I’m still following your trip report. That forest walk was amazing—nothing to say but great!
And the beach, still so lovely. Not crowded at all, we’re far from the crowds. These are the Seychelles beaches—always stunning. Honestly, such beautiful beaches, no complaints at all.
I caught up on my backlog (since I wasn’t notified by VF about new messages) and rediscovered Curieuse... in a much more in-depth way than we did before (I should mention we had several snorkeling stops nearby during that outing).
The other islands also seemed really interesting to visit.
Thanks for sharing—it lets me relive some great moments and discover new things too! 😉.
I imagine there are many ways to explore each island. They’re so different from one side to the other depending on their exposure. And for those who snorkel, it’s a whole other experience.
I haven’t been receiving notifications for new messages for several months either. I reported it, but nothing’s changed, and I never got a response.
The end of the cruise is fast approaching, and I still haven’t received an answer to the administrative issue I raised at the beginning of the cruise regarding my loyalty program status. I’ve been worrying about it every day, and today it’s starting to seriously annoy me. I warn the reception desk that I’m about to get angry. The young woman listens very politely and tells me: "I understand, but it’s not me who handles this." I explain that I won’t let it go and that I expect an answer by the end of the day—otherwise, I’ll go see the captain. The expected answer can only go one way, so why the delay?
Grande Sœur remained uninhabited for a long time. It was occasionally used for fishing and copra production but never had a permanent population.
Today, Grande Sœur belongs to the man who makes the small chocolate cookies that were featured in the ad: "Couldn’t you make them just a little longer?"
The property is very well maintained and seriously guarded.
Ponant privatized it for us for the whole day, and the dangerous dogs were locked up.
The two sides of the island are very different: one beach on the east is for swimming, and the other is for diving. We land on the west side for diving.
To reach the swimming beach, which is among the most beautiful in the Seychelles, we have to cross a palm grove where the grass is neatly mowed. We’ll come across the robotic lawnmowers a little later...
The beach is very typical of the Seychelles with its large granite rocks rising on either side.
The waves are stunning—they approach like great blue walls, rising before crashing into big foam rollers on the sand.
The swimming area is closely monitored, with a Zodiac offshore and several activity leaders on the beach. Ponant is always very vigilant and never compromises on safety. The waves are strong, and the lifeguards come to the rescue of several people who get rolled by the waves. The current also tends to pull you out to sea.
This morning, it’s a bit overcast, so the colors aren’t as vibrant, but it’s still really beautiful.
On our way back to the rocky beach for snorkeling—a much more sheltered spot—we meet the local "lawnmowers."
Along the rocky beach, there isn’t much to discover. No seaweed in the water, no small fish—you need to be equipped and swim farther out to observe marine life. Only a few small crabs scurry away as we approach.
As we were about to board the Zodiac to return to the ship for lunch, a large, flat, vertical fish was swimming along the edge of the beach, right at the water’s edge in very shallow water.
It was funny because to get over the flat rocks where there were only a few centimeters of water and reach deeper water, it would lie on its side and swim flat.
The return trip on the Zodiac across a glassy sea was effortless.
Lunch included, among other things, a lovely Asian specialties buffet.
Not to mention the desserts, which were always very, *too* good.
Renting a private island—so classy!
And the beach—wahoo!
As someone who loves beaches without too many people, it’s a dream, too bad it’s so far away...
During a snorkeling excursion from La Digue, we stopped near one of the beaches on Grande Soeur. The guide told us it was private and could be rented out... but didn’t mention it belonged to Mr. Ca....ry ;) 😏
Thanks, Guylène, Catherine, and Muriel, for joining in. 😉
Friday, January 30, Grande Sœur (continued)
During this midday break, the sun came back, and since I’m curious to see the sea’s colors lit up by this beautiful sunshine, we head back to the beach in the early afternoon, even though it’s really hot.
I couldn’t resist this swing…
The little turtle helpers contribute to maintaining the green spaces.
The sun transforms the park.
At the park’s exit, at the end of the little path, when the beach comes into view, the scene is almost surreal—this deep navy blue on the horizon…
The waves keep rolling in, but the sea’s color has completely changed. It’s incredible, almost unreal, to the point of seeming artificial—like an entire palette of blues was poured into the water, their shades so intense.
We’re lucky—the sun has shifted, and a big tree gives us a shady spot on the sand. How lucky we are to be here—it’s stunning!
As we return to the ship, the mountainous silhouettes in the distance provide a beautiful backlit scene.
On board, the young woman at reception calls out to me with a big smile—the issue with my status is resolved! Marseille finally found the documents confirming my status. It took six days and numerous follow-up emails, but my new card is printed at last.
Later in the afternoon, a surprise is being prepared for the early evening.
The ship’s marina is extended in its high position above the sea. At the top, a colorful buffet is being set up.
Another appetizer buffet is also being arranged on the terrace by the pool.
At the appointed time, we’re invited to the marina to enjoy a *ti punch* or another drink. It’s magical to be suspended above this beautiful, warm, calm sea.
It’s a timeless, magical moment in a paradise setting, after a wonderful day—a surprise just like Ponant does best.
When the party ends, the marina is folded back up.
The ship gently sets sail again—we’re not going far. Tomorrow, we’ll be in Praslin.
It’s still quite warm, but our table of six unanimously decides to dine outside on the upper terrace.
I’m glad to hear your status issue is finally resolved. You did the right thing by not giving up and following up with them regularly.
Otherwise, there’s nothing to say— the beaches are still just as beautiful and stunning. It’s the Seychelles, after all! It brings back so many memories.
The park is gorgeous; we felt like we were in Rangiroa.
Seriously, there’s nothing to complain about— it’s absolutely stunning.
The evening buffet was super nice, set up at a higher level. So impressive!
The issue with my card (or so they told me ) was that they hadn’t linked this cruise to my account—total nonsense, and I don’t buy it for a second since I was already at this loyalty level during my last cruise 😛. That still represents a 10% discount on cruise fares, 25% off in the ship’s boutique, plus an onboard credit of 150 € per person and other little perks. Enough to not let it slide.
The evening on the marina was a lovely surprise—I really enjoyed it because it was unexpected and unique.
Everything is truly beautiful, magnificent, and perfect—what more could you ask for? Just hoping it lasts a little longer! 😉 It’s not in the plans for us, but there are some lucky folks who continue the cruise all the way to Zanzibar, stopping by Aldabra.
Back to civilization after all these days in natural reserves far from the world. Today’s disembarkation is dry-footed since we reach Sainte Anne Bay in Praslin by longboats from our anchorage.
The tropical forest of Vallée de Mai is a must-see. It covers 19 hectares, and we visit it with small buses waiting for us on the quay. We quickly arrive at the park entrance, which welcomes tourists.
The visit is interesting and pleasant, even though we’ve already done it a few years ago. The palm trees are immense, and their fronds are gigantic.
We learn a lot about palm trees, sea coconuts, the trees, and the resources the forest offers. Sea coconuts take 6 to 7 months to reach maturity.
The leaves of a tree—whose name I’ve forgotten—smell like four spices: clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper.
Another, the Takamaka, produces hard and solid wood, and its sap provides glue. We receive a lot of other information that, unfortunately, I don’t always remember. Our young guide is very friendly and passionate about her island.
After this visit, the bus takes us across Praslin. The beaches are beautiful, most often hidden behind buildings and luxury hotels, but the environment and road conditions aren’t any better than on Mahé.
We’re dropped off at Anse Lazio beach for 1.5 hours of free time and swimming.
It’s a beautiful and very large beach, lined with trees that offer some shade. Swimming is easy here without the big waves we had on Grande Sœur Island.
The souvenir shop near the beach has astronomical prices. The small "turtle" soaps I paid 40 rupees for at Victoria Market are priced at 125 rupees each here (7.50 €).
Despite the late hour of our return to the ship and the heat, we have lunch on the terrace. The semi-raw tuna on today’s menu is excellent.
The ship remains anchored in front of Praslin all day. Unusually, we don’t feel like going back ashore this afternoon. What we saw this morning through the bus windows reminded us so much of Victoria that it took away our desire to stroll around town.
We prefer to quietly enjoy the ship—the cruise is already coming to an end...
We made the right choice; the people who went ashore quickly returned disappointed... Everything is closed on Saturdays.
In the afternoon, we attend a very interesting and detailed lecture on corals. I didn’t know that cold-water corals exist at depths of 2,000 meters all over the world—they don’t only inhabit warm seas. Four thousand species of fish depend on corals to survive and reproduce. Only eleven of us attended this lecture.
The Farewell Gala dinner is already tonight... The days have flown by so quickly.
Hi Catherine,
The cruise is going to end better than it started, and personally, I would’ve been tempted by the swing too.
Thanks for sharing and for these beautiful discoveries of places I wouldn’t be able to see.
Have a great rest of your day! Guylène
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 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
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 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,
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,
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
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CARIBBEAN: The island of SAINT-MARTIN, a different perspective
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.
