sophbro

We just got back and stayed at the Scandic Palace. I choose it for both the location and the fact there was air conditioning. We were there are 8/21 and I can guarantee we were happy with the A/C.

 

The location as fantastic-about 4 blocks from central station which made an easy transfer on the train from the airport. It is across the street from the city center. The pedestrian walking street starts at the hotel and goes to Nyhavn. It was about a 20-25 minute walk to Nyhavn where the hotels looked to be a good location as well. It was across the street from Tivoli as well.

 

We booked a Superior Plus room online direct through the Scandic website. It was a few bucks cheaper through Expedia, but I preferred booking direct instead. The room was great size with a separate shower "room" and bathroom/vanity area. It had a balcony overlooking the front. I thought it was quiet. The tower bells ring up until midnight, but we were out that late so it did not bother me. I thought the windows were pretty sound proof otherwise. It does get noisy outside as the nightlife is hopping on Friday/Saturday nights. You might as well join them :)

 

one thing I noted in my survey to the hotel was their check-in didn't mentioned the benefits and I would have appreciated understanding some of that. Breakfast is included, but I forgot since I booked the hotel about 6 months prior. Also, they provide 10% discount tickets to Tivoli that they can charge to your room. I did buy them there, but it was a guest that mentioned it to me. There might be other discounts/benefits but you have to ask them.

 

The morning of check out we were able to leave our bags at the front while we toured a bit before getting a taxi to go to the ship.

Glad to hear that you liked this hotel. We were seriously considering it but the price of The Square Hotel across the square from the Scandic Palace was cheaper during the dates we were there--also probably waited too long to make a reservation. We also were looking for A/C which eliminated most hotels.

That area is very centrally located. We enjoyed Copenhagen a lot so there could be a chance we would go back and this hotel would definitely be on my list to consider for a future stay.

Originally Posted by GradUT View Post

We just got back from Copenhagen and did a one-night, pre-cruise stay at the Wakeup Hotel Borgergade. It's not a luxury hotel by any means, but for us it was a 5-star experience because we got more-than-value-for-money.

The rooms are similar to what you will have experienced on the cruise ship--small and spartan, but all the basics you need. The hotel and the room were spotless. The bed was comfortable. The water in the bathroom was strong and hot. The surroundings were quiet. What more could you want? But wait, there's more...

Amenities included a large breakfast buffet (for an additional 70 DKK pp), storage facilities (for a small fee) if you need to leave luggage, a business center in the lobby with 6 computers, Wi-fi, and a nice outdoor courtyard area.

The location just a few blocks from the Kongen Nytorv station was excellent. We were within walking distance of all the major city sites--Tivoli, the Little Mermaid, the palaces, Storget shopping and Nyhavn.

The staff answered my emails promptly (and in perfect English) and treated us so well once we got there. The rates vary by room level, how far in advance you book and if you want a refundable rate. We could not have been happier with the Wakeup Hotel Borgergade.

Yes, but.....

Clean and spartan. We stayed one night pre-cruise and it was good value for the Money. However, there was no closet and the room is much tinier than typical cruise rooms...much smaller. Just be ready for that.

Sue

Everything said above is true. Small, clean, modern, great location, has A/C.

Also bathroom is a unit put in the room--not sure how private it is--depends on the occupants and how much privacy one needs. Frosted glass--shower has sliding rounded door that closes--felt like "beam me up Scotty" from

Star trek. The bathroom is not a separate addition to the room where you open a door and go into a room you can not see from the room. Lok at the pictures of the room on the website.

There are different size rooms depending on your budget. We were traveling as friends who did not want to share a bed so we got a family room which is basically two individual rooms with a connecting door--had the best of both worlds--2 separate rooms--2 separate bathrooms--while we felt safe that we could keep the connecting door partly open and could talk to each other and feel that we were in the same area for safety, but had the convenience of not being squished in a VERY small room, which European hotels could be. The price for us at the time was about the same as one room in a decent hotel in a central location. Much prefer the convenience of this family room. Loved the location.

So check out the other rooms and the cost. Prices for hotels in Copenhagen seemed to change daily with supply and demand.

I have Verizon and if you do not have a plan you pay per message and it is cheaper for others to text you. It is not free. My friends who did this last year ended up with a big bill when they were texting home and each other and not keeping track of how many they did. They also made one call home which was expensive.My friends did that last year and ended up

taking the $40 plan on a recent cruise. With the verizon $40 program you are

advised to shut off data unless you are in a wifi area. Your free 150 (I think) talk minutes are only available when connected to a local carrier. Sometimes you are connected when the ship is very close to the land--you have to check your phone to see if it is connected. I used it on the ship as it was departing from Stockholm--since you are close to land for quite a bit of time as the boat leaves I was able to make 2 calls to my hometown. No charge for the call--have received my bills.

You do not have to be part of any program to have it work, but they charge per message.

Check their website and also call or visit them.

I did not have space on my phone to download the princess app--tried to do it before my cruise. However, on the cruise you can get the program without downloading the app. I just clicked on safari(have iPhone) and the program came up--you had to sign up and add people who you were going to text with.

Of course this only works while you are on the ship. Only thing I would have liked would have been a notification sound when I received a text. My roommate did not have a smart phone or service while out of the USA--it was a little annoying but when on land we were usually together. My other ship friends were connected to the princess program which helped keep in touch and locate and know what everyone was doing.

Lucky you to be able to go on the 25 day cruise. I was sorry to leave this cruise. The crew on the Regal was great(hope the same people are working there).The shows were outstanding. This was only my 2nd cruise and did not take any private ones. I only took tours with Princess. We almost did not make it back in time in St. Petersburg(due to traffic) and in Stockholm. I was so glad we were on a ship tour. We went on the Jewish Tour in Berlin which appears to be the same tour as the regular tour minus the sit down lunch and the time on your own at the end. We had a boxed lunch at the Jewish Museum and only had about 1/2 hr.

and did not have any free time. Our tour guide was exceptional. She was easy to understand and very knowledgeable and could answer most questions asked of her. We had about 18-20 people on our bus. I noticed that on all of the buses we were never 100% full. Sometimes there would be anywhere from

2-5 diff. buses with the same itinerary. They did not try to over pack the buses. In fact returning from our tour of Catherine's palace/Peterhoff and on my tour of Stockholm there was enough space that I could sit alone with plenty of space to stretch out. On one trip we had one of the Excursion desk crew members with us which added to our trip as he sat with us for lunch so we learned a lot about cruising. I have nothing to compare these tours to but I enjoyed all of the guides, except one who tended to rush us a little. We had a tour of the Hermitage early in the morning and left just as the crowds came.

Unfortunately our inside tour of Peterhoff was in the afternoon and it tended to be more crowded with some of the other groups pushing us along. By the way we thought we would be too tired to tour all day and then do the ballet at night. Turns out that the ship had a Russian Folkloric Show the evening of the first day in St. Petersburg. I can say I enjoyed every port we went to. We did our own tour in Tallin and in Oslo and in Copenhagen as we ended up being there almost 3 days. We followed The Rick Steves Baltic Cruise book for Tallin(we took a taxi up to the top and worked our way down--did need to ask a restaurant owner to get us a taxi when we made it down below as we did not know where to find one. We also listened to the advice of that book for Oslo. We bought the pass that allowed us to use boats, trams,buses as well as offer free admission to things in Oslo. We were able to get the pass in the tourist info place right outside of the ship where we docked. We talked to the info worker and he gave us all the info we needed and told us where to buy the pass(across the hall) Happy to help with any questions.

Make sure to ask for a senior price if you qualify for that.

Wish I can do the trip again.

We booked The Square because of the A/C. Every once in awhile Coppenhagen does get a severe heat wave. I don't know if the construction is still continuing I believe for a subway line in front of City Hall or if it is not complete. Either way, the construction ends before nighttime. Book with the included breakfast.

We enjoyed this hotel and hope you do to. I needed to wash my jacket as it feel into the side of the road when we arrived at the hotel and was all dirty and wet. I did not want to wait for the hotel to do the laundry. The front desk guy(Dominico) sent us to this cute place about a 15 min walk away called the Laudromat Cafe. Most people were there because of the cafe. They were so helpful and and the food was great. Had breakfast and a clean jacket and met a few of the locals in what we found out was an upscale neighborhood. It was so early in the morning so we were not going to be able to do that much and actually enjoyed our experience especially since it was not planned. All thanks to the people at the front desk of The Square Hotel

also if you go on Princess, they have this system that you can text other people on the ship while on the ship(makes no noise though) and you can see your bill and the events of the day. there is no fee for this. I used this while on ship to get together with some new friends.

not sure of minimum age--probably 62 or 65. I had to go to Downtown Crossing Station--there is a big office there where they took my picture and I had to get a special card for a senior Charlie Card. Think the ride is like $.70 cents(a least that is what I noticed on the bus) Good deal once you make the effort to get the card.

not sure where the port is located. I have stayed in Jersey City and also in Weehauken and have gone to NYC. I stayed at the Sheraton in Weehauken and there is a ferry that takes you across the river right from there or there is a cheap taxi ride or think there is a bus that takes you to the Path where you can get into NYC quickly to Penn Statio area or there is a stop before in NY financial area.

For Broadway gets tickets at

https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-booths

50 percent off

TKTS is great for 50% off plays that are available. Sometimes you have to wait in line or can not get tickets to evening plays until 3 pm or it starts at 10:30am for matinees. While the price is good, it can interrupt you day to go and get tickets when you are all the way over in another part of town.

You can get tickets ahead of time at a few sites like Theatermania(they usually will give you a code and you call on your own. The discount varies and you often have to pay extra service fees. Often you can use the code that day at the ticket window of the theater. I sometimes have sat in the cheaper seats for 25-30% off and pay less than I do for the TKTS seats which often are in a better location and the base price is a lot higher. I just don't enjoy gearing my day around getting the half price tickets and would rather get a smaller discount and have the tickets so I can go about my touring and then just got to the theater to see the play.

I am a member of TDF--if you live far enough away from NYC you can join(if you meet their criteria) for $12. They often have decent tickets for about $49(musical) and $37 regular play. However some plays are only available a few days before and sometimes the choice is limited.

Aloha :D

 

Our highlights for this trip are Katz's Delicatessen on 9/9 (can't believe we haven't eaten there yet) and the 9/11 Memorial Museum on 9/19 (taking frugal daughter or she'll never it on her own, she just doesn't want to be around me when I want to eat) (We've never made it to the top of the ESB or the TOR either). We don't fly out until 9/21, but she hasn't decided what I want to see/do yet. We're staying at 35th & 6th (close to Macy's) so there's lots to see & do. I'll add John's on 44th to my list. (Hey! I can eat as much pizza as I can hold). I like listening to NYers argue about where the BEST Italian, deli, pizza can be found in Manhattan.

 

Aloha :D

I love Katz's but it is a little out of the way unless you are going down to the Lower East side area near Houston ST. It is often very crowded there but the food is great--love their pastrami --can also get half sandwich pastrami and other half something else. If you do not have the time to go down there and want some good deli --near your hotel is Ben's deli which is very well known.

Some also like the Second Ave. Deli(but that is not so close to you) Juniors is in Times Sq. but if you are looking for deli--the other two I think are better.

Some will say it's a "tourist trap", but Becco http://becco-nyc.com/ is a celebrity chef-owned restaurant in the Theater District with reasonable (for Manhattan) prices and a pretty good reputation.

 

I haven't been there myself...I'm just going by what I've heard and read.

been to Becco--it is great. Sometimes gets busy. The street where Becco is has tons of good restaurants. Right around the theaters are lots of chain restaurants. I usually aim for Restaurant Row--Restaurant Row is the name used for West 46th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. tons of good restaurants with menus on the outside.

Hi,

 

I'm looking for a hotels for a stay & park in the Boston area. In my search for a hotel, I came across a couple sites that specialize in stay&park booking. Their rates are a lot cheaper than the usual sites like Expedia. I don't have too much experience with these sites. Are they safe to book with? Anyone on here used them before?

 

stay123 dot com

 

parksleephotels dot com

 

Thanks

I would check out reviews on this hotel, even contact the Boston Police Dept.

This area is not in the best part of Boston. There are worse areas, but there are a lot of safer areas. During the day it probably would be fine, but not sure of the night. It did get some good reviews (as well as some bad ones) on trip advisor. Some areas of Boston have become more gentrified in the last years, but not sure if this is one of those areas.

also check groupon as sometimes they have had some good deals.

Check where you would like to sight see and try to locate yourself close by.

There are some hotels near Quincy mkt(probably very expensive), not sure how much the Park Plaza is(Old Hotel)costs but near the Public Gardens and Boston Commons, a little walk to Charles St. and the State House. If you are not afraid to take the T, you can get around pretty easily. Note that the USS Constitution is in dry dock and being repaired. You can visit it but only see the top deck http://www.navy.mil/local/constitution/visitors.asp

The Sheraton Boston is not too far from the Museum of Fine Arts.

Another old hotel that often has better prices is the Parker House very close to Quincy Mkt, faneuil hall, govt, center(not that much there). Also note if using the subway--govt center station is closed for repair. I wold not park at any of these hotels as the price would be high. get your rental car when you need it.

Boston's streets are not laid out in a grid but rather as old cow paths so if you are not familiar with the layout you might have a little trouble navigating the streets and would do better walking, taking the T, taking a taxi or uber.

I like walking around Beacon Hill(check out Louisburg Sq. John Kerry has a house there) and walking on the esplanade(along Charles River). But with only a short visit you might not choose these activities.

I would not go to Lexington and Concord unless they are on your way. TAkes time to get there and when you are there it is not that exciting. I would think, the Freedom Trail, Boston Commons(right there), any of the museums that might interest you, Quincy Mkt, Fanueil Hall, The North End(Italian area),

even walking near the harbor would be good. I like the USS Constitution but not sure how it is in dry dock. Charlestown is a little out of the way, but not that far. I also like Cambridge, especially Harvard Sq. and Harvard Yard.

The T goes right there. If you are a baseball fan either going to a red sox game or if taking a tour on non game days. There are lots of things to do in Boston check out the tour books and see what interests you the most. You might also want to see if there are any sights to see on your way to NH.

I am from the Boston area and frequent there and Cambridge and am familiar with the towns around there, especially north of boston. Happy to answer any questions.

We returned last week and stayed at the Scandic Palace. It was AWFUL. Another poster has said it has air conditioning. It does not. It has an air flow system but that is different. I have posted a thorough review on TripAdvisor. You should look there for hotel recommendations and reviews. It has an extensive list of hotels you could consider along with many more comments then you will find on this forum. The location was perfect and the staff tried to be helpful but the hotel was dirty, run down, etc. Not a place I would ever recommend.

I am sorry to hear that the Scandic Palace was "awful". I had researched the various hotels and had considered this hotel because of location and decent reviews on trip advisor as well as tour books. We did not stay there as by the time we got around to booking it it was too expensive. We stayed at The Square Hotel and had a good experience. The location was across the square from the Scandic Palace. We never used the "air cooling". Our room was fine

except getting in and out of the bathtub/shower was a little scary without anything to hold on to. The bathroom was good. The room was also clean and we did not hear any outside noise which I could imagine might happen in some hotels or rooms as this area is busy and I did see some construction in some areas near the City Hall Sq. The workers at this hotel especially some of the

people at the reception desk were responsive and very helpful. We were a little closer to Tivoli than the Scandic Palace(this hotel was closer(almost right there) to the pedestrian shopping street). The WakeUp Copenhagen Borgegrade had true a/c and was very clean and at times very inexpensive.

They do charge to store luggage if needed and charge for breakfast which we did as it was very convenient and we were told that it was cheaper than trying to get a similar breakfast somewhere else. Also a great location--just different than the city hall area. but not that far away and a quieter area. Would love to go back to Copenhagen and see more of the area more of Denmark

We will be (husband and I) in Copenhagen next August 2016 for a post cruise stay. We will stay nights and want a clean, safe place that is easy for us to see the tourist attractions. I understand the transportation is excellent so that is a plus. In the month of August do you need air conditioning? We are used to mediterranean temperatures since we live in California, US. Any information is welcome. Virginia

We stayed near the City Hall Square the first night we were in Copenhagen(2 days one night) We stayed at the Square Hotel(prices vary based on availability-we paid around $230 with breakfast--which was good and plentiful)The Square Hotel was fine the room was adequate and the staff was very helpful. We had also looked at the Scandia Palace which was also centrally located. It had a/c and was in a good location. We chose The square Hotel as when we booked the hotel the The Square was cheaper. We were looking for places with A/C which were hard to find.Not sure how great the a/c was in this hotel as it said air cooled not a/c. We were also very close to Tivoli Gardens and the pedestrian shopping street. This area is very busy with cars, bikes, people but is near to some museums and not far from one of the hoho bus areas. I had friends who also stayed at the SAS Radisson which was not far from there. No a/c.

We also stayed another day and night on our return at the Wake Up Copenhagen Borgergade. This rooms in this hotel are very modern but very small and pod like. I traveled with a friend so we did not want to share a bed.

So we ended up taking a family room which was 2 rooms with a connecting door. This way we had our own room and bathroom(pod like and not very private-but fine with 2 separate ones)yet our rooms were connecting so we felt more secure. The price ended up being about the same as a shared room in another hotel. This way we had our own space but were in the same vicinity. If 2 people slept in the room I slept in it would be tight. The bed was a double or queen size and was fit between the walls so that one person would have to crawl over the other to get out. There was not a ton of places for more luggage. I was ok but maybe with things for 2 people it would be tight. I think there might have been larger rooms, but of corse they coast more. There are 2 wakeup copenhagens this one appears to be in a more convenient location.

The rooms have a/c and free wifi in the rooms. In the modern lobby there was a large room with about 6 free computers to use. Breakfast was extra and was adequate.The breakfast at The Square Hotel was more varied and had more choices. But the Wakeup's breakfast was more than adequate. We liked the area of the hotel as it was not on a busy hectic street, yet it was around the corner from the Rosenborg Castle and gardens, Amalenborg , near a 7-11 and a number of cafes. We also were very close to Nyhaven and the Netto boats. We were also very close to the other end of Strogret (pedestrian street). We felt that this area was a change from the other area and was quite convenient while making you feel you were staying in a "neighborhood" rather than in the center of town. If you wanted to go to Tivoli from here you could walk. The hotel was not far from the Kongens Nytorv St. (Metro)--says 8 min walk. Think walking to Tivoli Gardens would be like 20 min or so. Going to Nyhaven would be about 10 min. Other hotels had a/c but were further away from things. IT was around 59 F when we there(mid-June), but a number of reviewers on trip advisor complained of places being warm and stuffy. Also we did not want to end up having to keep windows open while we slept especially if we were on a low floor. I would rather have the option of having a/c and not use it than need it and not have it.

Is it necessary to get one of those international cell travel plans while in Europe? We've never worried about it for any of our other cruises, but we'll be gone a lot longer this time. If we use a free wifi spot, will there be an additional charge from Verizon? I don't expect to need to make many calls, if any at all. We'll have an internet package on the ship, so we can communicate through email. Even if we need to make a call or two, it would probably be cheaper to pay the $1.79/min than $40 for the plan....

 

When you all travel to Europe, do you get extra international coverage for while you're away?

I got the international plan from verizon with 100 free text messages and no charge to receive them plus 100 min of talk time and some small amount of mb of data. I only used the phone twice on the ship going out of the archipelago of Stockholm. Wanted to say hello and use some of the min. While I did not use all of the talk time, I like the idea I could use it. You can only us it in/near ports that are part of the plan--all my ports were. I used the texts and communicated that way and wrote most of the texts to one person who let everyone know. You can not send pictures via texts as that would use up data.

I did not use the data on the phone--too little and easy to overdo it. Long texts would come across as 2 or 3 texts. liked getting the free texts from others.

I did not buy an internet plan on the ship. There was free wifi in the hotels in copenhagen. the HOHO buses usually had wifi on it. One friend used the wifi on the HO HO bus when we were returning to the ship as we had already seen everything and she did not have to pay that much attention. She used FaceTime on her iPhone and called her family via FaceTime. We used he wifi in the tourist info place in Tallin. We even used their computers. It was easier and faster than my phone. If I was with someone who had a smart phone this could be a good way to communicate when in the ports--text or call. I was glad I had the service, especially since I did not buy an internet plan. You could use texts when docked as most of the time the local phone service kicked in which was associated with verizon. I did use my phone for the internet in some locations that had wifi, but it was not that quick and I did not want to spend my

time in a port checking my email intend of sightseeing.

If I went on this same trip again, I would get the verizon $40plan. I waited a couple of weeks when I got home and then canceled it

We are arriving in Helsinki via the Regal Princess in a few weeks. I am more a DIY-er when it comes to port visits but Princess had an excursion that seemed really good -- Porvoo, Rock Church and "the farm." Unfortunately, the 3 in my party are waitlisted. First, what do you think the chances of getting off the waitlist are, and second (more importantly), can you take taxis to the Rock Church and other sights in Helsinki easily? Anyone know anything about "the farm?"

We took the HOHO bus right outside from where we docked. There were 2 diff. HOHO buses offering tickets right inside this area where they were selling souvenirs. One was a little cheaper so we went with that company. We took the HOHO bus directly to this area--about a block or so away--little uphill.

(Interesting place). We had decided that that was the furthest destination we wanted to stop at. However, it was closed as the Chinese Prime Minister was visiting. We were told to come back alter, which we did. We took the bus around until we were near the first square going back--think it was called Senate Sq. where there was a festival going on. This white church was there--forgot name. I did not choose to walk up the many stairs and stayed at the festival but the others walked up and were ok with with it but didn't sound like it was that great. We then walked down to the Market Sq. which was busy, but fun to walk around. We stopped in this cafe that is mentioned in Rick Steve's book. It was crowded and the pastry looked great, but we did not order food as we were not hungry. We however, used the bathroom here and they were clean. Walked around the area and across this little street where there were street vendors. (prices here were cheaper than at the shops/ booths right outside the ship).We had a beautiful sunny day and are people who enjoy walking around and seeing the vendors.

Hi, anybody got any info on procedure for landing at St Petersburg.

We are on a ships tour so understand the visa is included.

Just wondered if passport control is on the ship or dock or dock entry.

No big deal just discussing on another forum.

Cheers.

We gathered in the theater and were given a ticket and a place to sit and a number. When our number was called we went downstairs and were checked off the ship and were directed to this building.We had to stand in a line until we were called/directed to go to the booth where we showed the immigration officials our ticket and passport. We then went to the bus with our number on it. Before boarding the buss, When we returned, we went to the building again and stood in line and was called to a booth where we showed the official our passport and they stamped it and we were through. I was told that the speed of this is determined by how many immigration officials are sent to work to check us in and out.

If you have back to back trips from the ship then make sure you have plenty of time as this adds a few minutes.

Looking for reccomendations. And most don't show availability for Aug 2016.

Had not heard of trivago before. Thanks

I can give you the names of where I stayed. We stayed near the City Hall Square the first night we were in Copenhagen(2 days one night) We stayed at the Square Hotel(prices vary based on availability-we paid around $230 with breakfast--which was good and plentiful)The Square Hotel was fine the room was adequate and the staff was very helpful. We had also looked at the Scandia Palace which was also centrally located We were looking for places with A/C which were hard to find. We were also very close to Tivoli Gardens and the pedestrian shopping street. This area is very busy with cars, bikes, people but is near to some museums and not far from one of the hoho bus areas. I had friends who also stayed at the SAS Radisson which was not far from there.

We also stayed another day and night on our return at the Wake Up Copenhagen Borgergade. This rooms in this hotel are very modern but very small and pod like. I traveled with a friend so we did not want to share a bed.

So we ended up taking a family room which was 2 rooms with a connecting door. This way we had our own room and bathroom(pod like and not very private-but fine with 2 separate ones)yet our rooms were connecting so we felt more secure. The price ended up being about the same as a shared room in another hotel. This way we had our own space but were in the same vicinity.

The rooms have a/c and free wifi in the rooms. In the modern lobby there was a large room with about 6 free computers to use. Breakfast was extra and was adequate. We liked the area of the hotel as it was not on a busy hectic street, yet it was around the corner from the Rosenborg Castle and gardens, Amalenborg , near a 7-11 and a number of cafes. We also were very close to Nyhaven and the Netto boats. We were also very close to the other end of Strogret (pedestrian street). We felt that this area was a change from the other area and was quite convenient while making you feel you were staying in a "neighborhood" rather than in the center of town. If you wanted to go to Tivoli from here you could walk. The hotel was not far from the Kongens Nytorv St. (Metro)--says 8 min walk. Other hotels had a/c but were further away from things. IT was around 59 F when we there(mid-June), but a number of reviewers on trip advisor complained of places being warm and stuffy.

Heard goo things about this tour company called Friends of Dave. It originates out of Wannemunde. Had a friend take it and while dave was sick the day she went she still liked the other tour leader. Read the reviews--he sounds great.

Almost booked him but chose to go to Berlin

While we're talking about this port how long does it take to get to Berlin and what is the best way to get there.

I went by train from a Princess operated tour. Once on the train and it leaves the trip to Berlin is usually under 3 hrs. More like 2 hrs. 1/2.

The train ride was very pleasant and comfortable and the scenery was nice.

We had a very friendly car on the train so the time flew by. We actually met some of the people we were friendlier with during the coming and going on the train. They give you water and a muffin and yogurt on the way to Berlin as well as a pot of coffee(which was just ok). On the way back they give you

a cheese sandwich and I think they might have given us more wage(can't remember if we got water on the way back). It was a long day and we got back around 8:00. I did not book this trip until a week before our trip as I originally thought we would just do a trip to the small towns close to where we docked. But after talking to a friend who had just come back from a Baltic cruise on another cruise line, we changed our minds after hearing them rave abut Berlin. Decided we probably would never go there again and would rather see a days worth than not go at all--Glad we decided to go.

Are credit cards widely accepted in Tallinn? Particularly by the street vendors? We are getting ready to leave on our Baltics/TA and trying to figure out the money part......ie, how much cash will I need at each place....? I'm hoping to use cc in most ports, but I don't know about the street vendors. I know I'll want to shop at the wool wall in Tallinn. In case I don't have enough and they don't accept cc, are ATMs easy to find in Tallinn?

I got Euros from the ship(using my dollars) and was able to use them in Tallinn, Germany and Helsinki. I mainly used a credit card(chip and signature). Some places took credit cards but a few street vendors required cash. Tallin was one of the less expensive places we visited. Not sure how many true bargains there were, but compared to other countries, it was less expensive. I actually never used an ATM. I took some Danish Kroners with me before I left as well as some American dollars(we are Americans)as we were staying in Copenhagen for 3 days.

I did have to use coins once to use a bathroom in the sculpture park in Oslo.

Rest of the time used bathrooms in museums and restaurants/cafes for free.

I liked to have some of the currency of the country with me just in case I needed it.--SOme places would take dollars or euros but never had to try that out.

Making a plan for our 1 day stop in Stockholm.

 

Desdichado62: could you take a look at it below and advise if this is doable?

 

General

Ship location: S167 STADSGÅRDEN

Day: Monday 17 August - doesn't seem there are a lot of activities going on, so I guess we'll concentrate on the sights.

Arrival: 9AM, depart at 5PM.

 

My general 'plan' is to get to Vasa museum as early as possible and then travel counterclockwise to Gamla Stan and back to the ship.

 

First stop: Vasa Museum

Thinking about either taking the ferry or a taxi. According to Google Maps, the ferry berth (Masthamnen) is very close to the ship and a ferry should leave at 9:28AM.

The concern I have with that is that everyone on the ship will have the same idea. Also, that might be cutting it close, since it also involves getting off the ship and walking.

Not sure about the Hop-On Hop-Off boats. There should be, but no idea if there are direct ones, when they start operating, and how long it takes to Vasa.

 

That's why I'm also considering a taxi. I compared some prices, and it should cost around 200 SEK (21 euro) in total. Should take about 20 minutes driving, depending traffic.

 

Visit to Vasa museum about 1.5-2 hours. Finish visiting the Vasa museum at 12 (noon).

 

Backtrack to Gamla Stan by public transport (tram or bus) and walking.

 

Backtrack to Stadsgarden

It should be around lunchtime when we exit the Vasa museum, so I was thinking about looking out for food trucks on our way. Perhaps visit the food market on Skeppsholmen before going to Gamla Stan.

 

Visit Gamla stan, the old town. Perhaps also Riddarholmen.

 

Then walk back along the water or take the T-bana and/or bus back to the ship. Depending on how much time is left.

Came back from a June 4 cruise on Regal Princess. If you are on this boat and are lucky enough to get to dock in Stockholm, it is at least a mile walk into town. They also have shuttles(charge) there is also a hop on and hop off boat behind the ship. The day we were there the HOHO boat left around8:30. I did not use it but some friends did and they went to the Vasa museum which opened earlier than it was listed. They did also go to Gamma Stan. We were there when the prince got married so we were not allowed in the palace.

I took the ship excursion which gave us a good tour of Stockholm on the bus as well as a tour of the city hall, gamma stan and the vasa museum, lunch at a tavern in gamma stan and about an hour or more to wander the gamma stan area after a 1/2 hr tour of the area. We made it back to the boat close to departure. In fact they called my room looking for me. Would have been a little worried if not on a ship trip. If we had to dock in Nysham(whatever it is called) the timing would have been different and travel would have been different. My friends on the HOHO boat also stayed on the boat for the whole ride which they liked. I have no idea how long they stayed at the Vasa or in gamma stan. They didn't seem to do much else on land. Supposedly it was also more crowded in the area because of the wedding when we were there.

We left on our tour around 7:30 and returned around 2:45--boat left at 3.

We were originally told to be back before 2:30.

Can you buy all the various local currency for the ports of call on the Baltic itinerary at one time on the ship? Or do you need to buy the day before or day of for each port?

check the machines. I only used it twice. I brought danish ironers with me from home (got them through AAA). was in copenhagen for 2 extra days.

Should have spent more of it as I came home with some.

I think there might be a 4.50 fee for each transaction--dollars to whatever.

You could probably do all the money at one time but maybe have to pay for diff. transactions for the diff. kinds of currency. not sure.

I did not get money for Russia as I had little time to spend any and the one souvenir shop I went to took credit cards or euros or dollars.

russia felt like a rush and there was little free time.

I did use Euros(Tallin, Berlin(little free time there also), think Helsinki). Mostly I used credit cards.

We'll be going next week on the 26th. I called the company today to inquire about what piers we would be docking at in each port. The agent told me that it is Nynashamn always in Stochkholm b/c they have to tender due to the difference in water depths from the harbor to the pier. If anyone's interested I can post all the piers/terminals he gave me today.

 

Also found out from him that you can change to local currency for $3.00 per transaction aboard the ship using their machines or using ATMs onboard the ship.

transaction fee is 4.50--just returned from the regal. We docked in Stockholm on an 80 deg day and was the first time princess docked there. Day the Prince got married--missed the wedding as we were on our way out. Leaving Stockholm is beautiful. hope you get to dock there.