Review - June 2014 Baltic - Eclipse

[scdreamer]

We sailed on the June 21 Baltic itinerary on Eclipse out of Southampton.

 

Should preface this by saying we had not previously been to any of the ports on this itinerary, although we have traveled extensively in Europe and elsewhere, and are not timid about setting out on our own. That said, we also like to know a little about where we are, so had booked a couple tours in advance.

 

Also - we sailed in late June, just as the summer solstice is at its apex, so the sun was basically up all night as we moved north. When I say anything about scenery at specific times, keep that in mind.

 

We rented a flat in London for eleven days prior to the cruise, and found taking the train from Waterloo station to Southampton the morning of the ship's departure a breeze. We booked our tickets through MegaTrain http://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx and were able to get a price of £16 total for two tickets. If we had been willing to leave earlier in the morning (about 7 a.m.) we would have only paid £1.00 each!) It's a really great way to book, and it was easy to take a taxi from our flat to the Waterloo station and then another to the cruise terminal for a total additional £10. Our luggage (of which we had a lot) was no problem, as the trains are not at all full on a Saturday morning, and we just stashed it in the seats directly behind us.

 

For anyone who has not been on the Eclipse, you are in for a treat. The ship is absolutely beautiful. This was our second Celebrity cruise and our first on the Solstice class, and we were wowed from the moment we stepped on-board. We arrived at the terminal about noon and check in was easy and fast. Our cabin was ready by about 1:30 p.m. with luggage not far behind.

 

We had a concierge class cabin, 1186 on the 10th deck, aft, and the cabin was spacious and airy. Everything has been designed for maximum efficiency. Storage is one of the best features - we didn't even use all the drawers and shelves, especially in the bathroom. Shower was also very spacious and had easy to use water pressure and temp controls. Bed was very comfortable. Everything was always spotlessly clean, and our cabin steward, who was quite unobtrusive, took care of making up our cabin twice a day. We had earlier requested a fan be put in our cabin, as we like to have good air circulation when sleeping. Celebrity had emailed to say they couldn't honor that request, but when we opened the door, there was a perfect box fan sitting next to the sliding door to the balcony. We were happy to have the fan - as at times it seemed the A/C didn't stay as cool at night as it did during the day. Nothing major, just our preference. Other items we were glad to have were a few magnets for posting notices we wanted to keep - on the cabin's metal walls. There is so much paper being delivered to the cabin every day - much of it not anything we were interested in, so we made a point of throwing most of it away as soon as we looked at it, and saving anything important (dinner reservations, our tour info, Captains Club events, etc) to the wall with magnets. Really helped reduce clutter, and we bought local magnets as we visited ports, so ended up with some nice and practical small souvenirs.

 

We had select dining - most evenings we shared a table in the MDR. We thought the food and the menu selections were very good. The service was also excellent. I see so many complaints about this on the regular forums, and it really surprises me, as I thought everything was great. There were a couple times someone at our table didn't care for what they had ordered, and it was immediately and cheerfully taken care of by the service staff. I never observed anything that was less than wonderful service. We had wonderful interactions with our fellow passengers, some really fun dinner conversations.

 

We ate in the specialty restaurants two evenings. Qsine was great - lots of fun, and the food was delicious. Murano was just okay - the service seemed just a little "off" and the food wasn't really much better than what we experienced in the MDR, in my opinion.

 

We had the premium drink package - had upgraded from the 1-2-3 classic offer. We enjoyed some nicer wines than we might usually sample - we liked the calm atmosphere in CellarMaster, and also the specialty coffees and the fresh OJ in the morning. It was very nice to be able to get bottled water whenever we wanted it, especially when going ashore. We had a couple martinis at the martini bar one night, and it was fun to experience the frosty ice bar, but we are not huge cocktail drinkers, so didn't go there again. Also had one drink at the Molecular Bar - mine was like a chocolate milkshake, very yummy, but once was enough for me.

 

We skipped most of the shows - did go to one comedy show with a comedian from Wales, and we were completely lost. I know he must have been very good, as there was a lot of appreciation from the audience, but the UK references were mostly not relevant to us as Americans. Speaking of the UK - we loved sailing with all the Brits! It was great to meet and talk with other passengers who had so many cultural experiences to share with us. We were on-board for Fourth of July - LOL, that was interesting ; ) And we had a few English people ask us if the Celebrity Cruises are advertised in America - they seemed surprised we would know about them.

 

Okay- now the ports:

 

Port hint: The Guest Services desk (not the Shore Excursion counter) has the best port maps and they will hand them out to you if you ask. We didn't find this out until our second or third port, after another passenger advised us.

 

Bruges - We shared a pre-arranged taxi into town with six others. Arrived very early on Sunday morning, nothing open at all and the streets were deserted for the first couple hours, but it was a pretty city in which to wander about. Unfortunately, we didn't have a good printed walking guide with us, so we didn't know much about what we were seeing. We took a canal boat ride - lined up about a half hour before they opened for tickets, and were glad we had, because by the time they opened at ten o'clock, the line was very long. We liked the narrated boat ride - and learned a little more about the city that way. We shared a small meal of pommes frites at an outdoor restaurant, and wandered around until it was time for the taxi to pick us up. By then, the city was bustling with tourists. If I were to do this port stop again, I would bring along a printed walking guide, especially since the time there is so short.

 

There are very few ATMs in Brugges - we finally found one so we could get some Euros. It's right next to the Pizza Hut (yes, and that's probably one of the few chain restaurants in the Old Town)

 

Warnemunde - We had prebooked a "Friends of Dave" tour with others from the CC Roll Call board. It was called "Magical Mecklenburg" and it was wonderful. Dave is a great tour guide, very personable and has a lot of knowledge about the history of the area, and he only does a few tours, so it's important to book it early if you're interested. There were about 22 people on our tour, and we visited Schwerin, and a lovely castle. A huge and authentic German lunch was included, as well as a later visit to an amazing pastry shop. We were glad we had not opted to try to go to Berlin, as we met a number of passengers much later that evening who were returning from that excursion, and they all looked very tired - almost like wilted flowers. The two we spoke with said they regretted having tried to do that in only one day, way too many hours in transit they said. We stayed in Warnemunde village for a little while after we got back from our tour about 6 p.m. - lovely little seaside resort town, with some nice bars and restaurants on the waterfront.

 

Stockholm - Definitely get up and out on deck early for the sail-in. The archipelago is spectacular, about two or three hours of the most scenic waterway and islands I have ever seen, starting about 4 a.m. We didn't do a tour here. We went to the Vasa Museum and thought it was well worth it. We had walked into town, but bought tickets for the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus when we were in the city - it is very expensive, the buses were packed and running much slower than we had been told (about 40 minutes wait at the bus stop) and we discovered we could have easily walked to where we wanted to go. In fact, we did walk after just one bus ride. We met someone else later who had also used the HOHO bus and he said it was so crowded, he and his wife couldn't get to the exit door for their stop twice. Not advised.

 

Helsinki - We loved this port! The Finnish people are so friendly and they just seem to be very happy that tourists are there. Most everyone speaks English. We didn't have a tour, but had a printed walking guide, and we were able to get around easily. Don't miss the market - especially the indoor market in the red brick building that is just a little removed from the outdoor area. Beautiful churches and parks, easy to walk around.

 

St Peterburg - We did an SPB two-day deluxe tour. We had only eight of us on the tour - had booked with others from our roll call, and paid a little amount extra for a smaller group. Well worth it. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we liked her very much. So much to see - it is a bit overwhelming to do it in two days, but we felt as if we had a good overview of the Royal city. We had a trip to Peterhof, two boat rides, the Hermitage, a number of churches, and two restaurant lunches. The opulence of the former Tsars and Emperors/Empresses is over-the-top. We really felt as if we were in the stereotype of RUSSIA. It was very clear that there would be no straying from the tour itinerary - we were herded everywhere, and when we asked if we could have a chance to go out on the streets (there were some pretty city squares and charming parks with lots of people), our guide said, "Yes, we will see for tomorrow," but it was obvious that wasn't going to happen. And it didn't. I am sure it is company policy and has to do with Russian regulations and their ability to procure our visas. But it would have been nice not to have had such a cookie-cutter experience, although to be honest, we were busy every moment, so there wouldn't really have been time to deviate. The only Russian people we saw close up - mostly in official positions such as museum guards, etc. - were so grim and unsmiling. The few shopkeepers we met (at approved tourist stops) were friendly, though. It was very unlike the people we had seen in other ports, where we had more freedom to move about. And the Immigration officers going in and out of the terminal checkpoints! Well, just don't try to make an small talk is all I can advise.

 

As an aside - I started reading Robert Massie's Catherine the Great just before we reached St. Petersburg, and found it a great companion to this visit. It's not an easy book to breeze through, but as I continued reading over the course of the voyage and plane ride home, I felt a greater understanding of Russian history and the background to all I had seen. Highly recommended.

 

Tallinn - This was the only port day when the weather wasn't the best. It was foggy and a little drizzly. There were six cruise ships there on the day we arrived, and the little medieval town was completely overwhelmed. It was literally swamped with tourists and tour guides. Interestingly enough, this was the only ship tour we booked, as we hadn't wanted a repeat of our Bruges experience. We had a walking tour - it was almost impossible to hear or see the guide - not really his fault, because there were about ten other tours and their guides alongside everywhere we went. Tallinn has more souvenir shops than any other place I have ever been. In fact, I don't think anyone even lives in the Old Town, because every square foot of space is relegated to the sale of souvenirs and Baltic amber. And the tourists were jammed in like sardines. We split off from the walking tour about halfway through, wandered around for about an hour dodging souvenir shoppers, and then took a taxi back to the ship. If you are there on a day when there are fewer ships in port, your experience should be much better than ours was.

 

Copenhagen - Another port we really enjoyed. Lots to see - and a fairly easy walk in from the ship. Hint: If you want to see the Little Mermaid statue without a zillion camera wielding tourists jockeying for position , stop by on your way back to the ship. We had booked a "free" walking tour (similar to the Sandemans we did in London), and met at the assigned time at the City Hall steps. The tour was fine for about an hour, and then we again split off on our own (after giving the guide a nice tip of course). We were with another couple we had met on the cruise, and they knew of a small local brewery on the other side of the river from the tourist area, so we set off for a long walk there for lunch and some brews. It was worth it - we got to meet the brewers and see how they made the beer, before trying a number of brews and having a nice Danish lunch. Then we walked back into town to the Rosenborg Castle. The Danish crown jewels are there, the castle's historic public rooms are also open, and there are some beautiful grounds - including the King's Gardens. It was lovely, the richly appointed but more tasteful royal rooms were a nice change from the overly gilded opulence of the Hermitage. I accidentally left my credit card at the ticket desk, and the staff searched for me well after I had made my way out of the ticket area and into the museum - I really appreciated that.

 

Sea Days - These were my least favorite. I like the ship - and we did go to almost all the lectures, but I get a bit restless when I am not in port, especially at the end when there were three sea days close together. There were a lot of "shopping" activities, and Bingo, of course ... neither being my cup of tea. The Solarium was always filled to capacity, and even though we had good weather, it was too chilly to be out on decks for long when the ship was underway. We lolled about in the indoor sea-view lounge area on the top deck, reading and dozing, more or less finding ourselves wandering back and forth from our cabin to the public ship areas, living from meal to meal. We walked on the track on the deck, but it is cool and windy out there in the Baltic, even on nice days. I wish there could have been one of those sea days scheduled in between the earlier five port days in a row, but I understand they have an itinerary to follow.

 

We had a wonderful cruise - I am hoping we can go back for the Norway itinerary in a year or so - we like to travel overland, so we'll probably do a few other trips before we cruise again, though.

Edited July 25, 2014 by scdreamer

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Lastdance]

Thanks for your very detailed and organized review; you did an excellent job describing the ports. Our cruise was definitely an educational journey! We were on the same sailing and same spectacular tour with Dave. We were able to make small changes in our itinerary with SPB, but that was due to there only being two of us or should I say 4 of us with our guide and driver. It was the price we had to pay to not be with all the crowds and have some flexibility. My dream as an educator was to see Russia at least once in my lifetime and it was a totally awesome experience.

I too was disappointed that Tallinn chose to open yet another dock area for ships. At one time I counted eight! Such a beautiful place that now belongs to the masses. Thank goodness we got out very early, mist and all, to see the town before it belonged to all the ships.

 

Again, thank you for your wonderful review of our 14 day Baltic educational journey!

Edited July 25, 2014 by Lastdance

[Keith1010]

Very well written report and glad that you had a wonderful cruise.

 

Keith

[Pacificdaze]

Lots of helpful information as we prepare for a very similar cruise on Eclipse in July 2015.

[TeaBag]

I really enjoyed your very well written review. It excites me for our cruise there next year, although we will not go to all the ports you visited. Thank you so much for the tip about Berlin. We had already opted not to go there because of the long commute. We will also find out how many ships are in Tallinn when we are there. Hopefully it will be less than 6!

[D300]

Thank you for the review.

Nice to hear that you did like Helsinki!

[micruiser12]

Very nice review. We were on a similar itinerary in June and really enjoyed our Baltic cruise too.

 

Will second you on two good tips. First, I also, read Catherine the Great while on our cruise (just didn't get to it in time much before the cruise started). It really helped me understand Russian history and appreciate the places we visited so much more. We also skipped the long bus trip to Berlin and went to Schewin, Rostock and Warnemunde on a tour. That was a long day, but felt we saw so much more and not as exhausted as those we talked with that had gone to Berlin. Some were also disappointed on how little they got to see in Berlin.

[HelenREMfan]

I read Massey's Nicholas and Alexandra before my June Baltic cruise. I didn't finish his Peter the great and am still rather ploughing through it. They did renew my interest in Russian history. There is also the 70s film of Nicholas and Alexandra with Susannah York based on the book and Tom Baker as Rasputin (our American cousins might remember him as the eccentric Dr Who with the long multi coloured scarf!) All got me into the mood

Loved out tour of St Petersburg with SPB tours. Our guide was excellent and very patient with our slower moving group of 8. We got to do everything we wished to do including a great ride on the subway. I can really recommend this as it is so different to London's being clean and not suffocating ! It took 2 escalators to reach platform level ; one of these was timed at a journey of 3 minutes !!!! Amazingly deep.

 

We did Glydinia, Poland, and Klaipeda, Lithuania. They were both..... different...... on balance I would prefer Bruges and Helsinki. We had a little drizzle in Tallinn but found it interesting. Our weather suited me well on balance. We had a couple of quite hot days for early June - sunbathing weather. The seas were kind except for one night later on in the cruise - on balance it was excellent sailing.

The Eclipse and its staff were wonderful..... and I am booked to sail again in 6 weeks !

[PathfinderEss]

Nice review, thanks for posting it.

[drarill]

Great review!! thanks for sharing your cruise with us!:)

[happy cruzer]

I just finished reading a review over on the review board called"walk the plank" so it's good to see some positive comments on the eclipse.

 

Thanks for your time

[Eddie's Girl]

I like the reading list here. Read Nicholas and Alexandra years ago. Am now 3/4 of the way through Catherine the Great. Next will be Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and finally another Robert Massie book revisiting the Romanovs (can't remember the name right now). Seems like a lot of reading but our cruise isn't until June 2015!

[Eddie's Girl]

scdreamer...BTW great review!

[Cforlani]

Thank you for sharing! Very informative. While we do not have a Baltic cruise planned, it should come in very handy.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[2morrow]

Can you tell me what side of the ship we should get a cabin on

Thanks

Barb

[ShipsDoc46]

Enjoyed the review,well done and easy to read. We haven't done the Baltics with Celebrity yet ,but its on our wish list.

We are off on the Eclipse later this year but down to the Canaries again ,good that Dave enjoyed the food ,so looking forward to that.