vmarq

We want to book with a reputable company to swim with whales in August.  Any advice?  Thank you.

I did some research on golf cart rentals and there is a lot of discussion about break downs.  I saw good things about BMB Rental Carts but they no longer have golf carts evidently.  Any recent experience with renting on Bimini that you can give?  Would appreciate it.

Are the Star Breeze, Star Legend and Star Pride all decorated the same?

Can anyone tell me about these cabins.  It looks like they have an angled balcony.  Is the balcony smaller because of that?  Any advice is appreciated.

Just wondering for those of you who have sailed NCL, are the specialty restaurants worth the extra cost?  Thank you

Regarding the coral drift snorkel excursion, make sure you wear sturdy water shoes.  I had very flimsy ones on and suffered in pain walking over all the rocks, etc you need to walk on each time you make the drift run.  We were able to do 3 runs but because of the pain walking over the rocks, I chose to skip the last one.  The other problem I had was I was either drifting too close to the person in front of me or was far away from the person in front and therefore had trouble following the path the leader had set up for us.  There were lots of fish but I enjoyed snorkeling at the "Aquarium" with H20 Bora Bora much more.  You don't have to worry about being thrust into coral as much so much more relaxing.

FP announced it will reopen to tourism May 1st.  Hope that is the last closure.

I realize nothing in life is 100% but if we have been fully vaccinated, it should be our choice whether to wear a mask or not.

I welcome an all vaccinated cruise but I wholeheartedly disagree that masks be required.  What is the point if you have everyone vaccinated????

We are new to Windstar Cruises and are conflicted as to whether we book the Wind Spirit or Star Breeze to Tahiti.  Any information you can give me would be much appreciated.

I am interested in any experiences going to the pearl farms.  One of the Windstar excursions promotes harvesting your own pearl by diving down to pick your oyster.  Has anyone done that and what was your experience?  Thank you.

We just got back from a Baltic cruise. I would say don't miss the Vasa museum. Make sure to see the film they have in the museum that explains what happened plus they have guided tours which give you even more information. Was fascinating.

We just got off the Regal Princess on July 5th after a Baltic Cruise. Yes, they did have a Russian Folk show the 1st night in port and it was EXCELLENT. Really enjoyed it. They also had a folk show the evening we were in Oslo; however, it was just mediocre.

Thank you Danish Viking for your help. What would your recommendation be for getting from the airport (Norwegian Airlines) to Hotel Bethel? I appreciate your advice. Vicki

We evidently have the chance to attend Swan Lake at the Alexandrinsky Theatre the evening we are in St. Petersburg. Has anyone had the opportunity to do this and what were your opinions? Thank you in advance.

Just heard there have been multiple explosions in the subway in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since we will be there in a couple months and touring the subway system, this is a little concerning. Will have to await further details.

Just heard this news. We are planning to be there in a couple months but starting to be a little concerned.

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice. We have decided to go with the tour which includes the Faberge museum. I'm sure at the end of the day, we will be glad to get back on the ship and rest versus taking another tour.

:)

We would really appreciate some advice. Our ship will be in St. Petersburg for 2 days. We really want to see the Faberge Museum but are unsure that we will have the stamina to do the Deluxe tour, and then do the Faberge Museum tour in the evening. Another option is doing the Highlights tour with the Faberge museum during the day; however, we will not see the Yusupov Palace or St. Isaac's Cathedral. For those of you who have seen the the palace and cathedral, would you consider these as "not to be missed?".

Thank you for your help.

I understand that the largest ships have more amenities if you are traveling with children; however, when you are traveling as a couple is the larger size and amenities also an advantage? My husband and I are now empty nesters and retired and are considering trying one of the mammoth ships. Just curious about views of others that travel just as a pair.

Vicki

Beautiful!! Can't wait to experience this next year.

You're lucky to be going to Riga. Not many ships go there compared to SP, Tallinn, etc. I would say if you have an hour or two, make sure to seek out the fabulous art nouveau there - not terribly far from where the ship docks, or at least where we did. I love architecture and photography and really enjoyed it. Here's a link to my photos. I think Riga is about halfway down in the "gallery." http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/baltic_cruise_&page=all I also did a "second string" gallery which contains more pictures from each city we visited. In these galleries you'll find pics from some of your other stops. (Nice itinerary, by the way!)

 

But back to Riga: I had some trouble finding a couple buildings, particularly the "blue" building, but if you're interested, I can probably dig up some info that would help you and others find it. I remember that the numbering on the street is not such that 10B, for example, is right across from or right next to 10A as I assumed it would be. That made things confusing.

 

The HOHO bus in Riga was nice, but really, the art nouveau stuff blew me away, as the scale is very large and the artwork towers above you - bring a telephoto lens if you have it! I would probably go see art nouveau, go see the beautiful church in Riga (that one is right on the HOHO route) and then perhaps do other stuff. As for St. P, you're smart in asking what to concentrate in. We took the Alla 2 day "Comfort" tour and it was great but tiring. My favorite stops were the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood and Catherine's Palace (mostly outside). My least favorite stops were the Hermitage, subway ride and Peter & Paul Fortress. Some people did the optional and extra ballet performance at night offered by Alla, and they were having second thoughts about going due to fatigue. My husband was tired and sat out the Hermitage, but I trudged through, despite not so much interest in the artwork. The ride on the canal and the boat ride were fun.

Thank you for all the great information. Will look forward to the Art Nouveau in Riga.

We are lucky enough to have 3 days in St. Petersburg. Some of the tour groups now offer 2 days in SPB and 1 in Moscow. For those of you who have been to SPB, would you recommend doing all 3 days in SPB or spending one day in Moscow? I know there is significant travel time going to Moscow so not sure if it is worth it or not. One of the tours I am looking at goes to Moscow on Wednesday so we would be able to go in the Kremlin.

Thank you for any input.

Three days in St Petersburg is fantastic. What cruise line and which ship?

This is RCCI Serenade of the Seas. Usually sail Celebrity but couldn't resist this itinerary.

Thank you for those who have replied so far. We are on a 13 day cruise with 3 days in St. Petersburg and only 1 sea day. I am wondering if it is better to just tour St. Petersburg for 2 days and rest the other day, or do the 3 day tour. I know that some might consider going to Moscow on one of the days but I fear that would be just too much.

I especially love taking photos so love all types of architecture and landscaping beauty. I don't mind some museum time but don't want to spend endless hours in museums.

We are in our 60's and 70's but are still mobile.

I appreciate any feedback.

Here is our itinerary:

Stockholm, Sweden Embark overnight

Stockholm, Sweden 4:00pm

Tallinn, Estonia 10:00am 6:00pm

St. Petersburg, Russia 7:00am

St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg, Russia 6:00pm

Helsinki, Finland 7:00am 3:00pm

Riga, Latvia 10:00am 6:00pm

Klaipeda, Lithuania 10:00am 8:00pm

At Sea

Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany 7:00am 9:30pm

Fredericia, Denmark 9:00am 7:00pm

Copenhagen, Denmark 9:00am overnight

Copenhagen, Denmark Disembark

Vicki