any one else sail on Croisieres de France CDF Horizon

i see 2 long threads about this ship, but after the one major review, what follows are a bunch of questions and comments about booking the ship themselves, but no one ever seems to post a review of their experience. mostly i am concerned about being isolated and not meeting anyone new due to the language barrier. we usually book shore excursions on our own, but i like meeting new people over dinner. is this possible or should we request a table for 2.

thanks,

steve

We did a transatlantic on the Horizon this Spring (2015), and have a Med/Adriatic cruise booked for October 31st this year on her, plus another transatlantic already booked for next Spring......so it's evident that we at least, (although there are posters not so enamored), thoroughly enjoyed the ship; we are, (except for a few appallingly fractured/limited words/sentences in a couple/few languages), glaringly unilingual English speakers.

On the last sailing there were a substantial number of 'native' English speakers, (Canadians/Americans/Brits), and most of the 'ESL' people we encountered had at least a smattering of the language, and a number were fluent, (plus, the crew members, especially the front desk and dining staff, were fluent).

Can't help you, vis-à-vis the dining room, since we ate all our meals in the buffet, (we prefer to eat when we want to eat, and make our own selection), but I would imagine fixed seating is a hit & miss affair regardless of where one's table companions are from.

Can't help you with excursions either, as we tend to head out and explore on our own.

(I'm afraid the above wasn't very comprehensive, but if you have any general/specific questions fire away and we'll take a shot at them.)