'il existait des différences de service au niveau de la cabine. Par contre, les 20 % de réduction sur les forfaits précédemment cités n'ont jamais été appliqués, d'où une partie de mon mécontentement envers la compagnie).
Costa annonce des privilèges et ne les applique pas, donc ouvrez l'oeil et faîtes respecter ce qu'ils vous promettent, car ils ont tendance à l'oublier...
Je confirme pour la corbeille de fruits en suite. Elle est ré-approvisionnée chaque jour, selon les fruits manquants. La bouteille de mousseux, c'est une seule fois. Lors d'une précédente croisière, nous en avons eu 2 (1 pour la suite et 1 pour membre pearl, mais c'était la seule fois car à la croisière suivante, nous n'en avons eu qu'une... pourtant toujours en suite et toujours membre pearl)
je me souviens pas bien... la dernière fois en juillet 10 sur le Luminosa (en grande suite), on en a eu 2 (différentes d'ailleurs, la première était du Prosecco haut de gamme, la seconde du "normal", identique à celui présent à l'arrivée dans la suite de mes deux aquamarine de fils...). Mais on finit par ne plus savoir à quel titre on a ça ou ça... comme nous sommes toujours en grande suite, tous les deux Gold Pearl (et moi au niveau "Black Pearl" 😉 qui n'est pour l'instant qu'un délire personnel, mais que je cherche à faire partager à Costa, car cela me semble pour lui très rentable ==> > 25000 points et 4 croisières en suite sur les 4 dernières années glissantes OU > 35000 points et 4 croisières sur les 4 dernières années glissantes), et avec des "affinités réciproques Costa", on ne sait plus si on doit tel avantage à la suite, le statut Costa Club, le statut "VIP" (= pour Costa suites OU gold-pearl), ou un mélange de tout ça... 🤪
Par contre, les 20 % de réduction sur les forfaits précédemment cités n'ont jamais été appliqués, d'où une partie de mon mécontentement envers la compagnie).
Je veux préciser avant tout ce que Costa m'a expliqué, même si le document du Costa-Club, sur le site , est ambigu :
Il faut considérer qu'il y a deux niveaux : 1) A terre. 2) A bord. les "réductions de 20%" et "réductions de 25%", pourtant en termes de présentation sur le même niveau, sont en fait des sous-ensembles de "à bord". Autrement dit, tout ce qui a été acheté "à terre", *avant d'être sur le bateau*, n'est pas concerné par ces réductions. Une fois ceci dit,
Les réductions sont calculées automatiquement par l'informatique de bord, qui connait ton statut Costa-Club (c'est fou ce qu'elle connait de choses sur toi, d'ailleurs... 🤪 ), sans que tu n'aies rien à dire... Donc en principe, il n'y a pas de problème (et je pense qu'il va y en avoir de moins en moins, l'informatique, c'est toujours comme ça, les plus gros bugs sont au début de l'utilisation des nouveaux programmes... ). alors c'est pas défendu (c'est même conseillé, c'est de bonne pratique comptable) de vérifier au fur et à mesure grâce à :
- relevé de compte sur l'écran TV en cabine
- relevés intermédiaires imprimés à l'accueil "aussi souvent qu'on le demande" (mais bon, si tu le demande toutes les 10 minutes, ils vont finir par râler... 😉 )
Ainsi, en ce qui me concerne, en juillet dernier, y avait un bug sur la réduction Internet (20% pour tous les Costa Club) qui était bien déduite pour mes fils aquamarine, et pas pour nous gold pearl... eh bien la cause la plus probable était que les programmeurs, sur ce point précis, avaient oublié de rajouter le 4ème niveau Costa Club (donc, comme on était pas 1 pas 2 pas 3, on était "donc" 0 ), et il en allait de même pour la lingerie.
Mais bon, j'ai demandé et cela a été immédiatement rectifié (comme un comptable sait le faire, c'est à dire qu'au lieu de te créditer bêtement la différence, ils ont recrédité toutes les lignes -- une chaque jour -- puis redébité la bonne somme jour par jour, c'est à dire diminuée de 20%... 🤪 )
Alors bon, j'ai l'habitude de ce genre de trucs, mais on peut concevoir qu'avec toutes ces lignes en plus, un non initié aux arcanes de la comptabilité n'y retrouve pas ses petits...
Bien noter que les réductions sont imputées à la carte qui a payé, mais comme ces réductions ne dépendant pas du niveau Costa Club, ça ne devrait pas interférer...
Après, je reconnais que si j'avais pas réclamé, il est peu probable qu'ils auraient rectifié... mais le coupable, là, c'était l'informaticien programmeur (ou paramétreur), pas le comptable...
Attention aussi aux inversions de cartes dans les bars... bien vérifier que la note que l'on signe à chaque achat est à son nom... parce que sinon, à niveau Club égal, si tu ne regarde pas le verso de ta carte, tu peux faire d'autres dépenses avec une carte qui n'est pas la tienne... Ca s'est vu... Tant que tu ne rentres pas à ta cabine, tu peux ne pas t'en apercevoir...
En dehors de ces problèmes précis, je suis toujours mes comptes en temps réel sur mon ordinateur portable, et je n'ai jamais eu de différence finale avec Costa supérieure à 2 ou 3 euros (qui peuvent s'expliquer par les problèmes d'arrondis sur somme : de même que sur des factures, si tu fait le total ligne par ligne des HT et que tu applique la TVA à la somme, le chiffre ne sera pas forcément -- et même sera rarement -- égal à la somme des lignes TTC...
Alors tout ça, c'est chez Costa... Chez MSC, c'est beaucoup plus "pervers"... La carte Club est une carte à part, à présenter avec chaque achat, et si tu la présentes pas, le vendeur fait pas la réduction... Et rien ne peut se faire rétroactivement... Je trouve que c'est pas très cool, de tabler sur la distraction des gens pour faire des économies.
Costa annonce des privilèges et ne les applique pas, donc ouvrez l'oeil et faîtes respecter ce qu'ils vous promettent, car ils ont tendance à l'oublier...
Sauf à dire que l'humain Costa a *volontairement* programmé son informatique pour qu'elle "oublie" (l'informatique n'oublie *jamais rien*, elle fait ce qu'on lui a demandé de faire) de temps en temps, ou tout le temps, une ou plusieurs réductions, toutes les réductions étant calculées automatiquement par l'informatique de bord, il ne peut pas y avoir d'erreur...
Mais là, c'est une accusation grave... je n'ai personnellement pas le commencement du moindre indice poru penser que cela puisse être vrai... Mais des erreurs comptables (parce que des cas particuliers n'ont pas été prévus, ou plus bêtement parce que l'opérateur de saisie a fait une faute de frappe, qu'il serait là encore hasardeux - ou peut-être un peu parano - de considérer comme volontaire), il y en a dans toutes les comptabilités, et il faut donc vérifier chaque facturette que l'on signe, pour voir si elle est bien à son nom, avec le bon montant à payer... Et en cas de constat a postériori, contacter la comptabilité qui, si c'est trivial, rectifiera tout de suite, ou cherchera à comprendre (mes réductions Internet, par exemple) si c'est plus subtil.
j ai aussi profité de l'embarquement prioritaire grâce à mes amis sur le magica qui avaient la carte coral
Non, c'est juste qu'ils ont un peu de bon sens, et qu'il ne séparent pas les groupes ou les familles...
de la même façon, en 2004, sur le Mediterranea, mes fils avaient une cabine balcon (mais pas une suite), juste à côté de notre suite, et ils ont embarqué en "numéro 1" en même temps que nous
Après, cet été, sur le Luminosa (cf mon C/R) ça a été un beau "procès", mais j'ai fini par leur (directeur de l'hotellerie, responsables des excursions, hôtesses Costa Club) faire admettre, au terme d'une plaidoirie remarquable ( 😊 ) que quand Papa et Maman ont *chacun* une Gold-Pearl dans une suite, et que bébé 1 et bébé 2 ont *chacun* une aquamarine dans une autre suite, *toute la famille* peut bénéficier d'une sortie "excursions" privilègiée réservée aux Gold Pearl. 😛😎😎
Pour la corbeille du fruits, j'en conclus que je suis donc un chanceux. Toutes les réservations faites avec une CostaClub Coral (pas de suites) j'ai toujours eu la corbeille de fruits ré-approvisionnée et/ou renouvellée.
2009 Costa Mediterranea/2010 Costa Serena/2011 Costa Luminosa-Costa Mediterranea/2012 Costa Luminosa-Costa Fascinosa/2013 Costa Luminosa-Costa Deliziosa/2014 Costa Pacifica/2015 Costa Diadema/2016 Celebrity Eclipse http://notrecuisine91.canalblog.com/
Pour la corbeille du fruits, j'en conclus que je suis donc un chanceux. Toutes les réservations faites avec une CostaClub Coral (pas de suites) j'ai toujours eu la corbeille de fruits ré-approvisionnée et/ou renouvellée.
surement des garçons de cabine super pros et sympas. 😉
surement des garçons de cabine super pros et sympas. 😉
Sans doute. Pour moi, ça n'a jamais été le garçon de cabine qui a fait les renouvellements mais un préposé aux services en chambre type petit déjeuné.
2009 Costa Mediterranea/2010 Costa Serena/2011 Costa Luminosa-Costa Mediterranea/2012 Costa Luminosa-Costa Fascinosa/2013 Costa Luminosa-Costa Deliziosa/2014 Costa Pacifica/2015 Costa Diadema/2016 Celebrity Eclipse http://notrecuisine91.canalblog.com/
Bonjour,
Nous sommes nous aussi coral et plus très loin de passer pearl (4600 pts).
Nous sommes revenus d'une croisière sur le Costa Méditerranéa vendredi 12 août 2011.
Les avantages se résument à 3 petits chocolats lors des soirées de gala, une corbeille de fruit régulièrement regarnie, un cocktail avec mini concert et photo avec le commandant (mais ceci est accessible dès le club aquamarine). De plus, lors de l'embarquement à Savone le 1er août, nous avions le numéro 5 et en invoquant mon appartenance au club coral, j'ai pu embarquer en N° 4. Il faut le demander en arrivant au service clientèle dans la salle d'attente du port d'embarquement. Peut-être ya-t-il moyen de négocier pour arracher un embarquement 2 ou 3 mais je suis commercial et je négocie toute l'année, alors en vacances, il ne faut pas trop m'en demander lol !!
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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.
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
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
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
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 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!
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!
Hello,
We’re taking a cruise to Northern Europe with a stop in SOUTHAMPTON.
We’d like to visit the Stonehenge site.
Is it possible to get there on our own (my husband is a wheelchair user), since the MSC excursion to Salisbury is priced at 127 € per person?
There’s also a stop in Rotterdam, and it seems there’s a "miniature village to visit" nearby. Has anyone here been there, and if so, how did you get there?
Thanks so much for your tips. Mum49
If you're traveling on the Costa Diadema from October 17th to 28th, 2026 to Lisbon, we can meet up for a drink. Share our cruising experiences, an excursion, a table...
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.
Hello,
We’ll be sailing on the Renaissance with CFC to southern Norway from July 4 to 11, 2026, departing from Dunkirk (the cruise was booked through "Planète Croisière").
When entering some personal details or pre-selecting options on the CFC website, I’m wondering about the "optional" categories for drinks and WiFi.
I’m actually a bit surprised by these extra charges, as we weren’t used to them on other cruises (Australis in Patagonia; Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express in Norway and Alaska; Rivages du Monde in the Arctic or on the Douro River; a Nile river cruise in Egypt), where we sometimes had access to basic drinks at meals and free WiFi when near land.
Anyway, for those who’ve already taken a CFC cruise on the Renaissance, could you share some advice? Specifically about the most basic drink package, called "Fraîcheur" (238 € for two), which doesn’t seem to be described anywhere. The "Premium" package seems excessive (490 € for two for the week) for light drinkers.
As for WiFi, it’s 10 € per day per person. While I find that price acceptable for parking our car in Dunkirk, it feels overpriced here (especially since it was free on the Nordlys "Coastal Express" just 3 or 4 years ago).
So, I’d love to hear from experienced cruisers who’ve been on this ship!
Looking forward to seeing the excursion prices, which should be available soon! 😐
Hi there,
I’m considering a cruise on this ship in the recently introduced Yacht Club category.
Have any forum members tried it?
What are your thoughts? Positive or negative? Which cabins should we go for—or avoid?
We’re already familiar with the Yacht Clubs on the Splendida, Fantasia, Preziosa, and Divina series.
We weren’t as keen on the one on the Seashore—we found it too big.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Claudine
We're considering a new cruise soon and would like to try the Renaissance.
The uniqueness of the promenade cabins appeals to us, but could anyone give us some insights on the following points:
- Is the glass door sufficiently tinted to prevent outsiders from seeing into the cabin?
- Is the soundproofing good enough to block out conversations on the promenade deck?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!
My husband, our two teens, and I are going on a cruise on the COSTA Esmeralda at the beginning of July. We’re thinking of exploring the ports on our own. Do any of you have recent experiences or tips to share? Are there shuttles between the port and the city center? Are they free? Looking forward to hearing from you.
As promised, here’s my review of the cruise I took from the 5th to the 19th on the MSC Virtuosa.
As you know, I had initially booked a cruise with Mein Schiff departing from Dubai (from Dubai to Cape Town). It was a 22-day cruise. Due to the issues in the Persian Gulf, my cruise was canceled by Mein Schiff.
So, we started looking for a Plan B because we really wanted to go. Especially my wife, who had just had a minor procedure and needed some rest. Since she had already taken time off, she was determined to travel. However, we were looking for an affordable Plan B since we weren’t sure when Mein Schiff or the airline would reimburse us.
While browsing online, I found a 15-day cruise departing from Pointe-à-Pitre (including flights, transfers, the cruise, and drinks) for a price of 1,200 € in a Fantastica balcony cabin. We thought, *Why not?*
I should mention that I’m not usually a big fan of MSC. My last experience with them was post-Covid (I took two cruises, one in 2021 and another in 2022), and it was honestly a disaster. We didn’t want to repeat that, but after talking to Catherine, who told me she was very happy with a short Christmas cruise, we decided to give it a try.
I have to say, I was left speechless. Honestly, the cruise was absolutely perfect. There’s nothing to complain about (or just a few minor details). In terms of service and food, I felt like I was on a premium cruise line. I’d even say MSC has nothing to envy from some of those companies. While premium lines like Holland, Celebrity, and Royal are cutting back on services, I think MSC has made huge improvements. Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this at all. You’ll see what I mean as we chat more.
I won’t do a full review like I usually do because there weren’t many stops:
1. We boarded in Pointe-à-Pitre
2. We stopped in Saint-Martin
3. Then it was a direct crossing to the Azores...
This cruise was really about relaxing, even if it’s not the kind of trip we usually take.
First off, I’m not a big fan of "flight and cruise" packages. I asked if we could leave two days early, but they said it wasn’t possible. We had to take the flight, then the bus, and board the ship directly.
It’s not really my thing, but given the price we paid and since we really wanted to relax, we thought, *Why not?*
Here’s the itinerary:
Boarding in Pointe-à-Pitre
Saint-Martin
Five days at sea
The Azores
Four days at sea
Hamburg
One day at sea
Le Havre
But as I mentioned, it wasn’t about the itinerary. It was really about taking a break and unwinding. Honestly, I came back thrilled.
We’re stopping over in Rovinj this coming May, and since we’ve already visited the main sights (port, church, etc.), is there a walk we can do on our own—no boat needed—that would fill a morning?
Thanks to anyone who knows the area…
My wife and I are going on a cruise on the MS Vesteralen on August 4th. The ship stays close to the coast to deliver mail and packages. My wife is a musician and is sensitive to the movement of the boat. Which deck and cabin should we choose?
Hi there,
So, I booked this cruise...
I know CFC gets a lot of criticism—
- And that it’s not really like the ships I usually take.
But the destination really interested me...
So, I’m giving it a try...
I’m going in with an open mind, thinking I got a good deal, so I’m not expecting the same experience as when I travel with Yacht Club or The Haven.
We’ll see... soon!
hi, we’re going on a cruise with MSC Virtuosa in the Caribbean. Has anyone done this cruise before and could give us some tips for excursions on the different islands? Thanks for your help
😉Hi there,
A few months ago, CFC put the EN VOGUE experience on sale, departing from Dunkirk.
I booked this package to test the boat and onboard services for myself.
I’d read a lot of reviews mentioning numerous issues on board, so I wanted to see for myself what it was really like…
Okay, I’ll stop rambling…
The package included boarding at 6 PM on Friday, dinner, a show, an overnight stay, and breakfast.
We chose an interior cabin for this experience—since the boat wasn’t leaving the dock, we didn’t see the point in paying more… All in all, it cost 130 € per person.
My mom joined us; she got the same cabin for 130 € with no single occupancy supplement.
We’d checked in online to board faster.
We took the train to DUNKIRK, then a taxi to the shuttle pavilion—7 € for the ride.
When we arrived at the pavilion, we were told to wait because there was a connection issue with check-in. Great start…
After about ten minutes, we were finally allowed to proceed.
At the counter, they said they didn’t have our cabin cards and no record of our check-in… Very odd.
With no solution, they put us on the bus and said we’d sort it out at reception. Perfect.
We went through security, and they confiscated our water bottles—never seen that before! Then they said my mom had a corkscrew in her bag, so they searched it… but there was no corkscrew. Total amateur hour… They eventually dropped it.
We got on the bus for a ten-minute ride…
We boarded the ship with a crew member and headed to reception.
Turns out, we weren’t the only ones in this situation.
The nightmare began… Only two staff members were handling all the issues, and everything seemed complicated.
They told my mom her cabin had been given to someone else 😲.
That was the last straw…
It took forever—they had to redo the entire check-in.
Finally, they told my mom her cabin was good to go; they’d mixed her up with someone else… After a solid half-hour, we could finally head to our cabin.
I’m determined to test everything: the pool, jacuzzi, show, restaurant, spa, etc…
TO BE CONTINUED
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.
Hi there,
So, I booked this cruise...
I know CFC gets a lot of criticism—
- And that it’s not really like the ships I usually take.
But the destination really interested me...
So, I’m giving it a try...
I’m going in with an open mind, thinking I got a good deal, so I’m not expecting the same experience as when I travel with Yacht Club or The Haven.
We’ll see... soon!