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

Hello! We’re heading out on a cruise from Copenhagen soon, and I’d love to know how to get from the central train station to the MSC Poesia’s embarkation port using public transport. How do we get from the ship to downtown Oslo? What’s there to do in Eidfjord? I’ll admit I visited Copenhagen and Oslo a long time ago, so I’m guessing the ships might’ve changed their docking spots by now 😅

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

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

Hi,

Is it possible to get promotions on the MSC Yacht Club section? What strategy should I adopt to get the best prices: book in advance or at the last minute? Is it better to book directly with MSC or through a third-party provider to get the best value for money? Thanks

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?

contact me to get referred at MSC, for your first cruise or if you haven't traveled with MSC in over 5 years

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

Hello everyone,

What a great forum this is! Someone recommended it to me during my last cruise (my first one, too).

After that amazing trip in January this year, I’d love to go again.

But I’d like to know how to negotiate and which travel or booking agency to use to get the best prices. Normally, I book either in Switzerland (very expensive) or directly with MSC, but I’ve been told not to do that. So, I’m here to find the best way to book with MSC. As for dates, I’m pretty flexible, and my departure point—since I live in Switzerland—would be Genoa, Marseille, or somewhere near Rome.

Thanks in advance for all your future responses!

Best regards, Robert

Hi, I’m traveling on the Symphony of the Seas in February 2026 and I’ve purchased the refreshment package.

I’d like to know if we want an alcoholic cocktail, will we pay the difference or the full price of the drink?

Thanks for your replies.

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

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 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!

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

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

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

Hi everyone, I’m starting to look into small solo cruises, for now in November. It’s my first cruise, so I’m a bit nervous. Anyone potentially interested in 7 days in Italy, Tunisia, and Spain? If you’ve got any tips, I’d love to hear them. Looking forward to reading your replies

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, I was wondering if any of you have dealt with a death. Does the Gold card reimburse the full cost of the trip, please?

😉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, On the MSC Musica, there’s no Yacht Club—do you know if there’s a dedicated Aurea restaurant? Thanks in advance for your reply..

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.

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!

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

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, we’re going on a cruise with MSC Virtuosa in the Caribbean. Has anyone done this cruise before and could give us some tips for excursions on the different islands? Thanks for your help