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 there, In June we’re taking a cruise called "Pearls of the Baltic" on board Renaissance CFC Cruises—with stops in Kiel (Germany), Gdańsk (Poland), Rønne (Bornholm), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Gothenburg (Sweden).

This layover in Gothenburg doesn’t really inspire me—could you tell me what’s worth seeing? Are there locals offering excursions around the area by van right when you leave the port, like you often see on Caribbean cruises?

I saw there’s a hop-on hop-off bus, but I’m not sure if there’s a stop near the terminal.

What are your suggestions? Thanks in advance! Best regards,

Hi! On June 10th, we’re heading off on a 10-day Baltic Sea cruise with CFC Cruises’ *Renaissance*. We’ll be stopping in Copenhagen, and we’re planning to take the City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off buses to explore the city with multiple stops. Could anyone tell me which quay cruise ships usually dock at and how to get from the quay to the nearest stop to board the tour bus? Thanks for your tips and suggestions!

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

hi there, a group of friends and I are going on a cruise at the end of June with CFC in Norway. I’d love to get some info on the different stops we’ll be making. Most of them are one-day stops (from around 10 AM to 8 PM on average). Here are the stops: Andalsnes, Trondheim, Honningsvåg, Alta, Hellesylt, Sandane, Austefjorden.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share what there is to see or do in these places.

When I get back, I’ll post what we did—it might help others who come after us.

Also, does anyone know if the boat sticks to the arrival time in Dunkirk for catching tickets to head back south? We’ll plan a buffer just in case.

Thanks everyone!

😉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 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.

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.

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 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 there, I have an MSC Diamond card and I was wondering how long MSC points remain valid if I don’t take any new cruises. Thanks, mich74

Hi there,

We’re boarding a Costa cruise on the Deliziosa next weekend at 11:30 AM. Our flight lands at 10 AM at Trieste Airport. Unfortunately, there’s no train before 11 AM, so we’ll arrive around noon, later than the time indicated on the boarding pass. Could you confirm that we can easily arrive 30 minutes later? I imagine there must be quite a wait to board.

Thanks so much!

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.

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 there,

Do you have a hotel near the cruise port (or easy to reach by metro with luggage) to recommend? I’m planning to spend two days there before boarding.

Thanks in advance! Claudine

Hi everyone,

Can anyone give me some info about this Spa Access day? We traveled with Costa until 2017, and back then, spa access wasn’t just for a day—it was for the entire cruise if you were staying in a suite... Times change, I guess. When I check MY COSTA, under Thermal Space Access Day appointments, it’s possible to book every day, even at sea, but with payment required on the site. Do we need to book this day on board if we want to take advantage of the free day? Or do we book it on the site and the freebie is applied automatically? Are sea days included in this case? Since 2017, we’ve been traveling with MSC YC, but this time, we’re going as a family with kids and grandkids, so the YC is a bit too much of a luxury and not really suitable for 3 kids.

Thanks for any feedback!

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!

Hello, My current dream for a potential (last?) big trip during our winter of 2026 is mentioned in the title. I’m particularly interested in the ship "Exploris One" (17 nights on board in January-February 2026), operated by the French company EXPLORIS (founded by former Ponant team members), and it seems to be a fully French-speaking experience with a maximum of 120 passengers. The most competitive offer I’ve found so far is through "Croisierenet.com".

So far, we’ve only sailed and landed as far as Cape Horn (with Australis), but beyond the Antarctic Peninsula itself, it’s especially South Georgia and the richness of its wildlife colonies that appeal to me the most (and the least appealing part, of course, is the price! 🤪)

For those of you who’ve sailed along and set foot on these lands—were you truly won over and did you feel, in plain terms, that "you got your money’s worth"? If by any chance you know Exploris, what can you say about it? Same for the reliability and seriousness of Croisierenet.

Given the sums involved, is it wise to wait a few more months before deciding, hoping for bigger discounts as the departure date approaches, while counting on cabin availability in my preferred category? Currently, Exploris is offering discounts of -35% off the listed catalog prices for 2025 cruises and only -25% for 2026... On the other hand, could international flights from Paris to Buenos Aires become more expensive in the meantime? (But it seems the clientele for these cruises is marginal for this international flight, and January-February also appears to be significantly cheaper than November, especially for direct round-trip flights with Air France.)

Thanks for your feedback and any other wise advice! 😉

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 everyone, I'm really tempted by the idea of French-style cruises on smaller vessels, and I'm looking into CFC. I’d love to hear your experiences and feedback. Thanks, and have a great day!

I’d love to get some tips for DIY excursions during our cruise. The scheduled stops are Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Palermo, Rome, and Savona. Thanks in advance!

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.

Hi there, we’re taking this cruise from September 27 to October 4, 2025.

Could you share your experience on board—cabin, meals, etc.?

Are there any other members on this cruise between September 7 and October 4, 2025?

See you soon, Alexandre

Hi everyone, I’m back from my 10-day cruise to Japan and South Korea and wanted to share my experience. Before leaving, I searched the forums but found very few firsthand accounts of this kind of trip.

Just so you know, a cruise isn’t some slow, easy trip—every port stop is an adventure!

We flew from Marseille with Lufthansa via Frankfurt, with a short 1.5-hour layover that was just enough, though we still had to sprint to make our connection. We’d booked seats with extra legroom, which was great—we were next to premium economy, so we had a good spot. The airline hadn’t sold all the premium seats and kept making announcements to attract takers, but no discounts!

After about 12 hours, we arrived at Tokyo Haneda feeling pretty wiped since we hadn’t slept. The time difference is 7 hours, so we landed in late morning in Japan. We took the free rail shuttle to central Tokyo. The entry process went smoothly thanks to the Japan web app. For the subway, we’d registered our Suica card, but we hadn’t anticipated how tricky transfers could be when stations don’t always have elevators—bit of a hassle, but still cheap! Navigating the subway is super easy, though. We’d bought a SIM card on Amazon beforehand, so everything was smooth.

We’d booked a room at the Grand Hazelmon Hotel, which is near the Imperial Palace. It’s a quiet business district in the evenings and well-connected by subway.

I’d opted for a half-room, so I was worried about space, but it was fine—no smaller than a London or Paris hotel room! Breakfast was included and really good.

We even had dinner there one night—dishes were around 9 € at a 4- or 5-star hotel, so we didn’t hold back.

In the afternoon, we visited the Imperial Palace. You can’t go inside, but it’s a green oasis—surprisingly peaceful despite Tokyo’s 36 million people—and very secure.

I’ll share more of my adventures later!

Hello,

We (a family of two adults and two kids) are going on our first cruise this August on the Costa Esmeralda. To make sure everything goes smoothly, I booked a suite. I have a few questions to prepare well and I’m definitely open to any tips.

I read that a restaurant is reserved, specifically the Bellavista. What confused me a bit is that I saw others mention the Panama. I’m pretty sure it’s the Bellavista, especially after checking the ship’s layout.

About this restaurant: - Is it accessible on embarkation day, say around 1:30 PM? - Same question for when we return from excursions around 1:30 PM

I’ve done my research otherwise, but I’m still open to any advice.

Thanks in advance to all cruisers who take the time to reply.

Short version: I booked through Croisières.fr, and everything went smoothly until my order was confirmed. When I requested a date change—due to administrative reasons—the sales rep initially assured me the fee would be 50 € per person, but then demanded 600 € (negotiated down to 338 €), even though the price remained unchanged. On top of that, Paul, the sales rep, was dishonest, claiming that drinks (excluding alcohol) were included and that there were "all-inclusive" packages for alcoholic beverages, which is completely false. All drinks—even water—are charged onboard. I had also requested a cabin with two separate beds to travel with my mother, a request that wasn’t honored, forcing me to sleep on a small couch. To make matters worse, all my emails and calls to customer service were ignored or handled carelessly. While the cruise itself was satisfactory—thanks to Costa for the onboard organization—I recommend booking directly with Costa to avoid these bad surprises with Croisières.fr.

Long version: I booked a cruise for two through Croisières.fr, and the process went perfectly until the final confirmation of my order, which initially reinforced my trust. However, as soon as I requested a change in departure dates—due to a delay in obtaining my mother’s ID card—the situation quickly deteriorated. During this process, Paul, the Croisières.fr sales rep, initially told me that the date-change fee would be only 50 € per person. To my surprise, I was then hit with an exorbitant processing fee of 600 €, which was eventually negotiated down to 338 €. This turnaround was all the more baffling because the new cruise offered was priced exactly the same as the original booking on the website.

The situation worsened when the cruise line later changed the dates for internal reasons at Costa. The new dates didn’t work for us at all, especially because of my mother’s non-reschedulable medical appointment. Despite my flexibility and numerous phone calls and emails, we were forced to accept these new dates against our will. It took a lot of effort to secure another slot, even though we had been accommodating on almost all other dates.

I also noticed other serious shortcomings in Croisières.fr’s sales service. Paul, the sales rep, turned out to be dishonest: he claimed that drinks (excluding alcohol) were included in the ticket price and that there were "all-inclusive" packages for alcoholic beverages. That’s absolutely not true! Without a package, all drinks—even water—are charged onboard. Additionally, I had specifically requested a cabin with two separate beds to travel with my mother. This request wasn’t honored, and I had to make do with a small couch because there was no way to set up two separate beds.

I’m willing to accept rules and constraints if they’re communicated upfront, but these crucial details were never shared with me. What disappoints me the most is how my requests were handled by customer service. None of the emails I sent received a response, and my numerous phone calls were dealt with carelessly and without any consideration. Everything was fine until the order was confirmed, and then suddenly, there was a complete lack of attention and follow-up, leaving a bitter taste.

That said, despite these issues, I was very satisfied with the cruise itself, and I’d like to sincerely thank Costa for their excellent onboard organization. Based on this experience, I strongly advise travelers to book directly with Costa to avoid the bad surprises and lack of follow-up that seem characteristic of Croisières.fr.

Hi everyone, Little cruise heading north... First stop: Copenhagen. There’s a good chance the boat will dock at OCEAN QUAY, which is over 5 km away from the Little Mermaid! I’m struggling to figure out how to get there by taxi, bus, or shuttle. Thanks for your tips! I can still walk, but 5 km through the port area... Have a great rest of the day!

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

Hi everyone, I’m leaving at the end of March 2026 with 8 friends to celebrate an event on the MSC World Europa. I’ve been cruising for over 20 years with all kinds of companies and under many skies, but I’ve never traveled on a ship this size (6,800 people), and some specific info about this ship would be really helpful. So, to those who’ve been on this boat before—thanks in advance! SHOWS: Is it true that you have to book the evening show?... Just to secure a spot, or is it an internal rule? THE SPA: Are the saunas and hammams mixed-gender? Are there several of them? Which pools are available? SPORTS: Are there any “spaces” where ball sports like volleyball or basketball can be played? Finally, is the management of passengers flexible and friendly, or quite strict? Thanks! Happy cruising. Francis.