Bit of a blog – Legend of the Seas - Ultimate Scandinavia & Russia – June 18th 2014

[Kryssa]

As you walk along the pier there is a very clear sign for the little train.

 

Visby question - If you wait next to the sign, is that where the train will pick you up? Do you know how often the trains come and also what the cost is?

 

Also did you have a map or guide of any kind for your walkabout after the train ride?

 

Thank you for the review - it is great!

Edited July 7, 2014 by Kryssa

[SF2AA]

@basilisk...

Thank you for getting three of my pics from the links. There were supposed to be six. Now how did you get them on this thread? Did you click on insert image and put in the link (which is what I did and did not work)? Or did you upload them?

Edited July 7, 2014 by vk8cruiser

[jebl]

Linda,

 

Read your whole blog in one sitting!! Absolutely marvelous. Your photos are beautiful.

 

Sailed the Legend last year and enjoyed the ship. Glad you had such a wonderful cruise.

[traveler2005]

Do you think I should scan the Compasses and link them up here? Is anyone interested do you think? I have them all.....

 

I would guess that some people would find them very helpful. Before we went, I was curious about how many formal nights we would have. Some people might also like to know that there was a White Night, 70's night, and 50's/60's night.

 

On the other hand, I suppose they change some of those things from cruise to cruise.

 

vk8cruiser - Awesome photos.

[goldiemom]

Linda,

 

Love your blog! So informative. I followed it from the beginning and couldn't wait for your next posting.

 

I will be on a Baltic cruise next year on the Serenade. We only have one day in St. Petersburg (7:00A-7:30P). I am booking a private tour for myself, my husband and another couple. Because of the limited time, I am struggling with what to see. If you had a choice of Peterhof (gardens only) or Catherine's Palace, which would you choose and why. One of us is Jewish and we want to see the Grand Choral Synagogue (with tour of the inside). Thank you for any insight you can give me.

 

Barb

[NorbertsNiece]

Hmmm.. seems like my pics did not load. Will have to try again. Glad I tested it with something not critical.

 

Awesome pics.

 

What site are you using to host your images?

 

if you are using Photobucket you need to click on the link to the right which says 'Direct'. Sometimes it copies straight to the clipboard and sometimes you need to highlight it yourself and then 'Ctrl C' to copy. 'Ctrl V' into the little field that comes up when you open the little yellow box above the writing pane. Click ok.

 

So that your images aren't quite so big you can adjust that within your Photobucket settings..... means they don't fill the whole screen and will sit nicely on the page so the reader doesn't have to scroll over to read the writing bit. If you preview your post before you submit your reply you can see if it's worked or not :)

Edited July 7, 2014 by NorbertsNiece

[WouterC]

By clicking on the small photo icons that are shown in your post I was able to copy the links and view your photos. They look pretty amazing, great snaps!

 

Over which city were you flying?

[NorbertsNiece]

Visby question - If you wait next to the sign, is that where the train will pick you up? Do you know how often the trains come and also what the cost is?

 

Also did you have a map or guide of any kind for your walkabout after the train ride?

 

Thank you for the review - it is great!

 

Yes the sign acts as the train stop. I didn't use a map though they have them as you get off the tender and the RCL guide they give you on board has one. You can also pick one up at the tourist information place. Walk straight along the road after you get off the tender and take the road as it bends round to the right which gets you to the first square. Will be seeing Nancy tomorrow, my roll call friend. She will remember how much the ride was.

 

Linda,

 

Love your blog! So informative. I followed it from the beginning and couldn't wait for your next posting.

 

I will be on a Baltic cruise next year on the Serenade. We only have one day in St. Petersburg (7:00A-7:30P). I am booking a private tour for myself, my husband and another couple. Because of the limited time, I am struggling with what to see. If you had a choice of Peterhof (gardens only) or Catherine's Palace, which would you choose and why. One of us is Jewish and we want to see the Grand Choral Synagogue (with tour of the inside). Thank you for any insight you can give me.

 

Barb

 

Oh gosh that's a hard question!! I will ask Nancy tomorrow what she would do. Suggest you drop a guide an email for their advice too..... Alla is amazing..... tell her Linda Ward from Legend sent you! I'm assuming you're not in SPB on a Saturday.....

[WouterC]

Linda,

 

Love your blog! So informative. I followed it from the beginning and couldn't wait for your next posting.

 

I will be on a Baltic cruise next year on the Serenade. We only have one day in St. Petersburg (7:00A-7:30P). I am booking a private tour for myself, my husband and another couple. Because of the limited time, I am struggling with what to see. If you had a choice of Peterhof (gardens only) or Catherine's Palace, which would you choose and why. One of us is Jewish and we want to see the Grand Choral Synagogue (with tour of the inside). Thank you for any insight you can give me.

 

Barb

 

Hi Barb,

 

I've already did some research of independent tours, and I have seen at least three companies that have itineraries where you visit Peterhof + Catherine's Palace + Hermitage as the biggest attractions.

So it seems to me that it should be possible to visit both Peterhof, Catherine's Palace and the Synagogue on the same day.

 

My advice: send a mail to all of the tour companies you are interested in. Tell them which sights you want to see and ask if they can propose an itinerary to you.

I've e-mailed three companies doing just that and I got excellent replies from all of them. Make sure to mention the ship you are on and the date you will be in St. Petersburg.

 

Are you also going on the August 15 cruise? Just wanted to let you know that there's already a roll call for that, not very active yet but it's still very early days.

 

 

Finally, thank you NorbertsNiece for your fantastic review and photographs.

Edited July 7, 2014 by WouterC

[SF2AA]

Over which city were you flying?

 

San Francisco.

[SF2AA]

Awesome pics.

 

What site are you using to host your images?

 

if you are using Photobucket you need to click on the link to the right which says 'Direct'. Sometimes it copies straight to the clipboard and sometimes you need to highlight it yourself and then 'Ctrl C' to copy. 'Ctrl V' into the little field that comes up when you open the little yellow box above the writing pane. Click ok.

 

So that your images aren't quite so big you can adjust that within your Photobucket settings..... means they don't fill the whole screen and will sit nicely on the page so the reader doesn't have to scroll over to read the writing bit. If you preview your post before you submit your reply you can see if it's worked or not :)

 

I am using OneDrive. I did what you said and the pics don't show up in the previews. I have the uploaded pics on the large setting, and that could be the problem. Let me try a smaller setting.

[Redrobo]

Back on land

 

 

 

]

 

Nice Morgan, surprising where these classics turn up

[Kryssa]

Yes the sign acts as the train stop. I didn't use a map though they have them as you get off the tender and the RCL guide they give you on board has one. You can also pick one up at the tourist information place. Walk straight along the road after you get off the tender and take the road as it bends round to the right which gets you to the first square. Will be seeing Nancy tomorrow, my roll call friend. She will remember how much the ride was.

 

 

Ok, one more Visby mini train question - was the tour in English?

 

Thanks!

[NorbertsNiece]

Ok, one more Visby mini train question - was the tour in English?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes. It's on speakers. Don't sit right behind the engine though.... you won't hear too much there....

[goldiemom]

Biggest issue is that we want to visit the Hermitage (Winter Palace), Grand Choral Synagogue, Peter & Paul Fortress/Cathedral and then either Peterhof or Catherine's Palace along with a city tour. I know very jammed packed. Hence the option of either Peterhof or Catherine's Palace. Any insight from people who have been to both would be greatly appreciated.

 

We are on the May 16 sailing of the Serenade. It will be the second portion of our b2b.

 

Loved the photo of San Francisco. I recognized Golden Gate Park before I saw the Bay Bridge. Always a sight to behold. I actually have a similar photo taken in the early 1940's. Boy has the city built up!

 

Barb

[NorbertsNiece]

Biggest issue is that we want to visit the Hermitage (Winter Palace), Grand Choral Synagogue, Peter & Paul Fortress/Cathedral and then either Peterhof or Catherine's Palace along with a city tour. I know very jammed packed. Hence the option of either Peterhof or Catherine's Palace. Any insight from people who have been to both would be greatly appreciated.

 

We are on the May 16 sailing of the Serenade. It will be the second portion of our b2b.

 

Loved the photo of San Francisco. I recognized Golden Gate Park before I saw the Bay Bridge. Always a sight to behold. I actually have a similar photo taken in the early 1940's. Boy has the city built up!

 

Barb

 

Barb, you really need the advice of one of the professional guides. The Hermitage is jammed and you will definitely need an early entry. Do you have specific art you want to see? The Impressionists for example are on an upper floor.... we didn't get to see the main exhibit just a small one. You can tour SPB in the time before the Museum opens.

 

Catherine's Palace is stunning..... but is also jammed. Timed entry which is strictly adhered to. To also factor in the Peter and Paul Fortress is stretching your time incredibly thin imo.

 

Will you be bringing lunch with you?

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

Hi Barb

 

We are just back from St Petersburg on the AOS.

 

For me Catherine's Palace beat Peterhoff (apologies if spelt incorrectly) hands down. It's difficult to explain and it probably sounds a bit silly but whilst Peterhoff was very good Catherine's Palace just felt more Russian and more historical. I really felt I had experienced something at Catherine's Palace.

 

Both are 'wow' though and you won't go wrong with either if you can only do one. Something to bear in mind is the hydro-foil to Peterhoff leaves outside of the Hermitage if time is an issue.

 

Don't get me started in the Hermitage.... I'm not a museum type but that really is 'wow'!

 

Have fun

 

Greg

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[goldiemom]

Linda, no sit down lunch for us. We will pick up a snack on the go. We are not as interested in the Hermitage art as we are in the history of it and the Winter Palace. We have been to the great art museums in many other places.

 

Greg, thank you for your comments. My gut feeling was to visit Catherine's Palace. Wish we were going to be in St. Petersburg for two days, but we have to work with what time we will have.

 

I have contacted TJ Travel and they will arrange a day for us but want to know what we are interest in seeing.

 

Barb

[basilisk43]

@basilisk...

Thank you for getting three of my pics from the links. There were supposed to be six. Now how did you get them on this thread? Did you click on insert image and put in the link (which is what I did and did not work)? Or did you upload them?

 

Your link pointed to One Drive, but on One Drive it also says - View Original and it is this link that I used to post the photos as the one drive links do not transfer to CC for some reason

Here is the third photo link

https://yb5p8a.bn1.livefilestore.com/y2mlYfffKwNgWZpMx2-SFrPIJULTxuna8-fK_uRrrxYeySb_Xif3wb8TsrLM0xHM6GEfVqjVeFXSgKAiRVp4SUWMdcFspVlIwwtA1b-tXhCgQN0BQwtMF8Wj2eBgrTSGh_7/P1040079.jpg?psid=1

[windjamming]

NorbertsNiece, coming out of lurkerville to say that this is absolutely the most thoroughly engaging review I've ever read. You really made me feel like I was with you on your journey, through the emotional visits in Berlin, through the mystery and magic of St Petersburg / Moscow, through the (for lack of a better word) Scandinavian-ness of Helsinki and Visby.

 

Thank you for the time and effort you put into sharing your holiday with us. Truly a gift.

[WouterC]

Linda, no sit down lunch for us. We will pick up a snack on the go. We are not as interested in the Hermitage art as we are in the history of it and the Winter Palace. We have been to the great art museums in many other places.

 

Greg, thank you for your comments. My gut feeling was to visit Catherine's Palace. Wish we were going to be in St. Petersburg for two days, but we have to work with what time we will have.

 

I have contacted TJ Travel and they will arrange a day for us but want to know what we are interest in seeing.

 

Barb

I guess you could keep the visit to the hermitage relatively short then. The building is said to be magnificent though. Something to consider as well: it might be nice to be outside for a part of the day, and not be inside buildings most of the day. Anyhow, you know best what you like. Have fun planning your trip.[emoji3]

[khr316]

Linda, thank you so much for this wonderful blog. As I mentioned earlier, we had booked the July 27 cruise, but had to cancel because of illness in the family. Reading your blog was like a virtual cruise! We have a deposit on the 7/26/15 cruise, I will definitely reread your blog before we (hopefully) sail!

Karen

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Nami]

Sorry, but you were going about a week too early, now it's in the 80's, at least here in Sweden. That's our typical summer weather here; 55F one day and 80F the next. It can be rather cold for longer periods, but now I hope summer has finally arrived./Erik

 

Yes, hot weather is here :D Great for us, who lives here and all those passengers who were in Helsinki yesterday. I saw Brilliance of the Seas in port of Helsinki and though: Poor Linda, She was freezing here last week (55F, windy and rainy), and all those lucky guys can enjoy this fantastic day (84F, sunny)

 

But this is normal in Scandinavia. Nobody can predict weather months in advance. So if you are wondering what to pack in Scandinavian cruise next summer, my advice is: prepare to any weather. The weather can change very quickly.

 

Thank You Linda again for this great blog! Great photos and stories!

Edited July 9, 2014 by Nami

[NorbertsNiece]

Yes, hot weather is here :D Great for us, who lives here and all those passengers who were in Helsinki yesterday. I saw Brilliance of the Seas in port of Helsinki and though: Poor Linda, She was freezing here last week (55F, windy and rainy), and all those lucky guys can enjoy this fantastic day (84F, sunny)

 

But this is normal in Scandinavia. Nobody can predict weather months in advance. So if you are wondering what to pack in Scandinavian cruise next summer, my advice is: prepare to any weather. The weather can change very quickly.

 

Thank You Linda again for this great blog! Great photos and stories!

 

Nooooooooo I didn't freeze in Helsinki the day I was there.... was a glorious sunny day. Had a fabulous walk around downtown which I enjoyed very much :D

[care67]

Beautiful post!

How far is the terminal to the city in Helsinki?