Hi everyone,

As promised, here’s my review of the cruise I took from the 5th to the 19th on the MSC Virtuosa.

As you know, I had initially booked a cruise with Mein Schiff departing from Dubai (from Dubai to Cape Town). It was a 22-day cruise. Due to the issues in the Persian Gulf, my cruise was canceled by Mein Schiff.

So, we started looking for a Plan B because we really wanted to go. Especially my wife, who had just had a minor procedure and needed some rest. Since she had already taken time off, she was determined to travel. However, we were looking for an affordable Plan B since we weren’t sure when Mein Schiff or the airline would reimburse us.

While browsing online, I found a 15-day cruise departing from Pointe-à-Pitre (including flights, transfers, the cruise, and drinks) for a price of 1,200 € in a Fantastica balcony cabin. We thought, *Why not?*

I should mention that I’m not usually a big fan of MSC. My last experience with them was post-Covid (I took two cruises, one in 2021 and another in 2022), and it was honestly a disaster. We didn’t want to repeat that, but after talking to Catherine, who told me she was very happy with a short Christmas cruise, we decided to give it a try.

I have to say, I was left speechless. Honestly, the cruise was absolutely perfect. There’s nothing to complain about (or just a few minor details). In terms of service and food, I felt like I was on a premium cruise line. I’d even say MSC has nothing to envy from some of those companies. While premium lines like Holland, Celebrity, and Royal are cutting back on services, I think MSC has made huge improvements. Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this at all. You’ll see what I mean as we chat more.

I won’t do a full review like I usually do because there weren’t many stops: 1. We boarded in Pointe-à-Pitre 2. We stopped in Saint-Martin 3. Then it was a direct crossing to the Azores...

This cruise was really about relaxing, even if it’s not the kind of trip we usually take.

First off, I’m not a big fan of "flight and cruise" packages. I asked if we could leave two days early, but they said it wasn’t possible. We had to take the flight, then the bus, and board the ship directly.

It’s not really my thing, but given the price we paid and since we really wanted to relax, we thought, *Why not?*

Here’s the itinerary:

Boarding in Pointe-à-Pitre Saint-Martin Five days at sea The Azores Four days at sea Hamburg One day at sea Le Havre



But as I mentioned, it wasn’t about the itinerary. It was really about taking a break and unwinding. Honestly, I came back thrilled.

Departure and boarding details to come

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

MISE A JOUR LE 21 JUIN 2026 Bonjour Voici le calendrier des croisières pour 2026 Cela donne des idées et peut permettre à des membres de se rencontrer

2 régles essentielles: 1) ne jamais "citer" le calendrier pour répondre, ceci évitera toute confusion 2) respecter le format suivant JJ/MM - pseudo / BATEAU EN MAJUSCULE / nb jours / titre de la croisière / port de départ NE PAS OUBLIER LES ESPACES entre les / /

RAPPEL Malgré mes demandes peu de personnes respectent le format demandé, la croisière ne sera plus répertoriée quand elle s'éloignera trop du format demandé, désolée ATTENTION Merci de respecter les modèles SVP MERCI DE COPIER COLLER LE FORMAT CI DESSOUS ET REMPLACER PAR VOS DONNEES SI VOUS N Y ARRIVEZ PAS JJ/MM - pseudo / BATEAU EN MAJUSCULE / nb jours / titre de la croisière / port de départ NE PAS OUBLIER LES ESPACES entre les / / cela prend du temps de rectifier, MERCI A TOUS A VOUS DE JOUER 😉

NOMBRE DE CROISIERES 2026 : 55 JANVIER 04/01 - Laurencemons / MSC VIRTUOSA / 8 jours / Caraïbes et Antilles / Pointe-à-Pitre 09/01 - frandan83 / COSTA SERENA / 21 jours / Asie / Singapour 09/01 - JOCOTO / COSTA SERENA / 30 jours / Asie / Singapour 16/01 - Domfwi972 / COSTA SERENA / 15 jours / Taiwan - Japon - Corée du Sud / Hong-Kong 22/01 - SophieP30 / MSC POESIA / 8 jours / Mer du Nord / Le Havre 25/01- 4yne / BOUGAINVILLE PONANT / 9 jours / L'essentiel des Seychelles / Victoria, Mahe

FEVRIER 06/02 - Jadorry / OCEANIA SIRENA / 16 jours / Chine-Vietnam-Singapour / Hong Kong 16/02 – poupou10 / CELEBRITY INFINITY / 11 jours / Méditerranée orientale / Le Pirée

MARS 01/03 - LePiou / COSTA PACIFICA / 15 jours / Antilles / La Romana 05/03 - GuyParis01 / COSTA PACIFICA / 26 jours /Transat vers Savone / Pointe à Pitre 05/03 - JOCOTO / COSTA FASCINOSA / 23 jours / Caraïbes et transat / Fort De France 06/03 - frandan83 / COSTA FASCINOSA / 21 jours / Caraibes+transat / Pointe a pitre 15/03 - Allier34 / MSC MUSICA / 8 jours /Iles canaries/ Ténérife 16/03 - Papyvedrin / COSTA FAVOLOSA / Transatlantique / 16 jours / Rio de Janeiro 21/03 – francischem / MSC WORLD EUROPA / 8 Jours / Méditérrannée / Marseille 23/03 - CharlyLima / MSC FANTASIA / 22 jours / Transatlantique / Buenos Aires 28/03 - Mic81 / CFC RENAISSANCE / 15 jours / Aurores Boréales / DUNKERQUE

AVRIL

02/04 - Cristianh / MSC PREZIOSA / 18 jours / Transatlantique / Rio 03/04 - Manu4116 / COSTA FAVOLOSA /12 jours / Méditerranée / Marseille 05/04 - Alfred / MSC VIRTUOSA / 15 jours / Transatlantique vers à P à PITRE / Le Havre 11/04- MUM49 / RENAISSANCE / 6 jours / Fête des Tulipes / DUNKERQUE 15/04 - Gaston06 / ENCHANTED PRINCESS / 11 jours / Méd orientale / Civitavecchia 23/04 - Chanpy / MSC POESIA / 19 jours / de Miami à Seattle / MIAMI 26/04 Jadorry / PONANT LE BELLOT / 9 jours / Paysages et iles Atlantique Nord / Bordeaux

MAI 11/05 - Chanpy / MSC POESIA / 8 jours / ALASKA / Seattle 17/05 - LePiou / COSTA FAVOLOSA / 15 jours / Ecosse et Norvège / Hambourg 23/05 - powerbas / MSC OPERA / 11jours / péninsule ibérique Portugal / Gènes

JUIN 10/06 - Mum49 / RENAISSANCE / 10 jours / Les perles de la Baltique / DUNKERQUE 13/06 - Traveltine / MSC OPERA / 10 jours / méditerranée / MARSEILLE 21/06 - Véro34 / SILVERDAWN / 10 jours / Scandinavie et fjords / Copenhague 26/06 -Chanpy / MSC SEAVIEW / 8 jours / MÉDITERRANÉE / Marseille

JUILLET 06/07 - Meeuwen / MSC PREZIOSA / 12 jours / Ecosse Islande / Hambourg 23/07 - lol68 / NICKO MS BELLEJOUR / 15 jours / Von Wien bis ans Schwarze Meer / Vienne

AOÛT 01/08 - Micax / CFC RENAISSANCE / 11 jours / Splendeurs ibériques / Dunkerque 13/08 - MUM49 / MSC ORCHESTRA / 8 jours / Méditerranée / Marseille 17/08 - Gaston06 / CELEBRITY ASCENT / 12 jours / Italie, Grèce, Turquie / Civitavecchia 17/08 - Angelpat / MSC POESIA / 8 jours / Alaska / Seattle

SEPTEMBRE 13/09 - Ptitmimi78 / CFC Renaissance / 7 jours / Méditerranée / Marseille 14/09 - lol68 / NICKO VASCO DA GAMA / 13 jours / Ostsee Highlights / Kiel 20/09 - nebucanosor / LEGEND OF THE SEAS / 7 jours / Méditerranée occidentale/ Barcelone 25/09 - Chanpy / CELEBRITY SUMMIT / 7 jours / de Vancouver à Los Angeles / Vancouver 25/09 - Soran256 / MS EDELWEISS / 9 jours / croisiere sur le Rhin / Bâle 27/09 - sables67 / MSC ARMONIA / 8 jours / Méditerranée orientale / Venise

OCTOBRE 05/10 - LePiou / COSTA FAVOLOSA / 15 jours / Fjords Croisière Club/ Hambourg 07/10 - Fleur97490 / COSTA DIADEMA / 11 jours / Méditerranée Occidentale / Marseille 17/10 - Pierr38 / COSTA DIADEMA / 12 jours / Méditerranée occidentale / Gibraltar 18/10 - frandan83 / COSTA SERENA / 66 jours / TDM / TOKYO 19/10 - flofro63 / MSC MERAVIGLIA / 24 jours / transatlantique / Marseille 24/10 - Cristianh / MSC LIRICA / 13 jours / Méditerranée orientale / Venise

NOVEMBRE 04/11 - JOCOTO / CROWN PRINCESS / 31 jours / Océanie / SYDNEY / LOS ANGELES 09/11 – poupou10 / CELEBRITY EQUINOX / 10 jours / Méditerranée / Barcelone 12/11 – Verbatim /MSC PREZIOSA / 7 jours / Europe du Nord / Hambourg 14/11 - Véro34 / AZAMARA PURSUIT / 20 jours / Indonésie et Australie / Singapour

DECEMBRE 03/12 - Ptitmimi78 / MSC PREZIOZA / 7 jours / Europe du Nord /Le Havre 04/12 - Véro34 / AZAMARA PURSUIT / 15 jours / Australie et Nouvelle Zélande / Sydney 20/12 - Lepiou / COSTA FASCINOSA /15 jours / Caraïbes Antilles / LA ROMANA

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

MSC Orchestra cruise from October 11 to 22. 8 travelers, 7 got sick with 2 bedridden for 2 days, no port stops, no restaurants, and a medical center that told us our COVID and flu tests were negative—but in hindsight, without showing us the results. When we got back, we all went to see a French doctor (plus 100 € for the onboard consultation and medication costs), and we’re still sick more than a week later. I’d like to share my experience with other cruisers to see if they’ve been ill too, because I doubt the legitimacy and honesty of MSC’s staff. This was our 5th MSC cruise, and we were disappointed by the drop in restaurant quality and the same old entertainment—same groups at the same bars. I think this’ll be our last MSC cruise, and I’m looking forward to hearing about other companies’ experiences.

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, We took this cruise the week before you did. There were two couples in our group, and three out of four of us got sick. This cruise went really badly, even though we always travel with MSC. There was trash in the elevators and hallways. We’re used to eating at the second seating, so we’d go down at 6:30 PM for drinks before the show, which starts at 7:30 PM. It was impossible to get served—only 3 times in 11 days!! At the restaurant, our friend was served the appetizer with the main course, and my partner had already finished dessert when they brought out a *new* main course for him... Never again on this ship. We shared our feedback with CUSTOMER, and their response? A 50 € credit to spend on our next cruise. LOL, they can keep it.

Hi Has anyone sailed with the French company CFC? What do you think? Haven’t seen many reviews about this company.

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

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.

Bonjour, Nous voila de retour de cette croisière. Embarquement à Dunkerque: les portes ouvraient à 12h environ, étant un peu en avance, je suis allée demander pour que mon mari PMR attende à l'intérieur plutôt que s/ son déambulateur dehors. Je l'ai donc laissé avec les 2 valises et nos 2 sacs à dos dans le petit hall pendant que j'allais garer le véhicule s/ le parking réservé avec CFC au tarif de 10 euros/ jour. La navette qui devait reconduire les gens du parking au pavillon des maquettes devait arriver dans 5 minutes et au bout de 15 minutes toujours rien. Après 15 min d'attente j'ai vu un Mr qui partait à pieds et je lui ai demandé de l'accompagner. En 15 minutes nous étions arrivés et toujours pas vu de navette car elle nous aurait dépassé.Arrivée au pavillon des maquettes . Mon mari avait déjà enregistré les valises avec l'aide d'1 personne de CFC.Restaient les formalités à remplir ce qui fut fait rapidement.Nous étions à bord à 12h15. Direction le buffet au pont 11 et attente de pouvoir accéder à la cabine dans 1 salon. A 14h , découverte de la cabine balcon au pont 9 à l'arrière: spacieuse avec un grand balcon comparé à MSC/COSTA. Etant à l'arrière, cabine 9202 , toujours un problème d'ascenseur le numéro 4: " car préference". L'ascenseur numéro 2 s'arrête au pont 10...et l'ascenseur numéro 3 souvent en panne, il ne reste que le numéro 1 pour les PMR pour accéder au buffet pour les personnes ayant également du mal à monter les escaliers.A noter 1 seule enfant à bord et beaucoup de "cheveux gris". JOUR 2: en mer. Beaucoup d'activités de proposées. Jour 3: GOTEBORG ( Suède).soleil 19 degrés à 11h Excursion prise avec CFC: Goteborg et Haga pour tous. Visite interessante avec une guide TB. Le quartier HAGA à notre avis plein de pavés et rien de spécial et pas adapté aux personnes se déplaçant avec une canne ou fauteuil.Ascenseur numéro 3 en panne.. Jour 4: Copenhague15 degrés le matin, averses ap-midi. Pas pris d'excursion ayant déjà fait escale avec CFC en 2025 et s/ les conseils des personnes de ce forum, nous avions pris le bus op-on/op-off face au bateau. Je suis allée quand même revoir la petite sirène . Plus de TV, ascenseur réparé. JOUR 5 : en mer , tj pas de TV JOUR 6 : GDANSK ( Pologne).15 degrés pluie toute la journée. Il y a 1 navette pour aller dans le C Ville. Nous avons pris l'excursion:Panorama de Gdansk. Le guide nous a laissé dans l'entrée du C Ville pour 45 minutes en nous donnant ce qu'il y avait à visiter.RV pour la suite des visites à 15h. Le bus est parti à 15h15 pour faire 10 km pour aller voir la Cathédrale d'Olivia .Nous y sommes arrivés à 16h16....le guide nous a dit que dans ce sens il y avait souvent des bouchons..Nous avons eu 10 min s/ place pour aller ensuite voir le phare et le monument de Westerplatte où là aussi nous avons eu 10 minutes s/ place. Nous étions bcp à nous interroger pourquoi nous n'avions pas fait le circuit dans l'autre sens puisqu'il s'avait qu'il y aurait des bouchons... Je suis allée à la réception me plaindre de cette organisation .La personne m'a lu le programme: nous devions commencer par le phare puis aller à la Cathédrale et y rester 30 min pour rejoindre le centre de Gdansk pour 1 courte promenade guidée avec un peu de temps libre pour acheter des souvenirs etc.. Le guide a fait tout le contraire de ce qui était prévu et pas de visite guidée puisqu'il nous a lâché dans la ville.... JOUR 7 : Ile de Bornholm (Danemark) 14 degrés quelques rayons de soleil Nous avions vu dans les excursions qu'il y avait découverte de RONNE à pieds. Donc comme beaucoup nous avons visité par nous-mêmes. Il y avait 1 petit orchestre pour nous accueillir s/ le port et 2 personnes avec des plans de la ville. Nous avons pris la navette pour sortir du port, navette toutes les 15 min.Office du tourisme à côté du "shuttel bus". Visite agréable à notre rythme. JOUR 8: KIEL ( Allemagne) 18-23 degrés, beau temps Nous avons pris l'excursion KIEL pour tous. Guide TB et visites interessantes. Le port est en ville et en 10 minutes nous sommes dans le CVille en suivant un trait bleu au sol depuis le port jusqu'au centre.Ascenseur 3 de nouveau bloqué...de nouveau la TV. JOUR 9 : en mer; l'ascenseur 3 fonctionne JOUR 10: en mer ; l'ascenseur 3 de nous veau en panne... JOUR 11: débarquement à Dunkerque. Les cabines doivent être libérées à 7h30.Buffet ouvert jusqu'à 9h. Ascenseur numéro 1 "réquisitionné" , reste le 2 qui ne va pas jusqu'au 11... problème pour les PMR qui doivent traverser tout le pont 11 et essayer d'avoir un des 4 ascenseurs en fonction à l'avant avec bcp de monde à les utiliser. Mon avis; escales interessantes. Personnels à bord toujours aussi accueillants , souriants et parlant français pour la plupart. Spectacles le soir de meilleure qualité qu'en Mars/Avril 2025 tant chanteurs-danseurs-animateurs et des costumes mieux.. Moins bien aimé ceux du "magicien". Il y a eu 3 conférences à bord par une personne très cultivée mais qui débordait du sujet et trop historique à mon goût.Je n'ai pas assisté aux 2 autres, mon mari a suivi la 2ème mais pas la 3ème.. Pour cette croisière il y avait le thème du Bridge mais nous ne sommes pas joueurs ni intéressés. Nous n'avions pas pris de forfait boissons à bord , il y a l'eau à disposition, café, thé, tisanes.

Nous avons eu un problème d'infiltration d'eau dans la cabine la veille du débarquement.Nous l'avons signalé et une fois le personnel technique passé ( avec traducteur ne parlant pas anglais), on nous a demandé de laisser la cabine pendant quelque temps pour la réparation.Nous sommes allés dans un salon et au bout d'1h30 je suis allée aux nouvelle à la réception. Réparation + longue que prévue...il fallait changer de cabine.....pas évident la veille du débarquement. Plus de cabine balcon disponible, nous avons eu 1 vue mer la 6075 avec baignoire ( impossible de l'utiliser pour nous deux). Nous avons donc fait nos valises , pris 1 douche dans notre cabine et nous sommes descendus dans la nouvelle.Bruits de chaises jusqu'à 0h30 car cabine sous un salon et un bruit continuel de ventilation dans le couloir.....le sommeil a été difficile à trouver. Débarquement: bien organisé. Nous avons été aidés pour le transport des 2 valises + sacs dans la salle d'attente le temps que je prenne la navette pour aller récupérer le véhicule. Guylène

Hi everyone,

I’m back from this “mixed” two-week cruise in the Indian Ocean on the Norwegian Sky.

Originally, I had booked a cruise with AIDA (also in the Indian Ocean), but unfortunately, the company decided to cancel it and offered us other options, which we declined because the dates didn’t work for us.

Since my wife really wants to do a cruise in the Indian Ocean, but very few companies offer this destination, it’s a bit complicated—especially when the dates don’t line up. Finding a good compromise between companies and timing is tough. Retirement can’t come soon enough!!!

After some research, I found a really great itinerary with Silversea (a luxury cruise line) for a 19-day cruise from Cape Town to Victoria, stopping in Madagascar (2 days), Praslin, La Digue... But my wife couldn’t get the time off. Not only was the itinerary amazing, but the price was unbeatable (5,200 € per person for a balcony suite, all-inclusive). What a shame—I would’ve loved to try this company, but maybe next time (if we’re lucky enough to have the chance).

My wife tried to take unpaid leave but wasn’t successful... Oh well!

On my end, I have more flexibility with vacation time since I travel a lot for work, so I can accumulate my days off and take them when it suits me.

So, we settled for this cruise (the only one that matched my wife’s vacation dates). Sure, we weren’t thrilled about the ship, but the itinerary wasn’t bad. We figured, why not?

I requested a quote from Logitravel, and after a discount, we paid 2,600 € per person for a balcony cabin (category BA) with the More At Sea package, which includes: 300 minutes of internet, premium drinks, 5 restaurants, and discounts on excursions...

The itinerary:

Day 1 Dubai (UAE) Boarding 11:59 PM Day 2 Abu Dhabi (UAE) 7:00 AM Day 3 Abu Dhabi (UAE) 2:00 PM Day 4 Sea day Day 5 Sea day Day 6 Sea day Day 7 Sea day Day 8 La Digue (Seychelles) 10:00 AM 8:00 PM Day 9 Mahé (Seychelles) 7:00 AM 8:00 PM Day 10 Sea day Day 11 Antsiranana (Madagascar) 7:00 AM 6:00 PM Day 12 Sea day Day 13 Pointe des Galets (Réunion) 8:00 AM 9:00 PM Day 14 Port Louis (Mauritius) 7:00 AM Day 15 Port Louis (Mauritius) 8:00 AM

After booking the cruise, I started looking for flights (Paris/Dubai and Mauritius/Paris). It’s peak Easter vacation time, so tickets are crazy expensive... I ran several simulations on Skyscanner and was shocked by the prices.

A direct flight from Paris to Dubai with Emirates is 1,400 € per person (one way), and the return from Mauritius to Paris (also with Emirates via Dubai) is 1,350 € per person.

Given these outrageous prices, I decided to book a flight with a layover. The best value I found was with Qatar (via Doha) for 650 € per person, with a 2.5-hour layover in Doha, and a direct flight from Mauritius to Paris with Corsair for 750 € per person.

With the More At Sea package, we had a 300 € credit per person for flight tickets (as long as we booked through NCL).

I requested a quote, and they offered: OUTBOUND: April 18, 2025 – Egyptair CDG-CAIRO 10:05 PM-2:30 AM February 19, 2025 – CAIRO-DUBAI 5:30 AM-10:55 AM RETURN: May 3, 2025 – Kenya Airways Port Louis-Nairobi 6:50 PM-10:10 PM, Nairobi-CDG 11:50 PM(+1)-7:30 AM (price: 950 € per person).

Sure, the price was good, but we didn’t want to fly with those airlines, and NCL didn’t have any other options. So, we booked our flights ourselves.

D-Day: Departure from Paris on April 18 with Qatar via Doha:

Two days before leaving, I checked in online and took the opportunity to buy seats near the emergency exits since my wife tends to get swollen legs on long flights. So, she prefers having extra legroom (cost: 132 € per person). It’s a bit pricey, but peace of mind is priceless.

Usually, when I have an early flight from Roissy, I always book a hotel the night before (near the airport) to avoid stress and not miss my flight. But since it was school vacation time and Good Friday, we decided to leave very early from home...

The flight was scheduled for 9:05 AM. We live 70 km from the airport and had to be there by 7:05 AM.

We barely slept... Up at 4:30 AM, and by 5:45 AM, our Uber was outside. We arrived at the airport (Roissy Terminal 1) by 6:50 AM.

Check-in was smooth—less than 10 minutes, and our bags were dropped off with boarding passes in hand.

This was my first time flying out of Roissy Terminal 1 since it was renovated for the Olympics. Wow, it’s a huge improvement—nothing like the old “camembert box” we used to know!

A few photos:

















Coming up: Layover in Doha

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 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!

I’ve just returned from a cruise on the COSTA DELIZIOSA and wanted to share my thoughts for anyone considering this cruise line.

**Boarding in VENICE:** AVOID – it took a total of 3 hours before we could finally board!

**CABINS:** Our group had booked cabins with portholes. These were on the first deck, around cabins 1230 to 1257, and they were fine—no complaints. BUT some of us had cabins in the 13xx range, and that was a completely different story. These were right next to the engines, with an UNBEARABLE noise level!!! Those guests had to fight to get their cabins changed. One couple, after two days of hassle and endless discussions, finally got a balcony cabin. However, another couple was DOWNGRADED to a tiny INTERIOR CABIN—even though they had originally booked a porthole cabin!

COSTA clearly doesn’t care about its customers. Of course, these guests are still pursuing compensation, but their cruise was ruined.

Now, let’s talk about meals, the MY DRINK package, and the shows.

**Self-service meals:** NOT GREAT AT ALL. The buffets were chaotic—no pizza buffets like on MSC (because if you want pizza, you have to pay for it!). No pasta buffets either, unlike MSC.

**Restaurant meals:** Overall, they were okay, but whatever you do, don’t order the "3 Chefs" dishes—you’ll be very disappointed! And if you dine at the 3 Chefs restaurant, the menu costs 59 €!

**MY DRINK package:** In theory, ALL DRINKS ARE INCLUDED except for certain alcohols. They leave a large bottle of mineral water in your cabin, but if you drink it, they charge you for it despite the package. And on top of that, you’re only allowed 7 small bottles of water, while the number of alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails is unlimited?????

**SHOWS:** HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! They only lasted half an hour, with no elaborate costumes, no real choreography—just one or two singers or a juggler on stage performing the entire evening’s show.

And the sound system? UNBEARABLE—so loud!

We had dinner during the second seating—which we really didn’t appreciate—and since meals ended at 10:30 PM, we’d look for a quiet spot afterward, but there wasn’t one! Music was blasting everywhere, and it was WAY too loud!

Another issue: The satisfaction survey. **Would you recommend COSTA to your friends and family?** Then the presenter gives you this whole speech about how the staff works 24/7 and that if you say you’re not satisfied, you’re punishing the hardworking crew. It’s emotional blackmail—unbelievable!!!

The staff, though, was absolutely lovely—housekeeping, waiters, everyone was so kind!

**Final verdict:** NEVER AGAIN with COSTA. For them, it’s all about MAXIMIZING PROFITS. If I ever go on another cruise, it’ll be with MSC or another line.

Hi there,

To celebrate an anniversary, we’re dreaming of a truly amazing luxury cruise where we’d be pampered.

We’ve already traveled in the Yacht Club on MSC. It was fantastic, especially since it was in the fjords.

But do you have any other cruise lines to recommend?

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

Good evening everyone, since many loyal MSC customers have been asking for it, it seems that the tier system and benefits of the MSC Voyagers Club are undergoing a major reform! Does anyone here have any information? Thanks in advance. Foxpyzy

😉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

Hi, We’re leaving at the end of March for a cruise on the MSC Sinfonia. We’ll be departing from Athens, then Izmir, Istanbul, Corfu, Bari, and back to Athens. Would anyone have any info on the Sinfonia, and especially about the excursions in Corfu and Bari? Can we explore the city on foot, or are there MSC shuttles available?

Thanks for any tips you can share!

Cruise on the MSC Virtuosa with stopovers in Pointe-à-Pitre, Antigua, St Kitts, Philipsburg, and Tortola from March 8 to 15, 2025. Is it better to book MSC’s excursions, or are there easy ways to explore on our own in some ports?

Thanks for your feedback!

Danielle

Hi there, I’m considering a cruise on this ship in the recently introduced Yacht Club category. Have any forum members tried it? What are your thoughts? Positive or negative? Which cabins should we go for—or avoid? We’re already familiar with the Yacht Clubs on the Splendida, Fantasia, Preziosa, and Divina series. We weren’t as keen on the one on the Seashore—we found it too big. Thanks in advance for your feedback! Best, Claudine

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

Hi everyone, just wanted to say how happy I am to be back on this forum—it really helped me out on my previous trips. I’ve missed it these past few years, so thanks for bringing it back to life! Long live Voyage Forum! We’re boarding the MSC World Europa next month. I’d love to hear any tips or see photos from anyone who’s already been on this ship. We’ll be in cabin 14135 if anyone’s been in the same one. Thanks in advance! Seb

Hi there, We’re leaving Las Palmas on 13/01 for a cruise on the MSC Opera with stops in Fuerteventura, Funchal, Tenerife, Lanzarote, and La Palma. Has anyone taken taxis from these places to explore the islands, and how much should we budget to compare with the ship’s excursions? Can you negotiate the fare? Any drivers you’d recommend? Thanks for your tips 👍 and happy New Year 2025 😊😊

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, Okay, here I go—I haven’t done a cruise review in ages, and even longer since I’ve posted one on this forum. So, this is kinda your fault, Catherine, if I’m getting back into it... I just hope I haven’t lost my touch!

It’s a transatlantic cruise, so there are a lot of sea days. That means this review will mostly focus on the ship, especially the "Haven" section, which doesn’t get much coverage on this forum. There’ll definitely be some comparisons with MSC’s Yacht Club, since they’re direct competitors.

This will be my third cruise with NCL—a company I really love—but my first in The Haven.

My two previous cruises were on smaller ships: the NCL Sun for the Chilean fjords and the NCL Spirit in February 2025 in Asia, departing from Taiwan and arriving in Korea. I *loved* the Spirit.

Alright, let’s get started!

This trip was booked almost last-minute in early October for late November, after I had to cut short my August trip for medical reasons.

At first, when I looked at this cruise, I hadn’t specifically decided to go for The Haven. I wanted a relaxing cruise but still with destinations I hadn’t been to before. I kinda stumbled upon this one, and the itinerary appealed to me. I also found the balcony cabin price pretty good—around 2800 € for a balcony cabin (for two), all-inclusive package included. Not including flights, of course. In the end, we decided to try The Haven (obviously not the same price), but I think we got a great deal for the promised perks.

Itinerary: Departure from Lisbon, arrival in Galveston, Texas. Stops: St. Martin, St. Thomas, La Romana, Cabo Rojo, Falmouth in Jamaica.

Hi there, I’d love to go on a Mediterranean cruise, but I’m a bit nervous about doing it solo. Thanks for your advice!

Hello everyone, So happy to be back on this Forum! We’re heading off on another cruise—our 7th—after a 5-year break... We’ll be leaving from Venice on April 26th with stops in Kotor, Mykonos, Santorini, and Ancona. Could you help me plan the stops by sharing tips, tricks, and advice? For those who already know me, you know we prefer not to take the cruise line’s excursions but instead organize everything ourselves. Thanks in advance to everyone, and looking forward to chatting with you all!

I’ve finally gotten around to writing a review of our transatlantic cruise on the Costa Fortuna. We’ve always loved cruises, especially transatlantic ones. In recent years, we were MSC customers (Diamond card). But this year, we decided to return to Costa, though there was one downside: we lost all the points from our old Costa card (I think we were "Gold"). Still, since we’re former customers, the company generously gave us 1 point and the bronze card. It’s better than nothing.

Our departure nearly went wrong. The ship was leaving Marseille on Friday, December 22 at 2:00 PM, and we were told to be at the port by 10:30 AM. This unusual departure time meant we had to travel to Marseille the day before (since we live in the Paris area). So, we booked a flight from Orly to Marseille on the 21st at 5:15 PM. But December 21 was a particularly rough day in France with a big snowstorm. And as everyone knows, planes and trains don’t handle snow very well. At Orly, in the waiting area, everyone was anxious as the minutes ticked by. The departure time kept getting pushed back in 15-minute increments. They eventually let us board the plane with no guarantees. Once inside, the captain announced we were waiting for a takeoff slot. About an hour later, he said the plane needed de-icing and the wait could be long since airport staff were overwhelmed. Miraculously, after what felt like forever, the de-icing truck finally arrived, and we took off—over two hours late. When we landed in Marseille, the terminal was practically empty. Luckily, our hotel wasn’t too far away.

We later found out that passengers who took the train were even less lucky—trains were canceled. Later, at our table, we met a neighbor who had boarded in Malaga by plane because his Paris-Marseille train had turned back. He’d incurred extra costs, lost two days of the cruise, and had quite a bit of stress.

The next day in Marseille, our boarding went smoothly. We were surprised by the large number of passengers. We later learned that 1,300 people had boarded in Marseille. Since the ship wasn’t full (between 2,300 and 2,500 passengers), the French were in the majority (a rare occurrence). We noticed during the cruise that the French are just as loud as the Italians. The only upside? At least we could understand what was being said.

More to come later.....