Je débarque aujourd'hui même du Costa Mediterranea qui a effectué une mini croisière de 3 nuits au départ de Savone touchant Barcelone et Palma avec un retour a Marseille. Et comme indiqué dans le titre c'est l'incompréhension, et surtout la déception... C'est ma 3ème croisière chez Costa cette année (janvier sur Pacifica, mai sur Magica) et la 5ème chez eux.
Je commence donc par l'embarquement au Palacrocière a Savone, étant membre Coral j'ai donc la possibilité de bénéficier de l'embarquement prioritaire. Il y a du monde dans la file donc au service client j'annonce mon statut coral a l'agent de service qui me regarde et qui me dit ben allez dans la file! Ah? et la priorité? bon ben on s'assoit dessus, étant avec deux amies dont une équipée d'une bequille car sortant d'une fracture et dont la station debout est problématique, nous retournons donc au comptoir demander la possibilité d'une chaise roulante qui nous est donnée. Et la malgré la chaise roulante derriere la barriere personne ne s'occupe de nous. j'ai du retourner une 3eme fois au comptoir pour faire bouger les choses... Déjà l'énervement me gagne mais bon je me dit que c'est pas grave au bout de 15 minutes d'attente nous embarquons.
Direction le buffet pour dejeuner. je vais réserver le forfait All inclusive comme je prends a chaque fois, sauf que la je le prends sur place. Nous restons 3 nuits a bord, il me facture 78,20E, parlant un anglais approximatif je me dis que je verrais au Guest Service puisque nous devons faire rééditer les Costa Pass
Arrivé au Guest Service, la manager me soutient que c'est normal car nous restons 4 jours a bord, je lui rappelle donc qu'habituellement pour 8 jours on facture 7x19,50e et la elle reflechit, et decide de contacter son supérieur qui lui apprends que non il faut compter que 3 jours de forfait ( le XTra all In est en vente depuis 2 ans chez costa ndlr)
il nous rectifie donc l'erreur. je me dis chouette tout est réglé nous sommes tranquilles.
Le diner se passe parfaitement bien, le maitre d'hotel et nos serveurs sont sympa et adorables (comme souvent)
la soirée se passe, et minuit sonne donc l'heure d'aller au lit après cette longue journée, arrêt au bar central pour prendre des bouteilles d'eau minérale. Et la le serveur me dit qu'il faut les payer...... gros blanc je ne comprends pas je lui dit donc de me la facturer car de toutes facons je suis gros consommateur d'eau. il m'annonce donc en me montrant la carte que l'eau en bouteille n'est pas comprise et que c'est seulement au verre, nous demandons donc également un verre d'eau et il me sert de l'eau du robinet... le Guest service étant a cote, je vais chercher a comprendre auprès des hotesses, qui m'apprennent que le forfait a changer depuis peu et que l'eau n'est plus comprise, mais que par contre le prix du forfait ne baisse pas..... et la je commence a fulminer..... en jurant qu'on ne m'y reprendra plus... Le post concernant le sujet sur le forum est passé a la trappe, car je viens pas trop régulièrement par manque de temps.
L'heure du dodo est venue nous allons donc nous coucher. La nuit passe et le lendemain le reveil est douloureux, la literie n'égale pas ce que j'ai connu sur les autres bateaux de la flotte ou encore ce meme Méditerranea que j'ai pris en Nov 2007
Elle est trop molle ( avachie??) je me reveille avec le dos en compote. La série noire continue donc....
Et pour achever cette croisière en beauté, nous allons prendre l'apéritif dans un salon peu fréquenté ou sont présentes 3 serveuses et deux barmans. 30 min après notre arrivé dans un canapé très visible car en face du comptoir et malgré mes regard insistants vers les serveuses, personne n'a toujours daigné prendre notre commande, je décide donc d'aller commander au comptoir. Ok la serveuse va nous apporter notre commande. encore 15 min plus tard toujours rien, il est 20h52 nous sommes déjà en retard pour le diner, nous decidons donc de partir, je vais au comptoir recuperer mon costa pass, seul un cocktail était pret... Ben trop tard vous pouvez les garder nous sommes en retard. je fulmine encore plus.
Je suis pas du genre raleur mais là c'est beaucoup trop pour moi, je n'ai pas été habitué a un si piètre service chez eux. sans parler du fait que la compagnie n'a pas communiqué quoi que ce soit sur ce changement notable du forfait all inclusive.
Pour ma part Costa a de très beaux bateaux et des itinéraires sympa. mais pour moi c'est fini, je jette l'éponge. Certes je ne suis qu'un numéro parmi d'autres mais là c'est trop.
effectivement les bouteilles ne sont plus comprises. mais de la a donner de l'eau du robinet, pas normal. idem pour la fontaine au chocolat pour les bateaux qui en sont équipés. plus compris...
le all inclusive se facture par nuit à bord et non pas par jours à bord.
pour l'embarquement prioritaire, ca donne droit à embarquer avec le n° en en cours. normalement on nous change de n° à l'accueil.
et j'ai constaté aussi que le service dans les bars devenait long comme un jour sans pain. surement un problème de personnel... économies oblige
cela fait quelques mois que les bouteilles d'eau ne sont plus comprises dans le all car trop d'abus de personnes ayant le all et fournissant leur amis allègrement.
Voici ce qui est écrit sur le site Costa
" All Inclusive Adulte (de 18 ans) - comprend des boissons avec ou sans alcool, servies au verre (sélection d’eaux minérales, sodas, cocktails, bières pression et vins) et café hors gammes de prestige et à l’exclusion des consommations Mini-bar. "
On voit aussi qu'il n'y a plus les fruits au chocolat de la fontaine.
bonjour
nous partons en janvier aux antilles avec costa pour la 1ere fois merci de nous expliquer à quel endroit on prend les forfaits boissons à bord. Sur internet on ne peut prendre que le all inclusive. nous serons sur le costa magica que vous avez déjà pris que pensez vous du bateau?
merci d'avance j'espere ne pas être déçue comme vous.
les forfaits boissons sont vendus à bord par l'intermédiaire des serveurs. on peut aussi les acheter sur le site costa mais ils ne sont pas tous disponibles.
et on peut aussi les trouver à l'embarquement mais pas sur que ce soit possible partout.
Pour tout vous dire, ma dernière croisière costa avec le All In date de Mai 2013 sur le Costa Magica et a ce moment là les bouteilles d'eau étaient encore prises en compte dans le forfait. Si il y a bien un élément du forfait que je pensais immuable c'était bien les bouteilles d'eau, du coup je ne me suis pas préoccupé de relire une fois de plus les explications sur le forfait All In, la moindre des choses aurait été d'informer de ce changement notable de conditions.
Si vous prenez le forfait All Inclusive vous n'aurez droit qu'a de l'eau minérale au verre alors que jusqu'a présent vous pouviez avoir des bouteilles d'eau comprises dans ce fameux forfait. Au restaurant on ne vous laisse pas la bouteille d'eau sur la table. des que votre verre est vide on vient vous resservir, si vous voulez une bouteille d'eau pour la cabine, ce sera 3,39E/ par bouteille en plus du forfait.
Bonjour Yann
J'aimerais savoir si le forfait de 13 bouteilles d'eau est livré en une seule fois : on doit garder les bouteilles dans la cabine ?
Et quand on prend ce forfait , comment cela se passe-t-il au restaurant ? On amène la bouteille achetée ?
Par ailleurs , est-ce légal de ne pas laisser sur la table une bouteille qui a été payée par le cleint ?
D'autant que j'ai pu lire que ces bouteilles reprises par les serveurs ne sont pas forcément rendues à la bonne table , il y a de nombreuses confusions , idem pour le vin .
Anne
D'autant que j'ai pu lire que ces bouteilles reprises par les serveurs ne sont pas forcément rendues à la bonne table , il y a de nombreuses confusions , idem pour le vin .
Quelles que soient les Cies, je n'ai jamais eu de problème pour récupérer une bouteille de vin, qui n'avait pas été terminée (et même en changeant de restaurant).
Pour les bouteilles d'eau, en général on les reprend en cabine.
Voici ce que j'avais pu lire mais qui ne concerne que Costa . Ce n'est pas très engageant ...
Nous étions 4 adultes et 2 enfants et tous les soirs nous prenions une bouteille de vin rouge, une de rosé, une bouteille d'eau plate et une d'eau gazeuse... soit 4 bouteilles en tout par soir, qui ne nous étaient même pas rendues le lendemain si pas terminées!!
Le midi au resto nous partageons notre table avec quelques membres de VF
et l'un deux me dit qu'il n'a pas de choix de vins le soir, qu'on lui sert au verre n'importe quoi et sans demander son avis.🤪
Pour ma part ce midi là, je demande du rosé pour accompagner l'entrée et nos plats principaux, et quand nos verres sont vides, nous demandons de les remplir à nouveau, mais cette fois de vin rouge pour accompagner le fromage.
Et là, étrange ballet du sommelier qui récupère les 3 verres vides , les poses sur un plateau rond, 😊
et reviens quelque minutes après avec les verres remplis.
Un service efficace me direz vous, sauf que sur mon verre une trace marquée de lèvres apparait sur le bord supérieur, et me semble t il je n'avais pas les lèvres grasses ou teintées. Cherchez l'erreur.🤪😠
De 2 choses l'une ou il a interverti les 3 verres, ou il a utilisé un verres sale récupéré je ne sais où.
J'espère que la 1ère hypothése était la bonne, quoi que je n'ai pas encore malheureusement le don de lire dans la pensée des autres.😉
Nous prenons à chaque fois un forfait eau et un forfait boys and girls chez Costa.
Pour les bouteilles d'eau, vous pouvez les emporter du restaurant si vous ne les avez pas terminées. De même, vous pouvez demander une bouteille dans les bars pour l'emmener dans votre cabine ou à l'extérieur.
Lors de notre dernière croisière en mars sur l'Atlantica, j'avais bien remarqué que les forfaits all in étaient servis au verre au restaurant. Par contre les serveurs apportaient la bouteille d'eau ou la bouteille de vin et servaient à table.
Nous repartons en février 2014 sur le Méditerranéa et nous prendrons à nouveau les forfaits eau et boys and girls. J'espère juste que la literie sera bonne.
Merci beaucoup pour ces précisions Christelle
Je prendrai donc le forfait eau . J'avais été déçue du All in la dernière fois et j'ai fait mes comptes , ce n'est pas rentable pour nous . En plus , ce sera pratique d'emmener les bouteilles en cabine.
Pour la literie , je ne sais pas : c'est la première fois que j'entends des critiques à ce sujet . Nous avions bien dormi en février dernier.
Hi there,
I’m looking into a Mediterranean cruise on the Splendida in YC.
I’d love to know if it’s a ship with a lot of triple and quadruple cabins in the Yacht Club.
The thing is, I’m planning to depart from Malta, and either the cruise ends during the French school holidays in October with a departure from Marseille—which means there’s a risk of lots of kids on board—or the other option is a departure on October 30th, which might also have some French kids during the first part of the cruise.
I read that some ships in the Fantasia class have more triple or quadruple cabins than others, but I’m not sure if the Splendida is one of them.
If anyone has that info…
PS: This isn’t about starting a debate on traveling with or without kids… I’d just like a quiet week, and that’s not always easy in a small space with lots of children around.
Just back from our first cruise on the Renaissance, and I’d like to share a few thoughts about life on board. Our feelings are mixed—we wanted a change after several MSC cruises, but the value for money on this repositioning cruise left us torn.
After taking advantage of successive promotions, we finally secured a well-located balcony cabin for 2600 € (almost 50% off the brochure rate). Given the amenities and the ship’s age, this now feels like the absolute maximum we’d pay for that period.
Overall, we were happy with our vacation on board, but a few details—when added up—left us with a somewhat mixed impression.
The pros:
- Ship size
- Reasonable noise levels, except in the restaurants (aside from the covered pool area)
- Spacious balcony cabin (20 + 5 m²) with plenty of storage and a bathtub with jets
- Understated, tasteful decor
- French language spoken on board
- Friendly staff for the most part
- 100% French-speaking clientele
- Decent food with French dishes (even with an Indian chef)
- Tables for two available (though the ship was full, so no changes possible)
- Some high-quality shows, thanks to an excellent English-speaking troupe
- Interesting lectures (especially on history and cetaceans)
The cons:
- Unreliable air conditioning in common areas (you’d go from a freezing lounge to a hot one, as if the system only worked in certain spaces at certain times)
- Aging ship with a few glitches (noises, AC, toilet flushes, lights) reported at reception (luckily, our only issue was the bathroom door not closing...)
- Industrial, thawed-out bread and pastries (a letdown for a ship with a French image)
- Limited fruit selection (often just apples and watermelon/melon) and not much variety in vegetables
- Worn, sometimes stained restaurant towels
We’re not ruling out another cruise on the Renaissance—their itineraries are unique—but only at a very competitive price.
Hi, I’m about to go on a cruise on the Costa Smeralda but I’ve never been on a cruise before. Could anyone share the à-la-carte drink menu? I’d like to know if the prices are excessive, since the MyDrinks drink packages, for example, cost 266 € per adult.
Have a great day! 😉
Hi everyone,
I’m going on a Mediterranean cruise in November and I’m looking for some "tips" to visit the cities of Naples, Messina, and Valletta in Malta without booking the ship’s excursions, which are really expensive.
Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions. We’re a group of 6 people.
Looking forward to hearing from you...
Best,
M
PS: We’re also stopping in Genoa and Barcelona—even though we know these two cities, we’d still love any tips for visiting them!
Thanks
Hello everyone,
We’re a senior couple signed up for a 13-day cruise in Japan on the Princess Sapphire, departing from Yokohama on April 8, 2027.
Are there any other French speakers on this forum who’ll be on this trip?
Hoping for a reply...
Hi,
The MSC Magnifica has been refurbished and a Yacht Club class has been added. Could anyone share their impressions of cabin 14001, as the view is slightly obstructed? Is it really a "disadvantage" in terms of brightness? Thanks in advance
Hi, we're heading to Venice soon. We have a hotel in Mestre and we'd like to know which bus can take us from the Mestre hotel to Marghera Port. Thanks.
Hi everyone ...
We’re planning to do the 83-day Cunard cruise ...
departing from Southampton on January 10, 2027 aboard the Queen Anne ...
has anyone done it ... or have any info ... or tips ...
for example ... deck and cabin choices ... drink packages ... excursions ... etc.
... anything good to know about this ship???
Thanks everyone ...
Hi there,
Here’s the 2027 cruise schedule.
It’s a great way to get ideas and maybe even meet up with other members!
2 essential rules:
1) Never "quote" the schedule when replying—this avoids any confusion.
2) Follow this format:
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
REMINDER Despite my requests, few people follow the requested format. Cruises that stray too far from it won’t be listed anymore—sorry about that. IMPORTANT Please respect the templates!
PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT BELOW AND REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
It takes time to fix mistakes, so THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help!
YOUR TURN 😉
NUMBER OF 2027 CRUISES: 1
JANUARY
14/01 - poupou10 / AZAMARA JOURNEY / 74 days / South America Tour / Miami
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Hi there,
I’m looking for an all-inclusive Nile cruise on a comfortable boat with as few passengers as possible.
Which tour operator can you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
I’m about to book the panoramic suite, and I’m not sure whether I should go for the one at the front of the ship or the one at the back. I’d really appreciate any feedback—anyone who’s already booked this kind of suite and can share the pros and cons?
Hi,
We’ll be visiting Barcelona for the first time on our upcoming cruise.
I was wondering if it’s better to book a taxi in advance to get from the train station to the cruise terminal, since there’ll be four of us. Are there enough taxis around that we won’t have to wait too long?
For the return trip, same question—are there enough taxis, since we have a flight to catch? Though I doubt we’ll know in advance which terminal we’ll dock at.
I came across this site below—has anyone heard of it?
https://taxibarcelona.taxi/fr/
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 everyone, we're going on a week-long cruise and I have a question: can we travel by train and on a cruise with small refrigerated injectable syringes?
Do we need to complete any formalities?
And how should we store them?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
I'm considering a cruise on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Bergen over 11 days in mid-March 2027.
Has anyone already done this trip?
I think it’s a great way to discover the Norwegian coast with the chance to see magnificent northern lights, but isn’t the trip a bit *too* long?
There are about thirty stops, but most last only a few minutes, with just one daily stop of over 2 hours, which gives a quick glimpse of a few towns but doesn’t allow for a full excursion.
Is the supplement for an outside cabin with a porthole (800 € for 2!) really worth it?
It’s more pleasant than an inside cabin, but do you spend enough time in your cabin to make the most of it?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this journey.
Best regards.
Hi everyone! I’m used to sailing on a sailboat with two or three people—it’s amazing. But I’d love to try the experience of a cruise. Just to clarify, I’ll be going alone. My first question: are there other solo travelers on these cruises, or is it mostly couples and families?
For a first cruise, I’d prefer a short one (maximum 8 days). Do those exist? And on the smallest boat possible. I live in Marseille, so a departure from Marseille would work, but I’m open to other ports too. If you have a cruise line to recommend and a destination you’ve enjoyed, or if you’ve had a great experience on a more intimate-sized ship, I’d love to hear about it!
We just returned from a cruise from 08/13/26 to 08/20/26 on the MSC ORCHESTRA with stops in Tarragona, Valencia, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Genoa, and back to Marseille.
The ship was fully booked. Deck chairs were already occupied by beach towels early in the morning, and there were only 1 or 2 people in the pools... However, on the day the Italians disembarked, there were very few towels on the deck chairs.
We found the Italians less talkative.
We had a balcony cabin on deck 9, starboard side. The cabin was spacious, but the sofa was facing the desk, making it a pain to watch TV (neck strain guaranteed). So, we changed the sofa’s orientation to face the TV (we put it back in place on disembarkation day).
There were 325 French speakers on board, and a lot of staff from Mauritius, which made communication easier.
No annoying announcements about bingo, etc.—a nice change from COSTA.
For dinner, we were at the first sitting at 7:45 PM, at a table for 6. On the first night, we were two "gray-haired" couples at the table. The second night, two young women joined us but asked to change tables after seeing us...
The show for our dinner time was at 10:15 PM and ended around 11:00 PM. We found that a bit late for us. The shows were varied and of good quality.
The restaurant menus offered plenty of choices, but at the buffet at lunchtime, there were a lot of dishes with quite a few carbs. Afternoon tea from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM included some great pastries, among other things.
We had an issue with the air conditioning and bad odors in the cabin one afternoon. I reported the problem to the reception, and staff along with our cabin steward came to check the cabin. The issue was resolved that same afternoon.
Two days later, we were surprised to find a bag with items inside: 2 MSC mugs and 2 MSC thermos flasks that keep drinks hot or cold for 10 hours. It was a gift from customer service following the bad odors in our cabin. We weren’t expecting this at all and thanked MSC’s customer service.
For excursions, MSC always offers port-to-city-center transfers for 14 € per adult in Valencia and Tarragona, and 12 € per child. In Livorno, it was 10 € per adult and 7 € per child.
In Civitavecchia, there was a shuttle to the train station for 6 €.
On the MSC for Me app, there were "promotions" on certain excursions.
We really enjoyed this cruise, but we couldn’t revisit some stops (Tarragona and Valencia) on our own because it was too hot.
Great evening: Mum49
We're leaving on August 25th for a Danube cruise from Vienna to Bucharest. The travel agency refuses to postpone this cruise despite navigation changes due to the exceptional drought, which include bus transfers that don’t interest us.
Have you had any experiences with this that you’d like to share?
Hi there!
I’m going on a cruise with MSC on the World Europa this coming October.
Stops: Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta.
Has anyone visited Mount Etna and Pompeii?
Could you share some tips for each of these stops?
I’d like to explore on my own without booking the ship’s excursions.
Thanks for your advice!
Hello!
After a lot of hesitation between different cruise lines (Explora, Oceania, YC, HAL, NCL) and several destinations like Norway, Ireland, and Iceland,
I finally chose NCL’s Star for Iceland.
I had already looked at this itinerary when I went to Scotland in April with CFC, but it was really expensive.
You should know that CFC often offers last-minute deals 45 days before departure (the point when you can no longer cancel or modify).
So, I got a great opportunity and grabbed it.
Departure is on August 23rd.
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!
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
