Weather Questions Baltic??Scand/Russia

[pj-atsea]

Hi.. Can anyone tell me what to expect weatherwise in either early May or early July on a Scandanavia/Russia cruise? I am looking at 2 cruises, The Constellation in May or the Westerdam in July.. The Constellation is a 14 day cruise with overnights in St Petersburg as well as overnights in Copenhagen and Stockholm. The Westerdam is only a 10 night with an overnight in St Petersburg...There is about a $1000 difference between the 2, so we are tring to weigh everything up. Any comments from anyone who has done either cruise?? Thanks...

[WeBeCruisin']

My wife and I were on the Celebrity Constellation July 29 cruise last summer and the temperature was in the upper 70s and 80s just about every day. We had sunshine every day except for two somewhat drizzly sea days. We were told by the locals, however, that normally the temperature was about ten degrees or more lower at that time of the year. From talking to other people, it can be quite cool and often rainy during May and early June. You might find high temperatures in the 50s at that time of the year, but you could also get lucky and have them 15 to 20 degrees warmer. Luck is more of a factor, the earlier in the season that you cruise. For most of your cruise, you're at about the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska. Hope this helps.

[pj-atsea]

Thanks... I didn't realize that the latitude was the same as Anchorage.Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise... Was there anything in particular that you would recommend as a MUST-SEE? pj

[dbh62ark]

I know you're doing your best to plan a nice trip and understand that the weather's a crap shoot anytime, anywhere, but you may want to consider that Norwegian (NCL) had to completely change the itinerary for the 4/28/2003 Scandinavia/Russia cruise due to ice in the Gulf of Finland. Since that was the first ship sailing that itinerary in 2003, none of the other cruise lines were affected.

 

Unlike hurricane season in the Caribbean, this is a risk that many cruise passengers are not aware of, and the passengers on that sailing were bitterly disappointed when they did not get to go to Russia (or Helsiniki or Tallinn) and were re-routed to ports in Norway and Amsterdam. Not a bad cruise, but definitely not what they paid for either.

 

On the other hand, if you are flying into/out of the UK, there was a terrible heat wave that hit many parts of Europe in early August (I think that is correct, and hopefully someone can correct me if I have that time period wrong) of 2003 that was unbearable. That doesn't sound like a big deal to those who haven't traveled there before, but air conditioning is not common in Europe, and you can imagine how hot the museums and attractions can get. Also, public transportation was interrupted because the trains were so hot, and there was a risk of accidents because the rails were so hot. It was extremely unusual, so I don't think I'd plan around that.

 

The Institute for Marine Research in Finland does indicate that the Gulf of Finland has not been free of ice until mid-May in 5 of the last 10 years, so that's a greater risk. Hopefully, it will be fine this year, but I don't think I'd plan a Scandinavia/Russia cruise before mid-May if St. Petersburg is a must-see port for you.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

[pj-atsea]

Thanks. I haven't even considered an ice problem but thanks for alerting me. St. Petersburg is the MUST SEE for us, so we would be sorely disappointed if we missed it due to ice ( or any other reason). Thanks again. pj