mara93

Yes, we live in Chicago. Black ice is an annual occurrence & we’re not called the Windy City for nothing. I’ve often had my car shift while driving down the expressway & hit by a huge gust.

Think I’ll stick with the car we have now, thanks for the input.

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We were in SPB for one day only. When we all boarded & were off to start the tour, we were told we would be skipping some of the items on our agenda due to a festival taking place in town.

We were never informed beforehand of the change & had to vehemently argue in favor of visiting the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the main reason we booked our tour.

The guide had to call the main office & were able to arrange a tour of the church as our second stop in order to accomodate. Why did we have to argue for this? Why wasn't it arranged this way from the get go?

Additionally, at our first stop she kept rushing us stating "If you want to see the church, you must hurry" We were not a big group & her demeanor wasn't very pleasant.

Also, our only stop for shopping was a very crowded shop that is used by all tour companies. During this stop, we paid for our tour & due to some technical difficulties on their end, ate up most of our shopping time. I had no idea we could pay ahead of time, I would have gladly done so.

Those are some of the main issues .... I would book through another company if I were to return.

I bought Russian nesting dolls & a music box in SPB along with magnets w/amber inside, a Dalecarlian wooden horse sculpture in Stockholm, & a ceramic house (representative of the buildings in Old Town from Estonia. I bought lots of sweets & treats for people as well. Jerky & marzipan from Estonia, chocolate from Finland, etc.

I didn't carry any currency during my cruise, most everywhere accepted cards. Much easier, especially when you have a card that doesn't charge foreign fees.

We used Alla & they were okay. There were some small things that make me say I wouldn't book them again.

We'll be in Iceland next year during the end of March for a week in the hopes of catching some Northern lights. Any tips/suggestions or must see locations? I have my itinerary planned out, we'll be heading down to Southern Iceland first & making our way back up to Reykjavik & the Blue Lagoon.

The one thing I'm wavering on is vehicle selection. I got a GREAT deal on a small car but I'm wondering if I need to upgrade to a more rugged vehicle. Thoughts?

We did a Food Tour & it was fantastic. Our guide, Raiko, was extremely knowledagble & due to having a car we were able to visit some areas outside of Old Town before beginning our food experience. Completely recommend.

This is the one we did

http://www.foodsightseeing.ee/

Are you departing from Hamburg or Kiel?

I believe both are doable but it would be wise to fly in the day before "just in case"

We'll be there in March for a week & are staying outside of Reykjavik due to having a car. Have you checked booking.com? Website is very helpful when looking for hotels.

From my experience, it was cheaper to pre-book. If you look at the plan descriptions, it states how many devices can use the same account.

No, there is no self serve laundry. Buy a package before you board, they're reasonable.

I was on a tour with Alla & they only stopped at one place for souvenir shopping. Price gouging at it's finest as they were cheaper at the shops located on the pier. Seems everyone brings passengers to this shop as even MSC excursions were there.

I used it on my cruise last week. Can't remember if it was more once I boarded. Clothes came back perfectly okay.

I used a steamer. My flat iron was confiscated but the steamer wasn't. Go figure.

I carried mine on board last week.

I just came back from a Baltic cruise. I have T-Mobile & had coverage in every port. My plan includes free unlimited text & data & calls are 20 cents a minute. I supplemented with an internet package on board & was connected the entire time. Worked perfectly.

It only works for sailings on certain ships.

I use a TA, always gets us OBC.

Must be because I sail next week and keep receiving the same messages you are.

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I laminate with tape at home so they're extra sturdy once folded. Works great.

I sail in a week & a half. Downloaded the app but it won't allow me to log in.

My roll call is completely dead

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I tried booking a tour through Alla Tours but they would only take us on if we found an additional 6 people to join us.

Surprised we found Lokafy, everything else was ridiculously priced.

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We booked a tour with a local through Lokafy. There aren't that many tours operated in Stockholm & most that are, are a tad expensive.

Your best bet would be public transportation.

I've heard Fantastica vouchers are delivered to your stateroom & any vouchers you BUY must be picked up in the casino.