baltic- Scandanavia and Russia cruise

[maverick71]

HI everyone! My first post and hoping and I can get some guidance.

 

We are planning on taking a cruise to the Baltics next year and have narrowed our choices down to a few itineraries with Celebrity, Royal, Oceanic and Azmara. For the past couple days i have been looking at the comments on each but still not sure which may be our best option.

 

A little background: We are two couples in our late 30's and have cruised before with Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We enjoyed both but are hoping to take our experience to the next level especially in terms of the dining experience without sacrificing some of the things we enjoyed about our other cruises such as the evening activities ( theatrical prodcutions, bars, lounges and dancing) .

 

We are looking at the following ships ( not in any particular order)

 

Oceanic Marina ( 10 day) - we like because of the reputation for fine diningg and casual atmosphere. the itinerary also allows us to start in Copenhagen and end in Sweden which would allow us time to explore bothe cities before and after our cruise Our Concern based on some of the comments: much older crowd and lack of onboard activities on smaller cruises. Given that marina will be a larger ship when launched, not sure if these concerns may be unfounded??

 

Celebrity Constellation (12 day)- we like because of the rave reviews on the ship decor as well as recent refurbishment. Concerned about lack of dining options on formal night if we chose to dine casually. i understand from some fo the comments that there is no alternate dinner buffet and/or it may be limited??

 

Celebrity Eclipse (14 day) - same as above but also love the fact that Belgium is on the itinerary and more time allowed in Copenhagen. Same concern as above regarding dining options (evening) .

 

Azmara Journey (12) day- similar appeal and as well as concerns as Oceanic.

 

Emerald Priness (11 day) - good itinerary. Appears overall to be a decent choice based on comments but no WOW factor in terms of service, dining or activities.

 

Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas ( 12 days) - had a good experience with the Voyager class . Nice atmosphere on board and lots of activities. Food quality was OK not spectacular. Some concern about this ship belonging to an older class of vessels and not being as nice.

 

Any thoughts , suggestions?

[Gonzo70]

Hello,

 

My wife and I are in your age group and actually have the Eclipse Baltic cruise booked for next year. We love Celebrity; although the average age is higher than our demographic, we felt as though we fit right in on our prior two cruises with Celebrity. The only thing absent is there is not a ton of nightlife, but it is not dead either. The Solstice class ships are truly amazing and definitely have a big "wow" factor. The service ranges from good to excellent on Celebrity. Another great perk of the Solstice class ships is the dining options - ten different restaurants, all with unique offerings and many of them outstanding.

 

If you chose to forgo formal night, there are some casual alternatives. The buffet is not an expansive offering at dinner as it is during breakfast and lunch, but there is sushi, pasta, stir fry, pizza and a few other items available. There is a casual restaurant called Bistro on 5; for $5 you can dine there and they specialize in crepes and panini sandwiches. There is also the specialty restaurant Qsine if you do not wish to dress up which looks like a very interesting venue. If you opt for Constellation, they have a casual dining area of the buffet where you are served off a menu by waiters in training ($2 per person suggested gratuity).

 

I would definitely recommend you look further into Celebrity. From what you are describing it sounds like it may be a great fit for you.

[maverick71]

We are leaning towards choosing celebrity eclipse. Great itinerary, new classy ship and the promise of great dining. Good to hear that there are other casual options in the evening besides the "limited' buffet. Thanks!

[LHT28]

OCEANIA Marina will have different shows in the evenings than on the smaller ship. They will have a larger lounge so more production shows will be possible, so that may be something to consider

Also there is no extra fee for the specialty restaurants or formal nights

Limited smoking areas if that is a concern

I would pick the Itinerary that suit your wish list ... the ports you are more interested in ..time in ports etc..

Usually more port intensive cruises you will find you are not up late because you are getting up early to see all you can in port.

 

Enjoy what ever cruise you choose

 

Lyn

[maverick71]

Thanks Lyn

[bbwex]

I have to agree with Lyn (LHT28) that with the intensity of the tours on the Baltic cruise, followed by a nice dinner, a long evening is rarely needed or wanted. Marina will have more entertainment than the Regatta class ships so it will be there if you want it. As for dining -- we loved Oceania. There is no charge for the specialty restaurants, and we ate in those 7 or 8 of the 14 nights we were aboard. While the MDR was good, the specialty restaurants were nothing short of exceptional, and the Marina is going to have six instead of two -- so lots more choices. There are no formal nights on Oceania -- everything is country club casual -- and it is very relaxed and the service is impeccable.

[kestrel]

I also suggest to select based on the itinerary:

 

(1) Pick an itinerary that has starting and/or ending ports that you want to spend more time in. You will be able to have both pre- and post-cruise stay if the cruise starts and ends in different ports.

(2) Select an itinerary that includes all or most of your "must-see" places.

(3) Make sure the cruise has long enough port time especially in the places you want to visit.

[maverick71]

narrowed my choices down to Celebrity Eclipse vs Oceania Marina....getting close to a decision. Thanks for all of your input so far!