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Review of our cruise on the Renaissance - August 1-11, 2026
Just back from our first cruise on the Renaissance, and I’d like to share a few thoughts about life on board. Our feelings are mixed—we wanted a change after several MSC cruises, but the value for money on this repositioning cruise left us torn.
After taking advantage of successive promotions, we finally secured a well-located balcony cabin for 2600 € (almost 50% off the brochure rate). Given the amenities and the ship’s age, this now feels like the absolute maximum we’d pay for that period.
Overall, we were happy with our vacation on board, but a few details—when added up—left us with a somewhat mixed impression.
The pros: - Ship size - Reasonable noise levels, except in the restaurants (aside from the covered pool area) - Spacious balcony cabin (20 + 5 m²) with plenty of storage and a bathtub with jets - Understated, tasteful decor - French language spoken on board - Friendly staff for the most part - 100% French-speaking clientele - Decent food with French dishes (even with an Indian chef) - Tables for two available (though the ship was full, so no changes possible) - Some high-quality shows, thanks to an excellent English-speaking troupe - Interesting lectures (especially on history and cetaceans)
The cons: - Unreliable air conditioning in common areas (you’d go from a freezing lounge to a hot one, as if the system only worked in certain spaces at certain times) - Aging ship with a few glitches (noises, AC, toilet flushes, lights) reported at reception (luckily, our only issue was the bathroom door not closing...) - Industrial, thawed-out bread and pastries (a letdown for a ship with a French image) - Limited fruit selection (often just apples and watermelon/melon) and not much variety in vegetables - Worn, sometimes stained restaurant towels
We’re not ruling out another cruise on the Renaissance—their itineraries are unique—but only at a very competitive price.
The pros: - Ship size - Reasonable noise levels, except in the restaurants (aside from the covered pool area) - Spacious balcony cabin (20 + 5 m²) with plenty of storage and a bathtub with jets - Understated, tasteful decor - French language spoken on board - Friendly staff for the most part - 100% French-speaking clientele - Decent food with French dishes (even with an Indian chef) - Tables for two available (though the ship was full, so no changes possible) - Some high-quality shows, thanks to an excellent English-speaking troupe - Interesting lectures (especially on history and cetaceans)
The cons: - Unreliable air conditioning in common areas (you’d go from a freezing lounge to a hot one, as if the system only worked in certain spaces at certain times) - Aging ship with a few glitches (noises, AC, toilet flushes, lights) reported at reception (luckily, our only issue was the bathroom door not closing...) - Industrial, thawed-out bread and pastries (a letdown for a ship with a French image) - Limited fruit selection (often just apples and watermelon/melon) and not much variety in vegetables - Worn, sometimes stained restaurant towels
We’re not ruling out another cruise on the Renaissance—their itineraries are unique—but only at a very competitive price.
CFC Parking in Dunkirk
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.
"Tropical Odyssey" CFC Renaissance – November 1st to 22nd, 2025
We’ve just returned from a cruise that my wife and I will remember—unfortunately, not in a good way.
There’s so much to say that I’ll proceed chapter by chapter.
Pre-Cruise
On January 24th, 2025, I booked through a supposedly attentive cruise agent the repositioning cruise of the CFC Renaissance to the French West Indies, initially departing from Le Havre, then from Dunkirk, on November 1st, 2025.
The return flight was included in the price of this trip.
From January, right after booking, this adventure got off to a bad start.
Used to major cruise lines, I asked my agent to reserve a table for 4 at the "Vatel" restaurant for the second seating, and to link this reservation to the cabin of friends traveling with us. First brush-off: "Ask the maître d’ at the restaurant entrance on the first night."
"To govern is to foresee, and to foresee nothing is to head for disaster," as Émile de Girardin said.
Following this maxim, in February, I started looking for transportation to Le Havre, which was initially the departure port. Then, I asked the travel agent which airport the return flight would land at. I knew flights from Pointe-à-Pitre to Paris served both main Parisian airports. Here, I found myself like a ping-pong ball between the cruise agent and CFC: The cruise agent said, "Ask CFC," and CFC replied, "No, your agent is your intermediary—ask them." It went back and forth like that. Impossible to pre-book the flight that would take us back to our final destination. During the summer, we learned that the departure port was no longer Le Havre but Dunkirk. We canceled our transfers to Le Havre but, of course, lost the cost of the reservations. Meanwhile, we purchased our "Beverage" package—we chose the "Fraîcheur" option, which included all non-alcoholic cocktails, canned sodas, fruit juices, bottled water, and regular coffees. This detail is important for the rest of the story. Every month, I followed up to find out the return airport. Nothing until October 28th (3 days before departure), when CFC finally informed me it was Orly, along with the flight number and time. Of course, on top of booking at full price, I had to arrange my final transfer home. Since I had very little time before the return flight, I had to book an Uber in a rush for the Orly/CDG transfer. Right after, we were told that our first stop in Lisbon—the most anticipated for many cruisers—had been canceled due to a strike at the port of Lisbon and replaced with Vigo, Spain. A completely unremarkable stop—nothing outstanding. As you can see, the prelude was already problematic, yet we’re far from reaching the peak of our disappointments. .......... to be continued soon.
"To govern is to foresee, and to foresee nothing is to head for disaster," as Émile de Girardin said.
Following this maxim, in February, I started looking for transportation to Le Havre, which was initially the departure port. Then, I asked the travel agent which airport the return flight would land at. I knew flights from Pointe-à-Pitre to Paris served both main Parisian airports. Here, I found myself like a ping-pong ball between the cruise agent and CFC: The cruise agent said, "Ask CFC," and CFC replied, "No, your agent is your intermediary—ask them." It went back and forth like that. Impossible to pre-book the flight that would take us back to our final destination. During the summer, we learned that the departure port was no longer Le Havre but Dunkirk. We canceled our transfers to Le Havre but, of course, lost the cost of the reservations. Meanwhile, we purchased our "Beverage" package—we chose the "Fraîcheur" option, which included all non-alcoholic cocktails, canned sodas, fruit juices, bottled water, and regular coffees. This detail is important for the rest of the story. Every month, I followed up to find out the return airport. Nothing until October 28th (3 days before departure), when CFC finally informed me it was Orly, along with the flight number and time. Of course, on top of booking at full price, I had to arrange my final transfer home. Since I had very little time before the return flight, I had to book an Uber in a rush for the Orly/CDG transfer. Right after, we were told that our first stop in Lisbon—the most anticipated for many cruisers—had been canceled due to a strike at the port of Lisbon and replaced with Vigo, Spain. A completely unremarkable stop—nothing outstanding. As you can see, the prelude was already problematic, yet we’re far from reaching the peak of our disappointments. .......... to be continued soon.
Getting from Tenerife South Airport to the port
Hi everyone,
how do I get from TENERIFE SOUTH Airport to the port of TENERIFE???
Thanks for your reply
Review of Renaissance Cruise (Iberian Flavors) from October 18 to 29, 2025
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...
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...
Norway Cruise: Sightseeing Ideas
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
Explora Journey Ship Fill Rate
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.
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.
French company CFC
Hi
Has anyone sailed with the French company CFC? What do you think?
Haven’t seen many reviews about this company.
MSC Lirica Greek Islands - Egypt Cruise: How to get to the center of Limassol?
hi there
we’re heading out in November and have a stop in Limassol. The port seems pretty far from the city center—what’s the best way to get there? I’m guessing there’s an MSC shuttle, but they’re usually really expensive.
we’re heading out in November and have a stop in Limassol. The port seems pretty far from the city center—what’s the best way to get there? I’m guessing there’s an MSC shuttle, but they’re usually really expensive.
Has anyone done the Canary Islands and Madeira with Costa?
Hi there,
Has anyone taken a cruise to the Canary Islands and Madeira with Costa?
Thanks for your replies!
Jibé
Costa annule sa saison 2020/2021 en Amérique du Sud
Costa annule ses croisieres pour l’amerique Du Sud pour la saison 2020/2021 et sûrement le tour du monde
Quel itinéraire pour une semaine sur le Canal du Midi?
Bonjour,
Nous planifions un voyage en Europe en 2021 - nous venons du Québec. On souhaite prendre une semaine pour faire une croisière fluviale en péniche sur le Canal du midi. Mais nous ne savons pas quel itinéraire privilégier (départ, arrivée, étapes, visites, etc.)
C'est notre première expérience en péniche, mais nous voyageons régulièrement en Europe.
On privilégie un trajet allers simple plutôt qu'un aller-retour. Aussi, nous risquons d'arriver directement d'un aéroport et celui qui nous semble le plus direct serait celui de Toulouse.
À part cela, nous serons deux couples dans la cinquantaine qui aiment profiter des bonnes choses de la vie.
Merci
Nous planifions un voyage en Europe en 2021 - nous venons du Québec. On souhaite prendre une semaine pour faire une croisière fluviale en péniche sur le Canal du midi. Mais nous ne savons pas quel itinéraire privilégier (départ, arrivée, étapes, visites, etc.)
C'est notre première expérience en péniche, mais nous voyageons régulièrement en Europe.
On privilégie un trajet allers simple plutôt qu'un aller-retour. Aussi, nous risquons d'arriver directement d'un aéroport et celui qui nous semble le plus direct serait celui de Toulouse.
À part cela, nous serons deux couples dans la cinquantaine qui aiment profiter des bonnes choses de la vie.
Merci
Croisières: difficile reprise!
Bonjour,
je viens d'être averti par VoyageForum que la précédente discussion sur le même sujet est clôturée pour cause d'encombrement des serveurs...
https://voyageforum.com/discussion/croisieres-quand-reprise-d10011245-71/
J'en rouvre donc une autre car il y aura encore certainement beaucoup de choses à dire !
Le post d'ouverture du 9 avril se terminait par :
"On peut rêver, mais il faut aussi parfois revenir sur terre à défaut d'être en mer. Pour moi il y aura extrêmement peu de départs avant l'automne en étant très optimiste !!! Je prépare déjà un plan B pour notre départ du 17/10 depuis le Japon Nous avons heureusement des vols reportables. Qui vivra verra.... Qu'en pensez-vous ?"
Nous y sommes bientôt. Je regrette d'avoir vu juste même si j'ai fait l'objet de pas mal de quolibets, voire pire, d'interprétations malveillantes de mes propos mais c'est la vie !
En tout cas merci à toutes et à tous pour vos participations très actives, je pense que la majorité d'entre nous a appris beaucoup de choses intéressantes grâce à elles. On continue ?
Bonne journée.
je viens d'être averti par VoyageForum que la précédente discussion sur le même sujet est clôturée pour cause d'encombrement des serveurs...
https://voyageforum.com/discussion/croisieres-quand-reprise-d10011245-71/
J'en rouvre donc une autre car il y aura encore certainement beaucoup de choses à dire !
Le post d'ouverture du 9 avril se terminait par :
"On peut rêver, mais il faut aussi parfois revenir sur terre à défaut d'être en mer. Pour moi il y aura extrêmement peu de départs avant l'automne en étant très optimiste !!! Je prépare déjà un plan B pour notre départ du 17/10 depuis le Japon Nous avons heureusement des vols reportables. Qui vivra verra.... Qu'en pensez-vous ?"
Nous y sommes bientôt. Je regrette d'avoir vu juste même si j'ai fait l'objet de pas mal de quolibets, voire pire, d'interprétations malveillantes de mes propos mais c'est la vie !
En tout cas merci à toutes et à tous pour vos participations très actives, je pense que la majorité d'entre nous a appris beaucoup de choses intéressantes grâce à elles. On continue ?
Bonne journée.
Avoir valable 18 mois ou plutôt remboursement intégral?
Bonjour
Je suis un client assidu des croisières MSC , réservé et payé en totalité une croisière Europe prévue le 27/MARS/2020, et ce auprès d'une agence.
J'ai anticipé et demandé un report début Mars 2020 en raison de la pandémie.Or cette croisière a été de facto supprimée par la compagnie.
Une conseillère de l'agence m'a contacté et proposé une croisière pour le 5/9/2020 et s'est empressée de m'envoyer la commande.
Cependant j'ai toujours refusé cette croisière et jamais finalisé.
Ils me harcèlent pour finaliser , et en plus réclament 528 Euros de frais de report , injustifiés.
Suis j en droit de réclamer un avoir valable 18 Mois ou plutot un remboursement intégral.
Merci de votre réponse.
Meilleures salutations.
Melaya Mohamed
Pensez-vous que MSC et Costa vont reprendre le 15 août?
Bonjour,
Normalement, les paquebots MSC et les paquebots COSTA (pour la plupart) repartent faire des croisières le 15 août.
J'aimerais bien avoir vos avis. Qu'en pensez-vous ? Ils vont repartir à cette date ou pas d'après vous ? Merci.
Pierre
Normalement, les paquebots MSC et les paquebots COSTA (pour la plupart) repartent faire des croisières le 15 août.
J'aimerais bien avoir vos avis. Qu'en pensez-vous ? Ils vont repartir à cette date ou pas d'après vous ? Merci.
Pierre
Quatorze navires Hurtigruten remis en service d'ici septembre
La compagnie du célèbre Express Côtier va remettre en service quatorze de ses seize navires d'ici quelques semaines. En plus de la Norvège et de l'Arctique, seront également programmés des itinéraires dans les îles Britanniques.
Lire la suite...
Plan de reprise des croisières Costa
Bonjour
Voilà ce qui serait prévu à partir de la mi-août :
http://crew-center.com/costa-cruises-plans-re-start-voyages-7-ships-5-phases
Cordialement
Voilà ce qui serait prévu à partir de la mi-août :
http://crew-center.com/costa-cruises-plans-re-start-voyages-7-ships-5-phases
Cordialement
Aida Cruises reprend ses croisières en août
Bonjour
Carnival a annoncé jeudi que sa filiale Aida Cruises reprendrait ses croisières en août avec trois navires. Les croisières étaient en pause depuis la mi-mars en raison de la pandémie de Covid-19. Les investisseurs se réjouissent de cette annonce puisque que le titre du numéro un mondial des croisières est attendu en forte hausse en préouverture des marchés actions américains.
source capital
Mich74
Suite au Covid, des paquebots partent à la casse...
Namasté,
D'abord, le Costa Victoria :
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/costa-victoria-carnival-retire-ships/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3UQNpwJts_yp74Scvv4eDfk0Ri85nUn8pVH1ka1sCT5ZRGo4n9bEGmR4Y
Qui était encore agréable l'an passé : https://www.facebook.com/pg/TriptyqueNaval/photos/?tab=album&album_id=616595702099111
Et ensuite 2 Pullmantur (Royal Caribbean à 49%) :
https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/saint-nazaire-44600/covid-19-les-premiers-paquebots-de-croisiere-partent-a-la-casse-6896290
Le Souverain des mers et le Monarque des mers devraient être démantelés en Turquie.
Vous avez vu d'autres annonces de démolition ?
PS : pour les avions, c'est pire ...
D'abord, le Costa Victoria :
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/costa-victoria-carnival-retire-ships/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3UQNpwJts_yp74Scvv4eDfk0Ri85nUn8pVH1ka1sCT5ZRGo4n9bEGmR4Y
Qui était encore agréable l'an passé : https://www.facebook.com/pg/TriptyqueNaval/photos/?tab=album&album_id=616595702099111
Et ensuite 2 Pullmantur (Royal Caribbean à 49%) :
https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/saint-nazaire-44600/covid-19-les-premiers-paquebots-de-croisiere-partent-a-la-casse-6896290
Le Souverain des mers et le Monarque des mers devraient être démantelés en Turquie.
Vous avez vu d'autres annonces de démolition ?
PS : pour les avions, c'est pire ...
Changement de navire sur croisière déjà réservée
Bonsoir
Pour notre croisière de décembre 2020 sur le Msc Seaview (Dubai) Msc change de bateau ca sera le Msc Fantasia.
Puis je annuler cette croisière pour cette raison ?
Merci et bonne soirée à vous.
