Génial Katy!
Rdv pris!
Pour ce reconnaître, je propose de faire une SUPER MEGA AFFICHE (enfin qui rentre dans la valise😛) car (j'ai une plastifieuse dans mon bureau) et mettre un slogan genre :
"Soirée Echanges" lol on va tous nous regarder bizarre 🤪ou alors...
..."Soirée VIP" histoire de passer pour des stars...parce qu'on le vaut bien!..ou encore😉😎
..."Les Bronzés en croisière" j'aime bien celle ci! 🙂 dites moi?! si vous avez d'autres slogans, je suis preneuse!
J'ai trop trop hâte!
A bientôt les futurs Bronzés
Letty.
Ps : j'ai vu sur les papiers le 09.10 - dining room 23h00 (je vais tomber en syncope si je mange pas avant!)
Vous avez quoi vous?
Ps bis pour Katy : Je n'ai pas encore eu ma belle soeur au tph Katy, mais je pense à toi pour Jérusalem! je dois l'appeler demain, voir si ca fait pas trop de monde car nous sommes 6 déjà! vous êtes 4 me semble t il? Je te tiens au jus!
bonsoir Letty a propos du 23h sur les etiquettes j ai pose la question a l agence qui m a
dit que ce n était pas l heure du service!! j espere qu il savait de quoi il parlait.Si non on
verra bien!!!!bonne soiree .robert
Ah oui, effectivement : comment nous reconnaitre... l'affichette "les bronzés en croisière" (épinglée sur notre tee-shirt?) me parait amusante.😏 J'ai vraiment hate d'y ètre : dans une semaine pile nous naviguerons....Très bonne soirée à vous tous
Bravo pour l'affiche, je sens qu'on va bien s'amuser.
Une question à ceux qui sont des habitués des croisières : Est-ce qu'il y a des endroits pour marcher sur les ponts extérieurs ? En voyant les photos on a l'impression que tout l'espace est occupé.
Est-ce qu'on nous explique dans quel lieu nous sommes et les côtes qu'on peut longer ?
Hier soir j'ai reçu un mail de Costa qui m'invite à préparer ma valise et les excusions. Je suppose que vous aussi ?
A+
Françoise
vous avez une piste de jogging prévu ( vous faites le tour des cheminés).
sinon au pont 11 ou 12, vous avez un accès total au panorama de la mer et pouvez marché sur des km si vous le souhaitais en faisant plusieurs fois le tours du bateaux à l'extérieur avec les monté ou descente au niveau des pont .
vous verrez de toute façon le premier jour, vous allez vous perdre dur le bateaux donc vous marcherez beaucoup pour rejoindre votre cabine, le buffet ( pont 9), le théâtre pont 5, les bars et autres pont 5-6-7
Letty, l'afficheeeeeee MDR !!!! J'ai l'impression qu'on va faire une belle bande ! A nous les crises de rire, la croisière va vraiment s'amuser !!
Il me tarde vraiment ! J'ai réservé par agence donc je ne reçois pas les petits mots doux de Costa, je ne connais même pas l'heure de notre service 🙁, je pense qu'on le saura quand on arrivera dans la cabine !
bonjour
nous partons le 20 octobre, pouvez-vous nous donner des renseignements pour aller a jerusalem et la mer morte par nos propres moyens, depart d'haifa
Super l'affiche : j'adhère 😉 On ne pourra pas la manquer ! Je confirme il y a bien une piste pour faire son jogging qui fait pratiquement tout le tour du bateau. On pourra faire notre footing pour perdre les kilos que nous allons prendre 😏😏😏
Je voulais prévenir que lorsqu'on sera en mer, il y aura des ventes de bijoux fantaisie, montres, parfums.... attendez le dernier jour car les prix baissent (idem pour les photos en fin de croisière ils font un pack avec toutes les photos prises
et les prix seront moins chers).
Il est vrai que l'on voit tous les jours des sportifs courir sur la piste de footing, ainsi que participer à des cours collectifs de gym, il y a aussi la salle de sport, mais perso même avec les longues marches pendant les escales, j'ai toujours ramené des souvenirs sur les hanches😕............. mais comme on dit pendant les vacances on ne regarde et je suis tout à fait d'accord.
Bonsoir Josyane
desole mais la Mer Morte je ne sais pas comment on y va
par contre pour Jérusalem nous avons pris un guide privé. sinon la gare et toute proche
ce renseigner pour les horaires sur Google
une dame dont j ai fait la rencontre sur le Lirica mais qui connaissait bien
A fait ainsi Jérusalem et ensuite Tel AViv
A voir!!!
il semblerait que vous soyez une belle bande pourquoi ne pas essayer au plus vite de faire comme nous
nous etions 19pers
ça nous a couté 74e/pers Jérusalem et Bethleem
sinon faites des recherches ici pour la Mer Morte qui est à plus de 3h de bus d Haifa
pour les Jardins vous etes en face par rapport au bateau (bon pas proche à pieds)
là aussi un mini bus (taxi) en sortant du terminal d Haifa à negocier bien sur
nous 10e/pers à 10
un conseil à suivre pour ceux qui veulent acheter des produits de la Mer Morte
les achetes au Duty free d Haifa et aussi le plus interressant pour les parfums et cigarettes
Voilà, dernier weekend passé sur terre, le prochain sera en mer !
Les valises sont prêtes, le moral au beau fixe, on trépigne d'impatience et même le soleil revient !
Nous partons lundi chercher mes parents à Perpignan, départ mardi pour Villeneuve Loubet où nous passerons la nuit et grande aventure mercredi 😏 !
Je ne pense pas me reconnecter d'ici là, donc je vous souhaite à tous un bon weekend.
Bonne route à tous jusqu'à Nice, soyez prudents sur la route !
RDV le 10 au bar le Rhapsody à 17h pour tout ceux qui le souhaite !
Bonjour à vous tous, je viens de la gare de Cannes (prendre mon billet pour Nice pour mercredi) : il m'a été dit qu'une grève SNCF est prévue pour mercredi 9 donc prenez vos précautions et renseignez-vous bien pour ceux qui doivent se rendre à Nice en train....Bonne journée 😉
Un petit compte rendu de mon impression pour ceux qui partent le 11 novembre.
Je précise que c'était ma première croisière. Nous avions pris une cabine simple, le forfait all inclus pour les boissons et toutes les excusions via costa sauf pour Jérusalem.
Bateau :
Il est réellement impressionnant par sa grandeur. Embarquement bien organisé même si il a fallu attendre 1 heure dans le hall avant son tour. Le personnel de bord à par les italiens sont majoritairement Philippin
La cabine : pont 7 complètement à l’arrière du bateau! est agréable, bien conçue, ils ont pensé à tout! je regrette de ne pas avoir pris un petit balcon...car la lumière naturelle manque au bout de quelques jours! Le personnel d'entretien est compétent, charmant même touchant! En revanche, ca bouge pas mal en mer peu agitée, alors j'ose pas imaginer en mer agitée!L'alimentation :Le petit déjeuner est...correct, mais j'avoue avoir été un peu déçu par la qualité des viennoiseries.Les repas au restaurant sont très bien cuisinés mais en petites quantités, le service est rapide et le personnel aimable.Les repas au self sont mal organisés, on ne sait pas trop comment s'orienter, les places assises manquent cruellement, les boissons sont servis souvent tardivement. En revanche la cuisine est pas trop mal.Les loisirs à bord :Les animations, exclusivement en italien, dommage.Les spectacles sont pas tous de mon gout, à par 1...Les piscines sont trop petites pour nager, c'est juste pour se tremper!Les boutiques sont chères et finalement peu nombreuses.Les bars sont en nombres suffisants, les boissons bien préparées et rapidement. Je recommande spécialement le bar à cigare! Passez le bonjour à Emmanuel (le serveur) de la part de philippe et laetitia! Merci beaucoup!Le spa samsara est onéreux mais le 3 ou 4 eme jours ils font des promo, du coup nous avons pris un forfait pour 2 pers à 150€ (comprend accès hammam, jacuzzi, temple pierre chaude, salons de repos...C'est pas donné mais ca fait du bien d'être au calme et ne plus entendre les pia pia pia des Italiens!) donc je recommande. En revanche les massages et soins sont hors de prix!Les excusions costa :Souvenir de l'antique Olympie : historique donc à voir, la guide vraiment super.Athènes panoramique et saveur grecque : la guide a récité sa récitation, il n'était pas précisé que l'on faisait la visite en bus! Dommage, personnellement j'ai pas trop aimé.La maison de la vierge et Éphèse : le guide horrible! Nous avons fait notre propre tour car il était déjà parti lorsque nous étions à peine descendu du bus! Aucune explication, aucun horaire de retour! Nous avons fini par le retrouver mais il allait trop vite...et il était limite agressif et a même osé réclamé de l'argent au retour! Nous nous passerions volontiers de La visite de la boutique de cuir hors de prix! Sinon les sites sont vraiment impressionnants, Il faut savoir que costa retient "en otage" les gens qui n'ont pas pris d'excursion chez eux! Je m'explique : pour Jérusalem départ en excursion à 7h00 et les autres voyageurs vous pourrez descendre du navire qu'à 9h00!Jérusalem par nos propres moyens : il faut un guide privé nous avons de la famille la bas donc ça été un moment magique et inoubliable pour nous! Sinon pour se rendre à Jérusalem, prendre la navette bus costa à 11€ (obligatoire) elle vous sort du port de marchandises de Ashdod et vous laisse en ville à coté d'un centre commercial. Se rendre à la gare routière juste à coté (demander qu'on vous indique les Ashdodien parlent français!) Retirer des shekel pour payer le bus (pas d'euros, il y a un distributeur 15m avant le guichet du bus comptez 18 shekel par personnes pour l'aller). Le bus vous dépose à Jérusalem terminal station. De là, nous avons pris un taxi (80 shekel le taxi soit 15€) pour se rendre à la porte de JAFFA (la vielle ville) car le guide nous attendait pour 11h mais il parait qu'il y a un tram meilleur marché que le taxi. Et tout pareil pour le retour, en bref ça nous ait revenu à 30€ par personne déjeuner compris! En revanche en discutant avec ceux qui avait pris l'excursion de chez costa, le guide a réussi à perdre des gens et s'en ai pas soucié! les pauvres ont du prendre un taxi pour rejoindre le bateau (300€).Tel aviv et Jaffa :le guide sympa mais un peu trop protectionniste, il nous l'a vendu son Israël et ses juifs, n'est ce pas Françoise?! Le vieux quartier de Jaffa est sympa. Rome et le Vatican : La guide francophone Marie claude est génialissime! le Vatican par ses propres moyens est quasi infaisable dans la configuration costa. La queue au guichet est énorme et je ne vous parle pas de celle à l’intérieur. Le restaurant pitoyable! la visite de Rome magnifique!Dans l'ensemble, c'était un très beau voyage, malheureusement les escales sont au pas de courses, pas de temps pour les souvenirs!
Le débarquement c'est passé un peu dans la douleur (très mal organisé)
Nous sommes restés une nuit à Nice IBIS budget car l'avion était 50% moins cher le lendemain et avons dîner dans un resto Éthiopien que je recommande vivement, un régal!
Ah si, je tiens à ajouter que le personnel Philippin, indien...est dévoué, en revanche le personnel costa italien voir français l'est beaucoup moins! je m'explique : lors d'une excursion costa, nous avions un personnel italien francophone avec nous dans le bus et une dame en fauteuil roulant et son jeune fils d'environ 14 ans.
A aucun moment l'accompagnateur a aidé cette femme et son fils! C'est mon mari et d'autres voyageurs qui les ont aidé à monter et descendre du bus, passer les trottoirs...Je le dis! car l'attitude de ce personnel est honteuse, inadmissible, impardonnable!
Pour conclure, je dirais que j'en garde un souvenir magnifique avec une météo géniale, mais je repartirai surement un jour, mais je vais tenter d'autres expériences avant!
Ma philosophie est de voir une croisière comme un hôtel sur l'eau, on découvre chaque jour des terres nouvelles et on se dit "tiens là il faut revenir plusieurs jours"!
nous revenons de la croisiere du 20 octobre
étant des habitués des croisieres nous ne prenons jamais les excursions avec costa, il est facile de s'organiser seuls, le problème c'est de gérer le temps car les escales sont assez courtes.
pour jerusalem au départ d'haifa, nous nous étions organisés sur le forum, nous sommes partis a 19, avec une guide française, très bonne journée, je pense que philippe l'organisateur va mettre son adresse mail sur le forum.
Sur le bateau, un tiers des croisiéristes étaient français, donc annonces en français, nous ne nous sommes pas sentis envahis par les italiens, le seul problème : bateau plein et quelques soucis pour le buffet de midi.
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
