Review of Serenade 7 Night Baltic & Russian Cruise, 29 MAY through 5 JUN 2016

[aviator1945]

DAY 6: HELSINKI: FORMAL EVENING

 

Woke up at 5.30 am, just as the ship was nearing the Finnish coastline. The WJ was open already from 6 am, since the ship would be leaving Helsinki early, and of course everybody wanted to make the most of the relatively short time available.

 

As usual, I remained onboard while DW and friends went ashore. They decided to try a hop on - hop off service that was waiting on the dock. DW managed to bargain the price down, something hitherto unheard of in the Nordic countries. But I guess that the guide found it easier to bargain, in light of that there were two other companies on the dock competing for the business...... Among the sights were the Rock Church, built into a large rock formation, the Sibelius monument, and an Orthodox church in the center of town. Photos to be linked from this thread some time next week.

 

DW and friends returned from their tour just in time to partake in the Pool barbecue on Deck 11. The weather was beautiful and just right for an outdoor meal. The ship left Helsinki shortly after 2 pm, rather early but necessary in order to arrive in Copenhagen for a timely disembarkation.

 

Internet 3G/4G connection in Helsinki was through Elisa, same company as in Tallinn, and roughly same quality of service, i.e. somewhat slower than in Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Stockholm, but certainly better than ship's wifi.

 

Took a nap during the afternoon, until it was time to dress up formal. As we entered the MDR, we noted that some 90% of the males in our area were dressed in suits; no tuxedos in the MDR as far as we could see. For dinner I had the Royal Shrimp Salad as a starter, followed by Slow-cooked Prime Rib. As usual, double desserts: first Baked Alaska and the three scoops of ice cream (I told you before that I would end up with three scoops before too long!).

 

After dinner DW, our friends and myself went to the Safari Club in order to avail ourselves of the free drinks offered on our SeaPass cards as Diamond members of C&A. Then off to the theatre to watch the RC Singers, Dancers and Orchestra in their rendition of "From Stage to Screen". Good show and an enthusiastic audience. When we entered the theatre we noted that more than half of the males had shed their jackets and ties; by the end of the show, even CD Topi was dressed smart casual.

[cruzgryphon]

Do you remember what deck the gangway was located on for Helsinki and St. Petersburg? I have private tours booked at both of those ports and want to get off as quickly as possible.

 

Thanks!!

[Cruising-Snowbird]

My question is about currency. In all the city info booklets you posted, they list the Local Currency. We are used to the Caribbean cruises where at every port stop, US dollars are accepted with no hassle.

 

Do we need to stock up on the local currencies that are listed in the brochures?

OR when shopping or dining in the ports...

Are US dollars accepted?

Are Euros accepted in all the ports?

Is a VISA credit card accepted?

 

Anyone know the answers to my currency questions?

[redrob1234]

VISA would be widely accepted.

 

US dollars will not be accepted in Europe - you will need to change it to local currency.

 

 

~ Vicki ~

[aviator1945]

Do you remember what deck the gangway was located on for Helsinki and St. Petersburg? I have private tours booked at both of those ports and want to get off as quickly as possible.

 

Thanks!!

 

At all ports, disembarkation took place from Deck 2, Centrum.

 

As for St. Petersburg, "quickly" might not be the first word that comes to mind. All passengers had to pass through a terminal building with many parallel lines, like at an airport. The immigration officers were slow and methodical. Each passenger was given a stamp in his or her passport along with a paper slip which confirmed legal entry into the Russian Federation. Before re-boarding the Serenade again, this paper slip was to be surrendered. Good idea to take care of it; wouldn't want to lose it.....

 

At the other ports disembarkation was easy, as it normally is at all ports in Western Europe.

[aviator1945]

Anyone know the answers to my currency questions?

 

Sorry for the delay to your query. Here are my replies, based on DW's actual experience from the cruise as well as having lived in a couple of Western European countries:

 

For a tourist, there's no real need to stock up on local currencies. Dollars and Euros are almost universally accepted, even in Russian souvenir stores. However, in most countries your change will be given in local currency, so you may end up with lots of "chicken feed". For that reason, a credit card is better, almost universally accepted, even in the Russian souvenir shops. MC and VISA are the cards of choice, AmEx and Diner's are not widely accepted.

[aviator1945]

DAY 7: SEA DAY

 

The WJ reverted back to its normal opening time, at 7 am. Not very busy at that early hour, since many folks had decided to catch up on sleep after a few days of sightseeing and nights of partying. The ship made good progress on a basically southwestern course across the Baltic. A few 3G/4G opportunities presented themselves: from Sweden for about half an hour while passing the southern tip of the island Öland and from Denmark likewise while passing the island of Bornholm plus for several hours while passing a number of other islands, like Lolland and Sjælland. It was not possible for the ship to follow the nearest route from the Baltic into Copenhagen, due to the shallow waters south of the city. Instead we hade to make a lengthy 12-hour detour around Sjælland and approach Copenhagen from the north.

 

At midday the customary Parade of Flags was held in the Centrum. Some 62 countries were represented among the officers and crew of the Serenade, and many of them, including Captain Tor, were on hand to parade with their national flags. And at lunch in the WJ the main dessert was warm apple pie with ice cream, another favorite on the last day at sea. DW spent part of the afternoon packing our bags, a less than fun but nevertheless necessary chore, considering that most of us guests preferred to have our baggage taken ashore by the crew, which meant that everything except carry-ons had to be placed in the hallways before retiring for the night.

 

Our MDR dinner was at 5.45 pm, as usual. I started with French Onion Soup (ok, but even better when in France); then I decided to splurge and order Filet Mignon, which came from Chops Grille. I had made up my mind not to have more than one dessert (three scoops of butter almond ice cream) but succumbed to temptation when a piece of chocolate cake was brought in along with a fourth scoop of ice cream, this time vanilla. As the cruise draws to a close, my pants are seriously at risk of bursting at the seams!

 

After dinner it was time for the traditional farewell event, which this time featured CD Topi dancing and moving about on stage (he is quite agile) and a French juggler named Jaz Danion who performed various acts, all requiring a good measure of balance and coordination. DW and I had seen him perform on a previous cruise, but nonetheless we enjoyed watching him a second time. The farewell event ended with the RC Singers, Dancers and Orchestra performing their traditional goodbye followed by a number of officers and crew, led by Captain Tor, marching down the aisles and onto the stage.

[kiwixmas]

New Uploads:

 

Copenhagen Airport Transfer for Disembarking Guests

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByO8508n_ivGaU1wUDRoMnluems

 

Casino Flyer

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByO8508n_ivGSlhzMzFhZ1FaYVE

 

 

- END -

we are taking this cruise in 2017 june14th and interested in the amount of time we have in each port and the distance from port to cities.

thanks so much for this presentation

[kw2963]

We too are just off this cruise and would like to share a few tips. The internet was intermittent but adequate for email but not much more. Do not expect to watch Netflix

.

I would strongly recommend the Chefs Table which we enjoyed on the last night. We did not book it until we were on board and were offered a 20% discount. The hangover this morning after the 6 wines was well worth it!

 

In St Petersburg we booked with SPB which was brilliant. We had a minibus with 14 people and visited the underground, the Hermitage(tour before it opened and got busy), a boat trip to Peterhof where we walked the grounds. We then were treated to a very nice 3 course lunch which included a shot of vodka. After lunch we went to Catherines Palace with a tour inside and finished with The Church of the Resurrection and Spilled Blood. We arrived back at the ship 15 minutes before all aboard. It was a long day at a fast pace but well worth the effort. We found the passport control to be much easier then we were told to expect. I have waited longer in some airports and the woman who processed us was very pleasant and even smiled!

 

The only other tip I would give is avoid the MDR for breakfast on the last day. The service was dreadful and slow. They did not have the buffet open and it took 35 minutes for our order to arrive and it was wrong and cold. Some of our tablemates had to leave and didn't get served at all.

 

Overall it was a great week with good food and great service.

Edited June 5, 2016 by kw2963

[Cruising-Snowbird]

Sorry for the delay to your query. Here are my replies, based on DW's actual experience from the cruise as well as having lived in a couple of Western European countries:

 

For a tourist, there's no real need to stock up on local currencies. Dollars and Euros are almost universally accepted, even in Russian souvenir stores. However, in most countries your change will be given in local currency, so you may end up with lots of "chicken feed". For that reason, a credit card is better, almost universally accepted, even in the Russian souvenir shops. MC and VISA are the cards of choice, AmEx and Diner's are not widely accepted.

 

Thank you for the info. The last time I was in Europe was back in 80's when I was in Germany for business. Then we just stocked up with Deutsche Marks and we were set. So dealing with multiple European countries and ports will be new to us. It is no big deal getting some amount of local currency back in change. We keep it as souvenirs of the trip..... We will get some Euros before leaving and I have a VISA card that charges no conversion fee, so I will be set... :D

[Larainerenee]

Fabulous posts! I'm doing the Stockholm - Stockholm 7 day cruise in early July, too, and found this incredibly helpful.

Would you be willing to share your Wordpress blog link? I'd love to see more photos.

Thanks again!

[windjamming]

Fantastic review! I really like your clear, concise writing style, and the uploads of the Cruise Compasses and menus are really helpful. Thank you for your time!

[crispiva]

Dear Aviator1945,

Would you please let me know which stateroom number you had in deck 3 and if you had any noise issue? I will be next week in the 3564 and just curious. Greetinngs from Brazil! Thank you

[aviator1945]

we are taking this cruise in 2017 june14th and interested in the amount of time we have in each port and the distance from port to cities.

 

Below I'm listing the approximate time between the ship being cleared by the authorities and all aboard time.

 

Stockholm: 7 hours. Distance between dock and city center too far for comfortable walking. As an alternative to ship's excursions there is a public city bus from a location not far from the ship that runs into the city center for SEK 36 pp in each direction, at today's exchange rate approximately USD 4.50.

 

Tallinn: 7 hours. Walkable, but also with access to a dedicated shuttle bus, the cost of which I am not aware.

 

St. Petersburg: 11 hours and 30 minutes (which includes immigration processing). Unless you have arranged a visa beforehand in your country of residence, an expensive option, you cannot walk into the city unescorted. Ship's shore excursions or tours arranged in advance from authorized independent operators are your only realistic choices.

 

Helsinki: 6 hours. Half an hour's walk. Considering the short time available, a hop on - hop off bus tour, tickets available on the dock, is perhaps your best option.

[aviator1945]

The only other tip I would give is avoid the MDR for breakfast on the last day. The service was dreadful and slow.

 

I fully agree! As for DW and myself, we avoid the MDR for breakfast on any day, on any RCI ship, from the Allure down to the Rhapsody. Often the MDR servers urge guests in the evening to have breakfast the following morning in the MDR, but we haven't once experienced prompt service there and as mentioned above, sometimes we too have been served something different from what we ordered.

[aviator1945]

Would you be willing to share your Wordpress blog link? I'd love to see more photos.

 

Actually, in order to save time, I decided instead to post all text here in this thread, and to link to some pictures in a few days' time from my Google Drive account.

[aviator1945]

Would you please let me know which stateroom number you had in deck 3 and if you had any noise issue?

 

3134, OceanView Cabin on port side, well aft of Centrum. No noise issues.

[jagsfan]

I'm excited about reliving our own Baltic cruise. Looking forward to your posts.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[aviator1945]

DISEMBARKATION DAY: COPENHAGEN

 

Woke up bright and early, just as the ship was passing the Swedish island of Ven, in the Øresund straits. The WJ opened at 6 am, and DW, our friends and myself were there almost from the very opening.

 

We had been assigned baggage tags #3, with an estimated time off the ship at 7.30 am. The Express Departure folks, i.e. those who chose to carry their own baggage ashore, were allowed to depart just before 7 am. Thereafter there was somewhat of a delay: we actually crossed the gangway and entered the cruise terminal building at 7.50 am. There was no immigration control. The bags were neatly placed and easy to find, and we followed signs for the taxi queue and left the building at 7.55 am.

 

Now I shall refer to my post #44, in which I provided a link related to airport transfer. As we left the building, there was indeed a queue, but not of guests waiting for taxis, but instead some 25 empty taxis waiting for customers! So the coach transfer to the airport was not at all urgently necessary; we had suspected this all along, and hadn't purchased any bus tickets. Since it was early Sunday morning, traffic was light, and the journey from the ship to the airport took about 20 minutes. On a weekday morning it would in all likelihood take an additional 10 minutes. The fare was DKK 501.81 (USD 78 at today's exchange rate), paid with my MC (VISA also accepted). Please note that in Denmark, all transactions in restaurants, shops, taxis, etc. using foreign cards are levied a small surcharge, rarely higher than 3 %, included in the taxi fare above. Compared to paying in cash the difference is negligible, since the exchange rate when buying DKK cash is usually less favorable than what your credit card issuer will charge you for the transaction. By the way, the RCI coach transfer was USD 27, so since we were four people we came out ahead with the taxi.

 

Sorry, but I forgot to mention on Day 1, that our taxi from the main railway station across the street from the Tivoli Gardens to the ship was DKK 187.15 (USD 28.50 at today's exchange rate) including the aforementioned surcharge; this took around 10 minutes, likewise on a Sunday morning. During rush hour it would be a good idea to allow an extra 10 minutes for downtown traffic.

 

I don't have any idea of the tipping custom in Denmark, but since the drivers loaded and unloaded our four heavy bags I allowed an additional 10% (in cash; I never tip from my card, since there is no guarantee that the driver, server, etc. will actually get that money).

 

Arriving at the airport, if you are travelling with a Star Alliance carrier (SAS, Lufthansa, United, and a few others), your checkin is in Terminal 3; most other airlines use Terminal 2.

 

And so ended a great cruise to the Baltics and Russia! A few pertinent points plus links to some pictures will be posted later in this week to this thread.

[MCC retired]

We recently debarked in Copenhagan aboard the Serenade also.

Pressure to purchase the RCI Airport Transfers was evident (spoke of a Marathon in town) and we went for it .

Debarkation Group #2 ,

Cabs were plentiful ?:confused:

Don't fall for it yourselves.

 

Only thing not plentiful , was hot water on Deck #9 midships every morning.

Edited June 6, 2016 by MCC retired

[aviator1945]

SUMMARY OF CRUISE

 

This was our third cruise with the Serenade; the two previous ones were in the Med, covering both the eastern and western parts of that beautiful region. In all we have now sailed 29 nights on the Serenade, more than any other ship in the RCI fleet. She is clearly a favorite of ours.

 

As for Northern Europe, this was also our third cruise, having sailed the Baltic on the Vision from Stockholm for four nights in 2011 and on the Legend from Copenhagen on an eight night Norwegian Fjords cruise.

 

The Serenade started her career in 2003, but she carries her 13 years in a graceful manner, thanks to being well pampered by RCI and her crew. Her most recent visit to dry dock was in late 2012, which means that her next such visit should come no later than 2017. Looking at her itineraries for the next 18 months, she is very busy, but there is a gap from 1 to 16 November 2017; perhaps that is when she will visit the beauty parlor?

 

Cabin: We stayed in #3134, a port-side OceanView well aft of the Centrum area. It was just the right size for DW and myself, with no additional Pullman-style bed; there was enough storage space for the two of us. Although the cabin was close to the engine room, we did not notice any noise, either from the maneuvering of the ship or from the Centrum. The bathroom was adequate, with hot and cold water at all times of the day and night. A more detailed description of the bathroom with links to pictures appears in earlier posts of mine in this thread. Our cabin attendant Erasmo (from Panama) introduced himself to us a couple of hours before sail-away. His work was excellent, always arranging the cabin to our satisfaction..

 

Food: We normally have breakfast and lunch in the WJ, and this cruise was no exception. The staff were very alert and attentive. In particular we were very pleased with server Cristina Tan (from the Philippines) whose station normally was in the vicinity of our favorite table. During breakfast there were stations for omelets, ham and crepes or waffles. Beverages were provided either by the servers, or we could go to the beverage station ourselves. During early mornings, when we normally had our breakfast, there were seldom any significant queues. Our lunch meal we would take around noon; there was a good selection of beef, pork and fish along with plenty of veggies. Pizza and burgers were also available on a daily basis, as were of course desserts like ice cream and various sweets. Overall we liked the WJ very much.

 

For dinner the MDR was the venue of choice. Our headwaiter was Junah, server was Romeo (both from the Philippines), and assistant server was Daryna (from the Ukraine), all three were outstanding and provided us with the best possible service. We found that the selection of dishes was very good and that there was no real need for us to go to the specialty restaurants. Links to MDR menus and the wine list appear in several earlier posts in this thread. The final evening though, I did order Filet Mignon, which was brought down from Chops Grille (at a 20 dollar surcharge).

 

Smoke: A number of CC threads have mentioned that there was a smell of cigarette smoke in or near the Centrum area, coming from the Casino. We are usually sensitive to smoke ourselves, but we did not notice any of this. I did note, however, cigar smoke on one occasion in a different location, which was in the hallway of Deck 3 about halfway between the Centrum area and our cabin, The odor clearly came from one of the cabins nearby, which one was hard to say; in any event, it had cleared up a half hour later when we passed by the area again.

 

Elevators: A number of threads have also mentioned the less than perfect function of the elevators. We found that this had been rectified, since all of them were working to our satisfaction during the whole cruise, We did on a couple of occasions note that an elevator would bypass us, but we attribute that to the computerized system for their operation. In the Forward area there was congestion on a couple of occasions right after the end of theater performances, but just like one of the previous threads mentioned, we took a downward elevator then to make sure that we would be on board when it turned upward again. What goes down must always come up!

 

Centrum area: We agree with a number of threads where the small size of the Centrum was brought up. Particularly when there were popular events, like e.g. Captain's Corner and the Parade of Flags, it was very crowded. To get a seat then often required arriving over a half hour before the event started.

 

Ports: Due to some mobility issues, I decided to remain on board during the whole cruise. I delegated the shore visits to DW and friends. In their view, by far the most interesting port was St. Petersburg, although Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki and of course our origin and destination port of Copenhagen were also interesting.

 

CD and staff: CD Topi (from Finland) was fantastic, very gifted and talented at speaking, singing and dancing. His staff were likewise outstanding. In particular I would mention Activities Manager Aysy (from Russia), who gave en Enrichment Lecture on "Understanding Russian," one of the best talks that I have heard on any cruise ship. The evening entertainment offered every night was consistently good. For details, check links to all Cruise Compasses, which are available from a number of earlier posts in this thread.

 

Movies:

Day 1: Spectre (2015), 3 shows

Day 2: The Intern, 5 shows

Day 3: Concussion, 2 shows

Day 4: The 33, 2 shows

Day 5: Bridge of Spies, 5 shows

Day 6: The Big Short, 5 shows

Day 7: Room, 5 shows

 

Weather: It was gorgeous! And at this time of the year, being as far north as we were, sunrise was very early and sunset very late (for example: on Day 6 it was at 4.16 am and at 10:21 pm, respectively). The weather in the Baltic area is often sunny and mild in late May and early June, although at times it can also be a bit chilly. Not on this cruise though, daytime it was rarely below 20 degrees Celsius, corresponding to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Later in the summer season, particularly in July, it can be rather showery, however.

 

Overall: A great cruise! Without exception, the officers, crew and other staff did their utmost to please us guests. It was fantastic to see the worldwide mix of staff from 62 different countries working together as a team. Captain Tor was visible among guests as well as crew, every day. His daily briefings around noon on sea days and around 8 am on port days were very interesting.

 

So, now begins the planning for our next cruise, this coming autumn with the Vision out of Venice to Greece and Turkey.

 

PS. Some of DW's photos will be posted to this thread in a few days' time.

[Kellie in Texas]

We were on this cruise as well; I hope to post a review in the next day or two from the perspective of a first-time RCCL cruiser (with two past Princess cruises and one Carnival cruise).

 

The weather definitely was good, although on the warm-ish side for me. Being from Texas, I was hoping we might get some cooler weather, but the best part was no rain the entire week!

[Cruisequeen49]

Were you required to have a pin number for your chipped credit card, when off the boat? None of mine do and we will be on board Serenade for 20 days starting July 24th?

[jonj]

Fabulous posts! I'm doing the Stockholm - Stockholm 7 day cruise in early July, too, and found this incredibly helpful.

Would you be willing to share your Wordpress blog link? I'd love to see more photos.

Thanks again!

 

I second the request - thank you for the information you have provided, very useful

[Clarea]

Were you required to have a pin number for your chipped credit card, when off the boat? None of mine do and we will be on board Serenade for 20 days starting July 24th?

We've used our no-pin chip card in Europe several times, at both ATMs and merchants, without a problem.