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

[NorbertsNiece]

Beautiful post!

How far is the terminal to the city in Helsinki?

 

Too far to walk for us. I took the shuttle. The stop is by the Stockmann department store. Depends where you will be berthed.

[seaofwonder]

80s are too hot! I'm heading to N. Europe to escape the brutal heat here...wishful thinking that it cools back down into the 70s by next month. Of course, after a month of 100+ temps I am sure 84 will feel cool :)

 

 

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[SF2AA]

Beautiful post!

How far is the terminal to the city in Helsinki?

We were scheduled to dock at Hernesaari Terminaali, but instead berthed at Lansiterminaali, which RCI did not announced and which Rick Steves calls the most desolate part of the port. We had to ask one of the tour guides where we were since the pier did not match my information for Hernesaari. So we had to change plans and take the ship shuttle to town, which dropped us off across the street from the Stockmann department store. On the other hand, the Olympiaterminaali is within walking distance to Market Square. So you need to ask which cruise terminal for Helsinki.

[NorbertsNiece]

We were scheduled to dock at Hernesaari Terminaali, but instead berthed at Lansiterminaali, which RCI did not announced and which Rick Steves calls the most desolate part of the port. We had to ask one of the tour guides where we were since the pier did not match my information for Hernesaari. So we had to change plans and take the ship shuttle to town, which dropped us off across the street from the Stockmann department store. On the other hand, the Olympiaterminaali is within walking distance to Market Square. So you need to ask which cruise terminal for Helsinki.

 

Thank you sooooo much for clarifying that !!!! I have been trying to figure out why my map reading skills were failing when looking at Hernesaari and trying to figure out how we got to town!!!

[Nami]

80s are too hot! I'm heading to N. Europe to escape the brutal heat here...wishful thinking that it cools back down into the 70s by next month. Of course, after a month of 100+ temps I am sure 84 will feel cool :)

 

Temperatures over 80 are quite rare in Helsinki. Maybe 5 to 10 days per summer. And if you need 100+ temps, you have to go to sauna :D

[seaofwonder]

Temperatures over 80 are quite rare in Helsinki. Maybe 5 to 10 days per summer. And if you need 100+ temps, you have to go to sauna :D

 

 

I hate 100+ temps, but they have started where I live. I escape to Europe in the summer to get away from the heat :)

 

 

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[kraiklyn]

We were scheduled to dock at Hernesaari Terminaali, but instead berthed at Lansiterminaali, which RCI did not announced and which Rick Steves calls the most desolate part of the port. We had to ask one of the tour guides where we were since the pier did not match my information for Hernesaari. So we had to change plans and take the ship shuttle to town, which dropped us off across the street from the Stockmann department store. On the other hand, the Olympiaterminaali is within walking distance to Market Square. So you need to ask which cruise terminal for Helsinki.

 

If your willing to walk about 5 minutes from the port towards town there is a tram terminal that takes you straight into the city. Much cheaper than the ship shuttle and we overtook two shuttle buses on our way!

[blueblock]

Thank you sooooo much for clarifying that !!!! I have been trying to figure out why my map reading skills were failing when looking at Hernesaari and trying to figure out how we got to town!!!

 

That also explains why our cab driver had trouble getting us back to the ship when we specified "Hernesaari." Fortunately, we could see our ship from Hernesaari, so we just apologized and asked her to take us to that ship that we could see in the distance!

[SF2AA]

yes, in my evaluation to RCI, I told them they should announce which terminal we are berthed at, especially when it is not the scheduled terminal as in Helsinki.

[SF2AA]

Lest you think otherwise, I consider this Baltic cruise June 18-29 on the Legend of the Seas to be an excellent cruise with many very interesting ports. Having three days at St Petersburg was essential, as St Petersburg is obviously the gem of the Baltic ports. I would strongly recommend to anyone interested in a Baltic cruise to consider booking a cruise itinerary that would overnight at St Petersburg for two nights.

 

I'm still having difficulties with my pics on this site, so I may have to forego showing what we saw at St Petersburg during the excellent 3-day deluxe tour with SPB Tours, which we got at a low flat rate of 380USD pp by booking early in February.

[care67]

Thank you. The terminal would be west terminal

[SF2AA]

Thank you. The terminal would be west terminal

 

You still need to find out which terminal in the West harbor of Helsinki your ship will be. Take a look at Rick Steves' book on Northern Europe cruise ports for the various possible terminals.

[CruiseMGM]

Hi, Linda, and thanks so much for the wonderful blog! We've really enjoyed the pictures, the stories, the comments and questions, EVERYTHING. We're booked on the Serenade for next June, with the 3 days in St. Petersburg, and are setting up our tours for the whole trip. We appreciate the pointers and ideas and are thrilled that you've given us so much food for thought for our upcoming trip.

 

Thanks again, hope to meet you in person on some cruise in the future!

Best wishes!

[SF2AA]

Thank you. The terminal would be west terminal

 

BTW all the terminals in the Helsinki west harbor will be too far to walk to town. Hope this helps.

[Nami]

Beautiful post!

How far is the terminal to the city in Helsinki?

You still need to find out which terminal in the West harbor of Helsinki your ship will be. Take a look at Rick Steves' book on Northern Europe cruise ports for the various possible terminals.

BTW all the terminals in the Helsinki west harbor will be too far to walk to town. Hope this helps.

 

 

If your ship is in West Harbour, it is docked in number 4 on the map.

- Trams 9 and 6 departure from number 3 on the map. Tram 9 goes to Railway Station, Tram 6 goes to Main Shopping area.

- Walking distance from number 4 to number 3 is about 0,5 miles

- Walking distance from West Harbour to market Square is over 2 miles

 

If your ship is in Hernesaari, it is docked in number 1 or 2 on the map.

- Bus 14 goes from Hernesaari to main bus station Kamppi. From Kamppi to Market Square you have several options with bus or tram. But that takes time. So my suggestion is, that use ships shuttle or taxi.

 

Tram ticket is 3 Euros one way. Its valid 1 hour and you can transfer from one vehicle to another (bus, train, metro and tram).Taxi from West Harbour or Hernesaari to Market Square is 14-17 Euros, depends on traffic.

 

Hope this helps.

 

http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/passengers/international_cruise

http://www.hel.fi/hki/HKL/en/HKL+Tram

http://www.reittiopas.fi/en/

[traveler2005]

I hadn't realized the confusion about the Helsinki port. When we got off the ship, we hadn't decided yet what to do. Maybe this is just as well if we were at an unexpected port.

 

We decided to take one of the hop on/hop off buses - the green one. The cost was $20 (we were told that was a discount from the regular price of $25). The shuttle was $10 and we thought it would be worth the extra $10 for the tour information on-board and the ability to get on and off. As it turns out, we hopped off once and did a lot of walking. At the end, we hopped back on. But even that was convenient since we could choose to hop back on where we were rather than find our way back to the shuttle. Plus there was a running commentary.

 

I did have one complaint about the HOHO bus. It advertises free wi-fi on the side of the bus and with signs throughout the bus. That was a bust. All I wanted to do was download email, but I wasn't able to log on when we were on the first bus. I asked the second bus driver and he said that only 10 people (the bus must hold more than 60) can be on at the same time. The second bus was evidently already past its limit.

 

We asked for the code for the bus sitting next to us and I was able to download for a couple of minutes until it pulled off. I complained at the end of the tour that they shouldn't advertise free wi-fi if it is not actually available. The driver said that was just the way that it was. As people got off, I stood outside the bus and downloaded a bit more until he pulled away.

 

Debbie

[Littlebeachlover]

 

What the clearance form looks like

 

 

Taxi rates in Stockholm

 

 

 

Link to compasses will follow

 

Linda, it was a pleasure meeting you and sharing this amazing cruise and journey with you and the others! Thank you for sharing this great blog and your pictures!

 

FYI....We took a taxi from the Stockholm pier to the airport....I inquired with the driver before leaving cruise port on the rate....."it's metered...no problem" Total fare 897 sek = $132.00 :eek::mad: There was no traffic! I would suggest prearranging transportation before leaving home.....wish I had!

[NorbertsNiece]

Great pictures from Visby. Thank You! But where are all the roses? Visby is called "The city of roses".

 

Anyway, next month I'm going to cruise Visby myself to see if the roses flowers ;)

 

Found some Visby roses for you :)

 

 

Emily : definitely worth pre-booking!

[NancyIL]

 

FYI....We took a taxi from the Stockholm pier to the airport....I inquired with the driver before leaving cruise port on the rate....."it's metered...no problem" Total fare 897 sek = $132.00 :eek::mad: There was no traffic! I would suggest prearranging transportation before leaving home.....wish I had!

 

Our pre-arranged taxi from Taxi Stockholm (http://www.taxistockholm.se/en/) was 780 SEK for a large vehicle that would take 5-7 people. The price for a regular car for 1-4 people was 520 SEK.

[Nami]

Found some Visby roses for you :)

 

Thank You Linda! Lovely picture.

 

I visited Visby few days ago. It’s so beautiful place, as everybody can see from your lovely pictures. I was there only 8 hours, and that was too short time!

 

 

I sailed to Visby on this ferry Tallink Europa. She usually sails between Helsinki and Tallinn, but few times per summer from Helsinki to Visby.

[BecciBoo]

Oh Linda, don't know where I was back last June, but failed to catch your blog.

 

Was glued to the article about your family. I guess many of us who cruise eventually get to some special places in our past in our travels. Since I'm on Legend in May to Hawaii, I too plan to visit my past. I was conceived in Honolulu and will be visiting the little street where it happened when my parents were stationed there, married there just after the war, happily. These are sometimes melancholy visits, but I'm sure there will be tears just as you probably experienced, mine because my Dad has gone on, although it can't touch your story.....it made me very sad to read the account of it. Thx for including us all in it. And the review is encouraging, can't wait to get on Legend.

 

Cheers

Becci

[NorbertsNiece]

Oh Linda, don't know where I was back last June, but failed to catch your blog.

 

Was glued to the article about your family. I guess many of us who cruise eventually get to some special places in our past in our travels. Since I'm on Legend in May to Hawaii, I too plan to visit my past. I was conceived in Honolulu and will be visiting the little street where it happened when my parents were stationed there, married there just after the war, happily. These are sometimes melancholy visits, but I'm sure there will be tears just as you probably experienced, mine because my Dad has gone on, although it can't touch your story.....it made me very sad to read the account of it. Thx for including us all in it. And the review is encouraging, can't wait to get on Legend.

 

Cheers

Becci

 

Thank you so much Becci.... I'm delighted that the blog is still being read.

 

My cousin is now 95, losing her sight and hearing but otherwise really well. Her DH, now 97, often confused but still chuckles. Their carer took a selfie of her with him the other day and he thought the idea of seeing himself on the camera so funny!

 

I'm currently reading 'Two Brothers' by Ben Elton. A fictional account of Jewish life in Berlin in the 30's. Not an easy read emotionally but it's certainly compulsive.

[Jazzzy]

Thank you for the report

 

Hoping to do this itinerary this coming June

[pinechu]

The 26 bus is a regular passenger vehicle. I really can't guestimate how many would fit inside with luggage.

 

 

 

Another way to reach the port would be to take the train to Osterport station then take the 26 from there. It is a very circuitous route that is still 20 minutes from UNICEF. You pass the DFDS terminal on the way. Today there were no cruise ships in port and the roads were clear.

 

 

hello! I'd like to ask if the photos you have are of the bus #26 on a regular weekday or are these the ones of the shuttle buses that are available during the weekends?

 

thanks in advance!

 

Josephine

[NorbertsNiece]

hello! I'd like to ask if the photos you have are of the bus #26 on a regular weekday or are these the ones of the shuttle buses that are available during the weekends?

 

thanks in advance!

 

Josephine

 

Hi Josephine,

 

June 17th was a Tuesday :)