je voudrais savoir si les personnes qui n'ont pas pu embarquer car le vol était annulé et la SNCF en grève ont été remboursées ou si un report de date est possible car pour l'instant je n'ai rien obtenu.
Merci de vos réponses.
que deviez vous faire comme croisiére ? sur quelle compagnie et quel parcours ?
je devais embarquer le 19.4 à miami et j'attends une réponse de la compagnie avec un peu de péssimisme car j'ai pris le vol à part ( la compagnie de croisiére ne proposant d'organiser le préacheminement que pour les américains et anglais )
J'ai eu l'immense chance de ne pas être impactée par le volcan (suis rentrée des US le 12...donc juste avant)
mais je suis très intéressée de connaître les réponses que vont donner les compagnies
Nadu, je suis vraiment désolée que tu aies manqué ton beau voyage
tu m'avais tellement fait rêvé avec ta transatlantique, ainsi que ma fille et nous avions déjà regardé pour en réserver une...sans succès car aucune date ne colle avec notre zone de congés scolaires d'ici 2012...
Je suis très intéressée de savoir quelle réponse Célébrity va t'apporter
en effet, j'ai pour la première fois réservé une croisière RCI en direct chez latitude sud pour avril 2011 car c'était les seuls à nous proposer un tarif famille d'où une grosse économie
MAIS ça veut dire réserver son vol à part puisqu'ils ne veulent pas vendre de package vol, hotel et transferts en france
du coup, ils échappent à la loi européenne des voyages à forfait (vol+hébergement) qui devrait nous protéger...
J'hésite à annuler cette croisière du coup et réserver autre chose ou via un autre canal de vente qui proposerait le vol avec... mais 270 eur de frais d'annulation et au moins 1000 eur de plus en réservant tout ailleurs
Tenez-nous au courant car ça concerne beaucoup d'entre nous qui partons en croisière outre-atlantique
Filament
Star Princess (Juillet 2010)-Voyager of the Seas (Avril 2010)
Adventure of the Seas (Février 2010)
Navigator of the Seas (Août 2009)
Legend of the Seas (Août 2008)
Splendour of the Seas (Août 2007)
le représentant en rance de rccl et célébrity est latitude sud qui a le monopole
même en réservant sur le site célébrity c'est latitude qui va s'occuper de ta résa
un moyen de passer outre c'est de réserver sur un site américain qui accepte les résa de français ce qui n'est apparamment pas facile à trouver genre smart cruiser vagation to go etc
Je ne cherche pas à réserver aux US, surtout pas en fait (le droit européen ne s'appliquerait pas)
mais j'aimerais bien avoir une offre croisière+vol justement pour pouvoir bénéficier des garanties européennes sur les voyages à forfait
pour l'instant , latitude sud refuse de nous vendre ces packages vols, hotels et transferts
mais apparemment, certaines agences de voyage le proposerait?
je sais qu'opodo vend certaines croisières RCC avec vols, etc..depuis Paris
nous allons attendre de toute façon, puisque nos frais d'annulation restent les même jusque 60 jours avant le départ
nous avons donc en gros jusqu'en février pour décider si nous ferons cette croisière ou pas
d'ici là, je vais essayer d'avoir plus d'infos sur eux
et je suis notamment très intéressée de la réponse qu'ils vous apporteront
ainsi que du contact que vous avez avec eux
Filament
Star Princess (Juillet 2010)-Voyager of the Seas (Avril 2010)
Adventure of the Seas (Février 2010)
Navigator of the Seas (Août 2009)
Legend of the Seas (Août 2008)
Splendour of the Seas (Août 2007)
je ne sais spas quelle compagnie vous aviez
mais AIR FRANCE rembourse intégralement ou donne un avoir y compris les frais de train si c'est justifié
donc insister vous serez remboursé
une passion : les voyages - découvrir ailleurs, côtoyer d'autres - la croisière, c'est aussi tout cela
COSTA - CIC - MSC - CARNIVAL - NORWEGIAN - ROYAL CARIBBEAN - PRINCESS CRUISES -
c'est vos assurances qui devront vous prendre en charge vos frais de croisiere ratée
a vos contrats
Je ne sais pas quelles assurances peuvent rentrer en ligne de compte car la plupart des assurances voyages excluent tout ce qui est greve, terrorisme, catastrophe naturelle, intempéries, etc...
les assurances des cartes visa ont publié une note annonçant que leurs garanties ne fonctionnaient pas justement
les compagnies aériennes remboursent les billets d'avion sans souci
par contre, pour les croisières ratées, si bookées indépendamment, je ne vois pas quelle garantie pourrait jouer?
Star Princess (Juillet 2010)-Voyager of the Seas (Avril 2010)
Adventure of the Seas (Février 2010)
Navigator of the Seas (Août 2009)
Legend of the Seas (Août 2008)
Splendour of the Seas (Août 2007)
mon agence de voyage habituelle me fait les vols et nuits d'hotel sans aucun souci et latitude me fait la croisiére port port
je pense que ton agence peut faire de même
tout à fait d'accord , pas de souci pour l'avion qui nous est déjé remboursé
le probléme c'est le reste
l'assurance CB ne prend en effet rien en charge
Latitude Sud refuse de vendre les Packages, donc, en cas de probleme de transport, la croisiere est perdue.
La seule solution est de souscrire un Package chez une agence de voyage, qui fera alors les achats aupres de Latitude Sud et de la Cie d'aviation.Il faut bien sur demander une facture pour l'ensemble (et non 2 factures séparées), c'est le seul moyen pour etre remboursé si le vol n'a pas lieu ou est trop retardé.
Latitude Sud refuse de vendre les Packages, donc, en cas de probleme de transport, la croisiere est perdue.
La seule solution est de souscrire un Package chez une agence de voyage, qui fera alors les achats aupres de Latitude Sud et de la Cie d'aviation.Il faut bien sur demander une facture pour l'ensemble (et non 2 factures séparées), c'est le seul moyen pour etre remboursé si le vol n'a pas lieu ou est trop retardé
taurier,
nous sommes bien d'accord mais la question est:
quelle agence/tour operator propose ces offres en France?
filament
Star Princess (Juillet 2010)-Voyager of the Seas (Avril 2010)
Adventure of the Seas (Février 2010)
Navigator of the Seas (Août 2009)
Legend of the Seas (Août 2008)
Splendour of the Seas (Août 2007)
Contactez plusieurs agences locales (pour ma part, THOMAS COOK me proposait de le faire, sur ma demande), bien sur, c'était un peu plus cher qu'en direct, mais pour des sommes importantes et des destinations lointaines, je pense que ça vaut le coup de s'en préoccuper.
re
echos du large pour NCL
et cruisetravel, belgique (anvers) -ils editent le +beau catalogue de croisiere d'europe
et vendent en france sur demande
à +
ok, merci pour le tuyau thomas cook, je me renseignerais
en fait, je n'ai pas d'agence ici
il y en a une pas très loin, j'étais déjà allée voir et ils n'y connaissaient strictement rien, ça faisait vraiment peur!
sinon, je suis bien d'accord sur le fait que je préfère payer qq eur de plus de commission à l'agence SI j'ai un bon service en retour 😉
Star Princess (Juillet 2010)-Voyager of the Seas (Avril 2010)
Adventure of the Seas (Février 2010)
Navigator of the Seas (Août 2009)
Legend of the Seas (Août 2008)
Splendour of the Seas (Août 2007)
pour ma part, je cde mes croisieres hors europe, chez cruise.com, usa, possibilité d'une assurance annulation pour la croisiere seule, et remise d'earlybooking de quelques points sup à celui de l'armateur en direct
le reste etant sous regime europeen pour les vols, et resa hotel avec dépot cb, (risque perdre une nuit), pour les excursions sensibles
je passe par un opérateur us, avec ass annul avant jour d'excution
pour les ass cb, toutes ne se valent pas, entre les interna., gold, platinium, de premier master american, bien choisir, de + voir avec son assureurs la possibilité d'inclure si elles ne le sont pas les closes d'annulations de prestations de voyages, et de discuter les closes d'exemptions
pour package depart europe, croisiere cie us, = service total à l'europeenne cruisetravel.be (super pro de la croisiere, le top des operateurs)
et pour beaucoup un dept de bruxelles ou de paris, cela ne change pas grand chose
- attention, demander à son agence de vous gérer vos vols, vos transferts, et votre cruise avec cie us, n'est pas un package global au niveau
des assurances - c'est un empillage de services, qui seront traité séparément- seul la proposition global des sces si, inscrit à son catalogue
pourra etre pris en cpte-
Je suis dans la même situation: j'avais réservé une croisière sur le Brilliance of the Seas (RCI) au départ de Dubaï le 19 avril. Latitude ne proposant pas de package, j'avais pris un vol par Qatar dont je vais être remboursé.
J'ai décidé d'assigner Latitude Sud devant le Tribunal d'Instance de ma circonscription comme c'est mon droit. Pour un litige inférieur à 4000 € je ne suis pas obligé de prendre un avocat, donc pas de frais en ce qui me concerne. Par contre, en tant que société, ils seront obligé de passer par leur avocat, qui j'en suis sûr, n'est pas philanthrope... finalement leur manque de sens commercial va leur coûter plus cher que le geste qu'ils auraient pu faire en ces circonstances extraordinaires.
J'avais voulu réserver cette croisière par Vacation to Go, une agence spécialisée basée à Houston, par laquelle je réserve mes croisières depuis 7 ans... depuis cette année RCI refuse qu'ils fassent des réservations pour les non résidents US. Pour les résidents français, ils ont donné le monopole à Latitude Sud qui ne fait pas les package.
Même quand on fait une réservation directement sur le site de RCI on est redirigé sur Latitude Sud pour la finalisation du contract et le paiement. Mon seul interlocuteur est donc Latitude Sud, agent général de RCI et c'est contre eux que j'engage les poursuites.
Mon assignation se base sur les points suivants:
- Latitude Sud, qui bénéficie du monopole de la distribution des croisières RCI en France, ne propose pas de package avec le vol. Nous n'avions donc pas la possibilité d'être couvert dans un cas de force majeure comme celui qui s'est produit avec le nuage volcanic.
- Latitude Sud m'a fait souscrire une assurance annulation: je croyais, en toute bonne foi, que c'était le contrat CruiseCare proposé par RCI qui permet de bénéficier d'un crédit minimum de 75% en cas d'annulation pour une cause non prévue au contrat. Or, l'assurance annulation a été souscrite auprès d'une compagnie française. Je n'en ai jamais été informé ni reçu le contrat de cette assurance annulation. J'estime que Latitude Sud a failli à son devoir d'information qui est une obligation majeure pour tout agent de voyage.
- Mon annulation résulte d’un cas de « force majeure » (article 1148 du Code Civil), l’impossibilité de me rendre sur le lieu d’embarquement de la croisière en raison de la fermeture de l'espace aérien et non de ma volonté ou négligence.
J'ai adressé un courrier recommandé à Latitude Sud faisant état de tous ces points et leur demandant un gest commercial. A ce jour, ils n'ont pas pris la peine d'y répondre.
J'invite toutes les personnes dans la même situation à engager des poursuites auprès du Tribunal d'Instance. Voic la procédure à suivre:
Est-ce quelqu'un a pu être remboursé pour sa croisière ratée en raison du vol annulé ou a pu obtenir le report ?
Nous n'avons eu ni l'un ni l'autre malgré mes nombreuses demandes à l'agence et au siège de la compagnie maritime.
Non, j'ai engagé une procédure judiciaire à l'encontre de Latitude Sud, l'agent général de Royal Caribbean en France. Pour un litige inférieur à 4000 euros il n'est pas obligatoire de prendre un avocat et, si l'on a acheté à distance (site web, email) on peut les assigner devant le Tribunal le plus proche de notre domicile... ce qui va bien les ennuyer. Finalement la procédure leur coûtera plus cher que le geste commercial qu'ils auraient pu faire.
Pour info :Le numéro 357 de Mai 2010 du Particulier Pratique comporte deux pages intitulées "Contretemps dus au nuage volcanique, les droits des voyageurs" qui pourrait intéresser les victimes du nuage.
Guy
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
Bonjour à tous
Je pars en suite sur le pacifica en octobre et je n'arrive pas à avoir d3s précisions sur les avantages en suite hormis le resto élite le majordome la machine expresso
Qu'en est-il des petits déjeuners et repas servis gratuitement en cabine, du spa
Costa enlève de plus en plus les privilèges aux gold et apparemment aux suites aussi
Merci de vos reponses
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
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
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!
Hello,
We’re taking a cruise to Northern Europe with a stop in SOUTHAMPTON.
We’d like to visit the Stonehenge site.
Is it possible to get there on our own (my husband is a wheelchair user), since the MSC excursion to Salisbury is priced at 127 € per person?
There’s also a stop in Rotterdam, and it seems there’s a "miniature village to visit" nearby. Has anyone here been there, and if so, how did you get there?
Thanks so much for your tips. Mum49
If you're traveling on the Costa Diadema from October 17th to 28th, 2026 to Lisbon, we can meet up for a drink. Share our cruising experiences, an excursion, a table...
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.
I’m looking to get in touch with someone who’s been on an Arctic Cruise aboard the ship POLARFRONT, operated by the French company "LATITUDE BLANCHE", for some info.
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever taken a cruise with this PO Cruise company.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
They’ve got some great itineraries for Norway.
Hello,
We’ll be sailing on the Renaissance with CFC to southern Norway from July 4 to 11, 2026, departing from Dunkirk (the cruise was booked through "Planète Croisière").
When entering some personal details or pre-selecting options on the CFC website, I’m wondering about the "optional" categories for drinks and WiFi.
I’m actually a bit surprised by these extra charges, as we weren’t used to them on other cruises (Australis in Patagonia; Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express in Norway and Alaska; Rivages du Monde in the Arctic or on the Douro River; a Nile river cruise in Egypt), where we sometimes had access to basic drinks at meals and free WiFi when near land.
Anyway, for those who’ve already taken a CFC cruise on the Renaissance, could you share some advice? Specifically about the most basic drink package, called "Fraîcheur" (238 € for two), which doesn’t seem to be described anywhere. The "Premium" package seems excessive (490 € for two for the week) for light drinkers.
As for WiFi, it’s 10 € per day per person. While I find that price acceptable for parking our car in Dunkirk, it feels overpriced here (especially since it was free on the Nordlys "Coastal Express" just 3 or 4 years ago).
So, I’d love to hear from experienced cruisers who’ve been on this ship!
Looking forward to seeing the excursion prices, which should be available soon! 😐
Hi there,
I’m considering a cruise on this ship in the recently introduced Yacht Club category.
Have any forum members tried it?
What are your thoughts? Positive or negative? Which cabins should we go for—or avoid?
We’re already familiar with the Yacht Clubs on the Splendida, Fantasia, Preziosa, and Divina series.
We weren’t as keen on the one on the Seashore—we found it too big.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Claudine
We're considering a new cruise soon and would like to try the Renaissance.
The uniqueness of the promenade cabins appeals to us, but could anyone give us some insights on the following points:
- Is the glass door sufficiently tinted to prevent outsiders from seeing into the cabin?
- Is the soundproofing good enough to block out conversations on the promenade deck?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!
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.
As promised, here’s my review of the cruise I took from the 5th to the 19th on the MSC Virtuosa.
As you know, I had initially booked a cruise with Mein Schiff departing from Dubai (from Dubai to Cape Town). It was a 22-day cruise. Due to the issues in the Persian Gulf, my cruise was canceled by Mein Schiff.
So, we started looking for a Plan B because we really wanted to go. Especially my wife, who had just had a minor procedure and needed some rest. Since she had already taken time off, she was determined to travel. However, we were looking for an affordable Plan B since we weren’t sure when Mein Schiff or the airline would reimburse us.
While browsing online, I found a 15-day cruise departing from Pointe-à-Pitre (including flights, transfers, the cruise, and drinks) for a price of 1,200 € in a Fantastica balcony cabin. We thought, *Why not?*
I should mention that I’m not usually a big fan of MSC. My last experience with them was post-Covid (I took two cruises, one in 2021 and another in 2022), and it was honestly a disaster. We didn’t want to repeat that, but after talking to Catherine, who told me she was very happy with a short Christmas cruise, we decided to give it a try.
I have to say, I was left speechless. Honestly, the cruise was absolutely perfect. There’s nothing to complain about (or just a few minor details). In terms of service and food, I felt like I was on a premium cruise line. I’d even say MSC has nothing to envy from some of those companies. While premium lines like Holland, Celebrity, and Royal are cutting back on services, I think MSC has made huge improvements. Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this at all. You’ll see what I mean as we chat more.
I won’t do a full review like I usually do because there weren’t many stops:
1. We boarded in Pointe-à-Pitre
2. We stopped in Saint-Martin
3. Then it was a direct crossing to the Azores...
This cruise was really about relaxing, even if it’s not the kind of trip we usually take.
First off, I’m not a big fan of "flight and cruise" packages. I asked if we could leave two days early, but they said it wasn’t possible. We had to take the flight, then the bus, and board the ship directly.
It’s not really my thing, but given the price we paid and since we really wanted to relax, we thought, *Why not?*
Here’s the itinerary:
Boarding in Pointe-à-Pitre
Saint-Martin
Five days at sea
The Azores
Four days at sea
Hamburg
One day at sea
Le Havre
But as I mentioned, it wasn’t about the itinerary. It was really about taking a break and unwinding. Honestly, I came back thrilled.
We’re stopping over in Rovinj this coming May, and since we’ve already visited the main sights (port, church, etc.), is there a walk we can do on our own—no boat needed—that would fill a morning?
Thanks to anyone who knows the area…
My wife and I are going on a cruise on the MS Vesteralen on August 4th. The ship stays close to the coast to deliver mail and packages. My wife is a musician and is sensitive to the movement of the boat. Which deck and cabin should we choose?
Hi there,
So, I booked this cruise...
I know CFC gets a lot of criticism—
- And that it’s not really like the ships I usually take.
But the destination really interested me...
So, I’m giving it a try...
I’m going in with an open mind, thinking I got a good deal, so I’m not expecting the same experience as when I travel with Yacht Club or The Haven.
We’ll see... soon!
hi, we’re going on a cruise with MSC Virtuosa in the Caribbean. Has anyone done this cruise before and could give us some tips for excursions on the different islands? Thanks for your help
😉Hi there,
A few months ago, CFC put the EN VOGUE experience on sale, departing from Dunkirk.
I booked this package to test the boat and onboard services for myself.
I’d read a lot of reviews mentioning numerous issues on board, so I wanted to see for myself what it was really like…
Okay, I’ll stop rambling…
The package included boarding at 6 PM on Friday, dinner, a show, an overnight stay, and breakfast.
We chose an interior cabin for this experience—since the boat wasn’t leaving the dock, we didn’t see the point in paying more… All in all, it cost 130 € per person.
My mom joined us; she got the same cabin for 130 € with no single occupancy supplement.
We’d checked in online to board faster.
We took the train to DUNKIRK, then a taxi to the shuttle pavilion—7 € for the ride.
When we arrived at the pavilion, we were told to wait because there was a connection issue with check-in. Great start…
After about ten minutes, we were finally allowed to proceed.
At the counter, they said they didn’t have our cabin cards and no record of our check-in… Very odd.
With no solution, they put us on the bus and said we’d sort it out at reception. Perfect.
We went through security, and they confiscated our water bottles—never seen that before! Then they said my mom had a corkscrew in her bag, so they searched it… but there was no corkscrew. Total amateur hour… They eventually dropped it.
We got on the bus for a ten-minute ride…
We boarded the ship with a crew member and headed to reception.
Turns out, we weren’t the only ones in this situation.
The nightmare began… Only two staff members were handling all the issues, and everything seemed complicated.
They told my mom her cabin had been given to someone else 😲.
That was the last straw…
It took forever—they had to redo the entire check-in.
Finally, they told my mom her cabin was good to go; they’d mixed her up with someone else… After a solid half-hour, we could finally head to our cabin.
I’m determined to test everything: the pool, jacuzzi, show, restaurant, spa, etc…
TO BE CONTINUED
Hi,
We received a promotion from our CFC agency offering cruises at up to 40-100% off, and among other details: CFC organizes parking for departures from Dunkirk.
"Unattended parking located about 12 minutes away, fenced off with barriers, at a rate of 10 € per day. Drop off passengers and luggage at the Model Pavilion, and a CFC shuttle will take you from the parking lot to the Model Pavilion every 15-20 minutes. Same for disembarkation. You can book through your agency or on their website. No refunds if the booking is canceled; payment is due at reservation."
Have a great day,
Guylène
PS: Personally, we’d rather keep our vehicle in a free, supervised parking lot and take a taxi to the Model Pavilion.
My first trip to Iceland, over 50 years ago.
Islande et Féroé en vanFR
Iceland: A Week on the Land of Ice and Fire in April
Road trip in Iceland with my daughter from May 6 to 13, 2023
Sept jours "découverte de l'Islande"FR
A summer in the sun in... Iceland!!
Deux semaines d'itinérance en Islande en familleFR
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever taken a cruise with this PO Cruise company.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
They’ve got some great itineraries for Norway.
Hi there,
So, I booked this cruise...
I know CFC gets a lot of criticism—
- And that it’s not really like the ships I usually take.
But the destination really interested me...
So, I’m giving it a try...
I’m going in with an open mind, thinking I got a good deal, so I’m not expecting the same experience as when I travel with Yacht Club or The Haven.
We’ll see... soon!
