En escale a Palma de Mallorque avec le Lirica MSC nous sommes plusieurs passagers Allemands, Italiens, Francais a avoir ete victimes de vol de nos papiers, argent, cartes bancaires ect en prenant le bus a la sortie du port ligne N°1, des spécialistes en passe passe agissent sur cette ligne et vous devalisent du contenu de vos sacs sans que personne ne s'en rende compte. Nous sommes allés aussitot porter plainte au commissariat Central et sommes revenus depouillés au bateau avec une voiture de police n'ayant plus d'argent pour prendre bus ou taxi. Heureusement pour nous la croisière se terminait, il ne nous reste plus qu'a accomplir les formalites c'est a dire commissariat de police en france, puis mairie pour refaire les cartes d'identite (25€ par personne en timbres fiscaux) quand aux 350e dans le portefeuille dans les pertes et profits 😠 l'inquiétude des policiers était surtout de savoir si nous avions également nos cartes vitales dans le portefeuille, par chance celles ci étaient dans la cabine sur le bateau, ce doit donc être une équipe qui sévit dans ce port.
merci pour cette info il doit avoir une bande qui est sur le parcours vous ne vous etes pas rendu compte si c'etait des jeunes?? des hommes des femmes??ligne n°1 a eviter
Bonjour Domireig, nous pensons avoir remarque des hommes d'une 30ene d'années, d'apres les reflexions des policiers nous pensons que le problème est connu, et cette bande doit rechercher argent et papiers, la police semblait plus inquiéte en fait sur le vol de cartes vitale, nous n'avions que nos cartes d'identité et carte bancaire 😠 et cela semblait les reconforter😕 il est vrai que les cartes vitales n'ont pas de photo et peut etre le trafic encore plus facile, celles ci doivent être revendues a des fins peu scrupuleuses.
il y a déjà bien longtemps que ce problème persiste, car lors d'une croisière il y a 5 ans mon mari s'est retrouvé avec la main d'une femme dans sa poche de bermuda !!! c'était lorsque ns montions ds le bus, elle lui a dit qu'elle s'était trompée de poche !! elle avait l'air "camé".
bonne journée
Seph😛
2005 Costa Fortuna/2008 Costa Magica/2009 NCL GEM-MSC splendida/2010 Costa Magica-NCL JADE/2011 Costa Pacifica-Costa Magica/2012 Costa Serena-RCI Grandeur OTS/2013-MSC Splendida
quel histoire ! malheureusement c'est un peu partout pareille ! 😐
Les personnes qui sortent des bateaux sont des personnes "riche" !
lors de ma première croisière nous avions visité Istanbul
en arrivant sur le bateau je me suis aperçue que mon sac d'appareil photo était ouvert par le font !😮
Coupé net ! Heureusement je n'avais rien dans la "poche" du font et rien n'a été volé ...
je pense que pour notre croisière du mois de septembre je vais suivre vos conseils et ne prendre que des copies des pièces d'identité !
bonne journée
2004 MSC Opéra -> Italie Grèce Turquie Croatie
2008 Costa Classica -> îles grecques
Septembre 2010 MSC Musica -> îles grecques
10-17 Août 2012 MSC Armonia -> Italie Grèce et Monténégro
Cela nous sert de lecon, et n'arrive pas qu'aux autres, meme en étant tres prudents ce sont des magiciens, on ne voit rien, on ne sent rien on ne peut que constater que tout s'est envolé comme par magie, tant pis pour le shopping il faut se faire une raison et ne sortir qu'avec un minimum d'argent pour boire si on a soif et payer le taxi ou bus et n'emporter qu'une copie de nos papiers d'identite si cela est possible ce qui n'est pas toujours le cas dans certains pays où nous devons obligatoirement presenter passeport ou carte d'identite pour sortir et rentrer dans la gare maritime, mais alors la il vaut mieux partir avec passeport et CI et toujours laisser une piéce d'identité dans le coffre de la cabine au cas ou.
Subir un vol c'est toujours traumatisant et par la suite on va rester tres craintifs et ne plus oser sortir du bateau ne serait ce qu'en Espagne🤪 qui semble être devenu un pays a risques. Certains ont vu leur voiture disparaitre au parking payant de Barcelone avec tous leurs bagages donc prudence la aussi.
Mais il faut savoir que la vigilance ne fait pas tout le mieux est de ne rien avoir sur soi cela gache tout de même le plaisir des escales 🏴☠️
Ce matin je recois un mail de la part de la Directrice de MSC Club je vous fais part de son courrier :
Chers Membres MSC Club,
J’ai lu avec attention votre courrier dans lequel vous relatez votre mésaventure lors de votre croisière du 25/04/2010 sur le MSC Lirica.
Je comprends que vous ayez été déçu de l’accueil qui vous a été réservé suite au vol de votre portefeuille à Palma de Majorque et
vous adresse mes sincères excuses au nom de la compagnie.
J’étudie votre dossier et vous apporte une réponse d’ici une dizaine de jours.
Vous recevrez vos nouvelles cartes MSC Club Gold dans le courant de la semaine prochaine.
C'est deja ca car je me demandais si nous allions recevoir une réponse.
En fait des excuses de la part du Comptable c'est tout ce que nous attendions lorsque nous étions encore sur le bateau, puisque avant notre départ j'avais fait remettre une lettre de réclamation a la direction.
Comme quoi lorsqu'on a un quelconque problème il faut envoyer un courrier des notre retour.
Depuis avril 2009 à Miami où nous avons été bloqués à la suite du vol des papiers de mon mari, aux escales, nous sortons avec le moins de papiers possible et tout dans les poches, sans sac, en espérant ne plus revivre ce qui nous est arrivé en nous privant de notre croisière, car sans papier à Miami, il est impossible de sortir du territoire américain.
Bon courage pour refaire vos papiers. Bonne journée.
C'est en effet tres frustrant, et le probleme est que les papiers d'identite sont parfois et suivant les pays exigés a notre sortie du bateau pour controles des autorites du pays concerné, donc impossible de ne sortir qu'avec des photocopies, et sortir avec un minimum d'agent, sans carte bancaire implique aussi de ne pas faire d'achats et de se priver de ramener quelques souvenirs 😕
Cela va finir par nous décourager de voyager à l'étranger.
Par contre pour refaire ceux ci c'est tres rapide, nous avons recu en 4 jours une nouvelle CB, pour les cartes d'identite il faut 4 semaines et les frais de timbres fiscaux rembourses par notre assurance Carte Bancaire.
Pour vous cela a du être pire si vous avez du abandonner votre croisière 😠 avez vous pu en être rembourses ? est ce le consulat qui vous a aidé a revenir en France ou votre assistance assurances voyage, j'imagine que vous avez du séjourner quelques jours supplementaires a Miami avez vous été egalement indemnises au niveau des frais d'hotel ect ...
En vous remerciant pour ces renseignements, car cela est toujours utile cela n'arrive pas qu'aux autres hélas et meme les plus prudents se font avoir par ces "as" du vol.
Votre "aventure" m'en rappelle une autre ! Voilà longtemps qu'aux Baléares ce genres de vols se produisent . Voilà une quinzaine d'année je me suis fait dépouillée de mon sac à mains, nous venions d'arriver et avions été louer un véhicule. Devant l'hôtel un homme en moto a foncé sur moi et a attrapé mon sac par la bride j'ai fait 3 tours sur moi même et je me suis retrouvé avec la bride du sac ...en souvenir. Tout était dans mon sac. J'ai fait une déclaration à la police espagnole, à cette époque c'était pour un trafic de permis de conduire. Je m'étais rendu au consulat français pour avoir des photocopies réponse " Vous avez une machine à photocopier en bas... mais il fallait mettre des pièces.... tirez en la conclusion !!!!
Je n'ai jamais rien retrouvé mais les assurances m'ont bien remboursé....
Le pire c'est qu'à cette époque je travaillais dans le tourisme et je faisais tjrs la "leçon" à mes clients.... et c'est moi qui me suis fait avoir ...
Perso j'ai beaucoup roulé en bus (conducteur ) nous avons tjrs eu de gros problèmes : en Italie, en Espagne (vol dans les vehicules, casse du matériel pour empêcher les bus de rouler et faire de la location sur place ... et oui) et pas plus tard que voilà 3 jours ma fille et mon gendre qui sont aussi conducteur et accompagnatrice de groupe ont eu leur bus de dégradé dans un ferrie allant de Venise à Corfou, le car innutilisable en arrivant à Corfou donc le conducteur bloqué dans le bateau avec son car .... sympa (il a fait une croisière forcée ....en soute .... Corfou/Patras/Corfou et une totale indiférence de nos "amis " grecques.... .
Si ils veulent retenir ainsi les touristes je pensent qu'ils se trompent et en ce qui nous concerne dorenavant quand nous ferons escale en Espagne nous resterons à bord, et si cela devient trop risqué apres tout nous resterons en France et ferons travailler nos hotels et commerces, nous donnions la preference aux bateaux MSC car ils sont fabriques dans nos chantiers mais vu aussi leur accompagnement et hospitalité quand nous sommes dans la détresse, nous allons revoir aussi nos choix pour les vacances.
Il ne faut pas trop tenter le diable, cette fois ci nous nous en sommes tirés sans coups et blessures,
Nous aussi nous mettions en garde les amis qui nous disaient aller sejourner aux baléares et etions tres prudents, malgré cela ce sont des "artistes dans l'art du vol" nous n'avons rien vu et rien senti, un passager Allemand qui avait son argent et papiers dans une poche de son pantalon sur le genou fermée par un scratch tres résistant, s'est fait aussi devaliser.
Nous serons remboursés pour refaire les papiers mais l'argent liquide : 350e sont envoles a jamais.
En vous remerciant en esperant que cela mette en garde les croisièristes lorsqu'ils sont en escale -
Je relance ce sujet, afin de vous faire part du bon coté commercial de MSC.
Ayant envoyé un courrier a MSC relatant notre mesaventure, et l'accueil plus que froid par le personnel administratif a bord du Lirica lorsque nous avons présenté la déclaration de vol de notre CB, et le refus de nous vendre en € quoique ce soit,
Ce jour je recois un aimable courrier, nous présentant des excuses, ainsi que le cadeau d'un forfait boissons (vins + eau) pour notre prochaine croisière qui débutera le 3 novembre à bord de l'Orchestra.
Nous apprécions ce geste commercial, nous ne comprenions vraiment pas ce qui s'était passé sur le Lirica, alors que sur tous les autres bateaux MSC l'écoute de la clientèle semblait importante.
Il est bon lorsque nous avons quelque chose à signaler de le faire directement au siège Social,
bonjour MC. super nouvelle. ca ne te fera oublier les tracasseries causées par ce vol, mais ca fait toujours plaisir d'être écoutée. cadeau ou pas, tu as bien d'écrire pour relater ton mécontentement.
Exact lla mauvaise impression laissée par le vol est toujours la, surtout que nous avions vecu un cambriolage a la maison il y a pas mal d'années cela reveille de mauvais souvenirs, mais j'ai trouve le geste de MSC tres commercial j'avais meme presque envie d'annuler cette reservation pour Novembre du coup on la maintient, mais je pense qu'aux escales nous redoublerons de prudence car la destination est Lisbonne avec les différentes escales en Espagne. Nous nous passerons du plaisir de ramener des souvenirs, en ne sortant avec rien dans les poches ou juste le strict necessaire -
Nous ferons 2 excursions Cadix et Lisbonne connaissant toutes les autres escales nous nous contenterons de nous y promener a pied., mains vides et sac vide 😠
En fait nous retournons toujours a peu pres sur les memes circuits, a part l'Adriatique, la mer noire, les Fjords et la destination Emirats Arabes il ne nous restera plus grand chose avant de devoir prendre des transatlantiques et cela c'est une autre paire de manches car il faut prendre l'avion, deja ce n'est pas notre tasse de Thé mais en plus maintenant il va falloir gérer avec le volcan et penser que tout vol peut être annulé en tres peu de temps.
Nous aimerions un circuit aller retour que ce soit de Savone ou Genes pour ces destinations, peut être les compagnies y penseront elles dans les années a venir si les vols deviennent trop problematiques.
En attendant nous nous contentons de quelques ronds en méditerranée histoire de se changer de la voir du rivage 😄
pour nous c'est pareil. on tourne en rond en méditerranée et dans l'adriatique. on a fait des escales plusieurs fois mais les destinations lointaines reviennent trop chères. celle que tu vas faire en novembre nous tente aussi. refaire iles et terre du soleil aussi.
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,
Voici le calendrier des croisières pour 2027.
Cela donne des idées et peut permettre à des membres de se rencontrer
2 régles essentielles:
1) ne jamais "citer" le calendrier pour répondre, ceci évitera toute confusion
2) respecter le format suivant
JJ/MM - pseudo / BATEAU EN MAJUSCULE / nb jours / titre de la croisière / port de départ
NE PAS OUBLIER LES ESPACES entre les / /
RAPPEL Malgré mes demandes peu de personnes respectent le format demandé, la croisière ne sera plus répertoriée quand elle s'éloignera trop du format demandé, désolée ATTENTION Merci de respecter les modèles SVP
MERCI DE COPIER COLLER LE FORMAT CI DESSOUS ET REMPLACER PAR VOS DONNEES SI VOUS N Y ARRIVEZ PAS
JJ/MM - pseudo / BATEAU EN MAJUSCULE / nb jours / titre de la croisière / port de départ
NE PAS OUBLIER LES ESPACES entre les / /
cela prend du temps de rectifier, MERCI A TOUS
A VOUS DE JOUER 😉
NOMBRE DE CROISIERES 2027 : 1
JANVIER
14/01 - poupou10 / AZAMARA JOURNEY / 74 jours / Tour Amérique du sud / Miami
FEVRIER
MARS
AVRIL
MAI
JUIN
JUILLET
AOÛT
SEPTEMBRE
OCTOBRE
NOVEMBRE
DECEMBRE
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,
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,
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!