j'ai choisi le 3 decembre tout simplement car mon mari travaille a noel et au jour de l'an et puis moi (ds le commerce) j'ai souvent plus de boulot en fin d'année donc...c t le bon moment ! 😉...et puis nous n'avons pas d'enfant donc...autant laisser la place aux parents aux dates des vacances ! 😉
ok cool nous serons donc 3 a partir a cette date pour l'instant sur ce forum 😎 !
nous sommes de la meme generation apparement 😉...mon mari 41 ans (enfin bientot) et moi 37 (et 38 au depart)....
pour les langues parlées je n'en sait absolument rien...mais mon mari parle assez bien l'anglais alors avec lui je ne me sens jamais perdue 😊...tout ce que je sais c qu'il faut un passeport (que je suis en train de refaire) mais après ?... je demanderais plus tard a croisiland si il faut de la monnaie etrangere egalement ou pas...je pense d'après ce que j'ai vu mais bon ...
Bienvenue Reynald, je suis content de te connaitre, j'était dans les tout premiers à signer pour le 3/12/2013 (aux dires de mon agence).
Je me permet de te répondre, sur les escales beaucoup de gens parlent en français, en anglais et en créole. Moi aussi j'ai fais de superbes rencontres lors de ma dernière croisière. Moi aussi j'ai réserver pour le deuxième service n'ayant pas d'enfants voyageant avec nous.
😉
OK pour les vacances scolaires, mais le haut de la saison c'est plus vers février, mars...
Enfin pour notre cas ça pénalisait ma femme pour les congés car commencer l'année avec des vacances, il faut travailler toute l'année après, le mieux c'est de pouvoir "solder" ses congés restant en fin d'année enfin toujours pour ma femme. De plus il n'existe que deux saisons dans les Caraibes et nous partiront les premiers sur certains sites j'ai même vu que l'eau était plus chaude en décembre car juste après la saison des cyclones...😉
J'ai souvent "des promos" de toutes les compagnies, mais à voir le chamboulement de celle là je crois que c'est une première en fait tu ne paye pas le vol Paris FDF.
😛
tout pareil que biker, nous aussi nous avons regulièrement des promos mais pas comme ça car c vrai que là...😎 ! ils ont fait fort !
en ce moment y'en a aussi pas mal avec costa....
je sais que nous nous en avons regulièrement avec costa et msc car nous avons déjà fait plusieurs croisières avec ces compagnies mais nous en avons aussi avec les agences par lesquelles nous sommes parfois passé...
et oui biker, moi aussi j'ai vu l'eau plus chaude en decembre 😉...et pour repondre a ta question je n'ai pas pris debut fevrier car j'attend des nouvelles et peut etre une mutation prochaine pour mon mari donc...oh et puis psychologiquement c 2013 et pas 2014 et ça, c trop bon de ce dire que ce n'est que dans finalement 9 mois 😏 !
Bonjour , y'en as de temps en temps plus ou moins bien ... la dernière pour nous : en février 2011 : 11 nuits sur le msc fantasia en balcon 250€ la place au départ de Barcelone : îles canaries , madère , maroc , espagne , italie etc ....🤪😉😎😏
Encore une question car je vois que vous vous y connaissez mieux que moi sur les escales
J ai lu Que pour les baths Virgin gorda on pouvait aller avec l agence excursion " speedy's" , en descendant à droite en sortant du bateau ? Connaissez vous cet agence ? Le tarif est je crois d environ 35$ alors que c et le double avec msc !!
Salut Steph, relis bien ce post, il y a de la langouste au repas...
Après j'ai écrit plus haut que MSC est juste intermédiaire pas organisateur, après il y a d'autres iles à visiter, comme aussi à St john's
et ses 365 plages (un par jour) attention à ne pas aller sur une plage déserte, risque d'agression surtout en fin d'après-midi. 🏴☠️
je lui annoncerai le 6 septembre le jour de nos 10 ans de mariage
quand on a vu la pub, je lui ai dit d office ce que je lui dit depuis plusieurs mois qu on avait pas de sous pour partir, on vent de faire la chambre, mais elle ne sait pas que je met des sous de coté depuis 1 an!
elle sait qu on se fera un week end ou une petite semaine entre nous mais elle n a aucune idée de ce qu il l attends, mais c est la premiere fois que j ai eu autant envie de lui dire!
si je lui avait dit qu on ferait rien pour nos 10 ans elle m aurait pas cru!
elle ne sait pas tenir sa langue lol, je lui ai dit que pour mes 40 ans je ne voulais rien faire, elle m a avoué mettre de l argent de coté alors que moi je lui ai rien dit!!
petit historique de blague ( elle est toujours persuadée que je ne sais rien organiser lol)
ses 30 ans: j ai mis en panne sa voiture , et j ai invité 40 personnes dont une qui a fait 1200 km pour venir
ses 35 ans: idem mais je lui ai dit qu on allit voir un spectacle de marionnettes
ses 40 ans, elle a organisé sa fete; pour payer la croisière je lui ai envoyé une fausse facture d impots! qu est ce qu elle ralait!!!!! trop bon!!!!
quand je lui ai annoncé; elle était folle!!! d autant qu elle n aurait jamais pensé pouvoir monter sur ces navires!!!, on partait 11 jours après la fete!!!
alors pour notre 10 ans, entre la destination et les dauphins!!!!! elle va etre scotchée!!!!
C'est super mignon. Une seule chose qui m’embêterais dans mon cas, c'est que de son côté ma femme réserve une croisière différente...
Si vous mettez de l'argent tout les deux de côté.
Je ne sais pas si je pourrais tenir aussi longtemps sans rien lui dire...😛
J en serai fort étonné mais dans ce cas on partira 2 fois 😏😏😏
ce serait pas de bol que ce soit la meme date
et puis comme je l ai dit plus haut, elle m a avoué avoir fait une petite reserve d argent pour mes 40 ans, moi je lui ai rien dit alors que j avais mis fois plus d argent qu elle de coté!!!! ca aussi c était bon!!!😎
moi pont 9 catégorie 9 avec surclassement possible pont 10 🙂 mais comme vous nous saurons notre numéro de cabine que peu de temps avant le départ...dur dur d'attendre 🙁
Salut Val, tu seras comme moi je pense, pas de garantie cabine que le pont. Car même les premières demandes sont bloquées pour les Numéros.
Réponse à un mail.🙂
Non cela aurait été la même chose car les agences font ce que dit MSC. Le N° de pont attribué dépends comme la dit Val de la date et du nombres des places libres au moment ou ils ont ta réservation.🙂
Je ne fais que vous livrer ce que l'on m'as répondu à savoir que MSC se réserve le droit de changer les positionnement de cabines déjà attribuer pour favoriser les demandes de cabines jumelées ou triple ou quadruple etc... et cela se comprends quand même d’où le manque d'attribution de N° de cabines après Val si ta cabine réservée n'est pas prévue pour être mitoyenne (avec une porte communicante avec une autre cabine) tu as de très grandes chances de garder ta cabine réservée. Je tiens à rajouter aussi que MSC se réserve le droit d’arrêter ou modifier cette offre à tout moment. Pour moi tant que tu n'auras pas tes papiers définitifs il y aura un doute. 🙂
Moi ! j'ai réservé directement chez MSC le jour même où j'ai reçu la promo dans la boite aux lettres c'est-à-dire le 5 ou 9 février ; je pars le 25 février je suis au pont 11 et j'ai mon numéro de cabine ; mais je n'ai aucun document écrit pour l'instant ça peut donc changer d'après ce que je lis ; ils me disent que j'aurais une confirmation écrite dès qu'ils en sauront plus sur les vols.
Iles grecques et athènes - Norvège - MSC Sinfonia méditerrannée - MSC Magnifica capitales de la baltique - circuit irlande aout 2013 -
MSC Musica Caraibes (prévision février 2014)
moi idem je pars le 25 février aussi et toujours pas de confirmation de réservation, sous 3 semaines m'a dit l'agence!!j'ai bien un numéro de cabine mais....................
Je suis passée par une agence, j'ai un projet de voyages avec un numéro de cabine mais pas de confirmation de réservation par rapport aux places disponibles dans l'avion ........................ce qu'on m'a dit!!!!!!
Nous aussi, on a réservé par Azur ( avec RCT) et comme toi Annie, je n'ai que le projet et le récépissé de paiement CB. Alicia m'a confirmé que le récépissé était une preuve de réservation en attendant la confirmation finale avec les vols.
Lorsque j'ai fait le mail à MSC Transports pour le pré acheminement, ils m'ont répondu et m'ont donné mon numéro de réservation, je suis, donc, allée sur le site MSC avec mon numéro et ma croisière est bien enregistrée avec la mention "BKD" (booked) par contre pas de numéro de cabine mentionné.
Donc, ne t'inquiète pas, ça va rentrer dans l'ordre au fur et à mesure des envois de confirmation.
Dans un premier temps, merci à LUIGI car je me suis inspiré de ces avis pour orienter ma croisière. Cette croisière était notre première et je ne pense pas la…
Nous voici revenu depuis quelques temps déjà, mais impossible de nous amarrer correctement à notre port d'attache, la pensée ne cesse de se détacher vers les…
Tout d'abord, je souhaiterais savoir si d'autres personnes sur le forum partent à cette date ou même seront sur le bateau durant cette période? Nous partons…
Je vais faire une croisière sur le MSC MUSICA aux Antilles en février 2015 parle t'on français sur le bateau et moi je ne parle que français est- ce un…
Nous faisons une croisières à bord du musica du 04.02.32014 au 11.02.2014 nous partons de Marseille demain matin vol air France à 8 h 45 arrivée Paris Orly…
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,
Voici le calendrier des croisières pour 2027.
Cela donne des idées et peut permettre à des membres de se rencontrer
2 régles essentielles:
1) ne jamais "citer" le calendrier pour répondre, ceci évitera toute confusion
2) respecter le format suivant
JJ/MM - pseudo / BATEAU EN MAJUSCULE / nb jours / titre de la croisière / port de départ
NE PAS OUBLIER LES ESPACES entre les / /
RAPPEL Malgré mes demandes peu de personnes respectent le format demandé, la croisière ne sera plus répertoriée quand elle s'éloignera trop du format demandé, désolée ATTENTION Merci de respecter les modèles SVP
MERCI DE COPIER COLLER LE FORMAT CI DESSOUS ET REMPLACER PAR VOS DONNEES SI VOUS N Y ARRIVEZ PAS
JJ/MM - pseudo / BATEAU EN MAJUSCULE / nb jours / titre de la croisière / port de départ
NE PAS OUBLIER LES ESPACES entre les / /
cela prend du temps de rectifier, MERCI A TOUS
A VOUS DE JOUER 😉
NOMBRE DE CROISIERES 2027 : 1
JANVIER
14/01 - poupou10 / AZAMARA JOURNEY / 74 jours / Tour Amérique du sud / Miami
FEVRIER
MARS
AVRIL
MAI
JUIN
JUILLET
AOÛT
SEPTEMBRE
OCTOBRE
NOVEMBRE
DECEMBRE
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!