Oceania Marina - Baltics Cruise

I would like to know if the Oceania Marina docks in the city (or a short walking distance of the city) or at a container port for the following cities:

St. Petersburg

Tallinn, Estonia

Helsinki, Finland

Riga, Latvia

Klaipeda, Lithuania

Warnemunde, Germany

Does Oceania provide any free transportation into any of these cities or is are they accessible only by booking excursions? (with the exception of St. Petersburg where we will just take Oceania excursions)

Also, on a cruise that goes to these ports, which side of the ship would be a better balcony room?

If you have any suggestions for Oceania excursions or non-Oceania excursions for any of these cities that would also be appreciated.

There is a sticky thread on Oceania shuttles.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1466724

However I did this (or similar) cruise with O a few years ago.

St. Petersburg - we booked a tour company who also arranged for a special visa.

Tallinn, Estonia - walked off the ship and into the town

Helsinki, Finland - there was a shuttle

Riga, Latvia - walked off the ship and into the town

Klaipeda, Lithuania - did not visit

Warnemunde, Germany - walked off the ship and into the town

(Note: someone said that at least one voyage will be stopping in Rostock rather than Warnemunde. You should double-check.)

Marina, being larger than the R ships (Nautica, etc) cannot dock close to center of city in either St. Petersburg or Helsinki. Helsinki usually has a shuttle.

The other three ports (other than Klaipeda, which I do not know about) are within walking distance of town.

You are much better off booking tours with a Russian tour company in St Petersburg than with Oceania - you'll pay less and see more.

Check out your roll call for private tours and Ports of Call on CC Forum for these ports on recommended tour operators.

If it does port in the Rostock commercial port there will be a shuttle into Rostock. After taking the shuttle, find the visitors bureau office on the Main Street. It is staffed by very helpful people and they will provide you with a great walking tour map.

The ship docks very close to the town center. Very easy walk.

I would like to know if the Oceania Marina docks in the city (or a short walking distance of the city) or at a container port for the following cities:

 

St. Petersburg

Tallinn, Estonia

Helsinki, Finland

Riga, Latvia

Klaipeda, Lithuania

Warnemunde, Germany

 

 

Does Oceania provide any free transportation into any of these cities or is are they accessible only by booking excursions? (with the exception of St. Petersburg where we will just take Oceania excursions)

 

 

 

Also, on a cruise that goes to these ports, which side of the ship would be a better balcony room?

 

 

If you have any suggestions for Oceania excursions or non-Oceania excursions for any of these cities that would also be appreciated.

Klaipeda: After the glories of St. Petersburgh, the enrichment lecturer and the cruise director took great pains to emphasize the charm and appeal of Tallin. In contrast, everyone was strangely silent about Klaipeda. That includes Rick Steves. The edition of his book on ports on a Baltic/Scandinavian cruise has no entry on Klaipeda. With cause.

For this port call consider taking the ship's excursion to see the former Soviet missile site which I assume would be interesting . (Didn't go myself but my husband and I would probably try this if we find ourselves in Klaipeda again.) There are walking tours of the town but we simply didn't think there was much there to see.

If that long excursion has no appeal, take the shuttle into town. It will let you off at Theater Square where you' ll find a tiny market with still more amber metchants.

If you arrive in Klaipeda with low expectations, you'll be fine. If you're in need of a quiet break from touring, this is the port call to stay on the ship.

Also, on a cruise that goes to these ports, which side of the ship would be a better balcony room?

Yours is a very commonly asked question, but the fact is that the ship will be sailing out of the sight of land for 98% of the cruise, and there just isn't any reliable predictor of how the various Port Authorities will position it when it is berthed.

There are those who refuse to accept this conundrum, who will spend multiple hours researching which side of the harbor entrance a given castle is on, but they are further confounded by the ship entering Port literally at the crack of dawn. It is also true that what ever you miss "going in", you will certainly see "going out"

In short, book the side which gets you the best position on the ship, the rest isn't worth worrying about.

[[/i]

i would like to know if the oceania marina docks in the city (or a short walking distance of the city) or at a container port for the following cities:

 

st. Petersburg

tallinn, estonia

helsinki, finland

riga, latvia

klaipeda, lithuania

warnemunde, germany

 

 

does oceania provide any free transportation into any of these cities or is are they accessible only by booking excursions? (with the exception of st. Petersburg where we will just take oceania excursions)

 

 

 

also, on a cruise that goes to these ports, which side of the ship would be a better balcony room?

 

 

If you have any suggestions for oceania excursions or non-oceania excursions for any of these cities that would also be appreciated.

I have recently returned from a Marina Baltic cruise.

There were free shuttles in Kleipeda, Helsinki and Tallinn .

Warnemunde and Riga were walkable.

I endorse what a previous poster said about Kleipeda !

I checked the Rostock/Warnemunde port website. If you are on the sailing that ports in Warnemunde on August 15, Marina is scheduled to port in Rostock's commercial port rather than Warnemunde. Unless things change for berth assignments, you will need to take the shuttle into Rostock. If you wanted to go to Warnemunde you will have to find your own way there.

Just off the Baltic cruise on Marina which ended July 21:

St. Petersburg - with a multiple entry russian visa you can catch the bus at the Marine Facade to the gate or have a taxi pick you up at the terminal

tallinn, estonia - free shuttle bus

helsinki, finland - free shuttle to downtown

riga, latvia - walk off to town

klaipeda, lithuania - free shuttle bus

warnemunde, germany - walk off the ship

Danzig - free shuttle

Our ship docked in Rostock. There is a shuttle into town. The dock is located about 3-4 miles outside of town, with a power plant on one side and a dilapidated warehouse on the other. We were docked next to the power plant's slag heap, which they were constantly sprinkling down to control dust off the heap. We were scheduled to go to Warenmunde, but were diverted to Rostock by the port authorities. The port there was full, and due to O's low ranking in seniority, our ship along with about three others were diverted to Rostock.

We visited everything in Rostock with about a 2.5 hour walk. My recommendation is to take the half day Mecklenburg Castle tour which O offers. We did not, but everyone that did were well pleased and enjoyed North German the countryside, and still had time to visit Rostock. For those docking here and taking the Berlin tour, just as a warning this location adds about 30 more minutes, each way, to an already long bus tour of Berlin.

The ship is docked right in Tallin. A shuttle is provided, but it is only a 5-10 minute walk along the city wall to go into town. So both options reasonably exists there.

For St. Petersburg, most folks go with the ship's excursion or independent tour operators who do not require visas. However, getting a 3 year multiple entry visa from the Russian consulate in Washington took about 1 week after submission by a visa service and allowed us to go where we wanted, when we wanted.

Hi

we are going to the Baltics on the Marina on 21st August and considering a trip to Moscow on day 2, with a local tour operator, i.e. SPB tours or Alla, had anyone done this and is it worth doing. It is our first (and probably will be our only) trip to Russia and want to see as much as possible.

Also the tours state that they organise groups of up to 16, do they organise the groups.

thanks in anticipation:)

Hi

 

we are going to the Baltics on the Marina on 21st August and considering a trip to Moscow on day 2, with a local tour operator, i.e. SPB tours or Alla, had anyone done this and is it worth doing. It is our first (and probably will be our only) trip to Russia and want to see as much as possible.

 

Also the tours state that they organise groups of up to 16, do they organise the groups.

 

thanks in anticipation:)

Is that this Aug??

if so you do not have much time to decide they need your information so they can get the group visa

If you have 3 days in SPB it is doable but it will be a VERY long day

Yes the private guide will put the group together you can check the roll call for your cruise & see if others are doing the tour

I checked the Rostock/Warnemunde port website. If you are on the sailing that ports in Warnemunde on August 15, Marina is scheduled to port in Rostock's commercial port rather than Warnemunde. Unless things change for berth assignments, you will need to take the shuttle into Rostock. If you wanted to go to Warnemunde you will have to find your own way there.

We have been to Warnemunde on another cruise line, and spent the morning there, then did the train DIY to Rostock in the afternoon. Getting there on our own was very easy, with automated ticket machines clearly marked in both Wanemunde and Rostock stations. The ride was about 30 minutes each way.

Hi

 

we are going to the Baltics on the Marina on 21st August and considering a trip to Moscow on day 2, with a local tour operator, i.e. SPB tours or Alla, had anyone done this and is it worth doing. It is our first (and probably will be our only) trip to Russia and want to see as much as possible.

 

Also the tours state that they organise groups of up to 16, do they organise the groups.

 

thanks in anticipation:)

Jaylmay61, you are on my cruise! You should visit our roll call. There are several groups already formed for tours with SPB, Alla and others. If you contact one of these companies, I would think that you can get in with one of the groups or they will put you with others from our cruise. We are booked with SPB for the 3-day deluxe tour in St. Petersburg as well as tours in some of the other ports. We also booked the Fun Vodka Night for Day 1 and a Night on the Town for Day 2 (dining at L'Europe).

Good luck!