hello PAP. le roma express existe aussi chez costa. c'est surement le même d'ailleurs. c'est un train réservé aux passagers des bateaux de croisière. ca permet d'aller à rome de façon bien plus confortable qu'avec le train classique ou le bus.
le problème, c'est le prix. ca doit tourner aux alentours de 60 € je crois. voir plus...🤪
le roma express existe aussi chez costa. c'est surement le même d'ailleurs.
Tout à fait. Il sert à toutes les compagnies de croisière, c'est géré, je crois par la "SNCF" italienne...
c'est un train réservé aux passagers des bateaux de croisière. ca permet d'aller à rome de façon bien plus confortable qu'avec le train classique ou le bus.
c'est pas du confort "TGV 1ère classe" non plus, hein, mais c'est très sympathique et à timing constant (pas d'embouteillages)
le problème, c'est le prix. ca doit tourner aux alentours de 60 € je crois. voir plus...🤪
pour le trajet seul... 😠
Non, non, l'excursion s'appelle "transfert exclusif au coeur de Rome" dure 9 heures comme toutes les excursions en Roma Express (et pour cause ! 😉 ) et coûte
45 € par personne
(à comparer avec "Rome en toute liberté" en bus, à 29 € reste à voir le temps "à Rome" en fonction des horaires de départ : pour que le temps "à Rome" soit le même, il faut que le car parte avant le train... )
4 autres excursion de 9h prennent ce train "Roma Express" (les autres prenant des bus) :
"Chefs d'oeuvre et mystère de la Rome antique" : 114 € avec déjeuner
"Avec le Roma Express, allez au coeur de la ville éternelle" : 85 € pas de déjeuner mais une pause de 2h "quartier libre"
"Super Rome" : 133 € avec déjeuner
"Rome ville sacrée et éternelle" : 135 € avec déjeuner
pas facile de choisir, car entre les 4, ça tient un peu du jeu des 7 erreurs... des points communs et puis des variantes... 😮
Ces excursions sont décrites sur le site Costa, mais je ne sais pas si tout le monde peut les voir ou si il faut avoir une croisière réservée (ce qui est mon cas)
Bonjour Bruno et à tous, notament à la personne qui cherchait une excursion pour ses parents, je crois que j'ai trouvé à peu près ce dont on parle depuis deux jours :
http://www.costacroisieres.fr/...italie-EXC_0783.html
Excursion ' LA CITE DU VATICAN ET LE FORUM ROMAIN ' à Civitavecchia / Rome
Adultes € 112,00
Enfants (4 à 14 ans) € 78,40
Durée 10 heures (environ)
Nous partirons du port en bus grand tourisme et après un parcours sur l'autoroute nous rejoindrons la Ville Eternelle.
Arrivés à Rome, nous irons à la rencontre de notre guide local qui nous accompagnera pour visiter deux des lieux symboliques d'une ville qui n'en a pas d'égaux au monde : la Cité du Vatican, siège du christianisme et le forum romain, coeur de la vie politique et commerciale de la Rome Antique. Nous rejoindrons la Cité du Vatican, ou nous commencerons par la visite des musées du Vatican. Parmi les plus importants au monde, ses salles contiennent des collections précieuses et des chefs d'oeuvres d'une valeur inestimable commandés et rassemblés par les Papes au cours des siècles. A notre arrivée, nous aurons le privilège d'avoir l'accès préférentiel aux musées, ce qui nous permettra d'entrer en évitant les files d'attente. Notre guide nous fera découvrir les oeuvres d'art exposées qui vont de l'époque Classique à l'époque de la Renaissance ; nous terminerons notre visite par la chapelle Sixtine. Décorée de fresques signées par des artistes comme Botticelli, Ghirlandaio et le Perugin, elle renferme aussi le très célèbre "Jugement Dernier " de Michel-Ange. A la fin de la visite, nous nous retrouverons sur la place Saint Pierre, délimitée d'une part par les colonnes spectaculaires de Bernini, et d'autre part par l'imposante Basilique Saint Pierre. Erigée sur le tombeau de Saint Pierre, c'est la plus grande Eglise au monde et, sous l'énorme coupole de Michel-Ange, se trouvent des oeuvres pour la plupart d'artistes de la Renaissance et du Baroque. Ensuite nous rejoindrons un restaurant où nous pourrons déguster quelques spécialités de la cuisine romaine. Dans l'après midi, nous rejoindrons l'Eglise de Saint Pierre aux Liens, où se trouve le Moïse de Michel-Ange et, après une courte promenade nous arriverons au Colisée, le Grand Amphithéâtre, symbole de l'Eternité de la civilisation romaine, où avaient lieu les luttes cruelles entre les gladiateurs et les animaux féroces (visite de l'extérieur). De là commencera une vraie promenade à travers les siècles le long de la Voie Sacrée, parmi les vestiges imposants du Forum, lieu ou se trouvaient les édifices les plus importants de la vie des romains de l'époque : les temples dédiés à diverses divinités et le basiliques ou se tenaient les procès et la curie, le siège du sénat. Nous rejoindrons le port en autobus.
Il faudrait qd même se faire préciser ce qu'on voit du Forum, si on est à l'intérieur ou sur l'avenue...?
Oui, ça ressemble beaucoup à l'excursion que nous avions faite, mais là, le descriptif est un peu ambigu... j'ai pas l'impression qu'on visite *l'intérieur* de la basilique St Pierre, ce que nous avions fait. (et c'est vrai que le zapping total des files d'attente, c'est un gros "plus" de l'excursion...
Bonjour,
Merci d'avoir chercher pour moi, en effet je ne pense pas que l'on rentre dans la basilique 🤪 et j'aurais aimé qu'ils voient aussi les autres monuments de Rome, mais tout voir même rapidement semble impossible avec les excursions Costa😠
J'ai vu sur le site d'azur croisère que l'on pouvait faire aussi appel à un guide privé qui vient vous chercher en taxi au port, le prix varie en fonction du nombre de personnes
tout voir même rapidement semble impossible avec les excursions Costa😠
euh.. je dirais "même sans les excursions Costa" , lesqulles permettent quand même de supprimer toutes les queues quand il y en a (Musée du Vatican, basilique St pierre...)
C'est vrai qu'une journée pour rome c'est impossible, mais pour nous ca nous a permis d'avoir un appercu de cette ville magnifique que nous ne connaissions pas, et nous prevoyons un petit week end la bas pour fignoler😉😉
J4 - PALERMO :
Journée un peu particulière car nous allons connaitre une déception durant celle-ci. Non-pas que la journée débute mal, au contraire, mais parce que l'Excursion Costa que j'avais réservée par Internet avant notre départ de Marseille ne fut pas du-tout à la hauteur de nos espérances. Peut-être ai-je été trop influencé par de mauvais retours sur notre escale du jours, la capitale de la Sicile soit-disant "sale", "pauvre", "mal fréquentée", etc... Voici le film de cette journée 4.
8h50 On tape à la porte de notre cabine. Nous avions mis à notre porte la veille durant la nuit (retour de Discothèque vers 1h30) notre commande pour le petit-déjeûner entre 9h et 9h30 (aucun problème pour commander des éléments en triple voire en quadruple...). Nous mangeons avec appétit, c'est bon et c'est agréable de se faire servir quasiment au lit.
Nous prenons notre temps mais nous allons quand-même à la présentation de la face cachée du Magica par notre coordinateur francophone Cédric qui se tient à 10h00. Il nous fait tourner un 'Powerpoint' sur l'envers du décors : la salle machines, la passerelle de commandement, les cabines des personnels, les fonctionnalités techniques du navire, les modalités d'accostage aux ports, etc... C'est très instructif, je me régale.
Vers 12h00 il est temps d'aller casser une graine au grill, nous prenons notre plateau et allons manger près de la piscine sous la verrière.
12h45 Nous rejoignons le point de ralliement pour l'excursion "Les délices de Cefalu", village typique Sicilien classé parmis les plus beaux d'Italie, que c'est alléchant !
13h15 départ en car, nous parcourons les rues de Palerme, cette ville semble somptueuse et j'ai un mauvais présentiment d'autant plus que le temps se couvre, les nuages noirs s'installent dans le ciel sicilien.
Notre car sort de Palerme, nous découvrons la Sicile : des ruines au bord de l'autoroute, un paysage découpé certes mais arride et quasi-désertique, des petites villes qui semblent avoir peu de ressources. Ah tiens ! Une usine FIAT quand-même, mais qu'elle semble isolée, le taux de chômage peut être aisément deviné dans cette île.
Nous arrivons à Cefalu, village balnéaire aux rues étroites, le ciel devient de plus en plus noir et quelques gouttes tombent. Notre guide nous emmène dans une église qui fut érigé par celui qui repris la Sicile aux Arabes au 14ème : Roger de Hauteville le Normand et chrétien. L'église est certes belle, typique et on sent les influences diverses avec notamment de belles fresques et un Autel magestueux en argent massif, mais bon c'est un peu "court". On sort nous montrer plus loin un lavoir, mouais. On finit par une promenade à pied qui longe la plage et qui aboutit dans un hôtel-restaurant oscillant entre le faux-luxe et le kitsch limite "moisi", l'établissement est bardé de stuc et de faux marbre. On a droit quand-même à quelques douceurs mais pour les délices on repassera, seul le café vaut le détour, c'est un peu léger !
On sort pour retourner au car, et on a vraiment l'impression de s'être fait roulé dans la farine par Costa, la sensation d'arnaque nous effleure, même si le temps et la saison ne s'y prêtaient pas (il tombe des cordes maintenant).
Retour sur Palerme et en entrant dans la ville on longe les magnifiques et imposants palais des multiples origines Byzanthino-arabo-chrétiennes, c'est magnifique et massif, la déception se transforme en demi-colère : comment avons-nous pu rater une aussi belle escale ! Celà nous aurait économisé 116€ et enrichis bien d'avantage de visiter Palerme en individuel avec un bon plan et de bonnes chaussures. L'amertume est grande !
De retour sur le Magica nous tentons d'oublier dans le Jacuzzi et la petite piscine du Gymnasium (pont 11), on se contentera de la piscine car le jacuzzi a des problèmes de court-crcuits (pas très agréable...).
Nous dînons normalement sans excès, allons nous ballader au gré du bateau, et nous installer au Théâtre toujours en balcon, heureusement le spectacle est de grande qualité et aide à faire passer la pilule ; ce sont des acrobates chinois avec des numéros évolutifs et des acrobaties toujours plus difficiles et créatives, bravo !
Nous ne faisons pas long feu ensuite, demain sera un autre jour, mais je pense que Palerme vaut véritablement le détour même sans l'avoir réellement visité, surtout que le bateau est amaré non-loin du centre-ville et qu'il est d'autant plus aisé d'y accéder. Je classerais cette ville-escale troisième derrière Roma et Barcelona, pour dire !
Nous nous couchons en pensant très fort que Cagliari nous fera oublier cette petite déconvenue. Nous n'aurons pas tort...
Merci beaucoup, j'avais prévu pour cette ville de ne rien prendre avec Costa.. et faire les visite à pied. ( peut etre un tour en caléche je verrai bien) .
Bonjour,
Comme Loloogn j'aimerais connaître la suite de vos impressions sur Palma et Barcelonne. J'ai fait du coller-copier des précédentes escales mais il me manque la fin. Nous partons le 21 avril et peut-être aurez-vous le temps de répondre. Mes petits-enfants veulent aller au camp nou (le stade de Barcelonne). Avez-vous des conseils pour y aller ? Merci pour votre récit. A bientôt de vous lire. Lucal
pour le camp nou, j'y suis allé mais en voiture après une croisière. on peut réserver les billets sur le net. ca coute un peu moins cher que sur place. la vite commence à 10 h. il n'y a pas de guides mais seulement des audios guides qui sont payants en supplément.
la visite est intéressante. on suit les instructions de l'audio guide. c'est bien indiqué par des numéros à suivre. on voit la salle de presse, la pelouse mais au bord, les tribunes, la salle des commentateurs presse, le musée et bien sur la boutique en fin de parcours...😉
Hi there,
I’m looking into a Mediterranean cruise on the Splendida in YC.
I’d love to know if it’s a ship with a lot of triple and quadruple cabins in the Yacht Club.
The thing is, I’m planning to depart from Malta, and either the cruise ends during the French school holidays in October with a departure from Marseille—which means there’s a risk of lots of kids on board—or the other option is a departure on October 30th, which might also have some French kids during the first part of the cruise.
I read that some ships in the Fantasia class have more triple or quadruple cabins than others, but I’m not sure if the Splendida is one of them.
If anyone has that info…
PS: This isn’t about starting a debate on traveling with or without kids… I’d just like a quiet week, and that’s not always easy in a small space with lots of children around.
Just back from our first cruise on the Renaissance, and I’d like to share a few thoughts about life on board. Our feelings are mixed—we wanted a change after several MSC cruises, but the value for money on this repositioning cruise left us torn.
After taking advantage of successive promotions, we finally secured a well-located balcony cabin for 2600 € (almost 50% off the brochure rate). Given the amenities and the ship’s age, this now feels like the absolute maximum we’d pay for that period.
Overall, we were happy with our vacation on board, but a few details—when added up—left us with a somewhat mixed impression.
The pros:
- Ship size
- Reasonable noise levels, except in the restaurants (aside from the covered pool area)
- Spacious balcony cabin (20 + 5 m²) with plenty of storage and a bathtub with jets
- Understated, tasteful decor
- French language spoken on board
- Friendly staff for the most part
- 100% French-speaking clientele
- Decent food with French dishes (even with an Indian chef)
- Tables for two available (though the ship was full, so no changes possible)
- Some high-quality shows, thanks to an excellent English-speaking troupe
- Interesting lectures (especially on history and cetaceans)
The cons:
- Unreliable air conditioning in common areas (you’d go from a freezing lounge to a hot one, as if the system only worked in certain spaces at certain times)
- Aging ship with a few glitches (noises, AC, toilet flushes, lights) reported at reception (luckily, our only issue was the bathroom door not closing...)
- Industrial, thawed-out bread and pastries (a letdown for a ship with a French image)
- Limited fruit selection (often just apples and watermelon/melon) and not much variety in vegetables
- Worn, sometimes stained restaurant towels
We’re not ruling out another cruise on the Renaissance—their itineraries are unique—but only at a very competitive price.
Hi, I’m about to go on a cruise on the Costa Smeralda but I’ve never been on a cruise before. Could anyone share the à-la-carte drink menu? I’d like to know if the prices are excessive, since the MyDrinks drink packages, for example, cost 266 € per adult.
Have a great day! 😉
Hi everyone,
I’m going on a Mediterranean cruise in November and I’m looking for some "tips" to visit the cities of Naples, Messina, and Valletta in Malta without booking the ship’s excursions, which are really expensive.
Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions. We’re a group of 6 people.
Looking forward to hearing from you...
Best,
M
PS: We’re also stopping in Genoa and Barcelona—even though we know these two cities, we’d still love any tips for visiting them!
Thanks
Hello everyone,
We’re a senior couple signed up for a 13-day cruise in Japan on the Princess Sapphire, departing from Yokohama on April 8, 2027.
Are there any other French speakers on this forum who’ll be on this trip?
Hoping for a reply...
Hi,
The MSC Magnifica has been refurbished and a Yacht Club class has been added. Could anyone share their impressions of cabin 14001, as the view is slightly obstructed? Is it really a "disadvantage" in terms of brightness? Thanks in advance
Hi, we're heading to Venice soon. We have a hotel in Mestre and we'd like to know which bus can take us from the Mestre hotel to Marghera Port. Thanks.
Hi everyone ...
We’re planning to do the 83-day Cunard cruise ...
departing from Southampton on January 10, 2027 aboard the Queen Anne ...
has anyone done it ... or have any info ... or tips ...
for example ... deck and cabin choices ... drink packages ... excursions ... etc.
... anything good to know about this ship???
Thanks everyone ...
Hi there,
Here’s the 2027 cruise schedule.
It’s a great way to get ideas and maybe even meet up with other members!
2 essential rules:
1) Never "quote" the schedule when replying—this avoids any confusion.
2) Follow this format:
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
REMINDER Despite my requests, few people follow the requested format. Cruises that stray too far from it won’t be listed anymore—sorry about that. IMPORTANT Please respect the templates!
PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT BELOW AND REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
It takes time to fix mistakes, so THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help!
YOUR TURN 😉
NUMBER OF 2027 CRUISES: 1
JANUARY
14/01 - poupou10 / AZAMARA JOURNEY / 74 days / South America Tour / Miami
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Hi there,
I’m looking for an all-inclusive Nile cruise on a comfortable boat with as few passengers as possible.
Which tour operator can you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
I’m about to book the panoramic suite, and I’m not sure whether I should go for the one at the front of the ship or the one at the back. I’d really appreciate any feedback—anyone who’s already booked this kind of suite and can share the pros and cons?
Hi,
We’ll be visiting Barcelona for the first time on our upcoming cruise.
I was wondering if it’s better to book a taxi in advance to get from the train station to the cruise terminal, since there’ll be four of us. Are there enough taxis around that we won’t have to wait too long?
For the return trip, same question—are there enough taxis, since we have a flight to catch? Though I doubt we’ll know in advance which terminal we’ll dock at.
I came across this site below—has anyone heard of it?
https://taxibarcelona.taxi/fr/
hi there
Here’s the cruise schedule for 2026.
It’s a great way to get ideas and maybe even meet up with other members.
2 essential rules:
1) never "quote" the calendar when replying—this’ll avoid any confusion
2) follow the format below
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
REMINDER Despite my requests, few people follow the requested format. Cruises that stray too far from it won’t be listed anymore—sorry!PLEASE respect the templates!
COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT BELOW AND REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
It takes time to fix mistakes, so THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help!
YOUR TURN 😉
NUMBER OF CRUISES 2026:
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Hi everyone, we're going on a week-long cruise and I have a question: can we travel by train and on a cruise with small refrigerated injectable syringes?
Do we need to complete any formalities?
And how should we store them?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
I'm considering a cruise on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Bergen over 11 days in mid-March 2027.
Has anyone already done this trip?
I think it’s a great way to discover the Norwegian coast with the chance to see magnificent northern lights, but isn’t the trip a bit *too* long?
There are about thirty stops, but most last only a few minutes, with just one daily stop of over 2 hours, which gives a quick glimpse of a few towns but doesn’t allow for a full excursion.
Is the supplement for an outside cabin with a porthole (800 € for 2!) really worth it?
It’s more pleasant than an inside cabin, but do you spend enough time in your cabin to make the most of it?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this journey.
Best regards.
Hi everyone! I’m used to sailing on a sailboat with two or three people—it’s amazing. But I’d love to try the experience of a cruise. Just to clarify, I’ll be going alone. My first question: are there other solo travelers on these cruises, or is it mostly couples and families?
For a first cruise, I’d prefer a short one (maximum 8 days). Do those exist? And on the smallest boat possible. I live in Marseille, so a departure from Marseille would work, but I’m open to other ports too. If you have a cruise line to recommend and a destination you’ve enjoyed, or if you’ve had a great experience on a more intimate-sized ship, I’d love to hear about it!
We just returned from a cruise from 08/13/26 to 08/20/26 on the MSC ORCHESTRA with stops in Tarragona, Valencia, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Genoa, and back to Marseille.
The ship was fully booked. Deck chairs were already occupied by beach towels early in the morning, and there were only 1 or 2 people in the pools... However, on the day the Italians disembarked, there were very few towels on the deck chairs.
We found the Italians less talkative.
We had a balcony cabin on deck 9, starboard side. The cabin was spacious, but the sofa was facing the desk, making it a pain to watch TV (neck strain guaranteed). So, we changed the sofa’s orientation to face the TV (we put it back in place on disembarkation day).
There were 325 French speakers on board, and a lot of staff from Mauritius, which made communication easier.
No annoying announcements about bingo, etc.—a nice change from COSTA.
For dinner, we were at the first sitting at 7:45 PM, at a table for 6. On the first night, we were two "gray-haired" couples at the table. The second night, two young women joined us but asked to change tables after seeing us...
The show for our dinner time was at 10:15 PM and ended around 11:00 PM. We found that a bit late for us. The shows were varied and of good quality.
The restaurant menus offered plenty of choices, but at the buffet at lunchtime, there were a lot of dishes with quite a few carbs. Afternoon tea from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM included some great pastries, among other things.
We had an issue with the air conditioning and bad odors in the cabin one afternoon. I reported the problem to the reception, and staff along with our cabin steward came to check the cabin. The issue was resolved that same afternoon.
Two days later, we were surprised to find a bag with items inside: 2 MSC mugs and 2 MSC thermos flasks that keep drinks hot or cold for 10 hours. It was a gift from customer service following the bad odors in our cabin. We weren’t expecting this at all and thanked MSC’s customer service.
For excursions, MSC always offers port-to-city-center transfers for 14 € per adult in Valencia and Tarragona, and 12 € per child. In Livorno, it was 10 € per adult and 7 € per child.
In Civitavecchia, there was a shuttle to the train station for 6 €.
On the MSC for Me app, there were "promotions" on certain excursions.
We really enjoyed this cruise, but we couldn’t revisit some stops (Tarragona and Valencia) on our own because it was too hot.
Great evening: Mum49
We're leaving on August 25th for a Danube cruise from Vienna to Bucharest. The travel agency refuses to postpone this cruise despite navigation changes due to the exceptional drought, which include bus transfers that don’t interest us.
Have you had any experiences with this that you’d like to share?
Hi there!
I’m going on a cruise with MSC on the World Europa this coming October.
Stops: Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta.
Has anyone visited Mount Etna and Pompeii?
Could you share some tips for each of these stops?
I’d like to explore on my own without booking the ship’s excursions.
Thanks for your advice!
Hello!
After a lot of hesitation between different cruise lines (Explora, Oceania, YC, HAL, NCL) and several destinations like Norway, Ireland, and Iceland,
I finally chose NCL’s Star for Iceland.
I had already looked at this itinerary when I went to Scotland in April with CFC, but it was really expensive.
You should know that CFC often offers last-minute deals 45 days before departure (the point when you can no longer cancel or modify).
So, I got a great opportunity and grabbed it.
Departure is on August 23rd.
Hi everyone,
I’m staying in a suite on the Pacifica in October and I can’t find any details about the suite benefits beyond the elite restaurant, the butler, and the espresso machine.
What about breakfast and meals served free in the cabin, and the spa?
Costa’s been cutting back on perks for Gold members, and it seems like suites are next.
Thanks for your replies!
Hello,
We’re back from this cruise.
Boarding in Dunkirk: The doors opened around 12 PM. Since we were a bit early, I asked if my husband, who uses a walker, could wait inside instead of outside. I left him with the two suitcases and our two backpacks in the small hall while I parked the car in the reserved CFC parking lot for 10 € per day.
The shuttle that was supposed to take people from the parking lot to the model pavilion was supposed to arrive in 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes, nothing. After waiting 15 minutes, I saw a man walking and asked if I could follow him. In 15 minutes, we arrived, and still no sign of the shuttle—it must have passed us. Arrived at the model pavilion.
My husband had already checked in the suitcases with the help of a CFC staff member. The remaining formalities were completed quickly. We were on board by 12:15 PM. Headed to the buffet on deck 11 and waited in a lounge to access our cabin.
At 2 PM, we discovered our balcony cabin on deck 9 at the rear: spacious with a large balcony compared to MSC/COSTA.
Since we were at the rear, cabin 9202, there was always an issue with elevator number 4: "priority."
Elevator number 2 stops at deck 10... and elevator number 3 was often out of order, leaving only number 1 for those with mobility issues to reach the buffet, especially for people who struggle with stairs. Note: only one child on board and lots of "gray hair."
DAY 2: At sea. Lots of activities offered.
Day 3: GOTHENBURG (Sweden). Sunny, 19°C at 11 AM.
Excursion booked with CFC: Gothenburg and Haga for all.
Interesting visit with a great guide. The HAGA district, in our opinion, is full of cobblestones and nothing special, not suitable for people using a cane or wheelchair. Elevator number 3 was out of order again.
Day 4: Copenhagen. 15°C in the morning, showers in the afternoon.
We didn’t book an excursion since we’d already stopped here with CFC in 2025, and based on advice from this forum, we took the hop-on/hop-off bus right in front of the ship. I still went to see the Little Mermaid again.
No TV, but the elevator was fixed.
DAY 5: At sea. Still no TV.
DAY 6: GDANSK (Poland). 15°C, rain all day.
There’s a shuttle to get to the city center.
We took the excursion: Panorama of Gdansk.
The guide left us at the entrance of the city center for 45 minutes, telling us what to visit. Meet-up for the rest of the tour at 3 PM. The bus left at 3:15 PM to cover 10 km to see St. Mary’s Cathedral. We arrived at 4:16 PM... The guide said there are often traffic jams in that direction. We had 10 minutes on site before heading to see the lighthouse and the Westerplatte monument, where we also had 10 minutes.
Many of us wondered why we didn’t do the tour in the opposite direction since they knew there would be traffic...
I went to reception to complain about the organization. The staff member read me the program: we were supposed to start with the lighthouse, then go to the cathedral and stay for 30 minutes before heading to the center of Gdansk for a short guided walk with some free time to buy souvenirs, etc.
The guide did the complete opposite of what was planned and didn’t even give us a guided tour—just dropped us off in the city...
DAY 7: Bornholm Island (Denmark). 14°C, a few sunny spells.
We saw in the excursions that there was a walking tour of RØNNE. So, like many others, we explored on our own. There was a small orchestra welcoming us at the port and two people with city maps. We took the shuttle to leave the port—it ran every 15 minutes. The tourist office was next to the "shuttle bus." A pleasant visit at our own pace.
DAY 8: KIEL (Germany). 18–23°C, nice weather.
We took the "Kiel for all" excursion. Great guide and interesting visits.
The port is in the city, and in 10 minutes, we were in the city center by following a blue line on the ground from the port. Elevator 3 was stuck again... and the TV was back.
DAY 9: At sea. Elevator 3 works.
DAY 10: At sea. Elevator 3 is out of order again...
DAY 11: Disembarkation in Dunkirk.
Cabins had to be vacated by 7:30 AM. Buffet open until 9 AM.
Elevator number 1 was "reserved," leaving only number 2, which doesn’t go up to deck 11... a problem for people with mobility issues who had to cross the entire deck 11 and try to use one of the four working elevators at the front, which were crowded.
My opinion: Interesting stops.
The onboard staff were always welcoming, smiling, and mostly French-speaking.
Evening shows were better than in March/April 2025—better singers, dancers, and presenters, and the costumes were improved.
I liked the "magician" shows less.
There were three onboard lectures by a very cultured person, but they went off-topic and were too historical for my taste. I didn’t attend the other two; my husband went to the second but not the third.
For this cruise, there was a bridge theme, but we’re not players or interested.
We didn’t take a drink package on board—water, coffee, tea, and herbal teas were available.
We had a water leak in our cabin the night before disembarkation. We reported it, and after the technical staff came (with a translator who didn’t speak English), we were asked to leave the cabin for a while for repairs. We went to a lounge, and after 1.5 hours, I checked in at reception. The repair took longer than expected... we had to change cabins... not ideal the night before disembarkation. No balcony cabins were available, so we got an ocean-view cabin, 6075, with a bathtub (impossible for both of us to use). We packed our suitcases, took a shower in our cabin, and moved to the new one. Noise from chairs until 12:30 AM because the cabin was under a lounge, and constant ventilation noise in the hallway... sleep was hard to come by.
Disembarkation: Well organized. We were helped with transporting the two suitcases and bags to the waiting room while I took the shuttle to get the car.
Guylène
