Désolée de ne pas avoir fait votre connaissance malgré tous mes efforts pour "repérer" certaines personnes. Nous avons également bavardé avec des personnes sympathiques et "éliminé" d'autres (comme toujours) pour qui on se demande ce qu'elles sont venues faire sur le bateau !!! Sinon nous avons retrouvé, comme toujours sur Croisières de France l'accueil, la sympathie, le service qui les caractérisent même si le bateau n'est pas de toute première jeunesse. Bien sûr, il manque de "Bling-Bling" d'après certaines personnes mais est-ce vraiment ce qu'on lui demande ? Nous avons vu de beaux sites, de belles villes et bien occupé nos journées, que demander de plus ?
et bien écoutez mon frere à fait l 'excursion avec cdf et je peu vous dire qu'il c'est pris une bonne rabasse avec le guide !!apres je n 'en sais pas plus 😛 petite anedocte sur la feuille d'excursion pour Lanzarote (vous visiterez l'acropole de grece) mdrrrrrrrrrr à en perdre un peu le nord non 🤪 mais je rapelle comme plus haut des hauts et des bas dans l 'ensemble de la croisiere des petits couacs avec l 'organisation cdf la nourriture les boissons comme d'hab super😛
bonsoir à tous,
Pour nous première croisière donc pas de comparatif possible.
Nous avons été plutôt comblés, belles prestations, nourriture de qualité avec beaucoup de choix et toujours bien préparée.
Personnel attentionné.
Véritable "all incluse" avec vin et boissons à volonté, toujours bien servi. La bouteille d'eau minérale à 0.70€ est à mon sens pour éviter le gaspillage, l'eau douce devenant un produit à respecter.
Seul le temps manquait un peu de générosité et le vent du nord empêchait de se sentir dans le grand sud, la nature a ses caprices, tout le monde n'a pas vu Tanger en mai sous un crachin de novembre !
Nous avons fait la connaissance de personnes très sympathiques par l'intermédiaire de cette discussion et j'en profite pour remercier HDP instigateur de ces rencontres et porteur de précieux conseils. De ce fait nous avons fait plusieurs visites en taxi et chaque fois avons passé d'excellentes journées.
Lounaa, j'espére que votre frère va mieux, peut être le fait du temps, la clim n'était pas gênante (je hais la clim..) il n'a pas fait chaud.
Pour nous, A refaire.
Hello Mireille et Michel, merci pour votre gentil commentaire.
Comme vous, nous avons été conquis par cette jolie croisière malgré un temps frais et venteux dans l'Atlantique même pour les îles au climat subtropical.
- Personnel prévenant dont la grande majorité parlait parfaitement le français surtout pour le service aux tables.
- Gastronomie dans les assiettes avec des produits de qualité, ce qui manque parfois chez la concurrence qui souvent confond quantité et qualité.
- Bateau à dimension humaine même si les grands monstres des mers ne sont pas désagréables dans leur confort.
- Décoration du bateau assez réussie sans le bling bling typiquement italien mais convivial et chaleureux. Le bateau n'a que 22 ans, on ne peut déjà dire qu'il est vieux. Regardez un peu l'âge de ceux de la concurrence, vous allez avoir des surprises.
- Navigation avec une mer bonne dans l'ensemble de la croisière même dans l'Atlantique, bon comportement du bateau en mer agitée même si j'ai pu lire sur ce forum qu'il avait un roulis récurent.
- Escales originales ( Tanger, Lanzarotte, Alicante, Palamos ) Certaines ne sont cependant pas encore très organisées pour un tel afflux de passagers, ce qui est le cas pour Palamos où les taxis faisaient gravement défaut et la ville commerçante encore à l'heure de la sieste.
- Animation sans trop d'excès de bruit avec un directeur de croisière à l'humour décapant.
- Spectacles du soir pleins de bonne volonté avec quelques bonnes soirées tout de même. c'est vrai que les bateaux de plus petite taille ne peuvent présenter les spectacles que le double ou le triple de passagers peut permettre et ceci pour une question de prix de revient par croisiériste.
- Confort tout à fait satisfaisant avec des cabines convenables, une bonne literie et une salle d'eau à la douche spacieuse.
Bref, je ne suis pas déçu des prestations offertes par CDF et je n'hésiterai pas à récidiver chez eux.
J'ai l'impression de n'avoir pas fait la même croisière ! Tempête à Tanger ! A peine un petit crachin breton, avec de la brume, mais de là parler de tempête...Les cocktails dans le tout inclus y sont peut être pour quelque chose... L'abus d'alcool, c'est bien connu, ça brouille la vue et les idées...Pour moi c'était presque parfait (le parfait n'existe pas), excellent service (les apéros et autres boissons étaient servis dans de beaux verres et non pas dans des gobelets en plastique comme c'est souvent le cas dans les formules tt inclus) et le reste idem. Et pourtant mon mari et moi avons eu un peu le mal de mer qui aurait pu nous donner mauvaise impression...
Hello Christiane et André, oui le temps à Tanger n'a pas été favorable pour nous mais sitôt passé Gibraltar dans l'après midi, le soleil est revenu et la chaleur de la Méditerranée également.
Vous avez raison pour les boissons, les doses sont plus que correctes, c'est nous qui demandions des verres plus petits mais ça n'était que rarement suivi au bar.
Désolée de ne pas avoir fait votre connaissance malgré tous mes efforts pour "repérer" certaines personnes. Nous avons également bavardé avec des personnes sympathiques et "éliminé" d'autres (comme toujours) pour qui on se demande ce qu'elles sont venues faire sur le bateau !!! Sinon nous avons retrouvé, comme toujours sur Croisières de France l'accueil, la sympathie, le service qui les caractérisent même si le bateau n'est pas de toute première jeunesse. Bien sûr, il manque de "Bling-Bling" d'après certaines personnes mais est-ce vraiment ce qu'on lui demande ? Nous avons vu de beaux sites, de belles villes et bien occupé nos journées, que demander de plus ?
Ce sera pour la prochaine fois et surtout ce n'était pas une obligation, c'était juste informel.
Des relations se sont créées afin d'organiser des sorties communes. c'était également le but pour ceux qui se trouvaient seuls.
Vous pouvez lire les réactions des participants à cette croisière, je pense que la majorité a été très satisfaite des prestations de la compagnie pour cette croisière.
Bonjour a tous
J'ai suivi avec intérêt cette discussion , c'est vrai sans me manifester. Nous étions nous aussi sur le zénith et je suis très surprise d'entendre le mot " tempête" . Le bateau bougeait un peu , mais de façon normale sur l'Atlantique . Il n'y a jamais eu les conditions realisees ( ascenseur bloques , bouteille ds les bars rangées....). Le dernier soir lorsque le commandant a annonce qu'à l'entrée du golfe du lion , ça risquait de bouger , nous nous attendions a beaucoup plus que le léger bercement ressenti , même moins que dans l'Atlantique .
Le temps , il est vrai n'a pas été toujours de la partie , en particulier a tangers ou le ciel digne d'un mois de novembre nous a incite a une matinée bullage. Heureusement des l'entrée en Méditerranée , le soleil et le ciel bleu sont réapparus. Nous aurions apprécie un peu plus de chaleur ( il avait fait 40 a agadir la semaine précédant notre passage )
En ce qui concerne la croisière , le bateau est un peu ancien , mais a peu près de la même taille que le melody sur lequel nous avions fait une très agréable et intéressante croisière il y a 4 ans . C'est vrai que la fuite d'eau lors de la soirée de gala , nous a fait poser quelques questions sur la vétuste du bateau ( risque de court circuit ....- le zénith avait déjà brule il y a 1 an au large de Venise....-) on aurait aime qu'il y ai un peu plus de communication a ce sujet
Le personnel est très sympa et attentionné , dommage que tous ne parlent pas le français car il s'agit quand même d'un bateau croisière de France , même si c'est le Groupe royal caribbean. On fait des progrès en anglais et en espagnol et on finit par tout mélanger en passant de l'une a l'autre.....
Nous n'avons que très peu participe aux animations , mais le groupe sénégalais était tonique et sympa
Le all inclusive est sympa ( nous avions déjà teste la formule chez Costa il y a 2 ans ) mais le vin est de qualité très moyenne . C'était assez comique d'expliquer en espagnol a notre serveur les finesses française de l'accord du vin et des mets .......!
L'itinéraire étai sympa ( nous avions choisi cette croisière pour cette raison) . J'ai beaucoup aime les Canaries et madère . Nous avons fait les excursions par nous même en taxi ou en voiture de location ( lanzarote) sauf a palamos ou nous voulions aller a Barcelone ( excursion Barcelone a votre guise ). On ne peut que regretter la brièveté de certaines escales ( tenerife , madère , Lisbonne) . Ça nous donnera l'envie d'y revenir
L'organisation était bien. Je n'ai pas note de couacs comme le signale l'un des participant. Par contre l'accès aux ascenseurs le matin avec une personne handicapée était plus que problématique ( de nombreuses personnes ont semble t'il des difficultés pour utiliser les escaliers.......) de même lors des escales
Bref une croisière sympa que je recommanderai avec un peu plus de soleil et de chaleur ( mais ça c'est plutôt le problème d'El nino ou de la nia)
Odile, je crois que vous avez fort bien résumé ce que nous pensons de cette croisière, une première pour nous sur cette compagnie. La location de voiture à distance est certainement la meilleure des solutions pour" excursionner"mais la peur d'une panne ou autre ennui qui risque de nous faire louper le bateau nous aurait fait hésiter à le faire. A réfléchir pour une autre fois ! A Madère, j'aurais bien aimé voir les petites maisons au toit de chaume qui se trouvaient à l'opposé du port et faire connaissance de l'hôtel proposé par la caisse de retraite Probtp...Je repartirais sans hésitation avec cette compagnie. Tout était nickel du soir au matin et du matin au soir. Je suis admiratrice de l'organisation que cela doit demander.Quant à la température d'Agadir, heureusement que c'était mieux respirable, sinon on allait souffrir!!!
Nous avons découvert à Alicante des arbres de taille impressionnante, des magnolias je crois, sur la rambla. Quant aux personnes qui avaient des problèmes de déplacement, là aussi je suis admirative, d'avoir la volonté de faire ce genre de voyage. Oui, je sais que certains esprits chagrin vont dire qu'ils gênent les autres plus valides ; peut-être qu'un jour ce sera notre tour...Pensons-y !
Je profite d'un passage sur voyage forum pour saluer tous les participants à ce forum et en particulier,
tous ceux que nous avons eu le plaisir de rencontrer lors de cette croisière et de faire certaines excursions ensemble !
Bonjour,Je suis contente d'avoir de vos nouvelles même si nous n'avons pas eu le plaisir de vous rencontrer lors de la croisière "Rose des Sables". Cette année, nous ne serons pas des vôtres, nous partons le 13 Juin pour la croisière "Nuits Blanches" sur l'Horizon. Ce sera notre 7ème croisière avec CDF et nous en espérons toujours autant de satisfaction.Bien cordialement
Bonjour, Je suis contente d'avoir de vos nouvelles même si nous n'avons pas eu le plaisir de vous rencontrer lors de la croisière "Rose des Sables". Cette année, nous ne serons pas des vôtres, nous partons le 13 Juin pour la croisière "Nuits Blanches" sur l'Horizon. Ce sera notre 7ème croisière avec CDF et nous en espérons toujours autant de satisfaction.Bien cordialement
Nous vous souhaitons une agréable croisière sur l'horizon, c'est une croisière que nous envisageons de faire ou celle des fjords norvégiens.
Quant à nous nous avons déjà fait 3 autres croisières depuis rose des sables,
la Méditerranée jusqu'en Grèce avec le Costa Néo Classica, le tour des grands ports de Méditerranée avec le Costa Diadéma et la transatlantique retour du Brésil le 11 avril avec le MSC Lirica.
Mon épouse et moi nous sommes inscrits pour cette croisière de 15 jours sur le Zénith de Croisière de France. L'itinéraire choisi est: Gibraltar, Casablanca,…
Lecteur occasionnel, je déplore souvent de ne lire que très peu de compte-rendus de voyages émanant de personnes ayant posé beaucoup de questions mais ne nous…
Je pars en croisière sur le COSTA Esmeralda début juillet avec mon mari et mes 2 ado. Nous envisageons de faire les escales par nos propres moyens. Auriez vous…
Habituellement en mode "routards", nous ferons exception cette année avec une croisière CFC vers la Norvège. Nous aimerions visiter par-nous mêmes aux escales…
Nous partons avec des amis faire une croisere fin juin avec CFC en norvege, je suis preneur des informations sur les differentes escales que nous allons faire.…
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
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
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
We’re taking an MSC cruise in May, and after the Cinque Terre, we’ll be stopping in Naples. We’d like to know if it’s possible to walk out of the port quickly and reach a nice area of Naples on foot (we’re two older people). While we’re at it, I’ll ask the same question for Palermo, since we’ll be there the next day. Thanks for your replies.
Hi 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!
hi,
I’m leaving Hamburg for Iceland at the end of July. The boat arrives in Reykjavik on Tuesday, August 4th at 8 AM, and I’d like to book a day trip like the Golden Circle or Secret Lagoon… The sites like GetYourGuide and others list departures at 8 AM. If you’ve used these sites with the MSC Preziosa, could you let me know how to go about it?
Thanks! 😉
allyMB007
Hello everyone,
It’s with immense sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of our friend Nathalie (nadu). Many of us knew her through this forum, which she loved so much. She enjoyed reading your travel stories, joining discussions, sharing her cruise reviews, and offering valuable advice—always with kindness, gentleness, and discretion.
For me, Nathalie was so much more than just a cruise enthusiast. She was a friend, a deeply kind person who was always there to listen, despite the many health challenges she faced with tremendous courage. We corresponded regularly, and sometimes we had the chance to visit each other’s homes or attend the cruise show together with our respective husbands.
We shared a common dream: when we both retired, we had planned to finally go on a cruise together. Life had other plans, and that trip will forever remain a journey we never had the chance to take. That thought weighs heavily on my heart today.
I’ll remember her as a gentle, generous woman who was always ready to help others. Her presence on this forum will leave a huge void, just as her friendship has in my life.
I send my sincerest thoughts to her husband, her family, and all those who had the chance to know her.
Fair winds, Nathalie. I like to think you’re now sailing on an infinitely calm sea, under an eternally blue sky. You’ll remain in our thoughts and hearts every time we talk about cruises or set off on a new journey.
Rest in peace, Nathalie.
For those who’d like to send a message of comfort and sympathy to her husband, you can send me a PM, and I’ll pass it along.
THANK YOU
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.
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,
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!