CintiPam's Review of June Marina Baltic Treasures Cruise

[CintiPam]

As both a child of the 60's and a fan of your posts, I have missed you and them. Where have you been cruising and on what lines?

 

Thanks for reading my review.

 

Pam

[MightyQuinn]

Hi CintiPam. We fell off the cruising bandwagon last year and did mostly land-based travel. We spent 4 weeks in Uganda & Rwanda and 3 weeks in SE Asia. Land travel is serious business and we were exhausted! So we rewarded ourselves with a B2B for 21 nites aboard Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia. We're back on the cruising bandwagon again, with upcoming trips to Alaska (HAL) and Caribbean (Regent). And we have great anticipation for our cruise on Riviera next year. And how about you? Any cruises in your future?

[CintiPam]

Hi CintiPam. We fell off the cruising bandwagon last year and did mostly land-based travel. We spent 4 weeks in Uganda & Rwanda and 3 weeks in SE Asia. Land travel is serious business and we were exhausted! So we rewarded ourselves with a B2B for 21 nites aboard Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia. We're back on the cruising bandwagon again, with upcoming trips to Alaska (HAL) and Caribbean (Regent). And we have great anticipation for our cruise on Riviera next year. And how about you? Any cruises in your future?

 

Are you doing the Riviera inaugural? The itinerary did not appeal, especially ending in Athens, where I have been twice in the last three years.

 

Fantastic travel places; lucky you. My husband still works full-time, so only three weeks max available for our travel through the next few years. He would like to visit Krakow, Prague, Budapest (and more than one day in Berlin) next year, but Oceania does not offer that itinerary for some reason! The river cruises do not appeal to him (small cabins, limited food options), so back to trains and buses.

 

Of course, I am not letting his limited vacation time restrict me: I am going to China and Taipei with 15 fellow art museum docents and our Curator of Asian Art in October for a couple of weeks , then a brief visit to Hong Kong. I never have been west of California, so it will be quite an adventure for me.

[Paulchili]

 

He would like to visit Krakow, Prague, Budapest (and more than one day in Berlin) next year, but Oceania does not offer that itinerary for some reason! The river cruises do not appeal to him (small cabins, limited food options), so back to trains and buses.

 

Pam,

Are you (or your husband) open to driving? It would make your trip much more flexible (and more comfortable) than trains and buses.

I am again putting in my 2 cents' worth for Dresden with all its museums and treasures (the Green Vault).

I know you will enjoy your trip to the Orient - especialy the museums in Taipei & Shanghai; not to mention all the seafood in HK :D

Paul

[JimandStan]

not to mention all the seafood in HK

 

CintiPam may take your travel suggestions to heart, Paul, but not the seafood.

Our girl cannot do anything with scales or fins. Allergies, you know.

I know, I know, it breaks my heart too.

[Paulchili]

CintiPam may take your travel suggestions to heart, Paul, but not the seafood.

Our girl cannot do anything with scales or fins. Allergies, you know.

I know, I know, it breaks my heart too.

 

And here I thought it was Gerry that 'didn't do" seafood but Pam did :confused:

I don't know what I would do if I was allergic to shellfish - that would break more than just my heart :eek:

[CintiPam]

And here I thought it was Gerry that 'didn't do" seafood but Pam did :confused:

I don't know what I would do if I was allergic to shellfish - that would break more than just my heart :eek:

 

It's the healthy stuff I cannot touch: fish itself (with fins and scales). Gerry indeed does not do seafood and pork products and often claims he is allergic to fish but he simply does not like it. I sheepishly admit that I really enjoy lobster, shrimp, scallops, etc., although definitely not at home. So it is really fun inviting us over for dinner: chicken and beef only, dear friends!

[CintiPam]

Pam,

Are you (or your husband) open to driving? It would make your trip much more flexible (and more comfortable) than trains and buses.

I am again putting in my 2 cents' worth for Dresden with all its museums and treasures (the Green Vault).

I know you will enjoy your trip to the Orient - especialy the museums in Taipei & Shanghai; not to mention all the seafood in HK :D

Paul

 

I certainly am open to driving; I drove through Normandy and the Loire Valley for one week four years ago and loved it. (I actually miss the challenge of NYC driving from my Manhattan days!) Just never thought about doing it for this trip, but certainly now will consider it. I only can drive an automatic, however. Last year, my neighbor tried to teach me to drive a stick, and it probably was the worst hour of his life. (So we took the train in Livorno rather than renting a car.)

[Paulchili]

I only can drive an automatic, however. Last year, my neighbor tried to teach me to drive a stick, and it probably was the worst hour of his life. (So we took the train in Livorno rather than renting a car.)

 

They certainly have automatics, albeit at a small premium. I can drive a stick without any problems, I just don't want to "deal" with it while navigating through unknown roads and busy city traffic, shifting and clutching all the time while looking for street signs :mad:.

I deserve to treat myself to an automatic (and so do you :))

[LHT28]

He would like to visit Krakow, Prague, Budapest (and more than one day in Berlin) next year, but Oceania does not offer that itinerary for some reason! The river cruises do not appeal to him (small cabins, limited food options), so back to trains and buses.

.

Pam

some of the new river cruise ships are larger cabins more like Oceania's R-ship sizes

We are doing Scenic Tour cruise cabin is 205 sq ft ..small balcony

but I think AMA has larger cabins now

 

Lyn

[CintiPam]

They certainly have automatics, albeit at a small premium. I can drive a stick without any problems, I just don't want to "deal" with it while navigating through unknown roads and busy city traffic, shifting and clutching all the time while looking for street signs :mad:.

I deserve to treat myself to an automatic (and so do you :))

 

I hope I can reserve an automatic in that part of the world; I had some trouble doing so in Italy. However, I just remembered that it was Civitavecchia (not Livorno) where I simply could not rent an automatic for a one-day port stop in May 2010 although I contacted many agencies.

 

We had spent five days in Rome post-cruise just the year before, so I wanted to drive to Orvieto for the day. We ended up on the train to the St. Peter's stop (very convenient) and spent a marvelous day at the Vatican Museums, where I never had been to the Pinoteca (OMG, the Raphaels there!).

[CintiPam]

Pam

some of the new river cruise ships are larger cabins more like Oceania's R-ship sizes

We are doing Scenic Tour cruise cabin is 205 sq ft ..small balcony

but I think AMA has larger cabins now

 

Lyn

 

Lyn, would you recommend some cruise companies I should check out? (For example, I never even heard of Scenic Tour.) My travel agent suggested Unitours.

[AdvenLee]

Check out AMA River cruises, Tauck, and Uniworld. I have been on none of them, but they all seem to be good from my fairly extensive research on European river cruises. I hope to do a river cruise perhaps next May or June.

[LHT28]

Lyn, would you recommend some cruise companies I should check out? (For example, I never even heard of Scenic Tour.) My travel agent suggested Unitours.

Hi Pam

if you go to the river cruise forum there are lots of comments on on the different lines

Scenic is marketed to the Canadian Market & Australians more often

http://scenictours.com/

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

I hope I can reserve an automatic in that part of the world; I had some trouble doing so in Italy. However, I just remembered that it was Civitavecchia (not Livorno) where I simply could not rent an automatic for a one-day port stop in May 2010 although I contacted many agencies.

 

Europcar usually will have automatics at a better rate than most of the major US companies (Hertz, etc).

Of course, in Europe they also have one way drop off charges, which we usually do not have here; but in the end, a well constructed itinerary with a car (even with automatic, cost of gas and one way drop off fee) will still be better, IMO, than schlepping to train stations, taxis, buses, etc. You are going door to door on YOUR schedule, at your pace and not the train's or the bus' schedule. You can stop when and where you heart desires and for as long as you wish.

Sort of - you get what you pay for and I am no longer a back packer (in fact, come to think of it, I never was :D).

[CintiPam]

[quote name='LHT28']Hi Pam
if you go to the river cruise forum there are lots of comments on on the different lines
Scenic is marketed to the Canadian Market & Australians more often
[URL]http://scenictours.com/[/URL]

Lyn[/quote]

Lyn, I am such an idiot:o; I looked for a forum specific to the few river cruise lines whose names were familiar to me, and I did not find any such forums. I never simply thought to look under Special Interest Cruising!

[CintiPam]

[quote name='Paulchili']Europcar usually will have automatics at a better rate than most of the major US companies (Hertz, etc).
Of course, in Europe they also have one way drop off charges, which we usually do not have here; but in the end, a well constructed itinerary with a car (even with automatic, cost of gas and one way drop off fee) will still be better, IMO, than schlepping to train stations, taxis, buses, etc. You are going door to door on YOUR schedule, at your pace and not the train's or the bus' schedule. You can stop when and where you heart desires and for as long as you wish.
Sort of - you get what you pay for and I am no longer a back packer (in fact, come to think of it, I never was :D).[/quote]

Thanks, Paul; I used Europcar on my first visit to Santorini, and the car was great. Just never thought of renting one for visiting a series of large cities.

[LHT28]

[quote name='CintiPam']Lyn, I am such an idiot:o; I looked for a forum specific to the few river cruise lines whose names were familiar to me, and I did not find any such forums. I never simply thought to look under Special Interest Cruising![/quote]

Sorry I should have posted the link for you

See you over there

Lyn

[Paulchili]

[quote name='CintiPam']Thanks, Paul; I used Europcar on my first visit to Santorini, and the car was great. Just never thought of renting one for visiting a series of large cities.[/quote]

In Europe, like elsewhere, there often are small "treasures" on the way from one large city to another :). With a car one can visit them, stop for a lunch in a village/town, visit a castle or two, stop for pictures (bathroom ?), etc; most of this cannot be done on an intercity train.
It's a trade off and you have to figure out which will work best for you :).
Happy trails.

[findacruise]

[quote name='LHT28']Hi Pam
if you go to the river cruise forum there are lots of comments on on the different lines
Scenic is marketed to the Canadian Market & Australians more often
[URL]http://scenictours.com/[/URL]

Lyn[/quote]

Thanks for this link. We are planning to visit family in Friborg Switzerland next spring and thought it would be a good time to try our first river cruise. I had not found this company yet and am pleased to have another one to research. I very much enjoy the planning phase.
Joanna

[LHT28]

[quote name='findacruise']Thanks for this link. We are planning to visit family in Friborg Switzerland next spring and thought it would be a good time to try our first river cruise. I had not found this company yet and am pleased to have another one to research. I very much enjoy the planning phase.
Joanna[/quote]
It looks like a good cruise company ...more inclusive than some (if that suits you)

There seems to be more reviews on "trip advisor" than CC
I would love to go to Switzerland, on my bucket list;)

Lyn

[wripro]

Pam,

I have always found in Europe that if I book the cheapest automatic available that they don't have one when I get there and upgrade me to a much better car. That is how I have wound up driving BMWs and Mercedes around Europe while paying for a cheapie. You just have to insist on an automatic and have it confirmed on your reservation.

[CintiPam]

[quote name='wripro']Pam,

I have always found in Europe that if I book the cheapest automatic available that they don't have one when I get there and upgrade me to a much better car. That is how I have wound up driving BMWs and Mercedes around Europe while paying for a cheapie. You just have to insist on an automatic and have it confirmed on your reservation.[/quote]

Thanks, wripro, I definitely insist on an automatic. I only have rented a few times (Corfu, Santorini, England and France) and not yet been upgraded. My problem a couple of times recently, particularly in Italy, is that the car rentals at the ports do not have any automatics available to book up front. But for land trips, this has not been an issue.

[LHT28]

Pam is you are thinking of spending 21 days + driving around look into the buy back programs, Peugeot among others have them

[caribbeansun]

A friend of ours has been on 3 Uniworld river cruises and we are most likely going to try their [URL="http://www.uniworldcruises.ca/Destinations/Europe/European_Jewels"] European Jewels[/URL] itinerary.

[quote name='AdvenLee']Check out AMA River cruises, Tauck, and Uniworld. I have been on none of them, but they all seem to be good from my fairly extensive research on European river cruises. I hope to do a river cruise perhaps next May or June.[/quote]