hi everyone I’ll go ahead and restart the cruise calendar for 2025 for now. It can give people ideas and might help members meet up!

Two essential rules: don’t “quote” the calendar when replying—this’ll avoid any confusion and if you can, list your cruise in this example format: enter the month first, then date /username / SHIP / number of days / destination / departure port

FEBRUARY

14/02- poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY /11 days / Greece Turkey Cyprus / Piraeus (Athens) AUGUST 01/08- poupou10 / REGAL PRINCESS /13 days / British Isles / Southampton YOUR TURN 😉 NUMBER OF CRUISES 2025: 2 JANUARY FEBRUARY 14/02- poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY /11 days / Greece Turkey Cyprus / Piraeus (Athens) MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST 01/08- poupou10 / REGAL PRINCESS /13 days / British Isles / Southampton SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

MISE A JOUR LE 21 JUIN 2026 Bonjour Voici le calendrier des croisières pour 2026 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 2026 : 55 JANVIER 04/01 - Laurencemons / MSC VIRTUOSA / 8 jours / Caraïbes et Antilles / Pointe-à-Pitre 09/01 - frandan83 / COSTA SERENA / 21 jours / Asie / Singapour 09/01 - JOCOTO / COSTA SERENA / 30 jours / Asie / Singapour 16/01 - Domfwi972 / COSTA SERENA / 15 jours / Taiwan - Japon - Corée du Sud / Hong-Kong 22/01 - SophieP30 / MSC POESIA / 8 jours / Mer du Nord / Le Havre 25/01- 4yne / BOUGAINVILLE PONANT / 9 jours / L'essentiel des Seychelles / Victoria, Mahe

FEVRIER 06/02 - Jadorry / OCEANIA SIRENA / 16 jours / Chine-Vietnam-Singapour / Hong Kong 16/02 – poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY / 11 jours / Méditerranée orientale / Le Pirée

MARS 01/03 - LePiou / COSTA PACIFICA / 15 jours / Antilles / La Romana 05/03 - GuyParis01 / COSTA PACIFICA / 26 jours /Transat vers Savone / Pointe à Pitre 05/03 - JOCOTO / COSTA FASCINOSA / 23 jours / Caraïbes et transat / Fort De France 06/03 - frandan83 / COSTA FASCINOSA / 21 jours / Caraibes+transat / Pointe a pitre 15/03 - Allier34 / MSC MUSICA / 8 jours /Iles canaries/ Ténérife 16/03 - Papyvedrin / COSTA FAVOLOSA / Transatlantique / 16 jours / Rio de Janeiro 21/03 – francischem / MSC WORLD EUROPA / 8 Jours / Méditérrannée / Marseille 23/03 - CharlyLima / MSC FANTASIA / 22 jours / Transatlantique / Buenos Aires 28/03 - Mic81 / CFC RENAISSANCE / 15 jours / Aurores Boréales / DUNKERQUE

AVRIL

02/04 - Cristianh / MSC PREZIOSA / 18 jours / Transatlantique / Rio 03/04 - Manu4116 / COSTA FAVOLOSA /12 jours / Méditerranée / Marseille 05/04 - Alfred / MSC VIRTUOSA / 15 jours / Transatlantique vers à P à PITRE / Le Havre 11/04- MUM49 / RENAISSANCE / 6 jours / Fête des Tulipes / DUNKERQUE 15/04 - Gaston06 / ENCHANTED PRINCESS / 11 jours / Méd orientale / Civitavecchia 23/04 - Chanpy / MSC POESIA / 19 jours / de Miami à Seattle / MIAMI 26/04 Jadorry / PONANT LE BELLOT / 9 jours / Paysages et iles Atlantique Nord / Bordeaux

MAI 11/05 - Chanpy / MSC POESIA / 8 jours / ALASKA / Seattle 17/05 - LePiou / COSTA FAVOLOSA / 15 jours / Ecosse et Norvège / Hambourg 23/05 - powerbas / MSC OPERA / 11jours / péninsule ibérique Portugal / Gènes

JUIN 10/06 - Mum49 / RENAISSANCE / 10 jours / Les perles de la Baltique / DUNKERQUE 13/06 - Traveltine / MSC OPERA / 10 jours / méditerranée / MARSEILLE 21/06 - Véro34 / SILVERDAWN / 10 jours / Scandinavie et fjords / Copenhague 26/06 -Chanpy / MSC SEAVIEW / 8 jours / MÉDITERRANÉE / Marseille

JUILLET 06/07 - Meeuwen / MSC PREZIOSA / 12 jours / Ecosse Islande / Hambourg 23/07 - lol68 / NICKO MS BELLEJOUR / 15 jours / Von Wien bis ans Schwarze Meer / Vienne

AOÛT 01/08 - Micax / CFC RENAISSANCE / 11 jours / Splendeurs ibériques / Dunkerque 13/08 - MUM49 / MSC ORCHESTRA / 8 jours / Méditerranée / Marseille 17/08 - Gaston06 / CELEBRITY ASCENT / 12 jours / Italie, Grèce, Turquie / Civitavecchia 17/08 - Angelpat / MSC POESIA / 8 jours / Alaska / Seattle

SEPTEMBRE 13/09 - Ptitmimi78 / CFC Renaissance / 7 jours / Méditerranée / Marseille 14/09 - lol68 / NICKO VASCO DA GAMA / 13 jours / Ostsee Highlights / Kiel 20/09 - nebucanosor / LEGEND OF THE SEAS / 7 jours / Méditerranée occidentale/ Barcelone 25/09 - Chanpy / CELEBRITY SUMMIT / 7 jours / de Vancouver à Los Angeles / Vancouver 25/09 - Soran256 / MS EDELWEISS / 9 jours / croisiere sur le Rhin / Bâle 27/09 - sables67 / MSC ARMONIA / 8 jours / Méditerranée orientale / Venise

OCTOBRE 05/10 - LePiou / COSTA FAVOLOSA / 15 jours / Fjords Croisière Club/ Hambourg 07/10 - Fleur97490 / COSTA DIADEMA / 11 jours / Méditerranée Occidentale / Marseille 17/10 - Pierr38 / COSTA DIADEMA / 12 jours / Méditerranée occidentale / Gibraltar 18/10 - frandan83 / COSTA SERENA / 66 jours / TDM / TOKYO 19/10 - flofro63 / MSC MERAVIGLIA / 24 jours / transatlantique / Marseille 24/10 - Cristianh / MSC LIRICA / 13 jours / Méditerranée orientale / Venise

NOVEMBRE 04/11 - JOCOTO / CROWN PRINCESS / 31 jours / Océanie / SYDNEY / LOS ANGELES 09/11 – poupou10 / CELEBRITY EQUINOX / 10 jours / Méditerranée / Barcelone 12/11 – Verbatim /MSC PREZIOSA / 7 jours / Europe du Nord / Hambourg 14/11 - Véro34 / AZAMARA PURSUIT / 20 jours / Indonésie et Australie / Singapour

DECEMBRE 03/12 - Ptitmimi78 / MSC PREZIOZA / 7 jours / Europe du Nord /Le Havre 04/12 - Véro34 / AZAMARA PURSUIT / 15 jours / Australie et Nouvelle Zélande / Sydney 20/12 - Lepiou / COSTA FASCINOSA /15 jours / Caraïbes Antilles / LA ROMANA

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

Hi, COSTA PACIFICA repositioning cruise Rio / Marseille, March 27, 2025, 19 days

Hi there, Has anyone taken a cruise to the Canary Islands and Madeira with Costa? Thanks for your replies! Jibé

Great to see VF back in action! However, is it normal that we can’t upload more than 10 photos per post? If so, that’s a real shame!

Looks like I’m the first to post a review, but I’m sure others will follow to keep this forum—our forum—alive. Once again, a BIG thank you for bringing it back!

I got home yesterday but still can’t sleep, so I’d rather share this amazing cruise I just took on the Royal Princess.

Last year, I did almost the same itinerary on the Ovation OTS (Royal Caribbean), and it was mixed at best—let’s just say it was disappointing.

The itinerary: - Los Angeles - 5 days at sea - Honolulu - Hilo (replaced by Kona) - 5 days at sea - Papeete - Papeete - Moorea - 3 days at sea - Pago Pago (Samoa Islands) = canceled - 1 day at sea - International Date Line crossing - 1 day at sea - Tauranga - Tauranga - Auckland

I booked this cruise over a year in advance through the Logitravel agency. I chose a Balcony Category D cabin because the Cat B cabins on this ship class don’t have a sofa. I like having a couch in the cabin so I don’t have to sit directly on the bed when I come in.

My last cruise with Princess was years ago, and after last year’s disappointment with Royal Caribbean (Ovation OTS), I decided to give Princess another try. Not only did I love the itinerary, but the cruise was longer, and there was a new port for me—Pago Pago—which unfortunately got canceled.

Honestly, I can tell you I didn’t regret my choice for a second—this cruise will stay with me forever. Everything, or almost everything, was PERFECT!

After Oceania, I’d rank Princess in second place, and I think their service is a notch above Celebrity. You’ll see why as you read this review.

From what I remember, Catherine Isa and others have already tried this ship class and loved it.

Here we go! Day 1: Departure from Roissy to Los Angeles on an Air France flight.





Last year, I flew Air Tahiti Nui (ATN) for the same route, and I can tell you it was WAY better than AF in terms of comfort and service. Unfortunately, ATN now flies very few routes to Los Angeles, preferring to transit through Seattle to get to Papeete. So, I had to go with AF. Back in 2018, I did a Paris/Papeete flight with AF and was a bit disappointed with the 24-hour journey. Anyway!

During this flight, we had one meal and a snack before landing in LA. Drinks were available throughout the flight. We arrived on time in LA.

Before taking off from Roissy, I downloaded the MPC (Mobile Passport Control) app—a mobile app for travelers with an ESTA to save time at customs (only for those returning to the U.S. at least a second time). It lets eligible travelers skip the long lines at customs when arriving in the U.S. After filling out a form and answering a few questions about your trip in advance, you get a ticket that lets you access a special line with shorter wait times. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the ticket, so I had to wait in the regular line. Thirty minutes later, I got the ticket, but it was too late—I was already in the visitor line. It took us 1.5 hours to get through immigration.

Since I’m traveling again in January next year, I’ll try MPC again to see if it works.

After leaving the airport, I took a taxi to my hotel on Hollywood Blvd, but the driver tried to scam me to make more money. Last year, the same ride cost $50, but this time, he took a long detour to run up the meter. When I saw it hit $80, I told him that last year the same trip cost $50, and we weren’t even there yet. He said, “You’re going to a hotel on Hollywood Blvd, and you’re quibbling over a few dollars?” I told him I wouldn’t pay that much because I saw he took a longer route (via Google Maps), and if needed, I’d call the police. Then he said, “Let’s work something out.” I told him I’d pay $50, just like last year—not a cent more. When we arrived, he said, “Give me $60, and we’ll call it even.” So, I gave him $60. If I hadn’t said anything, he would’ve charged me over $100. Oh well!

Our hotel (Lowes Hotel) is on Hollywood Blvd. It’s a really nice hotel with a rooftop pool. That said, it’s not worth 330 € per night plus 30 € per person for breakfast. But since we’re on Hollywood Blvd, everything’s overpriced.













We checked into our room with a view of the Hollywood Sign (as requested). We dropped off our things, then relaxed by the pool with a drink before taking a stroll down Hollywood Blvd.





That evening, we went to dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel, just 100 meters from our hotel—a legendary Hollywood hotel where Marilyn Monroe used to stay regularly. In fact, her suite still bears her name. Honestly, the hotel is really old, and I didn’t think much of it—or the dinner. We headed back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep because tomorrow we had a tour booked to see the stars’ houses and Beverly Hills.

To be continued: Beverly Hills/Hollywood tour and embarkation.

Hello,

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.

Good evening, cruise friends! I’m planning my Japan cruise with Costa.

Is it more worthwhile to book excursions before departure? With MSC, yes, because you save 15%, but what about with Costa?

For those who’ve already done this cruise, do you have any tips or recommendations, please? We’re staying 1.5 days before and 3 days after in Hong Kong. Thanks in advance! Chantal Ports of call: Hong Kong - Keelung (Taiwan) - Japan (Naha - Kagoshima - Tokyo - Kobe - Nagasaki) - Busan (South Korea) - Hong Kong

Hi, I’m going on a solo cruise from Marseille to Hamburg—13 nights, 4 days at sea on the Costa Favalosa. The stops are Genoa, Barcelona, Málaga, Cádiz, Porto, A Coruña, Le Havre, and Hamburg. I’ve booked a Costa excursion for Porto and Hamburg that ends at the airport. I plan to explore the other stops on my own (I’ve already visited Barcelona and Málaga). The stops should be pretty easy to do solo, but I’d love any tips on A Coruña. I’d also like to know if there’s a shuttle to get out of the port in Le Havre or go into the city center. Looking forward to exchanging ideas with others who might be doing this route! Best, Varoise

Hello, Looking forward to a beautiful transatlantic crossing on December 6th. Anyone from the forum going?

Hi there,

We’re boarding a Costa cruise on the Deliziosa next weekend at 11:30 AM. Our flight lands at 10 AM at Trieste Airport. Unfortunately, there’s no train before 11 AM, so we’ll arrive around noon, later than the time indicated on the boarding pass. Could you confirm that we can easily arrive 30 minutes later? I imagine there must be quite a wait to board.

Thanks so much!

Hi there, I’m traveling on a transatlantic cruise from Rio to Barcelona from March 16 to 31, 2026. My partner only drinks water, and I’m looking for another couple in the same situation so we can optimize a drinks package that isn’t worth it if one of us doesn’t consume anything (Costa). Thanks for your feedback, Daniel

Hello,

We (a family of two adults and two kids) are going on our first cruise this August on the Costa Esmeralda. To make sure everything goes smoothly, I booked a suite. I have a few questions to prepare well and I’m definitely open to any tips.

I read that a restaurant is reserved, specifically the Bellavista. What confused me a bit is that I saw others mention the Panama. I’m pretty sure it’s the Bellavista, especially after checking the ship’s layout.

About this restaurant: - Is it accessible on embarkation day, say around 1:30 PM? - Same question for when we return from excursions around 1:30 PM

I’ve done my research otherwise, but I’m still open to any advice.

Thanks in advance to all cruisers who take the time to reply.

Si vous voyagez sur le Costa Diadema du 17 au 28 Octobre 2026 pour Lisbonne, Nous pouvons nous rencontrer autour d'un verre. Partager nos expériences de croisiéristes, une excursion, une table...

Hi, I’ll be going on a cruise with Costa Toscana soon. During the stopover in Barcelona, is it possible to walk to La Rambla from where the ship docks, or is it better to take a bus or taxi? Also, any ideas for the Ibiza stopover? Thanks, Diane

Hi...back on VF since 2020.. From 2020 to 2022 in hibernation due to the Covid years...and 2023-2024 only local trips...I'm getting back into international travel this year, 2025, and after a trip to Nice and Monaco in January, I signed up with some friends for a Costa Smeralda cruise...but I realize I've lost my motivation for cruising...I can't stand the idea of being on a boat anymore, with all the things I worry about...getting sick, the crowds, boarding and disembarking at ports, mass-produced food...my three friends insist on having me with them, especially since we booked two balconies for the four of us :) ... What are cruises like these days? ...I'd love to know if the atmosphere and buffets are still great?

Hi everyone, I’m going on a Costa cruise in May with a stop in Kotor. Does anyone know if we’ll disembark by tender boats and if we can explore Kotor on our own? Thanks for your replies! Have a great evening

Hi everyone and happy 2025, full of dreams! During our Costa cruise on the *Delisioza* from May 3rd to 10th, we have a stop in Bari (2:00 PM to 8:00 PM), and we're torn between two 5-hour excursions: "The Sassi of Matera" or "The Tale of the Trulli of Alberobello." For those who’ve been to both, which one would you recommend? Thanks for your replies or tips!

Hi everyone, I’ve booked a cruise on the Preziosa to Brazil in October 2025. I’d like to know if we can get a taxi right from the ship to São Paulo airport from the port of Santos. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 2:40 PM, and we dock at 8:00 AM. MSC has an excursion planned, but we’d arrive at the airport too late. Thanks to anyone who can give us some info. Best regards,

Hello

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 new to this forum and I’m going on a Costa cruise in three weeks with my family (there’ll be 14 of us in total). The planned stops are: Barcelona, Palma, Ibiza, Palermo, Rome, and Savona. Given the high cost of the excursions offered by Costa, I’m looking for tips and great deals. In your opinion, what are the best excursions to do at these stops? Which sites shouldn’t be missed? Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

SANDRINE🙂

Hi, is anyone joining the transatlantic cruise on the Costa Fortuna from November 22 to December 12, from Marseille to Fort-de-France? I’m traveling solo, so if you’re in the same boat, feel free to reach out!

Looking for reviews and suggestions for this Costa Serena cruise with the flight from Paris CDG to Hong Kong. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Can anyone give me some info about this Spa Access day? We traveled with Costa until 2017, and back then, spa access wasn’t just for a day—it was for the entire cruise if you were staying in a suite... Times change, I guess. When I check MY COSTA, under Thermal Space Access Day appointments, it’s possible to book every day, even at sea, but with payment required on the site. Do we need to book this day on board if we want to take advantage of the free day? Or do we book it on the site and the freebie is applied automatically? Are sea days included in this case? Since 2017, we’ve been traveling with MSC YC, but this time, we’re going as a family with kids and grandkids, so the YC is a bit too much of a luxury and not really suitable for 3 kids.

Thanks for any feedback!

hi, I’m going on a cruise on the Costa TOSCANA in October, and I’ll be celebrating my birthday there. I wanted to make it special and try ARCHIPELAGO for the first time. And also go back to Teppanyaki (I really like their menu and the atmosphere). I see there’s a package for 3 culinary experiences at 88 €. According to the description, you can go to the specialty restaurants 3 times. That price seems really low to me, since Archipelago alone costs around 55 €... and with this package, you could go 3 times? Plus, there’s another package next to it: 1 Archipelago and 1 Teppanyaki (without specifying the menu) for 80 €. Has anyone already tried the 3-experience package? What did you think? Thanks for your feedback

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.

‌ Hi there, Here’s a little review of our cruise on the Renaissance from October 18 to 29, 2025 (11 nights). It was our first experience with CFC. Some other forum members were on board too, so we can probably compare notes and correct me if I’m wrong!

The stops were as follows: 10/18 departure from Marseille 10/19 at sea 10/20 Cartagena 10/21 Almería 10/22 Gibraltar 10/23 Cádiz 10/24 at sea 10/25 Leixões (Porto) 10/26 Vigo 10/27 at sea 10/28 at sea 10/29 Dunkirk

First, a quick intro. We’re a family of four with two kids, ages 8 and 11. We booked this cruise in January 2025, right when it went on sale. At the time, it was priced at 763 € per adult (+ 99 € in tips) and 114.45 € per child (under 12, no tips to pay) for an ocean-view cabin (all ocean-view categories were the same price). Since there was also a single-parent offer (meaning one paying adult in the cabin was enough to get the child rate for the accompanying kid), I asked if we could take advantage of this offer to get two double cabins at the same price as one quadruple cabin (to have more space), and yes, it was possible. So we booked two premium ocean-view double cabins side by side. It was the same price as a quadruple. We booked directly through CFC because my husband had a promotional code from his works council. In total, for the four of us, we paid 1830 €, tips included. It’s true we booked early, but the rate was good, and we had the constraint of traveling as a family of four, so cabin choices were more limited. It’s also worth noting that the single-parent offer is limited.

Now, about embarkation: 10/18 Marseille Coming from the north, we took the direct TGV that morning at 7:22 AM, scheduled to arrive in Marseille at 12:24 PM. The trip went smoothly, great weather, and we arrived just one minute late. I had planned to get to the port using the free 35T shuttle from Joliette. To get to the bus stop, there were two options: the metro or walking. Since the weather was beautiful and the kids needed to stretch their legs, we opted for the second option. The route is all downhill, so it was pretty easy even with the suitcases. But I wouldn’t do it the other way around! We arrived at Joliette around 12:50 PM, just in time for the 1:00 PM shuttle, which arrived a few minutes late. Other cruisers got on board too. That day, there were two Costa ships and one MSC ship at the port as well. Traffic was heavy, and the shuttle arrived at the port entrance at 1:30 PM. We were scheduled for 2:30 PM. We were lucky to be at the closest embarkation terminal. So we were among those who had the least walking to do. We dropped off our suitcases and headed to the check-in counter. There were plenty of desks and almost no passengers. So we quickly completed the embarkation formalities—in just a few minutes—and when we boarded, it wasn’t even 2:00 PM yet. We headed to the buffet, where there weren’t many people. As we finished lunch, it was around 3:00 PM when they announced the cabins were ready. We went down to drop off our luggage in the cabins and then went up to the top deck to take some photos. The ship’s daily program said the safety drill would be at 4:00 PM. So we went to deck 6 at the scheduled time. But later, they announced it would actually be at 4:30 PM! In short, we waited 30 minutes for nothing because of a difference between the scheduled and actual time! The drill itself was long. Gathering everyone took about 20 minutes, I think. Just as we finished, they announced the departure, originally scheduled for 5:00 PM, was delayed until 9:00 PM due to latecomers. We went to check out the library, which had tons of board games and books—more than we’d ever seen. What stood out on this first day was that, for the first time, we had a French-speaking embarkation, announcements only in French (except for the safety drill), French-speaking servers, a paper daily program in French, books in French (which we’d never find on another ship), and menus in French. To wrap up the day, we had dinner at Vatel. I had requested the first seating (6:30 PM) and a table for four, and we got it. We were seated upstairs near the window—a very pleasant table that we’d occupy every evening. What was a little surprising, but we got used to it, was that you had to order everything you wanted at once. The portions weren’t big, but you could choose what you wanted. The cheese was French and excellent.

To be continued...

Hi everyone, I’m starting to look into small solo cruises, for now in November. It’s my first cruise, so I’m a bit nervous. Anyone potentially interested in 7 days in Italy, Tunisia, and Spain? If you’ve got any tips, I’d love to hear them. Looking forward to reading your replies

Hello everyone,

I’ve wanted to take this Norway cruise for a very long time. The first time I booked it was in July 2020 with Azamara. Unfortunately, it was canceled, as everyone remembers. When I tried to book it again, the prices (already a bit high with Azamara) had simply doubled. So, since then, I’ve been keeping an eye out every year for any opportunities...

The last time we sailed with Princess was eleven years ago, and things didn’t go very well. I came back pretty unhappy with their service and quite disappointed. Despite the $600 they gave me as credit for a future cruise, I’d never set foot on one of their ships again.

But this time, the opportunity arose—a fantastic itinerary with lots of stops, a reasonable price for 16 nights (I’ll share the details in the conclusion), and a ship that’s not too big, so to speak, with only 3,000 passengers. I’m not expecting much from the cruise line this time and am boarding the ship with low expectations beyond the itinerary.

Princess has introduced an app to download before the cruise. It’s essential because online check-in is no longer available, and the agency doesn’t send a travel journal. Everything is done through the app. After completing the check-in on the app, we only know that we’ll need to pick up our key, the Medallion, at embarkation by following the blue line in the terminal and presenting our passport.



Up until our departure, the weather forecast for the coming week in Norway is disastrous—rain, rain, and more rain. It was pretty much the same two years ago before our Iceland cruise, and in the end, the weather turned out fine.

If you’re ready to embark on the Emerald Princess to discover this beautiful cruise and the stunning landscapes of Norway, let’s go!

Southampton - Sea day - Bergen - Olden - Åndalsnes - Sea day - Tromsø - Honningsvåg (North Cape) - Alta - Sea day - Molde - Trondheim - Two sea days - Edinburgh - Sea day - Southampton

Hi Has anyone sailed with the French company CFC? What do you think? Haven’t seen many reviews about this company.