I’d love to get some tips for DIY excursions during our cruise. The scheduled stops are Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Palermo, Rome, and Savona. Thanks in advance!

Bonjour ,

Par curiosité , votre itinéraire et les escales prévus lors de la réservation sont-ils restés identiques ? Pour les "Joyaux du Vestlandet" et le Renaissance sur lequel nous embarquerons du 4 au 11 juillet de Dunkerque AR , le parcours a été restreint , sans aucune information , justification ou explication , ni de CFC ni de Planète Croisière par qui j'étais passé et qui n'a même pas daigné me répondre (!) , d'au moins 300 km (donc 600 AR). Et plus question en particulier d'aller à Austelfjorden comme prévu dans le programme au départ . A la place ce sera pas + loin que Bergen , déjà vu 2 fois avec l' "Express côtier" en 2022 ...

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.

Thanks everyone!

Hi there, We’re joining an MSC Preziosa cruise in early July from Hamburg via Iceland. The MSC shore excursions are way overpriced, so we’d like to book through Get Your Guide or Tripadvisor. Even though we’re seasoned travelers, this is our first cruise, and we’re not sure about docking durations, arrival ports, disembarkation times, or how far excursion meeting points are from the ship... It’s a bit tricky to plan visits outside the cruise line’s options while making sure we’re back on board in time. Any advice? Thanks for your tips! Danielle

I’m counting on you to help me update my blog escalescroisiere.fr—check out my post here: https://voyageforum.com/forum/renseignements-escales-croisiere-mettre-jour-blog-d10709629/ For moderation: this is where this post is useful, not in the blogs that no one reads.

Hi everyone, I’m so glad VOYAGE FORUM is back up—it’s such a lifesaver for us travelers!! Next May, I’ll be going on a cruise on the COSTA DELIZIOSA with stopovers in SPLIT, DUBROVNIK, KOTOR, CORFU, KATAKOLON, and BARI. Since the forum closed during COVID, all the discussions stopped at the same time. So, I’d love to hear from anyone who’s done this cruise to share some tips about the stopovers. Thanks in advance for your help!

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.

Hi there! We’d love some tips on organizing stopovers on our own in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife, Puerto del Rosario, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Las Palmas, and Funchal. Thanks so much for your help

Cruise on the MSC Virtuosa with stopovers in Pointe-à-Pitre, Antigua, St Kitts, Philipsburg, and Tortola from March 8 to 15, 2025. Is it better to book MSC’s excursions, or are there easy ways to explore on our own in some ports?

Thanks for your feedback!

Danielle

Could you give me some info about organizing layovers on our own in: Antigua, Barbados, Roseau, Grenada, Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Tortola, Tobago, St. Martin What currency should we use? Can we pay with a bank card or a Revolut card, or do we need dollars? Thanks so much!

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!

Bonjour Cachou, effectivement, le départ approche, pour nous c’est demain 10 h à Marseille. Les usagers de la sncf parlent d’un retard de 2 h à cause de la chaleur pour la journée d’hier, cela ne présage rien de bon …mais l’important est qu’ils maintiennent notre train jusqu’à Lille. Je pense que votre groupe sera facilement repérable, nous ne manquerons pas de vous saluer durant notre séjour Très bonne journée et à bientôt peut être

Hi there! Here’s a quick review of my cruise on the REGAL PRINCESS. This was my 35th cruise and my second on the REGAL PRINCESS, which I first discovered in 2017 during a Caribbean cruise. A few months ago, we received an email from PRINCESS changing the itinerary—DUBLIN and EDINBURGH were replaced by two Scottish islands. We were a little disappointed, but since we’d never sailed around the UK, we didn’t really know any of the ports anyway. The itinerary was: SOUTHAMPTON AT SEA KIRKWALL INVERGORDON AT SEA STORNOWAY GLASGOW BELFAST AT SEA CORK AT SEA PORTLAND LE HAVRE SOUTHAMPTON

A 13-day/12-night cruise for 1350 € per person in a guaranteed deluxe balcony cabin. PRINCESS assigned us a balcony cabin on deck 8 with a large balcony. We ended up happy with our cabin, even though we’d initially preferred a higher deck. I’ll admit I hesitated to choose this cruise because of the weather—I love sunshine and good weather—but the desire to discover new ports won out, especially with the promise of heading to Corsica afterward to soak up some sun again 😉

On PRINCESS, as Catherine mentioned, there’s no card—everyone has a medallion! I loved this system, which unlocks your cabin door as you approach. It’s really well thought out!

We took the EUROSTAR from Lille to London, then a train from London to Southampton the day before. We stayed in a nice IHG hotel near the port.

EMBARKATION It’s Friday, August 1st. After a good breakfast and a quick check-out, we realize our UBER app isn’t working in England ;(. We have to go back to reception to ask for a taxi because, even though the hotel is close to the port, the ship is still over 2 km away—hardly ideal with luggage! The problem is that many hotel guests also requested taxis... so we wait a good 30 minutes before ours arrives! We get to the REGAL PRINCESS pretty quickly but are shocked to see a huge line outside!!! We hadn’t seen that in over a decade! Not the best start! 🙁



TO BE CONTINUED!

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

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.

Hello,

My husband and I are heading to French Polynesia on August 21st for a cruise on the ARANUI 5 to the Marquesas Islands. If anyone has taken this cruise recently or during the late August/early September period, I’d love to hear your impressions and any practical details. Thanks for your feedback! Elettra69

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.

This isn’t a full review but a quick summary, since I’m short on time and won’t be able to do a proper one.

Our cruise started in Port Canaveral (Orlando), and there are no longer direct flights from Paris. So, we had to take a connecting flight with British Airways (code-share with American Airlines):

Paris / Miami / Orlando and the return Orlando / Philadelphia / Paris.

Three days before departure, I went on British Airways’ website to check in and buy exit-row seats so my wife could stretch her legs. That’s when I saw that one leg of the return flight (Philadelphia / Paris) had been canceled.

I called the airline, and they confirmed the flight was indeed canceled, and the agency I bought the ticket from had been informed back in September. But the agency never told me—or just forgot. So, I called GO Voyages, and it was the same old story: blah, blah, blah...

They offered me a flight with two connections, the last one in London (with an airport change at my expense—about 80 €). I refused because I’d bought a ticket with only one connection, and on top of that, there were taxi costs for the airport change.

After some back-and-forth, GO offered to refund the ticket—but in a month. So, I ended up buying two last-minute tickets at my own expense while waiting for the refund.

Never again with GO for flights—their customer service is terrible, and everything is outsourced....

The cruise I was disappointed with this cruise.

Isa was right—the service at Celebrity has really gone downhill.

The buffet was fine—everything was fresh and varied. But in the restaurants (especially the main one), the dishes were really basic (as the Canadians say) and simple (nothing like Princess).

The ship showed signs of wear and was even dirty in some places. I had to ask for our cabin to be redone when we arrived because the bathroom didn’t seem very clean.

The "Elite Club" perks are fading fast—so much so that you don’t even feel like going (just a glass of sparkling wine and some mediocre appetizers). You have to fight to get another drink if you don’t like that sparkling wine...

Before, in Concierge Class, the bottle of sparkling wine was in a champagne bucket on the coffee table with ice. Now it’s just in the fridge.

The appetizers served in the cabin around 5 PM weren’t appetizing at all. The list goes on...

Luckily, I didn’t pay much for this cruise, or I would’ve really regretted it.

The ports of call (Key West, Nassau, Puerto Plata)

I’ve already stopped at these places before, so it was just beach time and sightseeing...

Still, I had a great week under the Caribbean sun, and it was a nice break.

I’d only cruise with Celebrity again if the price was right or there was a big promo.

See you soon for more adventures! Alfred

Hi everyone,

Would you have any tips for excursions on the MSC Splendida cruise: Marseille / Livorno / Cagliari / Palermo / Malta / Barcelona

Is it possible to do some excursions on our own?

Thanks in advance,

Have a great evening

Patrick

‌ 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 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 everyone,

What a joy to be back here and pick up where we left off after all these months of hiatus.

I hope you’ll enjoy the story of this little trip around the Eastern Mediterranean. This cruise was the perfect way to satisfy our longing to return to Greece and Istanbul. The end of the season, until late November, is the best time to visit the Mediterranean in my opinion—when climate disruptions don’t get in the way.

Departing from Trieste, our stops were Katakolon, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Corfu, and Bari, before returning to Trieste and then Venice, where we planned a very short 24-hour stay.

We left home at 6:15 AM—our first cruise departure since moving to Normandy. What I miss most about living in the Gard is how close we were to Marseille Airport. No more hopping over to Marignane in an hour; now we have to plan for a three-hour trip to CDG, even under the best conditions on an early Sunday morning.

It was impossible to book a hotel night before our flight because, starting in April, the Ibis was priced at 450 € per night, and the Mercure was flirting with 800 €—breakfast not included, of course. 😏

I had a feeling there must’ve been a conference or something going on… Turns out, it was just the auto show. They simply adjusted the room prices to match the cost of the cars. 😛

Our flight took us to Venice, where we caught a FlixBus to Trieste. We arrived at Trieste’s train station in the afternoon and walked to our hotel in the city center.

After treating ourselves to an amazing pizza at a restaurant (Di Napoli Maestri Pizzaioli, Via Armando Diaz 10) for a very reasonable price, we enjoyed the mild evening temperature while exploring the stunning buildings of this charming city by night. These magnificent structures are a testament to the city’s past. Trieste became Austrian in 1382 due to its complicated relationship with Venice, and it wasn’t until 1918, at the end of World War I, that it became Italian again. The city’s lighting beautifully highlights the architecture of the buildings.

The terraces were lively, and the atmosphere was so warm and inviting that we wanted to stay out even longer.



But we’d been up since 4 AM, so we were happy to retreat to the quiet of our hotel, located in the pedestrian center just a few steps from the port (Urban Hotel Design—highly recommended).

More to come soon.

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

Hi, we're going on a cruise to Norway departing from Dunkirk and sailing up the coast—can you share some ideas on what to visit? Thanks! Gigi

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 everyone, I’m heading off in May with Costa on the Deliziosa and I’ve got a quick question. Are the excursions cheaper if I book in advance on the website (since I’ve never done it before), or are they the same price if I get them on the ship? Thanks in advance for your answers.

Hi everyone, I'm really tempted by the idea of French-style cruises on smaller vessels, and I'm looking into CFC. I’d love to hear your experiences and feedback. Thanks, and have a great day!

Hi, I’m looking for information about the cruise currently running from May 29 to June 10, 2025, around Iceland. The ship didn’t make the scheduled stops—it skipped 2 and stayed a full day off the port of Reykjavik. The cruise seems to have been completely disrupted. Could anyone tell me the reasons? We were planning to go soon, but this situation is making us think twice. Thanks!

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.

HELLO, here’s a little review of my cruise on the CELEBRITY EQUINOX 9-night / 10-day cruise CONCIERGE CLASS BALCONY CABIN at 1170 € per person EMBARKATION We arrived around 11:30 AM and were taken care of right away. Priority boarding is now only for suites, but it’s not really necessary since everyone boards quickly. In less than 15 minutes, we were on board. The best part? We could head straight to our muster station for the lifeboat drill—done in no time! AZAMARA, if you’re listening : ) Disembarkations at ports were also very smooth, with a little stand offering wet towels and refreshing drinks. THE CABIN CONCIERGE BALCONY 2108 Perfectly located, with a huge balcony, on the same deck as the pools, just below the buffet, and close to the elevators that took us straight to the restaurant or reception. Concierge class doesn’t come with many perks—we only went to the concierge desk once. We got a small plate of canapés in the cabin every day and access to a few invitations we declined, lol. What really stood out was the location and the large balcony. DINING The buffet is always great, with tons of choices—the best buffet of any cruise line, in my opinion, even if PRINCESS isn’t bad either. It was sometimes crowded, but the island layout meant we never had to queue, except for the last two days when we couldn’t serve ourselves due to a GASTRO outbreak... The only downside was the desserts, which weren’t as good as before. Is it the chef? Or a budget cut? The last day’s FAREWELL BUFFET was amazing. At the restaurant, we noticed a drop in quality, especially with the starters—mostly veggies or soup, basically cheap stuff :( . Though the escargots were still available and just as good. Also, we often got the pager because no tables were free, and service was sometimes really slow. We went to the specialty restaurant « LE MURANO » for around $50 per person. The menu is always the same, but it’s still delicious, with attentive service and the chef flambéing the lobster right in front of you. We loved it! THE PORTS OF CALL BARCELONA / AT SEA / LISBON (2 DAYS) / PORTO / AT SEA / TANGIER / CADIZ / AT SEA A great itinerary with 3 sea days in total. We had mostly great weather, even really nice weather during the 3 sea days. It was less sunny and warm in PORTO and CADIZ. We did everything on our own, except for the first day in Lisbon, where we took a guided TUK TUK tour with Filipe—it was AMAZING! He was really interesting, and we learned so many fun facts. Loved it! In PORTO, everything costs money, which was a bit disappointing. The churches and cathedrals are expensive :( TANGIER was a great discovery. Too bad no mosques are open to visitors, but it’s still a pleasant stop. We’d already visited CADIZ and love this city.

ENTERTAINMENT DURING THE DAY It’s always quiet during the day. You can play mini-golf or pétanque on the grass, and we didn’t hesitate to do laps around the deck. Of course, we also enjoyed the fantastic adults-only pool in the solarium, though sometimes we went to the outdoor pools too. This adults-only pool is still incredible—big and heated, except for 2 days when I complained because the water was suddenly cold. I don’t know why! Of course, some parents try to bring their kids in at the start of the cruise, but not on my watch, lol. After 2 or 3 days, they give up—the outdoor pools were well-heated anyway, so there was no reason to. Apparently, some people didn’t know CELEBRITY—they must’ve realized it’s not a cruise line for kids, pff. IN THE EVENING Apart from the comedian, we saw all the shows. Some were really beautiful, others just okay, but overall, it was a success. The dance nights, though, were pretty average, except for the ABBA night, which always delivers.

CONCLUSION CELEBRITY is still a pleasant cruise line, even if the quality has dropped a little. We still love that fabulous heated adults-only pool, the calm atmosphere on board, the few kids, no Italians, and the zen vibe. The ship is showing its age a bit, but nothing major. We had a great cruise with good value for money. Can’t wait for the next one on the CELEBRITY INFINITY in February! Thanks for reading 😉 PS: Some photos to come