Cruises

Hello, We’re considering a cruise that stops in Izmir and offers 3 excursions: EPHESUS 'EPHESUS & THE HOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY' EPHESUS AND THE TERRACE HOUSES Could you give us some advice? Thanks! Best regards,

Is it easy to disembark from the MSC Virtuosa and do an independent excursion on our own? Is the ship docked at the pier in the various ports like Pointe-à-Pitre, Antigua, St Kitts, Saint Martin, and the British Virgin Islands (Tortola)? Thanks for your feedback! Danielle

Hi everyone!

I’d like to book my first cruise! I noticed a great deal on MSC US with premium drinks and Wi-Fi for the same price as in France! Do you know if there’s an issue with booking since you’re supposed to be a US resident, but it’s just a check?

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

Hi. I’m going on a cruise in May and have an excursion to Cinque Terre. I’d like to do it on my own by taking the train after getting off the ship. Can anyone tell me how it works, and especially if it’s doable with the ship’s schedule? Thanks for your help!

Hi everyone, So happy to be back on this forum. We’re going on a cruise with stops in Muscat and Doha, and I was wondering if it’s better to book an excursion or if it’s possible to explore on our own. Thanks in advance for your help. Verbatim

Does anyone have any tips for visiting Rome from the Civitavecchia port of call with a guide taxi? Thanks for your reply! M.B

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!

Hi, We’re leaving at the end of March for a cruise on the MSC Sinfonia. We’ll be departing from Athens, then Izmir, Istanbul, Corfu, Bari, and back to Athens. Would anyone have any info on the Sinfonia, and especially about the excursions in Corfu and Bari? Can we explore the city on foot, or are there MSC shuttles available?

Thanks for any tips you can share!

Hello, I’m reaching out for your valuable advice before our Caribbean cruise on the Seascape (departing February 22, 2025, from Miami).

In Jamaica, we’re considering the excursion to the Green Grotto Caves. If anyone has done this excursion, what did you think, please? We also planned to take the “Tulum Mayan Ruins” excursion in Mexico and the “Island-to-Island Panoramic Tour, Hell and Starfish Point” in the Cayman Islands. Unfortunately, these two excursions are fully booked. What do you recommend? Can we visit on our own (not the Mayan ruins, as they’re too far and the risk of missing the ship is too high in my opinion)? Is it safe enough? Will these excursions be available on the ship (in case of cancellations, for example)? For your information, I’m traveling with my parents, who are 80 years old. Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions...

Hi,

We’re planning a Mediterranean cruise with either MSC or Costa—any recommendations on which to choose? Could you share the pros and cons of each?

We’re 2 adults and 1 young adult (18). Thanks for your feedback! Val

Hi there, Is it possible to help me choose between two MSC cruises to Norway? The first one: departs from Copenhagen, then Hellesylt, Nordfjordeid, Flåm, and finally Kiel. The second one: departs from Warnemünde, then Sandnes, Bergen, Kristiansand, and finally Hamburg. Note that the price difference is 150 €, with the first one being more expensive. Cheers,

Hi, I couldn’t find it in the existing discussions, but I thought there was a bus from the cruise port to a beach in Olbia—does anyone have any info? We’ll be there on a stopover and only have a few hours. Thanks for your help!

Provence04

Hi there, we're leaving on January 30th for a Caribbean cruise—there are four couples in our group—and we'd like to organize our own stopovers.

Do you have any great tips for visiting each island, with a preference for landscapes over beaches? Which island has buses to get around, or options for 4x4s/taxis? We're open to all your ideas!

Hi, We’d like to take a simple river cruise on the Douro! Onboard entertainment and bus excursions don’t appeal to us. CroisiEurope, etc., wouldn’t suit us. Any other suggestions??? Thanks

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, I'm currently looking into a cruise departing from Taipei with an arrival in Seoul. It really interests me, and I’ve put a hold on it. However, it’s a guaranteed balcony cabin, which makes me a bit nervous—has anyone had this type of cabin with a bad experience? Any info on the NCL Spirit?

Regarding the stops, I’d love to know what we can do with an overnight in Osaka, and the same for an overnight in Yokohama (not necessarily Tokyo).

Thanks

Hello everyone and Happy New Year 2025! I see there haven’t been any posts about mini-cruises around the Komodo Islands since 2020, and we’d love to do one with visits to Komodo Island—of course, including the famous dragon—and some snorkeling. We’re 66 years old and want to make sure we have good comfort on the boat, and most importantly, excellent safety regarding the vessel and crew. Since things in Indonesia change so quickly, could anyone recommend a reliable company in Labuan Bajo? Just to clarify, we already visited Flores last autumn and aren’t looking for an organized tour or anything else—just Komodo. Thanks in advance, and once again, best wishes for amazing travels ahead! !

Hi Isabelle,

Thanks for starting this! 🙂 Here’s our cruise:

22/02 - Sounou / MSC VIRTUOSA / 15 days / Lesser Antilles / Fort-de-France

Happy 2025! Thanks so much! 😊

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 there, We’re leaving Las Palmas on 13/01 for a cruise on the MSC Opera with stops in Fuerteventura, Funchal, Tenerife, Lanzarote, and La Palma. Has anyone taken taxis from these places to explore the islands, and how much should we budget to compare with the ship’s excursions? Can you negotiate the fare? Any drivers you’d recommend? Thanks for your tips 👍 and happy New Year 2025 😊😊

Hi, I’m taking an Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver. I don’t know how to fill out the U.S. contact point section on the ESTA since I don’t have an address to provide. Thanks for your help.

Hi everyone! I’m heading to Egypt this coming February for the third time, and I’d love to sail up the Nile from Aswan for 2 days and 2 nights on a felucca. Traveling with a backpack, I’m not looking for luxury and prefer stops in the cultures and villages along the Nile rather than temples (already visited). For example, I’d like to stop at Daraw for the Tuesday livestock market. What are your similar experiences, and how far can we sail upstream in 2 days? Also, what kind of prices can we expect, given we’ll be 2 adults and 2 teens? Finally, is it better to book in advance or on the spot in Aswan without spending too much time there? Thanks in advance

Hi there, We’re setting off from Hong Kong on a cruise on January 2, 2026. We’re looking for other passengers to share ideas for taxi excursions or other activities. Thanks! Isabelle and Max 04700 Oraison

I’d like to travel from Budapest, Hungary, to Vienna, Austria, this summer by hydrofoil on the Danube. A one-way trip. Is that possible? What’s the price, the name of the boat company, and where can I book? Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking about an Antarctica trip for a while now and it really appeals to me, but I’m not sure how to start my research. First off, is it better to leave from Chile or Argentina (assuming we’re not departing from France)? Is it more reassuring to travel on a large ship or a medium-sized one? What aspects should I check (total number of days, number of excursions, well-known vs. lesser-known companies, local agencies, etc.)? What are the must-sees I shouldn’t miss, and what’s unnecessary? Thanks for sharing your experiences! Best, Dominique

I’ve finally gotten around to writing a review of our transatlantic cruise on the Costa Fortuna. We’ve always loved cruises, especially transatlantic ones. In recent years, we were MSC customers (Diamond card). But this year, we decided to return to Costa, though there was one downside: we lost all the points from our old Costa card (I think we were "Gold"). Still, since we’re former customers, the company generously gave us 1 point and the bronze card. It’s better than nothing.

Our departure nearly went wrong. The ship was leaving Marseille on Friday, December 22 at 2:00 PM, and we were told to be at the port by 10:30 AM. This unusual departure time meant we had to travel to Marseille the day before (since we live in the Paris area). So, we booked a flight from Orly to Marseille on the 21st at 5:15 PM. But December 21 was a particularly rough day in France with a big snowstorm. And as everyone knows, planes and trains don’t handle snow very well. At Orly, in the waiting area, everyone was anxious as the minutes ticked by. The departure time kept getting pushed back in 15-minute increments. They eventually let us board the plane with no guarantees. Once inside, the captain announced we were waiting for a takeoff slot. About an hour later, he said the plane needed de-icing and the wait could be long since airport staff were overwhelmed. Miraculously, after what felt like forever, the de-icing truck finally arrived, and we took off—over two hours late. When we landed in Marseille, the terminal was practically empty. Luckily, our hotel wasn’t too far away.

We later found out that passengers who took the train were even less lucky—trains were canceled. Later, at our table, we met a neighbor who had boarded in Malaga by plane because his Paris-Marseille train had turned back. He’d incurred extra costs, lost two days of the cruise, and had quite a bit of stress.

The next day in Marseille, our boarding went smoothly. We were surprised by the large number of passengers. We later learned that 1,300 people had boarded in Marseille. Since the ship wasn’t full (between 2,300 and 2,500 passengers), the French were in the majority (a rare occurrence). We noticed during the cruise that the French are just as loud as the Italians. The only upside? At least we could understand what was being said.

More to come later.....

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!

Good evening, for us, we're leaving from Marseille on December 22, 2024, heading to Italy for Christmas and then to Spain for New Year's Eve, returning to Marseille on January 5, 2025. Congrats on bringing back the calendar!