Baltic Cruise Opinions

[AEGBRG]

We were on the Eclipse for the same itinerary last July 16-30. The weather was cool and rainy in Southampton and Bruges but turned sunny with temps in the 60's and low 70's for the remainder of the cruise, except for St. Petersburg which had record temps in the mid 80's. Generally, there was no one at the outdoor pool on the entire trip. St. Petersburg was fabulous but use a private tour company to maximize your sightseeing (and at a lower cost).

 

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

We were on the Eclipse right before you -- the 2nd-16th sailing. I remember getting off the boat that day and it was cool and rainy in Southampton. I knew the next itinerary for the ship was the Baltics. I am a bit surprised with the weather being sunny and in the high 60's or low 70's nobody was at the outdoor pool. When you say generally no one was at the outdoor pool, do you mean actually in the water or just laying out on chairs? I would think it be real nice to lay out with sunny weather and temps in the low 70's or even high 60's.

 

Also, what private tour companies do you all recommend for St. Petersburg? And just out of curiosity, will passport control let you out to the city if you are not on an organized tour and do not have a visa? I know if you are on a tour you do not need a visa, but what if you choose to go out on your own? Will they let you? Thanks

[TLCOhio]

Helsinki is not quite as pretty as the other ports are (IMO). We do not have many old buildings or a designated "Old Town" (which are recommended to see in both Stockholm and Tallinn). The Market Place in Helsinki is by the sea and has a lot to offer to those who like shopping. During the summer it is very busy and sells everything from fresh local foods to hand-made jewelry, wood-work, souvenirs...you name it.

The Tourist Office is on the other side of the street and they are happy to help. The Temple church is indeed carved in a rock and it is very popular for weddings and concerts. Our Main railway station has been used as a model in many Gotham City illustrations.

 

Excellent tips, ideas and suggestion on Helsinki and Stockholm by Sinppu. Glad you are posting and answering questions on this board.

 

Below is more on Helsinki, plus some added of my pictures from the Finland capital. As you can see, we had a beautiful weather day here.

 

Here's the web location for the official tourism office in Helsinki.

http://www.visithelsinki.fi/In_English/Visitor/Helsinki/Tourist_Information.iw3

 

Helsinki does not have the centuries of Royal heritage and architecture that you will see in Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Stockholm. We also did a tour outside of town to the country home for the famed Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen at Hvittrask with its buildings made of natural stones and logs from the surrounding area. He was the father of the famed American architect who designed the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Dulles and JFK TWA terminals, CBS Black Rock building, etc. In Helsinki, our tour also passed the Saarinen designed train station, Olympic Stadium, used for the 1952 Olympic Games and the statue of the "Flying Finn", runner Paavo Nurmi, and visited the park with the stainless steel monument for composer Jean Sibelius, a patriot whose most famous orchestral piece was appropriately named Finlandia. The market area is a must-see for great "walking-around" sights and options.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 71,463 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 64,462 views.

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

 

 

Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki’s traditional Orthodox Church is placed on a solid stone base overlooking the main market:

 

 

 

Overlooking Helsinki's Senate Square, this is the Lutheran Church with its dome that is a key local landmark:

 

 

 

In Helsinki’s main downtown, this is the shopping area next to the main market:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s City Hall in the main downtown overlooking the market area:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s main market is right on the water with lots of goods and foods for sale:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s rail station was designed by famed architect Saarinen who has American connection through his later work and his famed son.:

 

[1newton]

This is a wonderful itinerary! We did a Baltic cruise on Princess three years ago and loved it. (It was in May so I can't comment about your weather). I had been to Brugges for work and loved it so much that last year on our river cruise out of Amsterdam we flew over early and spent a couple of days in Brugges. Of course, St Petersburg was amazing. We also fell in love with Tallin and thought it was very charming. If you're leaving from Copenhagen beware that it's a very expensive city. We stayed at the Marriott near Tivoli and it was a perfect location.

 

Our third Med cruise is next month but I loved the Baltics just as much. I hope you do it!

 

Hello, my name is Judy. I will be on board of the Eclipse in May/June going to the Baltic. Therefore, I would love to hear your input on the weather in those months. Thanks.

[rwr235]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

We were on the Eclipse right before you -- the 2nd-16th sailing. I remember getting off the boat that day and it was cool and rainy in Southampton. I knew the next itinerary for the ship was the Baltics. I am a bit surprised with the weather being sunny and in the high 60's or low 70's nobody was at the outdoor pool. When you say generally no one was at the outdoor pool, do you mean actually in the water or just laying out on chairs? I would think it be real nice to lay out with sunny weather and temps in the low 70's or even high 60's.

 

Also, what private tour companies do you all recommend for St. Petersburg? And just out of curiosity, will passport control let you out to the city if you are not on an organized tour and do not have a visa? I know if you are on a tour you do not need a visa, but what if you choose to go out on your own? Will they let you? Thanks

 

I was on the cruise July 16, 2011.....and yes we had decent weather most of the entire time. In fact, although I took a couple of pair of jeans, I never put them on. St Petersburg was HOT ! Even reached the 90's...which meant that the museums and palaces were HOT...but still amazing.

Yes, there were both people in the pools and lying out by the pools....nothing beats 70-80degrees and sun !!

You can not travel in St Petersburg without a visa....which I understand you can obtain on your own, but is arranged by tour companies, or Celebrity if on a ship tour; but the guides on private excursions make each site so tremendously more enjoyable with their knowledge, insightful tidbits, early entry privileges, etc...

If you peruse threads you will find several highly recommended tour companies...often mentioned are Alla, Anastasia, and SPB (who we used and were thrilled with !!!)

 

If you have any other questions... I'd be happy to answer them!

A GREAT itinerary on a great ship!

 

Woody

[Sinppu]

 

Below is more on Helsinki, plus some added of my pictures from the Finland capital. As you can see, we had a beautiful weather day here.

 

 

You've made my home town look very pretty, thank you! :)

[TLCOhio]

You've made my home town look very pretty, thank you! :)

 

Appreciate your kind comment on my pictures. I didn't "make" your hometown look pretty. I just captured the beauty there and shared. It is an interesting town with a wide variety of architecture and sights to enjoy and experience. Below are a few more from Helsinki.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 64,462 views.

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

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 71,463 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Helsinki Cathedral dome up close & in detail:

 

 

 

Trolley running in front of Senate Building:

 

 

 

B]The Saarinen country home outside of Helsinki: [/b]

 

 

 

Another view of the main market in Helsinki:

 

[Atwell]

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

We were on the Eclipse right before you -- the 2nd-16th sailing. I remember getting off the boat that day and it was cool and rainy in Southampton. I knew the next itinerary for the ship was the Baltics. I am a bit surprised with the weather being sunny and in the high 60's or low 70's nobody was at the outdoor pool. When you say generally no one was at the outdoor pool, do you mean actually in the water or just laying out on chairs? I would think it be real nice to lay out with sunny weather and temps in the low 70's or even high 60's.

 

Also, what private tour companies do you all recommend for St. Petersburg? And just out of curiosity, will passport control let you out to the city if you are not on an organized tour and do not have a visa? I know if you are on a tour you do not need a visa, but what if you choose to go out on your own? Will they let you? Thanks

 

The high temp was 86F during the two days we were in St. Petersburg which was at or near a record. There may have been people at the pool on port days during the cruise but most people were off the ship doing their sightseeing. On the sea days, I can't recall people at the outdoor pool as it was fairly cool but I could be wrong. If you don't mind it a little cool and breezy, then you will like it.

 

You cannot get off the ship in St. Petersburg without a visa. I would not suggest trying to go out on your own, although there are always those who recommend it. When I checked an individual visa was expense ($200?) and took several weeks to obtain. The best bet is to take a private tour or the ship's tour where you are included in their blanket visa.

 

We used SpB Tours but all the major tour companies (Alla, Red October, SpB, etc.) get rave reviews.