Lorsque l'on voyage en yacht club MSC, à partir de quelle heure pouvons nous nous présenter à l'embarquement à Gênes, s'il vous plaît ?
J'ai la possibilité de prendre la navette à Nice (arrivée vers 14h30) mais je me demande si venir directement à Gênes et dormir une nuit avant la croisière ne serait pas plus simple pour découvrir un peu la ville avant le départ du Splendida.
Je vous remercie de vos réponses.
Vous pouvez déjà vous présenter le matin, lors de notre dernière YC en mars 2015, nous sommes arrivés en voiture et à 9h30 nous étions dans le salon réservé YC avec un verre de Prosseco (que 9h30 mais debout depuis 4h, c'est acceptable...) et la possibilité de manger quelques amuses-bouche. Pendant ce temps, un majordome a fait nos papiers, on s'est rendu au guichet pour la photo et la carte de crédit, un minimum d'attente et à 10h30 on était accompagné à bord par un majordome, valises 30 minutes plus tard, donc à 11h30 nous avons prit notre premier apéro au Top Sail Lounge et ensuite notre premier repas au restaurant l'Etoile.
Si vous avez la possibilité d'arriver tot, c'est bien pour visiter le bateau quand il n'y a pas trop de monde et pouvoir déjà manger au restaurant le premier jour.
Je vous remercie de votre réponse.
Nous allons opté pour une arrivée le matin vers 10h.
En dormant une nuit avant la croisière à Gênes, nous serons bien reposées pour découvrir le bateau avant l’arrivée des autres passagers.
Je vais reserver le park and cruise.
En lisant les différents commentaires du forum, il me semble que c’est la solution la plus pratique.
Voyageant avec ma maman, je me vois mal réserver un parking éloigné pour gagner quelques euros et porter les bagages dans Gênes.
Si vous avez utilisé ce service, pouvez vous m’expliquer la marche à suivre lors de l’arrivée (dès l’entrée dans le parking ) et la prise en charge par Msc, svp ?
J’ai lu qu’il fallait arriver par la route "en dessous" de la gare maritime.
En regardant sur Google Earth, il semblerait qu’il y ai beaucoup de travaux dans Gênes (année 2014) et à l’approche de la gare maritime, est ce toujours le cas actuellement, svp ?
Nous avons reservé un bed and breakfast situé juste en face de la gare maritime. Malheureusement, il me faudra faire un long detour puisqu’il semblerait que je ne puisse pas passer directement vers la voie d’en dessous à partir de la gare maritime. Il me faudra donc reprendre la direction de l’autoroute pour rejoindre la fameuse route des parkings.
Des petits détails avant une belle croisière !
Pouvez vous m’indiquer, svp, les horairs d’ouvertue et de fermeture de l’Olivo si vous étiez sur le Splendida ?
Je vous remercie et vous souhaite une bonne soirée.
Vous verrez dès la sortie de l'autoroute, il y a des panneaux partout indiquant le port, vous les suivez et arrivez effectivement sur la route d'en dessous, en fait à la hauteur des quais, vous passez une espèce de "douane" à l'entrée, en fait je n'ai vu qu'une seule fois une personne nous demandant nos tickets de croisière pour passer.
Ensuite, vous vous dirigez au fond, après les ferries, c'est là que ce trouve la gare maritime MSC, il y aura un panneau Park and Cruise, c'est très simple vous ne pouvez pas le rater.
Vous avancez avec la voiture, une personne du parking va contrôler votre numéro de plaques avec la liste des réservation, vous lui laissez les clés et en échange il vous donnera un ticket pour récupérer la voiture au retour qu'il faut tamponner au service comptabilité du bateau (preuve de paiement).
Pendant ce temps vos valises sont déchargées et si vous êtes en Yacht Club, un majordome viendra vous chercher pour vous accompagner dans le salon réservé au check-in.
On a fait le Splendida mais pas en Yacht Club, jamais été à l'Olivo par contre sur le Fantasia le restaurant été ouvert pour le petit-déjeuner (je ne sais pas les heures), ensuite de 12h00 à 14h30 et le soir de 18h30 à ??? j'imagine vers les 22h-22h30.
A la conciergerie du Yacht Club, le maitre d'hotel vous demandera vers quelle heure vous voulez manger.
Quand on était garés pour prendre le ferry à Gênes, on pouvait monter dans la rue au dessus en passant à travers un centre commercial (vérification des tickets de ferry à une guérite) quand on est redescendus prendre le bateau...
En arrivant depuis Voltri, pour le ferry, j'ai noté ceci :
Entrée de Gênes, il y a d'abord à gauche, la gare Genova Francia.
Juste après, il y a un Novotel sur la gauche, une grande enseigne ERG verte, un immeuble en forme de crayon un peu comme à Lyon. Juste avant tout ceci, il faut passer sous un ensemble de passerelles peintes en bleu ciel pastel. Quasiment sous la passerelle, 2 files à droite, marquées « porto » au sol, tourner à droite dans ces files, après 100 mètres, stop et tourner à gauche, passer un petit tunnel.
Ensuite, 100 m. après, premier contrôle, tout le monde semblant entrer par cette porte (pour Tunisie, Sardaigne, Sicile).
On doit se diriger vers l'entrée no 1 nous dit-on. Quand on arrive vers les entrées, tout est fermé (portails). On nous dira plus tard que le portail ouvre à 14 h. Nous poursuivons et passons un autre tunnel (en suivant les indications « terminal MSC Cruise »). Au bout, voire sous le tunnel, il y a moyen de se parquer, mais partout c'est marqué interdit. Il y a quelques voitures et campings-car néanmoins. Sous le tunnel, très glauque, au bout, j'hésite au vu des panneaux d'interdiction. Ca irait si on restait sur place.
Nous revenons en arrière, repassons le tunnel et ressortons. Nous continuons tout droit pour chercher une place au bord du trottoir. Nous trouvons juste avant via « Fiamme Gialle ». Ce qui nous permettra par cette rue de revenir sur l'entrée de la ville avant l'entrée sous la passerelle.
Nous allons nous promener dans Gênes et revenons à 17 h 30 reprendre la voiture, refaire ce qui est noté ci-dessus :
Nous continuons et on nous fait garer dans une file de 3 voitures déjà installées. Voitures à droite et camping-cars et caravanes à gauche.
A côté, bar café, WC et passerelle (avec ascenseur) menant à un centre commercial Coop et au terminal passagers (pour ceux qui arriveraient comme piétons pour embarquer).
On prend la passerelle, on nous a bien dit de nous promener avec nos billets d'embarquement, effectivement, au bout de la passerelle, il y a une guérite avec un surveillant qui nous les demandera au retour...
Dans le centre, quelques magasins, McDo, 1 café, peu de sièges dans le couloir central, WC et consignes bagages au sous-sol ; au premier étage, les bureaux pour acheter les billets des ferries.
Sinon, un grand magasin alimentaire Coop. A sa droite, on peut s'asseoir, zone WIFI gratuit, code à demander et envoyé sur le téléphone portable, ça fonctionne très bien (pendant 2 h. en tout cas selon ce qui est dit, juste testé pendant 1 h environ). On en profite pour manger nos sandwiches.
Sinon, du centre commercial, on peut sortir en ville sur le quai très facilement.
Il y a des personnes garées faisant leurs achats à la Coop, mais pas réussi à comprendre où se trouvait l'entrée du parking...
On voit du hall central les bateaux qui partent, le Carthage qui devait partir à 17 h partira après 19 h 30, le bateau pour la Sardaigne qui devait partir à 20 h 30 partira à 21 h.
Notre bateau arrive à 19 h, nous le verrons accoster depuis le hall.
Nous retournons par la passerelle vers 20 h à la voiture.
...................On a fait le Splendida mais pas en Yacht Club, jamais été à l'Olivo par contre sur le Fantasia le restaurant été ouvert pour le petit-déjeuner (je ne sais pas les heures), ensuite de 12h00 à 14h30 et le soir de 18h30 à ??? j'imagine vers les 22h-22h30.......................;A la conciergerie du Yacht Club, le maitre d'hotel vous demandera vers quelle heure vous voulez manger...........
Bonjour ,
Tous les YC bénéficient de la même organisation. Je dirais également, qu' aux détails des harmonies : les lieux sont identiques. Seuls les " top sail " sont légèrement différents dans les aménagements mobiliers.
Vous connaissez un restaurant : vous les imaginez tous, l'Olivo compris.
Le soir , le restaurant ferme : ... quant il n' y a plus personne. ( c' est la meilleur heure )
étant donné que, en général, on mange tôt, vers 19h, médicaments de Monsieur obligent, on n'a jamais "trainé" au restaurant donc je voulais pas m'aventurer sur les heures de fermeture.
Après deux YC Fantasia, on se rejouis de découvrir celui du Preziosa dans un mois et son Top Sail Lounge agrandi. En plus en YC3, que du bonheur... Avant un retour sur Le Fantasia en YC3 en Septembre.
Cette annee, on s'est fait plaisir, l'itinéraire compte peu, après des problèmes de santé des deux côtés on a envie de vacances en toute tranquilité.
...............Cette annee, on s'est fait plaisir, l'itinéraire compte peu, après des problèmes de santé des deux côtés on a envie de vacances en toute tranquilité.................
Bonjour,
Je m'adresse aux connaisseurs, notamment Christian.
Je suis sur le Fantasia jusqu'à dimanche, en yacht club. Nous avons un vrai pb de cabine, avec des vibrations invivables (16033). Nos majordomes l'ont constaté, elles ont commencé environ 12h après le départ de Gènes.
Je l'ai signalé à plusieurs reprises, mais personne ne semble s'en préoccuper.
Cela nous gâche évidement le séjour, puisque nous n'avons presque pas dormi de lundi. Je suis avec mon épouse enceinte, et notre fille de 3 ans.
Un de vous a t'il déjà connu ce type de souci, et qu'elle est la conduite à tenir dans ce cas (quitter le bateau, etc...).
Je précise que j'ai découvert le monde des croisières il y a 2 ans et 1/2, et j'ai depuis acheté 11 croisières en yacht club (4 pour nous, 7 offertes à des membres de notre famille) et dépensé plus de 80 000€ au total chez Msc en 25 mois. Ce n'est que notre 3ème (après le splendida et le
Preziosa, croisières magnifiques...). J'ai une carte black member avec 12 ou 15 000 Pts.
Une nouvelle croisière sur le preziosa est déjà réservée pour octobre, où nous invitons la sœur de mon épouse et son mari.
Je vous remercie avance.
les 2 concierges me disent avoir fait remonter l'information, mais n'ont pas de solutions à proposer, le bateau étant plein.
Quand je demande si je peux écourter et me faire rembourser au prorata, les concierges me répondent qu'il que c'est du ressort du service commercial.
Les majordomes m'ont dit aujourd'hui qu'ils avaient constaté depuis plusieurs jours les vibrations anormales en faisant le ménage...
Je viens de regarder le plan pour avoir passer à cet endroit en avril à plusieurs reprises, nous n'avons pas ressenti de vibration.
je ne comprends pas sur cet yc1 large qui pourrait faire vibrer de cette façon dans cette cabine ?
Avez vous écris à msc directement ?
Je crois volontiers que le yc est complet.
Le débarquement avant le terme est seulement en cas de problème familiaux comme un décès ou médicaux approuver par le médecin de bord.
Donnez nous des nouvelles du suivi de cette affaire.
Courage
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
