First NCL to the Baltic...Help

[KatyAnn]

My husband informed me that he would like to take a cruise to St. Petersburg. How can I say no?

 

We would like to go during the summer of 2013 on the Norwegian Sun..... 9 day Northern Europe Baltic itenerary.

 

Having never cruised with NCL or outside of the Carribbean or the Bahamas, I feel a bit overwhelmed and have many questions. Here are a few.

 

 

1. Is there a formal/elegant night?

2. How much are drinks and are gratuities added in this price.

3. Will Northern Europe be cool even though it is the summer months?

 

If anyone has a Baltic packing list, I would be very grateful.

 

 

I appreciate any help. Thank You.

[computerworks]

We just came back from the Sun, last week in August... a great itinerary.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1476449

 

 

1. Is there a formal/elegant night?

 

Dress Up or Not...no official formal night

 

2. How much are drinks and are gratuities added in this price.

$6-8 for drinks ...gratuities are added to all drink checks

 

3. Will Northern Europe be cool even though it is the summer months?

We watched the weather closely... late August was nice, but a bit Fall-like; Summer months were very comfortable.

[KatyAnn]

We just came back from the Sun, last week in August... a great itinerary.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1476449

 

 

Thanks for your quick reply. My husband and I looked at your review earlier. It confirmed our decision was the correct one.

 

We will have our son with us. He will turn 16 in May 2013. Did you see many teenagers on the ship? We have cruised Carnival in the past and he enjoys the teen clubs and make plenty of friends.

 

The itinerary is very port intensive and I supose we will all be ready for a good dinner, a couple of drinks (not the kid LOL), a show and then bed most nights.

 

My biggest problem is that I am already so excited I feel I may burst out of my skin. Part of that is your fault.....your photos are AWESOME.

[4774Papa]

My husband informed me that he would like to take a cruise to St. Petersburg. How can I say no?

 

We would like to go during the summer of 2013 on the Norwegian Sun..... 9 day Northern Europe Baltic itenerary.

 

Having never cruised with NCL or outside of the Carribbean or the Bahamas, I feel a bit overwhelmed and have many questions. Here are a few.

 

 

1. Is there a formal/elegant night?

2. How much are drinks and are gratuities added in this price.

3. Will Northern Europe be cool even though it is the summer months?

 

If anyone has a Baltic packing list, I would be very grateful.

 

 

I appreciate any help. Thank You.

We have not done the NCL Baltic, but we just came back from a Vantage tour of Ukraine, Russia and the Baltic states. St. Petersburg is wonderful as well as Tallinn, Estonia.

For St. Pete, the ship's tours are very expensive. Check out

"Red October" tour company for a private tour. You will not need a visa for them. Make sure you go to Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, the Hermitage and Peter and Paul Fortress.

 

NCL does not have formal nights. You cannot wear shorts in the MDR in the evening.

 

NCL does charge a service charge that is ultimately optional. Something like $12 per day per person.

It does get cool sometimes in the north during the summer. Make sure you take a jacket to layer. Still, you may be able to wear shorts.

[jdvmd]

There were tons of kids on our June sailing. Also, we had very warm temps throughout the cruise, nothing but sunshine also. Wasn't expecting that and didn't wear the cold-weather clothing I brought. Needed more shorts. That said, I know the sailing after ours had lots of ran and the temps were much colder. I guess the best advice is to pack in layers and be prepared for anything. Highly recommend SPb tours -- we used them in every port.

 

 

Keep in mind the drink prices could and may change between now and the summer of 2013.

 

Here is the dress code from NCL: You can wear shorts in one of the Main Dining Rooms, Four Seasons. You cannot to Seven Seas and LeBistro.

 

What to wear: You'll always find a place for your style, no matter what you want to wear. For our Seven Seas Main Dining & Le Bistro dress code is Smart Casual: collared shirts & pants or nice jeans with closed toed shoes for men; slacks or jeans, skirts & tops are prefect for women. No baseball caps or visors. (Presentable jeans are clean without holes & tears, not overly faded, worn at the waist or hips and in good condition). For All Other Restaurants dress code is Cruise Casual: Khakis, jeans, shorts, casual shirts for men (no tank tops). Ladies: casual dresses, casual skirts or pants & tops, summer dresses, Capri pants, shorts, jeans.

[podcruisers]

Baltic is one of the best cruise to do. You will have a wonderful time , but check about a visa for Russia. I am nearly possitive that you cannot get off the ship in St. Petersburg without one.There have been many posts about the long queues at immigration both getting off and on the ships.

If you do a ship excursion then the ship gets your visa for you and puts the cost on your ships bill.

Try and go to the ballet on your overnight stay, well worth it, and of course the Hermitage Museum during the day. ENJOY .:D

[computerworks]

Baltic is one of the best cruise to do. You will have a wonderful time , but check about a visa for Russia. I am nearly possitive that you cannot get off the ship in St. Petersburg without one.There have been many posts about the long queues at immigration both getting off and on the ships.

If you do a ship excursion then the ship gets your visa for you and puts the cost on your ships bill.

Try and go to the ballet on your overnight stay, well worth it, and of course the Hermitage Museum during the day. ENJOY .:D

 

If you contract with a Russian tour company, they will handle the visa requirements as part of your tour. When leaving the ship, at passport control, you simply present your passport and your tour ticket.

 

Personally, we did not experience any long delays getting on or off the ship.... and there was no discrimination when leaving the ship with regard to whom you had your tour with.

[njhorseman]

Baltic is one of the best cruise to do. You will have a wonderful time , but check about a visa for Russia. I am nearly possitive that you cannot get off the ship in St. Petersburg without one.There have been many posts about the long queues at immigration both getting off and on the ships.

If you do a ship excursion then the ship gets your visa for you and puts the cost on your ships bill.

Try and go to the ballet on your overnight stay, well worth it, and of course the Hermitage Museum during the day. ENJOY .:D

 

No visa is needed if you are booked on a ship's tour or with a licensed Russian tour company. Any costs are normally built into the price of the tour (whether from the ship or a private tour operator) and are not stated separately on your bill.

 

You will need a visa (obtained prior to sailing...you can't get one at the pier) if you wish to go ashore on your own rather than on a prearranged tour.

 

To the OP: We thoroughly enjoyed the NCL Baltic cruise we took several years ago on the Norwegian Dream.

[marialivia32]

I took a memorable cruise to the Baltic about 3 years ago, but not on Norwegian -- we went on Holland. I can tell you that the weather in summer that year was very hot -- just as hot as here in the Northeast in summer. It was a rare event in that part of the world, but with the high humidity it was hard to walk very far. We visited St. Petersburg, which had a movable structure on the dock which we had to pass through both leaving the ship and returning to it. I don't recall having to wait a long time to get through there. St. Petersburg was a real treat, especially the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof, the summer palace. Spectacularly to see, and particularly good site for photo ops -- gorgeous! We also went to Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and charming Tallinn, Estonia. We went to the beach in Warnemunde )Germany) and found Aarhus, Denmark unforgettable. I wish I were going back! Have fun. ML:D

[roxette]

I would recomend you to choose one of the cruises that stops in downtown Stockholm, not Nynäshamn, if you have the posibility.

[Sauer-kraut]

OP

Go over to the EUROPE ports of call boards there is a WHOLE SECTION for the Baltic ports.

The experts over there are fantastic, there are a ton of threads with pictures and tour ideas. Start there, get a feel for the boards and then ask any specific questions you might come up with.

 

Also join your roll call!!

 

You will be in for a great, but exhausting and exhilarating vacation!

[wack001]

My husband informed me that he would like to take a cruise to St. Petersburg. How can I say no?

 

We would like to go during the summer of 2013 on the Norwegian Sun..... 9 day Northern Europe Baltic itenerary.

 

Having never cruised with NCL or outside of the Carribbean or the Bahamas, I feel a bit overwhelmed and have many questions. Here are a few.

 

 

1. Is there a formal/elegant night?

2. How much are drinks and are gratuities added in this price.

3. Will Northern Europe be cool even though it is the summer months?

 

If anyone has a Baltic packing list, I would be very grateful.

 

 

I appreciate any help. Thank You.

 

There is tons of information on the boards and reviews, you are a yr and half away, suggest you look over the SUN reviews and port threads.

Enjoy, nice cruise

http://www.cruisinbob.com

[KatyAnn]

Wow, thank you all for being so helpful. There is a lot of good advice here. As was stated I have quite a while before we go. I think I will be spending a lot of time here.