Review of the CFC "Pearls of the Baltic" cruise June 2026

hi everyone! are there other cruise formats besides the coastal express to see the northern lights in Norway in winter?

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

Hi there,

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.

Thanks in advance

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.

Hello,

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, QWhen a cruise ship stays overnight at port, can we spend the night off the ship? Thanks!

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/

Thanks! !

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, Thanks for sharing the sites to discover. Best,

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!

Thanks a million for your replies! Marie

Hello,

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!

We're considering a Danube cruise that stops in Bucharest. Are there any travelers currently on the river, which is at its lowest level?

Hi there, I’m taking a cruise on the Costa Pacifica in December—what should I expect in terms of rough seas?

contact me to get referred at MSC, for your first cruise or if you haven't traveled with MSC in over 5 years

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!

Hi there, I'm looking at a cruise in the north.

Which one do you think is more interesting? Thanks