Long Review of Ryndam Baltic Cruise Jun 9 -23, 2012

[Alberta Quilter]

My mother and I flew to Heathrow on Jun 8th after spending a few days in Frankfurt pre-cruise. I had arranged a private transfer with Folkstone Taxis in advance. Our flight was delayed in Frankfurt due to weather conditions in London so we left an hour and a half late. Because I had also arranged for wheelchair assistance at Heathrow, we were whisked quickly from the plane to the waiting taxi, with our luggage, in 20 minutes! We were very grateful that the taxi driver was there to meet us, considering we were so late in our arrival. (Not that we could do anything about it.) He was not a happy camper about our late arrival but was quite professional, and for the most part, kept his thoughts on the matter to himself. We had to pay extra for the waiting time but I was happy to do so.

However, the transfer went from bad to worse. The dreaded M25 car park! There was a very bad accident. The driver had advised us that, on his way in to Heathrow, he had seen the first responders cutting open the vehicle to extricate the people. Well, it took us about three hours to get to the turnoff to the A20 to Dover. Then, we noticed that the authorities were advising of delays on the A20 near Dover. Our driver was really having conniptions with that news!! When there are delays/closures at the ferry terminal in Dover, what the authorities do is turn the A20 into a parking lot for the semi-trucks. Apparently, it can take several hours to clear. However, our driver turned off prior to the closure of the A20 and took us through Folkstone to get to Dover. We finally arrived at 8:30 pm. If all had gone according to plan, we should have been there around 6:00 pm.

We checked into the Best Western Dover Marine Hotel & Spa. We had requested a room with twin beds, so I suspect that is why we were at the back of the hotel instead of the front. Oh, well, no big deal. The hotel and staff were very nice. We were starving, of course, so walked to a nearby seafood restaurant for fish & chips. A very nice meal.

The next morning, we noticed that our toilet, in our room, didn’t flush properly. I then went to have a shower, and the water pressure was non existent. My mother had been so looking forward to a bath (only had shower facilities in Frankfurt). I woke her up early and told her if she wanted a bath before checkout, she should start now! I then advised her to wait until we were on the ship, which is what she did. I advised the hotel staff of the toilet issue, and we used the facilities elsewhere in the hotel. I should also report that I spoke to two other ladies travelling together who did not experience any issues with their washroom in the hotel, so, perhaps, it was just our room.

After reading reports of toilet issues on other ships, I had hoped that this issue would not be indicative of the facilities on the Ryndam. I am pleased to report that there were, to my knowledge, no toilet issues on the Ryndam for the entire cruise. Occasionally, in the public restrooms, there was a stall out of order but that was the extent of it.

Breakfast at the Best Western was a traditional English breakfast. It was a buffet and it was fairly decent. Frankly, our breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Frankfurt was better but this one contained hot items. Suffice it to say, that we didn’t starve and certainly, we wouldn’t starve on the ship.

We checked out by 11:00 am and waited outside for a taxi. The taxi took less than 10 minutes. The luggage was whisked away and we checked in. Had to wait for our boarding number to be called but the Dover cruise terminal had tables and chairs which made the wait pleasant. I think we waited about fifteen minutes or so until our number was called: Mom said that it seemed to take 8 minutes per boarding number. There was a line-up for the obligatory photo, and then our hand luggage was scanned.

We had originally booked an FF guarantee. There was a bit of a price drop prior to final payment but after final payment the prices for higher categories dropped significantly. The TA tried to get either an upgrade, OBC or a refund but to no avail. Ten days prior to the cruise, we received our assignment, an E. I was happy with that except for the fact that the E was the category was reduced significantly and, now, cost less than half of what we paid for the lesser category. The TA came through for us with an upsell the very next day. We were moved to an A (verandah suite) on the Navigation Deck.

The stateroom was very nice; seemed a few feet longer than a regular outside view room. There was lots of storage room. Nine drawers in the desk, plus the four closets. There weren’t any drawers under the bed, not that we needed them. There was a mini refrigerator/cooler. The verandah was small, with one lounger, a chair and a tiny table. Inside, in the sitting area, the couch was a regular sized couch, not a tiny one. I was hoping there would be a double vanity in the washroom but there wasn’t. I did take pictures and will forward them to Joanie once I get the pictures downloaded.

The embarkation lunch was good; table mates were very nice to chat with and get to know. We received our luggage fairly quickly and unpacked right after lunch. The meet & greet was held on the first sea day. It was very nice to meet a few of the people who had been posting to the roll call. The Captain - Werner Timmers, HotMan - Gerald O’Reilly, CD - Anthony Papandrea, and a few other staff such as the Chief Housekeeper, Event Manager were in attendance for twenty or so minutes. Thanks to Carol and Cynthia for setting it up.

I won’t get into the day-to-day stuff because it’s mostly the same on every cruise. The formal nights were on the first sea day, the evening of Helsinki and the third sea day. We had early fixed dining and ate in the dining room almost every evening. One evening we ate in the Pinnacle Grill, and once in the Lido (more about the lido, later).

The entertainment was good but I didn’t go to all the shows. The regular cast seemed better than in prior cruises. There was a Welsh comedian, Kenny Smiles, who was quite funny; he did two shows. There was a juggler, a classical pianist and a British comedienne who was also very entertaining. Darlyne was on the guitar and Paul McD was the piano man in Mix. I do have most of my Daily Explorers so if you have questions about the activities, ask away.

The evening that we were docked in Warnemunde, HAL brought a local brass band onboard and had a bierfest up in the Lido pool area. That was wonderful. They served German food, such as sausages, sauerbraten, herring, and a whole roasted pig. It was from 6:00 – 9:00 so the people coming back from Berlin, around 8:00 could also partake of the food and music. It was a lot of fun! It was almost as good as being at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.

Our first port was Copenhagen. We chose to do the HoHo bus; none of the HAL tours interested us much. The HoHo was a little disappointing. I believe it was 155 Danish kroner per person. There was a lot of construction going on. Just like home, it appeared that there are only two seasons, winter and construction. Some squares were boarded up so one couldn’t see or get to the statues in the centre of the square. We stayed on the bus for the whole tour, but had to change buses at Stop #1 to one that had very uncomfortable seating. We got off back at the ship and had lunch there. Then we went back out and took the HoHo to the Little Mermaid stop to take our pictures. We then walked to the Anglican church and Churchill Park. Then we walked back to the Mermaid and back to the ship, stopping in shops along the way.

By the time we got to Warnemunde, my mother was suffering with sciatica pain, worse than she had had previously. She had issues sitting down. We had chosen to do Warnemunde/Rostock on our own. We purchased one day travel tickets for the trains/buses in the area as recommended in the Ports forum. We made it difficult for ourselves in that when we got to Rostock, we went outside the train station to wait for the bus (we could have taken a tram right in the building, below the train platform). At any rate, we got to where we wanted to go. There was a lovely little market in the square, and one vendor was selling the most luscious looking strawberries. Well, we purchased a kilo and sat and ate most of them in another square where we watched people. Honestly, that was probably the best experience of the trip. Something as simple as that. We did walk around quite a bit; we went to a grocery store to try to get some food items that we can’t get at home. We also love looking at what is available in other countries. We popped into shops and made some small purchases and then made our way back to the tram, and the train station (doing it the correct way, this time). My mother’s leg was worse and she had to stand for the train ride back to the Warnemunde.

In Warnemunde, we walked around a bit, trying to find a certain herring dish that my mother loves. We finally found it and had a late lunch around 3:00. Luckily, we missed a downpour while we were having lunch. In the dining room that evening, they were serving schnitzel. Well, we weren’t that hungry but we shared one appetizer, and one schnitzel between the two of us. We later attended the bierfest mentioned above. Our departure from Warnemunde was delayed about fifteen/twenty minutes (when it was a little darker) because the local officials wanted to send us off in style. It was the Ryndam’s first time in Warnemunde; in fact it was the first time for the Ryndam in most of the Baltic ports. They set off fireworks and it seemed like the whole town was out to see the fireworks and send us off. Someone, over a loudspeaker, made a lovely speech as we eased away from the pier, thanking us for coming and hoping that we would be back again soon.

The next port, after a sea day, was Tallinn. We did the HoHo here too. Again, it was not great. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the cost. We stayed on the bus and got off after one circuit. We went through old town but couldn’t get up to Toompea because the steepness of the roads was too much for my mother to bear. We wandered along the wall so that I could take some pictures, and made our way to the church. By then her pain was quite bad and we took a taxi back to the pier. The little market at the pier is quite good and the prices seem to be comparable to those in town.

Next up was St. Petersburg. I had arranged a private tour with SPB. There were four of us plus the driver and guide. Unfortunately, we had two different guides, one for each day. I don’t believe this is normal but it did work out. Both had their plusses and minuses. When we arrived in SP, there were two ships already there on their second or third day in SP; they both left that evening.

We were provided with a Russian Migration Card by HAL, which we had to review and sign in two places. When we went through the passport control, we had to provide our passports, migration card and our tour ticket. The migration card was a two part form. The official kept one part when we went through the first time. On our return that same day, the official kept the second part (which was contrary to the letter HAL gave us with the form). At any rate, all went well.

The first day in SP, we started with a short city tour, with a stop to St Nicholas church which still holds services. In fact, there was a service going on while we were there so we were able to hear the singing. Then we went to the Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood. My, that was amazing. I’m sure the pictures won’t do it justice. One has to see it to believe it.

After that, we picked up some lunch to take to Peterhof. We had hoped that we could take a box lunch off the ship but there was no way to order it. We inquired about it at the shorex desk and they told us of “grab & go” sandwiches which one could get on the run but those were provided only between 11:30 and 5:00. At any rate, we went to Stolli and picked up some pies. When we got to Peterhof, we ate our lunch at one of the tables above the gardens. The pies were very good and quite reasonable. Payment is in rubles. We then walked in the gardens; taking ramps to accommodate my mother. After Peterhof, we went to Catherine’s Palace. Again, the amber room has to be seen to be believed. We then drove back to the terminal and paid for our tour (by credit card – need the air miles for the next flight). Went through passport control with all the others returning to the ship from their tours, where the officials kept the second part of the migration form. After that, we only needed our passports and tour tickets.

By this time, we were quite exhausted but we had (foolishly, we thought at the time) also booked the Evening at the Hermitage tour through HAL. We had one hour on the ship to get our dinner. Well, with others also going to the Hermitage, ballet or folkshow, the Lido was a madhouse! No grab and go sandwiches; it was after 5:00! I ended up going to the Terrace Grill and getting some pizza for the two of us. We also were able to get some bread and cheese from the buffet line and some dessert. So we were fine. We got our tour stickers and got on the bus. Well, that tour was one of the best things we did! Because the Ryndam was the only ship overnight that evening so there were only 200 people or so at the Hermitage that night! Our guide was not great; she hustled us through some exhibits and lingered too long in others. She did not appreciate any questions, nor did she answer them. In fact, she got rather defensive and testy, as if we were challenging her. But it was good in that there was room to see exhibits. I took pictures of the amazing floors, ceilings and mosaics. The pictures of most paintings and some exhibits didn’t turn out well because we were unable to use a flash. We got back to the ship around 10:15 and had a bite to eat at the late night snack. Bed felt really good at 11:15!!!

We were up early again to be off the ship by 8:00. On Day 2, we went to the Hermitage. Well, it was packed! Three more ships came in that morning and it seemed like everyone had early entrance to the Hermitage! This is when we realized how lucky we were the night before. Our guide took us through many of the same rooms as we saw the evening prior but offered better explanations of the exhibits/paintings, etc. We weren’t whisked as quickly through but we didn’t see all of the exhibits that we saw the evening before, either. Pictures of the paintings turned out better because there was brighter light coming in through the windows. We were really glad we had done both tours.

After the Hermitage, we went to the Peter & Paul Fortress, where all of the Tsars are buried in the cathedral. The cathedral was interesting and we were able to hear a quintet of men singing a hymn; it was very nice. Of course, they appreciated a small donation. We had a quick lunch at Stolli again; this time I tried the rabbit and mushroom pie. There are both savory pies are made with yeast bread and filled with fillings of either fish, ground beef and mushrooms, mushrooms only. They don’t look like what we’re used to in North America; the fish pie is in the shape of a fish and decorated accordingly. I only had a taste of one of the sweet pies; I think it had the same type of pastry and there were several fruit flavours.

After lunch, I had asked about the Bronze Horseman statue that Catherine the Great had put up to honour Peter the Great. They took us there so I could get a picture. Unfortunately, we couldn’t park where we wanted; the police wouldn’t let us because some politician was visiting. So the driver went around the block and parked on the other side. I was the only one to get out to get pictures so I took off through the park. I made my way through four bridal parties, a brass band and three television crews/vans to get to this statue, took my three pictures and headed back to the van. Just as I was coming around the statue, I saw the guide. I had forgotten that I wasn’t supposed to be out on my own!! She teased me about sending the KGB after me!! Well, I hope she was teasing!

Our last stop that day was the Yusupov palace. We were there for around two hours, give or take. It is quite a place.

By this time, we were all exhausted. There was no quibbling about getting back to the ship. We also wanted to beat the crowds at passport control, unlike the day before.

The next port was Helsinki. Unfortunately, it rained and rained! In fact, at times, it poured! We originally were going to do this port on our own but when we found out that it was also a formal night, and it being a Sunday, we decided to go with a HAL tour. Well, we were glad we did. First, it was much easier on my mother, given her sciatica. And, for the most part, we were sheltered from the rain. Plus we were absolutely exhausted from the prior days in SP. All of the time zone changes were really getting to us, too.

We only really wanted to see two things in Helsinki, the Market Square and Sibelius Monument. Well, the guide advised us that the Market Square, on Sundays, only really has handicraft vendors (not food vendors). We later found out that that wasn’t true; some of our fellow passengers had gotten some food there. However, as it was raining, the vendor’s products were covered to protect them and it sounds like it wasn’t pleasant in the rain. We skipped that all together. By the time the bus got to Sibelius Park, it was pouring. I was one of four people who got off the bus to go out to get a picture. We did get to Rock Church but the driver could not park close to the church. Being as it was Sunday, we had to go to the church after 12:00. The driver parked a few blocks away and we walked, uphill, in the rain to the church. It wasn’t raining hard on the way there but it was on the way back! That’s when we got rather wet. (We hadn’t taken coats or umbrellas – we had schlepped our coats and umbrellas in SP and Tallinn and it hadn’t rained so why would we in Helsinki?! Word to the wise – always schlep your umbrella and coats.) Although, we did hear of people who did bring coats and umbrellas and still got soaked because it was raining sideways.) It’s too bad; Helsinki seemed like a very pretty city, particularly after SP. I would really like to go back there and see it in good weather.

Our next stop was Stockholm for two days. Cruising the archipelago was amazing. Again, another early morning, we started entering the archipelago before 6:00 am. Fortunately, I tend to wake with the sun, particularly when it shines directly in my eyes through a crack in the curtains! We also saw the archipelago again when we left Stockholm the next day. We had one of the best dining tables we’ve ever had, right over the wake, on the stern.

We chose two half day HAL tours. The first one was Stockholm by Land & Water. The water part was a boat ride around one of the islands. The company had laminated maps of the islands with the various sights marked. There was commentary in your language of choice. It was very nice. The second tour was another sightseeing ride plus the Vasa Museum. I had done a little research on the Vasa and thought to myself, why would I want to see a ship that sunk on its maiden voyage and then was brought up 300 years later? I discussed it with my mother before our trip, and we both thought why bother? Well, it was pretty neat to see. I do understand why this is one of the must see places in Stockholm. As others have said, it was a nice surprise. I think it is one of those places that you’ll kick yourself later if you don’t go see it. Our guide was fascinating to listen to; she was very knowledgeable. She teaches at the local university in the winter months and guides in the summer months.

Our final port was Visby, on the island of Gotland in Sweden. For the first time, we had beautiful, clear skies. Seriously, not a single cloud. This was the only tender port of the cruise and the tendering process was very painful. Probably the worst we’ve experienced in nine cruises. Those on HAL excursions had no issues, I believe. They were off early. Those that chose to do Visby independently had to wait for one of four tenders. The waiting times were a minimum of 45 minutes. We finally got off around 11:15, part of that was our fault as we thought if we waited before getting a tender ticket, it might be faster later. Well, we should have gotten the tender ticket the first time. The ride to the pier was not long. I have no idea why the tendering was so bad except that this was the first time that the Ryndam had been in Visby. I don’t understand why that would make such a difference since they tender people at HMC and other ports.

At any rate, Visby was very beautiful. There was another ship in port with us so it did get quite crowded with people. It was amazing how quickly the town emptied out when both sets of passengers made their way back to the pier! The lineup to get back on the tender was long, and our departure was delayed due to the tendering issues. Hopefully, this will not happen again when the Ryndam is back in Visby.

We then had two blissful sea days to try to recover from the past seven port days.

The morning we arrived in Dover was a beautiful morning. I happened to get up early, just before 5:00 am and looked out the window to see the white cliffs of Dover gleaming in the light of the just risen sun. At 5:20, I woke my mother so that she could see it, too. It really was much prettier then than when we had left on the evening of the 9th.

We were able to disembark at 8:00 am, so that we would be through customs, etc in time to meet our taxi driver (same one who brought us down in the four hour trip) at 8:30 am. Well, we scanned our cardkey as we left the ship, claimed our luggage and walked out. Honest to God, there was no one to show our passports to, nothing. We were waiting for our taxi at 8:10. Luckily, he came at 8:15 and we were off to Heathrow.

Our trip this time, took only 1.5 hours. We were well in time for our flight; stood in a very long line to get our VAT refund, and then went off to the airline lounge to have a bite to eat and arrange for a ride from the lounge to the gate for my mother. That was fun – the airport vehicle looked like the pope mobile! With the gate announced only half an hour before the flight, we were whisked right to the start of the line, passports and boarding passes were checked and we walked straight on to the plane. Absolutely no waiting at the gate. I love travelling with someone who needs assistance!

A couple of final notes: I had purchased a double Suite Amenities Package through HAL. This provided us with a bottle of champagne, two bottles of alcohol, two bottles of wine, two $50 beverage cards, two bathrobes, two dinners (one each) at the Pinnacle Grill, unlimited laundry and pressing, special disembarkation privileges, and daily tea/canapés. Well, I wouldn’t do this again, at least not on a port intensive cruise like this one. The daily tea and the unlimited laundry were the reasons for the purchase. My mother loves having a cup of tea and then a nap in the afternoon. The documentation received in the stateroom says to call in room dining to arrange the time for the tea. They referred me to the concierge (we had access to the telephone concierge due to being in a verandah suite) so I made arrangements for tea to come at 4:00 every afternoon, starting on the first Sunday. We received it then but not the following two days. I called the concierge after the second day of not receiving it. The following day, we didn’t get it again. I called again; again she said she would follow-up on it. We never heard back. By the fourth time, I went to the front desk. The fellow there claimed that I probably didn’t say that it was a standing order. Well, perhaps I didn’t but wouldn’t you think that if I keep calling about it, it would be a standing order? Also, in the package it does say that it is a daily indulgence so one would assume that when one uses the phrase Suite Amenities Package and tries to order the tea, it would be a standing order. At any rate, there was no point in having the tea come when we were in SP so I asked for it to be delivered in Helsinki. Well, it seems that one has to be in the room to receive the tea. I had understood from prior postings on CC that some came to their stateroom to find the tea already there. Okay, so things are different on this ship, no big deal. The next time, we were there at the appointed time of 4:00 and nothing came. Well, we had to get to Team Trivia so left at 4:15. The voice message came through at 4:21. After that, we cancelled the tea, and Mom went to tea in the dining room. Now that we have our bathrobes, and we get a discount at the PG, and ended up bringing home both bottles of alcohol, I don’t think we’ll bother to get the package again. The unlimited laundry was wonderful but that could have been purchased on its own for $98 for the 14 day cruise.

The food was great. I have to thank many of you who have posted about your favourite foods. I tried the muesli – which was wonderful, even if it did include dead grapes (raisins). I managed to choke them down; it was less painful than picking them out! I also tried the steak Diane in the PG. Not much of a show in the daylight, and much too much meat! One steak would have been plenty; two seemed wasteful. I also tried the cinnamon ice cream. That was very tasty. We also shared a chocolate purse. I’m glad I tried it but it was too rich for me. I kept telling our tablemates about the good items I had read about here on CC.

On the early port days, we ordered room service for breakfast. When we could we ate in the dining room. The only times we ate in the Lido were the SP evening between tours, and the occasional lunch or late snack.

We met some very wonderful people. There were many Brits, Aussies and Americans onboard. There were 180 Canadians. In fact, one night, there was a Canadian get together in the Crow’s Nest, with Happy Hour pricing and some hot hors d’ouvres. It was just one hour; you could get two drinks for the price of one plus $1. Otherwise, Happy Hours were few and far between. They also played music by Canadian artists. Frankly, I hadn’t noticed until I realized that Anne Murray was on, followed by Paul Anka. I have no idea if there were similar get togethers for other nationalities. The bar manager indicated that this was something they were trying out.

We were lucky with the seas. Until the last day, we had mostly calm seas. It was a little rocky leaving Dover because of the winds but once we got into the Baltic, it was nice and calm. However, it was rough coming out of the Baltic. That last sea day was difficult for many people.

Wow, what a long review! Thank you for reading it all. I hope those of you who are about to go on this or a similar cruise in the near future find it helpful. If you have any questions, please ask away. I’ll try to get to answering them in the evening as I’m back to work today.

[portofrome]

Thank you for your review.

[kazu]

Thanks for your very interesting review. a lot of detail and very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us:)

 

too bad about the suite amenities package kerfluffle. Even in deluxe verandas you have to arrange for the tea or tell them it's a standard for every day :rolleyes: and yes, you have to be there to get it

[innlady1]

Alberta Quilter, thank you so much for such a thorough review...I enoyed every word. I would love to do that cruise one day. My grandparents were born in Sweden! Traveled there with my sister and mom in the 80's but it was a land tour.

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for the great review and all the info! Sorry that your Mom had some troubles on her vacation. :(

[sue117]

Great review! Reminds us of our trip last year. We were also exhausted after St Petersburg...and we heard that the night trip to the Hermitage was great...not crowded at all. Glad you had that experience too!

[RuthC]

Your review was a delight to read. I was on the Ryndam for two weeks in May, and have sailed the Baltic a couple of times, so I could "see" just about everything you mentioned. I noticed that most of the Ryndam personnel you mentioned were a change from my cruise. Thank you for naming names.

I do so agree that the sail in the Stockholm Archepeligo is one of the world's great sails.

Thank you for writing such a comprehensive review.

[Loreto]

I really enjoyed your review! We have sailed the Ryndam 3 times...great ship. Our 2nd HAL cruise was the Baltic on the old Noordam, and I loved revisiting the itinerary. :) It is still one of our favorite cruises. We loved Visby, and like you had glorious weather!

 

Many thanks for the review!

Karen

[PathfinderEss]

Thank you for the nice review of your cruise. Sounds like you had an interesting time. Sorry for all your troubles getting there.

[coyotecruising]

Thanks for a well written review! I did as well enjoy Stockholm on one of my cruises, beautiful city, and the Wasa ship was amazing to see as well!

[IRL_Joanie]

I absolutely LOVED your extremely long and VERY Detailed review!!! That was one of the best reviews I've ever read!!!!

 

I have the photos up on the Ryndam Deck 10 now. All I can add is that not only is the review extremely detailed, but so are the photos!!!

 

Joanie

[libgal]

Thank you for such a long and helpful review! I enjoyed every bit of it, from landing at Heathrow to landing in Dover.

[Alberta Quilter]

Thank you, all, for the positive feedback on my review. It's my first review ever. I did it mostly for the people who are about to sail on the same itinerary on the 7th.

 

Joanie, I'm glad you got the photos - sorry about having to send all those emails to get them to you!

 

We really did enjoy the cruise, in spite of some of the challenges. At least, they make for good stories!

[Piccolopower]

Loved reading about your adventures Kathryn, thank you so much for your review!

 

Just wondering about the grocery store in Rostock, was it near the tram - we also enjoy the "education" that we receive by taking our kids into grocery stores.

 

We once took our kids, who were 13 and 15 at the time, into a grocery store in Ireland. They were looking for what Michiganders call "pop". Blank stare. We tried "soda". Blank again. "Coke" they said. Oh, he said, you mean "fizzy juice". Yes, fizzy juice please.

 

We've also taken them to the Boqueria in Barcelona, close to closing time. I'll spare you most of the descriptive words I have, but share this one: watching a vendor spray pesticide on the meat and seafood and then put it in a storage container to sell the next day pretty much squelched my desire to purchase anything.

 

I'm very pleased that you had a great time - can you comment further on the cruise director? Did you enjoy him?

 

Thanks again

Sheila the fluteplayer

[erewhon]

Thank you for your interesting review.

Sorry that your Mother suffered so much pain.

 

The early morning sun shining on the white cliffs of Dover is a memory to treasure.

[earl_m]

Thank you for a wonderful review, Glad you enjoy your cruise||!!!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the great review. It is great that you and your Mom get to do this together.

[mahonie]

I also have just returned from the Baltic cruise and agree with all your observations.

Do you by any chance like to do jigsaw puzzles ?

[ZachMary]

Thanks for letting us travel with you:)

[Alberta Quilter]

Just wondering about the grocery store in Rostock, was it near the tram - we also enjoy the "education" that we receive by taking our kids into grocery stores.

 

I'm very pleased that you had a great time - can you comment further on the cruise director? Did you enjoy him?

 

Hi Sheila,

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the review. The grocery store in Rostock is on Kroepeliner Strasse, near the Kroepeliner Tor. It is in the basement of a building that looks like a multi-level mall. I had inquired at the Tourist Information and they advised us where to go.

 

Anthony, the cruise director, is very entertaining. He came, on very short notice, from the Veendam. He told us later in the cruise that he was the DJ on the Veendam. We had quite a bit of interaction with him through Team Trivia as well as the M&G and other venues. I liked him; he's quite funny and his announcements were not annoying. (We had one CD, on a previous cruise, who was very annoying with his announcements! I still remember "Out and About". Just the way he said it was irritating!)

[Alberta Quilter]

I also have just returned from the Baltic cruise and agree with all your observations.

Do you by any chance like to do jigsaw puzzles ?

 

I'm not sure if I should answer that one in the event it might incriminate me!

[gelo7]

What a great review.

[mahonie]

Just trying to put a name to a face.Spent a few hours in the lounge doing jigsaw puzzles.

[Traveling Dot]

Thank you for that review. We are doing the Baltic Adventure cruise in August and will be going to many of the same places. I have a question, my husband will be using a wheelchair is some of the ports, do you think we will have a problem with it? Like on the HOHO bus in Copenhagen, he can walk with a cane but he may have to relie on the wheelchair more than we would like.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to post such an informative review.