tysmomm

Go for the Lippanzer performance!  I have never been and will actually be sailing in two weeks, but I have done EXTENSIVE research, talking to many many bloggers about the included vienna excursions and they are literally drive-bys with a bit of walking, but mostly everyone said they were disappointing.  We hired a private guide for the day.  Good luck!

My husband and I are also booked on the Romantic Danube that departs Regensberg on April 10th and concludes in Budapest.  We are going for it!  🙂  We also booked the pre extension packet, so we actually begin in Prague.  Should be interesting with all that is going on in Europe!

Hi All, 

My family will be visiting Tallin for one day in June.  We have a full day in port, from 8-5.  We have decided to tour Tallinn on our own.  I have researched a few walking tours and feel good about covering all the sites in Old Town that we want to see. 

Can anyone tell me how easy is it to get ourselves from Old Town to the Viking Village and is the trip really worth it?  I will be traveling with my two sons, aged 17 and 19 years old.  My husband and I like everything and enjoy the history, the reenactments, etc. and while my sons enjoy the history as well, the two of them will definitely need some stimulus to keep them entertained. They definitely enjoy traditional food, pastry and drink sampling.  They would enjoy shooting arrows, etc.  I can see from the website that the village would be great for young children, but not sure about two young men aged 17 and 19?  I am looking for any thoughts you might have.  

We are going to explore the Kiek in de Kok Tower & Bastion Tunnels in Old Town.  I think they will definitely enjoy that so just trying to figure out if making the trip to the village is worth it or not.  There may be enough cool stuff in Old Town to keep them busy.  I was thinking about booking a 2-3 hour food tour as well.

  🙂  Thanks for your thoughts. 

Thanks so much.  My family is super athletic.  Walking is not a problem for any of us.  Heck, if I had more time we could walk into town.  lol! 

21 minutes ago, meadowlander said:

You are welcome. If you are committed to the kayak excursion, while you will have time in the afternoon to visit what you listed, I do wonder if you enjoy the limited time you do have to see the sights being that you will have to rush and be aware of the time constraints.

 

Where exactly will the tour company leave you in Helsinki? If you are left at Market Square, then you are at the ferry pier. Finding the ticket booth, purchasing tickets and boarding the ferry within 10 minutes, assuming you are at Market Square at 12:30, is doable but tight. There is a public ferry and during the summer a private one. Hopefully you can board a few quickly after exiting the tour company vehicle. If they do not leave you at Market Square, I do not think you will have enough time to make a 12:40 ferry, but I think in the summer the ferry runs more frequently-perhaps a local can advise.

 

12:30 drop-off leaves you until 3:00pm  to explore Helsinki. Ferry transit is 30 minutes, so now you have 2 hours of sightseeing time and that is assuming you time the ferry schedule perfectly. You will be rushing through the fortress. When you are back at Market Square it will be 2:15 at the earliest. The day we visited(early May 2019) there were vendors at Market Square, you could get food there and browse the tents for merchandise but you will have little time.

You did say you wanted to get food and perhaps shop.

 

It is a short walk to Senate Square and another short walk to the Esplanadi. The day I was there a model runway show was held. It was nice to sit in the park, full of locals, eat and take in the show and atmosphere. Your schedule wont allow time to enjoy the park, see it yes, experience it...no. There are stores and restaurants in the immediate area that your family could shop/eat at but not with your itinerary set as present.

 

It is a short walk from the park to the bus stop but you would leave the park no later than 3pm(likely earlier) based on the bus schedule and the time needed to walk to the bus stop. You can buy single tickets. I only mentioned the day pass because it includes the public ferry as well as trams and busses. If you had more time to sightsee, the day pass would be better as it cover all your Helsinki transit needs. 

 

I do think you can see what you have presented. I do have concerns how enjoyable the experience will be in the limited afternoon hours that your family has. Our port call was 7am-2pm, not enough time but I did enjoy Helsinki.

 

Thank you again.  I have been giving this a lot of thought and I think we are going to pass on the kayaking excursion.  It is sounds like a lot of fun, and I am trying to entertain teenage boys, but honestly, I don't like that the company has VERY strict cancellation policies.  It seems rushed and from what I am learning, Helsinki is just the right size for a short time in port to do our own thing and enjoy the Open Market.  Thanks again! 

5 hours ago, meadowlander said:

June 2020 Princess docks at LHC or LHD both are at Hernesaari. Bus # 14 serves Hernesaari. From Market Square it would be a 10-15 minute walk to the "Bulevardi" stop for bus 14 and then another 10-15 minute ride to the port. The bus & tram sell all day passes which includes the cost of the public ferry to Suomenlinna. Cost was 8 Euro in 2019. Do not know if it is sold at the ferry terminal.

 

Vendors were set up at Market Square the day I visited. Food, merchandise and actual hand made crafts for sale. You could browse this area as it is adjacent to the ferry. I would go from Market Square to Senate Square to Esplanadi and then an under 10 minute walk to the Bulevardi bus stop if you take public transit to the pier.

 

Helsinki has very good public transit and an outstanding trip planner..

https://www.hsl.fi/en/timetables-and-routes

This information was very helpful.  Thanks so much.  I already researched the timetables and farew and it looks like it will still be 8 Euro this season too.  🙂  The kayak company is dropping us off in the city center at the end of our tour, so I just needed to figure out how to get back to the port and this was the perfect information.  Thank you for the suggestions on what to see in what order.  I have added that to my notes as well.  Thanks again!

10 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

If you're planning on starting the city center part of the day around 2:00pm and need to be back to the ship at 3:30, I would probably remove the Rock Church from your list.  The rest of the items you list are in close proximity and can easily fill the 90 minutes you will have.  Getting to the church and back probably just won't fit, in my opinion.

Thank you for this information.  I did a bit more research on the Rock Church and I see your point.  Darn, I wish we had a few more hours!  I can't quite do everything I want to do.  lol

How far is the cruise port from the city center and will it be easy for my family to figure out how to get transportation back to the ship?  The kayak company is picking us up from the port in the a.m. but they are dropping us off in the city center.  I have to figure out how to get back to the ship at the end of the day.  I am assuming there is easy transportation nearby for that?  Thanks in advance.  

Hi everyone.  Thanks to everyone's feedback we have narrowed our list of attractions and activities to the following and I am wondering if it is actually doable.  I don't have comprehension of the distance and/or time between the attractions, and definitely how much time it will take us to get back to the ship.  Help?!?

8-12:30   Private kayaking tour.  They will pick us up at port and drop us off in the city center at 12:30.  We are booking with Natura Viva.

12:30-Catch a ferry to Suomenlinna.  Stay there until about 2:00???

2:00ish-Be back in the city center and take a peak at a few of the popular sites: Temppeliaukio (Rock Church), Senate Square & Lutheran Cathedral, Uspenski Cathedral, Market Square, Market Hall, etc.  Whatever time we have left....

Here are my questions:

1.  How much time do I need to leave to get back to the ship by 3:30 at the latest? 

2.  Is this a reasonable agenda for four athletic people who are quick moving and don't need to spend a lot of time inside and out of structures?  I do want to pick up a few souvenirs and we need to grab a quick bite sometime during the day. If this is too aggressive of a schedule, I may need to consider cutting the kayaking out or the Suomenlinna trip.   I don't have a good understanding of the distance or time it will take to cover the things I have listed that I want to do and see in the city center, so I'm uncertain if this is too much.

3.  Although I realize no one can predict why a cruise ship would choose to skip a port, I am wondering if anyone local can tell me if ships not coming to port due to rough weather is something that happens sometimes.  The company won't refund our money if the ship chooses to skip port for some reason. I think I am willing to risk the cancellation unless someone says there is a probability of bad weather keeping us from coming to port.  I realize every port is different and no one can tell me that for sure, but any insight would be helpful.

thanks in advance

1 hour ago, kaisatsu said:

You might consider the Folk Museum, which is next door to the Viking Ship Museum. It’s an open-air museum with historic buildings relocated from all over the country, including an iconic wooden stave church.
 

Oslo is pretty understated when it comes to old buildings and cathedrals. Neither the palace nor the Oslo cathedral are particularly impressive (appropriate given the humble roles both royalty and religion

play in local society). However, both (along with the National Theater, parliament, and Oslo University) are on the central pedestrianized shopping street Karl Johans gate, which can make for a pleasant stroll.

 

For modern architecture, it’s worth a visit to the famed opera house, where you can walk right up onto the roof for views of the harbor and the other surrounding modern architecture, including the Barcode, the new Munch museum, and the upcoming central library.

 

Great local food comes in surprising varieties. Take-away sushi is an affordable local staple (hooray Norwegian salmon). Of course there are lots of options for New Nordic (I like Sentralen for their innovative small dishes based on traditional Norwegian ingredients). Classic Norwegian dishes are more often eaten at home, given the high costs of dining out, but you can find decent examples at Lorry on the north edge of the palace park, or more fish-oriented options at Rorbua in the renovated Aker Brygge waterfront.

This is great feedback.  We were planning on going to the open air museum as well.  Thanks for the reminder.  I LOVE the restaraunt tips.  I'm envisioning a traditional Norwegian lunch, so your recommendations are perfect, and lots of snacking by the teenage boys throughout the day....thinking pasteries, local drinks, bakeries, etc.  This has been very helpful.  Thank you.  

Thanks everyone!  This is great information.  Based upon what you all have shared, I think I better settle my sights on the Sea Fortress and a day in the city center.  We are only in port from 7-4.  As long as there is plenty to do and see in the city center, which I can already tell there is, taking a ferry over to the Sea Fortress should be plenty.  We will save Porvoo for our next trip.  🙂  Hopefully with a 17 and 19 year old, there will be some fun food and shopping for them to mix up their day as well.  I will price out the admissions for the things we want to see and determine if the Helsinki Travel Card is cost effective for us or not.  Thanks again for the wonderful info! 

Thanks everyone.  Your information was very helpful.  Sounds like we have plenty of options to get ourselves to the Viking museum.  I will check out the prices for admission to the sites we want to see and compare against the price of the Oslo Travel card to see if that is worth purchasing as well.  We aren't huge "art" people, so we are not interested in walking through art galleries and/or art museums.  We are really interested in the old buildings, architecture, cathedrals, tasting great local food, shopping, etc. I think we will be able to hit all the major cruise passenger "must sees."  Thanks again everyone! 

Hello.

My family of four will be in Helsinki in June as part of our Princess cruise.  I am thinking we might just tour this city on our own.  I realize I will need to take the ship's shuttle service into the town center, but I am wondering, once we are there, will we be able to maneuver through all the main sites on our own?  How about getting to Suomenlinna- Sea Fortress?  Finally, is it fairly easy to get ourselves to Porvoo?  

I am torn on this port of call because the actual Helsinki sites seem easy to access from town center, but not sure how to get to Porvoo, which looks pretty cool too.  I guess I am just looking for suggestions and recommendations if Helsinki is doable on our own.  Thanks in advance!

1 hour ago, travellingnana said:

I recommend the Oslo Travel Card.  It’s good for transportation in the city (including the ferry out to Bygdoy Island) as well as admission to museums.  We took the ferry out to Bygdoy, saw the Fram Museum, the Viking Ship Museum, the Kon Tiki Museum, and the Folk Museum (all covered by the card).  It worked perfectly.  At the time we were in Oslo ( a couple of years ago) I had to buy the card once we were there; you may be able to download it ahead of time as an app now.  After returning from Bygdoy we even had time to take the train up to the ski jump...and the train was covered by the card too!

Awesome information!  Thanks. I will research the card now.  Is the ferry easy to figure out?

3 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

Have you checked the ports of call boards?

I will do so now!  Thanks for that tidbit.   🙂

Thanks JayRich65.  Good information.  I will check the ferry times and rates and compare to taxi.  Thanks again!

Hello.

My family of four will be in Oslo this June as part of our Scandinavian cruise.  I have done a lot of research, and am trying to decide if we can cover all main attractions and get to the Viking Museum on our own without too much trouble.  I have two teenager boys:  17 & 19.  My husband and I and the boys are athletic and can cover lots of ground, but thought I would check in with other cruisers to see what I could learn.  I don't mind maneuvering metro a little bit, but anything daunting (or not in English) freaks me out a little.  🙂  Thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks so much to everyone for your comments.  I think I am leaning towards staying on the ship that evening.  I love that there will most likely be a folkloric show on board and it will NOT be a formal night.   I had forgotten that formal nights are the days at sea.  Thanks for that reminder!  I guess I can stay on ship and drink three vodka shots as part of my drink package, instead of paying a tour guide to take me to the vodka museum.  lol   joke!  :)

I am one of those travelers that is always worried about missing out on something.  Two full days with a private tour guide should be plenty!  Now, if I can track down a good ghost tour for the teenager boys, then I am probably in, but haven't been able to find one yet.  Thanks again everyone!  

Thanks everyone.  Is it possible for our private tour guide to just drop us off at a restaurant of our choice?  I can make reservations on my own, but not sure how we would then get back to the ship?  Do the restaurants cater to English speaking guests?  Also, I am still researching and learning about the "visa" issue.  If the tour guide drops us off at the restaurant, instead of the ship, are we violating any "visa" rules?  

Hi All.

We will be on the Sky Princess in June for the Scandinavia & Russia cruise.  I am wondering if anyone can tell me about the evening of St. Petersburg (overnight stay).  We have planned a private tour both days and I am now trying to decide if I want to book an evening tour for the evening in between the two days in port.  We really aren't into the folkloric or ballet theaters that princess is offering, as I have a 17 and 19 year old that probably wouldn't appreciate that as much for the cost associated with it.  🙂  Our two day excursions are very rigorous and full of activities, so I am considering just staying on the ship that evening.  However, if we do, can anyone tell me what to expect on board?  I imagine the ship will be pretty dead since most people will be in port participating with the theater events?  If so, that is fine with me, as I like peace and quiet sometimes, but are there still shows and things to do?  Does anyone know if it is a formal night since so many passengers will have to dress up for the ballet?  Thanks in advance for any information you can provide. 

Hi All.

I have been an avid cruiser with Princess for over 20 years, but as my two sons have grown older they have enjoyed the Princess ships less and less.  There just isn't much for the teenagers to do on the Princess ships. This past June, as we were concluding our Princess 2019 cruise, they boys begged me to book our next cruise on a different cruise line.  Sorry Princess; we're still loyal!  🙂  Anyhow, I am thinking about booking a Caribbean cruise next March, 2020 on the Norwegian Epic, but thought I would see what others knew about the ship activities for teenagers.  I read about the water park and slides, etc.  I guess there is a bowling alley.  Any teenager night clubs or teenager casinos, rope courses, etc. on the Epic?  I welcome everyone's thoughts.  Thank you in advance! 

Hello All.  

I was fortunate enough to take this excursion with Allen Marines on the Coral Princess in June.   It was worth every penny! I did learn, however, that sometimes they have to cancel the excursion due to icy conditions near the glacier. I don’t think it’s been canceled for any other reason than that. They made it very clear, and it was very obvious, that it could be dangerous depending on the icebergs in the water. 

Thank you to everyone who has commented on my post. I will be at Hubbard glacier on June 20th.  I will pay it forward with pictures and a review of the excursion from Princess.  I guess the Allen Marine Tour is really a go this year!  We are certainly looking forward to it. If anyone gets there before me on the 20th, please take pics and let us know specifically about the excursion and whether or not it is truly worth it.

I just ordered the milepost book.  Thank you!  the 2019 version releases from Amazon in two days.  We spend a lot of time in Alaska on land.  This book will be very helpful.  One of the best books I have purchased for cruisers is the book entitled:  Inside Passage Walking Tours by Julianne Chase Patton.  Great information for each of the little port towns, including Juneau. I am going to compare prices between AVIS and Juneau Car Rental.  If it is a small difference for a nicer car I will probably change over my reservation.  

Thanks everyone for this additional information.  My Coral Princess ship will be coming in on June 23rd and docking at Franklin Dock.  We have a Juneau Car Rental reservation.  It doesn't look like it is too far away.  My family is fit and it looks like an easy walk.  Anyone know for sure?  Also, we would love to hear more about the car rental itineraries that people took.  We are planning Mendenhal Glacier first thing before the crowds, I'd love to see the old mining museum, the gardens, spend some time at the brewery and hopefully see some wildlife along the way.  We shall see what we actually accomplish.  Anyone know "off the beaten path" adventures we could do or see with the rental car?  

Did anyone last season actually get to take this new excursion that Princess is offering out of Disenchantment Bay during the Hubbard Glacier visit?  There were several bloggers who booked it during 2018, but each and every one of them had the excursion canceled.  It was something new, last season, that Princess was trying to get off the ground.  I will be there June of this year and it is being offered by Princess once again.  It is a bit pricey, so thought I would see if anyone ever did actually get to take the excursion and if so, was there much difference between viewing the glacier from the cruise ship?  We are trying to figure out if the cost of the excursion is really worth it.   Thanks in advance.  Hope someone got to actually experience last season.