Packing Assistance for Baltics in July

[Destin Mom]

Anyone have any suggestions on packing for a Baltics cruise? Anything you did not pack but needed? I have read that it gets cold at night especially on the ship. My questions:

- Are you wearing long sleeves at dinner or while inside the ship? How about on formal nights?

- Given the weather is much cooler (atleast as compared to what we have in FL), are guests wearing layered summer clothing or is it more fall/ winter clothing? We have two younger children and their wardrobes in particular are very different with the seasons. I don't know if floral dresses with sandals and a pullover will work or if I need to pack heavier/ fall clothing for the kids.

- We have a balcony and anticipate we will want to sit outside in the evenings. How heavy of a jacket would you recommend?

- On line, it shows the average high is 70/ avg low is 55 for July. Was this your experience?

 

We are trying to pack as light as possible while planning for weather fluctuations. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

[Willsot]

We experienced beautiful weather for our Baltic cruise - last week in July and first week in August. We only wore jackets on days that we expected rain. The museum tours in St. Petersburg, especially the Hermitage, were quite warm with no air conditioning. Because the cruise is so port-intensive, we did not spend the amount of time that we had expected on our verandah, but it was really nice to enjoy it when sailing through the Stockholm Archipelago. In ports we mostly wore long pants with short sleeved tops and shoes instead of sandals.

[jtl513]

We went in late Sep/early Oct and don't ever remember being cold anyplace, but as Europeans tend to do, we mostly wore long pants when off the ship. I remember one day sea day it was a little chilly on the veranda because of the breeze. OTOH, FL isn't supposed to be as cold as we've had this Jan/Feb. I'd say pack for Spring weather and if necessary buy sweatshirts on the ship.

[Druke I]

We've done the Baltic twice, once late May '99, and once August '05.

 

Both times we wore summer weight clothes, and layered as necessary.

[lazey1]

We did the Baltic back to back with a TA Aug. 2008. I wore jeans and a lightweight sweat shirt every day, enclosed shoes not sandals, took a windbreaker with me on all shore excursions and was comfortable in the Baltic. The northern TA portion was colder.

I would definitely pack the heavier fall clothing. If it happens to be warm you can buy inexpensive t-shirts .

[GrammieK]

We did a Baltic cruise (London - Stockholm) on Oceania a few years ago and had hotter than normal temps. It was actually in the 90's all 3 days in St. Petersburg. You can't go wrong with lightweight clothes and a few sweaters - You can always buy a souvenir sweatshirt in ports.

[ANSalberg]

Most newspapers have world temperatures on a daily basis; as we are preparing for our extended trips -we check those temps daily for about a week. That should give you a pretty good idea. THEN we pack.

Anne

[leoandhugh]

Since the weather there is so unpredictable from one year to the next, the opinion and experience of others does not carry much weight.

In our experience, the best way to pack is with matching or coordinating layers that you can add or take off as actual conditions warrant.

[cpinstein]

I totally agree. We are doing the Eurodam 8 day Norway and Scottland, and have done the St. Petersburg stuff. Layer, layer, layer. Wear jeans or kackies, with a lightweight t shirt. Then have 1-2 sweathers, and a jacket. Inside the ship, the temperature is like anywhere else. You don't have to worry about it. On the verandah, they have wool blankets, which we used going through the Baltic last time.

[Destin Mom]

Thanks all. Will go the layered route. Appreciate all of the insights.

[baggal]

We were on a Baltic cruise at the end of June last year. Thanks to the miracles of the internet, I was able to read day by day updates of the weather from posters on the cruise taking place just before ours. The weather that week was miserable - rainy and cold (the winds were so high that the Eurodam was unable to make port at Warnemunde). Some posters referred to it as the cruise from hell. So into the suitcase went a waterproof jacket, a heavy denim jacket and another pair of closed shoes. A week later and by the second day of our cruise we were in the midst of a heat wave by Baltic standards. Berlin was pleasant in the low 70's, but by time we reached St. P. it was nearly 80 degrees. A heat wave for St. P. We never saw a drop of rain the entire cruise and my husband had to wear a hat to ward off sunburn. The Baltic itself was as smooth as glass.

 

Morale of the story - the weather can be unpredictable. Bring layers. Although I don't think you'll ever need anything too heavy. A light cardigan or wrap for evening on the ship should work fine.

[sunshine nana]

Last year end of July it was hot (80*) in St.P and Berlin,but cool on the veranda at night. One of my best items for the veranda is a thin cashmere sweater, light color. It doesn't take up much room and doesn't look too fall like.During the days I wore light pants, a shirt and long sleeved shirt over unless it rained.Formal nights I wore maxi dresses and a wrap.

[Destin Mom]

Thanks baggal and sunshine nana...very helpful. I have officially committed to 3 bags total to DH. Leaving out heavy jackets was a big help. We have a car in Norway post cruise that only fits 3 suitcases, so it looks like noone will be strapped to the roof...always a good thing. Thanks again