Baltic Cruise

[MarcyLondon]

Can anyone give me advice as to which cruise line is best for a Baltic cruise. Looking at summer 2006

[tiggrrr]

Thats a large ball palk to start with!

 

Maybe you should start with how much you want to spend, how many days you want to take your vacation for and which ports of call are most important to you.

 

If you are from the UK and dont want or need to fly, then this narrows your options to those companies begiining Baltic cruise from UK ports - off the top of my head, Southampton (P&O, Cunard) Dover (Crystal, Norwegian, Celebrity, Orient) and Harwich (Royal Caribbean, Thomson, Page&Moy, Discovery).

[JodiBB]

I couldn't tell you which is "best," but I can tell you that the RCI Jewel of the Seas cruise is wonderful! We just returned last week from a 12-day cruise with a 4-day pre-cruise holiday in London. The itinerary looks like this:

 

Day/Port

 

1/Embark

2/At Sea

3/Oslo, Norway

4/Copenhagen, Denmark

5/At Sea

6/Stockholm, Sweden

7/Helsinki, Finland

8/St. Petersburg, Russia

9/St. Petersburg, Russia

10/Tallinn, Estonia

11/At Sea

12/At Sea

13/Disembark

 

We enjoyed the itinerary immensely and appreciated the last 2 days at sea after such a strenuous 5-day stretch. We didn't use a single RCI excursion and hired Red October for our 2-day Russia stay. We wouldn't change a thing!

 

Hope this helps!

[Sequim88]

MarcyLondon,

We are in the exact same position....aside from avid CC reading and comparing comments we are hitting all of the following distinctions to consider for matching with our desires and tastes. Might be an OK starting place for comparing lines.

 

1. Price & what's included (balcony, services, amenities, etc....) - a minimal balcony cabin on one line may be equivalent to a small suite on another at close to same price for each.

 

2. Ship size....different lines operate different ship classes in the Baltic. Do you like lots of shipboard activities and options or prefer instead cozier quieter. Some smaller ships can also cruise through places the mega ships can't.

 

3. Itinerary...biggest issue so far for us is port of departure - some are UK some are Scandanavian....some are R/T to origin others are one-way (Copenhagen-Stockholm is typical). Do you want (or need) to return to origin port?

 

4. Number of days...huge impact on cost. 7,10,14 or more days. Be careful comparing costs across class of line (like Princess to Raddison) where cost might be similar but number of days (10 versus 7) is not.

 

5. Ports visited....do they go to places interesting to you. We are finding some curious differences between lines (Gdansk versus Warnemunde). Universally if they stop in St. Petersburg it is for two nights - we haven't gotten to the bottom of that but are assuming Russian gov't requirement.

 

6. Sailing date requirements....such as summer solstice week or to match (or avoid) local holidays and events.

 

7. Cruise line personality....hard to define and must read between the lines in trip reviews but you can get a sense for fellow passenger age ranges, income levels, interests, catering to kids, emphasis on food, service levels, attire, policies, etc.... The best cruise line of all will be the one that matches you. We are still trying to get a handle on this but as a late-40's not too active couple we very much enjoyed Holland America's style but if we were low-30's, active party-hearty types we would probably have been less pleased.

 

I wish I could find it again but I once saw a web survey that asked a bunch of questions, including cruise location, and matched the answers with the best cruise line chioce. Questions like "Would you prefer a lounge chair and good book or climbing a rock wall". MMPI for cruisers. Even if I found it I probably could not post the link here but it might be worth searching for.

 

One other distinction we are looking for advice on....which line seems to have the best handle on shore excursions and relations with local tour operators in that region? Like Seattle based HAL has a good handle on Alaska who has the best Baltic "connections"?

[JodiBB]

Universally if they stop in St. Petersburg it is for two nights - we haven't gotten to the bottom of that but are assuming Russian gov't requirement.

 

You are correct. The Russian government requires all liners to stay the night. I had read this on one of the many websites when I was doing my research, but I cannot find that link at this moment...sorry. :(

[Phoenix cruiser]

Oceania stays 3 days/nights in St. Petersburg, which drove our choice. Lots to see and even 3 days are jam packed. Smaller size (600+ passengers) allows them to dock right in town in most cases.

[tiggrrr]

You are correct. The Russian government requires all liners to stay the night. I had read this on one of the many websites when I was doing my research, but I cannot find that link at this moment...sorry. :(

 

Nope thats not the case! Its driven purely by revenue for the cruise lines..........i know at lease one ship that arrivea early am and departs the same night! not very commen though as the lines make such a large revenue from the excursions.

[Luv2Trvl!]

Universally if they stop in St. Petersburg it is for two nights - we haven't gotten to the bottom of that but are assuming Russian gov't requirement.

 

Costa Atlantica stays only 1 day in St. Petersburg (8 am - midnight). I believe, the requirement is to stay no longer than 72 hours in Russia. Otherwise, a visa would be required even for cruise passengers. BTW, they are thinking of changing the Visa requirements, but no one knows when the legislature will take place.

[sunprincess]

Just back from the Baltic on the Star Princess.

 

Excellent cruise ;)

[Willsot]

We were on the Holland America Westerdam the last two weeks in July - best vacation we've ever had and best of five cruises.

[kiberkid]

Just back from the Baltic on the Star Princess.

 

Excellent cruise ;)

 

We are booked on the same cruise in Sept 2006. Have you written a review? I am so excited but have over a year to wait :(

[CA traveler]

When we decide to go on the Star Princess some of my considerations were:

1. I wanted to go to Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm and St. Petersburg - Tallinn and Gdansk were wonderful but I did not know that at that time.

2. I did not want to travel from the North Sea and did want to travel from Amsterdam. I preferred to be in the calmer Baltic waters the entire time.

3. We were able to get a good price on Princess for a balcony room.

4. I wanted a 10 day cruise.

 

Draw backs:

1. In Stockholm the Star docks an hour outside to the city.

2. We return to the same port we left from - I would prefer to explore a different city on each end of the cruise.

 

Although the Star holds 2500 passengers, the lay out gives you the feeling of lots room. The food is very good, especially considering they are making 2500 meals at a time. The entertainment was very good as well. There is a steam room and sauna in the spa area. I'm not sure if every ship has that.

 

Hope this helps.

[dileep]

We went on the Celebrity Constellation in May 2005 for 14 days from Dover and loved it. We had cruised with Celebrity and liked the experience. In fact we booked it onboard our cruise last year.

 

We like the M-Class ships and Celebrity's service. The itinerary was great:

 

Copenhagen

Warnemunde (Berlin)

Stockholm

Riga

Tallinn

St Peterburg (2 days)

Helsinki

Klaipeda

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=3917715&postcount=19

 

The only negative for us was having to go out of Dover with the long drive from Heathrow. It also adds 2 extra sea days! I would have preferred to have sailed out of Amsterdam. The Century had that for a 12-day itinerary, but we wanted to be on a M-Class ship in a room with balcony.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Costa does 7-night cruises to the eastern Baltic including St. Petersburg from Copenhagen. This is often the cheapest option. Also, Silja Line does 2-night cruises (1 day in St. Petersburg) from Helsinki.

 

BobK/Orlando

[Deloresgardella]

I am also trying to deside which ship to take next year.:confused: Right now it is between the Norwegian Dream and the Princess Star. I have looked mainly at the Dream because it is in Copenhagen for two days and that is one of the main cities I want to see. :) Has anyone taken that cruise it is 12 days from Dover. Want to go some time in June. If anybody can give me any information that would be great.:confused:

 

Delores

[VinTek]

We took the Star Princess this year and flew into Copenhagen a couple of days early. It was nice; we got to see more of the city that way. We were originally booked on Celebrity but later opted out because we really didn't want the extra sea days traveling from England. The Star Princess already had 2 sea days in its itinerary and we felt that the extra sea days on the Celebrity cruise would have been better spent flying into Copenhagen a couple days early.

 

I am also trying to deside which ship to take next year.:confused: Right now it is between the Norwegian Dream and the Princess Star. I have looked mainly at the Dream because it is in Copenhagen for two days and that is one of the main cities I want to see. :) Has anyone taken that cruise it is 12 days from Dover. Want to go some time in June. If anybody can give me any information that would be great.:confused:

 

Delores

[suron]

Have just returned from the Star Princess Baltic itinerary on the 13th August sailing. We were on the same cruise as Sun Princess who has also given a reply to this thread. We have both posted reviews on our trip - mine has been done from an English passenger's viewpoint and whilst everyone will have their own choices as to what to do ashore, I have listed our options.

 

The review can be found on

 

www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=12469

 

You can also pick up a lot of information on this itinerary from other snippets of information provided by other passengers and a lot of this can be found under the Roll Call section for Star Princess 13th August sailing - Who's Going?

 

You will love the ship and the itinerary is great but be warned it is very hectic and you do need to do a lot of research beforehand.

 

Good luck with the plans.

 

Suron in Bristol, England ;)

[dougnewmanatsea]

To be brutally honest, I wouldn't recommend NORWEGIAN DREAM... She is far outclassed by many other ships in this region.

 

If you want to see Copenhagen, I'd suggest that you take a 10-day round-trip Copenhagen itinerary on AMSTERDAM or STAR PRINCESS and then spend a couple of days in Copenhagen before or after your cruise. I think both ships are vastly superior to DREAM. I have no qualms about NCL as a cruise line, but as far as this particular ship goes I think there are better choices.

 

My personal vote would go to AMSTERDAM but that is just me. If you are looking for something that is "Freestyle/Personal Choice" then obviously you would prefer Princess. If you do not mind traditional dining then I highly recommend HAL.

 

My only caveat about STAR PRINCESS is that, as someone mentioned, she berths quite a distance away from the city of Stockholm. Stockholm is a lovely place and I think you will want as much time there as you can get.

 

Someone asked who has the best connections in the Baltic... My answer would probably be, "nobody". I think Alaska is the only destination where cruise line makes a big difference in shoreside experience; in other places most cruise lines use the very same shoreside tour operators so you are not losing or gaining anything by choosing a particular line.

 

This is even less of a concern if you are not planning on taking the cruise line's shore excursions.

 

Now, the only thing that I do think is worth pointing out is that Oceania's ships generally dock in the center of St. Petersburg while most lines dock outside of town in a container port. I would not say that this is in and of itself is a reason to choose Oceania, but it is the closest thing to a "good connection" that any line has in the Baltic. Some Oceania itineraries also include three days in St. Petersburg rather than two, which I think is definitely something worth considering. I believe next year there is one cruise on PRINSENDAM that also offers three days in St. Petersburg, again I would consider this a distinct advantage over other itineraries.

 

I would not suggest the 7-day cruises which offer only one day in St. Peteresburg. (Off the top of my head, I think it will be COSTA ATLANTICA and MSC MELODY doing these next summer.) Two days will just allow you to see the highlights; with one day you really can hardly scratch the surface and unless you are really pressed for time and simply cannot take a 10-day or longer cruise, I would not recommend these 7-day "whirlwind" itineraries.

[VinTek]

I would agree with almost everything Host Doug has to say. The only part that I would disagree with is the part about the Star Princess docking away from the city. While it's true that the Star Princess does dock a distance away from the city center, I think that it would be an issue only if Copenhagen was a port of call, rather than a port of origin. If you have only a few hours to see a place, it's obvious that every minute counts. But if you're going to be there for a couple of days, then an extra 30 minutes travel time to the ship is not a big deal.

 

As for choosing between the Amsterdam or the Star Princess, I think it's a matter of what cruise line is right for you as an individual. Each ship is targeted at a different demographic. In general, I agree that HAL does tend to have better food than Princess, but OTOH, I find that I enjoy the passenger mix on Princess a little bit more than on HAL. I think you'd enjoy a trip on either ship, but depending on what your preferences are you will find one ship or the other more suited to you.

 

Totally agree about St. Petersburg. Even 2 days is not enough there. That's only enough time to see the highlights and decide on what you want to see in depth should you come back some day. We had an outstanding time with Red October and I have heard similarly good things about DenRus.

[42trvl]

We just completed a Baltic Cruise on the Crystal Symphony and loved it. Nice size ship. Excellent food and service, with a very nice group of passengers. And the itinerary was excellent. We liked leaving from one port (Copenhagen) and ending in another (Stockholm). Great to have a couple of extra days in each, and depending on the trip you choose, you can stay overnight on the ship in those ports, which is nice in that you're not rushing to pack and get off. We also liked having three full days in St. Petersburg. I wouldn't put too much weight on picking a ship that docks right in the city. The commercial port is not that far away, and the traffic in St. Petersburg can be brutal, so even if you're docked right in town, it can actually take more time to get to where you need to go. Some of the sights are not right in the city, so why deal with city traffic if you don't have to? As far as Stockholm, it was our favorite city on the trip, and I would have definitely felt shortchanged if we were only stopping there for a day, and then docked an hour away no less. We were docked about 10 minutes away from downtown with a free shuttle that went back and forth from the pier. The other stops we made were Oslo (stopped right in town - walking distance to everything in the city), Gdansk and Tallinn, Estonia (also had free shuttles - just a few minutes away). We were "stormed out" of Helsinki, but that was supposed to be a stop also.

 

We are in our 40s and travel with our two children. Crystal is hardly a "party" or child-oriented line, but we all felt very comfortable on the ship. In our opinion, there was more than enough activity on the ship, and the quality of most entertainment and programming was quite good.

[dougnewmanatsea]

The only part that I would disagree with is the part about the Star Princess docking away from the city. While it's true that the Star Princess does dock a distance away from the city center, I think that it would be an issue only if Copenhagen was a port of call, rather than a port of origin.

I'm speaking about Stockholm, not Copenhagen... It is a port of call and STAR PRINCESS docks in a different town about an hour (each way) from Stockholm.

 

This is compared to perhaps a 20-minute walk or 5-minute cab ride to central Stockholm for most other ships.

 

I am not sure where STAR PRINCESS berths in Copenhagen, but it seems to me that most of the larger ships berth at the Free Port which is a bit further from the center of the city from the normal cruise berths at Langelinie. That said, if it is a port of departure rather than a transit port, it does not make much of a difference. Certainly if you have a lot of luggage you would not want to walk into town from either place and once you are in a cab an extra two or three minutes makes little difference.

 

So while I do agree with you about Copenhagen, my issue was with Stockholm.

[Al_Frescoe]

Regarding Stockholm and Star Princess...

 

Not only do you lose a lot of time just getting to the city, but the Star Princess also has to tender in that port. Talk about adding insult to injury.

 

The sail through the wonderful Stockholm archipelago is a real experience not to be missed, in my opinion. I would not choose Princess just for that reason if I had the choice.

 

 

 

Skåll

 

Al

[42trvl]

Unless you're a real Princess devotee, the Stockholm experience alone, would push me to look at another line. It is simply too nice of a place to be that far away from and have so little time in.

[Deloresgardella]

How do you find where the ships dock. I kbnow you can use google but what do you put in? Where shps dock?

[JodiBB]

How do you find where the ships dock. I kbnow you can use google but what do you put in? Where shps dock?

 

I contacted the company directly and they sent me back an email as to where we dock. It made pre-planning very easy.