Review of the CFC RENAISSANCE's 'EN VOGUE' experience (page 1 of 6)

😉Hi there, A few months ago, CFC put the EN VOGUE experience on sale, departing from Dunkirk. I booked this package to test the boat and onboard services for myself. I’d read a lot of reviews mentioning numerous issues on board, so I wanted to see for myself what it was really like…

Okay, I’ll stop rambling… The package included boarding at 6 PM on Friday, dinner, a show, an overnight stay, and breakfast. We chose an interior cabin for this experience—since the boat wasn’t leaving the dock, we didn’t see the point in paying more… All in all, it cost 130 € per person. My mom joined us; she got the same cabin for 130 € with no single occupancy supplement.

We’d checked in online to board faster. We took the train to DUNKIRK, then a taxi to the shuttle pavilion—7 € for the ride. When we arrived at the pavilion, we were told to wait because there was a connection issue with check-in. Great start… After about ten minutes, we were finally allowed to proceed. At the counter, they said they didn’t have our cabin cards and no record of our check-in… Very odd. With no solution, they put us on the bus and said we’d sort it out at reception. Perfect. We went through security, and they confiscated our water bottles—never seen that before! Then they said my mom had a corkscrew in her bag, so they searched it… but there was no corkscrew. Total amateur hour… They eventually dropped it.

We got on the bus for a ten-minute ride… We boarded the ship with a crew member and headed to reception. Turns out, we weren’t the only ones in this situation. The nightmare began… Only two staff members were handling all the issues, and everything seemed complicated. They told my mom her cabin had been given to someone else 😲. That was the last straw…

It took forever—they had to redo the entire check-in. Finally, they told my mom her cabin was good to go; they’d mixed her up with someone else… After a solid half-hour, we could finally head to our cabin.

I’m determined to test everything: the pool, jacuzzi, show, restaurant, spa, etc… TO BE CONTINUED

First impressions... Well, the start isn’t great... Hoping the rest will be better... I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on the cabin, food (restaurant and buffet), ship... pool... I’ll admit, I’m already a bit nervous because I took the risk of booking a 10-day cruise on it...

Hi Isabelle, I’m not at all surprised by this start—I totally recognize the conditions and the vibe, that “slightly chaotic” feel from our visit in May 2025. On top of that, we were greeted by a foul odor at the gangway!

hi Catherine we escaped the nauseating smell but hey, we had other compensations 😏

this is just MY PERSONAL FEELING so maybe what bothered me won’t bother you

Alright, I’m taking you aboard the *Renaissance*—and first up, we’re heading to the inside cabin, a first for us in 36 cruises! We’re pretty pleasantly surprised—the cabin isn’t tiny at all, and the bathroom is really decent. That said, some marks on the walls remind us this ship isn’t exactly brand new...









Nice move by CFC—some sample cabins were open so we could check out the outside cabins, which are *exactly* the same size as the inside ones.



The balcony cabins are great too!



The promenade deck cabins are similar to the balcony ones, but they’re on Deck 6—I’m not a huge fan. I’m guessing the curtains will often be closed to avoid prying eyes... There are two reserved seats in front of each cabin, and you can enter either from the hallway or the promenade deck. It’s a smart setup, but it doesn’t beat the privacy of a balcony.



I didn’t see the suites...

Okay, I’m closing the cabin now—sorry to the peeping Toms! 😉 Time to put on my swimsuit and test out the pool and jacuzzis... 😉

Do you approve of the balcony cabin? That’d already be great.. PS For the cabins on the promenade deck—you can’t see anything from the outside looking in. I had this cabin when it was with HAL

Okay, I hope everyone had time to put on their swimsuits... 😉 We're off to the pool! Head to LIDO deck number 11, same level as the buffet. From this point of view, it's exactly the same setup as the old COSTA ships—the pool area is similar.









There’s a retractable roof, which was closed yesterday because it was really cold in Dunkirk. Our first impression was that it was still very cold in this area, even with the roof closed. I see my husband heading toward the pool—his toe comes right back out... it’s freezing! What a disappointment!!! A completely unusable pool. I flag down a passing crew member, who tells me it’s not heated—ugh, how useless! A POOL THAT’S UNUSABLE! So, all we have left are the jacuzzis. The first one is cold, the second is heated—it’s not super hot, but it’s okay. I try to find the button to turn on the bubbles and realize there isn’t one 🙁 These two jacuzzis are connected—one bubbles for 40 seconds, then it’s the other’s turn, and so on. It’s not a real jacuzzi—no bubbles on your back, just bubbles coming from the floor. THE WORST JACUZZI I’VE EVER SEEN! I’m EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED, and at this point, I know CFC isn’t for me. We love spending a little time at the pool every day, but here, forget about it . This kind of pleasure isn’t part of the CFC cruise experience. It’s a real shame because there’s so little to do on board... Sea days must be pretty boring 😕 We get bored quickly in this so-called jacuzzi... Note that pool towels aren’t available—they’re given out in the cabin (one each). So, we decide to head back to change and head to the indoor decks and bars before dinner... TO BE CONTINUED !

Yeah, the balcony cabins seem comfortable... but just a heads-up, in the rest of my review you’ll see there’s also a bit of luck (or bad luck) involved when it comes to cabins on the CFC. 😕

Good point about the pool—I’d be really disappointed if it’s not heated! Do you have any idea what the temperature was like?

Hi there, Regarding boarding, you weren’t so lucky. For us in Marseille, no issues at all. At 2 p.m., it was super smooth. No technical problems. Just goes to show, it can go really well too 😊 As for the pool, I didn’t go. It’s not my thing. The kids only went on the really hot days, and even then, it was barely big enough to get in. Not like on RCI, where they splashed around no problem in Northern Europe in an outdoor pool.

Towels are usually provided near the pool. Probably, this setup was specific to your short stay.

Which deck was the balcony cabin you visited on? I’ll be on Pont Neuf

Good for the pool, I might be really disappointed if it’s not heated! Do you have any idea what the temperature was?

It’s honestly not easy to estimate the water temperature, but I can tell you we weren’t the only ones who brought our swimsuits—everyone who went to test the water ended up backing out.

Hello, Regarding boarding, you weren’t lucky. For us in Marseille, no problem at all. At 2 p.m., it was very smooth. No technical issues. Shows that it can also go really well 😊 As for the pool, I didn’t go. It’s not my thing. The kids only went on very hot days, and even then, it was just about bearable to get in. Not like on RCI, where they splashed around without any problem in Northern Europe in an outdoor pool.

I don’t think it’s just about luck or bad luck because a lot of people had issues... and if that had been the only problem... Thanks anyway for confirming that unfortunately this pool is really cold :/

Which deck was the balcony cabin you visited on? I’ll be on Pont Neuf

This balcony cabin is also on deck 9

I just saw this:

" Our Pools

Enjoy a refreshing moment in one of our two pools while admiring a breathtaking view."

That "refreshing moment"... 🏴‍☠️

I just saw this:

" Our Pools

Enjoy a refreshing moment in one of our two pools, while admiring a breathtaking view."

A refreshing moment.... 🏴‍☠️

For once, this isn’t false advertising! [;]

Hope you have better luck with the food...

TO BE CONTINUED... Back in the cabin, we quickly change to explore interior decks 7 and 8. Ships of this generation have split decks—the RENAISSANCE is no exception. So, when you go down to deck 7, you end up in front of the VATEL restaurant, and it’s a dead end.



We head back up to deck 8 to cross the deck, passing by different bars. The decor is tasteful, and there aren’t many people since tonight everyone is on the same "EN VOGUE" plan. Deck 7 has a lot of conference rooms?





There are also plenty of shops, but since we’re docked, they’re obviously closed. Here’s the à la carte restaurant between TERRE ET MER.



These spaces are pleasant—various bars with occasional live music, which I really liked.







A quiz is organized here—it’s in French, which is nice. But be warned: contrary to popular belief, the ship isn’t entirely French-speaking.

We end up stopping for a drink. There’s a violinist playing, and it’s really pleasant to listen to.



The price of drinks is reasonable, at least for non-alcoholic beverages (6 € for a non-alcoholic cocktail). I took photos of the menu if anyone’s interested. The cocktails are good.



Off to the restaurant—tonight there’s only one seating, so you have to arrive between 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM. We pass the library before reaching the VATEL.



TO BE CONTINUED: THE VATEL RESTAURANT