Information..PLEASE!!!! Constellation,Aug 13th 2005

[Queenk2]

First...welcome home! Then a request...... Since I have planed to go on the the same trip next summer July1 sailing. I would love to benefit from your experiences! With the exception of Riga, I will be doing almost the same itinerary. Any helpful suggestions or hints? Did you use any private guides? Would you reccomend them? Any and all information will be gladly accepted! You can either post here, or E mail me. Queenk2@aol.com

Thanks,

Karen

[Queenk2]

I am bumping this up because as people return to their time zones and rest up...perhaps they will post!

Karen

[Wolfpup]

We just returned from the 8/13 sailing of the Constellation to the Baltics. We had a 5 night precruise in London and York, and wish we had more time in the UK.

 

I booked all of our tours through Celebrity, mainly due to convenience, and in the end I'm glad I did as I changed two of the tours to shorter ones. In Copenhagen we did the palaces, gardens and chocolate tour. When I got back to the ship I informed the shore excursion office that the title needs to be changed as it is very misleading......two pieces of chocolate from a commercial package! In Warmunde we took an full day tour to Lubeck and Schwerin that was excellent. We were given time to shop in Lubeck and a walking tour of the main parts of the town. Lunch was provided in a traditional German restaurant, and a snack and beverage was presented at the Cafe in the castle. While the bus ride was a bit boring, it gave us time to catch up on sleep as we lost an hour each evening as we headed East. In Sweden, we toured the city on our own in the morning, got great pictures of the changing of the guard at the palace, did a little shopping and in the afternoon, DH went to the Absolute Ice Bar with Mom and I took a canal boat ride that was very relaxing and informative. The canal boat leaves from the same area in which the ship is docked.

I was not pleased with the all day Helsinki-Porvo-Steam train and lunch tour. The tour started with a visit to an old church, then we got on an old steam train for about a twenty minute trip to Porvo. Warning - if you use the WC, you can see the train tracks....guess that's why the ship recommends bottled water. While the town is old, it's basically a tourist trap. From there we went to a palace and had the worst meal I've had since under grad days. A plastic container of tap water was on the table, a few pieces of Italian bread, the salad was so-so, and then we were presented with a pot of potatoes in cream sauce, while a server scooped a ladle of dark meat,stewed chicken with a few over-cooked vegetables in a watery, sweet sauce onto our plates. By the time the Jello arrived for dessert, the bus dirver commented that this was not traditional Finlandic food. Again, reported this to the tour office, and did not feel that they cared.

In St. Petersburg we booked Package A, two very busy days of tours. Wish we could have had another day in Russia as there's so much to enjoy. The morning tour of the Hermitage was wonderful, our guide gave us radio head phones so that we could hear her guided tour and not be distracted by other tour guides. Saw churches, palaces, and had a wonderful lunch at a hotel...entertainment, vodka and wine, plus a full traditional Russian meal. In the evening we went to the Ballet. The following day we had a tour of Tsarskoye Selo - Peterhof & Pushkin. This included a great luncheon at a local restaurant, Russian folk entertainment, singing and traditional foods.

By this point in the cruise, we were so tired, I changed to Panoramic tours in Estonia and Latvia. Neither tour nor country impressed me, and if I did this trip again, would probably stay on the ship. The tour in Estonia was very rushed and the guide was difficult to understand. In Latvia, the guide took us to a gift shop, then put us back on the bus to look at buildings. Traffic in Latvia was terrible and the port is some distance from the city.

Lithuania was under-sold by Celebrity. Since they didn't get their usual fee from "approved" shops, they provided little information about a wonderful country. In the morning, we walked to a craft fair along the canal. There were beautiful craft items for sale at reasonable prices. We walked to the shopping district and a local restaurant for a drink and authentic food. In the afternoon, we went on a tour to Palanga and the Amber Museum. The bus ride was informative, and the sea-side resort and botanical gardens were wonderful. Lithuanian singers and dancers were in the garden and invited us to join them. Our tour guide narrated traditional Lithuanian folk tales at the various sculptures in the the gardens. The museum was by far the best and most informative experience for anyone interested in amber. When we got back to Klaipeda, we had time for a walking tour with our guide, a little shopping at another craft market with entertainers, and then we went to a local pub for Lithuanian beer.

The last two days of the cruise were thankfully at sea for much needed rest. This is my third cruise on the Constellation, and have been on other Celebrity ships as well.

 

Darcy

[Queenk2]

Thank you for the input. I really dislike ship tours as they are just as you described. I either do my won or go with a private tour. Did any of your shipmates have feedback on either Denrus or Red October? Did anyone go to Berlin...other than by ship tour? How about the evening activities offered by Celebrity in Russia? SAgain,

THANKS!

Karen

[Wolfpup]

We ran into a few people who went to Berlin with the ship's tours and though they found the trip interesting, they were quite tired. The ride was over two hours each way, so there isn't a lot of time to spend in Berlin seeing the many sights. I didn't speak with anyone who took a private tour outside of what was ofered by Celebrity, thought I know that a few did take the private tours. It's important to note, if you do the Hermitage, be sure to do it very early. At ten, the Hermitage is open to all, and trust me, the tourists pour in at 10:00. The first few hours are reserved for special tours and that made it so pleasant.

The tours offered for the Baltic were significalty better than those found on more traditional sailings.

In Russia, evening tours include White Nights, the Ballet and an ethnic folk review.

 

Darcy

[Queenk2]

I am specifically interested in the white night tour. Did people enjoy it?

[Wolfpup]

Since our trip was in mid-August, passengers did not experience the full impact of a prolong twilight. However, since your trip is in early July, you will have the benefit of a very long sun set.

I wish we had docked a day earlier in St. P., as I would have enjoyed another evenings' tour such as White Nights. The ballet was wonderful, classic and elegant. The dancers deeply appreciated the standing ovation.

The ship adjusts dinner times in St. P. so that passengers can attend the evening events. We were still full from our lunch and skipped the dining room that evening; we went to the Italian buffet and grabbed a salad and fruit. When we returned from the ballet, we had a dessert.

 

Darcy

[suttonwho]

We went on the Constellation Baltic cruise July 30th to August 13th and had a really good time.

As everyone says, the ship is beautiful and the staff excellent. We did half & half do-it-yourself tours (Oslo, Helsinki, Tallinn, & Copenhagen) and Celebrity tours in Stockholm & Warnemunde. In St Petersburg we had a Denrus tour on the first day and went to the old Naval Base at Kronstadt plus the Kshesinskaya Mansion and Peter's Log Cabin in the afternoon. The guide was a very nice girl called Elena and the tour well organised. In case people are worried about the payment side of things - no money changed hands until we were met on the quayside at St. P. by the car, driver, Elena and the Office Manager who took our credit card details sitting in the car, and phoned them through on her mobile for confirmation. The Manager then left us. Later, at Kronstadt we were joined by another Russian guide specifically for the fortifications etc so when thinking about tipping, it is as well to have something in reserve for the unexpected. I can thoroughly recommend Denrus.

The following day we went on a Celebrity tour to Peterhof and the Cottage Palace. Very beautiful and worth getting up early for as the Palace is not too crowded first thing in the morning. Don't try to take anything other than a very small bag into the Palace.

Tallinn has a lovely old mediaeval town centre, Easy to explore independently with the aid of the shuttle buses. Although it was Sunday, quite a few of the shops were open and if anyone likes shoes, they should be prepared to be seriously tempted. They have BEAUTIFUL shoes there in styles I've never seen, even in Italy.

Copenhagen is also easy to explore on your own. Again there are shuttle buses so it's very convenient.

I'm still grieved about Celebrity changing the itinerary to cut out Gdynia but that is my only problem with a really lovely holiday.

[Queenk2]

Do you know why gydnis was cut? Did they tell you before you left?

Karen

[suttonwho]

Celebrity just said it was for 'Operational reasons' which isn't saying much. Talking to other pax it seems that the reason was that they were putting another cruise liner into the Baltic and were sharing the most interesting ports out between more ships. The alternative Helsinki berth was booked with the Port Authority there back in April, long before Celebrity told pax what they were planning, AND while they were still selling the cruise as going to Gydynia and not Helsinki.

[Queenk2]

WE do both Helsinki and Gydania