nous partons les 12 juillet sur le jewel of the sea.
Nous aimerions avoir des infos sur les villes d'oslo, stockholm, helsinski et coppenhage nous aimerions visité par nous-même. Que voir et quel est le meilleur moyen, j'ai vu que beaucoup de ces villes font une carte pas par jour.
Tout d'abord, magnifique croisière! De ces villes je ne connais que Copenhague et Oslo. J'ai fait les fjords avec mon mari il y a deux ans. On a tout fait par nous même, mais attention, on a l'habitude de beaucoup marcher, surtout à cette époque, avant d'avoir notre bébé. Nous voulons toujours faire un maximum de choses.
Nous avions d'abord passé 2 nuits à Copenhague avant la croisière. On avait loué une chambre d'hôte, pas loin de Nyavn. On est arrivé en fin d'après midi. De l'aéroport on a pris un train, puis un métro jusque dans le centre de Copenhague. J'avais au préalable été sur des sites de cartographie et me suis imprimée plusieurs cartes sur lesquelles j'ai placé les lieux à voir. Le lendemain on s'est promené dans le centre, toujours à pied: chateau de Christiansborg, plusieurs parcs, petite sirène et identification du quai d'embarquement, jardin botanique, Tivoli (parc d'attraction qui ressemble aux anciens parcs d'attraction, c'est très amusant d'y flaner). Le soir on a été manger à Nyhavn. Magique! Le lendemain on a posé les bagages au bateau et puis on a fait le kastellet, c'est magnifique, surtout pour son moulin à vent.
A Oslo j'avais pris la carte jeunes. On a aussi tout fait à pied. Du bateau on a été prendre une navette fluviale qui nous emmène sur la presqu'île de Bygdoy. Dans l'embarcadère on peut acheter une carte pass pour plusieurs musées. A bygdoy on a fait le musée Kon Tiki, le musée Fram, le musée des bateaux vikings (celui-là vous pouvez passer, pas terrible) et puis, le must, le parc avec plein de bâtiments des différents endroits de la norvège (je ne me rappelle plus du nom). On a malheureusement pas eu le temps de le voir en intégralité, la fin a été rapide. Je vous conseille donc d'éviter le musée des bateaux vikings.
Si vous voulez, envoyez moi un mail perso, j'essaierai de vous envoyer les petits livrets touristiques que je m'étais amusée à faire.
En juin prochain on fait cette croisière, dites nous ce que vous en avez pensé.
Nous ferons cette croisière le 4 septembre prochain ! Nous avions l'intention de faire la visite des bateaux vikings à Oslo mais tes commentaires nous laissent perplexes à ce sujet. Pourquoi n'as-tu pas aimé ? 😕
Et le "parc avec plein de bâtiments" s'appelle Norsk Folkemuseum : combien de temps nous suggères-tu d'y investir pour une visite complète et agréable ? Et combien de temps aussi pour le Musée Kon Tiki
Et puisque tu es maintenant revenue de ta croisière, quelle en est aujourd'hui ton appréciation ? La bouffe, la cabine ?
Nous avons fait cette croisiere, sur le meme bateau, en juin 2004. Ce fut tout simplement merveilleux. La visite a elle seule a Oslo du Parc Frogner (sculptures de nus de Gustave Vigeland) valait quant a moi le voyage. Le musee des bateaux Viking plutot moyen comme visite. Le musee populaire norvegien est a voir. C'est un grand parc logeant 150 edifices dont une eglise en bois debout du 12e siecle et des maisons aux toitures recouvertes de gazon. Pour ce qui est ce Copenhague j'ai bien aime le tour de bateau dans les canaux. Nous y voyons de vieilles maisons et bateaux a voile ainsi que plusieurs monuments et batisses interessantes. La matinee que j'ai passe au jardin de Tivoli m'a un peu decu ainsi que le reste du groupe (nous etions 76 personnes). C'est un beau parc d'attractions avec de beaux jardins j'en convient mais c'etait trop long et nous avons perdu du temps pour visiter des batisses plus interessantes comme le Palais Christianborg (devenu le Parlement). Pour ce qui est de Stockholm, nous avons bien aime la visite de l'Hotel de Ville ou sont decernes les prix Nobel de chimie, litterature, medecine et physique (ne pas manquer la salle doree). Egalement le Musee Vasa est interessant. C'est un bateau construit par le Roi Gustav IV en 1628. Ce bateau dote de 700 pieces d'art coula des sa sortie en mer et passa 350 ans submerge. La visite a pied du quartier medieval Gamla Stan fut tres apprecie. A Helsinki (surnommee fille de la mer Baltique) il faut absolument visiter l'eglise Temppeliaukio. Cette derniere est construite dans le rocher et est tout a fait unique. Peu spectaculaire de l'exterieur mais fort etonnante de l'interieur. St-Petersbourg fut egalement un "coup de coeur" (J'y retournerai c'est certain car 2 jours pour visiter ce n'est pas suffisant car il y a trop de belles chose a voir). La visite de l'Ermitage incluant la salle des diamants est a voir. Le tour de bateau dans les canaux; nous avons adore. Le Palais d'ete de Pierre Le Grand a Petrovorets est magnifique. Il faut voir la Forteresse Pierre et Paul incluant la cathedrale ou se trouvent les restes des derniers Romanov. Ne pas manquer le Palais Yusupov ou a ete assassine Raspoutine et la cathedrale St-Isaac. A Tallin en Estonie il faut vraiment voir le Palais de Catherine que Pierre Le Grand lui avait fait construire (devenu aujourd'hui le Palais presidentiel). Tres interessant le tour a pied de la vieille ville de 118 hectares comptant 1500 edifices historiques datant aussi loin que 1154. Visite de l'eglise du Dome qui renferme plusieurs monuments funeraires. Visite de la Cathedrale russe orthodoxe St-Alexandre Nevsky construite dans le style traditionnel russe comportant icones et mosaiques. Il faut aller sur l'esplanade (il faut monter 90 marches) avec vue sur la ville medievale et ses 26 tours. L'Hotel de Ville du 14e siecle conservant son aspect original; il est d'ailleurs le seul qui subsiste en ex-urss. Pour ce qui est du Jewell of The seas vous ne regretterez pas votre choix. Nous avons ete traite "aux petits oignons". Ce fut un de mes plus beaux voyages et je vous souhaite la meme chose.
nous venons de rentrer de cette croisière, le bateau très bien, la nourriture un poil moins bien que sur le legend of the sea l'année dernière.
Les visites tallin comme dans le message ci-dessus
saint petersbourg : l'hermitage, le palais de catherine et la chambre d'ambre, le palais de pierre et surtout les fontaines extérieures, on a fait la ballade à pieds dans saint petersbourg . A noter qu'il est possible si vous avez un visa avant de partir de faire les excursions par vous-mêmes mais il faut savoir que l'entrée du port est à 4km du bateau donc un taxi normal ne peut pas rentrer, la dernière solution prendre un voyagiste local.
helsinski la cathétrale orthodoxe mais aussi la forteresse maritime de suomenlina, le stade olympique et le lac on a pris le tycket des transport en commun pour une journée
stockholm on a pris la stockholm card on a fait une visite en bateau, le city hall, le musée vasa, la visite du centre ville, le musée skansen, le palais présidentiel, quartier médieval. A côté du bateau on peut prendre avec la stockholm card la navette maritime qui conduit soit au musée ou au centre ville donc pas besoin de prendre la navette payante du bateau
coppenhague tour sur les canaux, le jardin botanique, le palais royal, palais de christianborg,
oslo musée du fram, kontiki, les bateaux viking, musée populaire, parc vigeland, palais royal on avait pris la oslo card en prenat la navette bateau jusqu'au fram puis à pieds jusqu'au musée populaire le bus puis tram jusqu'au parc vigrland et le tram jusqu'au palais présidentiel.
Je suis heureuse que votre croisière vous ait plu. Elle doit être magnifique. Je suis désolée pour le livret dont je vous avais parlé. Je n'ai pas réussi à remettre la main dessus.
Nous ne faisons pas de croisière cet été, c'est trop triste. Par contre nous partons samedi à Stockholm pour une semaine. Nous partons bien sûr avec notre p'tite puce. Nous avons donc pris un hôtel en plein centre ville. On se demandait si la Stockholm card était vraiment intéressante. Je n'ai pas l'impression qu'elle soit bien rentable si on fait les musées à un rythme qu'on peut prendre avec un bébé. Combien de temps faut il pour voir le Skansen et le musée Vasa?
Comment deviez vous vous habiller?
Quelle est votre prochaine croisière maintenant? Ben oui, faut bien en prévoir si on veut survivre!!!
le problème ou l'avantage d'une croisière c'est qu'on fait un peu les visites au pas de charge. la stockholm card est achetable pour une ou plusieurs journées, il faut regarder les prix des entrées des musées, des transports en public et voir pour le prix.
pour le vasa en détail je dirais deux heures et skansen en détail vu qu'il y a des animaux et avec des enfants, je dirais aussi trois heures.
Désolée de répondre si tard.
Nous n'avons pas aimé le musée des bateaux vikings mais ce n'est qu'une question de goût. Les bateaux ne sont pas très bien conservés et tous à peu près identiques. L'histoire est très intéressante mais, vu le nombre de choses à voir à Oslo, ce n'est surtout pas ce que je mettrai en premier.
Le musée Kon Tiki et le musée Fram nous ont vraiment enchantés. Je pense qu'on peut passé 1h30 dans chaque. Le Norsfolkmuset prend bien plus de temps. Nous y avons passé l'après midi et on aurait pu y rester encore plus longtemps, c'est surtout pour ça qu'on a regretté d'être passé dans le musée des bateaux vikings. Si vous voulez vous faire une idée, cherchez des photos de ce musée sur Internet et vous aurez une idée de ce que c'est.
Nous avons adoré le bateau et la cabine. Nous avions réservé en dernière minute et avions eu une extérieure pour le prix d'une intérieure. On a adoré les couleurs gais du bateau, bien différentes des couleurs Costa et autres. On a aussi adoré l'ambiance américaine et parler anglais. Mon mari a adoré les barbecue sur le pont tous les jours vers 5h. J'aoue qu'à cette heure là je n'avais vraiment pas envie de manger. On a aussi adoré les spectacles, les américains sont vraiment bons pour ça. Les jeux n'étaient pas aussi bons que sur les bateaux italiens et la nourriture, mis à part les ananas à fusion, n'en parlons pas. Les deux restaurants sans réservations n'étaient pas terrible du tout et le personnel loin d'être aimable. Le restaurant italien: restaurant gratui tà réservation était vachement chouette. On a chaque fois eu une table avec vue plongeante sur la mer. Le tapas n'était pas fameux non plus. Le chinois était super mais avec supplément. Ne croyez pas non plus trop au concept freestyle: vous pouvez manger où vous voulez mais à condition de réserver assez longtemps à l'avance, donc pas question n'en testé avant de réserver. Avec le concept freestyle aussi on sert quand on veut du bateau... à condition de descendre entre 9h et 9h30! Dernire point négatif, c'est qu'ils ne pensent qu'à l'argent ces américains.
Enfin, c'est tout de même une compagnie qu'on a adoré et on est tout à fait prêts à repartir avec eux.
Ces horaires sont pour le dernier jour. Dans le concept freestyle ils disent que le débarquement se fait comme on veut. En fait, dans le haut parleur, juste après l'arrivée, vous avez sans cesse un message au haut parleur disant en gros de vous dépêcher de descendre.
Nous avons passé une semaine à Stockholm. Dans le centre tout se fait à pied. Ce serait dommage de prendre une excursion avec eux. Je vous conseille bien sûr le vasa, le Skansen, et une promenade en bateau.
Je voudrais faire une croisière le 2 septembre avec Costa Mediterrannea pour visiter les capitales de la Baltique.
Est ce qu'on pourrait me renseigner sur le climat et sur la longueur des journées à cette époque.
J'aimerai avoir des conseils et des renseignements sur ce que je peux visiter par moi-même.
Merci d'avance.
Je pars dans 15 j en croisière de Copenhague et fais escale à Oslo. J'ai quelques petites questions: comment aller du port au centre ville? qu'y a t-il à voir…
Je pars en croisière sur le COSTA Esmeralda début juillet avec mon mari et mes 2 ado. Nous envisageons de faire les escales par nos propres moyens. Auriez vous…
J envisage de faire une première croisière. Quelqu’un a t il déjà réservé avec destockage croisière? On me propose une croisière en Méditerranée au départ de…
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,
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 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
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.
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.
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’re looking for a group of people available to share an excursion to the Trollstigen (Trolls’ Road).
We’ve contacted a local provider who’s offering us the following rates:
- 6,325 NOK for 4 people
- 6,874 NOK for 5 to 8 people
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to discuss!
Happy planning to everyone! !
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
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?
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!
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 ...
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 ...
I discovered solo cruises last year, and it was a wonderful experience. Since then, I’ve decided to do one every year, usually between October and March, departing from Marseille or Le Havre.
I travel alone, but I enjoy sharing certain moments with other travelers: having meals together, attending shows, enjoying the evening entertainment, grabbing a drink, or going on a few excursions. Of course, everyone keeps their freedom—the goal is simply to have a good time in a friendly atmosphere.
For the end of this year, I don’t have a cruise planned yet. However, I’m already booked on the MSC Magnifica from October 29 to November 3, 2027, departing from Marseille with an itinerary to Spain and Italy.
If you often travel solo or if you’re on this cruise, I’d love to chat with you before departure. Looking forward to meeting you! 🚢😊
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
We’re taking an MSC cruise in May, and after the Cinque Terre, we’ll be stopping in Naples. We’d like to know if it’s possible to walk out of the port quickly and reach a nice area of Naples on foot (we’re two older people). While we’re at it, I’ll ask the same question for Palermo, since we’ll be there the next day. Thanks for your replies.
hi,
I’m leaving Hamburg for Iceland at the end of July. The boat arrives in Reykjavik on Tuesday, August 4th at 8 AM, and I’d like to book a day trip like the Golden Circle or Secret Lagoon… The sites like GetYourGuide and others list departures at 8 AM. If you’ve used these sites with the MSC Preziosa, could you let me know how to go about it?
Thanks! 😉
allyMB007
Hello everyone,
It’s with immense sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of our friend Nathalie (nadu). Many of us knew her through this forum, which she loved so much. She enjoyed reading your travel stories, joining discussions, sharing her cruise reviews, and offering valuable advice—always with kindness, gentleness, and discretion.
For me, Nathalie was so much more than just a cruise enthusiast. She was a friend, a deeply kind person who was always there to listen, despite the many health challenges she faced with tremendous courage. We corresponded regularly, and sometimes we had the chance to visit each other’s homes or attend the cruise show together with our respective husbands.
We shared a common dream: when we both retired, we had planned to finally go on a cruise together. Life had other plans, and that trip will forever remain a journey we never had the chance to take. That thought weighs heavily on my heart today.
I’ll remember her as a gentle, generous woman who was always ready to help others. Her presence on this forum will leave a huge void, just as her friendship has in my life.
I send my sincerest thoughts to her husband, her family, and all those who had the chance to know her.
Fair winds, Nathalie. I like to think you’re now sailing on an infinitely calm sea, under an eternally blue sky. You’ll remain in our thoughts and hearts every time we talk about cruises or set off on a new journey.
Rest in peace, Nathalie.
For those who’d like to send a message of comfort and sympathy to her husband, you can send me a PM, and I’ll pass it along.
THANK YOU
Hello everyone,
So happy to be back on this Forum!
We’re heading off on another cruise—our 7th—after a 5-year break...
We’ll be leaving from Venice on April 26th with stops in Kotor, Mykonos, Santorini, and Ancona.
Could you help me plan the stops by sharing tips, tricks, and advice?
For those who already know me, you know we prefer not to take the cruise line’s excursions but instead organize everything ourselves.
Thanks in advance to everyone, and looking forward to chatting with you all!
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.