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10 or 14 day Baltic cruise - which to choose?


Kathy with a K

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My DH and I are planning on booking a Baltic cruise with Oceania. We definitely want a 3-day stop in St. Petersburg.

 

My initial thought was to take the 10 day as it starts in Stockholm and ends in Copenhagen which allows extra time there. It also includes Helsinki, Tallinn, Gdansk, Warnemunde and of course St. Petersburg.

 

The 14 day starts in London and ends in Stockholm. The14 day includes the same ports as the 10 day plus Amsterdam, Oslo and Riga. My thought is the main attraction of the 14 day is 4 extra days one of which is an extra day at sea to enjoy the ship. Not sure if the extra ports are worth it. The disadvantage is not having extra time in Copenhagen.

 

Can people you have been to these ports please comment. And am I missing out if I only have 1 day in Copenhagen.

 

Your input is most appreciated.

Kathy

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We just did a 14 day Baltic, and Amsterdam and Brugges were 2 of my favourite ports, but I see Brugges is not offered on your 14 day.

 

Had a great guide in Amsterdam, toured canal houses, and gardens, canal ride, Anne Frank Museum and red light district after going to the museum that starts with R...sorry, can't think of name.

 

Riga has a lovely old town, and an area of incredible Art Deco Houses designated as a UNESCO site.

 

We had a day in Copenhagen. I tried desperately to book a guide with no luck. I know I would have enjoyed it more with a guide. We saw the colourful harbour, and walked down the main shopping street, but felt no need to see Tivoli Gardens.

 

Stockholm was great: City Hall tour and Gamla Stan, and Vasa Museum were wonderful. We had 2 nights there before we sailed.

 

I loved old Gdansk, marvelous architecture. Saw Stutthoff Concentration camp.

Went to Berlin. Well worth the 3 hour bus ride each way. Helsinki didn't knock my socks off, but I think it may have been a bad jet lag day!

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I always opt for the longer cruise, but if you don't have time for the extra days that's something else.

 

I misread your question at first and thought the 14 day cruise was ending in CPH. I see that it isn't. Yes, for me CPH is one of my favorite cities. If you haven't been there before, I would say you want extra time. But it isn't that hard to get from Stockholm to CPH if you want to end your cruise with 2-3 days in CPH.

 

When we did the Baltic cruise it was with Renaissance and a 14 day ... so the only port that appears to have been different was that we didn't go to Riga but we did go to Bruges and Antwerp.

 

Also, we had an overnight in CPH which might answer your questions -- if you had it!

 

If I were you, I would take the 14 day, then fly to CPH from Stockholm. When we did this cruise it was Dover-Stockholm, with an overnight in Stockholm. We spent an extra 2 days in Stockholm and then flew to Billund, DK and spent a week there with a friend. If time isn't a problem, I would figure out the best way to get to CPH from Stockholm and spend 2-3 days there.

 

If you haven't been to Oslo or Amsterdam, I definitely would do the 14 day. If you have, then the 10 day cruise might be better for you. Both of these cities are not to be missed ... as is CPH.

 

That's MY opinion!

 

Which probably doesn't help you at all!

 

Mura

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We just did the Copenhagen to Stockholm in July. Loved it! If you take the 10 day you can build in a day or two in Copenhagen and a day or two in Stockholm. Both are totally worth spending extra time in. In Stockholm, we stayed in Sodermalm, a great area just across the bridge (walkable) from the old town. Riga does have some lovely buildings but Gdansk is much more special, in my opinion. It is easy to visit Amsterdam on any European trip. I haven't been to Oslo. On the other hand, the itinerary is fairly intensive so a sea day may be welcome!

Don't forget to factor in air deviation if you are adding more time at either end. You don't mention if you have been to London lately. That might be the deciding factor! Who could get tired of London!

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We spent 4 days in Copenhagen in July. Lovely city but we could have done it in 2 easily, and a day will give you a good idea of the city. It is not a huge city. I wouldn't go out of my way to go back, but wouldn't say no either.

 

Loved the colourful houses, wide streets and all the bicycles. We did not go to Tivoli, but did walk all the way around it, and it is huge!

 

They have great boats on the canal and we rode them all over the city and walked a lot. Didn't use a guide.

 

As for the length of the cruise, the longer the better as far as I am concerned!

 

Mo

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No question do the 14 day. We've done the Baltic three times and never tire of it. As far as Copenhagen is concerned it's very charming and has a wonderful art museum but a day or two is more than enough IMHO.

Stockholm, on the other hand, has so much to see we never tire of it and have twice spent a week there. Enjoy whichever you choose.;)

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I always opt for the longer cruise, but if you don't have time for the extra days that's something else....If you haven't been to Oslo or Amsterdam, I definitely would do the 14 day.

Mura

 

I am glad to second Mura on the attractions of Oslo, which have not been mentioned by other posters. Among other things, Oslo has a wonderful Viking Ship Museum and an Open-air Folk Museum http://norskfolkemuseum.no/en/ that by itself if worth the better part of a day. It is easy to do Oslo by yourself if that is your style. The city has an efficient and clean transportation system and it seems that all the inhabitants speak English.

 

And in cruising isn't longer usually better?

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Thank you all so much for your input. It's pretty easy to decide on the 14 day now. This will be our first trip to the Baltics and your input helps not only on the decision to book the 14 day, but helps me in deciding what not to miss in many of the cities. This will be our first Oceania cruise and I have been reading a lot about Oceania on CC. It sounds fabulous. Thank you again for your help!

Kathy

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My STRONG recommendation is that for St. Petersburg you hire a private tour company for the entire three days instead of using ship's excursions. Visas are included and this way you can set the agenda. You'll get your own driver and guide who can get you to the head of the line in all sights. You can change things at will and it is so much more relaxing than being in a bus with forty or more others. AND it usually does not cost more than seeing the same amount of sights with ship's tours. Some of the best tour companies are Denrus, Red October and Alla though others may have different suggestions, You can google them and see suggested itineraries and costs.

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I guess your mind is made up, but I'll put in my ten cents anyway!!! We just did the 10 day cruise from CPH to Stockholm on Marina, although the itinerary may have been a little different. I think O is taking out Ronne and Visby (a real shame for both, in my book) in order to add a third day in SPB.

 

We got to CPH a day early and spent the night there. It wasn't really a lot of time, but enough. We just toured a bit on our own, using an occasional bus or water taxi. We didn't stay after the cruise in SH, so we really didn't see anything much of the city - a pity. Riga was a city that didn't knock the socks off of everyone, but I loved the art nouveau there - quite unbelievable. We had only a half day at sea, so yes, the cruise was very, very port intensive. Berlin was fun (we rented a car and drove to Berlin - some people stayed in Warnemunde and enjoyed that as well), Helsinki was pretty and nice (and easy to tour), Tallinn was touristy but fun, and Visby and Ronne were totally charming with great photo opps. I think Visby is on the 14-day cruise. I had not heard of it before, but after being there, I can tell you to NOT miss it. You really don't need a tour there, however. Just get off the ship and meander up toward the north part of the old part of the town, inside and outside the walls. I liked Gdansk a lot - a sleeper of a city. I took the train from Gdynia to Gdansk, took in the cool architecture, and then took a Zegluga boat up to Westerplatte. It was a bit confusing, though (and little English spoken there, and mostly only zlotys taken there) - perhaps best to take a ship's excursion there.

 

I agree with the suggestion to get a tour rather than use O's excursions. You'll save money that way. We used Alla for our 2 days and it was great.

 

I like Amsterdam a lot, although the above poster is right - it is a common cruise (including river cruise) destination, so if you weren't going to hit it on the 14 day cruise, you could easily do it another time.

 

Keep in mind that unless you extend on either end, you will not really see much of the cities you're flying in and out of, so that could affect your choice of itinerary (10 vs 14 day) or starting city (CPH or SH, for example, on the 10 day). Also keep in mind that jet lag will bother most people, so going at least a day or two early, and/or leaving the best cities for last might be a good thing to do. That's one reason we chose to go from CPH to Stockholm, as SPB was toward the end of the journey.

 

Be prepared for lots of time, money, and language changes in the Baltic! It was a fantastic cruise.....both my husband and I had a fabulous time. I especially loved it because Oceania arranged shuttles in most ports, and then it was not hard to get around each city on my own, using public transportation or foot power. (Take good shoes, and rain gear!) You'll love the Baltic! See my photos at http://www.pbase.com/roothy123

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