Nous serons en escale à Pointe-à-Pitre le dimanche 17 février et aimerions aller sur les plages de Gosier. Nous sommes 8 personnes partant du Port. Y a t-il des bus le dimanche ? Sinon, avez-vous une idée du prix d'un taxi pour ce trajet (surtout qu'il nous en faudra 2). Merci pour votre aide.
Bonsoir Lucie,
Il n'y a pas de bus le dimanche à Pointe à Pitre.
Si vous êtes 8 pour aller jusqu'à une plage du Gosier (laquelle ? il y en a plusieurs), comptez environ 40-60 € A/R en minibus. Les taxis sont à la sortie du port, il vous faudra négocier directement.
Vivant en Guadeloupe, je peux essayer de répondre à vos questions autant que possible. D'autant plus que j'ai fait une croisière Costa qui a le même itinéraire quasiment que la votre sur MSC.
Fabien
Bonsoir Lucie,
Il n'y a pas de bus le dimanche à Pointe à Pitre.
Si vous êtes 8 pour aller jusqu'à une plage du Gosier (laquelle ? il y en a plusieurs), comptez environ 40-60 € A/R en minibus. Les taxis sont à la sortie du port, il vous faudra négocier directement.
Vivant en Guadeloupe, je peux essayer de répondre à vos questions autant que possible. D'autant plus que j'ai fait une croisière Costa qui a le même itinéraire quasiment que la votre sur MSC.
Fabien
Vos renseignements nous sont très utiles et comme nous ne connaissons pas les plages du Gosier, pouvez-vous nous conseiller. Quelle plage choisir pour la baignade et si possible faire un peu de jet-ski, avec la possibilité d'y trouver des transats et des parasols ?
Pensez-vous que l'on trouvera facilement un minibus à la sortie du port où faut-il en faire la réservation avant ?
Merci d'avance pour votre aide. Bien cordialement. Lucie
Bonsoir,
Pas de souci pour trouver un minibus, ils sont devant la sortie du port, et attendent les clients.
Pour le jet, la baignade etc, je vous conseille les plages des hotels à la Pointe de la Verdure.
Si vous tapez jetski dans google, vous trouverez des sociétés de location, avec parfois des réservations possibles en ligne, voire même des réductions.
Peut-être même que vous pourrez négocier le transport, à voir, parfois c'est faisable si vous faites une grosse résa.
C'est d'ailleurs peut-être ça qui déterminera votre plage de destination.
Je me permets d'intervenir et te poser une question puisque tu vis en Guadeloupe, et je te remercie beaucoup d'avance pour tes réponses....😉
Je fais également la croisière Perle des Antilles sur le Luminosa à partir du 16 mars 2013. Mais j'ai pris un vol sec 2 jours avant pour visiter un peu la Guadeloupe.
J'ai réservé une voiture de location à l'aéroport chez Europcar, et ma chambre d'hôtes est à Deshaies. J'ai donc prévu de visiter le charmant village de Deshaies, la plage de la grande Anse, et bien sûr le Jardin Botanique.
..
Le lendemain, avant d'embarquer, je dois retourner a l'aéroport pour rendre la voiture, j'ai prévue de passer par la route de la traversée, pour voir la cascade aux écrevisses.....
Je vais emmener mon gps car j'ai acheté une carte spéciale Antilles, mais quel trajet me conseille tu pour avoir des paysages différents à l'aller Aéroport /Deshaies et au retour le surlendemain Deshaie/Aéroport.
Tes conseils me seront fort utiles....et je t'en remercie.....
D'autres part, je dois prendre un taxi pour rejoindre le port après avoir rendu ma voiture de location (costa n'a pas voulu me vendre les transferts, vu que j'ai pris le vol à part). Sais tu combien va me coûter le taxi ? sachant que j'aurai le même problème pour rejoindre l'aéroport après ma croisière......
Je te remercie beaucoup......et t'envoi un peu de fraicheur de chez nous.....-4 degré ce matin😉
Bonjour Florence,
Désolé de ne répondre que maintenant.
Alors, ton parcours est parfait pour la variété des paysages.
En allant vers Deshaies, tu n'as qu'à suivre le panneau sur la rocade, tu passeras pas la côte du nord Basse Terre, donc Baie-Mahault, Lamentin (tu peux y voir une ancienne sucrerie en ruines) puis Sainte Rose (2 distilleries à visiter, Séverin - Petit Train, jardin colonial, dégustations, un petit tour chez Fabien, et/ou Reimonencq - dégustations et musée des insectes). Ensuite, le bourg de Sainte Rose, puis la côte avec la plage de l'anse Laborde, la plage de Cluny, puis le point de vue de Gadet en arrivant au-dessus de la plage de Grande Anse, où tu pourras déjeuner pour un prix sympathique (environ 15 €/p, il y a plusieurs restos).
Tu arrives ensuite à la plage de la Perle, puis au bourg de Deshaies, très joli et typiquement antillais.
De là, tu as donc le jardin botanique bien connu, et si tu as le temps tu peux continuer jusqu'à Bouillante et la plage de Malendure (en passant par Pointe Noire) où tu verras la réserve Cousteau. Possibilité de promenade en bateau à fond de verre pour voir les poissons, un très bon resto un peu cher (le rocher de malendure), et d'autres petits restos plus abordables.
Dans tous les cas, ton itinéraire passe par Pointe Noire puisque tu veux prendre la Route de la Traversée. Là ce sera forêt tropicale, et la cascade aux Ecrevisses, toujours pleine de monde, facilement accessible (moins de 10 minutes de marche), très jolie. En descendant, c'est moins joli car tu retournes vers les plaines, mais le paysage est sympe. Avant la cascade, vers Pointe Noire, il y a le parc des Mamelles, une espèce de zoo avec de jolies fleurs (mais si tu fais le jardin botanique pas la peine), ou le tapeur (tu peux marcher sur des ponts suspendus dans la canopée).
Arrivée à Petit-Bourg, tu peux soit rejoindre la bateau si c'est l'heure, soit descendre un petit peu sur Petit-Bourg (jardin de valombreuse, jolies fleurs et jeux pour les enfants, plus une petite ballade dans la forêt, où on traverse plusieurs fois la rivière (dans l'eau, prévoir les chaussures et le maillot de bain) pour arriver à une petite cascade où on peut se baigner dans une eau rafraichissante.
Sinon, à Goyave, pas loin, il y a le jardin d'eau, surtout pour les enfants.
Peut-être peux-tu voir avec ton loueur (lequel est-ce ?) s'il peut récupérer la voiture au port directement ?
Sinon, négocie ton tarif avant de monter dans le taxi, à deux compte environ 30 €.
Enfin, pour le retour, comme tu as un vol sec, pourquoi ne pas faire une excursion Costa ? Tu pourras profiter d'une ballade, tes bagages seront dans le bus, et tu finiras directement à l'aéroport.
A ta disposition pour d'autres questions.
Merci beaucoup pour ta réponse, et le détail que tu me donnes pour découvrir la Guadeloupe....c'est génial et les 2 jours avant de prendre le Luminosa vont être très occupés....Je te remercie vraiment vivement pour ton aide.
J'ai déja réservé la voiture de location, et je dois malheureusement la rendre à l'aéroport, (pas d'agence prêt du port), mais comme j'ai une réduction par mon CE, au final je serai pas trop perdante, j'ai pas trop l'habitude de négocier les taxis, je verrai sur place, je suis pas très forte en négociation.
Après le débarquement du Luminosa, je ne prendrai pas d'excursion Costa, car j'ai à nouveau pris une journée supplémentaire, mon retour (vol sec) sera le dimanche, le débarquement est le samedi, j'ai donc tous le samedi pour découvrir l'autre partie de l'île, à savoir j'ai loué une nuit à Saint Anne avec une voiture également. J'espère pouvoir aller jusqu'à la pointe de l'Ile, mais je suis à l'écoute de tes bons conseils, si il y a des choses incontournables à faire du côté de Saint Anne.
Je voulais profiter de ma croisière pour découvrir ta magnifique Ile, et j'ai vraiment hâte d'y être. Je sais que 2 jours c'est très courts, mais c'est mieux que rien.....et j'ai bien l'intention d'en profiter à fond....
Merci encore pour tes gentils conseils, bonne fin de journée et au plaisir de te lire.
Florence
Eh bien en allant à Sainte Anne, passage obligé par Gosier, la plage du bourg face à l'ilet Gosier, de belles photos en perspective, et une traversée à la nage si tu te sens en forme !
Il y a d'autres jolies plages à voir, dans l'ordre Saint Félix (attention, la plage est au bout d'un petit chemin en tuf très cahotique) et celle de Petit Havre (à ne pas rater, un virage raide dans une descente après Mare Gaillard).
Arrivée à Sainte Anne, si tu es en forme, tu peux monter à la Toubana pour le pointe de vue (je frime un peu, c'est là que je me suis marié) et la jolie plage, et/ou tu peux t'arrêter à la plage du Club Med (accès obligatoirement à pieds, environ 10-15 minutes).
A Sainte Anne, évidemment, la plage du Bourg, petit marché aux souvenirs un peu avant. Un bon resto pas cher le lucullus. Ensuite plage de Bois Jolan, incontournable.
Continuation vers St François, et la Pointe des Châteaux, avec selon l'heure un bon sorbet coco.
Retour sur Saint François (tu peux déjeuner à la Marina, mais il te restera trop peu de temps pour finir le tour de la Grande Terre). De là direction Moule, avec en route un temple hindou (fermé à la visite, mais l'extérieur est sympa). Tu continues vers la Porte d'Enfer (pause obligatoire), Anse Bertrand et la Pointe de la Grande Vigie (paysage très méditerranée), puis retour par Port Louis et sa jolie plage (si tu as une heure, parcours à pieds dans la mangrove). Attention, le parking est payant (2 €).
Enfin, passage par Morne à l'Eau et un des plus beaux cimetières des Antilles.
Direction l'aéroport, et voilà !
En fait, à ta descente du bateau tu as le temps de faire Gosier Sainte Anne. Le dimanche, si tu te lèves vers 9h, pour 10h tu es à St François, 11h30 à Anse Bertrand (il y a un resto sympa entre la Grande Vigie et le bourg, chez Prudence à l'Anse Laborde. Mais il faut vérifier que c'est ouvert, voire même réserver).
Merci Fabien, tu es vraiment génial et super gentil....
Je vais imprimer tes bons conseils, et ne manquerai pas de raconter à mon retour....
du coup, il y a tellement de belles choses à voir, j'ai peur de ne pas avoir assez de temps......
bonne fin de journée à toi et merci beaucoup.......😉
Bonjour
Je viens de voir votre discussion qui est très intéressante
Pourriez vous me dire si en arrivant au port de pap avec msc a 8h , il est possible de voir quelque chose .. Notre rdv aeroport est à 16h
Je ne sais pas a quelle heure pourrons nous sortir du bateau et le 1er janvier il y aura des taxis
Nous sommes 4 et des valises en plus !!
Nous aurions aime faire deshaie et chute de carbet ou cascade écrevisse ...
Merci de me dire ce que vous en pensez car nous aurions souhaite faire excursion msc mais rien n est organisé pour les hôtes en débarquement
Donc la solution est un minibus pour 4 pers + valises . Mais combien faut il compter et est ce possible de trouver qq. chose en arrivant au port
Merci de bien vouloir me répondre car je vois que vous êtes super bien au courant et c'est génial
Tu as l'air de connaitre la Guadeloupe sur le bout des doigts ! Nous avons une escale le 12 décembre, j'ai loué une voiture au port de Pointe à Pitre de 9h30 à 17h30, nous ne sommes jamais allée en Guadeloupe et aimerions savoir les musts à faire pendant ce laps de temps.
Nous n'aimons pas les coins trop touristiques, ni les visites de jardin ou zoo, plutôt la nature.
Je ne sais pas si nous aurons le temps de faire à la fois grande terre et basse terre surtout à cause des embouteillages et devoir rendre la voiture avant la fermeture 18h.
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...
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,
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’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!
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