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We were there for the second time in December 2014. We had no problems on a private tour or walking around the old city on our own but another passenger on our cruise was mugged by 6 men walking by himself back to the cruise port. He was robbed and beaten up within sight of the ship. Enjoy exploring but take a taxi back and forth to the port.

We just did a great Street Food Tour in Cartagena last week. $30 per person for a 2 hour tour that took us out of the old city and into the residential areas. We tasted 10-12 different food from a variety of vendors and got a feel for the "real" Cartagena. It's offered through Kristy, an Australian ex-pat who has settled here. http://www.cartagenaconnections.com/street-food-tour.html Just make sure to bring plenty of water - it gets very hot!

Oh - and someone on our cruise was mugged walking back to the port alone. Take a cab back and forth instead of trying to walk it.

Just back today after using Okey Dokey last week. We arranged 4 stops - Jaguar Rescue Center, chocolate tour, banana plantation and jungle cruise - rather than using a standard package. We were charged $99 per person, a bit more than some other tour companies quoted, but Charlie's communication was clear and precise. We were assured an air conditioned van, an English speaking guide, cold drinks, fresh fruits, clean bathrooms, "authentic Costa Rican lunch" and shopping for coffee. We toured with Charlie's nephew Jonathan, a very nice young man, and brother Julio as our driver. The AC in the van did not compress so we had air blowing on us but it was not actually air conditioning. The stop for soft drinks was made at 8:45 am. No other cold drinks were provided for the remainder of our day long tour.

The only bathrooms were at the restaurant where we had lunch. While we were able to wash our hands with soap and water both bathrooms were posted with "Out of Service" signs so no working bathrooms were made available. The chocolate museum was closed when we arrived so Jonathan located an alternative "Chocolate House" where a young woman was able to show us the chocolate process in her home. She was pleasant and informative but it wasn't exactly the "tour" we expected. (We were able to use outdoor flush toilets here - better than an outhouse but not the "clean comfortable bathrooms" we were promised.) By this time it was almost 3 pm and Jonathan said we would have to choose between visiting the banana plantation or stopping for fruit and driving by the plantation. My daughter really wanted to try some tropical fruits so we chose to do that and drive by the banana plantation rather than tour it. At the fruit stand there were a few bunches of bananas hanging and 4 bowls with tiny pieces of papaya, coconut, pineapple and sugar cane - the stop took all of about 5 minutes. With the exception of the sugar cane all the fruits were available daily on our cruise. When I asked about driving by the banana plantation Jonathan said there was no reason to - they closed about an hour earlier. Not exactly sure what his plan would have been if we had insisted on the plantation visit we scheduled rather then falling for the fruit visit option...

It was after 3 when we arrived for our jungle cruise. We saw about a half dozen varieties of birds but no animals. When we returned Jonathan said "Of course you did not see animals - you were here too late. You would have to come earlier in the day to see animals."

Charlie called after we stopped for coffee to see how the tour went. When I told him we had not seen the banana plantation he did not understand why, "I told my guide to take you there." Jonathan became upset saying we had chosen to skip it in order to have the fruit stop - he took no responsibility for getting us there too late to see it or for the jungle cruise being done too late in the day for it to be worthwhile. Charlie did not offer to adjust the price for the missed stop. Jonathan asked me to write a review for Cruise Critic and I assured him that I would.

No I would not use Okey Dokey again. I understand that sometimes things don't go as planned but frankly I could have had the same level of service from a cab driver hired at the port for a fraction of the price. Only 1 of our stops went as planned and we missed one altogether. Technically the van was equipped with AC, we received cold drinks and tasted fruit but it certainly was not the experience we expected or paid for.

Check out the Jewish Heritage exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum in St Petersburg. Many tour companies don't offer it because their guides aren't licensed to tour there. Best Guides will arrange for a curator there to give you a tour while their guide acts as translator. We did this with Masha privately 3 years ago before she set up Best Guides and I believe it has since become a standard offering for them. I think now a few other companies will offer it as well but not all.

Just wondering if anyone has returned from their vacations using the dossiers. If so please post how they worked. My 5 year old recently started asking to go on another trip where she can have dossiers and assignments again. I'm just curious if other kids likes them as much.

Here's Gothenburg :

Agent Name: Katy – AKA: 004

Country Name: Sweden

City Name: Goteburg – AKA Gothenburg

Brief History: Goteburg is a big city located on the Sea. They like big things in Goteburg: Scandinavia's largest shopping centre, Nordstan; Scandinavia's largest amusement park, Liseberg; The University of Gothenburg is the largest university in Scandinaviaand Ullevi Stadium, the largest outdoor sports arena in Scandinavia.

In 2002 they hosted the World Ice Hockey Championship.

People in Goteburg love the water. They live on the ocean but they also have many canals. They also love licorice – even salty licorice.

Your Assignment:

1. From the ship see if you can spot the 8000 islands just off of Goteburg.

2. Visit the Fish Church (Fiske Kyrkan)

3. Find Poseidon, King of the Sea.

4. Eat cold shrimp you peel yourself (or Swedish meatballs.)

5. Ride the Ringlinien Vintage tram in the center of the city.

6. Bring home a book about Pippi Longstocking or Emil I Lonneberga

7. Get 2 types of licorice (sweet and salty). Find Salmiak or Fazer.

8. Taste Salt Licorice ice cream.

9. Try some special “birthday cake” Jordgubbstarta med Gradde.

10. Buy some Marabo chocolate.

Favorite Place:******************______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:_________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

Awesome lwf99! I am so happy that you are continuing this for your kids!!! If anyone is stopping in Bremerhaven or Gothenberg let me know if you are interested in those and I will post them too. How great is this site? I bet there are some adults who will be bringing these along even if they aren't traveling with kids!

Thanks Jellytot and Peg. No - the dossiers are not being published. I made a few queries but don't really know where to go with them. I know my daughter loved them - every morning at breakfast we had a big production of reading the dossier for the day. I hope other kids can benefit from them, too. As I said earlier in this thread I think travel is an amazing gift to our children. In addition to the Baltic cruise last summer we did the Western Caribbean in January where she got to climb on Mayan ruins and meet a modern day Mayan family. She hasn't even started kindergarten yet but I think has a better understanding of the world and different cultures than most adults I know. Making it fun is really the key - that way they don't even know they are learning;)

Please keep this thread alive - so many people have been posting recently that they are taking their kids to the Baltics this summer who were not able to find this info when the thread was buried. Any more questions please post. Also, after you return please add what worked for your family, too.

We will be in London for 8 nights before our Disney Cruise.....not sure if Disney would have anything like this....and since we aren't doing many of their excursions probably wouldn't have access anyway.....would you be so kind to email me mmaragon@prodigy.net

Here's the one we used in London. Diana's Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens was hands down dd's favorite place on the whole trip. It is modeled after Peter Pan - you can add something about climbing on Capt. Hook's ship. We also hooked up with the Dover Greeters and she had a nice time at a playground in Dover. The funny sounding foods were a big hit - we still talk about the Eton Mess. She also really loved the Tower of London (you should have heard her comparing notes on the best part of being a princess with the actress playing the queen!) and seeing the crown jewels. We also visited Dover Castle the day we got off the ship - again she had fun exploring and gave the actor playing the king a run for his money. On the train to/from Gatwick she recognized the rooftops as being similar to the ones in "Mary Poppins." You could add that too if your kids are familiar with the movie...

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: ENGLAND City Name: LONDON

Background: England is also known as The United Kingdom but there is no king in the kingdom. Instead Queen Elizabeth’s husband is named Prince Phillip. They live in London at Buckingham Palace.

People in London travel in a subway called “the tube” as well as on Double Decker busses and in black taxis. London has a big river called the Thames and many beautiful parks.

In the afternoon everyone stops what they are doing to have tea. You can have sandwiches, biscuits or scones with your tea. Some of the most popular foods in London are fish and chips, pasties and puddings.

Many movies, including Mary Poppins, are based in London.

Your Assignment:

1. Ride the Eye to the Sky.

2. Find the palace where a real queen lives.

3. Have a tea party with scones and clotted cream.

4. Ride on a bus that has 2 floors.

5. Ride in a tube.

6. Visit a park with a beautiful flower garden.

7. Try as many of these as you can: Fish & Chips, Scones, Cornish Pasty, Bangers & Mash, Bubble & Squeak, Toad in the Hole, Sticky Toffee pudding, bread and butter pudding, a fruit crumble, custard, sponge pudding, a tart, Eton Mess, a flake, sausage roll, meat pie

*************************************************************

Favorite Place:______________________________________________­

Favorite Activity:____________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:_______________________________________

Yes earlier in the thread I mentioned that my dd had her own camera and taking her own pictures was part of the fun for her. She had a V-tech but Fisher Price also makes a great one for kids this age. Indestructable, able to take a 2 mb picture card - even able to make videos. You can load the child's pictures on the computer just as you would your own. It made a huge difference!

Sorry, no dossier for Helsinki.

The Dossier File is such a great idea .I have the St P and Tallin. Are there anymore ? Would love to have one for Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin and Copenhagen. Thank you !!:)

Sorry - we were on MSC so didn't get to Oslo, Stockholm or Berlin. Here is Copenhagen. Our port time was very, very short so we didn't get to do much besides Tivoli and the Little Mermaid though:

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: Denmark City Name: Copenhagen

Brief History: Like St Petersburg Copenhagen is a royal city. The current queen – Queen Margrethe II - lives in Amalienborg Slot (Amalia’s Castle). Rosenborg Slot is another royal palace with grand ballrooms and reception halls that look like Cinderella’s castle.

Hans Christian Andersen wrote many fairy tales. He wrote "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Little Mermaid", "Thumbelina", "The Little Match Girl", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Red Shoes". He lived in Copenhagen and was much loved by the childern.

Tivoli Gardens is the second oldest amusement park in the world. It has more than rides though with a Chinese pagoda and flower gardins.

Look For: Queen Margrethe II – sometimes she likes to tour her city and shake hands! Pantomime show at Tivoli Gardens. Swans in city lakes.

Your Assignment:

1. Look for the “Little Mermaid” statue in Copenhagen harbor.

2. Visit Rosenborg Palace and find portraits of the royalty and their Crown Jewels.

3. Visit Tivoli Gardens and watch the Himmelskibet (The Sky Flyer) - the world's tallest carousel.

4. Eat in a smorrebrod restaurant (perhaps Ida Davidsen or Told & Snaps).

Favorite Place:­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:____________________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

OK, here's Tallinn:

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: Estonia City Name: Tallinn

Brief History: Tallinn is the capital of Estonia. They have an old town where the city hall stands and a tall hill (The Toompea) with a castle.

The city also has some of the tallest church towers in Europe. The tower of St. Olaf’s Church was once the tallest building in the world!

Look For: A pink castle on top of the hill. Towers and gates as you walk through the old city. Perhaps you will see people wearing traditional costumes. A very old pharmacy is located near the town hall and it has some unusual things on its shelves.

Your Assignment:

1. Count all the towers you see in Tallinn.

2. Look for “Old Tom” and a dragon head waterspout on the old town Hall.

3. Find the skull and crossbones carving inside Niguliste Church near the town hall.

4. Visit Fat Margaret.

5. Head to the Town Square for a ride on Toomas the Train.

6. Visit the Kalev Museum of Sweets (Maiasmoka maja, Pikk street 16) or the Kalev Sweete Shop Café

Favorite Place:­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:____________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

We just added our 9 year old grandson to our cruise and I was a bit worried that A. he would be bored to tears, B. we would miss out on seeing what we wanted in the ports of call and C. all of us would end the day mad. My cousin is bringing her 10 year old daughter so I knew he would have a playmate, but was still concerned that maybe this trip would be too much. The idea of the dossier is FABULOUS!!!! He enjoyed making his own passport when we took him to Epcot and this will be right up his alley. When I used to take my 6th graders to the zoo I gave them a scavenger hunt just to encourage them to read the signs and learn more about the animals. They loved it and I got lots of requests from other teachers to use it. Why I didn't think about doing something like this, I don't know. We will be on the Celebrity Constellation sailing July 3 from Amsterdam. Plan to spend several days in Amsterdam before boarding the ship. I would love a copy of the dossiers and would be willing to pay for them.

Here is Amsterdam. What other ports are you going to? Now that we've been there I would probably add some things like climbing on the "a" in Amsterdam, finding the big doll house at the Rijksmuseum or the hidden room at Anne Frank's House. You can add and adjust more age appropriate things as you plan. In case you couldn't tell our dd is very adventurous and likes to try new foods so we tended to stress this for her.

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: NETHERLANDS/HOLLAND City Name: AMSTERDAM

Brief History: Amsterdam was first built in c. 1270.

The city is built near the ocean and has the most canals of any city in Europe. The three major canals are: Herengracht (Man's canal) Keizersgracht (Kings canal) and Prinsengracht (Princes canal) all leading from the Amstel (The harbor).

The 1600’s were a “Golden Age” because people in Amsterdam bought and sold things like cloth, chocolate, flowers and even beer to other people around the world.

In 1980 Beatrix is crowned Queen of the Netherlands.

********************************************************************************************************************

Look For:

1. They love cheese in Amsterdam! kaas broodje (cheese on a bread roll) is a favorite.

2. The stroopwafel (syrup waffle) is actually a thin sandwich of two buttery waffle layers stuck together with a sweet, gooey molasses. Try the "roomboter"type.

3. Dutch pancakes, called pannekoeken, are similar in texture and taste to French crepes. you might try them with warm cherries, ice cream and whipped cream.

4. Patat (pronounced "pah TAHT") or Vlaamse frites (pronounced "FLAHM suh freets"). The latter means Flemish fries.

********************************************************************************************************************

Your Assignment:

1. Find a Painting from the Van Gogh book you have at home.

2. Ride a bus that is a boat.

3. Eat a pancake – but not for breakfast.

4. Find a stroopwafel.

Favorite Place:­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:_________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

I wonder if it may be possible to have the weather decide... Depending on the flexability of the guide/tour company you use I wonder if you could arrange to do Peterhof if the weather is good and Catherine's Palace if it's not. The tour company would have to reserve in advance for better admission to Catherine's Palace or hydrofoil tickets but if you told them you would be fine with either choice (and be sure of the price for both options in advance) they could reserve when they got a weather report. You may not know for sure until you get there which you would see but since both are SO spectacular it could be a win-win opportunity. Just an idea...

Soviet Police approach our home (not really):

 

:eek:! Too funny Terry! I can just see them coming down the streets of Ohio looking for you... :)

But seriously, it's not worth risking a run in with the law, or getting your guide in trouble. Some of the sites are just SO breathtaking that it can be hard to resist. I do wonder why they don't allow pictures in the Amber Room. So many people were taking them anyway they could even sell an additional photo pass just for that room and make a bigger profit?

 

On Lair Bear's concern for whether I was arrested while in Russia or worry about the State Police knocking on my door now, the answer is NO! YES, sometimes, when my camera is resting lower on my stomach, it will "accidentially" go off. It was set with the 10mm wide angle lens and happened to capture interesting views. I didn't aim the camera or have it at my eye. It just kind of "went off" about three times there. Those things happen.

I just love that you captured the "no photography" sign when your camera accidently went off ;) So many people were having that problem in the Amber Room that my mother decided to take pictures on purpose rather than be left out. The guard said something to someone but there were so many people speaking so many languages we couldn't tell who she was speaking to. Mom didn't have any problems, though. The next week at the Tower of London we DID see a young man get arrested for taking an illegal picture of the crown jewels. I think the metro is considered part of the Russian national defense system so it is considered a serious offense to take pictures there. Not a good idea.

Terry your photographs are just beautiful. Everytime you post one I am transported back. Thanks so much...

Thanks Billysive and others for the complements on the secret agent/dossier idea. After all your positive feedback I have spent the last few days doing some research and today actually started contacting literary agents about possibly writing a family travel guide featuring them. Yikes! :eek: Wish me luck...

Hopefully 4th time will be a charm and this post will go through...

We did not do any ship's excursions. We used a private guide named Masha in St Petersburg and did every place else on our own. In Copenhagen we caught a public bus that stopped right in front of the ship and dropped us off within a block or so of Tivoli. Very easy and inexpensive.

In Tallinn we got on a HOHO bus at the port and took it to the top of the hill then walked down through the medieval town. The marzipan museum was just off the main square, down an alley directly across from the old town hall. It is very small but my dd loved watching them hand roll and paint the marzipan in the shape of birds, flowers, etc. The little blue marzipan boy she got there was one of her favorite treats to bring home. I think the best part was the medieval restaurant where we ate lunch. Authentic medieval food, decor - even the bathrooms were medieval privies. Be sure to let the kids explore inside the wall at the top on the hill. There is also a place there where they can try their hand at archery. My dd was too little but it would probably be great for the older kids. There was also a train to ride in the town square. We ran out of time but I wish we had been able to do it.

In Amsterdam we had planned to use the HOHO canal bus but the schedule didn't match our needs. Instead we rented a "canal bike", a 4 passenger boat you peddle through the canals. She loved it! The Rijksmuseum had a children's treasure hunt that had her look for different things in each room. It was a big hit. The Van Gogh Museum had a kids' audio tour that was really nice - it discussed some of the paintings in a very kid friendly way. Unfortunately the museum was very crowded and she got frustrated at moving so slowly. There was a nice little cafe between the museums, right near the large AMSTERDAM. The Dutch pancakes were delicious - and we never would have thought to try them without her little assignments. There was also a small playground there that she enjoyed. Anne Frank House is a tough one but is a great educational opportunity, especially for older kids. My husband is an art professor so museums were high priority for us. If you or your kids are not big on museums I would do a canal cruise and check out the zoo, which is supposed to be really good. There are some real experts on cc who can give advice as to the best places to take kids here.

With St Petersburg all the guides suggested the fountains at Peterhof, which were indeed a huge hit. (Just be sure to bring a complete change of clothes including socks, shoes and underwear. My dd was drenched - as if she had gone swimming. FUN :)) They all also suggested a canal cruise which was nice but very low key. I would strongly suggest the hydrofoil out to Peterhof. Not only does this save a lot of time driving but kids (even the big boys on our trip - the ones in their 40's and 50's) loved the ride. My dd also enjoyed the metro and going to a Russian supermarket to buy treats to bring home. Since she had her own camera even taking pictures of the palaces was fun for her. We stopped each day at an "art gallery" which were really souvenir shops with great bathrooms. We bought her a musical instrument and some toys featuring a character known as "the Russian Winnie the Pooh." She even got her first real piece of jewelry - an amber necklace. She was so good over the 2 very long days sightseeing in St Petersburg we were able to easily justify this well placed bribery. Of course when we got home she said "I wish I got an egg - you know - the Faberge kind..."

Hope this info helps. Let me know if I can add anything. Travelling with our kids is such a great thing - I think it's a gift that will stay with them forever. Enjoy!

If you heard a very loud AARRGG coming from your computer it was probably me as my long, detailed response to your questions evaporated 3 different times when I went to post. Hopefully this will work and I will try again later to write my detailed response.

Elaine5: Here is a sample of the Dossier that we used for St Petersburg. Hopefully it will come through okay. A lot of parents have expressed an interest in these. If anyone has any idea of how I would go about publishing them I would be happy to hear it. They are A LOT of work to put together but oh so worth it...

Agent Name: KATY – AKA: 004

Country Name: Russia City Name: St. Petersburg

Brief History: St. Petersburg is a royal city. It has been the home of Russian royalty for hundreds of years. Peter the Great started the city and he built the first palace. Catherine the Great loved palaces so she had a big one built which you will visit.

Princess Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II. They lived in the Winter Palace. The Winter Palace is very big – it has 1,057 rooms; 1,945 windows and 117 staircases! Today it is The Hermitage Museum and has lots of great art. St. Petersburg also has many palaces and churches. They are set along canals.

The city is very far north and it gets very cold in the winter. It might even be chilly during your trip in August. The town is so far north that in the spring the sun never sets. They call these times the white nights.

Look for: Big Palaces and churches. In a museum you might find something that Anastasia once owned or maybe a very special egg with surprises inside. Notice all the sculptures of people and animals as you tour the city. There are also many gardens in the city – look for horse drawn carriages.

Your Assignment:

1. Take a canal cruise and count the bridges.

2. Look for a room made out of amber at Catherine's Palace.

3. Take a walk in the subways

4. Eat blini (Russian crepes)- they are made with a variety of fillings.

5. Find a fountain with a dog chasing some birds at Peterhof Palace.

6. Look for Matroyshka dolls.

Favorite Place:­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Favorite Activity:____________________________________________

Favorite Food:______________________________________________

Favorite Dessert/candy:______________________________________

We did the Baltic in August with our 4 1/2 year old daughter and she did great. She was right in the middle of her "princess phase" and so she loved all the castles and palaces. We started in London and my mother bought her a crown at Kensington Palace which she wore EVERY DAY. I learned to say "princess" in so many languages! We only had 2 ports in common with your trip - Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Our plan, though, would work in any port.

We came up with a "dossier" for each port. She was a special agent and had an assignment for each day. It really helped her understand that she was in a different country each day - a hard thing for a child this age to understand. Her assignments included tasting special treats (i.e. salt licorice ice cream in Sweden, Dutch pancakes in Amsterdam, Blini is St. P, etc), finding certain landmarks (i.e. The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the czar's winter palace in St Pete, etc) or doing certain things (i.e. riding a double decker bus in London and a water taxi in Amsterdam, finding a sweets museum in Tallin or finding a painting from a certain book she has at home in one of the museums.) It kept her totally engaged and we all had some interesting new experiences. Some other parents on our cruise told us that their kids were really jealous and wanted to do the same thing. They wanted us to publish these dossiers but frankly, I would have no idea how to do that...

In Copenhagen head straight for Tivoli. It's a beautiful amusement park and garden. One warning - do not buy an unlimited ride pass for the 5 year old unless a parent has one too. The ticket clerk convinced me that my daughter was big enough to ride on many, many rides by herself. NOT TRUE. There were only about 4 "baby" rides she could go on without an adult. After her being in tears being turned away from ride after ride I was able to convince the management to trade it in for individual ride tickets. She was able to go on 3 really good rides with one of us for the same price and she enjoyed it so much more.

In St Petersburg arrange for a private guide who will customize a more kid friendly tour. You can then go on roll call and find another family or 2 to share it with you so your kids will have companions. My daughter loved playing in the fountains at Peterhof (bring a change of clothes and shoes), the canal cruise and any place where she could see a real throne. I'm surprised you're not going to Tallin - my daughter loved exploring the medieval walls and towers and having lunch in a real medieval restaurant. The marzipan museum there was one of her highlights!

We did not have the option of leaving her aboard since we did not use ship's tours. As I said, though, she did great and it wasn't necessary. Just don't try to do too much and let the kids be a part of choosing the activities. We got our daughter a kid safe camera so she could take her own pictures which really made her feel like a part of things. A portable dvd player (or ipod) was very helpful for the long rides in the van in St Petersburg.

Let me know if you need any more specifics about anything. Have a great trip.