Bonjour à tous,
je fais escale à Livourne le 6 avril prochain. Je souhaiterais visiter Pise et Lucques par mes propres moyens.
Le train ? où se trouve la gare par rapport au port ? quels tarifs ?
Le bus ? Où peut on les prendre ? quels tarifs ?
Le taxi ? Quels tarifs ?
Savez vous dans quelle dares accoste le bateau car j'ai vu que le port est très grand ?
J'étais en escale à Livourne le 2 mai 2007 et j'avais prévu de visiter Florence
Déjà toute la matinée il est tombée des cordes, Florence est donc tombée à l'eau
L'après-midi, nous avons voulu sortir du port à pied, on nous a vite rattrapé pour nous dire que c'était interdit, trop dangereux, d'où obligation de prendre une navette, celle du bateau, pas le choix, il n'y avait pas de navettes autres, du moins à cette époque
La navette nous laisse sur la Piazza Grande et nous avons été jusqu'à la gare à pied, GRAVE ERREUR, c'est loin et pourtant nous sommes habitués à marcher !!!
Donc prendre un ticket de bus ligne N° 1, 1 € par personne, il nous laisse juste devant la gare
Puis train jusqu' à Pise, 3€ 30 AR, bus Lma rossa jusqu'à Torre, , 0, 90 cts €
Lucques pas visité désolée
Il y a des voitures de location au pied du bateau 96 € la journée
bonjour vero,
nous avons une escale a livourne, dans notre prochaine croisière au mois d'aout, que voulez vous dire quand vous dites que c'était dangereux de sortir du port?, nous avions pensé nous ballader a livourne car nous connaissons florence, mais vous ne me rassurez pas, si pouvez me donner quelques renseignements cela me serait utile, est ce qu'il y a des choses a voir? est ce que du port on peut aller a pied en ville est ce loin?
merci pour tous vos renseignement
brigitte (la maman de tita)
Le port est effectivement interdit aux piétons pour des raisons de sécurité et c'est vrai qu'on a vu pas mal de camions qui roulaient très vite et sans faire attention
On a dû faire 100 m et on nous a dit que retourner, comme il y avait la police, on s'est plié aux ordres, que faire d'autre ???
Le port est tout de même assez loin et de Livourne le seul parcours que j'ai fait c'est entre la Piazza Grande et la gare où il n'y a pas grand chose à voir, mais je suis sûre que, comme dans n'importe quelle autre ville, on doit pouvoir trouver à se balader
merci vero pour votre reponse, j'espere qu'il y aura un moyen d'aller a livourne, et qu'il y a des choses a visiter peut etre en taxis je ne sais pas.
merci encore
a bientot
brigitte
La compagnie de croisière va automatiquement mettre des navettes payantes à disposition, sinon si vous avez la chance d'être prêt du terminal vous pourrez peut-être sortir directement ou prendre un bus de ville
J'ai retrouvé mon plan de Livourne, il y a une forteresse avec un parc pas très loin de la Piazza Grande, 2 églises à proximité de cette place et 4 musées, mais de quoi, c'est en Italien, je n'ai pas tout compris, désolée !
Si vous voulez je serai à Cagnes sur mer le 7 mai ( départ le lendemain pour Savone ), je vous fais une photocopie du plan et vous venez le chercher ( voire autres documents pour votre croisière, j'en ai plus que ce qu'il en faudrait !!!)
je vous remercie vero, mais nous partons l e7 mai en espagne pour 5 jours, a playa de aro avec des amis ne vous embetez pas, comme je vous ai dit si ce n'est pas interressant on restera sur le bateau, je ne sais pas si je vous l'ai dit mais c'est le bleu de france on va voir un peut comment est ce bateau!
au fait je ne sais plus ou vous partez?
a bientot
On va se croiser sur la route si vous allez en Espagne
Voilà ma croisière : Savone, en mer, Malaga, Cadix, Lisbonne, Vigo, en mer, Douvres, Amsterdam, en mer, Copenhague
Je suis justement en train de faire ce que j'appelle mes carnets d'escales et je découvre plein de choses intéressantes à visiter, après on fait en fonction de la météo qu'on ne peut pas contrôler
Je me souviens que c'est le Bleu de France, j'irai le voir à Marseille le 25 mai
D'ailleurs je me demande ce que va donner la cuisine américaine avec la sauce francophone, l'organisation devrait être super, mais avec les francophones ....
bonjour vero,
nous on va pas si loin, mais ça coupe un peu l'année jusqu'a la prochaine croisière au mois d'aout, c'est très jolie malaga, mon mari adore cette ville, vous allez faire un jolie periple, c'est sur quel bateau?. Je ne me rapelle plus
a bientot
brigitte
C'est sur le Costa Mediterranea, je ne saute pas de joie à l'idée de repartir avec Costa, mais c'était ça ou rien, et comme j'ai l'esprit de sacrifice 😉, j'espère bien que la prochaine croisière sera avec RCI, j'en ai déjà repéré une, mais d'ici là ....
Vous n'avez pas peur d'avoir beaucoup de monde et d'avoir très chaud en août ????
Je ne garde pas un souvenir extraordinaire de Malaga, donc suis preneuse pour toute suggestion
c'est vrai que costa en ce moment n'a plus une tres bonne côte, mais bon c'est quand m^me agréable de se faire dorloter pendant une semaine😉
nous avons l'habitude de partir au mois d'aout car nous n'avons pas le choix mon mari ferme son magasin au mois d'aout. mais dés que nous serons a la retraire (encore quelques années) nous ne partirons plus au mois d'aout, mais au printemps c'est quand m^me plus agréable il fait moins chaud.
malaga nous avons fait surtout la ville, pour les cadeaux des enfants, c'est interessant. je ne peux pas vraiment vous aider pour malaga, car comme vous le savez a part la ville et un peu les hauteurs de la ville il n'y a pas grand chose a voir, mais c'est jolie quand m^me, par contre je vous donne une autre idée il parait que marbella est magnifique, et ce n'est pas loin de malaga, je n'y suis jamais allée, mais j'en ai entendu parler. c'est peut être une bonne idéé qu'en pensez vous?
En fait pour Malaga j'avais prévu de louer une voiture, de longer la côte jusqu'à Gibraltar, donc Marbella par le fait ( enfin il me semble )
Par contre faudrait qu'on puisse venir nous chercher au port parce que ça fait assez loin à pied de la ville, j'ai encore un peu de temps pour peaufiner tout cela
Qu'est-ce que c'est gênant le travail quand même 😛, même pas pouvoir partir en croisière quand on veut, c'est honteux 🙂
Bonjour,
Je ferai une croisière sur Le Summit de Celebrity en septembre 2008 de Venise à Barcelone. J'ai trouvé beaucoup d'informations sur le site suivant:
http://www.europeportreviews.com/Florence.htm. Je t'ai indiqué le lien pour le port de Livourne; tu pourras également y retrouver des infos sur plusieurs ports qui accueillent des escales de bateaux de croisière.
bonjour vero,
si mes souvenirs sont exacts, la ville de malaga n'est pas loin du port, il y a 10 minutes a pied pas plus et vous etes de suite au centre ville.
ce n'est pas une mauvaise idéé de louer une voiture pour visiter.
peut etre que je pourrais en louer une a livourne, pour aller a florence par nos propres moyens car l'excursion est cher😠 mois ausssi je vais essayer de trouver le moyen de visiter en faisant le minimum d'excursion avec le bateau😉
Le problème c'est que les bateaux sont tout au bout du port, faut faire tout le tour, 20 bonne minutes de marche et pourtant nous sommes de bons marcheurs !
Il y a des voitures de locations qui attendent à la sortie du bateau, l'an passé c'était 96 € la journée, mais pour aller à Florence faut bien compter 3 H AR sans parler du problème de se garer et de la conduire sportive des italiens avec toujours leur téléphone à l'oreille 😛
Louer une voiture on le fait très souvent, mais jamais en Italie où le train est bien pratique
bonjour vero,
bon on va laisser tomber la voiture de location pour florence, car on est en vacances, on va pas se prendre la tête, surtout mon mari il aime pas beaucoup la circulation, alors si on prend le train est ce que c'est long pour arrivé a florence?, ou alors tant pis si il faut prendre l'excursion on la prendra😕 cela dependra des sous sous....
car cela fait 30 ans que l'on est pas allé a florence.
a bientot
brigitte
Le trajet est de 1 H 22 donc sauf erreur de ma part, en misant la sécurité, ça vous fait rester environ 4 H à Florence, à vous de voir, ça fait court, mais c'est le problème des escales courtes
ce qu'il y a de bien sur cette croisière, c'est que les escales sont longues par exemple celle de florence on arrive a 8 heures le matin et on repart a 17 heures, donc on doit avoir largement le temps de visiter qu'en pensez vous?
Disons que pour moi c'est une escale courte, il vous faut être sur le bateau à maximum 16 H 30, compte-tenu qu'il faut environ 1/2 h pour aller de la gare au port et, ça fait 16 H, d'où partir de Florence vers 14 H 30 et comme il serait étonnant que vous puissiez avoir un train avant 9 H, ça fait 4 H sur place, mais je suis bien restée 5 mn à Sorrento en Novembre et j'ai repris le train de suite, il tombait des cordes 😛
4 H c'est toujours mieux que rien, de toutes façons, Florence en un jour c'est de l'utopie, donc vous verrez peut-être sur place en fonction des paramètres météo / monde etc ...
vous avez raison vero, on verra ça sur place, de toute façon le voyage est encore loin, mais c'est marrant car quand je parle de croisière j'ai l'impression d'y etre déja😎
A Livourne nous avions loué via Avis un minibus. à 7 c est vite amorti. La voiture vous attend en bas du bateau et vous la laissé le soir devant le bateau.Nous avons eu le temps de faire Pise + Florence (sans trainer bien sur mais à l aise).
Cordialement
merci de votre reponse,
nous allons voir comment nous allons proceder pour livourne, si on fait connaissance avec d'autres français sur le bateau peut etre que l'on pourrait s'arranger pour louer une voiture, autrement nous resterons a livourne m^me s'il n'y a rien a visiter, on se balladera un peu puis on ira sur la bateau se faire bronzer😎
amicalement
Brigitte
Ce forum étant une mine d'or, j'ai (encore) besoin de vous concernant une excursion proposée par Croisière de France, en escale à Livourne. Cette excursion…
Je dois faire escale à Livorno fin avril, je recherche un bon plan pour visiter Florence et/ou Pise sans me perdre, en me laissant guider... Je ne souhaite pas…
Nous serons en escale à Livourne le mois prochain et je voudrais savoir s'il est plus judicieux de réserver ses billets pour Florence par internet, via…
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
Bonjour à tous
Je pars en suite sur le pacifica en octobre et je n'arrive pas à avoir d3s précisions sur les avantages en suite hormis le resto élite le majordome la machine expresso
Qu'en est-il des petits déjeuners et repas servis gratuitement en cabine, du spa
Costa enlève de plus en plus les privilèges aux gold et apparemment aux suites aussi
Merci de vos reponses
bonjour,
je pars de hambourg pour islande fin juillet. le bateau arrive a Reykjavik le mardi 4 aout 8H e voudrai reserve une excursion en journée type golden circle, secret lagoon...les sites getyour guide et autre annononcent des dparts à 8h du matin ....Si vous avez deja utilisé ces sites avec bateau MSC precioza, pouvez vous me dire comment m y prendre !
merci 😉
allyMB007
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
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.
I’m looking to get in touch with someone who’s been on an Arctic Cruise aboard the ship POLARFRONT, operated by the French company "LATITUDE BLANCHE", for some info.
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever taken a cruise with this PO Cruise company.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
They’ve got some great itineraries for Norway.
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,
We received a promotion from our CFC agency offering cruises at up to 40-100% off, and among other details: CFC organizes parking for departures from Dunkirk.
"Unattended parking located about 12 minutes away, fenced off with barriers, at a rate of 10 € per day. Drop off passengers and luggage at the Model Pavilion, and a CFC shuttle will take you from the parking lot to the Model Pavilion every 15-20 minutes. Same for disembarkation. You can book through your agency or on their website. No refunds if the booking is canceled; payment is due at reservation."
Have a great day,
Guylène
PS: Personally, we’d rather keep our vehicle in a free, supervised parking lot and take a taxi to the Model Pavilion.
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever taken a cruise with this PO Cruise company.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
They’ve got some great itineraries for Norway.
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!
