Discussions started by Mich74

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

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

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 there, How do you get from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Tenerife South Airport for an EZS flight? Are there buses, taxis, or other options? Thanks! Mich74

Hi Will the new airfare tax be applied to flights departing from Geneva on the French side for Air France flights to Paris? Mich74

Hi there! Celebrity is venturing into river cruises and will have 5 boats built at the Saint-Nazaire shipyards. Mich74

Hi there, Does anyone know the price of an internet package with Celebrity? Thanks in advance! Mich74

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

Hi there, What are some great tips for things to do in Honolulu? Thanks, Mich74

Bonjour Plus de voyageurs en international alors Qantas décollera en novembre pour des rotations touristique au dessus de l’Antarctique pour 12h 13 h de vols premier prix 730 euros en éco pour un siège au dessus de l'aile 🙁 4875 euros pour les meilleures places en affaire . vol en B787 dreamliner . avis aux amateurs lol source air journal Mich74

Bonjour Selon le site Tradewinds Cunard et la compagnie de luxe Seabourn pourraient etre vendues par carnival A suivre...... Mich74

Bonjour Faute de passagers le bateau du Ponant reste a quai au Havre. Mich74

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

Bonjour Une croisiere de novembre qui vient d'etre annulée par Msc en juillet rentre t'elle dans le cadre de l'ordonnance du gouvernement car cette croisière a lieu aprés le 15 septembre fin de l'ordonnance ? Mich74

Bonjour A 10 heure ce matin sur Youtube conference de presse du directeur France de Msc. Mich74

Bonjour J'ai eu un vol Swiss annulé en avril et j'attend toujours le remboursement il y a t'il de personnes qui ont déja été remboursées de vols Swiss ?

Mich74

Bonjour info air Journal La compagnie aérienne air caraïbe et sa sœur French bee annoncent pour le 12 juin le redémarrage long courrier au départ de Paris-CDG en attendant la réouverture d’Orly. Les Antilles, la Guyane, Saint-Martin et La Réunion seront initialement desservies, avec des tarifs spéciaux pour les étudiants. mich74

Bonjour En croisiére Holiday Breaks sur Msc peut on bénéficier de tous les avantages de la carte Diamond vu que c'est une durée trés courte de croisiére ? Mich74

Bonjour Bruno Le Maire, Ministre de l'économie et des finances a déclaré lundi 4 mai 2020 que l'Etat etait pret a soutenir la compagnie Corsair .

Il a précisé toutefois que les actionnaires devaient dans ce contexte "puissent faire leur part du chemin" évoquant une responsabilité collective. Et les autres compagnies Française mystère....... ?

Mich74