Yeah, okay, this is The Haven. (So it's kind of like a private section of the ship.) Texte It's not really comparable, even though I did enjoy the Spirit.
I'll move on to breakfast now 😉
I have to say, this cruise is mostly going to be about eating, drinking, and relaxing... That's pretty much the point of transatlantic crossings 😄
Hello,
So today is November 29th.
We had a great night.
Today the ship is still docked, so we decided to visit Sintra.
Originally, I hadn’t planned on it since we were supposed to be at sea heading toward Punta Delgada.
We woke up early and were among the first to go for breakfast, which opens at 6:30 AM on port days and 7:00 AM on sea days.
There’s only one place to have breakfast here, which is different from the Yacht Club where there are three spots: the restaurant, One Pool, and TSL.
Here, it’s at the restaurant, which is actually a mix of all three since you can have it outside or inside.
You’ve got a buffet with plenty of choices, and it’s really good—especially the pastries and fresh fruit.
There’s also an à la carte menu for hot dishes, coffee, and fresh juice.
I found it super convenient because orders are taken quickly, and then you can help yourself at the buffet, so there’s practically no waiting to eat
And here are a few photos of the restaurant itself.
We were pretty much able to get a table for two by the picture window with an ocean view every day—morning, noon, and night.
The restaurant is quiet, and what I really appreciated was that, unlike on the new MSC ships, there’s no TSL noise to disrupt meals. Alain, who’s really sensitive to ear issues like tinnitus, really appreciated that.
Hi Nathalie,
Yeah, I can read you... from Doha, whenever I get 5 free minutes.
It seems to me that The Haven at the back of the ship should be more comfortable than the YC all the way at the front, right?
Hey Nathalie, still around too!
Most of the photos you posted on FB weren’t visible outside your group—at least I couldn’t see them. Plus, a travel journal is way nicer to read 😎
We're early risers 😉, I think most people got up later.
But it's true that even though The Haven was full, we never felt crowded, noisy, or had to wait for a table in the restaurant, no matter the meal. I think part of it is that while all the cabins were booked, it wasn't full in terms of people... For example, there were very few kids or big families. Though I hear the vibe is different during American school holidays and even more so during Spring Break.
Oh... Weren't you scared a few days ago with the issues in Iran?
I’ve always preferred being at the back of boats—I think the view of the wake is the best on the ship.
The big advantage is the One pool (even if they don’t call it that)
You don’t get that feeling of being closed in like you do in the Yacht Club, where it’s still pretty glassed-in to act as a windbreak.
It also means, since there’s less wind exposure, you can have umbrellas everywhere, and that was really nice because the hunt for shade has often been a problem.
About the bistro
While I loved it on the Spirit, we were really disappointed with it on this ship. I honestly think that because the food in The Haven was excellent, the service was fast and efficient, and it was so quiet, we found the bistro just okay by comparison—especially since it was extremely noisy. We had the same feeling in most of the specialty restaurants... it’s just that we were so comfortable "at home."
The only specialty restaurant I really enjoyed was the Italian one because we could eat outside—it was mild out, quick, tasty, efficient, and pleasant with the ocean view.
Nathalie, I confirm—I really enjoyed my Southampton-Barcelona cruise in October 2023 on the Prima, the Viva’s twin. Hardly any families, and I didn’t enjoy the one on the Viva in Greece in July 2025 as much. Too many families and kids... but obviously, I wasn’t in The Haven.
These two ships still have the advantage of a large outdoor area.
I’ll move on to the stopover in Sintra.
I’m going to have a hard time choosing just a few photos—I really felt it was worth it.
It was beautiful and interesting.
I didn’t regret at all staying an extra day in Lisbon.
It’s not exactly nearby—you should count on nearly an hour from the port with traffic.
The fare is around 30 € one way, same for the return.
And we paid 7 € to connect between the two palaces.
Pena Palace.
Wow, it's quite a climb to get there!
There’s also the option to take a paid shuttle to the top.
But hey, we had to walk off all that food we ate!
The palace is truly stunning, the view is absolutely gorgeous, and I really loved it.
Just realized I have very few photos because my phone battery was acting up, and I had to turn it off most of the time to save enough battery to call an Uber.
So, no photos of the second part! But it was less impressive than this part anyway, so you’ll have to make do with these!
Oh... Weren’t you scared a few days ago with the issues in Iran?
We left the day after the American president asked his citizens to leave Qatar. I just figured that if the Iranians struck, it’d be more likely the American base than the capital. 😉 Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t have to witness the fireworks. For us, it would’ve been a shame to cancel everything. Though the thought did cross my mind the next day at Roissy for another reason... But I’ll save that story for my trip report. 😉
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
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 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
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 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!
Hello,
So today is November 29th.
We had a great night.
Today the ship is still docked, so we decided to visit Sintra.
Originally, I hadn’t planned on it since we were supposed to be at sea heading toward Punta Delgada.
We woke up early and were among the first to go for breakfast, which opens at 6:30 AM on port days and 7:00 AM on sea days.
And here are the photos...
I find it really annoying to post photos here compared to Facebook where it’s done in 3 seconds
And here are a few photos of the restaurant itself.
We were pretty much able to get a table for two by the picture window with an ocean view every day—morning, noon, and night.
The restaurant is quiet, and what I really appreciated was that, unlike on the new MSC ships, there’s no TSL noise to disrupt meals. Alain, who’s really sensitive to ear issues like tinnitus, really appreciated that.
