j ai des vacanciers a la maison, famille nombreuse , on passe notre temps a aller faire les courses et faire la cuisine, je n ai pas le temps d aller sur le forum heureusement que j ai tout terminer en preparation ...le depart s approche vraiment..😏
c'est sur que quand on a du monde on a pas le temps de venir.
Je prépare petit a petit j'attend par mail les dernier papiers.
La valise n'est toujours pas commencer 😕. Le repassage que je déteste mattend je pense que mon petit mari chéri va repasser lui ca le dérange pas mais ca sera lundi peut etre pas stresser la fille hihi.
Sinon je suis encore + impatiente car je la suis a plat les loulous on été excité toute la semaine c'est leffet de la lune oui oui chez eux ca agit beaucoup.
Je pars le jour même dimanche matin assez tot j'ai réserver le parking de gênes pour midi (même si je ne connais pas l'heure d'embarquement) on met 5h environ donc on dcolle vers 7h voir 6h au cas ou.
J'ai appeler hier et nathalie d'azur ma dit que pour l'instant ils avaient pas recu mes papiers et qu'ils enverront tout par mail dès qu'ils les recevront.
Si mardi j'ai rien je rapellerais vu que lundi c'est férié.
le yacht club est reservé a ce qui y ont une suite
et une suite *en yacht Club* (ponts 12, juste les 3 de devant, et 15 et 16, les autres suites, les cat 12 et 13 de MSC, "ne comptent pas"...). bref, il faut "être du club" (ce n'est pas comme un bar ou un restaurant "payant")...
Je crois que la première motivation de MSC est "le calme des passagers" (dont certains sont des VIP, des vrais, des gens dont la photo est parfois dans tous les journaux, mais qui n'aimeraient peut-être pas qu'on publie leur photo *sur le Fantasia*...)... Même les responsables d'agences qui visitent le Fantasia ou le Splendida n'ont, parait-il, pas le droit de visiter le Yacht-Club... Un peu fou, non ? le vendeur doit vendre un produit qu'on l'a empêché de voir...
, impossible d'y pénétrer à moins d'y etre invité
et même invité, sauf dans sa propre cabine, faut que l'invitant *négocie*... "il ne faut pas qu'il y ait trop de monde", m'a-t-on dit, et surtout pas des gens "trop bruyants"... 🤪 bref, quand on leur pose la question, c'est pas non, mais c'est pas oui non plus... j'ai pas pu, en 7 jours, avoir une réponse vraiment claire... 🤪🤪 Mais un couple "de mon âge" peut inviter un autre couple "de mon âge", à prendre l'apéro, et à condition de payer pour le couple invité... (cela étant, je paie toujours, au bar du yacht club, puisque tous les alcools que je bois sont "hors liste" 🤪, là sont les énormes limites d'un prétendu "all-inclusive", même si ce "all" est réellement le cas pour tout ce qui est "sans alcool")...
Du coup, les pots VF (dont un finalement offert par le Commandant 😉 ), on les a fait à la Piazetta... 😎
cela étant, Luigi, tu ne rates rien, au contraire, il reste beaucoup à faire pour MSC pour "retenir les gens au Top sail Lounge", parce que pour l'instant, en tous cas en mai, j'ai l'impression qu'une majorité de gens du Yacht-Club, qui souvent ne boivent pas les quelques pauvres alcools de la liste, trouvent que, quitte à payer de toutes façons, c'est plus sympa d'aller boire l'apéro avec les amis, *même tous du yacht-club*, dans d'autres bars du bateau... (sauf bien sûr, peut-être, les quelques uns qui semblent vouloir que personne ne les reconnaisse, ni même ne sache qu'ils sont à bord... 😮 c'est alors moins risqué de restent parmi une grosse centaine de passagers que parmi 3000... )
Je paraphraserai le colonel Chabert en disant (concernant le salon -- et rien que le salon -- parce que sur le pont piscine avec son bar, c'est super agréable d'avoir pour toute la journée au moins DEUX transats par personne, sans avoir à mener combat pour les défendre... 😏 ) :
"Le (salon du) Yacht-Club, c'est bleu, c'est froid, et puis il y a le silence"... 🤪
Nous sommes a j-6 🙂il n'y a toujours rien de pret je dois vous faire halluciner mais c'est juste l'habitude de faire les valises donc une fois la liste prête ya plus qu'a repasser et à remplir puis a 2 c'est rapide.
Aujourd'hui c'est préparation des affaires pour le séjour de 3 jours de demain oui encore en dernière minute.On va se motiver après 3 jours de préparation de mariage de mariage de repas et de nettoyage la fatigue est là mais on est motivé quand même.
Hier j'étais tellement fatigué qu'en passant dans mon couloir non éclairé j'ai prit un ballon pour mon doudou chien (tyana) et ben ca craint quand même🤪 surtout quand je fais allez vient ma tyana et que j'arrive dans le salon, mon mari qui me fait tu rentres tyana elle est sur le balcon euh🤪 mais qui c'était dans le couloir mdr.
Heureuement pendant les 3 jours je pourrais voir mes mails et appeler azur si toujours rien reçu bon j'espère que ça va arriver car c'est la seule chose qui me travaille.😕
ça avance la préparation..; et toi tu n'as pas une minute à perdre...entre le sejour, mariage, et repassage et le document de voyage pas arrivé... c'est pour ça que tu vas de "déconnecter " pendant une semaine en croisière...😛
bonne préparation et bon séjour chez mickey aussi!!😎😎
Non toujours rien 😕 demain je regarderais ma boite mail sur mon téléphone et si ya rien je vais rappeler.
Sandra d'azur n'a pas répondu à mon mail 😕je ne sais pas pourquoi .
J'espère que d'ici jeudi soir j'aurais quelquechose sinon je vais etre en mode super stress.
C'est vrai que j-5 oula j'avais pas calculer depuis 2 jours 😮
Il est 00h25 on a pas pu dormir 🤪 donc on a prit la route il y a 30mn direction paris. On va arriver super tot on dormira un peu sur la route les petits dorment c'est calme.
En une matinée on avait fait le ménage fait les valises amener bébé chien a mes parents et jén passe. Vous voyez même a 1jour du départ on est pret rapidement.
Vendredi ca sera repassage rangement et préparation des valises des enfants pour chez mes parents et bien sur préparation des notre pour notre croisière😎.
Je vous dit a vendredi en esperant avoir mes derniers papiers dici la.
Bisous a vous tous
De retour de disney j'ai sorti mes derniers doc chez ma soeur et là je découvre une erreur pas dramatique mais gênante quand même.
En faite ils m'ont mis dans le tranfert nice-gênes alors qu'avec sandra d'azur on avait dit qu'on partait direct au parking de gênes surtout qu'elle m'a envoyée un doc me disant comment arriver au parking.
Donc j'ai vite appeler azur j'ai eu cette fois ci nathalie qui a normalement annuler notre présence dans le bus de nice à gênes.
Nous sommes rentré a 16h30 hop on a vidé la valise hop on a recommencé a remplir des valises celles des enfants sont ok les notres bientot fini juste les petit truc de dernière minute à mettre samedi soir.
Vous avez vu 5h de route dans les jambes on a pas perdu de temps a refaire nos valises😎. Le mot d'ordre organisation est notre secret 😉.
Et vous savez quoi le pire c'est qu'on arrive et hop pas d'ascenseur 🤪 5 étages a pied avec je sais pas combien de valises de choses a prendre poussette dernière louloute c fait mal au pied, le chien et les enfants super comme retour😮.
Je ne réalise toujours pas que dimanche on y sera une fois devant le splendida je pense que je réaliserais et que je serais sans voix.
Pour envoyer les cartes postales je pense pas que tout le monde les écrit pendant leur excursions mais est ce qu'il y a une boite aux lettre speciale dans le bateau ou vous envoyé vos carte dans la ville même ou vous acheter les timbres ?
Qu'est que que vous mettez dans vos sacs quand vous partez en excursions ?
Ou mettez vous la copie de vos cartes identité et la copie de votre passeport (moi j'ai un papier en + du passeport) ?
Est-ce que tu as vérifié si le transfert Nice-Gênes t'a été facturé ? Cas échéant, le faire déduire de la facture... 😏
chez MSC, c'est compris dans le prix et on ne peut pas le faire enlever contrairement à costa. donc on peut aller à gênes par nos propres moyens mais pas de réduction du prix.
Pour envoyer les cartes postales je pense pas que tout le monde les écrit pendant leur excursions mais est ce qu'il y a une boite aux lettre speciale dans le bateau ou vous envoyé vos carte dans la ville même ou vous acheter les timbres ?
Qu'est que que vous mettez dans vos sacs quand vous partez en excursions ?
Ou mettez vous la copie de vos cartes identité et la copie de votre passeport (moi j'ai un papier en + du passeport) ?
si tu es dans un pays européen, ne prend pas les originaux de tes papiers. photocopie uniquement.
ne sort pas en ville avec la carte bleue que tu as enregistrée sur le bateau. celle ci reste au coffre.
pas de boite à lettre sur le bateau
on a une sacoche plate ventrale pour mettre l'argent liquide, les papiers. on évite les sacs à mains et sacoches bandoulière.
dans les sacs à dos : parapluie pliant, Kway, bouteille d'eau, casquette. rien de valeur en fait.
non. finalement, pas grand monde est au courant pour costa. bien des passagers paient le trajet en bus et prennent leur voiture. les agences ne le disent pas souvent.
Par des croisièristes j'ai su qu'il faut signaler qu'on embarque à Gênes au moment de la réservation et 40€ sont deduits du montant de la croisière 😉 chez MSC
Bon ben c'est pas grave j'ai perdu 40 euros je suis plus à ça près vu que je pense pas qu'on me rembourse.
Surtout que je n'ai pas demandé de transfert.
Nous on en a 1 pour 2 on laisse notre cb au coffre et on descend avec de la monnaie pas tout non plus juste ce qu'il faut et le reste on y laisse au coffre aussi.
D'habitude lorsque nous réservons une croisière qui part de Gênes, Azur nous demande si l'on souhaite partir de Nice Gare ou Nice Aéroport, car nous sommes enregistrés dans le car 🙂 et c'est précisé sur ton carnet de voyage, pour le retour le car nous attend au débarquement à Gênes et nous ramène selon notre premier choix a la gare ou à l'aéroport, as tu signalé a l'agence que tu te rendais a Gênes par tes propres moyens ? sinon tu vas être enregistrée au niveau du car.
Oui oui ils sont au courant vu que dès que j'ai vu l'erreur une fois rentrée de mon mini séjour je les ai appelé.
Je leur ai bien dit que j'avais jamais demandé le transfert surtout qu'avec sandra on a discuté du parking de gênes et comment y aller (envoi doc par mail) donc nathalie a du normalement annuler notre présence sur le transfert.
coucou tout le monde,
Ca y est demain c'est le grand jour 🙂 j'ai vu qu'il pleuvait demain a gênes c'est pas grave si j'ai bien regarder pour les autres escales il fait beau.😎
Je vous remercie énormément de tous vos conseils votre gentillesse votre bonne humeur et votre amitié.
Un grand merci aux pilier du forum désolé si jen oublie : cricri pap bruno rosa lounaa jenny desbell alcati titi madi mathilde zouzou cdjura.banb..
J'espère qu'un jour on se rencontrera. Ce serait bien qu'on organise un jour une croisière tous ensemble vous allez déja faire celle de l´horizon pour nous changement de boite donc si mon mari garde son travail pas de vacance pendant 1an.
Bon retour a tous ceux qui reviennent bonne croisiere a tous ceux qui partent et bonne reprise a tous ceux qui reprennent le travail.
Une grosse pensée a lounaa madi et jenny. Bonne journée pour dimanche a tous les membres qui se verront.
Je vous embrasse a tres bientot (si j'ai pas coulé ou autre😉
Profitez bien Delfinouu de cette croisière, c'est fou ce qu'une fois a bord et en mer on fait le vide et cela est important car quand on revient on voit les choses plus clairement et sereinement.
Ne pouvant non plus faire des projets trop longtemps à l'avance car nous sommes toujours sur le qui vive avec l'état de santé de ma Tante qui a 92 ans, nous n'avons pas réservé la sortie à bord de l'horizon mais qui sait peut être au dernier moment y aura t'il des cabines qui se libéreront 😉
Je suis sur la route mon c/r sera en ligne des demain je pense.
Comme lounaa je nai eu que des aventures je ne dit rien de plus.je vais vous faire languir😉
nous revoila nous sommes de retour enchanter de cette croisière sur le splendida
je ferais un compte rendu de notre croisière plus tard pour aider les autres personnes qui vont partir comme j'ai pu etre aider moi meme
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
