Hi everyone, has anyone had a stopover in VALENCIA and IBIZA during a cruise??? Could you give me some tips on how to do the excursions on our own? Thanks!

Bonjour,

Nous arrivons d'une croisière du 13/08/26 au 20/08/26 s/ le MSC ORCHESTRA avec escales à Tarragone, Valence, Livourne, Civitaveccia , Gênes et retour à Marseille. Le bateau était complet. Les transats déjà bien occupés par des serviettes de plage dès le matin et 1 ou 2 personnes dans les piscines....par contre, le jour du débarquement des Italiens, très peu de serviettes s/ les transats. Nous avons trouvé les Italiens moins volubiles .

Nous avions 1 cabine balcon au pont 9 à tribord. Cabine spacieuse , cependant le canapé était orienté face au bureau et pour regarder la TV, c'était torticolis assuré. Nous avons donc changé l'orientation du canapé pour le mettre face à la TV ( nous l'avons bien sûr remis à sa place le jour du débarquement). Nous étions 325 francophones à bord Beaucoup de personnel de l'île Maurice ce qui facilité les échanges.

Pas d'annonce intempestive s/ le bingo etc.....ça change de COSTA.

Pour le dîner, nous étions au 1er service à 19h45, à 1 table de 6.Le 1er soir nous étions 2 couples de "cheveux blancs" à table. Le second soir, 2 jeunes femmes se sont présentées à notre table et en nous voyant ont demandé à changer de table... L e spectacle pour notre horaire de dîner était à 22h15 et se terminait vers 23h. Nous avons trouvé cela tardif pour nous.Spectacles variés et de qualité. Menus au restaurant avec du choix, par contre au buffet le midi , beaucoup de plats avec pas mal de féculents.Goûter de 16h30-17h30 avec de bonnes pâtisseries entre autres.

Nous avons eu un problème de climatisation et de mauvaises odeurs dans la cabine un ap-midi. J'ai signalé le problème à l'accueil et du personnel avec notre Cabinier sont venus voir dans la cabine.Le problème a été résolu dans l'ap-midi. Deux jours après, nous avons eu la surprise de trouver 1 sac avec des objets à l'intérieur: 2 tasses MSC et 2 gourdes MSC maintenant le froid et le chaud pendant 10h.C'était un cadeau du service client suite aux mauvaises odeurs dans notre cabine.Nous ne nous attendions pas du tout à ce geste et nous avons remercié le service client de MSC.

Pour les excursions, MSC propose toujours des transferts port- C Ville pour 14 euros/ Ad à Valence et Tarragone, et 12 euros / enfant. Pour Livourne; 10 euros/Ad et 7 euros/enfant A Civitaveccia, navette pour la gare à 6 euros. Sur l'application MSC for Me, il y avait des "promotions" s/ certaines excursions. Nous avons beaucoup apprécié cette croisière mais nous n'avons pas pu revoir certaines escales, ( Tarragone et Valence ) , par nous-mêmes car il faisait trop chaud. Belle soirée: Mum49

Hi,

Is it possible to get promotions on the MSC Yacht Club section? What strategy should I adopt to get the best prices: book in advance or at the last minute? Is it better to book directly with MSC or through a third-party provider to get the best value for money? Thanks

My wife and I are going on the "Christmas and Holiday Traditions" cruise from December 22 to January 5. This is our first time with CFC. We’ve done dozens of cruises over the past 35 years—including three world cruises with Costa—but we’re tired of the Italian attitude. We’ve also done 3 or 4 with MSC, Club Med 2, and a long time ago, the Mermoz with Croisières Paquet, in short… Given the reviews, we’re wondering about the all-French aspect, since the Filipino crews are nice but French is complicated for them. And the comments about the food aren’t exactly reassuring. Yes, the drink packages are way too expensive. We’ll have to wait and see how much the excursions cost… It’s an old ship, so let’s hope everything still works. See you soon!

Hello,

As you may have read or heard—or I’m letting you know now—CFC is merging with Ambassador Cruise Line 😉

I’ve sailed with Ambassador twice already, and honestly, this merger makes total sense! Both companies offer the same type of service (with Ambassador’s English touch), and they generally have similar ships and target the same clientele.

To be honest, I think this is great news! I really hope Ambassador’s influence rubs off on CFC, especially in fixing all the issues I’ve had on Renaissance that I’ve never encountered on Ambassador (food quality, service, cabin problems, etc.).

Leading Ambassador are real cruise enthusiasts—passionate people with a clear marketing direction and a much more professional way of working with travel agents than CFC.

In short, I think this is fantastic news 🙂

Plus, Renaissance will be in the Caribbean next winter, so I assume European cruises will run on Ambience and Ambition. If English doesn’t scare you (too much), and you like the cozy ship vibe with great value for money, check out Ambassador—they’ve got some amazing itineraries! 😉

If you’d like more info on Ambassador, just ask 😉

What do you all think?

Here are a few photos of Ambience

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

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…

Hi there, In June we’re taking a cruise called "Pearls of the Baltic" on board Renaissance CFC Cruises—with stops in Kiel (Germany), Gdańsk (Poland), Rønne (Bornholm), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Gothenburg (Sweden).

This layover in Gothenburg doesn’t really inspire me—could you tell me what’s worth seeing? Are there locals offering excursions around the area by van right when you leave the port, like you often see on Caribbean cruises?

I saw there’s a hop-on hop-off bus, but I’m not sure if there’s a stop near the terminal.

What are your suggestions? Thanks in advance! Best regards,

Hi, we have a layover in Motril and want to get to the Alhambra on our own. Has anyone here already made this trip? Thanks! :)

Hi, I have a stopover in Messina—is it possible to get to Taormina without booking the ship’s excursions?

Hello, We’re going on a cruise on the Renaissance With CFC Cruises from August 5 to 16, 2025. We have a stopover in Lisbon, and I’d like some info on transportation for visiting the Alfama and Belém neighborhoods. Can we buy single transport tickets? Are there any other travelers doing this cruise? Thanks for your help

Hello, we're going on a cruise in August with the Celestyal Journey. During this cruise, we have a one-day stop in Venice. We arrive at Marghera, the new port. Does anyone know how to get to the center of Venice from Marghera, and if anyone has taken this boat before, do they provide shuttles to get there? Thanks for your tips. Best regards

Hi, I’m on a layover in Barcelona—what’s the best way to get to Barcelona’s football stadium? Thanks

Hi everyone, Little cruise heading north... First stop: Copenhagen. There’s a good chance the boat will dock at OCEAN QUAY, which is over 5 km away from the Little Mermaid! I’m struggling to figure out how to get there by taxi, bus, or shuttle. Thanks for your tips! I can still walk, but 5 km through the port area... Have a great rest of the day!

Hi everyone, We’re looking for info on the stopovers in NEWCASTLE, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, INVERGORDON, and LERWICK. Cruise departing from Hamburg. Thanks in advance to those who can tell us if the ports are far from the cities, what there is to see, and whether we can manage excursions on our own... Have a great day

Hi everyone, Actually, the stopover is Zeebrugge, of course, but my destination is Bruges. I’ll go from the ship to Bruges by the bus provided by the cruise line (CFC), and I’d like to know exactly where the bus drops us off (I assume it’s south of the city, but I really don’t know). Since walking isn’t always easy for me, this will help me plan my routes a bit in advance. Thanks in advance!

Hi, do you have any info about a layover in Palermo? What can you visit in a few hours?? Thanks everyone

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 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

Anyone have a tip for visiting Cagliari during a cruise stopover without shelling out for the ship’s overpriced excursions? Thanks for your help! M.B

Hello,

My family and I (2 adults and a 6-year-old girl) are going on a cruise in January to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. We’re departing from Guadeloupe, where we live. This is a first for me because personally, I’m not a fan of this kind of trip (I prefer traveling on foot with a backpack, but I want to make my family happy 😉). I’m used to planning my trips from A to Z, so it’s unthinkable for me to take the excursions offered by the cruise line (too crowded and too expensive). I’ve already sent a few requests to car rental companies on these islands, but if you have any contacts or great tips, I’d love to hear them! 🙂 I’m also wondering what itineraries to do during these short days ashore? Which places or activities shouldn’t be missed? (Preferably nature, culture, no shopping—unless it’s local crafts worth the detour!)

Anyway, I’m open to all your advice

Thanks so much!

Hi there, Looking for advice on how to get from the cruise stop at La Goulette to Sidi Bou Said on my own. Cruise is planned for November. Thanks in advance for your help! Hester

One-day layover in Tangier, what to do?

Hi there, I have a layover in Naples in September and have two quick questions: - Does the boat still dock in the city? - Hotel: Could anyone recommend a 3- or 4-star hotel in the city that you’ve personally stayed at (I’m past the age for "editorial recommendations")? Ideally, it’d be close to the "San Carlo" theater, where I need to go in the evening. Thanks everyone! Francis

Hello! We’d like to know if we’ll have time to visit a few villages by taking a small boat from La Spezia, given that our cruise ship arrives at 9 AM and leaves again at 5 PM in the afternoon. Thanks for your replies!

Hi there, We’re planning an MSC cruise departing from Dubai. On MSC’s website, it says we need to take out health insurance for Doha. The issue is that some insurers are asking if we’ve got a visa, but French citizens don’t need one. Has anyone had a layover in Doha? What’s the deal with this health insurance? Thanks so much!

Hello everyone, I’m looking for a cruise line that stops in BARCEELONA and can go to the BARCELONA Aquarium to buy a magnet. I bought one for my 9-year-old grandson, but unfortunately, his dad dropped it, and the boy is sad because it was his grandfather’s. So if someone could buy another one, it’s around 4 €, and I’ll cover the shipping costs. I’ve attached a photo of the model. Thank you so much! Best regards, Patrick

Hi everyone, From March 31 to April 10, I took the Viking Lands cruise with CFC. Out of curiosity, I checked the Renaissance’s route yesterday and noticed it didn’t make the Sandnes/Stavanger stop that we had. Maybe the itinerary was planned that way? Best regards,

During the stopover in Cadiz, Costa offers a bus transfer for a self-guided visit to Arcos de la FRONTERA and Jerez de la FRONTERA. Given the distance from Cadiz and the size of these towns, do you really think we’ll have enough time? What do you think?

Hi there. During a layover in Livorno, I’d like to take the train or bus to Pisa. Could anyone tell me how to get to Livorno train station and then from Pisa station to the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Thanks in advance for your great tips