Salut
Je confirme pour Barcelone il y a bien des bus de la ville derrière le terminal de couleur bleu environ 2 euros ils vous posent aux pieds de la statut de Christophe Colombe sinon il faut bien 25 mn à pied .
Merci sinon pour vos infos on prépare tranquille notre croisière mais si nous connaissons toutes les excursions sauf Mahon 😉
pour mahon, j'ai trouvé une carte sur internet ainsi qu'à l'office du tourisme; il y a apparemment quelques jolis points de vue sur les miradors, des eglises, un cloitre, le port nautique....je compte simplement flâner dans la ville
tout cela à condition que l'on y débarque bien car je viens de lire sur le forum que cette escale a été remplacée par ibiza lors de la croisière de la semaine dernière :(
bonjour et merci pour vos impressions de voyage! je fais cette croisière à partir de dimanche prochain et j'aurais quelques questions : vous dites que le bateau a accosté loin du centre de barcelone....est ce la règle ou pour une question de mauvais temps ? j'y ai déjà accosté par deux fois et c'était vraiment aux pieds de christophe colon!
l'escale de mahon a été changée par ibiza....ici encore, est ce un changement qui se fera sur toutes les croisières ou seulement ponctuellement ?pour valence, peut on se rendre à l'aquarium à pied depuis le bateau ?
quelle est votre impression générale du bateau ? grand assez par rapport au nombre de passagers ? pas trop de files au buffet ? ça vaut le coup d'aller voir les spectacles ? pas trop d'attente pour les canots ?
j'ai fait deux croisières sur le bleu de france et ai peur d'être déçue par l'horizon qui a été beaucoup critiqué....
Nous étions nous aussi sur l'horizon, et par contre nous ne sommes pas contents. Le bateau bouge énormément car il est plus petit que les autres, l'escale de Mahon a été annulé la veille, or nous connaissions Ibiza, et avions choisi cette croisière car elle était la seule à proposer Mahon. Le débarquement à Santa Margarita se fait par chaloupe de 80 personnes, soit une heure d'attente entre le moment où vous êtes appelé par lettre, et l'arrivée à terre (environ vers les 11h30). L'excursion des cinq terres n'est plus proposée sur le bateau.
Pour les excursions, vous pouvez tout faire par vous même, car :
- Barcelone, vous avez la navette payante au pied du bateau, qui vous mène au pied des Ramblas
- Valence, vous avez la navette payante qui fait le trajet Aquarium, centre-ville, bateau
- Ibiza, navette payante qui vous mène directement au pied de la vielle ville.
- Ajaccio, la seule escale à côté du centre-ville, je vous conseille de prendre le bus à deux étages pour visiter la ville et les îles sanguinaires (environ 10€/pers)
- Santa Margarita, escale galère, quand vous êtes enfin à terre vous avez les bus de ville (1.50€ le billet) pour visiter Portofino.
Par contre, au restaurant, tout le monde est très sympa, ils sont très chaleureux, et le service est très bien.
Pour barcelone, il y a plusieurs quais, nous nous avons debarque au quai le plus loin, ou il y a les terminaux A, B, C et D! Donc on etait assez loin du centre a pied. Je ne sais pas si le bateau s'arrete toujours au meme terminal.
Pour l'escale annule de mahon, c'est par annonce que le commandant nous a fait dire qu'en prevision de mauvais temps nous accosterons a ibiza et non a mahon. Le circuit normal etant mahon, ce changement reste exeptionnel.
Pour valence, le musee oceanographique est assez loin. On l'apercevait du bateau mais a vol d'oiseau ca faisait vraiment loin pour y aller a pied. Mais a priori il y a des bus.
Pour lImpression globale du bateau, on n'a pas vraiment l'impression D'etre 1500. Nous prenions tous nos repas du soir au restaurant, et le midi nous avons manger 5 fois au marche gourmand au retour d'escursion entre 14h et 15h30, il n'y avait pas la queue et encore du choix. Pour le petit dejeuner nous avons teste le marche gourmand le jour en mer, c'etait un peu la cohut, tous les autres dejeuners nous les avons pris au restaurant c'etait plus tranquile.
Pour les spectable, ce sont de petit spectacle sympa. Nous ne sommes pas alle voir les clown. Choregraphie et chant sur des tubes de madona, et le meme genre sur des tubes de adba, ces deux show m'ont plu. Les bulles, bof, la presentation de l'equipage par le commandant suivi de magie, bof, j'ai bien aime aussi la soiree de rio a paris, choregraphie et chant. Les chanteur et l'orchestre sont vraiment bien. Pour le dernier soir avec adba, il y avait un peu de personne debout au fond du theatre, nous etions au 2ieme service donc au 1ier spectacle.
Oui c'est vrai le bateau bouge, mais cela reste un sejour sur l'eau et c'etait desagreable surtout apres le depart le premier soir. Mon mari a ete malade, mais c'est un risque a prendre, sinon on reste sur terre. Moi aussi j'ai eu un peu l'estomac barbouille, mais nous l'avons mis au second plan.
Pour l'escale annulee de mahon, c'est sur qu'au dernier moment ca fait raler, mais visiter mahon sous la pluie c'est pas mieux, d'ailleurs le ciel a ibiza etait bien couvert l'apres-midi.
Pour le debarquement en challoupe, il vous a semble que nous etions que 80, nous etions plus de 200. Nous avons eu la chance de debarquer en premier car nous avions pris une escursion. Et les excursion debarquaient toujours en premier, nous sommes reste un moment au theatre et quand nous sommes arrives au port de santa ce n'etait pas loin de 10h. Si nous avions pas eu les challoupes pour debarquer, nous aurions mis le double de temps.
Nous gardons un tres bon souvenir de notre croisiere. C'est sur que certaines petites choses peuvent contrarie, mais cela reste des broutilles et nous francais sommes toujours raleurs, il ne faut pas s'arreter a des details mais voir l'ensemble, et oui l'ensemble nous a ravi.
je suis tout a fait de ton avis, les Français ne sont jamais content.
peux tu me dire les horaires du petit dejeuner et du dejeuner ? ( jusqu'à quelle heure peut on dejeuner )
pour le soir au restaurant, quand est ce que lon choisi le premier ou deuxieme service
d'apres toi quel est le mieux adapter le 1 ou 2
merci
Petit dej au resto de 7h a 8h le mardi a valence
7h30 a 8h30 le mercredi a ibiza et dimanche le jour d'arrive
8h a 9h les autres jours
Petit dejeuner au marche gourmand de 6h30 ou 7h jusqu'a 10h30 ou 11h30 suivant les jours.
Dejeuner au restaurant le midi que le jour en mer, entre 12 et 13h
Dejeuner buffet au marche gourmand de 12h a 14h30 et apres jusqu'a 19h grillade, pizza, pate... Au grill a cote du marche gourmand.
Le soir restaurant 1ier service a 19h (spectacle apres au theatre a 21h30)
2 ieme service a 21h15 (spectacle avant a 20h)
Diner au marche gourmand de 19h a 21h30
Assortiment gouter/sale de 23h30 a 0h30 au casino
Et pause cafe sandwich et biscuit au marche gourmand de 16 a 17h
Voila, nous avons prefere le 2ieme service. Cela permet de se preparer pour le spectacle de 20h tranquilement apres les escales et de plus nous avons rencontre des personnes qui mangaient au 1 ier a 19h et qui n'avaient pas faim car on mange plutot a 13/15h.
Je pense qu'avec des enfants c'est mieux de manger a 19h.
En mangeant a 21h15 on peut prendre un aperitif et le mener au theatre, il y a des petites tables devant les fauteuils c'est sympa.
Il faut donner notre choix a la reservation mais possibilite de changer le dimanche d'arrivee entre 15h et 16h le directeur de restaurant attend tous les passagers qui veulent changer de table ou de service au pont 7
C'est note dans le journal de bord qui vous attend dans votre cabine a l'arrivee.
Je crois n'avoir rien oublie pour les repas, que ce soit au resto ou au marche gourmand il y a beaucoup de choix et chacun peut trouver des choses delicieuses. Perso, pour les gourmands que nous sommes, le fait le soir de manger au resto, nous evite par gourmandise de se reservir, ce que nous aurions fait au buffet.
Un forum permet à chacun de nous de donner son ressenti sur un voyage, et donner des indications aux personnes qui recherchent des infos sur les excursions, repas... Si par contre, un forum se fait que sur votre avis (une personne sur 1200), cela n'est pas objecif, je ne vois pas pourquoi vous pouvez vous permettre de dire que les français sont râleurs, si cette croisière met en avant la french touch.
Je suis désolée d'intervenir sur cette discussion, car je n'ai pas à justifier le fait que nous n'avons pas apprécié cette croisière pour des points évoqués précédemment et d'autres. Bon vent ...
Je suis tout a fait d'accord avec vous le forum est la pour que chacun puisse donner son avis, bon ou mauvais. Vous avez retenu surtout le cote negatif et nous surtout le cote positif.
Comme vous l'avez dit le bateau bouge: avant de partir, j'avais lu sur les forums que ce bateau plus petit que les costa ou msc bougeait pas mal, nous avons pris l'option de choisir ce "petit bateau" pour ca capacite, donc apres je ne viendrais pas me plaindre.
Pour l'escale a mahon, pour nous la securite prime, si le commandant a deside de changer l'escale ce n'est pas pour nous embeter.
Le debarquement en chaloupe a santa, la galere avait etait signalee sur ce forum, et la veille au theatre le directeur de croisiere nous avait demande d'etre indulgeant.
Pour l'escursion des 5 terres que vous regrettez, elle n'est plus proposee car probablement le nombre de participant etait insuffisant, a barcelonne l'escursion madrid de toute la journee est proposee et souvent annulee pour ce motif la. A la longue elle ne sera plus proposee.
Pour toutes les autres excursions vous dites que nous pouvons les faire par vous meme. Vous peut etre, vous etes debrouillliarde, mais il faut penser au personnes comme nous qui preferent depenser de l'argent et qui recherche la securite. Nous ne nous sentions pas capable de preparer nos excursions.
Oui, des choses negatives il y en avait, tout ne peut pas etre parfait, je pourrais en citer quelques unes, comme les personnes qui viennent poser leurs serviettes des le matin sur les transats qui ne sont pas suffisant, pour les "reserver " pour l'apres midi.
Ou bien notre chasse d'eau qui marche apres avoir appuye plusieurs fois sur le poussoir. La moquette qui est bien usee par endroit, le lavabo qui est fissure, l'eau de la piscine qui est froide, car changer tous les soirs, elle n'a pas le temps de chauffer, le jacuzzis qui a que le non et pas de bulles....
Des points negatifs on en trouve, mais je donne mon avis et cela n'engage que moi, les points positifs prennent le dessus sur les points negatif, et si l'occasion un jour se represente pour refaire une croisiere, je choisirait croisiere de france.
bonjour, dsl de répondre un peu tard mais j ai repris le travail dans la foulée.
Pour valence nous sommes allés à l océanographique qui est à 15 minutes à pieds on le voit du bateau d ailleurs nous n avons pas pris le bus touristique donc je ne peux pas vous renseigner la dessus. Ds le secteur de l océanographique il y a le musée des arts et des sciences ainsi qu' l hémisphèrique et des centres commerciaux.
Nous ne sommes pas allés à mahon car il y avait une tempête sur l île l entrée au port étant impossible car étroite nous sommes allés à ibiza. Malgré cela je peux te dire qu' il y a une distillerie de gin un marché local ainsi qu' une église à visiter si vous y allez. Pour Ajaccio nous avons pris le bus 5 pour aller aux sanguinaires. Le petit train c est sympa pr avoir un aperçu.
Si vous avez d autres questions m hésitez pas .
Coralie
Merci coralou pour les infos .
PS: le bus 5 à Ajaccio tu le prends vers le marché ?
Océanographique à Valence c'est comment ? C'est combien l'entrée ?
Merci pour tout ceux qui prépare les éscales comme moi !
bonjour coralou et merci pour tes infos
j'ai vu que tu as pris excursions valence et océanographique pour 57 euros
la visite a océanographique est t elle assez longue avez vs pu tout voir le spectacle des dauphins?
je me tate si ns prenons excursions ou si nous la faisons de nous meme
Bonsoir à tout les 2.
Non nous avons fait L excursion par nous même pour l océanographique une navette nous a débarqué gratuitement hors du port et nous y sommes allés à pieds c est à 15min et c est tjs tout droit jusqu'à la grande artère ou il faut tourner à gauche. L entrée est à 27,90€ si vous prenez là visite du musée avec c est 29,70€. Le spectacle des dauphins est super sympa c est à midi. Pour Ajaccio il faut prendre le bus à la place de Gaulle C est près de la plage st François et de la citadelle. Faites bien attention à la destination surtout sinon vous partirez dans le mauvais sens. Le bus coûte 1 € théoriquement mais nous il y avait grève du coup les chauffeurs n ont pas voulu nous faire payer...
J espère avoir bien répondu :-)
Coralie
Je fais cette croisière de 4 au 10/8. pour les bus touristique d'ajaccio, peut on descendre et monter quand on veut (et reprendre le suivant si il y en a un?)
Si oui quelle est la fréquence ?
Nous nous sommes inscrites pour la croisière Méditerranée occidentale "Baila" sur L'HORIZON, compagnie Croisières de France, du 1er septembre au 8 septembre…
Je lance ce topic pour préparer la croisière que je vais réaliser au mois de Juin prochain. Des topics ont déjà été créés pour cette croisière mais à des dates…
Hello,
We’re back from this cruise.
Boarding in Dunkirk: The doors opened around 12 PM. Since we were a bit early, I asked if my husband, who uses a walker, could wait inside instead of outside. I left him with the two suitcases and our two backpacks in the small hall while I parked the car in the reserved CFC parking lot for 10 € per day.
The shuttle that was supposed to take people from the parking lot to the model pavilion was supposed to arrive in 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes, nothing. After waiting 15 minutes, I saw a man walking and asked if I could follow him. In 15 minutes, we arrived, and still no sign of the shuttle—it must have passed us. Arrived at the model pavilion.
My husband had already checked in the suitcases with the help of a CFC staff member. The remaining formalities were completed quickly. We were on board by 12:15 PM. Headed to the buffet on deck 11 and waited in a lounge to access our cabin.
At 2 PM, we discovered our balcony cabin on deck 9 at the rear: spacious with a large balcony compared to MSC/COSTA.
Since we were at the rear, cabin 9202, there was always an issue with elevator number 4: "priority."
Elevator number 2 stops at deck 10... and elevator number 3 was often out of order, leaving only number 1 for those with mobility issues to reach the buffet, especially for people who struggle with stairs. Note: only one child on board and lots of "gray hair."
DAY 2: At sea. Lots of activities offered.
Day 3: GOTHENBURG (Sweden). Sunny, 19°C at 11 AM.
Excursion booked with CFC: Gothenburg and Haga for all.
Interesting visit with a great guide. The HAGA district, in our opinion, is full of cobblestones and nothing special, not suitable for people using a cane or wheelchair. Elevator number 3 was out of order again.
Day 4: Copenhagen. 15°C in the morning, showers in the afternoon.
We didn’t book an excursion since we’d already stopped here with CFC in 2025, and based on advice from this forum, we took the hop-on/hop-off bus right in front of the ship. I still went to see the Little Mermaid again.
No TV, but the elevator was fixed.
DAY 5: At sea. Still no TV.
DAY 6: GDANSK (Poland). 15°C, rain all day.
There’s a shuttle to get to the city center.
We took the excursion: Panorama of Gdansk.
The guide left us at the entrance of the city center for 45 minutes, telling us what to visit. Meet-up for the rest of the tour at 3 PM. The bus left at 3:15 PM to cover 10 km to see St. Mary’s Cathedral. We arrived at 4:16 PM... The guide said there are often traffic jams in that direction. We had 10 minutes on site before heading to see the lighthouse and the Westerplatte monument, where we also had 10 minutes.
Many of us wondered why we didn’t do the tour in the opposite direction since they knew there would be traffic...
I went to reception to complain about the organization. The staff member read me the program: we were supposed to start with the lighthouse, then go to the cathedral and stay for 30 minutes before heading to the center of Gdansk for a short guided walk with some free time to buy souvenirs, etc.
The guide did the complete opposite of what was planned and didn’t even give us a guided tour—just dropped us off in the city...
DAY 7: Bornholm Island (Denmark). 14°C, a few sunny spells.
We saw in the excursions that there was a walking tour of RØNNE. So, like many others, we explored on our own. There was a small orchestra welcoming us at the port and two people with city maps. We took the shuttle to leave the port—it ran every 15 minutes. The tourist office was next to the "shuttle bus." A pleasant visit at our own pace.
DAY 8: KIEL (Germany). 18–23°C, nice weather.
We took the "Kiel for all" excursion. Great guide and interesting visits.
The port is in the city, and in 10 minutes, we were in the city center by following a blue line on the ground from the port. Elevator 3 was stuck again... and the TV was back.
DAY 9: At sea. Elevator 3 works.
DAY 10: At sea. Elevator 3 is out of order again...
DAY 11: Disembarkation in Dunkirk.
Cabins had to be vacated by 7:30 AM. Buffet open until 9 AM.
Elevator number 1 was "reserved," leaving only number 2, which doesn’t go up to deck 11... a problem for people with mobility issues who had to cross the entire deck 11 and try to use one of the four working elevators at the front, which were crowded.
My opinion: Interesting stops.
The onboard staff were always welcoming, smiling, and mostly French-speaking.
Evening shows were better than in March/April 2025—better singers, dancers, and presenters, and the costumes were improved.
I liked the "magician" shows less.
There were three onboard lectures by a very cultured person, but they went off-topic and were too historical for my taste. I didn’t attend the other two; my husband went to the second but not the third.
For this cruise, there was a bridge theme, but we’re not players or interested.
We didn’t take a drink package on board—water, coffee, tea, and herbal teas were available.
We had a water leak in our cabin the night before disembarkation. We reported it, and after the technical staff came (with a translator who didn’t speak English), we were asked to leave the cabin for a while for repairs. We went to a lounge, and after 1.5 hours, I checked in at reception. The repair took longer than expected... we had to change cabins... not ideal the night before disembarkation. No balcony cabins were available, so we got an ocean-view cabin, 6075, with a bathtub (impossible for both of us to use). We packed our suitcases, took a shower in our cabin, and moved to the new one. Noise from chairs until 12:30 AM because the cabin was under a lounge, and constant ventilation noise in the hallway... sleep was hard to come by.
Disembarkation: Well organized. We were helped with transporting the two suitcases and bags to the waiting room while I took the shuttle to get the car.
Guylène
Bonjour à tous
Je pars en suite sur le pacifica en octobre et je n'arrive pas à avoir d3s précisions sur les avantages en suite hormis le resto élite le majordome la machine expresso
Qu'en est-il des petits déjeuners et repas servis gratuitement en cabine, du spa
Costa enlève de plus en plus les privilèges aux gold et apparemment aux suites aussi
Merci de vos reponses
hi,
I’m leaving Hamburg for Iceland at the end of July. The boat arrives in Reykjavik on Tuesday, August 4th at 8 AM, and I’d like to book a day trip like the Golden Circle or Secret Lagoon… The sites like GetYourGuide and others list departures at 8 AM. If you’ve used these sites with the MSC Preziosa, could you let me know how to go about it?
Thanks! 😉
allyMB007
hi there
Here’s the cruise schedule for 2026.
It’s a great way to get ideas and maybe even meet up with other members.
2 essential rules:
1) never "quote" the calendar when replying—this’ll avoid any confusion
2) follow the format below
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
REMINDER Despite my requests, few people follow the requested format. Cruises that stray too far from it won’t be listed anymore—sorry!PLEASE respect the templates!
COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT BELOW AND REPLACE WITH YOUR DETAILS IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING
DD/MM - username / SHIP IN CAPS / number of days / cruise title / departure port
DON’T FORGET THE SPACES between the / /
It takes time to fix mistakes, so THANKS TO EVERYONE for your help!
YOUR TURN 😉
NUMBER OF CRUISES 2026:
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Hello everyone,
It’s with immense sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of our friend Nathalie (nadu). Many of us knew her through this forum, which she loved so much. She enjoyed reading your travel stories, joining discussions, sharing her cruise reviews, and offering valuable advice—always with kindness, gentleness, and discretion.
For me, Nathalie was so much more than just a cruise enthusiast. She was a friend, a deeply kind person who was always there to listen, despite the many health challenges she faced with tremendous courage. We corresponded regularly, and sometimes we had the chance to visit each other’s homes or attend the cruise show together with our respective husbands.
We shared a common dream: when we both retired, we had planned to finally go on a cruise together. Life had other plans, and that trip will forever remain a journey we never had the chance to take. That thought weighs heavily on my heart today.
I’ll remember her as a gentle, generous woman who was always ready to help others. Her presence on this forum will leave a huge void, just as her friendship has in my life.
I send my sincerest thoughts to her husband, her family, and all those who had the chance to know her.
Fair winds, Nathalie. I like to think you’re now sailing on an infinitely calm sea, under an eternally blue sky. You’ll remain in our thoughts and hearts every time we talk about cruises or set off on a new journey.
Rest in peace, Nathalie.
For those who’d like to send a message of comfort and sympathy to her husband, you can send me a PM, and I’ll pass it along.
THANK YOU
Hello everyone,
So happy to be back on this Forum!
We’re heading off on another cruise—our 7th—after a 5-year break...
We’ll be leaving from Venice on April 26th with stops in Kotor, Mykonos, Santorini, and Ancona.
Could you help me plan the stops by sharing tips, tricks, and advice?
For those who already know me, you know we prefer not to take the cruise line’s excursions but instead organize everything ourselves.
Thanks in advance to everyone, and looking forward to chatting with you all!
Hello,
We’re taking a cruise to Northern Europe with a stop in SOUTHAMPTON.
We’d like to visit the Stonehenge site.
Is it possible to get there on our own (my husband is a wheelchair user), since the MSC excursion to Salisbury is priced at 127 € per person?
There’s also a stop in Rotterdam, and it seems there’s a "miniature village to visit" nearby. Has anyone here been there, and if so, how did you get there?
Thanks so much for your tips. Mum49
If you're traveling on the Costa Diadema from October 17th to 28th, 2026 to Lisbon, we can meet up for a drink. Share our cruising experiences, an excursion, a table...
hi there, a group of friends and I are going on a cruise at the end of June with CFC in Norway. I’d love to get some info on the different stops we’ll be making. Most of them are one-day stops (from around 10 AM to 8 PM on average). Here are the stops: Andalsnes, Trondheim, Honningsvåg, Alta, Hellesylt, Sandane, Austefjorden.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can share what there is to see or do in these places.
When I get back, I’ll post what we did—it might help others who come after us.
Also, does anyone know if the boat sticks to the arrival time in Dunkirk for catching tickets to head back south? We’ll plan a buffer just in case.
Hi there, The day before boarding the Costa Favolosa for the Norwegian Fjords cruise departing from Hamburg, I'd like to book a hotel. Which one would be the most convenient location-wise relative to the port?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
I’m looking to get in touch with someone who’s been on an Arctic Cruise aboard the ship POLARFRONT, operated by the French company "LATITUDE BLANCHE", for some info.
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever taken a cruise with this PO Cruise company.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
They’ve got some great itineraries for Norway.
Hello,
We’ll be sailing on the Renaissance with CFC to southern Norway from July 4 to 11, 2026, departing from Dunkirk (the cruise was booked through "Planète Croisière").
When entering some personal details or pre-selecting options on the CFC website, I’m wondering about the "optional" categories for drinks and WiFi.
I’m actually a bit surprised by these extra charges, as we weren’t used to them on other cruises (Australis in Patagonia; Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express in Norway and Alaska; Rivages du Monde in the Arctic or on the Douro River; a Nile river cruise in Egypt), where we sometimes had access to basic drinks at meals and free WiFi when near land.
Anyway, for those who’ve already taken a CFC cruise on the Renaissance, could you share some advice? Specifically about the most basic drink package, called "Fraîcheur" (238 € for two), which doesn’t seem to be described anywhere. The "Premium" package seems excessive (490 € for two for the week) for light drinkers.
As for WiFi, it’s 10 € per day per person. While I find that price acceptable for parking our car in Dunkirk, it feels overpriced here (especially since it was free on the Nordlys "Coastal Express" just 3 or 4 years ago).
So, I’d love to hear from experienced cruisers who’ve been on this ship!
Looking forward to seeing the excursion prices, which should be available soon! 😐
Hi there,
I’m considering a cruise on this ship in the recently introduced Yacht Club category.
Have any forum members tried it?
What are your thoughts? Positive or negative? Which cabins should we go for—or avoid?
We’re already familiar with the Yacht Clubs on the Splendida, Fantasia, Preziosa, and Divina series.
We weren’t as keen on the one on the Seashore—we found it too big.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Claudine
We're considering a new cruise soon and would like to try the Renaissance.
The uniqueness of the promenade cabins appeals to us, but could anyone give us some insights on the following points:
- Is the glass door sufficiently tinted to prevent outsiders from seeing into the cabin?
- Is the soundproofing good enough to block out conversations on the promenade deck?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!
My husband, our two teens, and I are going on a cruise on the COSTA Esmeralda at the beginning of July. We’re thinking of exploring the ports on our own. Do any of you have recent experiences or tips to share? Are there shuttles between the port and the city center? Are they free? Looking forward to hearing from you.
As promised, here’s my review of the cruise I took from the 5th to the 19th on the MSC Virtuosa.
As you know, I had initially booked a cruise with Mein Schiff departing from Dubai (from Dubai to Cape Town). It was a 22-day cruise. Due to the issues in the Persian Gulf, my cruise was canceled by Mein Schiff.
So, we started looking for a Plan B because we really wanted to go. Especially my wife, who had just had a minor procedure and needed some rest. Since she had already taken time off, she was determined to travel. However, we were looking for an affordable Plan B since we weren’t sure when Mein Schiff or the airline would reimburse us.
While browsing online, I found a 15-day cruise departing from Pointe-à-Pitre (including flights, transfers, the cruise, and drinks) for a price of 1,200 € in a Fantastica balcony cabin. We thought, *Why not?*
I should mention that I’m not usually a big fan of MSC. My last experience with them was post-Covid (I took two cruises, one in 2021 and another in 2022), and it was honestly a disaster. We didn’t want to repeat that, but after talking to Catherine, who told me she was very happy with a short Christmas cruise, we decided to give it a try.
I have to say, I was left speechless. Honestly, the cruise was absolutely perfect. There’s nothing to complain about (or just a few minor details). In terms of service and food, I felt like I was on a premium cruise line. I’d even say MSC has nothing to envy from some of those companies. While premium lines like Holland, Celebrity, and Royal are cutting back on services, I think MSC has made huge improvements. Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this at all. You’ll see what I mean as we chat more.
I won’t do a full review like I usually do because there weren’t many stops:
1. We boarded in Pointe-à-Pitre
2. We stopped in Saint-Martin
3. Then it was a direct crossing to the Azores...
This cruise was really about relaxing, even if it’s not the kind of trip we usually take.
First off, I’m not a big fan of "flight and cruise" packages. I asked if we could leave two days early, but they said it wasn’t possible. We had to take the flight, then the bus, and board the ship directly.
It’s not really my thing, but given the price we paid and since we really wanted to relax, we thought, *Why not?*
Here’s the itinerary:
Boarding in Pointe-à-Pitre
Saint-Martin
Five days at sea
The Azores
Four days at sea
Hamburg
One day at sea
Le Havre
But as I mentioned, it wasn’t about the itinerary. It was really about taking a break and unwinding. Honestly, I came back thrilled.
We’re stopping over in Rovinj this coming May, and since we’ve already visited the main sights (port, church, etc.), is there a walk we can do on our own—no boat needed—that would fill a morning?
Thanks to anyone who knows the area…
My wife and I are going on a cruise on the MS Vesteralen on August 4th. The ship stays close to the coast to deliver mail and packages. My wife is a musician and is sensitive to the movement of the boat. Which deck and cabin should we choose?
Hi there,
So, I booked this cruise...
I know CFC gets a lot of criticism—
- And that it’s not really like the ships I usually take.
But the destination really interested me...
So, I’m giving it a try...
I’m going in with an open mind, thinking I got a good deal, so I’m not expecting the same experience as when I travel with Yacht Club or The Haven.
We’ll see... soon!
hi, we’re going on a cruise with MSC Virtuosa in the Caribbean. Has anyone done this cruise before and could give us some tips for excursions on the different islands? Thanks for your help
😉Hi there,
A few months ago, CFC put the EN VOGUE experience on sale, departing from Dunkirk.
I booked this package to test the boat and onboard services for myself.
I’d read a lot of reviews mentioning numerous issues on board, so I wanted to see for myself what it was really like…
Okay, I’ll stop rambling…
The package included boarding at 6 PM on Friday, dinner, a show, an overnight stay, and breakfast.
We chose an interior cabin for this experience—since the boat wasn’t leaving the dock, we didn’t see the point in paying more… All in all, it cost 130 € per person.
My mom joined us; she got the same cabin for 130 € with no single occupancy supplement.
We’d checked in online to board faster.
We took the train to DUNKIRK, then a taxi to the shuttle pavilion—7 € for the ride.
When we arrived at the pavilion, we were told to wait because there was a connection issue with check-in. Great start…
After about ten minutes, we were finally allowed to proceed.
At the counter, they said they didn’t have our cabin cards and no record of our check-in… Very odd.
With no solution, they put us on the bus and said we’d sort it out at reception. Perfect.
We went through security, and they confiscated our water bottles—never seen that before! Then they said my mom had a corkscrew in her bag, so they searched it… but there was no corkscrew. Total amateur hour… They eventually dropped it.
We got on the bus for a ten-minute ride…
We boarded the ship with a crew member and headed to reception.
Turns out, we weren’t the only ones in this situation.
The nightmare began… Only two staff members were handling all the issues, and everything seemed complicated.
They told my mom her cabin had been given to someone else 😲.
That was the last straw…
It took forever—they had to redo the entire check-in.
Finally, they told my mom her cabin was good to go; they’d mixed her up with someone else… After a solid half-hour, we could finally head to our cabin.
I’m determined to test everything: the pool, jacuzzi, show, restaurant, spa, etc…
TO BE CONTINUED
Hi,
We received a promotion from our CFC agency offering cruises at up to 40-100% off, and among other details: CFC organizes parking for departures from Dunkirk.
"Unattended parking located about 12 minutes away, fenced off with barriers, at a rate of 10 € per day. Drop off passengers and luggage at the Model Pavilion, and a CFC shuttle will take you from the parking lot to the Model Pavilion every 15-20 minutes. Same for disembarkation. You can book through your agency or on their website. No refunds if the booking is canceled; payment is due at reservation."
Have a great day,
Guylène
PS: Personally, we’d rather keep our vehicle in a free, supervised parking lot and take a taxi to the Model Pavilion.
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.
Hi there, I was wondering if anyone has ever taken a cruise with this PO Cruise company.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
They’ve got some great itineraries for Norway.
Hi there,
So, I booked this cruise...
I know CFC gets a lot of criticism—
- And that it’s not really like the ships I usually take.
But the destination really interested me...
So, I’m giving it a try...
I’m going in with an open mind, thinking I got a good deal, so I’m not expecting the same experience as when I travel with Yacht Club or The Haven.
We’ll see... soon!