Hi there,
Here’s a little recap of my cruise on the CELEBRITY INFINITY from February 14th to 23rd.
Itinerary: Athens / Thessaloniki / Thessaloniki / Kusadasi / AT SEA / Cyprus / AT SEA / Rhodes / Heraklion / Athens / Athens
Since the cruise ended on Monday, we had to leave the ship on Sunday to go back to work on Monday 😕 Bring on retirement!
This was our 34th cruise, and the price was around 1,300 € per person for AQUACLASS.
Just to remind you, AQUACLASS includes spa access, a cabin with a hydro-massage shower, and a dedicated restaurant.
For once, I have to say we didn’t get a good deal—prices dropped two months before departure, and we could’ve had AQUACLASS in a guaranteed cabin for 1,000 € per person. So, I think for January/February cruises, it’s better to book last-minute.
We arrived in Piraeus on the 12th in the evening. The hotel was great—"Phidias Piraeus Hotel"—close to the center, with a spacious room (upgraded by Booking to a junior suite). The breakfast was decent, and the price was 125 € for two nights, all included. The cherry on top? The hotel offers free shuttles to the cruise ship on departure day—really awesome!
We’d never visited Piraeus before, and it was a lovely surprise. Not only was the weather gorgeous, but the walk was really pleasant—the port, the beach, the little streets. It was way nicer than I’d imagined!
TO BE CONTINUED: BOARDING 😉
Hi there!
Here’s a quick review of my cruise on the REGAL PRINCESS.
This was my 35th cruise and my second on the REGAL PRINCESS, which I first discovered in 2017 during a Caribbean cruise.
A few months ago, we received an email from PRINCESS changing the itinerary—DUBLIN and EDINBURGH were replaced by two Scottish islands. We were a little disappointed, but since we’d never sailed around the UK, we didn’t really know any of the ports anyway.
The itinerary was:
SOUTHAMPTON
AT SEA
KIRKWALL
INVERGORDON
AT SEA
STORNOWAY
GLASGOW
BELFAST
AT SEA
CORK
AT SEA
PORTLAND
LE HAVRE
SOUTHAMPTON
A 13-day/12-night cruise for 1350 € per person in a guaranteed deluxe balcony cabin. PRINCESS assigned us a balcony cabin on deck 8 with a large balcony. We ended up happy with our cabin, even though we’d initially preferred a higher deck. I’ll admit I hesitated to choose this cruise because of the weather—I love sunshine and good weather—but the desire to discover new ports won out, especially with the promise of heading to Corsica afterward to soak up some sun again 😉
On PRINCESS, as Catherine mentioned, there’s no card—everyone has a medallion! I loved this system, which unlocks your cabin door as you approach. It’s really well thought out!
We took the EUROSTAR from Lille to London, then a train from London to Southampton the day before. We stayed in a nice IHG hotel near the port.
EMBARKATION It’s Friday, August 1st. After a good breakfast and a quick check-out, we realize our UBER app isn’t working in England ;(. We have to go back to reception to ask for a taxi because, even though the hotel is close to the port, the ship is still over 2 km away—hardly ideal with luggage! The problem is that many hotel guests also requested taxis... so we wait a good 30 minutes before ours arrives! We get to the REGAL PRINCESS pretty quickly but are shocked to see a huge line outside!!! We hadn’t seen that in over a decade! Not the best start! 🙁
TO BE CONTINUED!
A 13-day/12-night cruise for 1350 € per person in a guaranteed deluxe balcony cabin. PRINCESS assigned us a balcony cabin on deck 8 with a large balcony. We ended up happy with our cabin, even though we’d initially preferred a higher deck. I’ll admit I hesitated to choose this cruise because of the weather—I love sunshine and good weather—but the desire to discover new ports won out, especially with the promise of heading to Corsica afterward to soak up some sun again 😉
On PRINCESS, as Catherine mentioned, there’s no card—everyone has a medallion! I loved this system, which unlocks your cabin door as you approach. It’s really well thought out!
We took the EUROSTAR from Lille to London, then a train from London to Southampton the day before. We stayed in a nice IHG hotel near the port.
EMBARKATION It’s Friday, August 1st. After a good breakfast and a quick check-out, we realize our UBER app isn’t working in England ;(. We have to go back to reception to ask for a taxi because, even though the hotel is close to the port, the ship is still over 2 km away—hardly ideal with luggage! The problem is that many hotel guests also requested taxis... so we wait a good 30 minutes before ours arrives! We get to the REGAL PRINCESS pretty quickly but are shocked to see a huge line outside!!! We hadn’t seen that in over a decade! Not the best start! 🙁
TO BE CONTINUED!
Hi everyone,
Here’s a little story about what happened to me—I was supposed to go on a cruise on the CELEBRITY INFINITY on February 16th, but nothing went as planned 😕
We left for Athens on February 14th, had a good flight, and stayed at the same hotel as last year, the PHIDIAS PIRAEUS HOTEL, which we really liked.
But this year, it was disappointing—no upgrade from BOOKING, so a smaller room and, above all, noisy because of a compressor sound....
Anyway, we arrived in the late afternoon, took a walk, and found a really nice restaurant in the pedestrian streets of Piraeus.
The next day, the 15th, we maybe thought about going to the island of Aegina, but we got up a little too late, so we just went for a walk. We came back to the hotel for a break, then got ready for a massage I had booked online.
I absentmindedly checked my phone… an email from CELEBRITY announcing the cancellation of the cruise!!! That’s a first for us—we were a little shocked by the news 😕 TO BE CONTINUED....
Hi everyone,
I’d love to hear from your experience—does having just a carry-on bag actually save time during boarding and disembarking?
Thanks in advance!
Muriel
Hi everyone,
It was totally by chance that I found this cruise while chatting with Alfred in November 2024. It wasn’t planned, but the price was attractive—one of those "great deals" from Ponant that I love and that don’t exist anymore. Since everyone’s wondering, here’s the answer without waiting for the end of the story: after my various loyalty discounts, I paid **3,250 € per person** for 8 nights/9 days on the expedition cruise *The Essentials of the Seychelles*.
Expedition cruises are by far our favorites. The outings are done by Zodiac with the ship’s naturalist guides, everything’s included, and there’s no need to add any excursions or prepare anything.
We’re liking long flights less and less, so to break up the trip, we decided to stop over in Doha for four days on the way there and one day on the way back.
I’m happy to share the good and not-so-good moments, the great surprises, and the disappointments of this trip with you.
It was totally by chance that I found this cruise while chatting with Alfred in November 2024. It wasn’t planned, but the price was attractive—one of those "great deals" from Ponant that I love and that don’t exist anymore. Since everyone’s wondering, here’s the answer without waiting for the end of the story: after my various loyalty discounts, I paid **3,250 € per person** for 8 nights/9 days on the expedition cruise *The Essentials of the Seychelles*.
Expedition cruises are by far our favorites. The outings are done by Zodiac with the ship’s naturalist guides, everything’s included, and there’s no need to add any excursions or prepare anything.
We’re liking long flights less and less, so to break up the trip, we decided to stop over in Doha for four days on the way there and one day on the way back.
I’m happy to share the good and not-so-good moments, the great surprises, and the disappointments of this trip with you.
We’ve just returned from a cruise that my wife and I will remember—unfortunately, not in a good way.
There’s so much to say that I’ll proceed chapter by chapter.
Pre-Cruise
On January 24th, 2025, I booked through a supposedly attentive cruise agent the repositioning cruise of the CFC Renaissance to the French West Indies, initially departing from Le Havre, then from Dunkirk, on November 1st, 2025.
The return flight was included in the price of this trip.
From January, right after booking, this adventure got off to a bad start.
Used to major cruise lines, I asked my agent to reserve a table for 4 at the "Vatel" restaurant for the second seating, and to link this reservation to the cabin of friends traveling with us. First brush-off: "Ask the maître d’ at the restaurant entrance on the first night."
"To govern is to foresee, and to foresee nothing is to head for disaster," as Émile de Girardin said.
Following this maxim, in February, I started looking for transportation to Le Havre, which was initially the departure port. Then, I asked the travel agent which airport the return flight would land at. I knew flights from Pointe-à-Pitre to Paris served both main Parisian airports. Here, I found myself like a ping-pong ball between the cruise agent and CFC: The cruise agent said, "Ask CFC," and CFC replied, "No, your agent is your intermediary—ask them." It went back and forth like that. Impossible to pre-book the flight that would take us back to our final destination. During the summer, we learned that the departure port was no longer Le Havre but Dunkirk. We canceled our transfers to Le Havre but, of course, lost the cost of the reservations. Meanwhile, we purchased our "Beverage" package—we chose the "Fraîcheur" option, which included all non-alcoholic cocktails, canned sodas, fruit juices, bottled water, and regular coffees. This detail is important for the rest of the story. Every month, I followed up to find out the return airport. Nothing until October 28th (3 days before departure), when CFC finally informed me it was Orly, along with the flight number and time. Of course, on top of booking at full price, I had to arrange my final transfer home. Since I had very little time before the return flight, I had to book an Uber in a rush for the Orly/CDG transfer. Right after, we were told that our first stop in Lisbon—the most anticipated for many cruisers—had been canceled due to a strike at the port of Lisbon and replaced with Vigo, Spain. A completely unremarkable stop—nothing outstanding. As you can see, the prelude was already problematic, yet we’re far from reaching the peak of our disappointments. .......... to be continued soon.
"To govern is to foresee, and to foresee nothing is to head for disaster," as Émile de Girardin said.
Following this maxim, in February, I started looking for transportation to Le Havre, which was initially the departure port. Then, I asked the travel agent which airport the return flight would land at. I knew flights from Pointe-à-Pitre to Paris served both main Parisian airports. Here, I found myself like a ping-pong ball between the cruise agent and CFC: The cruise agent said, "Ask CFC," and CFC replied, "No, your agent is your intermediary—ask them." It went back and forth like that. Impossible to pre-book the flight that would take us back to our final destination. During the summer, we learned that the departure port was no longer Le Havre but Dunkirk. We canceled our transfers to Le Havre but, of course, lost the cost of the reservations. Meanwhile, we purchased our "Beverage" package—we chose the "Fraîcheur" option, which included all non-alcoholic cocktails, canned sodas, fruit juices, bottled water, and regular coffees. This detail is important for the rest of the story. Every month, I followed up to find out the return airport. Nothing until October 28th (3 days before departure), when CFC finally informed me it was Orly, along with the flight number and time. Of course, on top of booking at full price, I had to arrange my final transfer home. Since I had very little time before the return flight, I had to book an Uber in a rush for the Orly/CDG transfer. Right after, we were told that our first stop in Lisbon—the most anticipated for many cruisers—had been canceled due to a strike at the port of Lisbon and replaced with Vigo, Spain. A completely unremarkable stop—nothing outstanding. As you can see, the prelude was already problematic, yet we’re far from reaching the peak of our disappointments. .......... to be continued soon.
Hello everyone,
I’ve wanted to take this Norway cruise for a very long time. The first time I booked it was in July 2020 with Azamara. Unfortunately, it was canceled, as everyone remembers. When I tried to book it again, the prices (already a bit high with Azamara) had simply doubled. So, since then, I’ve been keeping an eye out every year for any opportunities...
The last time we sailed with Princess was eleven years ago, and things didn’t go very well. I came back pretty unhappy with their service and quite disappointed. Despite the $600 they gave me as credit for a future cruise, I’d never set foot on one of their ships again.
But this time, the opportunity arose—a fantastic itinerary with lots of stops, a reasonable price for 16 nights (I’ll share the details in the conclusion), and a ship that’s not too big, so to speak, with only 3,000 passengers. I’m not expecting much from the cruise line this time and am boarding the ship with low expectations beyond the itinerary.
Princess has introduced an app to download before the cruise. It’s essential because online check-in is no longer available, and the agency doesn’t send a travel journal. Everything is done through the app. After completing the check-in on the app, we only know that we’ll need to pick up our key, the Medallion, at embarkation by following the blue line in the terminal and presenting our passport.
Up until our departure, the weather forecast for the coming week in Norway is disastrous—rain, rain, and more rain. It was pretty much the same two years ago before our Iceland cruise, and in the end, the weather turned out fine.
If you’re ready to embark on the Emerald Princess to discover this beautiful cruise and the stunning landscapes of Norway, let’s go!
Southampton - Sea day - Bergen - Olden - Åndalsnes - Sea day - Tromsø - Honningsvåg (North Cape) - Alta - Sea day - Molde - Trondheim - Two sea days - Edinburgh - Sea day - Southampton
I’ve wanted to take this Norway cruise for a very long time. The first time I booked it was in July 2020 with Azamara. Unfortunately, it was canceled, as everyone remembers. When I tried to book it again, the prices (already a bit high with Azamara) had simply doubled. So, since then, I’ve been keeping an eye out every year for any opportunities...
The last time we sailed with Princess was eleven years ago, and things didn’t go very well. I came back pretty unhappy with their service and quite disappointed. Despite the $600 they gave me as credit for a future cruise, I’d never set foot on one of their ships again.
But this time, the opportunity arose—a fantastic itinerary with lots of stops, a reasonable price for 16 nights (I’ll share the details in the conclusion), and a ship that’s not too big, so to speak, with only 3,000 passengers. I’m not expecting much from the cruise line this time and am boarding the ship with low expectations beyond the itinerary.
Princess has introduced an app to download before the cruise. It’s essential because online check-in is no longer available, and the agency doesn’t send a travel journal. Everything is done through the app. After completing the check-in on the app, we only know that we’ll need to pick up our key, the Medallion, at embarkation by following the blue line in the terminal and presenting our passport.
Up until our departure, the weather forecast for the coming week in Norway is disastrous—rain, rain, and more rain. It was pretty much the same two years ago before our Iceland cruise, and in the end, the weather turned out fine.
If you’re ready to embark on the Emerald Princess to discover this beautiful cruise and the stunning landscapes of Norway, let’s go!
Southampton - Sea day - Bergen - Olden - Åndalsnes - Sea day - Tromsø - Honningsvåg (North Cape) - Alta - Sea day - Molde - Trondheim - Two sea days - Edinburgh - Sea day - Southampton
Hi there! We’re a group of 4 and we’d love to do a 4-day, 3-night cruise from Lombok to Komodo with a private cabin. Any suggestions for affordable companies? We’ve already looked into Travel Wise, Captain Komodo, and Wanua. Wondering if there are others we should check out. Thanks a bunch! 🙂
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
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 there
A few photos from the Explora Journey—the ship is stunning, and I can confirm the dining is on par with Michelin-starred restaurants. Plus, you get to choose between several restaurants where everything is included, even drinks and champagne!
Hi everyone, I’m so happy Voyage Forum is back online.
This is perfect timing since we’re leaving on November 28th for a cruise departing from Le Havre (Southampton, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Hamburg). Could you share some info on the distances from the ports to the city centers, sights to see, etc.?
Thanks so much, and see you soon!
Hi everyone,
In a month, I’m heading to Greenland with Rivages du Monde.
My question is: which airport do we fly out of to get to Iceland—Orly or Roissy?
Thanks to anyone who’s already traveled with this tour operator for this destination and can let me know.
Have a great day
Hi, I’m taking an Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver.
I don’t know how to fill out the U.S. contact point section on the ESTA since I don’t have an address to provide.
Thanks for your help.
Hi there,
We’ve booked the CFC Viking Legends cruise (departing on 03/31/25), and the excursions have just been posted on the CFC website. What a disappointment... Stop in Copenhagen: 2 excursions offered, one of which includes +1.5 hours of walking Stop in Oslo: 2 excursions, one of which is a hike Stop in Sandnes (Stavanger): 2 excursions, one of which is a hike Lysekil (Sweden): 1 excursion, same as in Kristiansand and Zeebrugge.
We hesitated to book without knowing the excursions in advance, but the itinerary interested us. We were expecting more options for excursions... Since the ship leaves the day before from Zeebrugge, let’s hope there’s still space for the excursions. I’ll share our experience after we return from this first CFC discovery. MUM49
We’ve booked the CFC Viking Legends cruise (departing on 03/31/25), and the excursions have just been posted on the CFC website. What a disappointment... Stop in Copenhagen: 2 excursions offered, one of which includes +1.5 hours of walking Stop in Oslo: 2 excursions, one of which is a hike Stop in Sandnes (Stavanger): 2 excursions, one of which is a hike Lysekil (Sweden): 1 excursion, same as in Kristiansand and Zeebrugge.
We hesitated to book without knowing the excursions in advance, but the itinerary interested us. We were expecting more options for excursions... Since the ship leaves the day before from Zeebrugge, let’s hope there’s still space for the excursions. I’ll share our experience after we return from this first CFC discovery. MUM49
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!
Thanks a million for your replies! Marie
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!
Thanks a million for your replies! Marie
hi everyone
I’ll go ahead and restart the cruise calendar for 2025 for now.
It can give people ideas and might help members meet up!
Two essential rules: don’t “quote” the calendar when replying—this’ll avoid any confusion and if you can, list your cruise in this example format: enter the month first, then date /username / SHIP / number of days / destination / departure port
FEBRUARY
14/02- poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY /11 days / Greece Turkey Cyprus / Piraeus (Athens) AUGUST 01/08- poupou10 / REGAL PRINCESS /13 days / British Isles / Southampton YOUR TURN 😉 NUMBER OF CRUISES 2025: 2 JANUARY FEBRUARY 14/02- poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY /11 days / Greece Turkey Cyprus / Piraeus (Athens) MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST 01/08- poupou10 / REGAL PRINCESS /13 days / British Isles / Southampton SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Two essential rules: don’t “quote” the calendar when replying—this’ll avoid any confusion and if you can, list your cruise in this example format: enter the month first, then date /username / SHIP / number of days / destination / departure port
FEBRUARY
14/02- poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY /11 days / Greece Turkey Cyprus / Piraeus (Athens) AUGUST 01/08- poupou10 / REGAL PRINCESS /13 days / British Isles / Southampton YOUR TURN 😉 NUMBER OF CRUISES 2025: 2 JANUARY FEBRUARY 14/02- poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY /11 days / Greece Turkey Cyprus / Piraeus (Athens) MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST 01/08- poupou10 / REGAL PRINCESS /13 days / British Isles / Southampton SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Hi, I'm currently looking into a cruise departing from Taipei with an arrival in Seoul.
It really interests me, and I’ve put a hold on it. However, it’s a guaranteed balcony cabin, which makes me a bit nervous—has anyone had this type of cabin with a bad experience?
Any info on the NCL Spirit?
Regarding the stops, I’d love to know what we can do with an overnight in Osaka, and the same for an overnight in Yokohama (not necessarily Tokyo).
Thanks
Regarding the stops, I’d love to know what we can do with an overnight in Osaka, and the same for an overnight in Yokohama (not necessarily Tokyo).
Thanks
Hi there,
I need to take the Explora I ship for a cruise departing from Venice (Fusina port) in mid-October.
We’re spending two days in Venice beforehand. How do we get to the ship? Is it easier to take the train back to Mestre and then a taxi? Are there taxis at Mestre station? Do we need to book in advance? Do you know of a reliable company?
Explora doesn’t offer a bus transfer and mentions a water taxi for 360 €!!!!
Thanks in advance for your help. Best regards, Claudine
I need to take the Explora I ship for a cruise departing from Venice (Fusina port) in mid-October.
We’re spending two days in Venice beforehand. How do we get to the ship? Is it easier to take the train back to Mestre and then a taxi? Are there taxis at Mestre station? Do we need to book in advance? Do you know of a reliable company?
Explora doesn’t offer a bus transfer and mentions a water taxi for 360 €!!!!
Thanks in advance for your help. Best regards, Claudine
Hi everyone,
We’re looking for info on the stopovers in NEWCASTLE, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, INVERGORDON, and LERWICK. Cruise departing from Hamburg.
Thanks in advance to those who can tell us if the ports are far from the cities, what there is to see, and whether we can manage excursions on our own...
Have a great day
Over ten years ago, we took a cruise on the Costa ROMANTICA. Since then, we’ve never had the pleasure of finding another company for a cruise in the Indian Ocean with stops in Réunion, Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Madagascar. I recently discovered on this site that the German company AIDA offers the exact same cruise in December! But we don’t speak German and don’t know this company at all.
Thanks if you can give us any insights about the ship *Stella* and the quality of their services
Hello soon-to-be retired travelers flying from Orly to Fort-de-France! We’re taking the transatlantic cruise on the Virtuosa, which departs from Fort-de-France on Saturday, April 5th and arrives in Le Havre on Sunday, April 20th. Are excursions possible without necessarily going through MSC for Guadeloupe, St. Martin, the Azores, and Lisbon? Has any forum traveler already done this cruise and have some tips and advice to share with us?
Thanks in advance.
Hi everyone,
In a month, I’ll be on the *Renaissance* with Compagnie Française de Croisières.
I’d just love to hear your thoughts on this ship—what you liked, what you liked less, etc.
Thanks to all of you!
Have a great day
Hi, we're going on a cruise to Norway departing from Dunkirk and sailing up the coast—can you share some ideas on what to visit? Thanks!
Gigi
Hi Poupou, if you could add us to your awesome calendar: from September 10th to 20th, 2025 clown 83: CFC Renaissance/Kotor-Dubrovnik/departure and return port Marseille
My wife and I are going on the "Christmas and Holiday Traditions" cruise from December 22 to January 5.
This is our first time with CFC.
We’ve done dozens of cruises over the past 35 years—including three world cruises with Costa—but we’re tired of the Italian attitude. We’ve also done 3 or 4 with MSC, Club Med 2, and a long time ago, the Mermoz with Croisières Paquet, in short…
Given the reviews, we’re wondering about the all-French aspect, since the Filipino crews are nice but French is complicated for them. And the comments about the food aren’t exactly reassuring. Yes, the drink packages are way too expensive. We’ll have to wait and see how much the excursions cost…
It’s an old ship, so let’s hope everything still works.
See you soon!
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
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 everyone,
What a joy to be back here and pick up where we left off after all these months of hiatus.
I hope you’ll enjoy the story of this little trip around the Eastern Mediterranean. This cruise was the perfect way to satisfy our longing to return to Greece and Istanbul. The end of the season, until late November, is the best time to visit the Mediterranean in my opinion—when climate disruptions don’t get in the way.
Departing from Trieste, our stops were Katakolon, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Corfu, and Bari, before returning to Trieste and then Venice, where we planned a very short 24-hour stay.
We left home at 6:15 AM—our first cruise departure since moving to Normandy. What I miss most about living in the Gard is how close we were to Marseille Airport. No more hopping over to Marignane in an hour; now we have to plan for a three-hour trip to CDG, even under the best conditions on an early Sunday morning.
It was impossible to book a hotel night before our flight because, starting in April, the Ibis was priced at 450 € per night, and the Mercure was flirting with 800 €—breakfast not included, of course. 😏
I had a feeling there must’ve been a conference or something going on… Turns out, it was just the auto show. They simply adjusted the room prices to match the cost of the cars. 😛
Our flight took us to Venice, where we caught a FlixBus to Trieste. We arrived at Trieste’s train station in the afternoon and walked to our hotel in the city center.
After treating ourselves to an amazing pizza at a restaurant (Di Napoli Maestri Pizzaioli, Via Armando Diaz 10) for a very reasonable price, we enjoyed the mild evening temperature while exploring the stunning buildings of this charming city by night. These magnificent structures are a testament to the city’s past. Trieste became Austrian in 1382 due to its complicated relationship with Venice, and it wasn’t until 1918, at the end of World War I, that it became Italian again. The city’s lighting beautifully highlights the architecture of the buildings.
The terraces were lively, and the atmosphere was so warm and inviting that we wanted to stay out even longer.
But we’d been up since 4 AM, so we were happy to retreat to the quiet of our hotel, located in the pedestrian center just a few steps from the port (Urban Hotel Design—highly recommended).
More to come soon.
What a joy to be back here and pick up where we left off after all these months of hiatus.
I hope you’ll enjoy the story of this little trip around the Eastern Mediterranean. This cruise was the perfect way to satisfy our longing to return to Greece and Istanbul. The end of the season, until late November, is the best time to visit the Mediterranean in my opinion—when climate disruptions don’t get in the way.
Departing from Trieste, our stops were Katakolon, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Corfu, and Bari, before returning to Trieste and then Venice, where we planned a very short 24-hour stay.
We left home at 6:15 AM—our first cruise departure since moving to Normandy. What I miss most about living in the Gard is how close we were to Marseille Airport. No more hopping over to Marignane in an hour; now we have to plan for a three-hour trip to CDG, even under the best conditions on an early Sunday morning.
It was impossible to book a hotel night before our flight because, starting in April, the Ibis was priced at 450 € per night, and the Mercure was flirting with 800 €—breakfast not included, of course. 😏
I had a feeling there must’ve been a conference or something going on… Turns out, it was just the auto show. They simply adjusted the room prices to match the cost of the cars. 😛
Our flight took us to Venice, where we caught a FlixBus to Trieste. We arrived at Trieste’s train station in the afternoon and walked to our hotel in the city center.
After treating ourselves to an amazing pizza at a restaurant (Di Napoli Maestri Pizzaioli, Via Armando Diaz 10) for a very reasonable price, we enjoyed the mild evening temperature while exploring the stunning buildings of this charming city by night. These magnificent structures are a testament to the city’s past. Trieste became Austrian in 1382 due to its complicated relationship with Venice, and it wasn’t until 1918, at the end of World War I, that it became Italian again. The city’s lighting beautifully highlights the architecture of the buildings.
The terraces were lively, and the atmosphere was so warm and inviting that we wanted to stay out even longer.
But we’d been up since 4 AM, so we were happy to retreat to the quiet of our hotel, located in the pedestrian center just a few steps from the port (Urban Hotel Design—highly recommended).
More to come soon.
Hi there,
We’re planning an MSC cruise departing from Dubai. On MSC’s website, it says we need to take out health insurance for Doha. The issue is that some insurers are asking if we’ve got a visa, but French citizens don’t need one. Has anyone had a layover in Doha? What’s the deal with this health insurance?
Thanks so much!
Hi everyone,
I’ve booked a cruise on the Preziosa to Brazil in October 2025.
I’d like to know if we can get a taxi right from the ship to São Paulo airport from the port of Santos. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 2:40 PM, and we dock at 8:00 AM.
MSC has an excursion planned, but we’d arrive at the airport too late.
Thanks to anyone who can give us some info.
Best regards,
Hi everyone,
If anyone has already taken this cruise with Rivages de France, departing from Paris Roissy and arriving in Kangerlussuaq, do you remember the departure time from Terminal 1?
Thanks, have a great day
