PHOTO REVIEW! Zuiderdam's Baltic Adventure

Stockholm from the ferry.

All those pictures bring back good memories. Our Baltic cruise our favorite port was St Petersburg, that had been on my bucket list for many years. Nice to relive that cruise through your review.

Allan

Thanks for reading. I'm happy you are enjoying the review!

St. Petersburg was, indeed, one of the highlights of this itinerary. There is just SO much to see there.

I am catching up.

Wonderful review and great pictures.

You are bringing back so many memories from several of our cruises in those ports.

Thanks for reading. I'm happy you are enjoying the review!

St. Petersburg was, indeed, one of the highlights of this itinerary. There is just SO much to see there.

We have been to St Petersburg 4 times (once when it was Leningrad) and we still have not seen everything there.

We have been to St Petersburg 4 times (once when it was Leningrad) and we still have not seen everything there.

Wow! I can certainly see how that is possible. There is just SO much. Really a beautiful place though. Also, I was surprised to see how much damage was done to Catherine's Palace and Peterhof by the Germans during WWII. The Russians really did a remarkable job of restoration.

Day 11 [Day at Sea]

06/19/2017 - 11.13pm

Finally a day at sea after a week of non-stop touring! The trip truly has been wonderful but exhausting.

The Mariner's Brunch was at 11.30am and the fabulous pea soup was served. The tiles are a new design for 2017 and look quite nice. These Delft keepsakes are such a nice HAL touch. I decided to check out the towel folding presentation as I've never been to one even after numerous cruises. Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon just lounging about, reading our books. Laying in a wooden steamer chair on the promenade deck with a book and a blanket is one of the great pleasures of sea travel.

At 6.00pm I went to listed to the Adagio Duo in the Explorer's Lounge. They did a beautiful rendition of Nesun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot!

Tonight was the 2nd Gala Night so DH was excited to have the lobster tails. I ended up with two filets as I don't eat lobster. There was a delicious foie gras as an appetizer though! Tonight's show was wonderful; much better than the one last week. It was the Billboard "Off the Charts" show and was really done well.

Tomorrow is our day in Warnemünde and our ride on the Molli train!

Day 12 [Warnemünde / Rostock, Germany]

06/20/2017 - 10.59pm

Today we called at Warnemünde which many passengers used as a gateway to Berlin. We decided to pass on Berlin as it is almost a 3 hour train ride each way and would be far too exhausting of a day. Instead, we took the train to Bad Doberan in order to ride the old Molli steam train. It was a very cool experience the way train travel was 100 years ago. We took the Molli to Kühlungsborn Ost and walked around the charming seaside resort town. After about 1 1/2 hours we took the Molli back and caught the normal [modern] train from Bad Doberan to Rostock.

Rostock is also a really charming town although most of the "old" buildings were rebuilt after being bombed furing WWII. Still, a nice job was done in reconstructing them to look the way they did before. We had a delicious German lunch [schweinshaxe with sauerkraut and potatoes] that was only about 15 Euros for a HUGE portion. None of us could finish our plates.

After taking the train back to Warnemünde we wandered around this city for a while [really a neighborhood of Rostock rather than a "city"], down to the beach to see the lighthouses. A lot of small, summertime shops, restaurants, and ice cream stands lined the main promenade through town.

The Filipino Crew Show was tonight and was very well done. They do such a nice job and you can tell they love sharing their culture with the passengers. The "Tinikling" bamboo dance was my favourite part.

Molli train and Kühlungsborn

Rostock

Warnemünde

Day 13 [Copenhagen, Denmark]

06/21/2017 - 10.46pm

Today began our last full day on the Zuiderdam. We docked in Copenhagen around 11am so did not have to rush off this morning. After a leisurely breakfast, we got off the ship and bought a single bus ticket [good for two hours] for 20kr. We rode the #27 into town and got off close to the Little Mermaid statue. Many people told us that she is rather underwhelming but we thought it was worthwhile to take a look. Then, we caught the #26 bus to Nyhavn with the same ticket as it was still within the two hours. Nyhavn is a very charming area with fabulous photo ops but pretty crowded. After coffee [with an AMAZING pastry] we walked to Strøget to check out some shops. DH and I also walked up the Round Tower which gave us beautiful views of the city on this sunny day. There was no lift so mom and T stayed in a cafe rather than walk up due to mom's arthritis. We also had to get a Danish hotdog from one of the street carts. It was so delicious [and fairly cheap at 35kr each] that I couldn't resist getting a second one about 15 min. later at another cart.

We were all pretty tired so took a taxi back to the ship around 6pm [about 200kr for the ride which when divided by 4 people is not so bad]. Tonight at dinner, our waiters Rudi and Paul surprised me with a plate of rendang beef and pork satay since I had mentioned earlier in the trip that I loved Indonesian food. It was very sweet of them.

I'm sad for the trip to come to an end but I must get back to work so I can pay for the next one! I will try to write a recap of my final thoughts regarding the trip whilst on the plane tomorrow.

Little Mermaid and Nyhavn

More Nyhavn and Round Tower

Hotdogs and yellow houses

Final Recap

**Again, if anyone else has any questions or comments, please feel free to ask/post.

06/23/2017 - 6.30pm

After a long day of travel and another busy day at home I finally have a few minutes to record my final thoughts on this trip. I've traveled quite a bit and have been to some amazing places but I must say that this trip was easily among my top 5 ever. The ports were all amazing, the food delicious, and I got to spend quality time with DH and mom.

First the ship:

Zuiderdam was in good shape even though there was a little wear and tear due to her age. Fresh flowers are still all over the ship and the restrooms still have cloth hand towels which I always found to be a nice touch. Our waiters, Rudi and Paul, were fabulous and Sis and Siddiq kept our stateroom spotless. Jacob at the Seaview Bar was one of the friendliest barman I've ever met on any ship.

We met some wonderful people on this trip as well. "W" from FL and his mother "B1" from DC. "S" and his son "W1" from FL, "B2" and "H" from NYC were all lots of fun on our Russia tour. "K" from Ohio was a blast to chat with over a cigarette and mom got on great with "W2" and "M" from Victoria, BC.

Stateroom 4121 was fabulous. The Lido Buffet hours and most of the evening entertainment left something to be desired though.

Ports:

St. Petersburg is undoubtedly the highlight of this itinerary but all the other ports were terrific as well. I especially loved Stockholm and Copenhagen and hope to someday make it back to both. Tallinn is very charming and Helsinki has more to offer than a short port call allows for. Kiel is pretty blah but the day trip to Lübeck is easy and well worth it. Warnemünde is a lovely seaside village and the Molli train is a fun and easy excursion. There is much more to offer at this port than just the long and rushed excursions to Berlin. This is the type of itinerary that one could do again and again whilst still finding new things to see. We will surely be back, God willing.

Thank you so much for your trip review and your comments/thoughts on the Zuiderdam. We are cruising next month on the Zuiderdam, and were a little concerned about the ship, so I appreciated your comments!

Thank you so much for your trip review and your comments/thoughts on the Zuiderdam. We are cruising next month on the Zuiderdam, and were a little concerned about the ship, so I appreciated your comments!

You are most welcome. Thanks for reading. Have a fabulous trip next month!

Thanks for such an informative review. We are taking this same cruise in August and, having never been to any of these ports, the information you are providing is quite useful. We are in our mid-60's and are hoping for cooler weather as our bodies just can't take the heat any more.

Thanks for such an informative review. We are taking this same cruise in August and, having never been to any of these ports, the information you are providing is quite useful. We are in our mid-60's and are hoping for cooler weather as our bodies just can't take the heat any more.

I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thank you for reading.

You will love this itinerary. It truly is fabulous. I feel as if it is one of the best out there for this length and price point.

Thanks for your wonderful review and pictures! Enjoyed it immensely. We will be on the Zuiderdam in November for 11 days to include the Canal, Costa Rica, and Cartegena. Thanks again.

Thanks for your wonderful review and pictures! Enjoyed it immensely. We will be on the Zuiderdam in November for 11 days to include the Canal, Costa Rica, and Cartegena. Thanks again.

Glad to whet your appetite! Thanks for reading and enjoy your Nov cruise!

I wish that you could take a voyage every month so I could have the joy of reading your detailed posts and seeing your excellent photos more often.

I wish that you could take a voyage every month so I could have the joy of reading your detailed posts and seeing your excellent photos more often.

That is so sweet of you to say!! Thanks for the lovely compliment. Xo

I was wondering if you took any photos of the view from this unusual cabin.

Outstanding photos + detailed and interesting commentary = a fantastic thread!

I was wondering if you took any photos of the view from this unusual cabin.

 

 

 

Outstanding photos + detailed and interesting commentary = a fantastic thread!

Thanks for the compliments my dear.

Ya know, silly me didn't take a photo of the view!! Such a dunce I was haha. Basically it is a floor to ceiling view straight out to the sea. However, if one stood directly at the window and looked down, one could see the metal bits that attached the lifeboats to the side of the ship. They were not visible when standing further back though nor when sitting on the bed and looking out.