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!
In Santorini, when you exit the cable car that goes up to Fira, you can take the small coastal trail leading to Oia. It’s a really nice walk at first through the houses, then through nature, with amazing viewpoints. After visiting Oia, you can head back by municipal bus or taxi.
In Mykonos, a city tour is super easy—it’s tiny. From the port, there are local buses that shuttle to the town. You can also walk, but the road can be a bit dangerous in some spots, so be careful.
Thanks, but do you have any specific tips, especially for Mykonos and Santorini?
Hi there,
In Mykonos, the large ships now dock their passengers at the new port of Tourlos. From there, you can take the SeaBus shuttle boat for 2 € per trip to reach the old port of Mykonos.
In Santorini, from the port of Fira, we took the cable car to get to the top of the town. In 2023, I think it was 6 € (or 9 € for a round trip). Try to leave as early as possible in the morning because if there are several ships anchored, there’ll be huge crowds at the cable car departure.
Best regards
Hi there,
No one’s talking about Ancona—maybe because there’s nothing *that* special to say about it.
I did say “special,” though—otherwise, it’s a pretty Italian site, especially from the top of the hill.
I haven’t checked what excursions are offered outside the city, but it might be worth a look.
On the other hand, the maritime museum in Kotor is super informative, and here’s a fun fact in these turbulent times: in Kotor, a church, a mosque, and a synagogue have coexisted side by side for centuries without any issues…!
Hi there!
So happy to be back on this forum too! For Santorini during our stop, we booked an excursion from the port to explore the caldera. The boat took us to the volcanic part of the caldera, and depending on the season, you can even swim in the warm waters. It was such a great time!
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 some tips, advice, etc.?
For those who already know me, you know we prefer not to take the cruise line’s excursions but to organize them ourselves instead.
Thanks in advance to everyone, and looking forward to exchanging with you!
Good evening,
We’re taking the same cruise next August. I’d love to hear your tips for excursions or other great deals on board or during the stops.
Thanks in advance.
We’re back from a wonderful cruise on the LIRICA with so many amazing things to discover.
I’ll give you a little summary and I’m available—along with anyone else who’s interested—for more details via PM. I can even send you the travel journal I prepared for the group: there were 12 of us, including 2 teens (16 years old) and a couple in their 80s—that explains some of our sightseeing choices.
Day 1 - VENICE: The port is really easy to find. We’d reserved a parking spot for 8 days = 145 €.
Baggage drop-off is on the ground floor of the Cruise Terminal—everything is marked MSC—and check-in is upstairs.
You reach the Lirica by water shuttle. It takes about 15/20 minutes.
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 2 - KOTOR:
Head up to the deck by 1 p.m. to watch the approach to the Bay of Kotor. It’s absolutely stunning! Two hours of breathtaking scenery.
As soon as we arrived at the port, we took a red Hop On Hop Off bus. A one-hour tour covering the history and environment of the Bay. It costs 28 € and includes a visit to the old town. However, we preferred to explore the city on our own after the bus tour. It’s really pretty, and we discovered, among other things, a beautiful Orthodox church.
Suggested evening attire: 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Warning: The ship is at anchor, so you need to take tenders to reach the port—about 15 minutes. You do this by getting a ticket in advance for each passenger. Tip: go as soon as ticket distribution opens (8:30 a.m. for us) because the higher your number, the later you leave, which means less time to explore.
Due to bad weather in Mykonos, we were rerouted to Corfu for the third day.
Day 3 - CORFU:
We arrived at 12 p.m. and disembarked quickly to make the most of the stop.
However, a disappointment: MSC provides a bus to leave the port for 12 €/person! Actually, it’s very doable on foot for those who enjoy walking (about 30 minutes to the city).
Like the day before, we chose to take a red Hop On Hop Off bus. A one-hour ride that dropped us off in the heart of the city. From there, we wandered through the pedestrian streets and alleys.
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 4 – At Sea:
Since the Lirica is much smaller than the cruise ships we’d taken before, there weren’t too many activities for this day at sea.
If you want a quiet spot outside, go to the stern of the ship, either on Deck 11 (at the end of the buffet restaurant) or on the lower decks—10, 9, 8... There are deck chairs and not many people.
Suggested evening attire: Elegant (Gala)
Day 5 – SANTORINI:
The Fira cable car was still under maintenance due to earthquakes, so we disembarked at the Athinios port.
(Warning: The ship is at anchor, so you need to take tenders to reach the port—about 15 minutes. You do this by getting a ticket in advance for each passenger. Tip: go as soon as ticket distribution opens (6:30 a.m. for us) because the higher your number, the later you leave, which means less time to explore.)
When we arrived at the port, dozens of free MSC buses were waiting for passengers to take them by road to Fira. About a 20-minute ride through the Santorini countryside.
In Fira, at the large parking lot where the bus dropped us off, we took a bus to Oia (2 €/person) which dropped us in the heart of the town—about 15 minutes.
OIA: It’s truly enchanting, like stepping into a postcard. We had a lovely walk for a few hours before taking a bus back to Fira.
FIRA: We strolled through the town, discovering the monuments we’d seen from afar. And of course, some shopping too!
Around 4 p.m., we took an MSC bus back down to the port to catch the tender and return to the ship.
Suggested evening attire: White
Day 6 – At Sea:
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 7 – ANCONA:
We discovered a beautiful Italian city in the Marche region.
Everything here breathes Italy! The 19th-century buildings, the ancient ruins, etc.
At the port exit, city maps are handed out with different routes to follow. We chose "From Sea to Sea" and walked up the very long pedestrian street to reach the monument dedicated to World War I. From there, we climbed to the cathedral overlooking the city. A lovely walk, but quite steep.
On the way back, we took an elevator that brought us quickly down to sea level, about 500 meters from the port.
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 8 – VENICE:
We had to leave the cabin by 7:30 a.m. at the latest. We disembarked at 9:20 a.m.
We picked up our luggage at the exit of the Lirica and took an MSC bus to the Venice Cruise Terminal parking lot (no water shuttle this time).
We decided to stay in Venice on Saturday and only return to France on Sunday.
From the port parking lot, we walked to the People Mover—a kind of aerial tram (1.5 €/person)—which took us to Piazzale Roma. From there, we bought day passes for the Vaporetto (25 €/person) and went up the Grand Canal to our accommodations.
A magical day in Venice under beautiful sunshine and warm summer weather.
I hope this information is helpful.
Happy cruise planning!
Hello!
I’m going on my very first cruise in September—Mykonos, Santorini, and Kusadasi.
A few questions:
Apart from Ephesus, Naples, and Pompeii, I’m pretty unfamiliar with Santorini and Mykonos.
I’ve been following your posts about Santorini (thanks for those!).
Any recommendations for Mykonos?
I’ll be spending 3 days in Rome before the cruise.
At the end of the cruise, I don’t plan to return to Rome.
Could you tell me what transport to take from Civitavecchia to Fiumicino Airport?
Thanks so much!
Françoise
Hi Françoise, welcome to the "club" of cruise lovers—it’s great here among people who enjoy sharing and receiving information.
I see you’ve already been gathering info for your trip, and your question really interests me because I faced the same issue a few years ago: going directly from Civitavecchia to the airport. I couldn’t find any details, either because I missed them or because there aren’t many cruisers in that situation—which I’d find surprising.
I hope someone can provide answers that I’ll benefit from too!
Have a wonderful cruise with beautiful stops.
Don’t hesitate to share a trip report when you return—even if we’ve visited a stop multiple times, there’s always more to discover!
Francis.
Hi Francis,
Thanks for the welcome message.
I feel a little less alone with my first cruise 🙂
And for your quick reply.
It’s true that I’ve started gathering info on this forum—it’s a real goldmine!
Of course, I’ll do a trip report on the cruise.
I’m sailing with MSC Divina.
The only thing I’m worried about is the unlikely scenario that there won’t be transportation from the port of Civitavecchia to the airport.
I don’t think all passengers will head to Rome by taking the bus or train.
I’m open to any great tips for this cruise, which runs from September 26 to October 3.
Thanks again,
Have a great day,
Françoise
I’m writing to you following your post from last year.
I’m traveling from Lisbon to Venice on September 25th, and before the cruise, I’ll spend 2 days in Venice.
Is it easy to get to the Terminal? When should I leave my hotel?
2 questions:
In Kotor, which you visited by hop-on hop-off bus, are there other ways to get around? Tuk-tuks? Local buses to explore the old town?
Corfu.
So, is it unnecessary to take the bus provided by MSC? You can just leave the ship with the tender and explore everything on foot.
This is my second cruise, and I’m sailing on the Armonia with some really lovely stops, plus Venice.
Thank you, and thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Have a good evening.
Françoise
We’re back from a wonderful cruise on the LIRICA with so many amazing things to discover.
I’ll give you a "little" summary and remain available—along with anyone else who’s interested—for more details via PM. I can even send you the travel journal I prepared for the group: there were 12 of us, including 2 teens (16 years old) and a couple in their 80s—which explains some of our sightseeing choices.
Day 1 - VENICE: The port is very easy to find. We had reserved a parking spot for 8 days = 145 €.
Baggage drop-off is on the ground floor of the cruise terminal—everything is signposted for MSC—and check-in is upstairs.
You reach the Lirica by tender. It takes about 15/20 minutes.
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 2 - KOTOR:
Head to the deck by 1 PM to watch the ship sail into the Bay of Kotor. It’s truly stunning! Two hours of breathtaking scenery.
As soon as we arrived at the port, we took a red hop-on hop-off bus. A 1-hour tour covering the history and environment of the Bay. It costs 28 € and includes a visit to the old town. However, we preferred to explore the city on our own after the bus tour. It’s very pretty, and we discovered, among other things, a beautiful Orthodox church.
Suggested evening attire: 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Note: The ship anchors offshore, so you’ll need to take tenders to reach the port—about 15 minutes. You’ll need to get a ticket in advance for each passenger. Tip: Go as soon as ticket distribution starts (8:30 AM for us) because the higher your number, the later you’ll disembark, which means less time to explore.
Due to bad weather in Mykonos, we were rerouted to Corfu on the third day.
Day 3 - CORFU:
We arrived at 12 PM and disembarked quickly to make the most of the stop.
However, there was a letdown: MSC provides a bus to leave the port for 12 € per person! Actually, it’s very doable on foot for those who enjoy walking (about 30 minutes to the city).
Like the day before, we chose to take a red hop-on hop-off bus. A 1-hour ride that dropped us off in the heart of the city. From there, we wandered through the pedestrian streets and alleys.
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 4 – At sea:
Since the Lirica is much smaller than the cruise ships we’d taken before, there weren’t too many activities for this sea day.
If you’re looking for a quiet outdoor spot: head to the stern of the ship, either on deck 11 (at the end of the buffet restaurant) or on the lower decks—10, 9, 8... There are lounge chairs and hardly anyone around.
Suggested evening attire: Elegant (Gala)
Day 5 – SANTORINI:
Since the Fira cable car was still under maintenance due to earthquakes, we disembarked at the Athinios port.
(Note: The ship anchors offshore, so you’ll need to take tenders to reach the port—about 15 minutes. You’ll need to get a ticket in advance for each passenger. Tip: Go as soon as ticket distribution starts (6:30 AM for us) because the higher your number, the later you’ll disembark, which means less time to explore.)
Once at the port, dozens of free MSC buses were waiting to take passengers to Fira by road. About a 20-minute ride through the Santorini countryside.
In Fira, at the large parking lot where the bus dropped us off, we took a bus to Oia (2 € per person), which takes you to the heart of the town—about 15 minutes.
OIA: It’s truly enchanting, like stepping into a postcard. We spent a few hours exploring before taking a bus back to Fira.
FIRA: We wandered through the town, discovering monuments we’d only seen from afar. And of course, some shopping!
Around 4 PM, we took an MSC bus back down to the port to catch the tender and return to the ship.
Suggested evening attire: White
Day 6 – At sea:
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 7 – ANCONA:
A discovery of a beautiful Italian city in the Marche region.
Everything here breathes Italy! The 19th-century buildings, the ancient ruins, etc.
At the port exit, city maps are handed out with different routes to follow. We chose "From the sea to the sea" and walked up the city’s long pedestrian street to reach the monument dedicated to World War I. From there, we climbed to the cathedral overlooking the city. A lovely walk, but quite steep.
On the way back, we took an elevator that brought us quickly down to sea level, about 500 meters from the port.
Suggested evening attire: Casual
Day 8 – VENICE:
We had to leave our cabin by 7:30 AM at the latest. We disembarked at 9:20 AM.
We picked up our luggage at the exit of the Lirica and took an MSC-provided bus to the Venice cruise terminal parking lot (no tender this time).
We chose to stay in Venice on Saturday and return to France on Sunday.
From the port parking lot, we walked to the People Mover—a kind of elevated tram (1.5 € per person)—which took us to Piazzale Roma. From there, we bought day passes for the Vaporetto (25 € per person) and traveled up the Grand Canal to our accommodations.
A magical day in Venice under beautiful sunshine and warm summer weather.
I hope this information is helpful.
Happy cruise preparations!
Hello everyone!
Just a little backstory—my username comes from the year I took my first cruise.
Sixteen years and nine cruises later, I’m currently on my 10th, this time in the Yacht Club interior.
I’m taking you along with me!
Left Marseille on Wednesday, October 21st.
After train troubles (issues on the Paris-Marseille line), then getting lost at La Joliette—years ago, I’d taken the metro and the port bus, thinking I had to go left once near the port, but no, the little gate is on the right after the shopping center.
Wait, she took the metro and bus to the Yacht Club?
Yep! After waiting 15 minutes for the shuttle, once the bus dropped us off, it was a 15-20 minute walk to the ship.
Finally, we made it to the boarding dock.
Headed toward the little Yacht Club flag, where a nice young woman checked our IDs and gave us luggage tags.
She walked us through security (we got to skip the line).
After that, we went to the Yacht Club lounge, where two butlers were waiting. They offered us drinks, and a third person arrived to check passports and handle registration. Then, they gave us a form to pick a complimentary bottle—I didn’t do it right away.
I felt a little rushed by everyone.
I’ll explain more later in my story.
Today, we’re in Barcelona.
A few photos to come in the meantime.
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
We just got back a few days ago from our cruise on the Equinox.
While our previous cruises had gone more or less as planned, this one was full of setbacks from start to finish.
Here’s the 10-night itinerary:
10/20 Barcelona
10/21 Palma de Mallorca
10/22 at sea
10/23 La Spezia
10/24 Civitavecchia
10/25 Naples
10/26 at sea
10/27 Valletta
10/28 Palermo
10/29 at sea
10/30 Barcelona
The only port we knew a little was Rome, since we’d spent a night there a long time ago.
We booked through Logitravel in June 2026—the V2 balcony cabin was 3,199 € for four people.
I’d hesitated to book, and sure enough, it wasn’t a great deal. A month later, in July, the price for the last V2 cabins at the front was 2,744 €, the category above (midship) was 2,953 €, and the one above that (midship with a larger balcony) was 3,117 €.
Usually, I book ocean-view cabins, but none were available.
Also, when I booked, I’d chosen select dining (it was listed as available on Celebrity’s site), but when I received the cruise booklet, I discovered we’d been assigned to the second seating. I think it’s pretty poor of Logitravel not to keep us better informed about the change.
At the time of booking, the most convenient option from the north for transportation seemed to be the train there and the Barcelona-Brussels flight back. But if I’d waited until July, I would’ve had a good round-trip deal from Brussels too. I’ll come back to that.
Instead of spending a night in Barcelona, where hotels for four are very expensive, I’d opted to split the trip into two parts: the train to Montpellier the day before departure, then the Montpellier-Barcelona train the next day.
The trip to Montpellier went pretty well, but the first letdown: when we arrived, it was pouring rain, and the department was on orange alert for rain. So much so that the SNCF screens suggested postponing travel if possible and warned of potential train cancellations—right during the 24 hours we were traveling! Needless to say, the trip started off more stressful than anything else.
Our train arrived at Sud de France station, and I’d booked a hotel (Appart’City Saint-Roch, very nice) near Saint-Roch station since our train the next day was leaving from there.
Because of the rain, I couldn’t even show the kids a bit of Montpellier. We just went to dinner close to the hotel and went back to sleep, crossing our fingers that our train the next day wouldn’t be canceled.
It rained a lot during the night, but by the next morning, it had calmed down a lot. We got an email in the morning from Renfe saying our train would finally leave from Sud de France. So we had to leave the hotel earlier to get to the station.
The train was announced with a few minutes’ delay, but it was there, and we eventually arrived in Barcelona without any issues, just a little quarter-hour late.
When we got to the Barcelona station hall, there was a huge "Taxis" sign on the left directing us outside (Peiro Square). There was a line of taxis and a few people waiting, but it moved quickly.
It was around 1 PM when we got into a taxi, and we were expected for boarding between 1:30 and 2 PM.
We got a very friendly driver who spoke French. The ride cost about 25 €, which was a good deal for four.
We dropped off our suitcases at 1:25 PM. There were quite a few people, but it moved fast.
Passport check, we were told the rooms would be ready at 2 PM, and we boarded.
To be continued: arrival on board
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 returned last night from the LE RHIN EN FETE cruise with Croisieurope.
We were notified the day before boarding of a change in boat and itinerary.
Here’s what was originally planned:
- Day 1: Boarding in Strasbourg at 6 PM. Departure on the cruise.
- Day 2: Oberwesel-DUDESHEIM
Sailing toward ST GOAR to see the LORELEI rock, then a visit to Reichenstein Castle and sailing toward Rudesheim.
- Day 3: Rudesheim-MANNHEIM
Up the Rhine to Mannheim and a visit to Heidelberg Castle.
Sailing back to Strasbourg.
- Day 4: Strasbourg by *bateau mouche* in the morning. Afternoon show at the Royal Palace in KIRWILLER and return to the boat.
- Day 5: Disembarkation in Strasbourg at 9 AM.
Here’s what we actually did due to the change in boat and itinerary because of the Rhine’s water level.
I assume this had been known for some time...
- Day 1: Strasbourg to Mainz or nearby by COACH. Departure around 4:30 PM. About 217 km.
We arrived at the boat at 9 PM because the driver had trouble finding it.
- Day 2: MAINZ-RUDESHEIM
Morning sailing to ST GOAR to see the LORELEI. Lunch at Reichenstein Castle
(as originally planned). 30-minute coach ride each way.
- Day 3: RUDESHEIM-MAINZ
Morning sailing to Mainz.
Afternoon excursion to Heidelberg Castle (originally planned). 91 km each way.
- Day 4: Mainz to Kirwiller by coach, about 207 km each way.
Lunch and show at the Royal Palace: very good.
- Day 5: MAINZ-STRASBOURG, about 194 km by coach.
We left Mainz at 7:30 AM to arrive at Strasbourg train station at 10:05 AM.
In short, 110 km of sailing and over 1000 km by coach... a joke for a cruise, and about 14-15 hours of coach travel.
We came back exhausted.
We had booked a PRM cabin on the FRANCE but ended up with a standard cabin on the MONET... about 11 m², separate beds that couldn’t be moved together, and difficulty showering (only one shower taken in 4 days, not to mention the struggle to get up from the toilet... sorry, but it’s really problematic for a PRM person).
The visits were very interesting.
All the crew on the MONET: excellent. Meals were also excellent.
Following this change in boat and itinerary, Croisieurope is offering us a 150 € voucher per person for a future cruise.
We booked this cruise after a promotion (1 paying, 1 free) during their conference in Angers on 07/10/26. We think Croisieurope was already aware of the navigation difficulties on the Rhine.
There were no company boats in Strasbourg... and cruises are still being sold with departures from Strasbourg.
We’re very skeptical about traveling with Croisieurope again...
Have a great day, everyone! Mum49
Hi everyone, I’m going on a cruise at the end of January with MSC and I’m looking into the excursions I could do. I’d like to know if I can do the excursions on my own or if I absolutely have to go through MSC based on safety levels.
We’ll be stopping in Montego Bay in Jamaica, Cartagena in Colombia, Puerto Limón in Costa Rica, Belize City, and Colón in Panama.
Thanks!
Emeline
Has anyone here tried GigSky’s “Cruise + Land” eSIM during your cruise?
I’ve seen on various forums that they offer some great deals. For my part, I found a one-month plan (5 GB) for 78 €, whereas MSC charges 290 € on board.
Since we can’t afford to go completely offline (especially my wife—we need to stay in touch for several reasons), we absolutely need an internet plan.
Hi there,
I’m looking into a Mediterranean cruise on the Splendida in YC.
I’d love to know if it’s a ship with a lot of triple and quadruple cabins in the Yacht Club.
The thing is, I’m planning to depart from Malta, and either the cruise ends during the French school holidays in October with a departure from Marseille—which means there’s a risk of lots of kids on board—or the other option is a departure on October 30th, which might also have some French kids during the first part of the cruise.
I read that some ships in the Fantasia class have more triple or quadruple cabins than others, but I’m not sure if the Splendida is one of them.
If anyone has that info…
PS: This isn’t about starting a debate on traveling with or without kids… I’d just like a quiet week, and that’s not always easy in a small space with lots of children around.
I'm considering a cruise on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Bergen over 11 days in mid-March 2027.
Has anyone already done this trip?
I think it’s a great way to discover the Norwegian coast with the chance to see magnificent northern lights, but isn’t the trip a bit *too* long?
There are about thirty stops, but most last only a few minutes, with just one daily stop of over 2 hours, which gives a quick glimpse of a few towns but doesn’t allow for a full excursion.
Is the supplement for an outside cabin with a porthole (800 € for 2!) really worth it?
It’s more pleasant than an inside cabin, but do you spend enough time in your cabin to make the most of it?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this journey.
Best regards.
Hello, I’ll be on the Costa Serena from April 27 to May 4, 2027. Given that the excursions offered by Costa can sometimes be pricey, what would you recommend for the following stopovers?
Cagliari.
Tunis.
Palermo.
Marseille.
Thanks for keeping in mind that we’re in our sixties and one member of our small group can’t handle very long walks (so no more than 6 km in a day).
Thank you for your help.
Hi, I’m about to go on a cruise on the Costa Smeralda but I’ve never been on a cruise before. Could anyone share the à-la-carte drink menu? I’d like to know if the prices are excessive, since the MyDrinks drink packages, for example, cost 266 € per adult.
Have a great day! 😉
We're leaving on August 25th for a Danube cruise from Vienna to Bucharest. The travel agency refuses to postpone this cruise despite navigation changes due to the exceptional drought, which include bus transfers that don’t interest us.
Have you had any experiences with this that you’d like to share?
Just back from our first cruise on the Renaissance, and I’d like to share a few thoughts about life on board. Our feelings are mixed—we wanted a change after several MSC cruises, but the value for money on this repositioning cruise left us torn.
After taking advantage of successive promotions, we finally secured a well-located balcony cabin for 2600 € (almost 50% off the brochure rate). Given the amenities and the ship’s age, this now feels like the absolute maximum we’d pay for that period.
Overall, we were happy with our vacation on board, but a few details—when added up—left us with a somewhat mixed impression.
The pros:
- Ship size
- Reasonable noise levels, except in the restaurants (aside from the covered pool area)
- Spacious balcony cabin (20 + 5 m²) with plenty of storage and a bathtub with jets
- Understated, tasteful decor
- French language spoken on board
- Friendly staff for the most part
- 100% French-speaking clientele
- Decent food with French dishes (even with an Indian chef)
- Tables for two available (though the ship was full, so no changes possible)
- Some high-quality shows, thanks to an excellent English-speaking troupe
- Interesting lectures (especially on history and cetaceans)
The cons:
- Unreliable air conditioning in common areas (you’d go from a freezing lounge to a hot one, as if the system only worked in certain spaces at certain times)
- Aging ship with a few glitches (noises, AC, toilet flushes, lights) reported at reception (luckily, our only issue was the bathroom door not closing...)
- Industrial, thawed-out bread and pastries (a letdown for a ship with a French image)
- Limited fruit selection (often just apples and watermelon/melon) and not much variety in vegetables
- Worn, sometimes stained restaurant towels
We’re not ruling out another cruise on the Renaissance—their itineraries are unique—but only at a very competitive price.
Hi everyone,
I’m going on a Mediterranean cruise in November and I’m looking for some "tips" to visit the cities of Naples, Messina, and Valletta in Malta without booking the ship’s excursions, which are really expensive.
Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions. We’re a group of 6 people.
Looking forward to hearing from you...
Best,
M
PS: We’re also stopping in Genoa and Barcelona—even though we know these two cities, we’d still love any tips for visiting them!
Thanks
Hello everyone,
We’re a senior couple signed up for a 13-day cruise in Japan on the Princess Sapphire, departing from Yokohama on April 8, 2027.
Are there any other French speakers on this forum who’ll be on this trip?
Hoping for a reply...
Hi, we're heading to Venice soon. We have a hotel in Mestre and we'd like to know which bus can take us from the Mestre hotel to Marghera Port. Thanks.
Hi everyone ...
We’re planning to do the 83-day Cunard cruise ...
departing from Southampton on January 10, 2027 aboard the Queen Anne ...
has anyone done it ... or have any info ... or tips ...
for example ... deck and cabin choices ... drink packages ... excursions ... etc.
... anything good to know about this ship???
Thanks everyone ...
Hi,
We’ll be visiting Barcelona for the first time on our upcoming cruise.
I was wondering if it’s better to book a taxi in advance to get from the train station to the cruise terminal, since there’ll be four of us. Are there enough taxis around that we won’t have to wait too long?
For the return trip, same question—are there enough taxis, since we have a flight to catch? Though I doubt we’ll know in advance which terminal we’ll dock at.
I came across this site below—has anyone heard of it?
https://taxibarcelona.taxi/fr/
Hi everyone, we're going on a week-long cruise and I have a question: can we travel by train and on a cruise with small refrigerated injectable syringes?
Do we need to complete any formalities?
And how should we store them?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Hi everyone! I’m used to sailing on a sailboat with two or three people—it’s amazing. But I’d love to try the experience of a cruise. Just to clarify, I’ll be going alone. My first question: are there other solo travelers on these cruises, or is it mostly couples and families?
For a first cruise, I’d prefer a short one (maximum 8 days). Do those exist? And on the smallest boat possible. I live in Marseille, so a departure from Marseille would work, but I’m open to other ports too. If you have a cruise line to recommend and a destination you’ve enjoyed, or if you’ve had a great experience on a more intimate-sized ship, I’d love to hear about it!
We just returned from a cruise from 08/13/26 to 08/20/26 on the MSC ORCHESTRA with stops in Tarragona, Valencia, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Genoa, and back to Marseille.
The ship was fully booked. Deck chairs were already occupied by beach towels early in the morning, and there were only 1 or 2 people in the pools... However, on the day the Italians disembarked, there were very few towels on the deck chairs.
We found the Italians less talkative.
We had a balcony cabin on deck 9, starboard side. The cabin was spacious, but the sofa was facing the desk, making it a pain to watch TV (neck strain guaranteed). So, we changed the sofa’s orientation to face the TV (we put it back in place on disembarkation day).
There were 325 French speakers on board, and a lot of staff from Mauritius, which made communication easier.
No annoying announcements about bingo, etc.—a nice change from COSTA.
For dinner, we were at the first sitting at 7:45 PM, at a table for 6. On the first night, we were two "gray-haired" couples at the table. The second night, two young women joined us but asked to change tables after seeing us...
The show for our dinner time was at 10:15 PM and ended around 11:00 PM. We found that a bit late for us. The shows were varied and of good quality.
The restaurant menus offered plenty of choices, but at the buffet at lunchtime, there were a lot of dishes with quite a few carbs. Afternoon tea from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM included some great pastries, among other things.
We had an issue with the air conditioning and bad odors in the cabin one afternoon. I reported the problem to the reception, and staff along with our cabin steward came to check the cabin. The issue was resolved that same afternoon.
Two days later, we were surprised to find a bag with items inside: 2 MSC mugs and 2 MSC thermos flasks that keep drinks hot or cold for 10 hours. It was a gift from customer service following the bad odors in our cabin. We weren’t expecting this at all and thanked MSC’s customer service.
For excursions, MSC always offers port-to-city-center transfers for 14 € per adult in Valencia and Tarragona, and 12 € per child. In Livorno, it was 10 € per adult and 7 € per child.
In Civitavecchia, there was a shuttle to the train station for 6 €.
On the MSC for Me app, there were "promotions" on certain excursions.
We really enjoyed this cruise, but we couldn’t revisit some stops (Tarragona and Valencia) on our own because it was too hot.
Great evening: Mum49
Hi there!
I’m going on a cruise with MSC on the World Europa this coming October.
Stops: Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta.
Has anyone visited Mount Etna and Pompeii?
Could you share some tips for each of these stops?
I’d like to explore on my own without booking the ship’s excursions.
Thanks for your advice!
Hello!
After a lot of hesitation between different cruise lines (Explora, Oceania, YC, HAL, NCL) and several destinations like Norway, Ireland, and Iceland,
I finally chose NCL’s Star for Iceland.
I had already looked at this itinerary when I went to Scotland in April with CFC, but it was really expensive.
You should know that CFC often offers last-minute deals 45 days before departure (the point when you can no longer cancel or modify).
So, I got a great opportunity and grabbed it.
Departure is on August 23rd.
Hi everyone,
I’m staying in a suite on the Pacifica in October and I can’t find any details about the suite benefits beyond the elite restaurant, the butler, and the espresso machine.
What about breakfast and meals served free in the cabin, and the spa?
Costa’s been cutting back on perks for Gold members, and it seems like suites are next.
Thanks for your replies!
