Another first time list of questions ... Sojourn

[Calvados]

Hello .....

I am thrilled to discover this site for the friendly people and wonderful cruise suggestions. We are on the Sojourn, sailing June 3rd from Copenhagen returning to Stockholm. This is our first cruise and am so looking forward to every aspect of the week. We have booked Red October for St. Petersburg per suggestions on this board.

 

Questions (and I'm sure I'll have many more) ...

The ship departs @ 5:00, what time do we need to arrive?

There has been discussion regarding dinner reservations at check-in. Is this recommended? Restaurant 2 seems very interesting.

Do we go through passport control at all ports?

What is the process at the conclusion of the cruise in Stockholm?

Are bags to be placed outside our cabin the preceeding night? What if luggage is only carry-on, does it still need to be out the door?

Is there cell phone reception? I don't plan to be dialing for friends on this trip, just for emergency.

 

Thank you all in advance ...

jane

[Corony]

You can arrive anytime after about 12:00 however, the earlier you arrive, the longer yuo will wait at the terminal prior to boarding. They normally start to board around 2:00 where you go to the lounge and await your room and get id made up. They will serve you drinks and food so be prepared for that.

You don't need dinner reservations the first night and for restaurant 2, you do need them throughout the cruise but are usually not too tough to get.

You don't go through passport control at each destination as your ship id has your passport info on it.

At the end, you will be asked to put your bags out by 11:30 the previous night in the hallway.

There is cell phone reception and internet but it is a little slow being satellite based.

One more thing: you are in for a great time. Enjoy

[JaneBP]

If you have just carry-on sized luggage which you can handle, you can keep it in your suite and can disembark with it. For most of us, it's easier to put it out the night before

and keep only a small bag for the overnight items you need. Cruisers are asked to leave their suite by 0800, so it might be more convenient to have only one bag and have a leisurely breakfast. Then you can wait in the lounge for your time to leave.We waited in Seabourn Square to disembark.

[TLCOhio]

Hello ..... I am thrilled to discover this site for the friendly people and wonderful cruise suggestions. We are on the Sojourn, sailing June 3rd from Copenhagen returning to Stockholm. This is our first cruise and am so looking forward to every aspect of the week. We have booked Red October for St. Petersburg per suggestions on this board. Thank you all in advance ...jane

 

You will LOVE both Seabourn AND the Baltics. I would suggest going to the Northern Europe/Baltics boards for more detailed info on your various ports, getting other ideas on what to see and do there, etc., etc. Since you are new to Cruise Critic postings, here are some added thoughts and ideas . . . first, welcome to these Cruise Critic boards. Here are two specific suggestions to help you and other future travelers. FIRST, scroll back through all of the earlier postings on the Baltics. You will see many different items on ports you would visit and/or at the board for each separate cruise line in planning for your upcoming cruise. SECOND, do a search on these boards by each city and you will see lots of postings on various subjects connected with each port stop. Then, after taking the time to get that background, see other experiences, etc., you can post with specific questions in each port city. Be sure to have a title that is narrow to your question so that other can know what you are seeking. There are lots and lots of great people and information here on these boards. Don't be shy in asking follow-up questions. Folks are happy to share more when they know what you are seeking and background on your timing, cruise ship, travel party, personal interests and travel style, etc.

 

Below is a view of your ship when we saw it docked in Bergen, Norway on July 14, 2010. And below are a few of my visual previews on what is so great and special in St. Petersburg.

 

Lots to share and learn from previous travels to these great cities of the Baltics. You might grab, maybe from your public libraries or ask for them to do a book transfer they can process for you, such super excellent visual books such as Eyewitness, Insight, etc. Rick Steves, Fodors, Frommers, etc., can work well, too. In my opinion, no one travel book has it "ALL", perfectly and completely for all of your needs. These resources, especially the visual ones, can you help better figure out your priorities, in advance, for what you want to do and see. That early research is very important. Don't wait until you get on the ship to "GUESS" what might be of interest. I always build a "file" on my laptop computer for each port stop with highlights from that reading and then pulling up stories/articles from the travels sections of the New York Times, Telegraph of London, Wikipedia, etc. All of those help to consider your many great options. Amazon can be very good in providing such books at reduced prices, plus some used books websites. Lots of great options!!! Especially in these days of the Internet, it makes things easier to research and plan ahead. You can use Google.com for great access to various text items, plus a wide variety of visuals and maps. One option for some private tour and other local options is to contract the tourism office in each of your ports. You can use Google.com and put in the search term such as "city/port name tourism office". Then follow-up to each of those office by e-mail, ask your questions, get their suggestions, options to consider, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 33,500 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Docked near us in Bergen while on the Silver Cloud was the brand new, in summer 2010, Seabourn Soujourn:

 

 

 

Inside Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg with our personal guide, we view this spectacular reception room, painted ceiling, gold, etc.:

 

 

 

An overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior:

 

 

 

Fountains and water at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg:

 

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya, we are viewing one of the two da Vinci masterpieces at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 17 such painting by this artist existing in the world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place AND museum. It is both!:

 

 

 

Here is a wider shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac.:

 

[Calvados]

Thank you Corony for your concise answers.

 

Jane ... I din't understand "Then you can wait in the lounge for your time to leave.We waited in Seabourn Square to disembark". If we are asked to be out of our room at 8:00, why can't we disembark at that time? What exactly is the process?

 

Terry .... great pictures! I have multiple files going for each destination. I was able to obtain a lunch reservation at a fabulous restaurant, Noma, in Copenhagen prior to boarding and am now nervous about having enough time to enjoy lunch and reach the dock in time to board. I don't want to give up one minute at Noma!

 

Manythanks to all of you...

jane

[JaneBP]

>". If we are asked to be out of our room at 8:00, why can't we disembark at that time? What exactly is the process?"

 

Sometimes the process is delayed for a variety of reasons, and groups are 'timed' to facilitate transportation, etc. Since the stewardesses have work to do, the cruisers need to wait somewhere else for the signal. Certainly if you are choosing independent disembarkation, you can be among the first off. Timed disembarkations are designated by color tags on luggage. Hope this clarifies the process.

[JeanBart]

We'll be taking our first cruise with Seabourn, on the Sojourn in April and would really appreciate some tips on what shops are on board, what that library is like, and anything else you may think we'd be interest in. We've sailed many times in the past, with Cunard, but after trailing a Seabourn ship around the Med last year we thought we'd better give the smaller ship a try.

[Host Dan]

We'll be taking our first cruise with Seabourn, on the Sojourn in April and would really appreciate some tips on what shops are on board, what that library is like, and anything else you may think we'd be interest in. We've sailed many times in the past, with Cunard, but after trailing a Seabourn ship around the Med last year we thought we'd better give the smaller ship a try.

The shops on board carry the typical cruise shop stuff (logo items, clothing, jewelry, stuffed animals, sundries etc.) The library is located at Seabourn Square. A huge selection of books, that are not locked up, so the "honor system" is in place. Seabourn Square boasts alot of seating and there is a top-of-the-line coffee and pastry counter!

 

Host Dan

[JeanBart]

Thank you Dan, it sounds as if all goes on around Seabourn Square so that may the place to head for first. Can I also ask if there are any quizzes (?) on sea days.

[Host Dan]

Thank you Dan, it sounds as if all goes on around Seabourn Square so that may the place to head for first. Can I also ask if there are any quizzes (?) on sea days.

Trivia is a MUST!!! :) ;)

 

Host Dan

[JeanBart]

Thank goodness for that, otherwise we would have remembered all this useless information for nothing

[wripro]

No matter what useless information we know they seem to find other useless information to ask.

[JeanBart]

Do Seabourn produce a daily activities/program sheet, and if so can anyone direct me to where one would be published or available to view.

[lincslady]

Do Seabourn produce a daily activities/program sheet, and if so can anyone direct me to where one would be published or available to view.

 

It will be put on your bed when your stewardess turns your bed down for the night - normally while you are at dinner, though if you dine very late you will be able to snaffle it before eating. You will also get copies of the menus for the following evening's dinners. Everything you will need to know for the following day!:):)

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

We'll be taking our first cruise with Seabourn, on the Sojourn in April and would really appreciate some tips on what shops are on board, what that library is like, and anything else you may think we'd be interest in. We've sailed many times in the past, with Cunard, but after trailing a Seabourn ship around the Med last year we thought we'd better give the smaller ship a try.

 

 

 

The shops offer everything a cruse ship offers- jewelry, drinks, clothing- it is quite large considering the ships size. I found the logo items to be of a quality way above that of other cruise ships/cruise lines. Seabourn Square is really like the liner's living room- a cozy, comfortable place to sit, with a library that is very wide in scope, with some interesting titles.