Can you advise me on Baltics/NE cruising?

[Warmer Climes]

Hi,

 

I have started looking into cruising Northern Europe with my husband. Specifically we want to visit Helsinki, and I have looked at a couple of cruises that do that. I wondered if I could get some experienced cruisers' input on the itineraries. The first is RCI Vision OTS sailing from Stockholm and visiting Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Gdansk and Visby. The second is Costa Deliziosa sailing from Copenhagen and visiting Talinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. We have cruised RCI twice before but never tried Costa. The cruises are comparable in price. Any thoughts anyone has on the northern Europe cruises in general or these ports of call would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Barb

[TLCOhio]

Hi, I have started looking into cruising Northern Europe with my husband. Specifically we want to visit Helsinki, and I have looked at a couple of cruises that do that. I wondered if I could get some experienced cruisers' input on the itineraries. The first is RCI Vision OTS sailing from Stockholm and visiting Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Gdansk and Visby. The second is Costa Deliziosa sailing from Copenhagen and visiting Talinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. We have cruised RCI twice before but never tried Costa. The cruises are comparable in price. Any thoughts anyone has on the northern Europe cruises in general or these ports of call would be appreciated. Thanks, Barb

 

Hi, Barb! We had fun in Helsinki. Below are some pictures from that interesting city, plus from Copenhagen and Tallinn. Between the two cruises mentioned, I like the second option most as it includes BOTH Tallinn and Copenhagen. We super loved both of these great cities with so much charm, great and interesting architecture, history, etc. Of course, St. Petersburg is the super star!!! We have not sailed RCI or Costa, but from what I have read Costa has more of a European mix of customers and might be a little different "style" than what you expect. I would read more reviews to make sure that line fits your interests. On the other hand, in the Baltics, so much time is spent in the ports that what's on the ship and the customer mix might not be as important or negative. Do more searches on these CC Boards for each port, ask questions, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Helsinki’s Church of Rock, carved out of solid stone with a unique contemporary design:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s traditional Orthodox Church is placed on a solid stone base overlooking the main market:

 

 

 

Overlooking Helsinki's Senate Square, this is the Lutheran Church with its dome that is a key local landmark:

 

 

 

In Helsinki’s main downtown, this is the shopping area next to the main market:

 

 

 

Tallinn’s rooftops in this charming Estonia Capital with docked cruise ships in the background:

 

 

 

Copenhagen’s “New” Harbor that is actually old and charming:

 

[Warmer Climes]

Thanks for those beautiful pictures, Terry! My husband is of Finnish ancestry and the stop in Helsinki is a must for us. There is another cruise that includes Helsinki on Princess (out of Dover, I think) but it's 10 or 11 days and I don't think DH would do a cruise that long. I'll show him your pictures- what beautiful places!

 

Thanks Again,

Barb

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for those beautiful pictures, Terry! My husband is of Finnish ancestry and the stop in Helsinki is a must for us. There is another cruise that includes Helsinki on Princess (out of Dover, I think) but it's 10 or 11 days and I don't think DH would do a cruise that long. I'll show him your pictures- what beautiful places! Thanks Again, Barb

 

THANKS, Barb, for the nice comments! Below are a few more visuals on what we saw and enjoy in Helsinki. I would super strongly urge your husband to consider a longer cruise!!! There is so much to see, do and enjoy in the Baltics that trying to do it in only seven days is way too limiting. Keep working on him. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Helsinki’s City Hall in the main downtown overlooking the market area:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s main market is right on the water with lots of goods and foods for sale:

 

 

 

This Helsinki park has a stainless steel sculpture dedicated to composer Sibelius who is best-known for his symphonic work:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s rail station was designed by famed architect Saarinen who has American connection through his later work and his famed son:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s market area has lots of food and craft stands:

 

 

 

 

In Copenhagen, here's the statute in front of the historic Christiansborg Palace that houses the parliament, prime minister, top courts, etc.:

 

[Warmer Climes]

Terry,

 

I think his preference would be a vacation in Finland so I'll have to think about whether I would want a land vacation instead of a cruise (I don't think I would.) The Princess cruise I mentioned goes from Copenhagen (I was mistaken about Dover) to Stockholm, Helsinki, two days in St. Petersburg, Talinn, Gdansk and Oslo. We just saw an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York on Eero Saarinen- he'll be very interested in the pictures.

 

Have you visited Gdansk or Oslo?

 

Barb

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I think his preference would be a vacation in Finland so I'll have to think about whether I would want a land vacation instead of a cruise (I don't think I would.) The Princess cruise I mentioned goes from Copenhagen (I was mistaken about Dover) to Stockholm, Helsinki, two days in St. Petersburg, Talinn, Gdansk and Oslo. We just saw an exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York on Eero Saarinen- he'll be very interested in the pictures. Have you visited Gdansk or Oslo? Barb

 

Hi, Barb. We did visit Eero Saarinen's country home where he lived as a boy and where his father and associates had an architecture studio. It is called Hvittrask, which is also famous for its architecture, with buildings made of natural stones and logs from the surrounding area. It has an exhibition center for Finnish art and handicraft. Below are some of those pictures.

 

We visited Oslo, but have not done Gdansk. Do a search on this Baltics Board and you will see a number of posts and pictures from our visit to the Norway capital. From my limited time in Finland, I would have to question whether there would be that much, that great to see and do during a land visit. It was nice seeing the territory and country as we drove out and back from the Saarinen home. BUT, I would not call it "spectacular" or super great. What we saw in St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Copenhagen, etc., is what I would call as "world class". It depends on what you want and expect.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

The Saarinen country home outside of Helsinki:

 

 

 

Another building on this country site used by the Saarinen family and associates:

 

 

 

View from the Saarinen country home out over the nearby lake:

 

 

 

Another view of the main market in Helsinki:

 

 

 

This is the Senate building in Helsinki overlooking the Square and its main statute:

 

[Giantfan13]

Hi,

 

I have started looking into cruising Northern Europe with my husband. Specifically we want to visit Helsinki, and I have looked at a couple of cruises that do that. I wondered if I could get some experienced cruisers' input on the itineraries. The first is RCI Vision OTS sailing from Stockholm and visiting Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Gdansk and Visby. The second is Costa Deliziosa sailing from Copenhagen and visiting Talinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. We have cruised RCI twice before but never tried Costa. The cruises are comparable in price. Any thoughts anyone has on the northern Europe cruises in general or these ports of call would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Barb

 

Barb

 

We did the Jewel out of Dover. It went to most of the ports you mentioned on the Costa cruise, so I really cannot speak of the posts on the RCI cruise.those ports are just spectacular. As for the cruise lines themselves, yes, Costa is suppose to be much more 'European' than any of the other lines. I have heard good things about them and I ahve heard bad things also, so do your research and make a decision.

Our cruise was a 12 day affair and we loved the port days and we also0 loved the seas days. My wife would still be on the ship if they didn't kick us off LOL. Never too mnay days on a cruise.

 

If you look thru the many threads on this subject on this board you will see so mnay of the gorgeous things to See from mnay of those ports. I'm trying to find some 'new' looks, thru my many pictures.

 

Here are a few examples

Statue, around the pier, in Copenhagen (you can see our ship in the background)

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe221.jpg

 

Changing of the Guard at the royal Palace in Copenhagen

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe233.jpg

 

The Nyhavn area of Copenhagen probably the most picturesque area in the entire city)

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster248.jpg

 

Copenhagen City Hall

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe326.jpg

 

The Marble Church in Copenhagen

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe239.jpg

 

Vasa Museum in Stockholm (a place you MUST visit)

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1197.jpg

 

Gamla stan (the old city) in Stockholm--the square where outdoor cafes meet the old city

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1265.jpg

 

Where ever you go, you will have a great time

 

Len

[TLCOhio]

Agree 100% with Len on the great options and wonderful things you can see on a cruise around the Baltics. We've traveled to twenty different countries in Europe, including many of the major cities several times. Most of these trips have been land tours. To see and really enjoy these Baltics areas, however, a cruise is much more time efficient. And, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm are three of the top ten most costly cities in the world. Share these "realities" with your husband. If there are any special sights or sites in these cities, I am happy to share more visuals. Let us know what is most helpful and of interest.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Warmer Climes]

Thank you, Len. We're sailing the Jewel in a few weeks and I didn't know there was a NCL cruise that included Helsinki. The pictures make me want to go on the northern Europe cruise.

 

Terry, I am in favor of a cruise over a land vacation for several reasons, and I can imagine that the cost of a land vacation in Finland would be very high. Also, while I appreciate my husband's interest in Finland, I have to admit that my interest is not nearly as great (maybe because I don't share his ethnic heritage.) I would love to see Helsinki as one of several ports while sleeping on "my" bed on a ship every night. I'll have to do some talking to get him around to more than a one week cruise because he likes a week at a time but thinks it would pall after that. That is probably because we have cruised only the Caribbean and I think to some extent the stops are the same and a week of palm trees and straw markets is more than enough. We both are very interested in history and he has not been to Europe before. His father visited Finland for two weeks several years ago but he spoke fluent Finnish and we certainly do not.

 

Thanks again,

Barb

[newfarmers]

Hi,

 

I have started looking into cruising Northern Europe with my husband. Specifically we want to visit Helsinki, and I have looked at a couple of cruises that do that. I wondered if I could get some experienced cruisers' input on the itineraries. The first is RCI Vision OTS sailing from Stockholm and visiting Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Gdansk and Visby. The second is Costa Deliziosa sailing from Copenhagen and visiting Talinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm. We have cruised RCI twice before but never tried Costa. The cruises are comparable in price. Any thoughts anyone has on the northern Europe cruises in general or these ports of call would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Barb

 

 

hi Barb

 

this time last week we were pondering the same thing and looking at the same ships. our must do was St Petersburg and I was disappointed that both RC and Costa only visited for a day. we are adding the cruise to a holiday to the UK so moved investigations to cruises sailing from the UK and bingo. the bonus going this way was no need for flights to Copenhagen.

 

as you'll see from our signature we're sailing from Dover on Norwegian Sun. we thought the price we paid direct with NCL was pretty good but as usual I'm always looking for a better price and this morning I've cancelled with NCL and booked with an online agent (in the US) and saved ourselves another $850. We've paid $1654pp all up for 12 days, not that much more than the seven nighters with the other lines

 

worth considering maybe...

 

pete

[Giantfan13]

hi Barb

 

this time last week we were pondering the same thing and looking at the same ships. our must do was St Petersburg and I was disappointed that both RC and Costa only visited for a day. we are adding the cruise to a holiday to the UK so moved investigations to cruises sailing from the UK and bingo. the bonus going this way was no need for flights to Copenhagen.

 

as you'll see from our signature we're sailing from Dover on Norwegian Sun. we thought the price we paid direct with NCL was pretty good but as usual I'm always looking for a better price and this morning I've cancelled with NCL and booked with an online agent (in the US) and saved ourselves another $850. We've paid $1654pp all up for 12 days, not that much more than the seven nighters with the other lines

 

worth considering maybe...

 

pete

 

Pete

 

Are you still sailing on the Sun??

 

When we booked the Jewel, we booked directly with NCL. But several people told us to go to a TA to get a better price. We did, and we saved over $200 PP.

Don't know if you are a veteran, but, if so, you can save even more from NCL. they do a military rate, which we use all the time.

 

Is NCL using the same itinerary for the Sun as the Jewel did???

 

If anyone were looking at the different cruise lines, and they only had a one day visit to St Petersburg, I would rethink that trip. It is impossible to see things in 3-4 days, but most crusies do their best to see things in 2 days. A one day visit is not a very good option.

 

Len

[newfarmers]

Pete

 

Are you still sailing on the Sun??

 

When we booked the Jewel, we booked directly with NCL. But several people told us to go to a TA to get a better price. We did, and we saved over $200 PP.

Don't know if you are a veteran, but, if so, you can save even more from NCL. they do a military rate, which we use all the time.

 

Is NCL using the same itinerary for the Sun as the Jewel did???

 

If anyone were looking at the different cruise lines, and they only had a one day visit to St Petersburg, I would rethink that trip. It is impossible to see things in 3-4 days, but most crusies do their best to see things in 2 days. A one day visit is not a very good option.

 

Len

 

 

Hi Len

 

What a drama. Got price confirmation with TA who had NCL on the phone while I was also. Everything confirmed at 1654pp for an FF so 3308 for the two of us. Get a call half an hour ago and Martin has bad news and bad news. When he gets the confirmation paperwork from NCL there's a rate of just over $4500 on it. More than we've already booked at for an EE gtd. So he's spent the best part of his evening trying to sort it out. Hopefully they'll sort it out over the weekend but at $4500 our agent can sell us a balcony!! So yes and yes, original booking still with NCL plus new booking with TA. Gotta love holiday planning :)

 

Nope, not a veteran, and not past guest or any other discountable reason.

 

Itinerary is Dover - Copenhagen - Warnemunde (we're not going to Berlin) - Tallinn - St Petesburg overnight - Helsinki - Nynashamn (for Stockholm) then back to Dover. Not sure if this is same as Jewel.

 

It'll all work out. Really hope they can get the rate back to what we thought we had as that will pay for a lot of private shorex.

 

fingers crossed

 

pete

[TLCOhio]

Terry, I am in favor of a cruise over a land vacation for several reasons, and I can imagine that the cost of a land vacation in Finland would be very high. Also, while I appreciate my husband's interest in Finland, I have to admit that my interest is not nearly as great (maybe because I don't share his ethnic heritage.) I would love to see Helsinki as one of several ports while sleeping on "my" bed on a ship every night. I'll have to do some talking to get him around to more than a one week cruise because he likes a week at a time but thinks it would pall after that. That is probably because we have cruised only the Caribbean and I think to some extent the stops are the same and a week of palm trees and straw markets is more than enough. We both are very interested in history and he has not been to Europe before. His father visited Finland for two weeks several years ago but he spoke fluent Finnish and we certainly do not. Thanks again, Barb

 

Hi, Barb! Keep working on your husband. Blame Len and me for pushing the Baltics. This is an area vastly different from the Caribbean. It's really important to have a cruise that has more than just one day in St. Petersburg. When are going all of this distance to this part of Europe and back, it merits a little more time to make it work well and be fully enjoyable. Let us know what else will help your husband appreciate all of the potentials in this area.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Giantfan13]

Hi Len

 

What a drama. Got price confirmation with TA who had NCL on the phone while I was also. Everything confirmed at 1654pp for an FF so 3308 for the two of us. Get a call half an hour ago and Martin has bad news and bad news. When he gets the confirmation paperwork from NCL there's a rate of just over $4500 on it. More than we've already booked at for an EE gtd. So he's spent the best part of his evening trying to sort it out. Hopefully they'll sort it out over the weekend but at $4500 our agent can sell us a balcony!! So yes and yes, original booking still with NCL plus new booking with TA. Gotta love holiday planning :)

 

Nope, not a veteran, and not past guest or any other discountable reason.

 

Itinerary is Dover - Copenhagen - Warnemunde (we're not going to Berlin) - Tallinn - St Petesburg overnight - Helsinki - Nynashamn (for Stockholm) then back to Dover. Not sure if this is same as Jewel.

 

It'll all work out. Really hope they can get the rate back to what we thought we had as that will pay for a lot of private shorex.

 

fingers crossed

 

pete

 

Pete

 

Same itinerary as the Jewel, except we docked at Frihamnen in Stockholm. We loved Stockholm but we had the least amount of time there. we had to be back on ship at about 3:00, and we were there on a Sunday with no public transportation , PLUS there was some triathlon going in thru out the city so mnay of the streets were closed to traffic. What a mess. But they sent out a convoy of HoHo buses for us. Cost us like $80 to get into the city center, but hell, it was worth it. For reasons that are hard to explain, we thought Stockholm was our favorite city on the trip. Whatever you end up doing in Stockholm, make sure you get to the Vasa Museum. You will not be sorry.

 

Len

[TLCOhio]

Pete Same itinerary as the Jewel, except we docked at Frihamnen in Stockholm. We loved Stockholm but we had the least amount of time there. we had to be back on ship at about 3:00, and we were there on a Sunday with no public transportation , PLUS there was some triathlon going in thru out the city so mnay of the streets were closed to traffic. What a mess. But they sent out a convoy of HoHo buses for us. Cost us like $80 to get into the city center, but hell, it was worth it. For reasons that are hard to explain, we thought Stockholm was our favorite city on the trip. Whatever you end up doing in Stockholm, make sure you get to the Vasa Museum. You will not be sorry. Len

 

I strongly second Len's wise advice to see the Vasa Museum. Below are some visuals to give you a preview for what you will see and enjoy there. It's an amazingly large ship with great details as you can see below.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

At the Vasa Museum with this large salvaged ship from the 1600’s:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[newfarmers]

Pete

 

Same itinerary as the Jewel, except we docked at Frihamnen in Stockholm. We loved Stockholm but we had the least amount of time there. we had to be back on ship at about 3:00, and we were there on a Sunday with no public transportation , PLUS there was some triathlon going in thru out the city so mnay of the streets were closed to traffic. What a mess. But they sent out a convoy of HoHo buses for us. Cost us like $80 to get into the city center, but hell, it was worth it. For reasons that are hard to explain, we thought Stockholm was our favorite city on the trip. Whatever you end up doing in Stockholm, make sure you get to the Vasa Museum. You will not be sorry.

 

Len

 

thanks again Len

the Vasa is definitely on the list. stockholm is 7am - 6pm so a nice long day.

pete

[Doughboy139]

Terry and Len,

 

I want to thank-you for posting the pictures that you took of the Baltic capitals, they are fantastic......I am taking my mother on this cruise as a 79th birthday present, first time cruise for both of us.....we are going with NCL Sun on August 3rd and am staying in mini-suite 1210.....

looking at these pictures is giving me a good idea of what I want to see and i do agree that 2 days in St. Petersburg is better than one.....I will be using TJ Travel as my guide in Russia....again, thanks for posting these pictures

Peter T

[Warmer Climes]

Thanks, everyone! I showed my husband the pictures tonight and he is open to a more-than-a-week cruise of the Baltics and Northern Europe. I told him we can go to celebrate the graduation of our #3 from college (without the graduate, I might add). I would love to see all the things I have just read about as a history major many years ago and now watch on the History Channel.

 

Living in NH as we do, the Caribbean cruises have been great for just warming up in February but I feel that we're ready for something else.

 

Barb

[tally10]

Glad that your husband is open to a longer cruise. May will be our third cruise to the Baltic so you can see it is our favorite itinerary. We have been to Oslo about 4 times (did 2 land tours also) and just loved it. Gdansk is another story. We had a short visit there on one cruise and it was ok. The main area was nice and very historical, but there were a lot of dreary, crumbling buildings (this was 2006) and it was not as interesting as the other ports, in my opinion. I would definitely go with Oslo if you have to make that choice between the two.

[sbhdmh]

Tallinn and 2 days in St Petersburg! No matter what cruise you choose do yourself a favor and consider Tallin and at least 2 days in St Petersburg as the "must" do's. Spending the time and money to do a Baltic cruise and rushing through St P and/or skipping Tallinn would be a real shame...

[TLCOhio]

Thanks, everyone! I showed my husband the pictures tonight and he is open to a more-than-a-week cruise of the Baltics and Northern Europe. I told him we can go to celebrate the graduation of our #3 from college (without the graduate, I might add). I would love to see all the things I have just read about as a history major many years ago and now watch on the History Channel. Living in NH as we do, the Caribbean cruises have been great for just warming up in February but I feel that we're ready for something else. Barb

 

Great news, Barb! Keep us posted on the added info and visual samples you need. Happy to share more. Since you like history, you will love Copenhagen and Stockholm. Lots of great character and architecture there, plus Tallinn, etc, etc. Below are a few samples from those two super-star cities.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

In the heart of Stockholm’s historic old city with many outdoor dining places:

 

 

 

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard:

 

 

 

Copenhagen's City Hall and Square:

 

 

 

Lots of great statues and interesting architecture in Copenhagen:

 

 

 

An old palace in Copenhagen that now holds the Royal treasures:

 

 

 

Copenhagen's canal views and going under a bridge:

 

[Warmer Climes]

Thanks for the gorgeous pictures, Terry! My husband is on board with the Baltic/N Europe cruise. After we book and as the cruise gets closer, I'll be back here looking for advice.

 

Have you done Mediterranean cruising, too?

 

Barb