je pars ds quelques jours en croisière avec Msc départ de gênes .j ai une escale en Tunisie . j amène mon fils de 14 ans et un copain à lui. malheureusement celui ci a fait un renouvellement de passeport mais qui ne sera pas prêt car délais très longs et on s est inscrit il y a peu de temps pour ce voyage;j ai le E111, ?pour lautorisation sortie de territoire en CE mais ça n existe pas pour un autre continent. malgré une demande express aupres de la préfecture de marseille (l enfant relève de cette circonscription)je n ai pu obtenir de délivrance d urgence. sa mère doit par conséquent m accompagner jusqu à gênes au cas ou on ne le laisserait pas monter à bord et que je ne sois pas obligée de rester a quai pour le raccompagner a son domicile. La douane italienne est elle très vigilente par rapport aux papiers ? l an dernier je suis partie de monte carlo et on a été très peu controlé tout du moins on ne m a pas demandé mon livret de famille pour voir la sitation familiale. ce serait dommage que pour des lenteurs administratives françaises l enfant ne puisse profiter d un beau voyage qui lui est offfert. merci de me répondre très vite . j ai pensé aussi joindre l ambassade de tunisie afin qu ils acceptent de me délivrer une attestation comme quoi l enfant peut monter sur le bateau (car les eaux territoriales sont aussi soumises à la réglementation)ce qui permettrait de donner ce papier aux douaniers de gênes si toutefois on a des problèmes.
bonjour
je ne veux pas vous dire de bêtises, mais je pense que le passeport ne doit pas être obligatoire. Car nous, pour notre futur croisière à partir de Savone en Italie avec un arrêt en Tunisie, on ne nous demande que les cartes d'identités. L'an passé, nous avons été en Tunisie et la aussi nous n’avions besoin que de la carte d'identité. Par contre vu que l'enfant n'est pas le votre s’est sur il faut la sortie de territoire car il est mineur. Après je ne peut pas vous en dire plus…
Concordia 29/10/07 Deliziosa22/10/10Luminosa 26/10/11Fantasia 27/10/2013 Poésia 20/10/14Preziosa 4/11/16 Preziosa 26/09/17Fantasia 7/05/18 Grandiosia 25/10/20 Splendida 23/10/22Toscana 8/04/23 world Europa 2/11/24
bonjour
je ne peux pas vous parler de mon expérience vis à vis d'enfants car nous avons voyagé que mon mari et moi mais en 2005 on a pris l'avion toulouse - venise et retour pour un départ de croisière à partir de venise
on a été fouillé de fond en comble, nous au corps et les valisesn puce portablen appareil photo on a défait nos valises...j'ai même du me déchausser et mettre mes chaussures sur le tapis roulant car ça sonnait lorsque je passais, (au retour j'ai appris que c'était fréquent pour les chaussures car souvent les magasins mettent les antivols dans les semelles) ils ont examiné nos papiers on avait présenté nos passeports vue qu'on les avait
pour une 1ère fois que je prenais l'avion cela m'a fait un peu froid dans le dos....
maintenant vis à vis d'un enfant qui n'est pas le vôtre je ne sais pas, le mieux c'est de très bien vous renseigner AVANT le départ
je pense que sur internet sur le site du gouvernement vous devriez trouver réponse à vos questions
merci pour tous ces renseignements la seule chose qui m ennuie c est que la sortie de territoire officielle ne concerne que les pays membres de la ce et que la tunisie ne peut pas être notée, je vais demander une attestation écrite à la mère incluant ce pays avec copie de sa carte d ident et du livret de famille, en espérant qu on ne tombera pas sur un douanier excessif!!!qui jugera que l autorisation écrite est non recevable et exigera un passeport, je crois que c est surtout la compagnie voire le capitaine qui pourrait mettre un véto à son embarquement..
"la seule chose qui m ennuie c est que la sortie de territoire officielle ne concerne que les pays membres de la ce"
Faux ; ça ne concerne que la France....
Ah... Vous voulez dire que vous êtes tombé sur une mairie qui fait figurer le pays de destination sur l'AST ?..... Il y a des tas de modèles différents de ce document, jamais vu deux pareils, et en général il n'est pas mentionné de pays de destination. N'y prêtez pas attention.
Une AST normale et une CNI valide et ça ira pour un tel voyage organisé.
la maman me dit que la mairie de Marseille ne délivre qu une sortie de territoire pour la CE la compagnie MSC dit qu il faut mentionner tous les pays ou on fait escale;italie espagne malte et bingo la tunisie qui reste en plan et le copain qui reste à quai....du coup je suis obligée de demander à la maman d amener son chérubin jusqu'à gênes car si on me fait une embrouille au départ du coup elle peut le ramener à marseille !!!! et moi les vacances gachées en partie, bon espérons qu il n y aura pas d embrouille avec un douanier zêleur, mais quand même 6 semaines de délai pour faire un passeport à marseille, c'est un peu lent!!!!
J'ai vu des tas d'AST, presque toujours de modèles différents, et très rarement il était mentionné un pays de destination ; cela n'a rien d'une obligation, mais c'est plutôt semble-t-il un zèle de cette mairie. Vous devriez essayer de leur expliquer que le nom des pays n'a rien d'obligatoire. Au cas où vous feriez à Marseille l'objet d'une mesure restrictive qui n'existe pas ailleurs, vous pouvez menacer de vous placer sur un terrain légal.
Appelez votre préfecture pour tirer ça au clair.
donc il faudrait qu elle soit refaite cette attestation sans rien mentionner comme pays mais quand j ai appelé AB Croisière ce sont eux qui m ont dit de détailler les pays... bon alors je ne sais plus quoi faire on part la semaine prochaine et je ne peux pas risquer que l enfant reste à quai.en plus avec évènement au maghreb je ne sais pas trop comment la douane italienne réagit, quelle histoire pour rien et c est inadmissible que des préfectures et pas toutes emettent des vétos a faire réaliser des passeports en urgent !!!!!
quand nous avons débarqué en tunisie avec Costa, les douanes tunisiennes sont montées à bord et nous aovns dû faire la queue pour présenter aux officiers tunisiens soit nos passeports, soit carte d'identité (+photo d'identité à part à prévoir s'ils souhaitent établir un visa "quick trip") et ils ont nous ont apposé un tampon sur les passeports. et c'était en septembre 2006. donc bien se renseigner si la CI et le formulaire permette le débarquement du petit en tunisie. je ne vois pas de prb majeur à l'embarquement mais mon point d'interrogation serait effectviement la tunisie....
Costa Atlantica Mer et Mythes classiques ( 11/2005)
Costa Concordia Magique Méditerranée (09/2006)
Costa Serena Vision D'orient (11/2007 )
www.aufeminin.com (dans albums, taper nom du bateau ou mon pseudo:belatrix; mot de passe atlantica et Concordia et serena )
La Tunisie autorisera le débarquement avec passeport ou CNI pour un tel voyage organisé... Et du moment que le jeune homme a une CNI valide, il n'y a aucun problème ; l'AST c'est pour quitter la France, pas ensuite...
j'avais bien compris pour l'AST...😉 néanmoins cet enfant ne voyage pas avec ses parents et parfois malgré les multiples autorisations, certains douaniers sont récalcitrants. mais positivons, il n' y aucune raison que cela se passe mal!🙂
Costa Atlantica Mer et Mythes classiques ( 11/2005)
Costa Concordia Magique Méditerranée (09/2006)
Costa Serena Vision D'orient (11/2007 )
www.aufeminin.com (dans albums, taper nom du bateau ou mon pseudo:belatrix; mot de passe atlantica et Concordia et serena )
Cela ne regarde ni la police tunisienne ni la police italienne ; le jeune homme est en règle avec sa CNI dès lors qu'il a pu quitter ainsi le territoire national. Pourquoi voulez-vous que ça se passe mal ?
... Cela ne regarde ni la police tunisienne ni la police italienne ; le jeune homme est en règle avec sa CNI dès lors qu'il a pu quitter ainsi le territoire national. Pourquoi voulez-vous que ça se passe mal ? ... Michel
En fait apres avoir regardé de + pres suis pas si certain que ça pour la police italienne !
En effet France est Italie sont sans l'espagce Schengen SANS aucun controle pour passer entre les deux pays donc il semble que ce soit le dernier pays "Schengen" qui ai la charge des controles de sortie de l'espace Schengen (comme il fait les controles entrée)
Si je fais la comparaison avec ce que je connais lorsque tu vas en avion de Paris a une destination non Schengen via un aéroport en zone Schengen il n'y a pas de controle a Paris mais a cet AP de transit. J'en suis certain pour avoir souvent transité a Bruxelles vers l'Afrique, dans ce cas tu dois passer un controle police à l'arrivée de France à l'aéroport de BRU pour accéder à la zone "non Schengen"
Attention la cie maritime a certainement raison !
Bon voyage et surtout voyagez zen!
Michel France (85)
Les AST étant de formats divers voire disparates, rédigés plus ou moins clairement, et uniquement en français, je ne vois pas trop les Italiens contrôlant ça....
"Si je fais la comparaison avec ce que je connais lorsque tu vas en avion de Paris a une destination non Schengen via un aéroport en zone Schengen il n'y a pas de controle a Paris mais a cet AP de transit."
Qu'est-ce que tu racontes ?.... Bien sûr que si que tu passes le contrôle en France... Enfin moi je l'ai toujoru passé, quel que soit l'aéroport de transit..... Si tu voles sur Alitalian depuis CDG, tu passes le même portique de police que tout le monde, non ?
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
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.
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!
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
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 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 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!
I discovered solo cruises last year, and it was a wonderful experience. Since then, I’ve decided to do one every year, usually between October and March, departing from Marseille or Le Havre.
I travel alone, but I enjoy sharing certain moments with other travelers: having meals together, attending shows, enjoying the evening entertainment, grabbing a drink, or going on a few excursions. Of course, everyone keeps their freedom—the goal is simply to have a good time in a friendly atmosphere.
For the end of this year, I don’t have a cruise planned yet. However, I’m already booked on the MSC Magnifica from October 29 to November 3, 2027, departing from Marseille with an itinerary to Spain and Italy.
If you often travel solo or if you’re on this cruise, I’d love to chat with you before departure. Looking forward to meeting you! 🚢😊
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
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.
If there’s one trip I’ve always wanted to take, it’s a long boat journey far from my daily routine—something like crossing the Atlantic. I first thought about traveling on a cargo ship or similar, as some of these boats used to accept individual passengers, but I’ve read that this has become very rare since COVID. Plus, the options that might work for me are way out of my budget, like Neoline, for example.
A cruise seems like the best solution for me, especially since what I really love is the idea of a long stay on a ship—making stops in different places, exploring them, the change of scenery, and a real break from the daily grind. I’ve never been on a cruise before, so I was thinking of doing a 21-day cruise between a port in mainland France (Marseille) and Pointe-à-Pitre. The departure port doesn’t really matter—Marseille, Le Havre, or even a nearby European city would work.
Since I want to travel solo, I’m really keen on cruises designed for solo travelers. MSC has one from Marseille to Pointe-à-Pitre, lasting 21 days, departing next November (so in a few months). The price is within my budget, just over 1800 €.
I see that other cruises with similar routes and durations are planned for next year, November 2027, but the prices are totally different—around 3500 €, which is clearly out of my budget.
So, my question is: do you think I should wait for a possible price drop for the 2027 cruises (if I understand correctly, prices are adjusted based on how full the ship is and how close the departure date is) or should I book the one in November 2026? I could easily take three weeks off this fall. Also, is it too late to book for November 2026? I’ve read that visas might be required for some stops.
For the rest—accommodation in Guadeloupe and the flight ticket back to France—it’s not a problem; I can sort that out pretty easily.
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
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,
I’m leaving Hamburg for Iceland at the end of July. The boat arrives in Reykjavik on Tuesday, August 4th at 8 AM, and I’d like to book a day trip like the Golden Circle or Secret Lagoon… The sites like GetYourGuide and others list departures at 8 AM. If you’ve used these sites with the MSC Preziosa, could you let me know how to go about it?
Thanks! 😉
allyMB007
Hello everyone,
It’s with immense sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of our friend Nathalie (nadu). Many of us knew her through this forum, which she loved so much. She enjoyed reading your travel stories, joining discussions, sharing her cruise reviews, and offering valuable advice—always with kindness, gentleness, and discretion.
For me, Nathalie was so much more than just a cruise enthusiast. She was a friend, a deeply kind person who was always there to listen, despite the many health challenges she faced with tremendous courage. We corresponded regularly, and sometimes we had the chance to visit each other’s homes or attend the cruise show together with our respective husbands.
We shared a common dream: when we both retired, we had planned to finally go on a cruise together. Life had other plans, and that trip will forever remain a journey we never had the chance to take. That thought weighs heavily on my heart today.
I’ll remember her as a gentle, generous woman who was always ready to help others. Her presence on this forum will leave a huge void, just as her friendship has in my life.
I send my sincerest thoughts to her husband, her family, and all those who had the chance to know her.
Fair winds, Nathalie. I like to think you’re now sailing on an infinitely calm sea, under an eternally blue sky. You’ll remain in our thoughts and hearts every time we talk about cruises or set off on a new journey.
Rest in peace, Nathalie.
For those who’d like to send a message of comfort and sympathy to her husband, you can send me a PM, and I’ll pass it along.
THANK YOU
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!
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.
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,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.