Voici enfin le CR de notre croisière en avril dernier sur le Costa Fortuna au départ de Venise. Tout d'abord la raison pour laquelle nous avons mis tant de temps a publié ce CR
Nous avions réservé cette croisière avec les vols Costa. Nous voulions faire le dernier jour l'excursion Costa "Murano Burano". Après renseignements pris auprès de notre agence et de Costa France l'excursion était tout à fait possible à condition d'avoir un vol retour après 17h30, ce qui, à l'origine, n'était pas notre cas (vol vers 15h). Costa nous a alors proposé un vol retour à 17h55 mais avec un supplément de 80€ par personne, ce que nous avons accepté. A notre arrivée sur le bateau, nous nous sommes rendu au bureau des excursions pour confirmer. L'hotesse a même pris le n° de notre vol et l'heure de départ de Venise et nous a confirmé la possibilité de réaliser cette excursion.
La veille du débarquement à Venise à 18h30 nous recevons, sous la porte de notre cabine, une convocation au bureau des excursions avant 19h (heuresement que nous étions dans la cabine). Au bureau, l'hotesse nous indique que l'excursion est annulée purement et simplement. Malgré notre déception (c'était l'anniversaire de mon épouse et l'on voulait acheter du verre de Murano à la fabrique) nous acceptons cette décision. Par contre, nous demandons le remboursement du supplément vol retour. On nous dit que ce n'est pas possible à bord qu'il faut voir cela avec Costa France ou avec notre agence. Nous demandons alors une attestation pour prouver à notre retour que l'excursion a bien été annulée. On nous la refuse et débrouillez vous. Le ton monte, le personnel Costa du bureau des excursions et certains du bureau service Client deviennent odieux (nous tairons les noms). Enfin vers 20h15 après que notre hotesse francophone Solène (que nous remercions vivement) est contactée le commisaire de bord, nous obtenons l'autorisation de déposer une réclamation qui sera immédiatement enregistrée à bord avec tampon de la compagnie et heure (soit deux heures de palabres).
Le jour du départ, notre transfert vers l'aéroport était à 15h30 et nous avons quitté le bateau à 9h, 6h30 dans le terminal c'est long (nous n'avions pas eu le temps, la veille au soir, d'organiser quoique ce soit et nous n'avons pas pris le risque de rater le transfert). Nous aurions su que l'excursion allait être annulée, nous aurions pris le vol de 15h et nous aurions économisé 160€.
Aujourd'hui nous venons de recevoir une réponse de Costa à notre demande de remboursement des 160€ du vol retour.
Cette réponse émane du responsable du service relations clientèle France et Benelux M. Tchangoum Alain qui a pris le temps de lire notre courrier et nous rembourse 160€ à valoir sur notre prochaine croisière de juillet. Encore merci à M. Tchangoum pour nous avoir compris. L'incident est désormais clos mais pas oublié.
Le bateau :
Il est très bien mais nous avons préféré le Pacifica qui est son frère jumeau. En effet, nous avons trouvé le style de décoration du fortuna très vieillot bien qu'il soit relativement récent.
La cabine (intérieure) pas l'idéal mais nous n'avions qu'à choisir autre chose. Bien quand même mais petite, nous ne sommes pas habitué. Service de cabine bien, mais pas excellent comme Costa voudrait nous le faire écrire sur le questionnaire (nous avons mis excellent quand même). Propreté toujours impeccable
Bouteille de spumante et corbeille de fruit à l'arrivée dans la cabine parfait! (sauf le vin, bien qu'il fut meilleur que d'habitude)
Le service et le personnel de bord :
Nous avons été déçus par certains (voir plus haut) mais heureusement ce n'est pas la majorité. Nous avons eu de la part du maître d'hotel italien "Vous avez un problème" alors que nous demandions après 45mn d'être servis. Nous étions arrivés dans les premiers et 45 mn après, tout le monde était servi et nous 2 non, ni la boisson et encore moins la commande du menu. Ayant été restaurateurs, nous savons bien que l'on porte en premier la boisson et le pain, après on peut faire un peu attendre les clients mais pas trop. Attention la qualité du personnel est peut être en train de baisser mais pour l'instant cela reste très correct.
La nourriture :
Comme le personnel, la qualité et surtout la quantité au restaurant semble être en baisse. Là aussi cela reste quand même très correct.
Les excursions :
Bari : Alberrobello avec Costa très joli village avec ces trullis à voir absolument excursion franco espagnole guide bien
Katacolon : descente du bateau pour prendre un verre à la terrasse d'un des bar-restaurant du village
Santorin : descente du bateau par chaloupe puis télécabine et ballade dans Fira
Mykonos : descente du bateau puis bus jusqu'au centre mais nous ne sommes pas resté longtemps car il y avait beaucoup de vent (tempête)
Rhodes : Lindos et Rhodes ville avec Costa. Magnifique à voir impérativement. Repas dans un beau restaurant, très bonne nourriture à volonté.
Dubrovnik : Débarquement en chaloupe visite de la ville et des remparts. Très belle ville
Venise : voir plus haut (dommage)
En conclusion, nous avons passé une bonne croisière mais elle n'est pas pour nous dans les meilleures. En espérant que celle de juillet en Norvège et en Islande soit meilleure.
Nous sommes du sud et latin mais sur ce bateau il y avait beaucoup d'italiens et d'enfants italiens (1500 pour 200 français) bruyants et mal élevés (insupportables) Mais nous, français, sommes nous toujours parfaits ? A méditer !
Voila, si vous avez d'autres questions, nous y répondrons bien volontiers.
A bientôt sur VF
Depuis 2003 38 croisières dont 03/2017 Deliziosa, 06/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 07/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 12/2017 Celebrity Infinity, 05/2018 Symphony of the seas, 08/2018 Costa Luminosa, 01/2019 Ovation of the seas (2), 05/2019 MSC Magnifica
A venir : 11/2019 MSC Grandiosa
bonjour arcocean. merci pour ce C/R. j'ai pris le fortuna en 2005 et il avait alors 2 ans. on avait aimé mais c'était notre 1ere croisière et nous n'avions pas d'éléments de comparaison. on avait aimé l'atrium et ces bateaux de la flotte costa à l'envers sur les plafonds. original et superbe. le reste de la déco nous à semblée trop voyante en particulier certains salons comme le grand bar central et quelques autres.
pour le service, ce fut impecable. comme vous j'ai l'impression que certains commencent à se plaindre et la qualité serait en baisse. sur le classica ce fut moyen également mais mieux sur le concordia.
je trouve dommage que votre mésaventure à venise ait gachée un peu votre croisière. c'est quand même malheureux de devoir toujours se battre pour obtenie un remboursement dû et justifié.
Depuis 2003 38 croisières dont 03/2017 Deliziosa, 06/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 07/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 12/2017 Celebrity Infinity, 05/2018 Symphony of the seas, 08/2018 Costa Luminosa, 01/2019 Ovation of the seas (2), 05/2019 MSC Magnifica
A venir : 11/2019 MSC Grandiosa
Bonjour,
pensez vous qu'Alberrobello peut se faire avec les enfants?(4 et 6 ans)
Y a t'il vraiment 90 minutes de car? Faisait il chaud et les cars sont ils climatisés?
Combien de temps reste t'on sur place?
Attention à la chaleur car le village est à un petit kilomètre du parking des bus et il faut faire l'aller et le retour à pied (chaleur, marche au soleil avec des enfants???) Le village est tout en pierre et les murs sont blanchis à la chaux ce qui transmet la chaleur encore plus. Les bus sont climatisés et il faut à près 1h pour aller à Alberrobelo. On y reste à peu près 2h (1h de visite 1h de temps libre). Il y a aussi une dégustation d'un plat régional avec un verre de vin. Fin avril il faisait beau et déjà chaud mais pas trop.
A bientôt sur VF
Depuis 2003 38 croisières dont 03/2017 Deliziosa, 06/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 07/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 12/2017 Celebrity Infinity, 05/2018 Symphony of the seas, 08/2018 Costa Luminosa, 01/2019 Ovation of the seas (2), 05/2019 MSC Magnifica
A venir : 11/2019 MSC Grandiosa
Bonjour a tous
Nous avons fait la même croisière sur le fortuna en date du 17 mai.
Nous avons rencontré les mêmes problème avec le bureau client, ont vous écoute mais vous parlez a un mur. Nous avons dû changer trois fois de cabine, et encore la troisième fois a été a l'initiative de SOLENE a qui nous avons raconter nos déboire. Je tiens a féliciter SOLENE pour la prise en compte de nos demandes qui 1 heures plus tard avais été résolu.
Malgré cela je ne garde pas un bon souvenir de cette croisière.
Grace a SOLENE nous referons quand même en 2011 une autre croisière COSTA bien qui est vrai que la qualité générale a bien baissé.
Nous avons déjà effectué quatre croisière COSTA et une MSC
A bientôt
Costa Classica en 2006, MSC Melodie 2007, Costa Victoria 2008, Costa Luminosa 2009, .......Costa Fortuna 2010, ..........Costa Marina TAJJ 2011, .............MSC Croisière Age tendre et tête de bois 2011,
Costa Deliziosa 2012 .............COSTA LA FIN................. Royal Caribean 2013
Nous avons eu surtout des problèmes avec le personnel du bureau excursion. Une personne du bureau service client n'a pas été sympa non plus, je dis sympa car après plus d'un mois, je minimise. Heuresement Costa nous a écouté et cela a fait remonter leur cote. Nous repartons le 7 juillet avec eux, espérons que la qualité soit meilleure que sur le Fortuna. Nous verrons bien.
Quel a été votre problème de cabine ?
A bientôt sur VF
Depuis 2003 38 croisières dont 03/2017 Deliziosa, 06/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 07/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 12/2017 Celebrity Infinity, 05/2018 Symphony of the seas, 08/2018 Costa Luminosa, 01/2019 Ovation of the seas (2), 05/2019 MSC Magnifica
A venir : 11/2019 MSC Grandiosa
Merci de ta réponse. Nous avons eu aussi problème avec le bureau des excursions.
Nous avons commandé pour la première fois les excursion sur le site, mais sur le bateau nous nous sommes rendu compte que ce que nous avons commander était trop. Vue l'état de fatigue dû a la cabine ou nous dormions très mal, nous avons voulu annuler une des quatre excursions que nous avons commandées. Mais impossible de le faire, il nous a était répondu qu'il ne faisait plus ou alors il faut voir le médecin du bord. Pourtant je leur expliqué que sur le LUMINOSA en 2009 nous avions put le faire, mais il est vrai qu'elle avait été commandé sur le bateau. Enfin nous nous sommes résigné a les faire toutes.
Pour la cabine,
La 1ère 1273 Un sifflement continu genre acouphène se faisais entendre avec en plus n bruit d'alarme électrique se faisais entendre, pour dormir sereinement il y a mieux, d'autant que dans le couloir le silence règne.
A notre demande avec beaucoup d'incidence (2 heures de palabre) au bureau client, il on convenu a notre retour de nous changer de cabines. Transfert bagage et le reste avec seul personne pour le transfert que la personne de cabines.
2éme cabines 8424, que nous avons visitée, sans savoir qu'elle se trouvé sous la piscine et les jacuzzi cela implique des compresseurs pour l’air et des pompes pour la piscine ce que nous n’avions pas entendu lors de notre visite, mais que l’on entendais vers 4h30 du matin se mettre en route. Alors que dans le couloir pas de bruit.
Nous allons de nouveau au bureau client n’a rien voulu savoir n’y se déplacer pour écouter. Il nous évoque que il y a toujours du bruit sur un bateau, nous leurs avons évoqué les quatre croisières déjà faites sur leurs bateaux sans aucun problème de se type, nous leur expliquons que cela peut se satisfaire sur un bateau ferry que nous prenons tous les ans depuis 22 ans pour aller en corse mais pas sur un bateau de croisière, pas de réponse de leurs part (un mur)
Pour cela que nous avons voulu déranger SOLENN qui pour nous n’a pas a s’occuper de cela.
Donc quand nous avons évoqué le problème a SOLENN il nous resté 3 nuits. 1 heures aprés elle nous a retrouvé au restorant pour nous indiquer d'aller voir le service client pour faire le transfert. Elle a résolu le problème en nous faisant transférer dans la cabine 9232 ou nous avons pu dormir sans aucun problème,
Donc il y bien des cabines qui ne sont pas en adéquation avec ce que nnous pouvons attendre d’un bateau de croisière.
Donc a tous les croisiéristes si vous rencontrer ce type de problème cela proviens de l’isolation de la cabines qui est mal fait, mal protégée du bruit des services (local à piscine, armoire électrique, etc).
Costa Classica en 2006, MSC Melodie 2007, Costa Victoria 2008, Costa Luminosa 2009, .......Costa Fortuna 2010, ..........Costa Marina TAJJ 2011, .............MSC Croisière Age tendre et tête de bois 2011,
Costa Deliziosa 2012 .............COSTA LA FIN................. Royal Caribean 2013
J'ai oublié
Vous repartez en juillet, j'espère que cela se passera mieux. Mais avec vos croisères vous devait avoir la carte PEARL.
A bientôt sur VF
Costa Classica en 2006, MSC Melodie 2007, Costa Victoria 2008, Costa Luminosa 2009, .......Costa Fortuna 2010, ..........Costa Marina TAJJ 2011, .............MSC Croisière Age tendre et tête de bois 2011,
Costa Deliziosa 2012 .............COSTA LA FIN................. Royal Caribean 2013
Nous sommes PEARL. Les avantages sont minimes par rapport à GOLD PEARL mais un petit peu mieux que CORAL ou que AQUAMARINE.
Vous nous faites peur quand vous dites que vous aviez du bruit dans la cabine en dessous de la piscine car au mois de juillet sur le Luminosa, notre cabine se situe au pont 8 juste en dessous du lido dorado ou se trouve piscine et jaccusis.
Nous prenons toujours une cabine au millieu du bateau pour éviter les désagréments d'une mer agitée mais nous n'avions pas pensé au problème du bruit de la piscine.
@+
Depuis 2003 38 croisières dont 03/2017 Deliziosa, 06/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 07/2017 MSC Meraviglia, 12/2017 Celebrity Infinity, 05/2018 Symphony of the seas, 08/2018 Costa Luminosa, 01/2019 Ovation of the seas (2), 05/2019 MSC Magnifica
A venir : 11/2019 MSC Grandiosa
NOus nous sommes Coral avec 4980 points bientôt PEARL.
Nous avons découvert ce type de problème sur le FORTUNA, car dérrière la cabine nous avons contaté le local technique de la piscine a l'arrière du bateau. Cela ne se produit peut être pas sur tous les bateaux.
Le LUMINOSA quel beau bateau nous avions une cabine 4376 (interieur) a l'arrière du bateau silencieuse, bien sur quelques bruit avec le plafond quand cela bouge, au dessous le restaurant Taurus.
@+
Costa Classica en 2006, MSC Melodie 2007, Costa Victoria 2008, Costa Luminosa 2009, .......Costa Fortuna 2010, ..........Costa Marina TAJJ 2011, .............MSC Croisière Age tendre et tête de bois 2011,
Costa Deliziosa 2012 .............COSTA LA FIN................. Royal Caribean 2013
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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,
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!