Re Vero Merci pour les renseignements, bien utiles je note tout. Nous regarderons si de florence il y a possibilite d'aller a Florence par le TRain je pense des personnes qui seront a bord du Napoleon ont envisage cela donc j'aurai je pense des renseignements- Bien amicalement -
J'ai déjà bien étudié pour aller à Florence et j'ai trouvé la ligne de bus qui va du port jusqu'en ville, il me semble que c'est la PB 82, mais ensuite il faut reprendre un bus pour aller jusqu'à la gare
Mais en fonction d'où est le bateau on n'a pas accès aux bus
J'ai donc misé la sécurité et me suis en relation avec les amréricains pour partager un taxi
Il y a un train à 8 h 11 arrivée à 9 h 33, ensuite à 9 h 11 arrivée 10 h 33 mais j'ai aussi qu'on pouvait prendre le train pour Pise à 8 h 26 arrivée 8 h 47 et on reprend le train pour Florence à 9 h 01 arrivée 10 h 23
La gare est vraiment en centre ville à Florence, à côté des principaux monuments d'après ce que j'ai vu
Cela évite d'attendre sur le quai de la gare au cas où on loupe le 1 er train
Ah là, là la préparation des escales, ça prend du temps 😉
En effet je vois que vous avez deja pas mal de renseignements, quand partez vous au juste et quelles sont les escales prevues lors de cette croisiere ? En fait nous avons visite florence lors de notre derniere croisiere avec MSC mais avions pris l'excursion organisee par le bateau, elle comprenait Florence et Pise, un monde fou dans la ville de Florence une multitude de groupes des differents bateaux se retrouvaient en meme temps dans et devant les edifices ce qui nous empechait d'entendre et d'approcher des details. Nous avons en definitive préfére Pise ou nous avons pu acceder plus facilement, c'est pour cela que cette fois ci nous allons nous contenter de visiter Livourne j'ai recu les plans de la ville ainsi que les indications concernant les edifices a visiter de la part de l'OT - j'avais egalement demande a l'OT de Naples la documentation mais rien recu mais j'ai glane sur internet pas mal de renseignements. Avec le Napoléon nous avons une grande plage horaire pour visiter car nous arrivons le matin vers 7H et repartons aux environs de 19H. C'est sans doute différent d'un bateau de croisiere, mais nous voulions absolument visiter Rome car le MSC ne faisait pas escale a Citavecchia la derniere fois c'est donc l'occasion d'y aller.
Je vous dis a tres bientot - tres bonne semaine - je vous raconterai cette mini croisiere au retour - amities
Je refais un circuit classique, Cannes (eh oui les américains adorent !!), livourne, Civitavecchia, Naples, Venise 2 jours, Split, La valette avec entre temps 3 jours en mer
Nous devrions être le seul bateau à Livourne si je ne me suis pas trompée donc théoriquement pas trop de monde à Florence
C'est surtout le bateau que je rêvais de re-prendre, celui là il m'a laissé des souvenirs extraordinaires
Je vous souhaite une bonne nuit en attendant de passer une excellente croisière
Ca y est nous voila de retour de cette mini croisiere a bord du NApoleon, je conseille a tous ceux qui auraient envie d'une petite escale d'embarquer a son bord, le bateau est confortable silencieux et bien qu'enorme les 700 passagers y sont tres a l'aise, tous les repas sont servis a table et composes d'excellents produits frais vins et eau inclus dans le prix, tous les jours des bouteilles d'eau sont également mises gratuitement dans les cabines, orchestre et animations de qualite. Nous avons beaucoup aime la visite de Rome nous y allions en fait pour cela, Naples est une ville surprenante, tres animee bruyante (kalxons et coups de sifflet de la police qui semblent ne pas etre la preoccupation des Napolitains, il est difficile de traverser les avenues car feux rouges ou pas les voitures passent). Amities a Meg, et sa famille ainsi qu'a Bruna et Pierre que nous avons le plaisir de rencontrer sur le Bateau. Ce matin il faut defaire les valises, nous faisons une petite pause de 15 jours et repartons ensuite en Lozere - Tres bonne journee Amicalement.
La valise n'est pas encore défaite, ce matin les courses etaient prioritaires pour remplir le frigo qui hurlait.
Nous avons pris l'excursion organisee par le bateau la Rome Baroque, et avons eu la chance d'avoir une guide qui nous a fait faire au moins 10kms a pied afin de visiter au maximum la ville plutot que d'aller et venir avec le car devant chaque monument, Rome est epoustouflante par la richesse de ses monuments, meme la fontaine de Trevi n'a rien a voir avec les films ou images que nous avions pu voir, il faut y etre pour se rendre compte de la grandeur. Nous avons visite Livourne en toute liberte etant donne que nous avions vu Florence et Pise la fois précedente avec les excursions MSC, et meme chose pour Naples ou nous avons pris le circulanumvesuviano pour voir Herculanum, qui est vraiment a voir le site est tres bien arrange et en meilleur etat que Pompei, beaucoup moins etendu egalement.
Il nous reste maintenant a prendre un peu de repos et a préparer pour le 25 Octobre notre sejour en Lozére qui lui sera plus reposant.
Votre départ est pour quand ? en vous souhaitant une tres bonne journee.
10 kms à pied à Rome, ça ne m'étonne pas du tout et le pire c'est qu'on ne s'en aperçoit pas
De toutes façons comme la plupart des villes, Rome se découvre à pied, par contre je trouve que les romains ne sont pas très avenants
J'adore la Fontaine de Trévi, c'est magnifique, mais la 1ère où je suis allée à Rome, je m'imaginais la place beaucoup plus grande
je n'ai jamais mis de pièce dans la fontaine et je retourne à Rome pour la 5ème fois .. j'ai économisé de sous ainsi 😉
Avez-vous vu des navettes à 1 € à Livourne ?
Je pars le 20 de Barcelone, je n'ai pas encore fini mes carnets d'escale, mais c'est bon, je vais y arriver
Les valises sont defaites, la lessive faite, la maison a retrouve son aspect normal, nous sommes prets a repartir mais il faut attendre 15 jours avant de rejoindre la Lozère.
Nous avons pris la navette a 1€ AR à Livourne et il y en a toutes les 1/2 heure elle nous dépose au centre ville certains de la ont pris des cars a étage faisant le tour de la ville d'autres ont rejoint la gare, nous sommes restes au centre ville que nous avons visité a pied, a part une ou 2 eglises dont une avec une facade en marbre, nous avons fait quelques achats dans une parfumerie qui faisait des promos interessantes, sur le bateau on nous avait indique que Livourne est bien placee au niveau parfumeries. A midi nous etions de retour au bateau pour le repas et l'aprem nous nous sommes reposes piscine et jacuzzi.
Allez vous rejoindre Barcelone en train ?
Nous avons vu des croisieres interessantes mais deja le tranfert jusqu'a Barcelone nous retient, certaines partent meme de Venise et passer la nuit dans le train de nuit meme en wagon lit c'est assez penible.
En vous souhaitant de bons preparatifs et une tres bonne journee amicalement
Bonjour Desbell, je suis contente d'avoir des nouvelles de votre mini croisière sur le Bonaparte, car depuis longtps je me demandais si c'était interessant. Je savais pas qu'il y avait une piscine sur le bateau. Est ce que les croisières du bateau sont aussi cheres que sur MSC?
Cette été nous avons fait le circuit Grece, Dubrovnik avec le MSC Musica départ de Venise. C'est un circuit magnifique, et il ne faut pas que le départ de Venise vous arrete. Nous avons hésité aussi d'autant plus que le train couchettes Nice-Venise a été supprimé. Donc nous sommes partis la veille Nice-Milan et Milan-Venise et passés la nuit a Venise, mais je peux vous dire que nous n'avons pas regretté. Ca vaut le détour.
L'été prochain pour nous ce sera le Mélody que nous avons déjà pris, et pour l'escale de Catane j'aimerais avoir d'autres renseignements : si cest une excursion d'une journée et si la route tourne bc pour le volcan?
re Véro il y a 2 ans nous sommes partis a Venise avec le train de nuit au depart de Nice en wagon lit uniquement pour 2 personnes, avec un coin toilette, je n'aimerais pas non plus partager un compartiment a plusieurs couchettes, en wagon lit c'est quand meme pas mal meme si c'est plus petit qu'une cabine de bateau mais c'est pour une seule nuit et ca permet d'arriver a Venise le matin et de profiter de la journee nous etions partis avec les voyages donatello, un taxi (bateau) nous attendait a la gare pour nous conduire a notre hotel place St Marc, nous y avons passe une semaine magnifique, et parcouru a pied Venise dans toutes ses nombreuses ruelles recelant toutes les unes plus que les autres des merveilles, nous avons egalement pris la navette qui fait les iles murano, burano ect et avons eu le plaisir d'assister a un magnifique concert de jazz dans le palais des dodges une pure merveille au niveau accoustique.
Malte nous l'avons fait avec l'excursion du bateau mais peut tres bien se faire en individuel ce n'est pas tres grand.
Les navettes pour Livourne se trouvent bien au pied du bateau.
En effet il n'y avait pas foule ni a la piscine ni au jacuzzi ce qui nous a decide a y aller a bord du NB il s'agit d'eau de mer qui est dessalee et traitee par le bateau afin qu'elle soit rejetee propre a la mer, a bord du NB il y a une equipe qui s'occupe du comptage des dauphins et cetacees et de leur survie.
Bonjour Line, sur le Napoleon Bonaparte il y a une piscine couverte et 2 jacuzzi, les croisieres sont en fait des mini croisieres la plus longue etant de 5 jours nous avons pu avoir une promo et avons paye 199€ + taxe carburant pour un sejour tout compris, repas + boissons vins et eau a table + pourboires. Les excursions sont payantes comme sur tous les bateaux les excursions sont a 79€ pour la journee repas compris, avec des guides tres competents. A bord il y a egalement une conferenciere qui s'occupe de fouilles archeologiques et rattachee a la ville de Marseille ces conferences sont a ne pas manquer.
Nous avons pris le Nice Venise de nuit en 2006 en wagon lit pour 2 personnes, avec petit dej en arrivant pres de Venise. je ne savais pas que ce train de nuit a ete supprime🤪.
Par contre le Nice Milan me tenterait car nous ne connaissons pas Milan avez vous eu les renseignements a Nice concernant ce train.
A Catane nous sommes alles visiter l'Etna et n'avons pas vraiment remarque si la route etait ou non tres accidentee tellement nous etions subjuges par le paysage lunaire qu'on voyait, par contre il faut prevoir des vetements chauds car en haut du volcan il fait froid, meme si nous sommes invites a deguster le feu du volcan( une liqueur tres forte) l'excursion dure l'apres midi.
Voilà je suis pas novice dans les croisières, puisque gold pearl, mais jamais effectué de croisière de 5 jours et 4 nuits en cabine premium voici donc mes…
Pour ma deuxième croisière j’ai opté pour une mini-croisière sur le meditteranea au départ de Marseille direction Barcelone et Savone Qui l’a déjà faite?? Et…
Nous partons mi-avril et visiblement les mini-croisières Maid of the Mist qui vont au plus près des chutes ne commencent que mi-mai... Y a t-il une autre…
Je suis sur le point de faire une réservation pour une mini croisière a destination d el nido et Coron. J ai entendu parlé de Tao Expédition et de Native…
Nouvelle bloggeuse sur ce site, je souhaite faire une mini-croisière sur les fjords, de 3 jours sur un petit bateau et aussi trouver un hébergement insolite…
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 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 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 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’re looking for a group of people available to share an excursion to the Trollstigen (Trolls’ Road).
We’ve contacted a local provider who’s offering us the following rates:
- 6,325 NOK for 4 people
- 6,874 NOK for 5 to 8 people
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to discuss!
Happy planning to everyone! !
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!
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 ...
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! 🚢😊
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
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
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.