alise007

Great thanks!!  I’ll keep all of this in mind when we finally get to cruise again. Ended up changing plans bc we couldn’t get a 4 person cabin for the $$ we wanted to spend. 

We did the NCL Baltic RT from Copenhagen in summer 2014 beginning of August with the overnight in St Ptbg.  I have a great tour company that was reasonable and coordinated everything.  It was cheaper than getting our own visas and trying to do it ourselves.  

I had wanted to book the MSC option but we had short notice to plan when our time in Germany got extended and the cheaper inside cabins were booked.

To be honest the inside cabins were great.  It was our first time not having a balcony or window.  BUT the sun is out til like 11PM so it helps for sleeping.  The beach in Germany was still quite frigid but trying to run down to Berlin for the day is NOT worth rushing.  We spent 3 days there and barely scratched the surface in Berlin.  And its a lot of wasted time taking the train from Warnemunde.  We rented a beach cabana and just enjoyed the sand and walking around.  SO it looks like the new ships sailing in the Baltic are significantly improved over the small/older Star!  SO in that case---pick where you want to see the most or cooler weather!  Seeing the SUN out til almost midnight is quite awesome!!  

I loved loved loved Talinn Estonia.  Climbed up to the top of the church steeple and could see the walled city.  wandering around alleys and cobblestones

Stockholm was great--spent most of our time at the Vasa museum.  It was quite fascinating to see the ship restored and to hear all about it.

Helsinki--the church in the rock was a neat place to see inside.  I think we just did a HOHO bus in several of the places. It was cheap transport and we could pick and chose if we got off or not.   They would have people at the dock selling the tickets and we just picked one.  

We then took the NCL Epic in the fall for the Western Med.  

My kids were 6 and 8 at the time.  My daughter said she preferred the Med cruise (she is almost 11 now).   But that was because she liked Pompeii.  My son in 2nd grade had been studying ancient civilizations and we got to see the Coliseum in Rome as well. We loved Barcelona and added a day before/after but wish we had more time there.  Definitely plan and buy tickets for the Sagrada Familia in advance.  Plus go up to Park Guell.    We took the train from Cannes to Nice.  It was beautiful just wandering around again.  They were having a train strike in Italy so was afraid to push our luck getting to Monaco bc they run the train in that area.  Things you would never have to think about unless you live in Europe!!  We were used to public transportation strikes in Germany but usually at least one service was always running either buses or the trains/trams but not both.  

The Baltic one for me was a HUGE bucket list item because I wanted to visit Russia badly!!!  

I would love to visit Norway but it is super $$$$ so will save that cruise for another time. 

The kids also enjoyed the Blue Man Group on the Epic.  Even tho it was a newer and bigger ship we actually prefer the Dawn and Star for size.  My kids have fun in the kids club and it wasn't as busy on the Baltic.  They even performed a circus show in the theater on the last sea day.  They had a fun time and learned all kinds of neat tricks.  

From Russia with love,
Viktoria and the SPB-Tours Team
SPB-Tours, Reg. No 003341
office tel. No +49 (30) 695188-17

Visit us on the web:
www.spb-tours.com

As fas as the Western Med cruise we just partnered up with another family with kids similar ages and traveled to places on our own using public transportation or found non ship options.  We had a bus service from the port to Rome.  The water was too rough and weren't able to port into the stop for Pisa/Florence.  I love Gaudi so we enjoyed wandering around Palma to see the cathedral and then old town area.  

We don't do hot sun and excessive heat--3 of the 4 of us are pale red heads!  So we wouldn't even consider Med in the summer.  

I will be honest and say that parts of Italy can be a bit rough looking and feeling.  We never had any issues but just be aware.  They like to harass tourists especially Americans!!  LOL   

SO my kids liked BOTH itineraries but they would pick the one with the best SHIP!  I loved NCL relax dress code, no set dinner times etc....it makes packing so much easier and we also had laundry serve fill the bag 1/2 way thru so that helped.  

Feel free to ask any other questions and I have a TON of pictures and can look up other things we did as well.  

Cheers

Shannon

Thank you

Thanks! I’ll look into the best option! But that’s a big savings from the Houston to Galveston haul 

On 2/9/2019 at 11:24 PM, cheeseclan said:

We just disembarked from the Crown at PE this past Tuesday.  We collected our bags and went thru the global entry line.  Once outside we used Lyft and we were picked up in 5 minutes.  Left at 9:30 and arrived at MIA at 10:30 since we hit traffic.

 

I would allow time to get thru customs if not global entry and also an hour to get to MIA.  The driver said it has been nuts lately.

 

We used  Lyft this time since they had a discount for new account members.

How much was the lyft cost??  I am trying to compare cruises and if I am paying more in transportation vs less it may make more sense for me to fly into a cheaper aiport or sail from a cheaper port etc... I was looking at cruises from FL originally then found a good deal out of Galveston but the cheapest shuttle service is running me $240 before tip!  I would rather pay more for the cruise then the ride to and from the ship!!

What is the cost from the Airport to Galveston? I am trying to determine if I will pay more $ just getting to and from the Houston airports and the departure point vs a more expensive cruise that is cheaper to access the port from FL destination departure ports!

Family of 4 kids are 8&10. We have crusied Baltics, Western Med, New England/Canada and without kids Alaska. We are looking at a week in early November so the Alaska and Canada options are out.

All but ME are pale red heads and I don't tan very well anymore either. Plus the kids tend to overheat easily. So not just sunburn worries :(

Would Belize, Roatan etc locations be interesting enough to explore and see sites where we aren't just exposed to blazing sun all day? We normally crusie on NCL.

We like animals, archaeological sites but they are quite adventurous enough yet for zip line/extreme sports!

Temps look to be low/mid 80's.

I would think beach/private island type stops at most they could be out 2 hours with at least 1-2 sunscreen applications even during that time!

Hate to avoid an entire crusie region without really understanding if there are alternative activities that would be good for the non sun worshippers! We enjoy the pools late in the evening! They love the kids club every night and sea days.

We use Accor Hotels for our family of 4.

Novotel, Mercures, Ibis brands. We have used them in various European countries and had a good experience this past year. At least there is a corporate structure and no surprises at check in like key deposits, linen fees, cleaning fees, no late check ins etc....

If the regular room is not what you want they often give 50% off 2nd room. If you sign up for the Accor program you get emails alerting to specials. Right now there is a good discount in Barcelona and other Med cities. I booked a Novotel near Port and right next to the subway about 15 mins into town. Less than 100$/night family of 4. We have 6&8 year olds and they do fine on the fold out couch but teenagers or bigger kids might not be so comfortable. So the 1/2 price 2nd room works out well!

Glad to hear these things! Makes it sound promising to do on our own--and I found out we can't climb Pisa (or at least my 6 yr old can't) despite the fact that she has climbed various 200+ step church towers in Europe!! So I will focus on Florence and consider a photo op on the way back if we have time.

The tour groups x4 make them unaffordable and haven't noticed a significant discount on the kids rates so looking at DIY!

probably depends on how small a group of kids....we cruised the Dawn end of Sept from Bos-Que and pulled the kids out of school. There were 10 total kids on board so they were all together!

They will have open play times where the groups can mingle especially on port days.

I think I have photos of the kids schedule if you give me your email. We just got off the Star Baltic Cruise.

We changed schools this year and start on Monday vs our original Sept 9th Germany public school...so we could have taken advantage of the KSF promo but the weeks we needed were never available...or they were before school got out the end of July!

No, its not normal to have "both" options but I am still a US passport holder and pay US taxes! We just have temporary residence in Germany for my husbands job and anything longer than 90 days requires a residence permit. I had priced things before and it was normally more expensive when you factor in the Euro conversion rates.

Of course when we no longer live over here I can't afford to add in the cost of the flight PLUS the cruise so it won't matter. Flights across the pond have gotten way too high! Knocking it out while we can!

The MSC cruise for the Baltics (had quad cabin been available) was almost 1/2 price but also 7 day vs 9 day. I could have paid for 2 cabins and it was equal to the 1 inside cabin on the Star with the KSF promo. I do know that the RT Venice cruise I want with MSC had some short port days in Croatia and Greece. But our days in Helsinki and Stockholm were pretty short for our Star Baltic cruise.

There is a website call Cruise Pool I use to price sailings. The Western Med cruise with MSC in October is 800 Euros Inside cabin vs a 1 week NCL Western Med cruise for 1700 Euros and that is for both offers KSF. Not identical ports so its not 100%. But you can see big $ differences. We just really wanted to sail the Epic this time and wanted a bigger ship with extras on it. The MSC ship was similar to the smaller NCL ones we have already cruised. We are already used to Non American/European ways of doing things so that is a non issue for us!

A guy on Flyer Talk forums has compiled a whole list of the chip and pin credit cards. I ended up with the State Department CC. Have been using it in Europe for the past year. Seems that the only country we ever use our PIN is in Belgium!

There have been a few times we have had problems with all credit cards at train machines in Paris. We are lucky enough to have a German bank debit card as back up but mostly use our State Dept one....the foreign transaction fee savings alone are worth it!!!! Adds up quickly. Of course in a lot of restaurants they want cash regardless and will point you to the nearest ATM machine!

I kept watching for KSF but when they finally came out they didn't help with kids and school dates! Plus the taxes/port fees were so high it still didn't make $ sense. I almost ended up on MSC because they have the kids sail free for most of the ships/itineraries here in Europe. I want to stay loyal to NCL but not for more $!

Fortunately I am also a temporary German resident so they are offering KSF for more of the European cruises than thru the US website. So even with the Euro vs Dollar I am still coming out ahead because there is a KSF offer for over the Fall break in October.

I have a US passport so was working both sides! Gonna hate it when I move back to the States next year. Baltics and Western Med with kids sail free--I will never be this lucky again!

great guide for those of us trying to save some money! We have 2 kids so it adds up quickly X4 on the prices for the group excursions!

I am curious about making reservations in Florence for the museum(s). Kids are 6&8 should we just consider the Da Vinci one with them? How do we estimate a good time? Also is there enough time to walk up the Tower in Pisa or just photo stop?

Going in October so hoping the crowds won't be as bad as summer but I'm sure it will still be quite busy!

We just got off the Star cruise and they had a circus show on the last sea day.

The kids got to sign up earlier in the week for a "talent" that they learned and practiced each day at the kids club.

It was roping, balancing a peacock feather, plate spinning, devil sticks, chinese yo yo (the spool with string/sticks)

The little 3-5 yr olds were "tigers" and jumped thru a fire hoop which was really cute!

The 6-12 yr olds did the circus acts. They broke them out into younger/older kids for the performances. They painted their faces for the show as well and all the kids had a great time! They also added in a few skits for comedy.

They did not allow kids to showcase their own talent. I know a few that asked but were denied.

60 days til Epic Western Med!!!! Just got off the Star not even 2 weeks ago!

We took our kids who were 4&6 at the time on the Bos-Quebec NCL Dawn trip end of September in 2012.

They had a great time even with ONLY 10 kids on the entire ship!! Everyone knew who they were and some of the older ladies even "tipped" my kids for their good behavior. Trust me we brought down the average age. I think one couple had been married 60 years! Majority of the men were bald and grey when looking down from the top rows of the Stardust Theater :)

We had the kids pool to ourselves unlike this time on the Baltic Cruise where we had 400 kids who were mostly unsupervised by their parents and were obnoxious and trying to take over and harass the younger kids.

So the Blue Lagoon also has chicken tenders 24/7!

I think my 2 lived off the pasta and pizza at the buffet. They also enjoyed the burgers and hot dogs from the Grill by the pool.

We just returned from our Baltic cruise on the NCL Star and had 2 days in St Petersburg.

We loved it and so did the kids ages 6&8. I wouldn't hesitate to take them along.

We used SPB and they were great with the kids! They even grouped our tour with 2 other families so the kids had playmates when they go bored.

I as quite surprised how nice it was! Wish we had more than 2 days! We saw the Hermitage, Fortress cathedral, Peterhof Gardens, Catherines Palace, subway ride/stations, and then we did an evening excursion to St Isaacs and climbed up to the top of the dome for some awesome views!!

I am hoping to book the Epic RT out of Barcelona for Oct 19 on our kids fall break. They are 6 and 8 yrs old.

We have sailed on a balcony without kids on RCCL in Alaska but the past 2 cruises with kids we had an OV (big window) on the NCL Dawn and last week on the Star we had an Inside. We did the U shape on the Dawn for our Boston-Quebec cruise.

With the Star Inside cabin the steward said he wasn't able to do the U shape so we had the wall to wall beds with the 1 pull down. The steward would put the 3rd bed away after we left in the morning so we had more room to move around.

So for the Epic -- I have seen the cabins have two pull down bunks- And for the balcony it is a pull down and the other sleeps on the sofa?? (I1 inside guarantee-- are all 3/4 inside cabins two pull down berths?)

To be honest which is more comfortable? It looks like I can get a Balcony for 300 euro more which is pretty tempting but my biggest hesitation is the SMOKING policy will still be in effect. It was bad enough on our Baltic Cruise walking down the hall at times to our Inside with the smoke from the balcony.

I am very familiar with the layout of the Dawn/Star rooms but the Epic is completely different. I normally use a shoe organizer put up the kids electronics and hair accessories etc..... will there be a straight door anywhere to hang this?

I am currently living in Germany (non military) living on the Economy like a local. I speak very little German. However, even the street vendors and homeless people speak more than enough English to communicate. I have had very interesting conversations that are combinations of both languages and we always seem to figure out what the other person means! I rarely get a chance to even practice my German. So if there are a lot of Germans on board good possibility you can communicate with them! Good chance for Brits too which would expand your options!

Also, if you want to avoid a lot of kids---you can find the school holidays online. We get 6 wks summer, 2 wks fall, 3 wks Xmas and 2 wks at Easter. Plus a myriad of long holiday weekends in May/June. They stagger the weeks a bit so the entire country isn't off the same dates.

I wouldn't let it stop me from taking a cruise I liked. We tried to book a MSC Baltic one for next week but all the 4 person cabins were sold out and ended up on NCL. However MSC prices are much better. We actually like NCL because of the Freestyle dining but we have kids and like the flexibility. I am hoping to take the Splendida out of Barcelona in December depending upon how broke we are after this Baltics trip next week!!!

http://www.schoolholidayseurope.eu/

Hello! I would love the tour PDF as well. Leaving in less than 2 weeks!

alise007 at gmail dot com

Thanks so much!

Thanks for the tip on Tallinn and the walking tour!

I have checked out the port info but to be honest other than St Petersburg I am just along for the ride! Hubby is really interested in Stockholm but we barely have 5 hrs in port if we are lucky. So we just want to get a good overview and history of each city. IF we have time for more he can decide what is most interesting to him or do some research on his own!

I have had about 50 vacation days this year and we have driven to all of our destinations with a lot of packing/unpacking/repacking and I do 90% of the planning/organizing. So I am looking forward to a low effort trip for the 1st time in a long time :) and No driving, cooking, cleaning and best of all Kids Club! We do not have a babysitter here so hubby and I haven't had a date night in a YEAR. We are ready for a break.

At least my kids can communicate with the German kids but I hope it isn't HUNDREDS of kids!!

Thanks for the helpful details!

We are trying to figure out if we should take a cab from our hotel or some other transport. I hadn't run across the #26 bus option yet. Assuming the kids can help with some of the luggage!

We are staying at the same hotel pre/post cruise about a 10 min ride from the main train station.

Wandering around Tallinn sounds fun! We do that a lot --kids favorite has been Prague!

I am taking my 6 and 8 yr olds on a Baltic Cruise in 2 weeks with NCL. I like the overnight in St Petersburg.

You may also want to consider other options like MSC and Costa. You can at least get your 3/4 passengers kids free on MSC to save some $ because Norway is extremely expensive!!!

We only do "northern" cooler weather cruises because the kids and Daddy are pale red heads. Our last 2 cruises have been Alaska and Canada/New England to avoid the heat :)

My 6 year old sees pics of the Onion Top church on posters etc...and tells me all the time--I wanna go there! She is going to be SHOCKED when she sees it in person. We have only told the kids we are taking the train to Copenhagen :)