Getaway Baltic Capitals cruise - 16 to 25 May

By popular demand (well, two people...)

This is the first time I've done one of these, so go easy. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

About me:

Solo traveller. This was my 4th cruise, and 3rd on NLC, but the first time on the Getaway. I was in one of the studio cabins, but didn't really participate in the solo activities. I had the spa pass and the drinks package. I've eaten in all the speciality restaurants on other ships so made use of the free offers this time, with the exception of going to Ocean Blue as it wasn't on the other ships.

Copenhagen:

I arrived on 12th to see some of the city, as it was the first time I've been to any of the ports on this cruise. Very easy to get out of the airport and catch a free shuttle bus to the crown plaza where I was staying. This is out of the city in Orestad, but is two minutes from a metro station and a train station. It was about 10-15 minutes to the city centre using either. The hotel was very comfy and had a good set of restaurants, free wifi etc and is also just opposite the largest Danish shopping centre, if you're interested in that. There is also a very large park with jogging routes marked. Most interesting was the atrium, which was full of trees. (spot the coffee shop).

Day 2, I caught the metro in to take a food tour by Copenhagen Food Tours. This started by Norreport and I recommend it if you're in the area. There is a market there with amazing stalls, including the best Danish pastries in Copenhagen. We tried open sandwiches, beer, sweets, local honey, and chocolates. I also met first Getaway passenger on the tour (we basically overran the town).

After that, I spent about 5 hours in Tivoli gardens going on all the rides. Some excellent rollercoasters, and good views of the city centre too!

Day 3 was the Grand Day Trip Around Copenhagen by Hamlet Tours (both tours are on Viator or can be booked directly). This took us in a small van to the Viking Ship Museum, Kronberg Castle (location of Hamlet), Roskilde Cathedral, and Frederiksborg castle. I recommend this if you want to see a lot of Denmark in a short time, without being rushed. There were several other Getaway passengers on this tour as well

Day 4 I went in to Norreport station and took the bus to the cruise port - with immense thanks to Danish Viking in the ports of call forum who mapped it out for me. It was very easy to use although a bit cramped with suitcases. Funnily enough, when of the friends I made on the ship was also on the bus and we had to struggle over each others luggage (we only worked this encounter out later after several days of tours together). I arrived at 11am, and it took about an hour to get on board even though I was group 7. If you don't like queuing then you should aim for 10.30, or just arrive around 12.30 when the queue seemed to have mostly gone.

First goal on board the ship was to get some lunch, so I headed to Savor - which became my favourite restaurant on the ship - and had a relaxing lunch by the window. It was pretty empty, so I recommend it over the buffet.

I spent the rest of the day exploring the ship, picking up my spa pass, and eyeing up the rope course and water slides to see if I dared go on them. I ended up reading on the waterfront, which is an amazingly quiet place, and then having dinner at Savor.

Ooh, I'm excited for this. I was booked on Getaway for the Baltics, but I switched to P&O (leaving in exactly three weeks.) I'm excited to see what I missed. Thanks in advance for the review.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Following!!

Yay! Thank you for our inaugural GA Baltics cruise review! Great so far.

Thank you so much for doing this. I will be doing the same itinerary end of August. I have been checking CC everyday and hope to see a review on it. =)

Questions. Do they have any special on photo packages and laundry service on board? Thanks.

Thanks - I'll be on her a month from today.

If you have any of the dailies, please post.

Thanks,

Travel R

Looking nice so far :-)

If you have any of the dailies, please post

Travel R

+1

Following, we will be on this cruise at the beginning of October

Following, we are on the July 9th sailing and super excited [emoji41]

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This cruise sounds very interesting to me, following along :D

In the ports. Was all aboard an hour or half hour before departure time listed ? Any menus to post ? We leave 6 weeks from today. Can't come soon enuf !

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Hi! You have my attention.

Thank you so much for doing this. I will be doing the same itinerary end of August. I have been checking CC everyday and hope to see a review on it. =)

 

Questions. Do they have any special on photo packages and laundry service on board? Thanks.

There were two special discounts on laundry during the week, although I think one may have been Latitudes related. There is a daily photo offer of some type - with a map, photo frame etc. I didn't spot one that reduced the package price over that available online.

Pattymo - I think generally it was half an hour, although I noticed that we mostly sailed a bit later than they had announced. I'm not sure if that was because ships tours sometimes ran late. In Stockholm, for instance, everyone got back at 4.30, which was all onboard time for a 5pm sailing.

Travel R/Norhel - I do have all the dailies and will post them. May take a few days though, so feel free to ask any burning questions up front.

Can't wait to read the rest. I've been waiting for a few reviews from this itinerary before booking our own Baltic cruise. 🛳⚓️🕌

Day 2 (ship calendar):

Warnemunde.

Forecast: 55F/13C.

Arrival: 7.30

All aboard: 9.30

This was the first time the ship had been there, so they arranged for their fire ships to spray hoses enthusiastically at 6am. I didn't find anyone who got up to see it.

I live in London, so there was no way I was spending 3 hours on a coach to see Berlin, so I opted for a tour to Schwerin and Rostock by rail (Alla Tours).

Getting off the ship was easy and took only the time that it took to walk to deck 4. There isn't really a terminal at Warnemunde, just a shop selling souvenirs. I met my tour at the port gates directly opposite the ship, which is where all private tours met. They all carried signs, so it was easy to spot which one you needed.

We then did a quick orientation tour of Warnemunde, which is very pretty. .

We then headed to the station (less than 5 minutes from the ship) to catch the train to Schwerin. The train was fairly empty and very comfy. We had to change in Rostock to another, double-decker train for the extra journey to Schwerin. When there, we walked through the town until coming to the very impressive castle (one of the ship tours goes here too).

We had a tour around the gardens and then spent about an hour wandering through the castle in our own time. Not all the rooms are open as it is also the home of the State Parliament. Afterwards we had lunch in a wine tavern built in 1895.

We then caught the train back to Rostock and visited the square and cathedral. The cathedral has the most amazing clock/calendar that is worth a visit in its own right. .

We then had some free time to explore Rostock, which we spent in a bakery with delicious cakes. It was then time to finish, so we caught the train back to Warnemunde. It was still a nice day, so most of the group wandered off to see some more of Warnemunde - although apparently most of the shops were closing at that point.

I ate in Savor and then went to the Waterfront to read, accompanied by a variety of Mojitos from the Sugarcane (best bar on the ship).

N.B. They start taking reservations for Escape the Big Top on this day, so book early. It takes place on the seaday.

Day 3:

Sea Day. Went for breakfast in the Garden Cafe, took one look at the heaving mass, and went to Savor where I ate in style in a relaxed environment.

This was the day of the Cruise Critic Roll Call, held in Cagney's. There must have been 100 people there, and we had pastries and champagne (a sparkling wine, anyway). Silas, the Cruise Director, introduced all the senior staff, and then the roll call organiser took over. It was a good chance for all those on private tours to get together and meet their group, and those of us doing the Alla St Peterburg tour were able to put names to faces. Many of those faces became very familiar and good friends over the course of the cruise.

We stayed in Cagney's afterwards for some sort of Spanish lunch they were holding in Moderno. Basically a buffet of spanish-style foods.

I then headed up to the rope course to try it out. Great fun, although it was too windy for the plank, so I had to go back several times to get a photo from there. (NB The plank camera is not at the end of the plank, but to the side so you need to look toward the front of the ship to get a proper shot. Fooled a lot of people.)

I spent the rest of the day either exploring the ship or relaxing in the Spa. Dinner was in Savor, again.

Can't wait to read the rest. I've been waiting for a few reviews from this itinerary before booking our own Baltic cruise. 🛳⚓️🕌

Don't wait - book!

 

Travel R/Norhel - I do have all the dailies and will post them. May take a few days though, so feel free to ask any burning questions up front.

Thanks again. Enjoying your review - especially the little tips and hints.

We are so looking forward to going!!!!

No rush on the dailies - but thanks in advance for posting!!!!!

Soooo happy to see a review!!!

Is there a reason you took a bus to the port from Crowne Plaza instead of the train? Did you get a zone 1-4 pass to get into town those first few days?

Could you have done the same itinerary at the Warnemunde port on your own you think?

I'm so excited to read more. Thank you!

Soooo happy to see a review!!!

 

Is there a reason you took a bus to the port from Crowne Plaza instead of the train? Did you get a zone 1-4 pass to get into town those first few days?

 

Could you have done the same itinerary at the Warnemunde port on your own you think?

 

I'm so excited to read more. Thank you!

The nearest train station to the port is quite a long way away, especially with luggage, and not through a scenic area (although quite safe); so the only real options were taxi, NCL transfer, or the bus. I actually caught the metro from the Crowne Plaza to Norreport station, which is where the bus leaves from. You can also catch one from Osterport station, but it got really busy there so I would advise Norreport over that.

I bought the City Pass which gave me access to all public transport for 72 hours, and could stay on my phone. This was much cheaper than paying separately for journeys, and definitely cheaper than a taxi. You can even specify the time of day at which it activates.

Yes, with planning I could have done Warnemunde on my own, and would definitely do so if I went back. It would help if you could read a little German, but no need to be fluent. I'm not a particularly confident traveller, especially where I don't speak the language, but it was all surprisingly straightforward.

You are awesome.

Also, not necessarily now, but either along the way or maybe at the end can you share where you were able to use what kind of money for any purchases?

Thanks!

Thank you so much for posting this! It is very helpful. How were the lines for rides at Tivoli? Long lines or no?

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You are awesome.

Also, not necessarily now, but either along the way or maybe at the end can you share where you were able to use what kind of money for any purchases?

Thanks!

Thank you :)

I used Danish Krone in Copenhagen and Swedish Kroner in Stockholm, although both countries take credit cards for virtually everything, so it was mainly tips for the guides. In all the other ports, including St Petersburg, I used Euros or credit cards. I had to pay Alla Tours in St Petersburg for all the tours and they charged in Roubles, because of a new regulation, but took it by card so that was fine - the tip could be in Euros or dollars.

Basically, if you have a credit card with a pin number, you can do without cash for everything but tips in every port.

Thank you so much for posting this! It is very helpful. How were the lines for rides at Tivoli? Long lines or no?

 

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They were very short when I went - most of the time you could walk straight on. However, my Swedish friend said this was unusual and they would be much longer in the main season. I would recommend going thought - there's even plenty to see without going on the rides, if the queues are too horrendous, but I imagine you'd be able to find some with shorter rides.

Day 4:

Tallinn

Forecast: 64F/18C

Arrival: 9am

All aboard: 4pm

Tallinn was the surprise port for me - it was really beautiful, with a fascinating history. It's top of the list for ports I want to go back to (from this cruise).

Disembarkation was straight forward. Walk down from the atrium to deck 4 at 9 and off the ship 5 minutes later. The dock is a bit set back from the terminal so there is a very easy 8 minute walk to the port gates, which is where all the tour guides were waiting. There is quite an extensive souvenir market here, including places to try local food/drink. Also tins of bear meat, for some reason.

We had about 20 in our group, so hopped straight on the bus for a coach tour of some of the area.

First up was the Estonian Song Festival ground which must be one of the largest open air concert venues in the world. There is a fascinating history to it, and everyone was really impressed. You could also see the Getaway in the background.

Then we went along the coast to see the remains of St Brigitte's convent, a monument to a lost ship, and the olympic stadium.

Then we had a walking tour through the town, stopping off at various viewing points to look out over the town. It's broke up into an upper and lower town, with some interesting tales about why.

We then had some free time in the market square, where we saw some of the typical inhabitants of Estonia. It was packed full of restaurants, so we had some coffee and cake on the site of one of the oldest bakeries (go down the little side street next to the old pharmacy and you'll avoid all the queues). There was also a little shop where you could buy postcards and send them, which is handy if you want to write home.

After that, it was back on the ship and another attempt to get a photo on the plank. Then I went to the spa for some time to relax. We may have had dinner in Tropicana - slightly lost track of when that was. They had a floor show with the dancers from the Burn the Floor, which I also saw this day. I was a bit disappointed with it actually - the show on Epic had been amazing with a humorous storyline and many different types of dance style. The Getaway Burn the Floor, while still an impressive routine, lacked the storyline, was less visually impressive, and featured fewer dance styles. But it was still worth seeing.

Today was the day of the Latitudes Drinks reception in Spice, which I completely forgot to go to (too many Bushwackers). You need to go to the Cruise Next desk on day 1 or 2 to find out the time and location for your cruise, but I imagine they keep it the same.

If you missed Escape the Big Top (an escape room scenario with puzzles) then they repeated it on this day at 4pm. Advance booking required.

Thank you for your review and photos! We're going in September. Much appreciated!

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