Scandinavia & Russia cruise

[cruisequeen10]

Has anyone done this itinerary on the Emerald Princess. Looked through the reviews, but couldn`t find any. Any help would be great.

[Pam in CA]

I did this on the Crown and it's a very port-intensive but fabulous cruise. It should be on everyone's bucket list. :) Only thing negative to say about it is that you'll be so busy, you'll need a vacation to rest up.

[Phyljim]

Will echo Pam's comments. It is a fabulous cruise, but you do end up exhausted. But it is worth it. You can always sleep later. We also did it on the Crown.

[Pia1913]

We did it on the Crown too. And also on HAL.

[juakkers]

Hi Cruisequeen10

 

If you look in the "member reviews" section under Emerald Princees there are lots of reviews for this "Baltic" cruise - I found them to be very informative when choosing to do this cruise in July

 

As others have said, it is a great cruise - very interesting but also very port intensive, so not very relaxing! The Emerald was a great ship and everything was done to the usual Princess standard.

[jajohnson]

Has anyone done this itinerary on the Emerald Princess. Looked through the reviews, but couldn`t find any. Any help would be great.

 

We did the Emerald BTB Baltics/TransAtlantic in 2009 and it was one of our favorite cruises. Very port intensive. Try and get a private tour in St Petersburg(we used Red October=very satisfied but others on the cruise were just as satisfied with other agencies). The highlights of our Red October were lunch with a Russian Family in their apartment and the guide stopped so we could "tour" a Russian supermarket. Here is a link to some St Petersburg pictures, but by clicking on the top of the web page to see albums you can also view the other ports on the cruise. If any questions glad to help. Have a great trip.

 

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/jajohn80/200909StPetersburgRussia?authuser=0&feat=directlink

John

[8 Bells]

Great pictures! I hope to go there on a future cruise. Thanks for sharing.

[jean s]

Loved your pictures. We are looking forward to enjoying this cruse some day.

[TracieABD]

I did it on the Crown in 2008. Loved this cruise!:)

[id4elizabeth]

jajohnson

 

Wonderful pictures! What time of year did you go? It looks cold, but not very crowded. How many people were on your Red October tour? Was it just your own private group or were you paired up with others?

 

Thanks!

[chaub]

We did the Emerald this past May and it was a fabulous cruise! This itinerary was the perfect way to get a taste of all these wonderful cities. We used a private tour for 4 passengers on SPB tours, had a wonderful guide in Alexander and would highly recommend them. We loved every moment of it.:)

[Pam in CA]

We did the Emerald this past May and it was a fabulous cruise! This itinerary was the perfect way to get a taste of all these wonderful cities. We used a private tour for 4 passengers on SPB tours, had a wonderful guide in Alexander and would highly recommend them. We loved every moment of it.:)

We, too, have used SPB Tours in both St. Petersburg and Berlin. They were terrific, the owner of SPB Tours, Viktoria Rather, stopped by our tour several times to make sure everything was going well. It's not often the owner of the company takes such a personal interest. Her husband managed our tour in Berlin. The best part is that we were able to coordinate both tours through Viktoria which made it very easy.

[caribill]

This is a report I wrote two years ago when we where there on the first cruise of the season:

 

I was on the first Emerald Princess sailing to the Baltic this May. The following is not a review, but covers some topics that those on this itinerary this summer might be interested in knowing.

Of course, all of the information here is accurate for the May 16 cruise. Some of it (staff, MUTS, trivia prizes, etc.) may change over the summer.

Port of Copenhagen

The ship departs and returns to Fryhavn (Freeport). This is not the area near the Little Mermaid. The closest train station is Nordhaven, about a 10 minute walk from the dock. The station does have an elevator if you have luggage.

If you take a train from/to the airport, you will need to change trains at central station.

Cost of a taxi from the airport is about $50. Credit cards and Danish kroner are all that are accepted.

On disembarkation day, Princess offers (in addition to an airport transfer) a transfer to the central train station for $20 at 8 AM and at 9:30 AM. This was not advertised. Buy tickets at the shore excursion desk.

On a Saturday, there were 30 cabs at the dock at about 8 AM. Sorry, I did not look on the Tuesday when the Baltic cruise ended.

Staff

Captain - Giorgio Pomata

Cruise Director - Neil Chandler

Executive Chef - Christian Carbillet

Neil did an excellent job in scheduling activities from lectures to games to entertainment. There was always something to do if you did not just want to relax.

All staff (including Purser’s desk) were always helpful.

Passengers

There were 27 children in mid-May. This is, of course, before school is out for the summer.

650 of the passengers had been on the trans-Atlantic repositioning cruise for Fort Lauderdale.

There were 1873 Captain’s Circle members (those who have sailed Princess previously): 1086 gold, 591 Platinum, and 196 elite. That meant about a thousand sailing with Princess for the first time.

The most traveled passenger had 644 days (57 voyages) on Princess.

Most of the time the ship did not feel crowded. One big exception is at the atrium when the sale tables were out. It was often difficult at those times to make your way past that pinch point.

Red vs. Blue

As on the other Grand class ships, the rugs on the port side (even numbered cabins) have a red stripe while the rugs on the starboard side (odd numbered cabins) have a blue stripe. When you get off an elevator, just look for the red or blue stripe to know which side to go to.

Formal Nights

There are two formal nights, one on each of the two sea days.

The Champagne Waterfall was built at the same time as the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party on the first formal night.

Shore Excursions

There was almost always a long line at the shore excursion desk. Avoid this line and save time by booking your Princess shore excursions online before the cruise.

Internet

As far as I could tell, the Internet was available the entire cruise, at least any time I wanted to access it.

The signal in a cabin varied according to Cabin location. I was on the trans-Atlantic segment on the Riviera deck just aft of the center elevators and had a strong, usable signal at all times. For the Baltic segment, my cabin was just forward of the center elevators on the Caribe deck and the signal was too weak to be used in the cabin.

The allowance for platinum and elite status was $100. This bought you 250 minutes + 30 bonus minutes if you signed up for the $100 package on embarkation day. Package minutes could be used both in the ship’s Internet café and on your personal laptop.

Money conversion

An ATM (US $) is located in the casino.

There were several foreign exchange ATMs near the atrium on decks 5 and 6, but not all were working. The exchange rate is poor compared to what you can get at an on shore ATM. For example, on the days that I used a shore ATM to get Euros, I was buying Euros for $1.33 each. The ship’s ATMs Euros were costing $1.41 each plus a $3.50 service charge.

Food

The Da Vinci dining room (6th floor, atrium) was open from noon to 1:30 PM on embarkation day, a good alternative to the buffet that day. This is the same dining room that is open for breakfast and lunch. On some days, the dining room was at capacity for lunch and there was a wait to get in.

Dinner hours:

Anytime dining (Da Vinci and Michelangelo (5th floor, atrium) 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Traditional dining (Botticelli, 6th floor aft) at 6:15 PM and 8:15 PM. (OK first timers - the only way to get to the Botticelli dining room if you are on deck 5 or 6 at the atrium or forward of the atrium is to go up to deck 7, walk all the way aft, and then go down to deck 6. )

I had traditional seating, so I do not know if there were any lines at the anytime dining rooms. However, I never heard anyone complaining about having to wait there.

Many passengers did not realize that there is no charge for the sandwiches and salads at the International Café on deck 5 in the atrium.

Sorry, I do not know what the dinner theme was each evening.

Entertainment

There were four production shows: “What a Swell Party”, “Motor City”, “I Got The Music”, and “Boogie Shoes.” All but the “Boogie Shoes” had three performances. 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM (or 7:15 PM and 9:15 PM) the first night and 9:15PM the second night. “Boogie Shoes” only had the two first night times.

Bands: Princess Showband, Bruce Gordan Quartet, Emerald Quartet, Temperature

Also the classical Astoria Strings.

Comedians, physical comedians, ventriloquist, body balancing.

Crooners bar piano player/singer was Manda Vincent. At various times also had piano players in the Piazza and in the Adagio Lounge.

Main Piazza performer was Rob Alton, a BMX bike acrobat on at least three days.

MUTS movies included “Mamma Mia”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”, “He’s Just Not That Unto You”, “Bride Wars”, “Marley & Me”, “Nights In Rodanthe”, and “Yes Man.” No doubt some of these will change over the summer. In mid-May, at least, it was very cool on deck in the evening, and MUTS was not well attended. Most of the MUTS movies were shown the next day on the in-Cabin TV,

Activitiies

The usual Princess activities which include games (Taboo, Trivia, Pictionary, etc.) demonstrations (fruit and vegetable carving, towel folding, ice carving, Martini making), sports (Ping Pong tournament, golf chipping, basketball shootout, etc.).

There were no (none, zero, zip) luggage tags as prizes at trivia. Prizes included Princess pens, luggage straps, magnets, tote bags, and small inflatable ships. However, there is always the chance that a new supply of luggage tags will make its way on board.

Of course there was Bingo and wooden horse racing, And the art auctions.

And “elevator roulette.” The players gather by the aft elevators on deck 7 and using (free) chips bet on which of the four elevators will be the next one to stop at that floor.

Lectures

Not to be missed are the Port lectures by John Lawrence. These are informative lectures, not sales pitches, and the Princess Theater is often overflowing for them. If you are on a tour, the lectures help you understand what you are going to see. If you are doing a port on your own, the information is essential. A DVD of his port lectures is available in a Princess shop for $20.

Unfortunately, a couple of the lectures are scheduled while many people are still on shore, but they are usually broadcast later on the in-cabin TV.

John also gives a couple of lectures on historical topics. He also gives some commentary from the Bridge during scenic sailings into/from a port.

Our voyage also had a lecturer who spoke about international trade. I assume there will be different lecturers over the course of the summer.

Ports

Weather was good in most ports. Temperatures in mid-May were generally in the 50s and 60s. There was a light rain in Copenhagen most of embarkation day. Mostly sun and some clouds in all the other ports although some had some short periods of rain.

Only going to comment on a couple of the ports:

St. Petersburg

People who booked Princess or independent excursions (DenRus, Alla, Red October) were all happy with their tours.

You are no doubt aware that you cannot tour on your own unless you have obtained in advance a Russian visa. Further discouraging individual touring if you do have a visa is that the port is located away from the city and there is no public transportation available.

If you book a Princess tour or a tour with one of the recognized tour operators, then you do not have to obtain a visa as the tour operator will take care of this. Do not worry if you have an independent tour (DenRus, etc.) when you read Princess notices that seem to say you must have obtained a visa if you are not on a Princess tour.

This year, Russia has a form to fill out to give to the immigration officer. Princess will supply the form which has identical information to be entered in two places. Read carefully how to fill it out.

Naturally, everyone on an independent tour wants to disembark as soon as possible the first morning in St. Petersburg. Of course, the Princess tours also need to start. Princess suggests that those not on Princess tours go to a designated dining room, obtain a number, and then wait for your number to be called to disembark. This is not necessary. Once the ship has been cleared, you can disembark by going to one of the gangways being used.

This year the ship docks in a new port where there are more immigration booths than in the past, at least six, maybe eight. Thus, the lines are not as long for clearing immigration as they have been in past years.

The booths are labeled by Princess as for Princess tours or independent tours. You can ignore those signs. The immigration people do not care what type of tour you are on. You will need to present your passport, the filled in immigration form, and your tour ticket (which acts as your visa).

We, as in the past, also presented a Xerox copy of the picture page of the passport. I do not know if this is still a requirement as this sheet was immediately returned by the immigration officer. It is possible that the new immigration form replaces the need for the Xerox copy. However, if the Patter says you need the copy, then have one available. Although the Purser’s desk will make a copy for you, I suggest bringing one from home as the line at the Purser’s desk is very long for the several days before St. Petersburg as people line up for making copies.

The immigration officer will return one half of the immigration form and a plastic card that serves as your visa for the day. Both of these items are turned in when you return to the ship that day. (The line to go through the emigration booth can be long, depending how many booths are open.)

The second morning does not have much of a problem leaving the ship for independent tours. Just allow 10 minutes or so for the immigration line. For the second time, you only need to present your passport and the tour ticket. You will again be given the plastic card that serves as your visa for the day and which again will be collected when you return to the ship.

By the way, do not lose your passport while on tour. You will not be allowed to reboard the ship without it, but must remain in Russia until a replacement is obtained.

Traffic in Saint Petersburg was horrendous. In the first day, our tour bus was due back at 5:30 PM but did not make it back until 7 PM. On the second day, when the ship was supposed to depart at 6 PM, Princess tour busses were still returning at 7:40 PM.

If you have booked an evening excursion the first day, either Princess or independent, bring your evening tour ticket with you on your day tour. You may find it necessary to go directly to your evening tour bus upon returning from the daytime tour. You may not have the time to wait on lines to emigrate, return to the cabin, and then go through immigration again.

Princess does have a Russian folkloric group in the Princess Theater the first night in St. Petersburg (8:30 PM and 10:30 PM). It is also shown live on MUTS and on the in-cabin TV the following day. A very good show. Those who went on Princess or independent tours to an evening folkloric show also enjoyed their experience.

Be very careful about pickpockets in St. Petersburg. Many tours stop at an outdoor souvenir market where you must be extra vigilant. Also be careful in the museums.

Oslo

One of the best tourist deals for those who are 67 years or older is the Oslo Pass at the senior rate of 76 NKr (less than $12 at the May exchange rate) which includes any Oslo transportation you would need as well as admission to just about any museum or attraction you would want to see. You can get the pass (credit cards accepted) at the tourist information counter in the terminal building. The counter (on the right when you enter the building) did not open until 7:30 when we were there, but may open earlier now that the season has started.

For visiting the Viking Ship Museum, I recommend using Bus #30 over using the ferry as the bus drops you off right in front of the museum. I also recommend using Bus #30 to go from the Viking Ship Museum to the Kon Tiki and Fram museums. Using the ferry to return to downtown Oslo from the latter museums is a good option.

As an alternative to the excellent walking tour John Lawrence suggests, I suggest the following activities which can be accomplished during the limited time the ship is in port:

a) Tram #12 to Frogner Park and see the Vigeland sculptures.

b) Tram back downtown and then bus #30 to visit the Viking Ship Musuem

c) Bus #30 from the Viking Ship Musuem to visit the Kon Tiki and Fram musuems

d) Ferry to downtown to visit City Hall

e) Visit the Akershus fort which is next to where the ship is docked

On days when there is a City Hall tour at Noon, the tour can be substituted for the visit to the Akershus fort.

Miscellaneous

All four of the aft elevators go down to deck 6 (Botticelli dining room) and up to deck 18 (Skywalkers). Only the aft starboard elevator goes all the way to deck 19 where the jogging track and miniature golf are located.

The “Ultimate Ship Tour” is offered on the Emerald Princess for $150/person. Sign up at the Purser’s desk ASAP if you wish to do this.

“Chef’s Table” is offered for $75/person. Call the dining hotline (Ext. 6219) ASAP if you wish to do this.

Cabin TVs are flat screen. It is easy to access the extra electrical outlet (US style) that is behind the TV.

Access to the viewing point on deck 15 forward on top of the bridge is open while in port. Just go to deck 15 and walk all the way forward.

The Future Cruise office was busy with a waiting line almost all the hours it was open.

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.

Stockholm

We had purchased the “Stockholm Card" prior to the cruise. This covered local transportation and admission to many venues. What we did:

a) Took bus to City Hall (#53 to Gamla Stan (Old Town), then #3 to City Hall). Took the City Hall tour in English at 12 noon.

b) Took bus #3 back to Gamla Stan and visited the Royal Palace, the Stortorget (scene of the Stockholm Bloodbath), the Storkyran (Stockholm Cathedral), and the Nobelmuseet (Nobel Museum).

c) Then took Bus #53 back to near the ship. If we had more time, would have visited the Vasa Museum.

Helsinki

We took the Princess 7 hour tour Helsinki & Porvoo ( HEL-A1). Enjoyed it.

Tallinn

We were on an all day private tour by Ahti Arak (ahti@tours.ee). There were 10 or 12 of us. Had a comprehensive tour of Tallinn for 30 euros each plus tip. I do recommend Ahti and his tour.

Gdansk

We were on an all day private tour arranged by another couple. Main focus was a visit to the Stutthof concentration camp, followed by a tour of Gadansk and a stop at Sopot on the way back to the ship.

http://www.toursinpoland.com/gdansk_tour_stutthof.html Total cost for the four of us was 350 euros plus tip, or 87.5 euros per person + tip. Also recommend this tour.

[crusingnut]

We also booked a 2-day tour with SPB tours. I can't say enough good things about SPB. It was the highlight of our cruise. Viktoria altered our tour to suit us - it was awesome. Yes, it is a very intense itinerary, but worth it. Enjoy your cruise.

[jajohnson]

jajohnson

 

Wonderful pictures! What time of year did you go? It looks cold, but not very crowded. How many people were on your Red October tour? Was it just your own private group or were you paired up with others?

 

Thanks!

 

We went September/October and no, it was not very crowded. It was not very cold either (jacket weather). There were 10 of us on the SPB tour, a good size. We paired up via the roll call prior to the cruise and ended up spending a lot of time together (set up other private tours as well) since we turned out to be very compatible. In our opinion we like private tours and CC is a great way to set them up prior to the cruise. Only if there is a significant chance of missing the ship due to local conditions do we take a Princess tour.

 

In reading the prior responses you have received a LOT of useful information, all of it spot on.

 

Have a great trip!

 

John

[Stelladoro]

We cruised the Baltic on the Emerald Princess last May. As others mentioned, it's a port intensive cruise, so be prepared for lots of walking. Our sailing was not sold out, and we received a cabin upgrade, as well as many other passengers.

If you do some research ahead of time, most of the ports (except St. Petersburg), can be easily done on your own. Free city maps can be requested from the Tourism offices (Copenhagen, Oslo, Tallinn and Helsinki) and they will mail them free of charge. the only downside was we had a very short day in Stockholm (8 AM to 2 PM). There was only time to visit the Vassa museum and a stroll through the Old Town.

The airport in Copenhagen is not huge and easy to navigate. Also, Copenhagen has an excellent transportation system. We never found a need to use a taxi. Hotels and food are not cheap, so be prepared to spend a bit.

[cruisequeen10]

This is a report I wrote two years ago when we where there on the first cruise of the season:

 

I was on the first Emerald Princess sailing to the Baltic this May. The following is not a review, but covers some topics that those on this itinerary this summer might be interested in knowing.

Of course, all of the information here is accurate for the May 16 cruise. Some of it (staff, MUTS, trivia prizes, etc.) may change over the summer.

Port of Copenhagen

The ship departs and returns to Fryhavn (Freeport). This is not the area near the Little Mermaid. The closest train station is Nordhaven, about a 10 minute walk from the dock. The station does have an elevator if you have luggage.

If you take a train from/to the airport, you will need to change trains at central station.

Cost of a taxi from the airport is about $50. Credit cards and Danish kroner are all that are accepted.

On disembarkation day, Princess offers (in addition to an airport transfer) a transfer to the central train station for $20 at 8 AM and at 9:30 AM. This was not advertised. Buy tickets at the shore excursion desk.

On a Saturday, there were 30 cabs at the dock at about 8 AM. Sorry, I did not look on the Tuesday when the Baltic cruise ended.

Staff

Captain - Giorgio Pomata

Cruise Director - Neil Chandler

Executive Chef - Christian Carbillet

Neil did an excellent job in scheduling activities from lectures to games to entertainment. There was always something to do if you did not just want to relax.

All staff (including Purser’s desk) were always helpful.

Passengers

There were 27 children in mid-May. This is, of course, before school is out for the summer.

650 of the passengers had been on the trans-Atlantic repositioning cruise for Fort Lauderdale.

There were 1873 Captain’s Circle members (those who have sailed Princess previously): 1086 gold, 591 Platinum, and 196 elite. That meant about a thousand sailing with Princess for the first time.

The most traveled passenger had 644 days (57 voyages) on Princess.

Most of the time the ship did not feel crowded. One big exception is at the atrium when the sale tables were out. It was often difficult at those times to make your way past that pinch point.

Red vs. Blue

As on the other Grand class ships, the rugs on the port side (even numbered cabins) have a red stripe while the rugs on the starboard side (odd numbered cabins) have a blue stripe. When you get off an elevator, just look for the red or blue stripe to know which side to go to.

Formal Nights

There are two formal nights, one on each of the two sea days.

The Champagne Waterfall was built at the same time as the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party on the first formal night.

Shore Excursions

There was almost always a long line at the shore excursion desk. Avoid this line and save time by booking your Princess shore excursions online before the cruise.

Internet

As far as I could tell, the Internet was available the entire cruise, at least any time I wanted to access it.

The signal in a cabin varied according to Cabin location. I was on the trans-Atlantic segment on the Riviera deck just aft of the center elevators and had a strong, usable signal at all times. For the Baltic segment, my cabin was just forward of the center elevators on the Caribe deck and the signal was too weak to be used in the cabin.

The allowance for platinum and elite status was $100. This bought you 250 minutes + 30 bonus minutes if you signed up for the $100 package on embarkation day. Package minutes could be used both in the ship’s Internet café and on your personal laptop.

Money conversion

An ATM (US $) is located in the casino.

There were several foreign exchange ATMs near the atrium on decks 5 and 6, but not all were working. The exchange rate is poor compared to what you can get at an on shore ATM. For example, on the days that I used a shore ATM to get Euros, I was buying Euros for $1.33 each. The ship’s ATMs Euros were costing $1.41 each plus a $3.50 service charge.

Food

The Da Vinci dining room (6th floor, atrium) was open from noon to 1:30 PM on embarkation day, a good alternative to the buffet that day. This is the same dining room that is open for breakfast and lunch. On some days, the dining room was at capacity for lunch and there was a wait to get in.

Dinner hours:

Anytime dining (Da Vinci and Michelangelo (5th floor, atrium) 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Traditional dining (Botticelli, 6th floor aft) at 6:15 PM and 8:15 PM. (OK first timers - the only way to get to the Botticelli dining room if you are on deck 5 or 6 at the atrium or forward of the atrium is to go up to deck 7, walk all the way aft, and then go down to deck 6. )

I had traditional seating, so I do not know if there were any lines at the anytime dining rooms. However, I never heard anyone complaining about having to wait there.

Many passengers did not realize that there is no charge for the sandwiches and salads at the International Café on deck 5 in the atrium.

Sorry, I do not know what the dinner theme was each evening.

Entertainment

There were four production shows: “What a Swell Party”, “Motor City”, “I Got The Music”, and “Boogie Shoes.” All but the “Boogie Shoes” had three performances. 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM (or 7:15 PM and 9:15 PM) the first night and 9:15PM the second night. “Boogie Shoes” only had the two first night times.

Bands: Princess Showband, Bruce Gordan Quartet, Emerald Quartet, Temperature

Also the classical Astoria Strings.

Comedians, physical comedians, ventriloquist, body balancing.

Crooners bar piano player/singer was Manda Vincent. At various times also had piano players in the Piazza and in the Adagio Lounge.

Main Piazza performer was Rob Alton, a BMX bike acrobat on at least three days.

MUTS movies included “Mamma Mia”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”, “He’s Just Not That Unto You”, “Bride Wars”, “Marley & Me”, “Nights In Rodanthe”, and “Yes Man.” No doubt some of these will change over the summer. In mid-May, at least, it was very cool on deck in the evening, and MUTS was not well attended. Most of the MUTS movies were shown the next day on the in-Cabin TV,

Activitiies

The usual Princess activities which include games (Taboo, Trivia, Pictionary, etc.) demonstrations (fruit and vegetable carving, towel folding, ice carving, Martini making), sports (Ping Pong tournament, golf chipping, basketball shootout, etc.).

There were no (none, zero, zip) luggage tags as prizes at trivia. Prizes included Princess pens, luggage straps, magnets, tote bags, and small inflatable ships. However, there is always the chance that a new supply of luggage tags will make its way on board.

Of course there was Bingo and wooden horse racing, And the art auctions.

And “elevator roulette.” The players gather by the aft elevators on deck 7 and using (free) chips bet on which of the four elevators will be the next one to stop at that floor.

Lectures

Not to be missed are the Port lectures by John Lawrence. These are informative lectures, not sales pitches, and the Princess Theater is often overflowing for them. If you are on a tour, the lectures help you understand what you are going to see. If you are doing a port on your own, the information is essential. A DVD of his port lectures is available in a Princess shop for $20.

Unfortunately, a couple of the lectures are scheduled while many people are still on shore, but they are usually broadcast later on the in-cabin TV.

John also gives a couple of lectures on historical topics. He also gives some commentary from the Bridge during scenic sailings into/from a port.

Our voyage also had a lecturer who spoke about international trade. I assume there will be different lecturers over the course of the summer.

Ports

Weather was good in most ports. Temperatures in mid-May were generally in the 50s and 60s. There was a light rain in Copenhagen most of embarkation day. Mostly sun and some clouds in all the other ports although some had some short periods of rain.

Only going to comment on a couple of the ports:

St. Petersburg

People who booked Princess or independent excursions (DenRus, Alla, Red October) were all happy with their tours.

You are no doubt aware that you cannot tour on your own unless you have obtained in advance a Russian visa. Further discouraging individual touring if you do have a visa is that the port is located away from the city and there is no public transportation available.

If you book a Princess tour or a tour with one of the recognized tour operators, then you do not have to obtain a visa as the tour operator will take care of this. Do not worry if you have an independent tour (DenRus, etc.) when you read Princess notices that seem to say you must have obtained a visa if you are not on a Princess tour.

This year, Russia has a form to fill out to give to the immigration officer. Princess will supply the form which has identical information to be entered in two places. Read carefully how to fill it out.

Naturally, everyone on an independent tour wants to disembark as soon as possible the first morning in St. Petersburg. Of course, the Princess tours also need to start. Princess suggests that those not on Princess tours go to a designated dining room, obtain a number, and then wait for your number to be called to disembark. This is not necessary. Once the ship has been cleared, you can disembark by going to one of the gangways being used.

This year the ship docks in a new port where there are more immigration booths than in the past, at least six, maybe eight. Thus, the lines are not as long for clearing immigration as they have been in past years.

The booths are labeled by Princess as for Princess tours or independent tours. You can ignore those signs. The immigration people do not care what type of tour you are on. You will need to present your passport, the filled in immigration form, and your tour ticket (which acts as your visa).

We, as in the past, also presented a Xerox copy of the picture page of the passport. I do not know if this is still a requirement as this sheet was immediately returned by the immigration officer. It is possible that the new immigration form replaces the need for the Xerox copy. However, if the Patter says you need the copy, then have one available. Although the Purser’s desk will make a copy for you, I suggest bringing one from home as the line at the Purser’s desk is very long for the several days before St. Petersburg as people line up for making copies.

The immigration officer will return one half of the immigration form and a plastic card that serves as your visa for the day. Both of these items are turned in when you return to the ship that day. (The line to go through the emigration booth can be long, depending how many booths are open.)

The second morning does not have much of a problem leaving the ship for independent tours. Just allow 10 minutes or so for the immigration line. For the second time, you only need to present your passport and the tour ticket. You will again be given the plastic card that serves as your visa for the day and which again will be collected when you return to the ship.

By the way, do not lose your passport while on tour. You will not be allowed to reboard the ship without it, but must remain in Russia until a replacement is obtained.

Traffic in Saint Petersburg was horrendous. In the first day, our tour bus was due back at 5:30 PM but did not make it back until 7 PM. On the second day, when the ship was supposed to depart at 6 PM, Princess tour busses were still returning at 7:40 PM.

If you have booked an evening excursion the first day, either Princess or independent, bring your evening tour ticket with you on your day tour. You may find it necessary to go directly to your evening tour bus upon returning from the daytime tour. You may not have the time to wait on lines to emigrate, return to the cabin, and then go through immigration again.

Princess does have a Russian folkloric group in the Princess Theater the first night in St. Petersburg (8:30 PM and 10:30 PM). It is also shown live on MUTS and on the in-cabin TV the following day. A very good show. Those who went on Princess or independent tours to an evening folkloric show also enjoyed their experience.

Be very careful about pickpockets in St. Petersburg. Many tours stop at an outdoor souvenir market where you must be extra vigilant. Also be careful in the museums.

Oslo

One of the best tourist deals for those who are 67 years or older is the Oslo Pass at the senior rate of 76 NKr (less than $12 at the May exchange rate) which includes any Oslo transportation you would need as well as admission to just about any museum or attraction you would want to see. You can get the pass (credit cards accepted) at the tourist information counter in the terminal building. The counter (on the right when you enter the building) did not open until 7:30 when we were there, but may open earlier now that the season has started.

For visiting the Viking Ship Museum, I recommend using Bus #30 over using the ferry as the bus drops you off right in front of the museum. I also recommend using Bus #30 to go from the Viking Ship Museum to the Kon Tiki and Fram museums. Using the ferry to return to downtown Oslo from the latter museums is a good option.

As an alternative to the excellent walking tour John Lawrence suggests, I suggest the following activities which can be accomplished during the limited time the ship is in port:

a) Tram #12 to Frogner Park and see the Vigeland sculptures.

b) Tram back downtown and then bus #30 to visit the Viking Ship Musuem

c) Bus #30 from the Viking Ship Musuem to visit the Kon Tiki and Fram musuems

d) Ferry to downtown to visit City Hall

e) Visit the Akershus fort which is next to where the ship is docked

On days when there is a City Hall tour at Noon, the tour can be substituted for the visit to the Akershus fort.

Miscellaneous

All four of the aft elevators go down to deck 6 (Botticelli dining room) and up to deck 18 (Skywalkers). Only the aft starboard elevator goes all the way to deck 19 where the jogging track and miniature golf are located.

The “Ultimate Ship Tour” is offered on the Emerald Princess for $150/person. Sign up at the Purser’s desk ASAP if you wish to do this.

“Chef’s Table” is offered for $75/person. Call the dining hotline (Ext. 6219) ASAP if you wish to do this.

Cabin TVs are flat screen. It is easy to access the extra electrical outlet (US style) that is behind the TV.

Access to the viewing point on deck 15 forward on top of the bridge is open while in port. Just go to deck 15 and walk all the way forward.

The Future Cruise office was busy with a waiting line almost all the hours it was open.

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.

Stockholm

We had purchased the “Stockholm Card" prior to the cruise. This covered local transportation and admission to many venues. What we did:

a) Took bus to City Hall (#53 to Gamla Stan (Old Town), then #3 to City Hall). Took the City Hall tour in English at 12 noon.

b) Took bus #3 back to Gamla Stan and visited the Royal Palace, the Stortorget (scene of the Stockholm Bloodbath), the Storkyran (Stockholm Cathedral), and the Nobelmuseet (Nobel Museum).

c) Then took Bus #53 back to near the ship. If we had more time, would have visited the Vasa Museum.

Helsinki

We took the Princess 7 hour tour Helsinki & Porvoo ( HEL-A1). Enjoyed it.

Tallinn

We were on an all day private tour by Ahti Arak (ahti@tours.ee). There were 10 or 12 of us. Had a comprehensive tour of Tallinn for 30 euros each plus tip. I do recommend Ahti and his tour.

Gdansk

We were on an all day private tour arranged by another couple. Main focus was a visit to the Stutthof concentration camp, followed by a tour of Gadansk and a stop at Sopot on the way back to the ship.

http://www.toursinpoland.com/gdansk_tour_stutthof.html Total cost for the four of us was 350 euros plus tip, or 87.5 euros per person + tip. Also recommend this tour.

 

Thank you very much for this information. Lots to think about.

[Pia1913]

Thank you very much for this information. Lots to think about.

 

Tip for Gdansk. Go out the port exit and grab a taxi. Should be no more than $15; try for $10. Takes you to train station where you can buy a RT ticket into the city for approx $4.50/pp. It's the last stop so you can't get lost, but I recall about 14 stops. Princess charges $35/pp for "on your own" bus service. We were four people and it cost us $20 RT for the taxi and $18 for the train. The taxi driver took US dollars as did all the stores in the city. Also credit cards. Very interesting way to do this port. We had gotten our info right here on CC.

[Sailingpeace]

Google John Lawrence Baltic . Mr Lawrence was our cruise director on the Star a few years ago when we did the Baltic. His information was wonderful. He talked about the art, the history, etc etc. He also gave us all the info on how to take the train to towns, where to by tickets etc, all that with pictures of what we had to look for as we got off the ship ( turn left after this monument --photo-- and the ticket booth will look like this- photo- ) ! He has a DVD and maybe a book. Nothing else compares to prepare well for that, -- yes do rest before-- cruise. I will keep putting it on my bucket list! You can go many times to all the ports and find something to do.

[caribill]

John Lawrence Baltic He has a DVD

 

 

You can order the DVD here http://johnlawrencecd.com/sales.html

 

It is a great way to prepare for the cruise.

[OhioDogLover]

We did it on the Star. Wonderful cruise. Did independent excurion through Red October in St. Petersburg. WOW! Don't miss the Hermitage. We also booked an independent guide in Tallinn through the chamber of commerce and our guide was a translator who works for visiting US officials. She was terrific.

I agree that it is exhausting.

We would like to do it again. It was so much fun and there is so much to see.

Ohiodoglover

[cruisequeen10]

Google John Lawrence Baltic . Mr Lawrence was our cruise director on the Star a few years ago when we did the Baltic. His information was wonderful. He talked about the art, the history, etc etc. He also gave us all the info on how to take the train to towns, where to by tickets etc, all that with pictures of what we had to look for as we got off the ship ( turn left after this monument --photo-- and the ticket booth will look like this- photo- ) ! He has a DVD and maybe a book. Nothing else compares to prepare well for that, -- yes do rest before-- cruise. I will keep putting it on my bucket list! You can go many times to all the ports and find something to do.

 

he was our Cruise Director many years ago, is he still around

[caribill]

he was our Cruise Director many years ago, is he still around

 

Not as a Cruise Director, but as a port lecturer.