FSU Girl

We also have never seen an itinerary quite like that cruise. The 4:30am arrival at Dublin sure makes it appear the port will be used for disembarkation/embarkation. But like the OP says, we cannot find any information about it being sold as two shorter cruises. But we are sure suspicious. So I will speculate. I wonder if that cruise is being used as a group cruise.....for 2 groups doing shorter cruises. Possibly its a "fam" or familiarization cruise for folks in the travel industry or some other type group. Cruise lines do not like to publicize the existence of group bookings because it is a huge disincentive for others (not part of the group) to book that cruise. Hence they go to great lengths to not tell other potential cruisers about the presence of the group.

 

My suggestion would be to avoid that cruise until Celebrity is willing to explain the reasoning of the itinerary. Otherwise, our best guess is that there will be two large groups of cruisers doing shorter cruises.

 

Hank

Do you think if I called to ask they'd say if there were groups booked?

I've never sailed on a cruise with a large group before, is it really bad? I like the itinerary it's the only one that spends two days in Paris

I was looking at a British Isles cruise out of Dublin in 2019. The itinerary looks great and I'm considering it for my honeymoon (I keep changing my mind about what countries I want to go to)

I noticed that for the 12 day itinerary it stops back at Dublin in the middle. I don't see a 6 day cruise offered, but it's weird it goes back to that port in the middle before continuing on? It ends in Amsterdam.

I'm wondering do they offer smaller cruises for people in Ireland? Or is this just to see the city again?

They're both beautiful ships and we'll maintained. I wouldn't hesitate to sail again on either one. They do not however have Murano on them.

That's good to hear they are well maintained. Murano is one of the speciality restaurants correct? Is that something that would make you pick the newer ships more?

Those two are M class ships which are smaller than the newer S class ships. They aren't really small; they have around 2000+ passengers. But they are smaller than a lot of the ships cruising today. I have spent a lot of time on the Infinity, and I like it. I like the smaller size better than the larger. But there are positives and negatives about each class. To me, the biggest disadvantage to the M class is the arrangement of the buffet. It's lined up like a cafeteria, whereas on the S class there are individual stations with the different food groups. Another difference is that on M class the Concierge Veranda cabins are larger than the regular Verandas. On the S class they are all the same size.

 

I have been on the Constellation, but that was long ago. In May, I will be doing B2B on the Constellation win the Med and Adriatic. If you want to go to Venice, the S class ships cannot go there. Since the Infinity and the Constellation are just alike, I think your choice should be based on which itinerary you like the best.

 

Carolyn

Thank you this is really helpful. I don't mind the smaller ships some of the really big ones I think have too much going on. Are the shows similar on both type ships? If I were to do a M class would you recommend the concierge since those rooms are bigger?

How are the constellation and infinity? It looks like these boats are old and small, but their itineraries to Venice look really nice

We did a Baltic cruise this past September aboard the Pacific Princess. We did enjoy it very much. The only drawback was the cold and rainy weather but that can happen anywhere, anytime. In St. Petersburg we did a private 2 day tour with Alla which was wonderful. It covers many of the same places as the Princess tours but is much cheaper. Most of the other cities we set out on our own and didn't use Princess tours. I will say we usually use Princess tours and they meet our expectations. The trip is very port intensive and the ship is the smallest in the Princess fleet. Entertainment was fine but there is no "theater" on the ship. The bigger ships have more entertainment venues. Nevertheless we had a couple of production shows, vocalists, and comedians - all very good. Wish we had a couple more sea days in between the ports - our only "complaint". We love Princess as you can see from our signature. The staff is wonderful and we enjoy the food. We can always find something to enjoy, eat, drink, or do! Basically, it's a great trip but on your honeymoon you need to decide if you want to be busy everyday or have a few days to relax - all up to you!

How long was your cruise? I was thinking a 12 night cruise would have enough sea days to make it more relaxing?

I think I saw Royal going to the Baltic in 2018, that is one of the bigger ships. I would probably want to go on a larger ship that has more options

We did the Baltic cruise on the Regal in May last year. It was port intensive. We did the shore excursion in St. Petersburg with a private tour agency. 0n some, we did it on our own. We have always enjoyed the Regal Princess with the number of dining venues, including an expanded buffet area.

 

 

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That ship does look nice. I figure it will be pretty port intense, but I'm hoping a few sea days in between will make it feel more relaxed

I am on the Reflection right now for my honeymoon. So far, it has been an amazing vacation (other than getting pickpocketed last night in Cartagena, but that's a whole nother post!)

 

We are in concierge class, which we booked mostly for cabin location. We have a balcony cabin all the way aft, with a wake view, and that has been amazing. My husband and I are in our mid thirties, and we we are definitely some of the youngest cruisers on the ship. Though that could be because of the length of the cruise (14 days). We are not much for nightlife, so can't really comment there.

 

Highly suggest a dining package. We have a 6 night package, and so far those nights have been the highlight of the cruise. We have not loved the MDR. The tables are placed extremely close to each other, which doesn't exactly spur romance!

 

Overall, highly recommend Celebrity for a honeymoon. The staff have been amazing, and every time we are in a speciality restaurant, they have acknowledged that we are honeymooners.

Congrats on your honeymoon! Sorry about the pick pocketing, but besides that it sounds like you're really enjoying your honeymoon. How does the dining package work? For those 6 days you just pick whichever restaurant you want?

I think the Sapphire is doing the odd sailing to the Baltic in 2019 , she will homeport in Southampton.

Thank you for this information. It looks like this ship has been around since 2004, but refurbished in 2012. Is the ship showing her age? Having a nice cruise ship is important since there will be sea days

Hi everyone, I'm trying to plan a honeymoon cruise for summer 2019. I want to do a Baltic cruise, but I'm not sure what cruise line to sail on. My last couple cruises have been on Disney. I have sailed Princess before, but the last time was 2007 when I was 18, so I've never experienced them as an adult.

Has anyone done a Baltic cruise on Princess before? Did you enjoy it? How was the entertainment and cruise sponsored excursions?

They don't have their itineraries out yet so it's a bit of guess work right now. When do they typically release their summer schedules?

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated :)

I'm 28, but I'm not a big partier and going to a bar everybody night does not interest me. I love shows on ships. My last cruise was on Disney and their shows were amazing.

I've been reading through this forum and many people seem to like Reflection, but some mention over crowding. Is it really noticible?

How are Celebrity run tours? I'm the type to book through the ship since they won't leave you behind and seems less stressful. We've never been to any of these countries so I'm okay with really long days to get a lot in.

It look so like the Reflection is the ship that will be sailing in the Baltic 2019. Is this a good ship? It looks like it was built in 2012 so a little while ago but not too long. The suites look really nice but are really expensive. But it is a honeymoon so splurging might be worth it.

How are the shows on the cruise? For sea days I'm assuming swimming isn't a big focus on a Northern European cruise since it'll be cold?

Thanks everyone all of this is really helpful! I'm really excited planning this

What are your concerns with the negative reviews? The ships in general or particular aspects of the cruise?

 

I've done a Celebrity Baltic cruise on the Eclipse and enjoyed it greatly. There were not too many sea days and the three day tour of St Petersburgh was excellent but not at all relaxing.

 

Have you decided what cabin you're interested in? That can make a huge difference to the overall enjoyment of a Celebrity cruise too.

I think my biggest concerns are because I've never sailed with them before and want my honeymoon to be magical. That's great to hear you enjoyed your Baltic cruise!

For a cabin definitely a balcony, maybe something higher like a suite but not sure since I've never done that before. Does Celebrity have a concierge level like some other cruise lines?

We went on our first cruise on our honeymoon in 1986 and have been hooked ever since!

We have cruised Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. In my opinion, Celebrity would be perfect for your honeymoon! The S class of ships are wonderful. As you can see from my signature, we have been on the Silhouette to the Caribbean, Reflection to the Med and are going on the Equinox back to the Caribbean. We just booked the Baltic/Russia on the Reflection for summer 2019. Maybe we will see you on board! Don't fret about negative reviews. Take the good with the bad and consider that there are many, many more who are not on CC who had awesome vacations. I have no doubt that you will have a wonderful time!

It's very possible you might see us 😊 Have you been on the Reflection before?

What do you want out of your cruise to the Baltic? When cruising Europe, itinerary is more important than ship/line. If itinerary and price suit you needs, then by all means, Celebrity will be fine. EM

We want something romantic. Neither of us have been to those countries so it will be nice to experience together. But I think the cruise ship is important. We'll be on it for sea days and at night and I want to have a good time.

I'm new to these forums. I've been reading reviews of cruise ships but some of them are pretty negative so I thought here I'd get a better understanding

I'm planning my honeymoon cruise for the summer of 2019. I've never sailed on Celebrity before. Would this be a goodbye cruise line to go to the Baltic's on?

This is my first post on cruise critic. I'm trying to plan a honeymoon cruise for summer 2019. I've never sailed on Norwegian before, but I'm intrigued by the Haven. We are looking to do a cruise in the Baltic, maybe Mediterranean. I've been on Disney and Princess, also Royal Caribbean but hated them. I'm trying to decide on which cruise line to sail. Those who have sailed Norwegian in the Baltic did you enjoy it? Is the Haven worth the extra cost, it's not something I'd normally do and with such a port intensive cruise not sure it will be worth it.