Bella O

Thanks for taking time from your cruise to post such a great review - loving it!

I also found security quite well, secure. I had absolutely no metal on my body (maybe my bra which was not an underwire bra?) and it went off. Had a "private security screening" in the little security box. But the woman security. guard was nice enough. After main security my stuff was gone through again at the gate - so my carryon was searched three times! But all were courteous, and more timely than some US airports

Just wanted to give a shout out to Mangesh, concierge on the Vision. He was amazing, and truly one of the best things about the ship! The best conceige we've ever had!

Thanks for the tip, I will do!

We have decided to book the Ritz Carlton/Al Bustan, as we didn't want to do the cruise ship bus thing. Looks good to me!

Anyone that is on the Baltic capital cruise and starts or has a port in Stockholm Sweden and is interested in a tour please check out www.storytours.eu. or info@storytours.eu. Renata is the owner and is fabulous to work with. Her company is one of the best there is. We were on a cruise last summer and many of us on our ship (Princess line) used them and had the most excellent day/tour. Check them out.

Yay! We have this booked in June, thanks for your recommendation.

Thanks so much for this great review- it answered so many questions I had for our March cruise. Just two quick questions: did you bother getter Omani rial for the trip? Did you need cash for dinner in port that night?

Also, a silly question about dress code in the mosques. You mentioned about the ankles showing; can ladies wear sandals or do they need to be closed shoes? Are they taken off anyway?

Thanks again!

Thank you Little Britain, just what I needed. I thought this was the case. The reason I would book a flight prior to 8am is because the only flights back to Dallas would be at 2 in the morning, so I figured others would be in this situation.

I also found a review by endtired that also mentions early disembarkation, so looks like I'm good to go.

We are cruising on the Vision, and the ship docks in Dubai on 3/26. The cruise ends the morning of the 27th. Both my daughter and I want to get off early - like real early - as both our flights are aound 2:15 am. Will we be able to get off late the night of the 26th?

Thought I'd check here before calling RC to see if anyone has done this. Thanks!

Thank you Ultima Thule and Jonza, exactly the information I needed!

Thank you for your thread! I have read about the village of Porvoo and it looks lovely. Is this someplace we can take public transport to? It does not seem necessary to take a "tour" once we are there. We have never been to

Finland before, and wonder if we would be better served going to

Soumenlinna Fortess with our limited time instead?

Thanks so much for your reply!

Wondering if anyone here has used them? Using a search, I found only a couple of mentions, yet they are in the top ten on TA. Interested in the St. Petersburg 2 day, as well as their Helsinki tour.

Thanks for any feedback!

So I purchased the four meal dining package online for my upcoming cruise. I can't figure out a way to go back and make reservations. I then read "The details", which explain that RCL will make the first night's reservation at one of the restaurants and then I can follow up and make reservations for the others once on board. This is a small ship, the Vision - will there be any issue getting the times and places I want if I wait to board?

Is there a way I can do this ahead of time online?

Did you take taxis at all? I heard they were reasonable. I'm assuming cabs and small restaurants are cash only? Trying to decide how much dirham to take for my pre-cruise stay.

Can you use a credit card for payment or do you need cash?

Thanks for the responses, very helpful in pointing me in the right direction!

In case anyone is curious, it must be very popular to go first thing in the am. The 8 am and 9 am slots are among the most expensive entry fees of the day. I guess it's all those early airport arrivals:)

Our flight from the U.S. Lands at 6:15 am. It seems to make the most sense to go to the BL directly from the airport, get there when it opens at 8/8:30, and then travel from there into Reykjavik. The only thing is I wasn't planning on renting a car - we are only in Iceland a couple of nights before a cruise, and planning on a guided tour on the next day. I know I can get transfers from the airport, but can I get a transfer with one way from airport to BL and the return BL to Reykjavik? And if so, is there storage for luggage? Should I look into private transfer?

Thanks for posting a review! I'm taking this cruise in two months and it will great reading of your experience.

Loved your blog post, thanks for sharing!

And when you visit Red Square do go see Lennin's tomb, bizarre and such a glimpse into that culture!

My daughter lives in Moscow, so I am a bit biased but i have loved my visits there and think it's doable to get a flavor of the city in one day. If you have been to SPB and may not come back to Russia, I would do it. If you were to come back and enter Moscow (or Russia) on your own - without cruise or tour, the Visa & invitation letter will cost you like $400. It is a distance from SPB but if you have always wanted to see it, I would go for it.

Really helpful review - thanks!

We are thinking about doing this, looks cool! Seems to be an issue though if it's windy, I imagne its like a putt-putt boat

Thanks for those insights. Did notice that both TJ and Best Guides offer the early morning entrance. I was impressed with TJ tour's website, and am leaning on going with them.