French company CFC (page 5 of 5)

I remember walking around the boat from a tower, the olive and ouzo market!, and climbing the meteors of Volos. By the beach, after an equestrian statue, there was a structure of umbrellas hung together a few meters above the ground. Also, on the main street, a delicious ice cream shop!!

Thanks 😉

HELLO Could you tell us a bit more about your end-of-year trip? We really wanted to do the Christmas cruise, but the boat was fully booked until 10 days before the holidays. When they finally released the last cabins that became available, we’d already booked elsewhere because we’d given up hope... I saw that CFC is running the KINGS AND EMPERORS cruise again at the end of August, which is why I’m asking. I’d also like to know if the services offered were actually delivered (given the various hiccups mentioned above...). Thanks for your feedback! Happy New Year to you and all the cruisers out there.

Good evening Gilberte, We took advantage of a special offer through Croisière-Club (500 euros) for a week in an inside cabin. Great shows—even though the ship was full, there was no waiting at the restaurants (we had a spot at the second seating) by keeping the same table at Vatel. Festive menus with lobster, foie gras, etc. Christmas Eve featured a "Santa Claus" arriving by boat, much to the kids' delight—the ship was decorated with Christmas trees, and all the friendly, smiling staff (80% French-speaking) wore elf hats! First week: Marseille-Genoa-Livorno (Florence)-Elba.

Good evening Gilberte, We had taken advantage of a promo for these two weeks thanks to Croisière-Club: 500 euros per person for an inside cabin per week. The ship was fully decorated for Christmas, with friendly, smiling staff who spoke 80% French. Six festive, high-quality menus at the Vatel restaurant, where we kept our table throughout the two weeks. Entertaining shows, orchestras, and musicians in the lounges—a large free library, board games, and an animation team organizing various quizzes. On the 12th deck, you could dance to 80s-90s music. We took the first week heading to Genoa-Livorno (Florence)-Elba-Civitavecchia (Rome)-Olbia (Sardinia)-Ajaccio (Corsica)-Marseille on 12/29, then set off for Sète-Barcelona-Valencia-Palma de Mallorca-Mahón (Menorca), arriving back in Marseille on January 5, 2025. No bad surprises. Drinks aren’t included (separate package), but at the self-service, there are free soda fountains for sparkling and still water, as well as tea, coffee, etc. A large table with cakes, desserts, cheeses, and ice cream is available at every meal and snack time.

The Renaissance went into dry dock in Germany to switch to a more eco-friendly engine and for some plumbing and AC repairs. Anyway, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate! Best regards,

Thanks for your feedback on the Renaissance. I really regret not being able to do the Christmas cruise that tempted me so much, but the cabins that became available were only freed up at the last minute, so we’d already made other plans. Still, I read some negative comments after that cruise, but hey, everyone’s opinions differ based on their own habits. I have to say that the plumbing issues I’ve already experienced on another ship kinda put me off... Just a matter of luck, I guess. Anyway, thanks for your reply.

Like you, I was on this ship for the New Year's cruise: 755 € per person for an outside cabin on deck 4—quiet, well-located, and very spacious. It’s really not too expensive, and I found the cruise very enjoyable, with an excellent value for money: excellent meals at Vatel and the buffet, a calm and relaxing ship, fun shows, etc. (Small detail, but it’s really nice to have REAL free espressos during meals and breakfast!)

I’ve been on quite a few cruises (over thirty!!!) and can easily compare with other ships. Personally, I think the *Renaissance* is a very pleasant ship to sail on.

Hi "Jammarclable and Clown83,

Thanks to both of you for your feedback on the cruises you’ve taken with CFC. For us, it’ll be our first time with them, though we’re quite familiar with "Croisières de France," which has a similar vibe. Fingers crossed that the cruises planned for February/March 2025 go ahead after the Renaissance is dry-docked to fix the various issues. MUM49

Good evening Gilberte, We had taken advantage of a promo through Croisière-Club (500 euros) for a week in an inside cabin. Great shows—even though the ship was full, no waiting at the restaurants (seats at the second service) while keeping the same table at Vatel. Festive menus, lobster-foie gras, etc. Christmas Eve with the "Santa Claus" arriving by boat for the kids' delight—the ship was decorated with Christmas trees, and all the friendly, smiling staff, speaking French at 80%, were wearing elf hats! First week: Marseille-Genoa-Livorno (Florence)-Elba

Good evening Gilberte, We had taken advantage of a promo for these two weeks through Croisière-Club: 500 euros per person for an inside cabin per week. The ship was fully decorated for Christmas—friendly, smiling staff speaking 80% French. Six festive, high-quality menus at the Vatel restaurant, where we kept our table throughout the two weeks, plus entertaining shows, orchestras, and musicians in the lounges—a large free library, board games, and an animation team organizing various quizzes. On the 12th deck, you could dance to 80s-90s music. We took the first week heading to Genoa-Livorno (Florence)-Elba-Civitavecchia (Rome)-Olbia (Sardinia)-Ajaccio (Corsica)-Marseille on 12/29, then departure for Sète-Barcelona-Valencia-Palma de Majorca-Mahon (Minorca), arriving in Marseille on January 5, 2025. No bad surprises. Drinks aren’t included (separate package), but at the self-service, the sparkling and still water dispensers are free, as are tea, coffee, etc. A large table of cakes, desserts, cheeses, and ice cream at every meal and snack time. The Renaissance went to Germany for dry dock to change to a more eco-friendly engine and some repairs, including plumbing and AC. Anyway, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate. Best regards

Hello, For us, it was our first time with CFC. We were there from December 22 to January 5. The plus side is that the clientele was mostly French (no shouting or over-the-top behavior like with Italians, and especially no cutting in line). Meals at the restaurant or self-service were quite good, except that every day there were missing glasses, cups, spoons, and for breakfast, it was tough—either the hot chocolate or the warm milk was missing, etc. Not a big deal, but it happened every day. And if you’re staying for two weeks, you have to have breakfast before 8:30 AM like the departing guests, otherwise, there’s nothing left at the self-service—and of course, no warning the night before. Despite the kindness of the servers, both at the bars and restaurants, there were a lot of oversights or mistakes—poor management, understaffing, or beginners who weren’t quite pros yet, but they’ll get there. The seared foie gras was no bigger than my thumb, and the lobster claw was odd (very odd), but otherwise, it was fine. The main issue was the heating or AC, which didn’t work or worked poorly. One day it was too cold, and the next night, it was impossible to sleep because of the unbearable heat. The improvements or repairs will surely fix this problem. The shows were good, even if the same dancers, singers, and musicians performed for two weeks. But they were talented! We’ll definitely book another cruise with CFC, probably to Iceland. What worries me a bit is their partnership with an English company. To be continued

Let’s hope the cruises scheduled for February/March 2025 will go ahead after the Renaissance is taken into dry dock to fix the various issues. MUM49

Hi, In February 2025, the Renaissance is still undergoing technical work in Bremerhaven. Cruises are only expected to resume in March. Best regards

Hi Micax, Thanks for the info, we should be leaving on 03/31/25. Fingers crossed. Mum49

Really disappointed with this French cruise company. I booked the Norwegian Fjords for 05/25. I booked excursions 50 days before departure—I have the receipt. I’m about to visit NORWAY on their ship, and THEY ARE REALLY USELESS!!!!

Hello, Could you clarify?

Hello,

We’re back from the "Legend of the Vikings" cruise from March 31, 2025, to April 11, 2025, departing from Le Havre. We booked the "Gares" parking online (53 €). Boarding was quick for us. Disembarking was a nightmare—over a 50-meter queue for a taxi (port to train station: 10 €). The ship is a bit aging in places (rust) but very clean. Our ocean-view cabin had a sofa, TV, and a bathtub with handles (not very practical for us). There are ocean-view cabins with showers marked with an * on the deck plan. We didn’t have any air conditioning issues. Shows were varied and high-quality, especially the dancers and singers. Lectures were great. Dinner at the restaurant had very slow service, so from the third night onward, we ate at the buffet for the rest of the cruise. As mentioned by others, water, fruit juice, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate were available at the buffet. Tea time was from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM. There were plenty of activities. Excursions bought on board cost about 20 € more per person compared to pre-booking prices. We enjoyed the French-speaking environment on board and the small number of passengers (936 people). There were kids and young couples, but mostly seniors. The staff was friendly. No intrusive music or constant announcements like on MSC or Costa—that was a relief. No casino (which we didn’t miss at all), but plenty of lounges, which was nice. A very relaxing cruise. Elevators at the back: 2 out of 4 working. At the front, 3 or even 4 out of 4 sometimes. Beautiful end to the day: Mum49

Good evening, A lot of people apparently got sick—was that the case on your cruise?

Good evening,

A lot of people were sniffling and coughing after 5 days on the cruise. I should mention that some people were coughing into their hands... didn’t disinfect their hands when entering the buffet or restaurant, and there were no masks on the buses during excursions or in the theater. We had nice weather except during the stop in Zeebrugge on 04/10/25. The cruise was from 03/31/25 to 04/11/25. Mum49

Some people have shared that COVID spread really fast because CFC warns that if you test positive, you’ll be confined to your cabin. As a result, no one wants to get tested 😕

Good evening, I haven’t heard anything about a COVID test or reading that information, and if the test is positive, the person would be confined to their cabin. Did I miss this info? Mum49