Je dois vous dire que je n' ai pas été déçut de cette croisière superbe que nous avons faite.
Les escales, que ce soit par costa ou par nos propre moyens ont été bien, belles et intéressantes.
La nourriture était très bonne, bien présentée, bien servie, avec assez de temps pour manger.
Nous étions du premier service et nous avions le temps de nous doucher et de nous changer pour allé manger, après quoi nous avions le temps de faire les boutiques avant le spectacle.
Les ascenseurs ne sont que deux pour remonter et descendre au dîner, mais descendre cela allait par les escaliers, et pour remonter, ou on remontait ces escaliers et on brûlait ses calories ou il suffisait de passer par les couloir et d' aller chercher l' ascenseur du milieu du bateau qui était peu connu, nous l' avions presque immédiatement.
Le personnel était d' une grande gentillesse et d' une grande efficacité.
Le commandant et ces officiers étaient très bien et fort présent lors des cocktails.
Magnifique, je le conseille a tous, bien qu' il va partir chez TOMSON, il est un vrai bateau de croisière, avec ces tapis, ces rampes en laitons, frottées et nettoyée sans arrêt, d' ou une certaine odeur qui j' avais entendu dire dans ce forum gênait certains , les plancher aussi étaient entretenu un peu comme sur certains voiliers, je trouve qu' il ressemblait bien a un bateau de croisière comme je les voyais dans de nombreux films.
Enfin je n' ai été déçut en rien de cette croisière et j' aime le dire car si j' avais été déçut je n' aurais pas hésité a vous le dire.
J' espère que je ne vous aurais pas embêté par ma longueur mais je trouve que ce bateau et ces gens qui y travaillent le méritent vraiment.
Je dois vous dire que je n' ai pas été déçu de cette croisière superbe que nous avons faite.
Les escales, que ce soit par costa ou par nos propre moyens ont été bien, belles et intéressantes.
La nourriture était très bonne, bien présentée, bien servie, avec assez de temps pour manger.
Nous étions du premier service et nous avions le temps de nous doucher et de nous changer pour aller manger, après quoi nous avions le temps de faire les boutiques avant le spectacle.
Les ascenseurs ne sont que deux pour remonter et descendre au dîner, mais descendre cela allait par les escaliers, et pour remonter, ou on remontait ces escaliers et on brûlait ses calories ou il suffisait de passer par les couloir et d' aller chercher l' ascenseur du milieu du bateau qui était peu connu, nous l' avions presque immédiatement.
Le personnel était d' une grande gentillesse et d' une grande efficacité.
Le commandant et ces officiers étaient très bien et fort présent lors des cocktails.
Magnifique, je le conseille a tous, bien qu' il va partir chez TOMSON, il est un vrai bateau de croisière, avec ces tapis, ces rampes en laitons, frottées et nettoyée sans arrêt, d' ou une certaine odeur qui j' avais entendu dire dans ce forum gênait certains , les plancher aussi étaient entretenus un peu comme sur certains voiliers, je trouve qu' il ressemblait bien a un bateau de croisière comme je les voyais dans de nombreux films.
Enfin je n' ai été déçu en rien de cette croisière et j' aime le dire car si j' avais été déçu je n' aurais pas hésité a vous le dire.
J' espère que je ne vous aurais pas embêté par ma longueur mais je trouve que ce bateau et ces gens qui y travaillent le méritent vraiment.
Ce qui serait sympa, c'est de nous faire vivre votre compte rendu avec des photos.
Si ce voyage sur l'EUROPA a été sympa, vous pensez bien que beaucoup d'entre nous souhaitent avoir plus d'infos, d'images et du vécu chaque jour sur ce bateau car pour ma part, je ne le connais pas.
Une question, vous êtes revenu sur Marseille ?
Car samedi, je l'ai vu et comme il était à quai, je l'ai flashé.
Allez, vous nous en dites plus et croyez-moi, on ne s'en lasse pas.
J'étais également de la même croisière il n'y a pas si longtemps que cela maintenant... c'est vrai que la croisière était vraiment belle, beau temps et beaux paysages !
Nous sommes bien revenus à Marseille !
Pour les photos, y'en a beaucoup trop..... et je n'en ai que 200 ;-)
il faut encore tout trier..... c'est du travail !
Vivement la prochaine en avril !! ;-)
2007 ET 2008 CONCORDIA Méditerranée & MEDITERRANEA Espagne Portugal / 2009 ATLANTICA Caraibes (Transat) & EUROPA Canaries / 2010 -ATLANTICA USA Canada / 2011 SERENA Transat brésilienne / 2013 mars MEDITERRANEA Transat Caraibes / 2015 LUMINOSA Caraibes de l'ouest et Transat Caraibes
je vais essayer d' en mettre quelques unes pour votre travail qui me plait, mais entre mon travail que j' ai repris, les photos de notre mariage, celle de la croisière et celle de ce site, il me faudra le temps.
Merci de votre gentillesse et de vos renseignements avant cette croisière.
Thomas
Nous serons donc patient pour les photos car du fait de l'avoir seulement approché, je souhaiterais le connaître par vos images de l'intérieur et avoir vos remarque sur l'ambiance à bord.
J'ai hâte de voir vos photos. Je devais prendre l'Europa l'année dernière mais la croisière avait été annulée.
Alors je serais contente de le voir de plus près ce bateau qui m'a fait faux bond😉
Cela dit, j'ai quand même fait une superbe croisière sur le Classica.
Bonne journée.
Doris
M/S Regina 2003 /Costa Marina 2006 / Classica 2008 / Victoria 2009 / Luminosa 2010 / Atlantica21011/ Pacifica 2012/neomoRantica 2013/ Mediterranea 2014/ Magica 2015/Favolosa 2016/ Pacifica 2018.
ouf, une fois arrivé a Savone on a vu que l' on s' était trompé, voici le vrai EUROPA avec quelques photos de l' intérieure, une des 6 grandes suites, le bateau en extérieur en simple photo et en panoramique.
Plus quelques photos du soleil qui nous a comme a son habitude servit tant de magnifiques spectacles.
J' espère que cela vous plaira et vous donnera envie de monter sur ce magnifique bateau ou l' intérieure ressemble encore a un bateau de croisière avec ces cuivres frotté sans cesse, avec ces pont des officiers frotté centimètre carré par centimètre carré.
Quel plaisir fut cette croisière, vraiment magnifique, le bateau, les officiers, le personnel de bord, ils étaient serviables, souriant, gentils et lorsque un problème m' embètait a la clim, après mon coup de téléphone au bureau des service, cinq minute après, le réparateur était la et me dépannait avec le sourir malgès l' heure tardive, minuit dix.
Amicalement Thomas et Rosa
1 : Vue avant du COSTA EUROPA
2 : puzzle de l' europa
3 : panoramique dede huit photos de l' europa avec ce bateau sur son flanc qui lui fait le plein pour ouvoir faire une longue distance, journée en mer.
4 : vue panoramique de plusieurs photos du théatre.
5 : vue panoramique de plusieurs photos d' un des restaurant avec cette grande verrière.
6 : vue du soleil couchant.
7 : vue du soleil couchant.
8 : vue du pont promenade, avec quelques transat pour profiter du soleil couchant.
9 : un des ponts arrières ou l' on pouvait boire un verre ou deux en regardant le coucher du soleil.
10: un lever de soleil sur Madère ou les nuages tombent très bas sur l' ile.
11: Couloir qui donnent a nos suites
12: vue sur le salon, le couloir qui va vers la sortie, la chambre et la salle de bains.
13: la chambre.
14: le salon et la chambre avec les paneaux de séparations ouverts.
15: un autre coucher de soleil.
vue du pont a notre niveau et de la piscine avec toit qui se referme. pont 11.
16: autre vue de la chambre, les paneaux isolant la chambre du salon était ouvers.
17: vue du coin bureau ou le petit déjeuné et le déjeuné pouvait etre servit.
Le mageordom gentil et souriant servait dans les 6 suites.
18: ce même mageordome au spectacle organisé par ces gens qui en plus chantaient si bien et juste.
Vue de la salle de bain, partie évier.
Voicit quelques autres photos.
1 : Baignoire avec jets massant ou bain a bulles.
2 : Casino.
3 : Partie de leurs spectacle.
4 : couloir menant aux cabines extérieures et intérienres, certains couloirs étaient4 ou 5 fois plus long.
5 : piscine pont arrière pont 9.
6 : autre vue des endroits ou l' on pouvait se désaltérrer et au dessus un solaium.
7 : couloir menant a nos suites.
8 : escaliers avec rampes en cuivre et glaces, jeux extra pour quelqu' un qui aime la photographie.
9 : vue du port de Funchal en dessandant par le téléférique, prise au travers du plexi glace.PS, le bateau que l' on aperçoit dans le port c' est le COSTA EUROPA bien sur.
😉Super sympa, Thomas, ces photos...
Il a l'air très bien ce navire et peut de personne en font de la pub !!!
Je viens de découvrir ces espaces avec ces belles images.
L'ambiance était comment à bord ?
Merci
JC
il me fait penser aux vrais paquebots d'antan. belle allure. je l'avais vu une fois à savone. en 2005 alors que je débarquais du fortuna. je n'y avais guère preter attention. ma passion des paquebots de croisières n'avait pas encore débutée. et puis j'étais encore sous le charme de ma 1ere croisière sur le fortuna...😉
j'ai pris ce bâteau déjà deux fois, dont l'an dernier pendant 28 jours pour la transafricaine, je l'aime beaucoup car pas trop grand(environ 1700 passagers), décoration assez classe:seul bâteau de Costa à avoir des antiquités authentiques:tableaux, objets de marine, dont canon, art primitif..., les cabines me semblent un peu plus grandes que sur d'autres navires Costa(je ne connais pas ceux de la dernière génération), deux piscines dont une à toit ouvrant.Vraiment sympathique.
merci de vos commentaires a propos de mes photos.
J' ai vraiment aimé ce bateau qui était comme dans les films que j' avais vu, avec des rampes en cuivre, de grandes glaces etc....
Merci
Thomas et Rosa
😉Je n'avais pas vu, il rigole bien l'ami Didier, mais il pense à ses copains de VF restés au pays.
A cette heure il devrait pas être loin de ..... l'ordi.
Prends ton temps. Moi je suis entrain de faire.....mes valises , et oui t'arrives, je pars...
j'espère que tu as eu pas trop mauvais temps. Je t'ai suivi à la webcam.
J' espère que cela vous plaira et vous donnera envie de monter sur ce magnifique bateau ou l' intérieure ressemble encore a un bateau de croisière avec ces cuivres frotté sans cesse, avec ces pont des officiers frotté centimètre carré par centimètre carré.
Quel plaisir fut cette croisière, vraiment magnifique, le bateau, les officiers, le personnel de bord, ils étaient serviables, souriant, gentils et lorsque un problème m' embêtait a la clim, après mon coup de téléphone au bureau des service, cinq minute après, le réparateur était la et me dépannait avec le sourire malgré l' heure tardive, minuit dix.
Amicalement Thomas et Rosa
Comme je vous l' expliquait l' autre jour, l' ambiance était super sympa, les officiers et les gens qui s' occupaient de nous étaient vraiment d' une grande gentillesse.
les musiques différentes dans chaque salon, les différents restaurants, tout était bien, même les odeurs que les produit d' entretient dégageaient en douceur.
J' espère que cela répond bien a vos questions, dommage que costa s' en sépare.
Amicalement Rosa et Thomas
Apres 10 somptueux jours a bord du costa europa en mediterranee (croisieres grandes civilisations antiques);je me tiens a votre disposition pour répondre a…
Nous avons fait avec ma femme notre lune de miel sur le costa europa le 10 juin 2006 avec pour escales naple, alexandrie, limassol, rhodes, athenes et…
Avec les événements à Madagascar, les passagers du Costa Europa ont connu une croisière plus que modifiée. Qu'ont-ils fait à la place des escales malgaches?…
Pour commencer ce fut que du BONHEUR!!! Merci à tous pour les renseignements donnés avant la croisière, à mon tour de donner mon avis puisque ça y est la…
Nous revenons de notre croisière perles de l'ocean indien à bord du Costa Europa du 16 au 30 Janvier 2009, une seule chose à dire c'était le rêve total. Nous…
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!