NCL SUN 12 Day Baltic 5/23 - 6/4/10 Review

[TomAndJane]

First let me start by saying that we have been planning this cruise for over a year and Cruise Critic was a fantastic resource for us to use. Second, what I am about to state are our experiences and only our experiences. Therefore, I hope that there is no rebuttals such as “I can’t believe you were on the same cruise”, etc. because this is what we experienced and that is what I want to share. O.K. now that is out of the way here goes:

 

Pre-cruise: We arrived in London three days prior to our cruise because we wanted to see the city. The first night we just walked around. The second day we took an all day tour offered by Golden Tours (Basically same as Gray line). We really enjoyed the sights of London and actually got to see the Queen at Westminster Abbey. That was the highlight of the tour. A couple of lowlights: At the Changing of the Guard we were across the street and only got to watch the troops enter the square. Once they entered the square we had to leave. The River Ride consisted on getting on the boat and three stops later getting off. It was not the one hour river tour that is advertised by other companies. Other than that it was a nice day.

The third day we took the National Express Bus to Dover. It was very nice and scenic ride. Once we got to Dover we had to wait about 10 minutes to catch a cab to our hotel (Premier Inn – Ferry Terminal). You cannot check into the hotel until it is 2:00 p.m. so we walked into town, had lunch, etc. The hotel is o.k. for one night and the pub is very nice. One thing to note: The hotel does not have AC. The day we arrived the room was very stuffy and opening the window didn’t help that much either. We were supposed to meet up with some folks from our Roll Call but somehow we missed each other.

(Hint 1: After taking a cab to your hotel, immediately make a reservation with a cab company for a ride the next morning to the port. If not you may have to wait a long time to get a cab).

(Hint 2: If you are meeting somewhere beforehand make sure you know how to find each other by wearing a hat or having a sign, etc.)

Embarkation: Our cab arrived on time to pick us up at 10:45 a.m. and off to the port we went. When we arrived there was no line so when we walked up to the counter and received a ‘Blue’ boarding pass, got our pictures taken, etc. and off to the waiting area we went. After waiting about 30 to 40 minutes they started boarding the ‘Red’ boarding pass. I asked a lady and she said the ‘Red’ was for Latitudes members so I showed her we were Silver and she walked us to the front of the line because we had been waiting so long and on board we went.

(Hint 3: When checking in at Dover make sure you go to the Latitudes Check in even if there is no one in the other lines)

Copenhagen Denmark: Of course NCL was parked at the furthest port from town - Freeport (Theme starts developing). We weren’t sure what we were going to do in Denmark so when we go off the ship we decided to use the HOHO bus. There are two companies that sell HOHO passes (more on this later) so we purchased the Hop On Hop Off Bus, not the CitySightSeeing HOHO bus. The guy on the bus stated that there will be special buses leaving from City Square up to 4:00 p.m. to get back to the ship. So we got off at stop three, Rosenborg. This was a beautiful place to visit and see the Crown Jewels. Afterwards we walked and saw the Changing of the Guard and visited the palace where the Prince will be living. After lunch we took a Canal Tour and we got hailed on for about three minutes. Other than the wind and a little rain the canal tour was really nice. Once the canal tour was over we decided we needed to get on the HOHO bus and take it back to stop one, City Square to get back to the ship. So we went to the bus stop. One CitySightSeeing HOHO bus after another would come by but not OURS!!! As it was starting to get late we decided to make a run for it. We basically walked as fast as we could for about 1 ½ miles to city square. There we ran into some people that were from the ship waiting on our HOHO bus. At 4:00 p.m. (last bus back to the ship) a bus showed up but said he was NOT the ‘Ship bus’ and no others were coming. Someone finally talked him into taking us back...Thank goodness... We did not see one bus from our company all day.

(Hint four: If you are taking the HOHO bus in Copenhagen, I would recommend taking the CitySightSeeing HOHO bus because it seemed they were everywhere-- From my experience only).

Germany - We decided not to do Berlin and just take the train to Rostock. It was about 20 minutes to Rostock by train. We bought the all day pass for 4.80 euro so we wouldn’t have to worry about transfers, etc. After we got to Rostock we took the number 5 tram to Market Square and walked around for a couple of hours. It was a really nice town. After the walk we went back the train and back to port. We walked around some, saw the canal, had smoked fish from a vendor, had lunch and then went looking for a supermarket. When you are in Warnumunde there is an Information center. If you walk pass that and continue to your left, you will come to an old church. Right across the street is a supermarket where we bought all kinds of candy and I got a couple bottle of Spatlase (sp) German wine...yum yum (Yes I paid the $15 when I got back on board). This was a very nice relaxing beautiful day.

Tallinn Estonia - Got the walking tour from Cruise critic and off we went. About ½ way through the tour my camera BROKE!!!!!

(Hint Five: Take an EXTRA camera with you!!!)!!!!!

After walking the tour we stopped at Olde Hansa for lunch. We had the mushroom soup, Honey Beer, Dried Elk meat and some other appetizer. I know that some people just love this place (as our friend did) but we didn’t care for the food except the Mushroom soup. It was delicious. Our friend and others from our Roll call said it was the best meal of the trip for them (as I mention our experiences only)!! After lunch we continued our walk and had a nice day in Tallinn. This is a great place to see an Old Medieval city.

 

St Petersburg, Russia - We did the two day Denrus tour in St. Petersburg. The tour guide was wonderful and this was the highlight of the cruise for most of the people on our ship. For my wife and I,Russia was a little disappointing. I don’t know what we were expecting but it wasn’t what we saw. Like I said this is only my experience because others were talking about St. Petersburg being the greatest place in the world.

Helsinki, Finland - NCL docked at the far western docks about 2 ½ miles from town. We got off the ship took the 16 bus into town and then took the 3T tram around town. The price of the all day pass also includes a ferry ride to the fortress and back so we did that as well.

(Hint 6: Buy the all day Travelers pass from the bus driver. It is 6.8 euro per person and includes buses, trams and the ferry ride to the fortress. Well worth the money).

After this we stood in line for the bus back to the ship in the same place we got off. Luckily some nice lady told us we had to go across the square and up a few blocks to catch the bus back to the ship because the bus, even thought it was 16, was going to the north part of the city. It was another beautiful day

(Hint 7: When you get off the bus look across the square, there is an information center with a Blue i. Once you walk to that shop walk up a block or two (away from water) and there is where you catch the 16 back to the ship. There is a bus stop sign there.)

Stockholm Sweden - Once again NCL picks the cheapest place to dock and you have to tender here. Stockholm is about a 45 minute bus ride from Nynasham. We did the Land and Sea tour and it was very nice. The Vasa Museum is a great place to visit and the Old Town is exactly what we expected Europe to be like. This was one of our favorite ports and once again we had great weather.

Disembarkation: NCL makes this very simple.

Ship: The ship is starting to show her age a little but it is still beautiful.

Crew: The crew does a fantastic job but I don’t feel that there are enough of them. This is one area that I think the Revenue officer is making cuts. I have never been in a bar and have to go up to the bar myself to get a drink or wait for someone to clean off a table and then not wipe it off. Like I said, the crew the Sun had were ABSOLUTELY Fantastic. There just isn’t enough of them!!!

Food: I think that is difficult to make menu’s for a 12 night cruise sound exciting but the food was O.K. There were some dishes that were great, some o.k. and some I would never eat again. With that said you could always find something that would satisfy your pallet.

(Hint 8: Most mornings for breakfast if you want an omelet or fried eggs, go out back on deck 11 to the outdoor café. They have an omelet station and we never had to wait we went up there. Then just take your food into the Sports Bar)

Overall Experience: This was our 7th cruise on NCL and we can see some changes that will make it easier to choose another cruise line. It just seems that some of the corners they are cutting shouldn’t be (like cutting crew, docking at the cheapest most out of the way docks). As far as the Baltics go, we are so thankful that we were able to take this cruise and REALLY enjoyed the trip. There are a few of the ports that we may never want to see again but then there are the ones that we would love to go back to again. Once again, this is based on the experience we had on the cruise not the experience everyone else had.

 

Tom

[sandm]

Tom, thank you for this detailed review. I loved all the hints and have written them down since we are staying in the Premier Inn Ferry Terminal and doing similar things in port. We leave in 3 weeks and are very excited.

It is unfortunate that there doesn't seem to be enough staff. We have felt that same way about our last 4 RCCL cruises. The staff that is working are working very hard and seem frazzled sometimes. Thanks again for the review.

[Cruise NH]

Hi TomandJane,

 

Thanks for your review, we'll be on the August 15th sailing.

 

We're taking the 2 day Denrus tour as well and I'd love to hear more about that. Was the bus full? Did you feel rushed at all? I know there's a lot to see. How did they handle lunch, I'd hate to waste time on a tour just eating!

 

I was very disappointed to hear about the Helsinki dock location. We're taking a tour out to the Open Air Museum, and have the option of being let off in town, and we want to do that. But now I wonder about getting back to the ship! We don't even know where we're being dropped off. I guess there are always cabs.

 

Lastly, did you go to any of the 'added cost' resturants while on the ship? We'll be celebrating my 55th birthday on board and wonder if any of them are worth it for a special occasion.

 

Thanks again for the review...

[TMLAalum]

We had considered NCL because we had a fine experience on the Pearl to Alaska. But when the line put the Sun on this route, we opted for the new Eclipse.

 

After hearing your port woes, I am glad we didn't book w/ NCL. Your tip on catching Bus 16 in Helsinki is very helpful as I believe we dock where you did. Also appreciate the differentiation on the HOHO vs Original Bus in Copenhagen.

 

We have res at Olde Hansa, and I am looking forward to the Mushroom Soup!

[TomAndJane]

Hi TomandJane,

 

Thanks for your review, we'll be on the August 15th sailing.

 

We're taking the 2 day Denrus tour as well and I'd love to hear more about that. Was the bus full? Did you feel rushed at all? I know there's a lot to see. How did they handle lunch, I'd hate to waste time on a tour just eating!

 

I was very disappointed to hear about the Helsinki dock location. We're taking a tour out to the Open Air Museum, and have the option of being let off in town, and we want to do that. But now I wonder about getting back to the ship! We don't even know where we're being dropped off. I guess there are always cabs.

 

Lastly, did you go to any of the 'added cost' resturants while on the ship? We'll be celebrating my 55th birthday on board and wonder if any of them are worth it for a special occasion.

 

Thanks again for the review...

 

As far as the Denrus tour lunch is about 45 minutes each day. The first day is Boursch and then Chicken with mashed potatoes. 2nd day is Beef Stroganoffe. Although it says you get Vodka, we didn't. As far as being rushed it all depends. The two days we were there St. Petersburg was celebrating their 300th Anniversary so traffic was horrible and the sites were crowded. Some could have spent more than two hours in the Hermitage while others were through with it in 30 minutes. I don't think we felt rushed that much but make sure you keep up with the Tour guide. As far as the Pay resturants, we have eaten at the Le Bistro many times and loved it everytime. We didn't eat there this cruise but several people we met did and really enjoyed it. Others ate at East Meets West ($25) steak house and raved about it!!!!!!

 

As far as being dropped off in town, if you can find Market Square you will be able to find the bus stop for Bus 16. Most people in Helsinki speak english so they can help you (as well as the Information office). Go for it!!!! Worse thing that can happen is that you take a cab back to the ship.

[Giantfan13]

TomandJane

 

Very nice, impartial review. We did the same crusie on the Jewel last year, and your review brought back a lot of memories that we hadn't thought about since that time

 

I'm just curious as to why you weren't 'thrilled' with St Petersburg??. On our crusie, it wasn't our favorite port (Stockholm was), but it was everything I had visioned it would be. What was your reasons for being a bit dissappointed.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[bayjoens]

Tom, great review with great detail. Thank you, especially with the hint about the bus back to the ship in Helsinki. That is exactly something we would do, stand at the wrong stop, and we have a group of 18 people!

[Bennett'sCruise]

Oh my ... you will be in for a big surprise if you expect to cruise on another cruiseline and not see huge changes there, too. There is downsizing and cost cutting everywhere ... after all the $$ that was lost in the industry in 2009 and early 2010. Hopefully, one day this will change back for the better ... and to what we are all used to.

I, too, did not enjoy St. Petersburg. However, our adult children loved it so much they plan to take a land vacation there. I was so thrilled to be pulling out of there the day we left. :)

~dianne

[TomAndJane]

TomandJane

 

Very nice, impartial review. We did the same crusie on the Jewel last year, and your review brought back a lot of memories that we hadn't thought about since that time

 

I'm just curious as to why you weren't 'thrilled' with St Petersburg??. On our crusie, it wasn't our favorite port (Stockholm was), but it was everything I had visioned it would be. What was your reasons for being a bit dissappointed.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

First I guess just the shear size and congestion. When we were there several of the streets were closed because of the celebration so it was a lot more congested and then I guess the fact that a lot of the palaces (I didn't think about this before we went) were reconstructed and not the original because they were destroyed during WWII.

 

Tom

[TomAndJane]

Oh my ... you will be in for a big surprise if you expect to cruise on another cruiseline and not see huge changes there' date=' too. There is downsizing and cost cutting everywhere ... after all the $$ that was lost in the industry in 2009 and early 2010. Hopefully, one day this will change back for the better ... and to what we are all used to.[/font']

 

I, too, did not enjoy St. Petersburg. However, our adult children loved it so much they plan to take a land vacation there. I was so thrilled to be pulling out of there the day we left. :)

 

~dianne

 

I completely understand about the other cruise lines but it is just disappointing to see it on NCL because they have been our favorite to this point. As with you, we had a friend on the cruise that wanted to stay the rest of the time in St. Petersburg and it was the highlight for him. We were glad we went but I am not sure we would ever want to go back again.

[phabric]

I enjoyed your review.

 

We will be taking the National Express to Dover. What stop did you get off at? You had to wait for a taxi was it due to no taxis waiting or there was a long line for them. Thanks for the tip about booking a taxi the next morning. Did you do the booking with the taxi driver or did you have to call the company or did the hotel do it for you?

 

We are also staying at the Premier Inn. Will they hold your luggage for you as our bus arrives at 12 as we plan on seeing the castle in the pm. Did you eat at the Premier Inn?

[lanceholt]

Tomandjane,

 

We are the couple who spoke to you...from Baltimore....while waiting for the HOHO Bus in Copenhagen and Mr. Lanceholt is the guy who persuaded the driver to take us back to the ship! What a day that was! This was our third cruise on NCL and we did enjoy it and the ship but noticed in the buffet that there were less servers available to clear tables etc. We enjoyed St. Petersburg very much, had a private tour for the three of us for both days with Anastasia so that we had time for everything. We enjoyed seeing the Russian people out to celebrate their big holiday. Had three hours in The Hermitage which we had specifically scheduled. Ate a quick bite at one of the Peterhof snack bars the first day and had lunch at Stolle the second and we very highly recommend it! We had a poor tour experience in Stockholm with a tour guide who did a bad job of keeping us together at the Vasa and then just dumped us without direction for our hours on our own which turned out to be less than 2 rather than the three advertised. It was so bad that NCL refunded all of us 1/3 of the price which we truly appreciated. We were in an aft AC which was wonderful although we wish the weather had been a bit warmer on the balcony. Loved Tallinn, the people, the city, old town, everything about it! All in all a memorable cruise with NCL doing a very good job. Everyone everywhere is cutting back unfortunately and I hate to say it, but bet the cuts are permanent.

[TomAndJane]

I enjoyed your review.

 

We will be taking the National Express to Dover. What stop did you get off at? You had to wait for a taxi was it due to no taxis waiting or there was a long line for them. Thanks for the tip about booking a taxi the next morning. Did you do the booking with the taxi driver or did you have to call the company or did the hotel do it for you?

 

We are also staying at the Premier Inn. Will they hold your luggage for you as our bus arrives at 12 as we plan on seeing the castle in the pm. Did you eat at the Premier Inn?

 

We got off at the Ferry Terminal. We had to wait for a taxi because there were none there!! You can go inside the Ferry Terminal and call for one. We got a card from the Taxi driver and as soon as we went inside the hotel we had the hotel call for us. The hotel has a room that they put everyone's luggage in. We had the meal deal they offer and it was probably worth the money. If we had it to do over, we probably would have just ordered off the menu because they have a pretty extensive menu.

[phabric]

Thanks for the helpful information.

[TomAndJane]

Tomandjane,

 

We are the couple who spoke to you...from Baltimore....while waiting for the HOHO Bus in Copenhagen and Mr. Lanceholt is the guy who persuaded the driver to take us back to the ship! What a day that was! This was our third cruise on NCL and we did enjoy it and the ship but noticed in the buffet that there were less servers available to clear tables etc. We enjoyed St. Petersburg very much, had a private tour for the three of us for both days with Anastasia so that we had time for everything. We enjoyed seeing the Russian people out to celebrate their big holiday. Had three hours in The Hermitage which we had specifically scheduled. Ate a quick bite at one of the Peterhof snack bars the first day and had lunch at Stolle the second and we very highly recommend it! We had a poor tour experience in Stockholm with a tour guide who did a bad job of keeping us together at the Vasa and then just dumped us without direction for our hours on our own which turned out to be less than 2 rather than the three advertised. It was so bad that NCL refunded all of us 1/3 of the price which we truly appreciated. We were in an aft AC which was wonderful although we wish the weather had been a bit warmer on the balcony. Loved Tallinn, the people, the city, old town, everything about it! All in all a memorable cruise with NCL doing a very good job. Everyone everywhere is cutting back unfortunately and I hate to say it, but bet the cuts are permanent.

 

Well thank Mr. Lanceholt for us, again!! Jane was really starting to worry until we ran into you all..hahaha I agree it was a very memorable cruise and one that I will always remember!!!:)

[TomAndJane]

Thanks for the helpful information.

 

You are very welcome.

[lopar]

Great review, and lots of useful tips. I'm doing a very similar tour on Eclipse next May. It's interesting that you weren't keen on St Petersburg. Although there are places I want to visit, I'm considering just touring for 1 of the 2 days there. It'll be their city day during my visit, and although it won't be the big anniversay you experienced I've heard the city is often chaotic that day. I'm also thinking the ship would be deliciously empty!

[Giantfan13]

First I guess just the shear size and congestion. When we were there several of the streets were closed because of the celebration so it was a lot more congested and then I guess the fact that a lot of the palaces (I didn't think about this before we went) were reconstructed and not the original because they were destroyed during WWII.

 

Tom

 

I never really thought of that. Us, being from the NYC area, crowds and congestion come with the territory.:)

 

Cheers

 

Len

[lanceholt]

I really think the feeling of congestion in St Petersburg depends on what you are used to. We live midway between Baltimore and Washington DC, so it didn't bother us at all. People who don't go into a major city regularly and esp in summer tourist season or holidays, it could bother a lot imho. Sometimes it all depends on seeing the glass half full. Our guide related that she was surprised at our optimism as other guides were relating complaints those two days. I'd never stay on ship one of those two days as it is a once in a lifetime chance to see a very different culture and part of the world.

[TomAndJane]

I guess when I speak of congestion, I am really talking about the amount of time we had to spend on the bus getting from one site to the next because of the traffic. We would sit in traffic and wait, at times, three or four red lights before we would even move.

[princessebird]

I guess when I speak of congestion, I am really talking about the amount of time we had to spend on the bus getting from one site to the next because of the traffic. We would sit in traffic and wait, at times, three or four red lights before we would even move.

 

Just want to say that I was on the same cruise as TomAndJane. Our guide was concerned that we were going to waste a lot of time waiting in traffic, so they rearranged the order that we visited the sites hoping to avoid traffic jams. I have to say that Catherine's Palace and Peterhof were pretty congested with people, but I didn't notice the traffic. However, we opted for a 6-person tour in St. Petersburg, so our smaller vehicle may have been more adept at navigating the streets and the parking situations.

[lanceholt]

We were in a 6 person van for both days of our St. Petersburg tour and didn't notice any problems waiting in traffic. Our guide expedited tickets at each site and the only time we had to really fight through a crowd was at the entrance to the Hermitage, but once inside it was no problems. Agree it might have been a problem driving through it all with a large bus, also parking can be a problem with a bus. Parking for us was no problem except for at the Peterhof and we just waited as our driver went to several different lots and then parked on a side road. We had a little bit of a walk to the entrance then but not too bad.

[YFEW]

Hi Tom & Jane,

Thanks very much for your detail review.

We will be arriving in Helsinki on Sept 4. The Sun is scheduled to dock at LMA which is the West Harbour, according to the Port of Helsinki site. I am not sure if it is the same "West Harbour" where you docked.

Unfortunately, the Port of Helsinki has already deleted that information. (It only shows past information up to a certain point).

Assuming that we will be docking at the same place as you did, would be able to tell me how to get to the 16 bus stop, how far is it from the ship etc?

Thanks very much for your help.

"Helsinki, Finland - NCL docked at the far western docks about 2 ½ miles from town. We got off the ship took the 16 bus into town and then took the 3T tram around town. The price of the all day pass also includes a ferry ride to the fortress and back so we did that as well."

Ella

[TomAndJane]

Ella,

 

The bus stop is about a three or four minute walk (at most!!). As you leave the port area go up one block and make a right. That is where you will pick up the bus.

 

Tom

[Bennett'sCruise]

I' date=' too, did not enjoy St. Petersburg. However, our adult children loved it so much they plan to take a land vacation there. I was so thrilled to be pulling out of there the day we left. :)[/font']

~dianne

My dislike of St. Petersburg had nothing to do with the congestion. We do live in a small town ... but that is by choice after moving here from a big city. In fact, I love the energy a large city offers ... not a prob.

My problem with St.P was the people themselves ... cold, suspicious, rude are just the tip of the iceberg. We have traveled well, but the greeting and treatment we met with in St.P left us feeling extremely unwelcomed. Being a child of the 50's and remembering "duck & cover" drills, I was hoping for a more positive glimpse into Russia. I would have loved to have sat down with another 60+ woman from Russia and traded stories of growing up in the cold war. Instead we were yelled at, herded like cattle, looked on with great susipicion wherever we went. We had a private 6-pax van with tour guide and driver. Although extremely knowledgable (which we appreciated), the tour guide was aloof and cold. I've heard others say their tour guides were warm and receiving ... ours was not.

That was our experience ... truly wanted it to be different.

~dianne