Cruisin' Chris - Welcome Home! Have Questions - Will Ask

[juliejoe]

Some of us who will be sailing on the Grand have been eagerly awaiting the return of this season's Grand Princess Baltic Pioneers.

 

Did you take the train from Nynashamn to Stockholm? If so, how did that work out for you? Since it is a tender port, we're wondering if too much time is lost doing it on our own. Maybe we should take Princess's overpriced Stockholm on Your Own - what do you think?

 

Did you use Red October? Did Princess give you any problems about getting off EARLY?

 

Did you see or hear comments about the show offered on the ship the night in port at St. Petersburg?

 

Will denim (jeans & pants) be acceptable - out of place at these ports?

 

Will you be doing a review of your experiences at each of the ports?

 

Thanks for coming back to share with us! I am so glad to see your comments about the Phoenix! We'll be prepared for SMALL - and will enjoy our 3 night pre-cruise there!

 

Julie

 

 

<')))><

Grand Princess 8/17/04 Baltic B2B with 8/27/04 Transatlantic & 11/27/04 Western Caribbean

 

 

[mek]

Hi Julie - I'm getting so excitted - we leave this Sunday for Copenhagen! I've been reading the weather reoprts for the Baltic, and right now it seems to be on the cool side, so I am packing a pair of jeans, just in case the weather is cold. I figure the worst that could happen is I have to wear them all the time, in which case I guess I'll just have to wash and dry them myself. Beats packing tons of cold weather clothes. Len and I are both taking jackets that we can layer with sweaters if necessary. I too was wondering if it would make more sense to just bite the bullet and take the Princess transfer to Stockholm. It sounds to me like this one port might be hectic with all of the logistical problems. I really don't like to rush, if I don't have to. Still can't make up my mind about the night in St Pete. I booked the evening folk show, but again hate to rush back out if the show on the ship is good. I* guess I have enough time to ask questions.

[juliejoe]

mek

 

I am excited for you!

 

All the planning will be paying off soon for you! I hope you too will come back with information for those of us cruising later in the summer. I feel like I know so many of the folks who have been posting here on the Baltics Board for so many months. It was about a year ago that we booked and I started reading and posting here.

 

Have you gotten the referral credits for your cruise later this year? We plan to do an open booking and hope the onboard credits get posted to the one we already have booked for November. I've read that is what will happen under their new system. We are also seriously considering the Greek Isles next year. The Star is doing it this year, the Grand will do it next year. We may book it while onboard too.

 

Hope you have a wonderful Baltics cruise on the Grand!

 

Julie

juliejoe@swbell.net

 

 

<')))><

Grand Princess 8/17/04 Baltic B2B with 8/27/04 Transatlantic & 11/27/04 Western Caribbean

 

 

[mek]

Julie - Yes, I received the credits. We're already booked, along with 7 other family members, for the Caribbean Princess on 11/6. I still think my husband and I will do the Tahitian Princess next spring, but you never can tell with us - especially if Princess waves some great promotions in front of our noses.

[gypsyrose48]

We're back from the Baltic on Grand Princess. I know some are going to give a long review. The Princess docks in commercial docks most of the time. You are not near a city. I took a taxi to Stockholm. I think around $80 US. We split it 3 ways. Return is same price. Nothing opens till about 10:00. We took canal cruise for 2 hours starting at 10:00. City hall gives tours at certain times and that is the only way to get in. 3 times a day, in summer they do it more so you will have to check. 12:00 is changing of guard. It is worth seeing.

Red October - fantastic. No complaints. Our group met at 6:30 and we went to disemarkation to wait. As soon as ship cleared, Moscow group got off. We got off behind them. Valentina was our guide and we got on our bus and started tour by 6:45. Valentina is a great guide, very knowledgeable and speaks good english. She is a linguistics professor at State University in St. P. No problems if you get there early. If you do not get down there though, they start taking all the Princess tours that are waiting in Princess theater and you may have to wait for them if you aren't ready to go early. Red October worth the money. We say so much. Just be prepared for the crowds. Lots of visitors not just people from ships.

It is cool. Copenhagen the coolest. Wore jeans 90% of time. You will need jacket, you can leave it on bus with RO. It is warm in Hermitage and Catherines Palace because there are so many people.

Enjoy your trip.

Brenda

[juliejoe]

Thank You Brenda!

 

 

Julie

[DesertSailors]

You've got my curiosity - what are referral credits and onboard credits?

 

 

Thanks for the lesson!

 

Grand Princess, Baltic June 28, 2004

Reniassance R8, British Isles, June 2001

HAL Maasdam, Alaska, July 1994

Regal Princess, Eastern Caribbean 1993

[juliejoe]

Referral Credits

You can find more about this on the Princess website under the Circle Center tab. What it amounts to is that if you are a Captain's Circle member, you can "refer" people to Princess. When they book a cruise, they get a $25 discount from the cruise price & you get a $25 credit toward to price of a future cruise (after they have sailed). We're having a family reunion cruise. I referred ten family members who have not sailed on Princess before. They each got their discount & I'll get a total of $250 credit.

 

Onboard Credit - the shipboard credit you get on a future cruise, when you book that cruise while onboard. You can do an "open" booking, meaning you will cruise Princess "sometime" in the future. There are some good explanations of this on the regular Princess board.

 

Hope this helps.

Julie

[CruisinChris]

Julie,

 

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. Here are the answers to your questions:

 

-The tender in Nynashamn takes not more than 15 minutes. It's easy. We had the Stockholm card (make sure you allow pop-ups since the confirm window is a pop-up on their website) which made the train super easy. IT was about a 15 minute-20 minute walk to the station. (Go left when you get out of pier area at the fork in the road. They do not take US$ or credit cards on the train. You can also buy a ticket in the little shop that sells sundries at the station. I would not do the Princess thing. Do it on your own. Very easy. Watch John Lawrence's port talk: he tells you exactly how to get from the station into the old town. He even has pictures! Big help. When you return make sure you get the train that says Nynashamn on the overhead signs. OThers go part way but not all the way to Nynashamn.

 

We had absolutely no problem getting off in St. Pete. We met at 7 and just walked off. Nobody even questioned us. Make sure you have your RO ticket and letter along with your passport.

 

On the overnight in St. Petersburg there was a nightclub act called the Troika Dancers. It was billed as being slightly erotic. This piqued my interest. I heard it wasn't very erotic. Just some girls in g-strings. We took it easy this night and stayed on board. We went up to Skywalkers and took in the view.

 

Jeans are appropriate in all the ports though I must say that Copenhagen in particular seemed to adhere to a more traditional European style of dress. Meaning, ladies of a certain age wear dress pants and jackets (stylish, pulled together) rather than jeans. At 40 I felt a little underdressed in jeans if we were in the pub at the hotel, for example.

 

If you're flying SAS be prepared for really hard uncomfortable seats and lousy food.

 

We had a great time! My full review is coming....

 

Cruisin' Chris

 

 

 5/19/04 Grand Princess Baltic Heritage

 

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[mek]

Ha, Ha, Ha, - I'm flying Delta and I'm prepard for hard seats and lousy food! I'm sure I'll make up for it on the cruise.

[DesertSailors]

Originally posted by Cruisin' Chris:

Julie,

 

 

We had absolutely no problem getting off in St. Pete. We met at 7 and just walked off. Nobody even questioned us. Make sure you have your RO ticket and letter along with your passport.

 

 

 

Did Princess give you your passport or did you take a photocopy of your passport, along with your RO ticketsand letter? We've talked to Princess and they say they will not hand out the passports during the cruise. That is why RO suggested the photocopy. Glad to hear from you first hand!

 

Thanks

 

Grand Princess, Baltic June 28, 2004

Reniassance R8, British Isles, June 2001

HAL Maasdam, Alaska, July 1994

Regal Princess, Eastern Caribbean 1993

[N&B]

Cruisin Chris

 

Looking forward to your full review. Glad to hear there was not problem going to Stockholm on your own.

 

What's the deal on the passport in St. Petersburg. I thought Red October told us to have our passport, ticket and letter with us when we disembark. Is this correct?

 

Thanks for your help - will be going on Grand July 28th.

[CruisinChris]

You will retain control and possession of your passport during the cruise. You need to take the actual passport with you ashore (in some ports like St. Pete there are immigration officials on the pier who must examine your passport). Make a photocopy of the passport information page and leave that in the safe in your room. The copy is to help facilitate getting your passport replaced should the original be lost or stolen. Princess recommends and tells you many times during the cruise to take your passport ashore with you.

 

Cruisin' Chris

 

 

 5/19/04 Grand Princess Baltic Heritage

 

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[DesertSailors]

Excellent! That makes so much more sense than what we were told over the phone. Thank you for solving this one for us.

 

Grand Princess, Baltic June 28, 2004

Reniassance R8, British Isles, June 2001

HAL Maasdam, Alaska, July 1994

Regal Princess, Eastern Caribbean 1993