Posts by Lol68

Hi Alfred, Thanks for your super-detailed account—I really enjoyed reading it. I compared it with my own experience on the Virtuosa. It was a 22-day loop from Hamburg to the Canary Islands in January 2023. The price advertised in November was unbeatable, especially for a solo cabin. And at that price, the ship was packed to the brim. That was a real problem. There’s very little space to relax—way less than on older ships. The gym is also smaller, and the entertainment areas, like the dance floor or gym, are ridiculously tiny. Lines at the buffet, endless queues to get on and off at ports. Restaurants fully booked. Even had to wait to order a coffee at noon—only two bars served it. And always the feeling of being in the middle of a crowd. You had to rush to sign up for the theater to get a seat. Then queue again to get in, just to make sure you’d be decently placed with your friends. Otherwise, I loved the itinerary and the length. And I met some really nice people. The real issue was the ship being completely full and the limited capacity of the public and entertainment areas. I’m glad you had great conditions. Maybe I’ll give it another try.

Hi Jean Michel. Which Norwegian cruise and on what date? Internet packages are really expensive on all the companies. I connect at the stops—that’s enough for me. And during a cruise in Norway last year, I noticed that in the fjords there was a special fjords network accessible just like the standard Norwegian network.

Unlimited water at the Vatel and the buffet. We get great reception near the coasts and in the fjords.

Nicko Cruise notified me today about an 8 €/night/person fuel surcharge for my river cruise in July 2026. On their website, they also list 10 €/night/person for ocean cruises.

Thanks for this awesome report! I got a notification for every new message added to this thread and the other threads I’m following.

Still interested in your review. Thanks!

5 hours for Taormina is really tight. It's better to take the boat excursion if it's offered.

Indeed, the instructions were clear: since there are shuttles, we had to drop off our luggage the night before. So I was really surprised to hear there was a disembarkation with luggage directly to the train station at 8:15 AM.

Hi Marie-Noëlle. Thanks for this super-detailed report. I’ll add Emilie Rose, the singer-pianist who created such a great vibe every evening and got us all singing. And the group of musicians who performed in the shows and sometimes at the Panoramique evenings. As for disembarking in Dunkirk, I’d expected there might be some chaos since it was the first time. I left at 9:00 AM. The shuttle picked me up at 9:30. The luggage was already almost all in the hangar (which is a plus). So I had quite a bit of time before my train. We all gathered in the station hall—with just 4 chairs! The station square is a disaster: no shops, no café, nothing. Some people stayed outside in the cold, sitting on the square. I’d spotted the B&B Hotel and asked if we could grab a coffee there. The staff was really nice. A few of us ended up hanging out there like that. The train was at the platform very early, and we were allowed to board right away. My carriage was full from the start, only cruisers. The congestion at Dunkirk station with hundreds of cruisers all at once is a major downside.

Hi Isa. Here are my cruise bookings for 2026. Hoping that peace will still reign in these countries in 2026... 14/09 - lol68 / NICKO VASCO DA GAMA / 13 days / Baltic Sea Highlights / Kiel 23/07 - lol68 / NICKO MS BELLEJOUR / 15 days / From Vienna to the Black Sea / Vienna

Hi Catherine, I just read your review in one sitting—thank you so much for sharing it. Your photos are gorgeous! !

For the two, it depends on the airline. Orly for Transavia, for example.

There’s no passenger cabin below deck 4. The bedding is good. I boarded on the same day in Le Havre. With the promotions, they filled the ship. Consequences: overworked staff and limited capacity at the buffet. Yesterday at noon, a sea day, I even saw people eating while standing. And people go to the theater 45 minutes early to get a good seat. Otherwise, the food is good, and there are plenty of lounges and space. The shows are really great.

Wonder Cruise Service. I’ve booked through them several times.

You have to go through a German agency. I haven’t tried it yet because mein Schiff doesn’t like solo travelers.

From what I recall, if you leave the ship on disembarkation day, your card is deactivated and you’re no longer allowed back on board? I once disembarked at 1:00 PM in Marseille, and our two suitcases were the only ones left in the middle of that huge hangar.

I’ve never been on this ship before. If you look at the deck plan, you’ll be able to see what’s above (cigar lounge or casino?)

On all the ships I’ve been on, the beds were separable. You just had to ask the cabin steward. This agency—and several others—also charge outrageous extra fees if you cancel.

I’m curious to know if they’ve fixed the air conditioning and plumbing issues and if they’ve finally added a second coffee and water station at the buffet. Have a great cruise!

Do a search for "CFC" and you’ll find several discussions about this cruise line.