coucou madi j'en sais rien 😊 pour taormine oui je prendrai l'excursion à moins que matilde me trouve un bon plan😛 autrement Naples j'irai à pompei meme si il fait chaud je tiens à faire cette escursion car capri j'y etais l'été dernier 😉 c'est les deux qui m'interessent en fait car le reste je connais j'y vais surtout pour le bateau cette fois 😛
Naples, à pied jusqu'à la gare Napoli Porta Nolana du train Circumvesuviana (env. 20 min. de marche) Corso Garibaldi, un bunker en béton sur le côté droit de la rue en venant du bateau (sinon, il doit y avoir le tram 1 sur le quai qui s'arrête devant la gare).
Achat billet journalier Unicocostiera à env. 7.20 euros. Train pour Sorrento (1 h environ). Soit tu vas d'abord à Sorrento (terminus), soit tu descends en route à la station Pompei Scavi, l'entrée du site est à 150 mètres en tournant à droite. Entrée env. 11 euros par personne. Si tu vas à Sorrento, tu reprends le même train et tu descends au retour à Pompei. Ce serait peut-être mieux d'y aller le matin, ferait moins chaud...😉
Taormina, dépend du temps d'escale, bus assez long pour y aller parfois...
De Naples vous pouvez également visiter Herculanum en prenant le train, c'est faisable à pied en remontant jusqu'a la place Garibaldi, la gare est au dessus.
Herculanum est plus petit que Pompeï mais mieux conservé, pareil recouvert par les cendres du volcan.
Certes, mais tu fais un détour, la gare Porta Nolana est bien avant la place Garibaldi et le Circumvesuviana va aussi à Herculanum (Ercolano)
Ceux qui vont à Garibaldi ont 2 choix, soit un train de Trenitalia qui va à Portici-Ercolano, soit le train Circumvesuviana qui va à Ercolano, il y a 2 gares distinctes à Herculanum. Dans les 2 cas, il y a environ, de mémoire de 500 à 800 m. à pied pour arriver au site.
Lorsque nous étions allées à Herculanum nous avions pris le Circulvesuviana a la gare au dessus de Garibaldi, et environ 800 m a pied de la gare pour aller au site, la gare étant en hauteur pour le retour il faut grimper.
Si tu vas à Garibaldi, tu prends le Circumvesuviana au 2e arrêt en fait, le premier étant à Porta Nolana justement, avec davantage de chance de s'asseoir comme c'est le terminus 😉
Donc, je ne vois pas pourquoi aller jusqu'à Garibaldi...même en tram, celui-ci s'arrêtant en plus devant la gare Porta Nolana 🤪
Pour ceux qui prendraient la version Trenitalia, il me semble que ça monte moins depuis la gare Portici-Ercolano, mais le souvenir est vague dans mon esprit.
En revanche, le train Trenitalia n'est pas compris dans le billet journalier Unicocostiera, le train Circumvesuviana oui.
Marie,
Bonjour ! Nous partons sur le Preziosa du 13 au 20 Avril 2013 et voulons visiter Taormine. Trouvant l'excursion trop chère (nous avons 2 ados de 15 et 18 ans), nous avons loué une voiture chez Hertz pour 40 € la journée (prise à 8h30 et rendue à 15h30); ce qui revient nettement moins cher !
Si tu as besoin d'infos, n'hésite pas ! Sylvie
merci sylvie pour ce bon plan en effet çà vaut le coup à voir 😏 comme tu pars avant moi j'espere te lire dès ton retour pour découvrir tes impressions sur le bateau au plaisir 😉
J'ai déjà fait deux croisières, une sur le Lirica de MSC et une avec Costa sur le Serena. Cet été, je souhaiterais en faire une autre avec mes deux enfants (ados 16 et 14 ans), pourriez-vous me dire combien vous coûtes la croisière au mois d'août, car j'en cherche une à cette même période, mais les prix sont assez élevés.
oui en effet michel en aout c'est toujours plus cher 😛 tout depend des ponts aussi et cabines j'ai payé assez cher mais pont 13 !!apres celà depend aussi de vos reductions membres club etc .. et des agences j'ai reservé directement chez msc 😉
Bateau superbe beaucoup d'animations, spectacle sensationnel.
Repas excellent le matin dejeuner tres varié (moi gauffre, pancake, pain perdu) excellent !!! Vous avez au moins une cinquantaine de choix
Le repas de midi on le prenait au buffet faites bien le tour car à certains endroits cela n'est pas pareil, on a bien aimé un coté repas ethnique.
Les pates excellentes, tout de toute manière est très très bon légumes frais.
Les pates et le pain, croissants ..... sont fabriquées sur la bateau 158 000 oeufs par jour et 800 kg de farine. Impressionnant
Le repas du soir on le prenait au restaurant. Au debut on etait sur notre choix au deuxiéme service donc 21h30 et cela nous faisait vraiment trop tard du coup on a basculé sur le premier service il faut arriver entre 19h00 et 19h15. Repas excellent vous pouvez prendre plusieurs plats et m^me tous si vous en avez envie. Des fois on a pris les deux mêmes desserts ou deux salades. Le serveur etait très gentil.
Vous ne mangerez surement pas en famille nous on est 3, et ils nous avaient placé avec une autre famille de 4.
La propreté du bateau est surprennant tous les 4 mètres vous verrez quelqu'un en train de nettoyer, notre chambre pareil. Vous pouvez si vous êtes en chambre balcon avoir le dejeuner à votre chambre, il suffit de mettre un papier tous les soirs avant 2h du matin à la poignée et vous choisirez l'heure à laquelle on vous l'emmene. Et tout cela est gratuit bien sur.
La personne qui s'occupait de notre chambre 8250 était adorable, service exceptionnel aussi.
Le personnel est sous le regime du panama, ils touchent 700 euros par mois, on leur deduit 300 € pour l'hebergement et les repas, ils travaillent 11h par jour 7/7 jours. Les pauvres ils sont toujours souriants et très serviables. Nous on a donné un billet aux deux personnes qui s'occupaient de nous chambre et repas en cachette car leur 7 € par jour on a un doute que ça leur revienne.
Les cigarettes sont moins chères sur le bateau que dans les duty free. 21 € les chesterfields et 105 € les 5 cartouches de Marlboro.
Attention sur le bateau aux photos, ils essayent de vous prendre en photos toutes les 10 mn. 20 € la photo, et 30 € les grandes. Ils vous disent qu'il y a une promotion 2 achetées la troisième offerte mais cela ne marche que sur les mêmes paquets (au même endroit) donc vous ne pourrez pas prendre 3 photos differentes. Les photos sont très belles surtout faites hors des restaurants. nous on a craqué un minimum 65 € mais on a eu mal au coeur de laisser les autres.
Les excursions :
1 jour Marseille : on a pris le bus navette MSC 15 € pour les adultes et 6 € pour les enfants. Très cher. On s'est promené dans Marseille et on a pris le petit train pour monter à notre Dame. Il a plus presque tout le temps on était trempe.
2 jour Génes : on s'est promené dans la ville et on a visité le bateau pirate qui nous a beaucoup plus 5 € les adultes et 3 € les enfants. Très chouette. On est pas allé à l'aquarium.
3 jour Naples :
on est allé à Pompéi. Sortir du port. juste en face, en laissant la mer derrière soi, traversez l'avenue et allez au kiosque à journaux en face de vous. acheter un billet tram/train 8.40 € l'aller retour. Donnez votre destination au vendeur. muni de votre titre, retraversez l'avenue et tournez à gauche (la mer face à vous) prenez le tram à l'arrêt situé à 100 ou 200 m. descendez à la gare centrale Garibaldi. l'arrêt est juste devant. prenez alors le train circumvésuviana. demandez bien ou ca se trouve mais c'est indiqué.
descendez à l'arrêt pompéï scavi. 35 mn environ de train. Comptez 1h pour y aller. Au retour on a repris le train à 4h arrivé au centre de Naples à 16 h45 environ balade dans Naples qui nous a déplus car très très sales les poubelles sont par terre. Attention au pickpocket
La visite est largement suffisante. On a même eu le temps de se promener dans Naples et demanger une glace
L’entrée à Pompei en Avril 11 € adulte et gratuit pour les enfants.
En taxi à 5 d’autres personnes ont payé 150€ ou 100 € pour d’autres.
4 jour Messine : 8 h 15 on a pris un taxi pour aller à Taormine 150 € pour 5 ou 120 € pour 4. Visite du théatre 8 € pour les adultes enfant gratuit. Très joli. Après promenade dans Taormine, et descente en taxi au belvedere. Essayer d'arriver à l'horloge de Taormine pour midi car il y a un joli spectacle à voir.
Negocier avec le taxi pour rester 2 h à Taormine car ou sinon ils vont vous dire 1 h, nous sans problème le taxi à accepter et c'est largement suffisant on a même finit avant en prenant toust notre temps.
7 jour : Normalement Tunis, leger 6 h pour être pret à la descente pour 8h et au petit dejeuner on apprend que nous ne pouvons pas y aller car le bateau ne pouvait pas rentrer dans le port trop mauvais temps, le degout pour nous donc journéé en mer pour arriver du coup le lendemain à 13 h à Palma de Majorque. La bas nous n'avons pas pris les navettes MSC 8 € pour les adultes, on est sorti du port et à 50 m bus ligne 1 pour 1.50 € nous amener en centre à la cathedrale.
Visite jusqu'à 18h le bateau ne repartait qu'à minuit. Donc ce soir là pas de boutique ouverte sur le bateau car tant que le bateau est dans un port- ils n'ont pas le droit d'ouvrir les boutiques et le casino.
8 jour : Surprise on nous apprend que la chambre doit être liberer à 7h30 et debarquement à 8h15. Ils nous ejectent un peu. Et ne pas oublier de prendre un bagage à main car le soir avant 2h du matin il faut laisser tous les bagages dans le couloir.
Espace Spa : un jour ils proposent nous ça a été au balèares à 50 % de reduction.
Les boissons essayaient de vous prendre des tickets avant à la reservation de la croisière avant de partir car c'est moins cher
Cinema 4 D 6 € les enfants et 8 € les adultes.
Voilà un petit compte rendu de notre croisiere, on a pas eu de chance car à chaque fois que l'on était sur le bateau il faisait pas beau. Le premier soir tempête on ne pouvait même aller sur les ponts.
N'hesitez pas pour toutes questions, je vous repondrais avec plaisir
genial elise super compte rendu bref et detaillé 😏 je suis contente d'aprendre que vous avez aimé le preziosa et je prendrai toutes vos infos pour pompei et taormine celà me semble simple finalement grace à vous😏 dans l'ensemble à part votre deception pour tunis vous avez ete ravie alors 😏
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.
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, 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! 😉
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,
The MSC Magnifica has been refurbished and a Yacht Club class has been added. Could anyone share their impressions of cabin 14001, as the view is slightly obstructed? Is it really a "disadvantage" in terms of brightness? Thanks in advance
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 there,
I’m looking for an all-inclusive Nile cruise on a comfortable boat with as few passengers as possible.
Which tour operator can you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
I’m about to book the panoramic suite, and I’m not sure whether I should go for the one at the front of the ship or the one at the back. I’d really appreciate any feedback—anyone who’s already booked this kind of suite and can share the pros and cons?
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 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 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!
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