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 there... I’m wondering how to book a cruise on the Celebrity Ascent. On the American site, everything is detailed—you can choose your cabin... After checking with a travel agency, they’re offering me a "guaranteed" cabin!!😮 And I have to pay the "service fees" right away. If I book directly on the American site, are there any extra fees for currency exchange? Thanks for your replies! Have a great day! Gerty5

This isn’t a full review but a quick summary, since I’m short on time and won’t be able to do a proper one.

Our cruise started in Port Canaveral (Orlando), and there are no longer direct flights from Paris. So, we had to take a connecting flight with British Airways (code-share with American Airlines):

Paris / Miami / Orlando and the return Orlando / Philadelphia / Paris.

Three days before departure, I went on British Airways’ website to check in and buy exit-row seats so my wife could stretch her legs. That’s when I saw that one leg of the return flight (Philadelphia / Paris) had been canceled.

I called the airline, and they confirmed the flight was indeed canceled, and the agency I bought the ticket from had been informed back in September. But the agency never told me—or just forgot. So, I called GO Voyages, and it was the same old story: blah, blah, blah...

They offered me a flight with two connections, the last one in London (with an airport change at my expense—about 80 €). I refused because I’d bought a ticket with only one connection, and on top of that, there were taxi costs for the airport change.

After some back-and-forth, GO offered to refund the ticket—but in a month. So, I ended up buying two last-minute tickets at my own expense while waiting for the refund.

Never again with GO for flights—their customer service is terrible, and everything is outsourced....

The cruise I was disappointed with this cruise.

Isa was right—the service at Celebrity has really gone downhill.

The buffet was fine—everything was fresh and varied. But in the restaurants (especially the main one), the dishes were really basic (as the Canadians say) and simple (nothing like Princess).

The ship showed signs of wear and was even dirty in some places. I had to ask for our cabin to be redone when we arrived because the bathroom didn’t seem very clean.

The "Elite Club" perks are fading fast—so much so that you don’t even feel like going (just a glass of sparkling wine and some mediocre appetizers). You have to fight to get another drink if you don’t like that sparkling wine...

Before, in Concierge Class, the bottle of sparkling wine was in a champagne bucket on the coffee table with ice. Now it’s just in the fridge.

The appetizers served in the cabin around 5 PM weren’t appetizing at all. The list goes on...

Luckily, I didn’t pay much for this cruise, or I would’ve really regretted it.

The ports of call (Key West, Nassau, Puerto Plata)

I’ve already stopped at these places before, so it was just beach time and sightseeing...

Still, I had a great week under the Caribbean sun, and it was a nice break.

I’d only cruise with Celebrity again if the price was right or there was a big promo.

See you soon for more adventures! Alfred

Hello,

As you may have read or heard—or I’m letting you know now—CFC is merging with Ambassador Cruise Line 😉

I’ve sailed with Ambassador twice already, and honestly, this merger makes total sense! Both companies offer the same type of service (with Ambassador’s English touch), and they generally have similar ships and target the same clientele.

To be honest, I think this is great news! I really hope Ambassador’s influence rubs off on CFC, especially in fixing all the issues I’ve had on Renaissance that I’ve never encountered on Ambassador (food quality, service, cabin problems, etc.).

Leading Ambassador are real cruise enthusiasts—passionate people with a clear marketing direction and a much more professional way of working with travel agents than CFC.

In short, I think this is fantastic news 🙂

Plus, Renaissance will be in the Caribbean next winter, so I assume European cruises will run on Ambience and Ambition. If English doesn’t scare you (too much), and you like the cozy ship vibe with great value for money, check out Ambassador—they’ve got some amazing itineraries! 😉

If you’d like more info on Ambassador, just ask 😉

What do you all think?

Here are a few photos of Ambience

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

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

😉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 there, Here’s a little review of our cruise on the Renaissance from October 18 to 29, 2025 (11 nights). It was our first experience with CFC. Some other forum members were on board too, so we can probably compare notes and correct me if I’m wrong!

The stops were as follows: 10/18 departure from Marseille 10/19 at sea 10/20 Cartagena 10/21 Almería 10/22 Gibraltar 10/23 Cádiz 10/24 at sea 10/25 Leixões (Porto) 10/26 Vigo 10/27 at sea 10/28 at sea 10/29 Dunkirk

First, a quick intro. We’re a family of four with two kids, ages 8 and 11. We booked this cruise in January 2025, right when it went on sale. At the time, it was priced at 763 € per adult (+ 99 € in tips) and 114.45 € per child (under 12, no tips to pay) for an ocean-view cabin (all ocean-view categories were the same price). Since there was also a single-parent offer (meaning one paying adult in the cabin was enough to get the child rate for the accompanying kid), I asked if we could take advantage of this offer to get two double cabins at the same price as one quadruple cabin (to have more space), and yes, it was possible. So we booked two premium ocean-view double cabins side by side. It was the same price as a quadruple. We booked directly through CFC because my husband had a promotional code from his works council. In total, for the four of us, we paid 1830 €, tips included. It’s true we booked early, but the rate was good, and we had the constraint of traveling as a family of four, so cabin choices were more limited. It’s also worth noting that the single-parent offer is limited.

Now, about embarkation: 10/18 Marseille Coming from the north, we took the direct TGV that morning at 7:22 AM, scheduled to arrive in Marseille at 12:24 PM. The trip went smoothly, great weather, and we arrived just one minute late. I had planned to get to the port using the free 35T shuttle from Joliette. To get to the bus stop, there were two options: the metro or walking. Since the weather was beautiful and the kids needed to stretch their legs, we opted for the second option. The route is all downhill, so it was pretty easy even with the suitcases. But I wouldn’t do it the other way around! We arrived at Joliette around 12:50 PM, just in time for the 1:00 PM shuttle, which arrived a few minutes late. Other cruisers got on board too. That day, there were two Costa ships and one MSC ship at the port as well. Traffic was heavy, and the shuttle arrived at the port entrance at 1:30 PM. We were scheduled for 2:30 PM. We were lucky to be at the closest embarkation terminal. So we were among those who had the least walking to do. We dropped off our suitcases and headed to the check-in counter. There were plenty of desks and almost no passengers. So we quickly completed the embarkation formalities—in just a few minutes—and when we boarded, it wasn’t even 2:00 PM yet. We headed to the buffet, where there weren’t many people. As we finished lunch, it was around 3:00 PM when they announced the cabins were ready. We went down to drop off our luggage in the cabins and then went up to the top deck to take some photos. The ship’s daily program said the safety drill would be at 4:00 PM. So we went to deck 6 at the scheduled time. But later, they announced it would actually be at 4:30 PM! In short, we waited 30 minutes for nothing because of a difference between the scheduled and actual time! The drill itself was long. Gathering everyone took about 20 minutes, I think. Just as we finished, they announced the departure, originally scheduled for 5:00 PM, was delayed until 9:00 PM due to latecomers. We went to check out the library, which had tons of board games and books—more than we’d ever seen. What stood out on this first day was that, for the first time, we had a French-speaking embarkation, announcements only in French (except for the safety drill), French-speaking servers, a paper daily program in French, books in French (which we’d never find on another ship), and menus in French. To wrap up the day, we had dinner at Vatel. I had requested the first seating (6:30 PM) and a table for four, and we got it. We were seated upstairs near the window—a very pleasant table that we’d occupy every evening. What was a little surprising, but we got used to it, was that you had to order everything you wanted at once. The portions weren’t big, but you could choose what you wanted. The cheese was French and excellent.

To be continued...

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

Thoughts for the cruisers currently in the UAE...

Apparently MSC has kept its ship docked in Dubai for now...

Hi, We received a promotion from our CFC agency offering cruises at up to 40-100% off, and among other details: CFC organizes parking for departures from Dunkirk. "Unattended parking located about 12 minutes away, fenced off with barriers, at a rate of 10 € per day. Drop off passengers and luggage at the Model Pavilion, and a CFC shuttle will take you from the parking lot to the Model Pavilion every 15-20 minutes. Same for disembarkation. You can book through your agency or on their website. No refunds if the booking is canceled; payment is due at reservation." Have a great day, Guylène PS: Personally, we’d rather keep our vehicle in a free, supervised parking lot and take a taxi to the Model Pavilion.

Hello, For a CroisiEurope cruise on the Rhine, specifically the "Four Rivers" cruise in June, is there a gala evening with a particular dress code? Also, what about for meals and daytime wear? Thanks so much!

We're leaving from Marseille on the Costa Fortuna on November 22nd, heading to Fort-de-France, then spending 8 days in the Caribbean islands. We'd love to meet some fellow travelers!

Have any of you done this cruise? We booked the excursion package—I hope we made the right choice! I hope it’s not too long or too tiring, since we’re 73 and 76. Thanks

Hi there, I found a cruise on the Queen Victoria departing from Southampton, but the trickiest part is getting to Southampton. We’re leaving from Marseille or Paris if that’s easier. Thanks for your tips, have a great day!

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

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.

Hello everyone! Booked the cruise a year in advance for a departure from Rio on April 5th. Air France flight to Rio on April 3rd, arriving at the Windsor Plaza hotel, very well located just 300 meters from Copacabana Beach, with a pool on the 15th floor offering a view of Rio. The next morning, a behind-the-scenes visit to Rio’s Carnival—there were still some floats not yet dismantled and a little samba session. At noon, lunch on Copacabana Beach, which was deserted due to rain and gray skies all day.

Saturday, April 5th, boarding the *Marina*—still raining :( To get around Rio, we used Uber, which was really cheap—5 euros for a 15-minute ride, while taxis cost double... Arrived at the cruise terminal, boarding was very quick as usual with Oceania. The cabins would be ready around 3 PM, with luggage at the cabin door. We had booked an inside cabin. Despite numerous offers from Oceania to upgrade (with a supplement, of course), we stuck with our first choice. It’s worth noting that at least 200 cabins remained unoccupied—about 800 passengers for this transatlantic crossing... Last September, since the cruise wasn’t filling up well, Oceania lowered the price by 1,000 euros per person for an inside cabin—a great deal for us, as they adjusted the rate downward when we asked.

For this cruise, weekends and drinks at the table were included—champagne, wine, beer...—plus an onboard credit that’s now only for excursions (before, it was more flexible—another downgrade, lol).

Headed to the Terrace Café for our first meal, and what a surprise when we saw the changes... No more staff mixing your chosen salad, and way fewer options: big bowls of salad, trays of potato salad, beets, lentils—I don’t remember seeing that before—thin slices of cold cuts and cheese. On the meat side, not much choice and lower quality. Desserts also had fewer options. Well, we’ll make up for it at Jacques on the first night ;) The menu hasn’t changed much—it’s still top-notch. The seasoning is average, but it’s a safe bet.

A little note on the 15-day cruise: we ate at 11 different restaurants—3 at Jacques, 3 at Polo Grill, 3 at Toscana, and 2 at Red Ginger. Not bad for two weeks ;) A French officer invited us to Toscana, which was really nice of her. Polo Grill is still amazing—I’d rank it second after Jacques, with Toscana third and Red Ginger last. I think since the ship wasn’t full, it was easier to get into these restaurants ;)

The staff was, as always, excellent. There were 3 French employees on the *Marina*: 1 waiter at Jacques, 1 manager at Wave, and 1 officer in the offices.

In the afternoon, Tea Time had way fewer pastry choices than before... Cost-cutting seems to be happening at every level. We met people who used to stay in Penthouse Suites—before, they got a bottle of champagne in their suite every night, but since January, it’s been Prosecco instead... Just a small example of Oceania’s cost reductions. At the Terrace Café in the evening, there was no more lobster on this cruise :(

Still, the value for money on this cruise was excellent given the price we paid per person. This transatlantic crossing had 4 stops in Brazil, 1 in the Cape Verde Islands, then Dakar in Senegal, and ended in the Canary Islands.

Mich74

Hi Isabelle,

Thanks for starting this! 🙂 Here’s our cruise:

22/02 - Sounou / MSC VIRTUOSA / 15 days / Lesser Antilles / Fort-de-France

Happy 2025! Thanks so much! 😊

We’ve booked a 15-day cruise to the Marquesas and Society Islands on the PAUL GAUGUIN. Is it possible to get information about the excursions organized by Ponant? Can we do them ourselves or through a local agency? How do we organize these excursions from France?

Thanks so much!

Hi everyone!

I’d like to book my first cruise! I noticed a great deal on MSC US with premium drinks and Wi-Fi for the same price as in France! Do you know if there’s an issue with booking since you’re supposed to be a US resident, but it’s just a check?

Could you give me some info about organizing layovers on our own in: Antigua, Barbados, Roseau, Grenada, Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Tortola, Tobago, St. Martin What currency should we use? Can we pay with a bank card or a Revolut card, or do we need dollars? Thanks so much!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking about an Antarctica trip for a while now and it really appeals to me, but I’m not sure how to start my research. First off, is it better to leave from Chile or Argentina (assuming we’re not departing from France)? Is it more reassuring to travel on a large ship or a medium-sized one? What aspects should I check (total number of days, number of excursions, well-known vs. lesser-known companies, local agencies, etc.)? What are the must-sees I shouldn’t miss, and what’s unnecessary? Thanks for sharing your experiences! Best, Dominique

Hi there, I just applied for an ESTA since I’m leaving in February on MSC, and my request was approved. I just noticed I put “transit” (we arrive from France the day before and spend one night at the hotel before boarding) instead of “stay.” Does this matter, and I don’t know how to change it? Thanks for shedding some light on this! Best regards to everyone

Hi Poupou, thanks for updating the cruise departure schedule for us—Marseille CFC RENAISSANCE from December 22, 2024, to January 5, 2025 Mediterranean: Italy, Spain, France Clown 83

Hi, is anyone joining the transatlantic cruise on the Costa Fortuna from November 22 to December 12, from Marseille to Fort-de-France? I’m traveling solo, so if you’re in the same boat, feel free to reach out!

Struggling to fill up

Explora Journey is the cherry on top, but I wish that cherry were a melon," Patrick Pourbaix diplomatically put it. Without revealing the fill rate, the France director of the company admitted: Explora Journeys' first ship, Explora I, is far from full.

around 5 percent of French passengers on board.

Hi everyone, I really enjoy traveling by boat, and I usually book directly with the cruise line. At the same time, I get a lot of ads for Croisières.fr, which, as a middleman, offers me the same cruises as the cruise lines themselves. I’d love to know if any of you have booked through them before and if everything went smoothly? Thanks!

After Nice, Cannes is limiting the number of cruise ships in its bay.