7 Nt Scandi. & Russia (Stockholm RT)* or 9 Nt Baltic Capitals (Copenh)?

[JerseyBird]

Hi Dear Board,

 

Trusted by my friends, I am organizing a Baltic Capitals cruise for next June.

 

Preliminary study yields two options:

 

* 1. RCL Vision of the Seas, 7 night

Departs From Stockholm, Sweden visiting Helsinki >> St. Petersburg, (2 days) >> Tallinn, Estonia >> Riga, Latvia

 

2. Norwegian Star , 9 night

Departs From Copenhagen, Denmark visiting Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany >> Tallinn, Estonia >> St. Petersburg (2 days) >> Helsinki >> Stockholm

 

My dilemma is 9-night is about $2000 more (for a family of four) than the 7-night one. People in my group are not absolutely "can't afford" that $2000 more, but I need to be sensitive to their budget.

 

For this extra money, you get:

1. Two extra ports: Copenhagen, Warnemunde (Berlin)

2. Norwegian Star is a newer ship, vs Vision of the Seas is built in 1998.

 

Here are my questions:

 

1. Is it worth the $2000 for the two extra ports or should I use it as pre/post trip in Copenhagen(may not need that much)?

2. I would normally chose a newer ship. But NCl is free style, we had a hard time to put the group (40 people) dinning together last time. On the other hand, I hate to disappoint my group with an out-dated, beat up ship. How "bad" is Vision of the Sea?

 

Can you please offer your experience/opinions? Or if you have other suggestions (my only criteria is some Baltic capitals and 2 days in St. St. Petersburg).

 

Thanks a lot!

[Millenia98]

I'd prefer the 9 day. When you say it like that, it sounds like a lot more money. But it's $500 pp and NCL is worth it, IMO. I'm an NCL gal, and although I like RCCL, I think the extra two days will be very enjoyable.

 

For what it's worth, the Star and the Vision of the Seas get the same star rating on cruise critic. You'd have to read the member reviews for which specific itineraries. But overall, I'd do the 9 days. You shouldn't judge the ships on just the year they were built, but also look at when they were revamped or upgraded. That can make a difference. I too find it very important to sail a nice, new, fun ship.

[TLCOhio]

For this extra money, you get:

1. Two extra ports: Copenhagen, Warnemunde (Berlin)

2. Norwegian Star is a newer ship, vs Vision of the Seas is built in 1998.

Here are my questions:

1. Is it worth the $2000 for the two extra ports or should I use it as pre/post trip in Copenhagen(may not need that much)?

2. I would normally chose a newer ship. But NCl is free style, we had a hard time to put the group (40 people) dinning together last time. On the other hand, I hate to disappoint my group with an out-dated, beat up ship. How "bad" is Vision of the Sea?

 

Copenhagen is a super charming and really great. Such a very, very special place!! We have not, yet, been to Berlin, but have it on our must-do future list. Starting in one city and finishing in another Baltic one is an ideal plan/option. BUT, is it worth it? A nicer ship does helps some.

 

It's your money, budget and family. Seven days does not allow much time to "relax" and get into the "groove" for experiencing fully the ship, etc. I would lean towards the longer, better cruise.

 

Tell us more on your past Europe travel experiences, travel style, interests, etc.?? How much are you interested in history? Countryside vs. cities? Museums, food, wine, art, music, shopping, architecture, etc.? How much of it in a leisurely style versus fast-paced? Then, with more detailed information from you, we can make better, more specific suggestions on what best fits your needs and interests.

 

Below are a few of my visuals to help push the case and provide evidence to consider Copenhagen.

 

Copenhagen: Why Walking Back to the Ship Is Super Great!!!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=975779

 

Reactions and questions??

 

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 101,594 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 80,618 views.

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

 

 

Copenhagen's City Hall and its large Square are in the heart of the main downtown, near Tivoli and the central train station. Completed in 1905, it was designed in the "National Romantic" style with inspiration from the Siena City Hall. Dominated by its richly-ornamented front wth the gilded statue of Absalon just above the balcony, its tall, slim clock tower is 345.6 feet or 105.6 meters tall. It is one of the tallest buildings in Denmark.:

 

 

 

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

 

 

 

A guard and statue in front of the current Royal Palace in Copenhagen. Amalienborg Slot includes four rococo-styled residences of Denmark’s royal family. This site includes a museum surrounding an octagonal cobblestone courtyard. Daily at noon you can witness the Royal guards walk from Amalienborg Palace to Rosenborg Castle for the Changing of the Guard. Adult fee for museum about $13. For more info, see: ses.dk/amalienborg.:

 

 

 

Lots of great statues and interesting architecture in Copenhagen to enjoy as you walk around in this historic city.:

 

 

 

Rosenborg Castle in central Copenhagen now holds the Royal treasures. It was originally built in 1606 as a summer palace, expanded and put into its current condition in in 1624. It houses a museum exhibiting the Royal Collections, late 16th to the 19th century. This includes the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia:

 

 

 

At Tivoli, their main gate is lighted in a spectacular and welcoming manner. Walt Disney was inspired in 1950 to construct Disneyland after visiting this park in the heart of Copenhagen. Tivoli opened in 1843 and encompasses eight hectares with 1,000 trees and 400,000 summer flowers planted throughout the gardens. It boasts upwards of 40 restaurants, a Chinese-style pantomime theater, open-air concert stage, amusement park and Denmark’s longest salt-water aquarium. In the evening, the park is lighted up with Chinese lanterns, multi-colored lights, etc. That truly makes it a “Magic Kingdom” to make Disney happy. Website at: tivoligardens.com.:

 

[JerseyBird]

I personally have cruise many time (most in Caribbean). Our last Europe trip was West Mediterranean. It was action packed, we were busy every minute. It was quite intense, but every one loved it (we had our own bus, own tour guild). So we plan to do it again.

 

I agree, Copenhagen is definitely worth a visit. My concern is Berlin. I heard you have to spend 3 hours to get there from port, one way! Six hours on the road seems to be a waste (I could be wrong). That's why I would rather to spend the time and money on a pre/post tour.

 

I need to read more about the ships.

 

Thanks for all your input.

[kaisatsu]

I've sailed Vision three times now, since she's the only ship that homeports in Oslo, so I can tell you a little about her, and about the Scandinavian cruises in particular.

 

On the whole, she's definitely an older ship, and a few things do feel dated. I find the Shops on Board area feels a bit claustrophobic, and you don't really get the glitz and innovation of the newer ships. However, she's definitely not uncomfortable or "bad" by any means. Just a bit simpler than the shiny new things the cruiselines are doing these days.

 

One thing that I would keep in mind is that Vision's Scandinavian homeport cruises are strongly marketed to local passengers. Sailing out of Norway, the passenger makeup has been 60-75% Norwegians, and most of the cruise director's staff has been Scandinavians. Considering the number of resident Swedes on my last sailing, I would guess that the Stockholm sailings are doing reasonably well in the Swedish market. I could be wrong, since Stockholm has more flight connections than Oslo, but I would bet that the Stockholm trips still have a lot more locals than the sailings from the UK or the bigger European hubs (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, etc).

 

PS - If you do end up on Vision and are considering a balcony cabin, try to book one of the aft corner staterooms. They have wonderful wrap-around balconies with tons of space! We once had cabin 7652 on Vision's sister ship Rhapsody of the Seas and the balcony was large enough to comfortably host a cocktail party for 8 people. Very nice!

[bflowngs]

We took the Nowegian Sun out of Copenhagen for the 9 day cruise. In my opinion, you need the nine days for this type of cruise, 7 days isn't enough. You also need at least a day in port before cruising because you will be very tired from your flight!!!

 

You will not be spending a lot of time on the ship, so that shouldn't be your concern, the ports are more important. You really will need two days in St. Petersburg. Remember that Berlin is 3 hours from the port, so it will be a long day!!!

 

Did you check out Carnival.....they have some Baltic itineraries as well.

[TLCOhio]

I've sailed Vision three times now, since she's the only ship that homeports in Oslo, so I can tell you a little about her, and about the Scandinavian cruises in particular. On the whole, she's definitely an older ship, and a few things do feel dated. I find the Shops on Board area feels a bit claustrophobic, and you don't really get the glitz and innovation of the newer ships. However, she's definitely not uncomfortable or "bad" by any means. Just a bit simpler than the shiny new things the cruiselines are doing these days. One thing that I would keep in mind is that Vision's Scandinavian homeport cruises are strongly marketed to local passengers. Sailing out of Norway, the passenger makeup has been 60-75% Norwegians, and most of the cruise director's staff has been Scandinavians. Considering the number of resident Swedes on my last sailing, I would guess that the Stockholm sailings are doing reasonably well in the Swedish market. I could be wrong, since Stockholm has more flight connections than Oslo, but I would bet that the Stockholm trips still have a lot more locals than the sailings from the UK or the bigger European hubs (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, etc). PS - If you do end up on Vision and are considering a balcony cabin, try to book one of the aft corner staterooms. They have wonderful wrap-around balconies with tons of space! We once had cabin 7652 on Vision's sister ship Rhapsody of the Seas and the balcony was large enough to comfortably host a cocktail party for 8 people. Very nice!

 

As always, super great info and insights from Meg. She's really good and summarizes well this option for sailing out of Oslo. Clearly, it your choice on what best fits your interests and needs. Fortunately, you've got many good potentials.

 

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 102,065 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

[Millenia98]

We took the Nowegian Sun out of Copenhagen for the 9 day cruise. In my opinion, you need the nine days for this type of cruise, 7 days isn't enough. You also need at least a day in port before cruising because you will be very tired from your flight!!!

 

You will not be spending a lot of time on the ship, so that shouldn't be your concern, the ports are more important. You really will need two days in St. Petersburg. Remember that Berlin is 3 hours from the port, so it will be a long day!!!

 

Did you check out Carnival.....they have some Baltic itineraries as well.

Will you be posting a review? This cruise was one of my top contenders for 2013. Since we love NCL so much, we were thinking about going for this longer cruise rather than a 7 day. But we loved the 2 sea days. Were these sea days not relaxing for you all? I love NCL sea days!

 

Looks like next year, NCL's Star will do this itinerary. Not the Sun.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Jerseybird- are you living in Jersey? There is a 12 night on Carnival (June 21, 2013) right out of London. Prices for inside cabin are $1249 and outsides are $1699. This makes the most sense if most of the people are from the UK. They use Dover as their port.

 

 

ri, Jun 21 London 5:00 P

2 Sat, Jun 22 At Sea

3 Sun, Jun 23 Copenhagen 8:00 A 4:00 P

4 Mon, Jun 24 Warnemunde 6:30 A 11:00 P

5 Tue, Jun 25 At Sea

6 Wed, Jun 26 Helsinki 8:00 A 6:00 P

7 Thu, Jun 27 Saint Petersburg 8:00 A

8 Fri, Jun 28 Saint Petersburg 7:00 P

9 Sat, Jun 29 Tallinn 7:00 A 4:00 P

10 Sun, Jun 30 At Sea

11 Mon, Jul 1 At Sea

12 Tue, Jul 2 Zeebrugge 11:00 A 8:00 P

13 Wed, Jul 3 London 5:00 A