Regal Scandinavia-Russia 2016: Overlapping itineraries?

[Cruisers from MA]

Hoping some of the well-traveled here will have had experience with this:

 

Someone kindly posted in the "Princess 2016/2017 Itineraries" thread a link to a PDF with Europe itinerary details. It looks like Regal embarks passengers in Copenhagen, Warnemunde, AND (not or) St. Petersburg. For example, there's a Regal Princess Copenhagen departure on 3-June, a Warnemunde departure on 6-June, and a St. Petersburg departure on 10-June. My family and I have never encountered this before - in 8 or so cruises we and everyone else boarded the same day, cruised, and then disembarked the same day.

 

How does this work out? Is the ship a madhouse not only on the first and last day YOU board, but also on each of the other two boarding days during your 11-day cruise? Luggage outside cabins and being wheeled around, abbreviated service offerings?

 

Or (because perhaps only a third of the ship is disembarking/ embarking), are this interim boarding days not as disruptive to the rhythm of "your" cruise as it might seem?

 

Curious what folks' experiences with this may have been, and what to expect.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Cruisers from MA

[Pam in CA]

The Royal had the same staggered boarding this past September. Some people boarded in Copenhagen the week before, a few in St. Petersburg, some in Warnemunde, and then more in Copenhagen. There was every combination with people booking just a few days and others a combination of legs. The roll call was very complicated.

[IECalCruiser]

We did the Baltic cruise out of Copenhagen in 2013. I believe that a large majority of the passengers boarded in Copenhagen. We probably caused issues for those that got on or off in Warnemunde or St. Petersburg but We were not impacted by them. There wasn't abbreviated service for us. We had the luck of an upsell to a suite and Sabatini's was open every morning except for our disembarkation day. In addition, the "Welcome Aboard" show was only presented on embarkation from Copenhagen. That might be changing if the other two embarkation ports gain popularity. As Pam said, it certainly makes for complicated Roll Calls.

Edited March 10, 2015 by IECalCruiser

[Cruisers from MA]

Thanks - I appreciate the responses.

 

Thinking more about it - each of the embarkation ports (Copenhagen, Warnemunde, St. Petersburg) is likely popular enough that most passengers NOT starting or ending their cruise that day would be ashore (it's not like Cozumel: "I've been here so many times, I'll just stay on board"). By the time they return, perhaps new passengers and their luggage will have found their way to cabins, the muster drill will have been completed, PA announcements made, etc.

 

So perhaps a very busy season for ship's personnel in Scandinavia, with some (but not all) cabins emptying and filling every few days, but maybe not so disruptive to passengers.