Live From Emerald June 4 2016 Baltic Heritage

[socaljo]

Thank you for your "Live" review. We will be on her for the July 9th sailing. My question involves the self-serve laundry. Do we need coins? Do they have detergent to purchase? On my cruise with Azamara:D-laundry was free as was the detergent...

 

Thank you in advance--I cannot find a current answer!:p

Self-service laundry is pretty standard across the fleet. $3 to wash, $3 to dry. Soap available in vending machines too. All take tokens that you receive by swiping your cruise card in the token machine there in the laundry room. We like to use the 3-in-1 laundry sheets, easy to pack! 10 sheets for about $6 online.

Happy Sailing!

[GUT2407]

The power outlets are primarily grounded (3 prong) 120V U.S. outlets at the desk and behind the TV. There is still the ungrounded low current draw outlet in the bathroom with a U.S. and a European plug. The lamp on the nightstand nearest the bathroom plugs into a 220V European plug located under the bed.

 

For those of you who have sailed on the Diamond, Sapphire or Golden in Asia/Australia, have other outlets been added?

 

Thanks for that.

 

Diamond has been fitted with a universal outlet. Looks a bit like the face of a universal adapter (I'll try and find a pic) that takes US, UK, EURO or Aus plugs.

[Carolyn R]

Giuseppe Pollara is the Executive Chef - I think that's the head guy!

 

No, he is not the head guy, but he is very friendly and has a great sense of humor. My first Chef's Table had Giuseppe Pollara as the chef and Giuseppi Franchera as maitre 'd hotel. :)

[ccrain]

Cloudy with rain is the forecast. It’s a bit overcast this morning. Time to take the umbrellas.

 

Yesterday started with clear blue sky. It transitioned to mostly cloudy with a chilly breeze during the day, but was partly cloudy when we got back to the ship. No rain. I chose to wear a long sleeved shirt, with the travel vest over the top, and Judy wore her heavy fleece coat with the hood.

 

It was actually nice docking in Nynashamn. The trip in from the port to the town showed the countryside and the transition from country to ‘suburb’ to town to old town was quite nice. Alla found us. Although the meeting time was a little ambiguous. Their email stated ‘1 hour after docking’, rather than the downtown ‘1000’. The captain, the night before, stated we would dock at 0800, which meant meeting Alla at 0900. But we actually docked around 0700 and the first disembarkation call came at 0720. The second at 0750. We opted to go out at 0750 and found them already there and collecting people at the dock. (By the way, this floating dock thing was great!. Very interesting. We were able to simple walk off the ship as if we were docked.) One group left almost immediately and their bus would return to the ship at 1400. Our group waited til 0900 when the last of the group joined and off we went. We would be back to the ship by 1600. (They extended the port stay to 1830.)

 

So all in all. It all worked out. We had a good tour. Stockholm was interesting. All of the little islands joined together to form one large city was definitely different. The architecture and buildings were all very familiar after Copenhagen, and yes, as much as the Danes were obsessed with the Swedes, the reverse is true. Tim, our tour guide, spoke very good English with a moderate Swedish accent. He was very knowledgeable about the sights and took us to see the interesting places – like a runestone buried in a foundation in old town, a very steep staircase, a school, statues off in the corners of old town, etc.

 

Stockholm has a ton of museums. We spent about 90 minutes in the Vasa museum. The museum itself is absolutely stunning., Built around one of the most prominent naval engineering disasters in Swedish history – the warship Vasa – which upon launching sailed about 200 yards, capsized and sank. That’s probably the part that struck me as odd. The museum is very impressive, the ship quite awesome when you are standing beside it. It is preserved magnificently. The artwork, the sculptures, the timbers of the ship – its just so impressive – BUT did I mention the ship sank hours after launching? It turns out to be a calculational blunder. Her ‘sister’ ship was built 2 feet wider and sailed successfully for many years.

 

For me one of the most interesting talks Tim gave in the museum was the 3 minute Swedish history lesson on the map at the museum. He covered 3000 years in 3 minutes that would take 3 years in a University, and made it funny and interesting.

 

After the museum we wandered around old town using the palace area as the focal point. Three other cruise ships, one the Norwegian Star, had made it into the center of town anchorage and the place was packed with people and busses all vying for parking in an area designed for horses, not busses. Old town was narrow cobblestoned streets, 3-4 story 1600 to 1800 narrow row type houses on each side. Narrow alleyways, steep stairs and walkways, no sidewalks and packed with people. We did not have time to stop for lunch. Next time we will hit one of the food carts for a hot dog instead of looking for a sit down type restaurant.

 

Had the ship successfully anchored in downtown, our perspective would have been much narrower. The tenders would have let us off in old town, within walking distance to the palace and the shops/restaurants of old town, but too far to walk to the various museums. Taxis, water taxis or public transit would be required to DIY the downtown area. We would actually have had less time with the guide as he did give us a good overview of Sweden, and its relationship to the Danes (!), on the way in to the town.

 

All in all a good day to see Stockholm, a good trip. Good value. Recommended.

 

But it was a pretty tiring day. Got back to the room about 1630, grabbed a bite to eat, showered, and then headed out to watch the production show Blame it on the Boogie. Got in some dancing to canned music in Fusion, stayed through the 70’s Trivia and then danced through most the 70’s party with the cruise staff – not much audience participation – until the feet surrendered. Limped back to the cabin and then had to push the clocks an hour ahead, so we basically got to bed around midnight.

 

And now we’re sucking down caffeine in hopes of waking up in time to get off the ship in a few hours. Tomorrow morning will definitely be a 5 hour energy morning – I can predict that now!

 

So off to prep for Tallinn. We dock at 1000 and meet off the pier at 1030. Let’s see what Alla had in store for us!

 

Later!

[emac]

Great reviews with lots of useful info. We are doing the same cruise on 9th July. We have a tour booked with Alla in St Petersburg meeting 8.30am so it would be useful to know what time to get off the ship to allow for Russian immigration etc.

[IECalCruiser]

Great reviews with lots of useful info. We are doing the same cruise on 9th July. We have a tour booked with Alla in St Petersburg meeting 8.30am so it would be useful to know what time to get off the ship to allow for Russian immigration etc.

Try to be in the earliest disembarkation group you can. Unless things have changed in the last couple of years, people on Private tours need to get disembarkation tickets even though you are docked. Edited June 10, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[ccrain]

This will have to be quick. We have to go through Russian immigration with our Alla tickets and passports starting at 0700. The process is a bit complex, so we will see what happens. Going to be a zoo though, I’m sure.

 

So yesterday was Tallinn with the Grand Tour by Alla. Helen was our tour guide. We had 32 signed up for the tour and the group was split into 2 groups AND IT POURED DOWN RAIN. The tour itself was a 3 hour walking tour of the upper old town and the lower old town. Then 2 hours on our own followed by a bus trip back to the cruise terminal. Long walks in all directions. Long walk to the port gates for sure. The town is actually walkable from the port or with minor taxi rides. It’s a mix of old and newer construction – same old 1600’s to 1800’s style of narrow row type buildings as the previous ports (Copenhagen and Stockholm). The wall and towers are partially intact in areas. It’s not a complete walled town like Dubrovnik, but still has its charm.

 

The walls range from the older style curtain walls to the thick cannon resistant ramparts. A lot of the shops are inside the houses that line the streets. The shops range from kitzy souvenir shops to expensive boutiques. Lots of fur here as well.

 

We went into the local Russian Orthodox Church. Very interesting. The icons, the symbology. Then we went into the corresponding Lutheran church with the family heraldry all over the walls in large wooden carved and very ornate family crests. I only wish we could have taken pictures and the time to study them.

 

The Estonian language, as I was informed, is not based on Germanic languages, but closer to Finnish, not slavik, and pretty unique. Also interesting is how most common folk are just not happen being in the EU. Price inflation has been their number one issue since switching to the Euro.

 

We got enough of the town in and the flavor of the area, but come 1300 we were all soaked and it was pouring, so all 16 of us unanimously ended up in the Beer House to dry off, grab some food, hot drinks and beer. Finally a reasonably priced food establishment. Judy had a bowel of cheese/beer soup, I had a bread bowel of beef stew, I had a pilsner, she had a honey meade and we both had a huge soft pretzel. It was a really good meal for 25 Euros. We all sat at this one large table and passed food around for about an hour. Everyone seemed to have a great time and it was a lot of fun to get to know each other over a hot meal and a good drink!

 

It was great to be out of the rain for sure. The weather certainly wasn’t Alla’s fault.

 

We almost missed the bus back. The guide had to run off before she could show us the bus pickup point in person, so we all relied on a map and 6 of us ended up one block further than we should have been – on the back side of the opera house instead of the front. But in the end the 6 of us in our little group figured it out and made it on time.

 

Even almost missing the bus had its bright spot. Judy and I got to walk through a local shopping mall. The kids were all in their school uniforms and Judy just had to get a picture of them in their hats to show Ally back at home. Pretty interesting looking at prices and hot selling items in a country half way around the world – hint, pretty much the same old stuff we go for!

 

There was no way we were staying up late last night. Today will be a long day.

 

BTW, I know some people were wondering about the Emerald because of prior negative reviews. We haven’t found one thing we can legitimately complain about. The staff has been fantastic so far. Our Room Steward, our first female room steward EVER, Ann, is wonderful, fast, efficient and always, always has a smile. She’s great. Bar staff everywhere have been great. Our room is not quite in the best spot on the ship, but that’s because we booked a last minute GTY, and we knew we might end up here anyway, so we were prepared. The food has been great, the entertainment has been good. We’ve not been able to do everything, but that’s normal, and now with all of these ports, the only concern is getting a good night’s sleep! Everything else will fall in place…

 

So that’s it from St Petersburg this morning…Later!

[IECalCruiser]

Thanks for your reports [emoji4] Have a great first full day in St. Petersburg!

Edited June 11, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[ccrain]

I just love overnights. No hurry to get back to the ship at night. Night life if you want it – as if after 6 miles today we want any night life. (Our Venice overnights were really nice.) This night will be spent in prep for tomorrow’s touring which starts at 0730, but means we’re up at 0500. And if today was any indication, it will be a busy. Busy day.

 

First of all I have to say that this tour was the best planned, executed and staffed excursion since the Connoisseur tour we had in Rome 5 years ago. A whirlwind first day, 5 star tour with Alla. Our tour guide, Veronica, was fantastic. The pace was perfect, the information fascinating and informative. Just one heck of a tour – and we get to keep her tomorrow for the final day of the Grand Tour. Well worth every penny.

 

So where to start. We ended up early in Da Vinci on deck 6 awaiting call for immigration. They gave us all numbers, and then called for the first 100 at about 7:10. We made sure we took our passports AND our Alla tour tickets as both were required to get through immigration. We went through one at a time as some of the immigration’s officers only wanted one at a time. We got our passport stamped and part B of a two part form. They keep part A. Part B would be collected when we got back in the afternoon, our passports stamped again and that should serve us in the morning along with our Alla Tour Tickets. We got through to the terminal at about 07:30. The Alla guide was there and so was Veronica. After collecting 16 people we hopped in the bus and off we went for a whirlwind tour. The Rasputin museum, the Peterhof, Katherine’s palace, the hydrofoil ride, drive around the city, photo stops here and there. Off the bus, on the bus. Wow. This was great.

 

Cannot recommend Alla enough for these tours. They were great.

 

More tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, not sure.

 

See ya!

[CruzinNoony]

Thanks Charles for doing this great "live from". I just found it and have read the 3 pages all in one sitting. Congratulations on making the most traveled. How awesome that they had a luncheon and that you were seated with Matt. Please say "hi" to him from us. When you next see Kelvin, please ask him when in August he is joining the Ruby. We have a B2B starting Aug. 14 and sure hope he is on then. Hi to Judy! :D Bob and Meredith

[plan09]

Thank you for taking the time to post all the helpful information.

[debkaysmith]

One of the most helpful reviews I've read in a long time. Thanks so much for sharing your voyage.

[ccrain]

Up early, shower, coffee, write, meet at 0730. We’ll probably get off the ship around 0700, if not earlier. Its raining, foggy, chilly. From what I understand it’s a typical day in St Petersburg where they only get 60 to 80 days of sunshine a year. That kinda sucks you know?

 

So now I have the official paperwork beside me and can tell you exactly where we went yesterday. We started with a drive around the city stopping and photographing various places. The subway ride was quite interesting. The subways are very clean, fast and DEEP underground. Unlimited rides inside the system for one price (~$0.50). Good thing it was Saturday morning as it was uncrowded. The subway system is not connected to the port, but the subway system is pretty cool for DIY’ers – IF you have a Russian VISA.

 

Our first tour was in the Yusupov Palace including the Rasputin exposition. You know, the guy who had healing powers that they tried to poison (failed), shot once (failed), shot three times (failed) and finally inadvertently drowned him in the river when they were trying to dispose of the body after shooting him three times.

 

There was one common theme throughout Russian royalty history – they were more likely to die a violent death than of old age!

 

We then went to the Peterhof via hydrofoil, eating our packed lunch on the way, to tour the lower fountain park and the upper gardens. The statuary was incredible, the flowers just starting to bloom. The fountains rivaled those in Rome for coolness factor.

 

A bus ride back to Catherine’s Palace was a welcome break. We went through the Amber Room, among others, the subject of one of Josh’s TV series where he was searching for the Amber Room in old **** bunkers in Poland. This was a reproduction of the original.

 

We stopped by the Alla booth in the middle of a very large souvenir shop. Good prices, excellent selection, great service. I was really tempted to buy Judy a fox fur hat, but not sure of the import restrictions or requirements, so we passed that for Tshirts and caps for the kids for Christmas.

 

Today we have the Hermitage, lunch in a local restaurant and then three churches and a fortress. The Church on the Blood, St Peter and Paul Fortress including the Cathedral and the Saint Isaac Cathedral.

 

This is going to be one more busy day!

 

Later…

[Duffysmom]

Thank you for taking the time. I enjoy your writing style and look forward to your reports.

[ccrain]

Weather is mostly sunny right now. Some clouds, but hard to say what it will be when we dock. Weather could change quickly and the forecast is for overcast/rain. Same as in St Petersburg. We’ll see as we get closer to docking as to whether or not the rain coats go.

 

Immigration was a breeze yesterday. Passport with two stamps, tour ticket, and out the door. The prices in the souvenir shop were really good if you were paying in Rubles. 95 rubles for a pack of 16 postcards, or $2 or 2 Euros. At a 65 Rubles to the Dollar exchange rate, the Rubles were the best buy. And that was true of everything from T-shirts to eggs to various other baubles. So bring Rubles or use a fee free credit card.

 

Yesterday’s tours with Alla were incredible, fun, interesting, well planned and very well executed. How Veronica managed to herd us cats so well over the past two days, and remember our faces for tickets, was really amazing. (Although I have to say we were a pretty good tour group. Everyone stayed together, no one wandered off shopping or sightseeing on their own and we were all early back to the meeting place.) What I appreciated was the little things she did as well. For example, during our stop in the Hermitage, we all sort of split up. Some of us had tea or coffee in a café, some went shopping and some went and sat on benches near the exit. She kept wandering back and forth keeping an eye on all of us, keeping track of where we were. That was nicely done.

 

The weather was pretty bad. Drizzle, fog, overcast, cold wind, rain later in the day. Just not good for photos outside. We started off driving around the city with a few photo stops, then a short canal boat ride on the Neva river and a couple of canals showing us the Peter the Great gardens, where Pushkin was shot, various other spots where someone important was shot, bombed, beheaded, or just in general assassinated. (This is one rough country!) We spent several hours in the Hermitage Museum. Now I am not an art museum guy or a painting of dead people by dead people kind of guy, so my impressions of this part of the tour would not be typical. The ONLY really interesting thing to me in the entire museum was the 12th century dog statue with the face of Putin – I kid you not and I have pictures to prove it.

 

However, if you like museums and art and that kind of thing, then this place is your cup of tea.

 

After the Hermitage we did lunch at Metropole. We had a fantastic mushroom soup, a really good chicken kiev and an incredible apple turnover with vanilla ice cream that had blue cheese crispy crumbles in it. The beer was fantastic. Best beer on the cruise so far. It was great to sit around a table and relax with everyone for a while and have some really good food.

 

After lunch we traveled to 3 different Russian Orthodox cathedrals. The Church on the Blood, built on the spot where Alexander II was killed, St Isaac’s Cathedral, one of the largest in Russia and reminiscent of St Peters in Rome in grandeur, but nowhere near as large, and St Peter and Paul’s Fortress and Cathedral, where all the aforementioned Tsars, Emperors and Empresses are buried – I think only one died of natural causes! All these cathedrals were completely different architecture and internal finishing design, so it really wasn’t just one more church or cathedral. And Russian Orthodox churches are completely different internally than Catholic churches in Rome or Greek Orthodox churches in Greece. The walls and ceilings are literally covered with mosaics and paintings – and not a lot of statuary, but a lot of ornately carved wood. Although I do not care for museums, I really like seeing the inside and outside of different churches or cathedrals. The art, artistry, design and architecture have been fascinating to me and I really don’t get tired of seeing them.

 

We got back to the ship at 1600 with all aboard being 1730.

 

I can’t say enough good things about the planning and execution of our 2 day tour with Alla. The convenience of the 16 person group, the pacing of the tours, the sequence of seeing the various spots and the weaving of the story line by Veronica were just first rate. Our driver, Alexander, was top notch. Weaved us in and out of traffic, dropped us off as close as possible to the venue, then picked us up with minimal time lost and maximum efficiency. Even the bathroom stops were perfectly timed and in locations that had plenty of seats to minimize times in line.

 

The only negative thing about the tours was the weather, but that is beyond anyone’s control. I could nitpick a few things, like we needed more beer at lunch, a bit more free time at the souvenir shop– or a second visit on the 2nd day to spend the rest of our rubles – but not since the Princess Connoisseur Tour of Rome had we had such a great time and saw so many really cool things – for a fraction of the price.

 

And we still have two Alla tours left. One in Helsinki, one in Gdansk. Can’t wait.

 

After returning to the ship we couldn’t decide what to have for dinner so we opted for Crown Grill. It was an almost perfect meal! The service was great, the food fantastic. Perfectly cooked lobster tails, lamb chops and ribeye steak. Crispy garlic fries, grilled asparagus, creamed spinach were our sides and were so, so good. Judy had the molten cake for dessert with vanilla ice cream and I had the special Chocolate-Peanut Butter thingy with vanilla ice cream. It was a really great meal to top off a wonderful two day tour of St Petersburg.

 

Today our tour gets started a little later (0900), so we don’t have to rush. So far the weather seems to be holding.

 

Later!

[bcnvcanada]

Thanks for the updates, it really helps us to remember our wonderful

times in the Baltic. Again, thanks for taking the time and the details in

the report.

[homeinboca]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, lots of great information as we plan for a Baltic Cruise one day. I'm glad to hear the Tour company has worked out well for you.

[San10s]

So happy to be able to read your 'Live' reports from the Emerald. I am already putting our clothes and things to get ready to head to the Emerald for the July 9th sailing. We are also on Alla's tours in Russia and Poland so I loved the details you have included. I did get your takeaway about the short time of shopping in Russia....so I will have to make quick decisions on souvenirs for the grandkids! :D

 

A couple of questions:

 

* The weather seems cool in each port and I am packing for layers. How is the temperature on board? Are you finding you need a light sweater on board or is it warm enough to bring sleeveless dresses and tops for women?

 

* As of now, I haven't booked a tour in Sweden. Would you do the same tour again or would you go off on your own?

 

Thanks again for your posts! :D Our excitement for this cruise is building with each day....and post!

[ccrain]

So happy to be able to read your 'Live' reports from the Emerald. I am already putting our clothes and things to get ready to head to the Emerald for the July 9th sailing. We are also on Alla's tours in Russia and Poland so I loved the details you have included. I did get your takeaway about the short time of shopping in Russia....so I will have to make quick decisions on souvenirs for the grandkids! :D

 

A couple of questions:

 

* The weather seems cool in each port and I am packing for layers. How is the temperature on board? Are you finding you need a light sweater on board or is it warm enough to bring sleeveless dresses and tops for women?

 

* As of now, I haven't booked a tour in Sweden. Would you do the same tour again or would you go off on your own?

 

Thanks again for your posts! :D Our excitement for this cruise is building with each day....and post!

 

Judy is using a hoodie sweatshirt at night in the various venues where the temperature can vary quite a bit. So yes, I would recommend a light sweater for shipboard use.

 

I would do the tour again. Especially if docked in Nynashamm. Although some people did make it to the train and into town. If the ship had docked in downtown, I would do it on my own for a second trip, but for a first time I would definitely do a guided tour. By the time you figure out where to go and when to go and pay for taxis, entrance fees, and the hassle, a tour is a bargain compared to the stress of first time planning.

[ccrain]

What fantastic weather yesterday! And it looks like it’ll be great again today. Just being able to walk around and soak in the sunshine was great, and it was actually warm as well.

 

Helsinki doesn’t boast antiquities or palaces or lots of museums, but just has a really nice ‘feel’. Very clean, organized, modern and a very nice place to visit. With all the water it reminded me a lot of Seattle, Juneau or Skagway. I deliberately chose the shorter 3 hour city tour with Alla on this stop. After the 4 prior port days, I wanted the option for a short tour, and long nap, or go back into town to sample the food for lunch.

 

Helsinki is built on solid granite. The ice age glaciers basically stripped the land down to bedrock. You can see this around the city and on the trip into port. The little islands around the port entrance are smooth granite with maybe one or two bushes or trees on them. It looks a lot like the inside passage. Around town various outcroppings of granite are everywhere. Pine and birch trees are everywhere making for a very green looking city. Not sterile concrete and glass at all.

 

The drive took us around the city and the various parks. Visited the Rock Church, carved out of the bedrock, the Cathedral, city hall and the local market. We could have easily spent a few days in this town. City hall had a display of the weirdest contraptions by a company called Bonk. The displayed items, from an anchovy paste dehydrator to an electromagnetic balloon, are almost indescribable. Everyone will have to wait for the full review as I took photos of the description plate and will have better access to Google to try and explain some of this stuff. We had a great laugh over the black and white photos accompanying the displays. In one photo, of one of the more complex electrical gadgets with wires and insulators and switches, sat a man who had a beard and looked a lot like Rasputin. Charlie, one of our new found friends from Australia, and whom was on the tour with us to see the Rasputin display in St Petersburg, commented that he’s still alive, but now they are trying to electrocute him!

 

We did visit the Cathedral as well. After seeing the elaborate interiors of the Russian Orthodox churches in St Petersburg, the interior here was quite plain. However, the statues of the 12 apostles on the outside of the church, life sized, are made of pure zinc!

 

The market was way cool. Love outdoor markets and this was one of the best. Fruits and vegetables, street food, handmade items like sealskin caps (very soft, but illegal to import into the US). We found our obligatory magnet, then a warm wrap for Judy and scouted out where we wanted to come back to after the tour was over. Prices on the fur items were very reasonable. Actually cheaper than the fur caps in Russia. The people were very friendly. Spoke English better than most Americans. (It’s really a shame we don’t require fluency in at least one other language in our schools.)

 

What’s really interesting to me is that the root of the Finnish language is from a swath of territory that stretches from Turkey to Hungary to Estonia to Finland. It is not Cyrillic or Slavik language based, nor is it Danish/Swedish/Norwegian based. I found that fascinating to contemplate how that came about geographically.

 

The tour took us back to the ship at noon and we turned around and took the shuttle bus (10 Euros round trip) back to town with Jeanine and Charlie, a couple from Australia we’ve been hanging with for a few days. From the shuttle drop off, we wandered through the Esplanade are to the market for lunch. Jeanine and Charlie had the moose meatballs, Judy had the three meat platter and I had the three fish platter. Everyone agreed the moose meatballs were pretty tough and not very tasty. Probably should have opted for the lamb meatballs in a red sauce that another shop was making. But Judy’s sausage and pork were really good. My salmon was fantastic having been flat topped with dill and lemon. My fish included local ‘wendys’, a small sardine like fish deep fried. They reminded me of the baby fish fried in Vietnam. A little fishy, but not bad.

 

We topped off the lunch with ice cream, checked out the various statuary in the esplanade and headed back to the ship in time to partake in the buy one, get one for a dollar in the wheelhouse. After seeing Charlie’s pictures of the crocodiles and countryside around Darwin, we want to go to Australia even more.

 

Dinner for us was a simple trip to the HC for a light snack. Judy had picked up her cruise cold and wanted to do a Nyquil night early. We did go to see a ballroom dancing show by a couple – Katia and Zenia. We really enjoyed the show as we’ve never seen a full show of ballroom up close like this. Only snippets of dance during the production shows. And we are big fans of Dancing With The Stars. They did a really good job going through several ballroom dances – Rhumba, Viennese Waltz, Jive, Swing. Very high energy.

 

Today is a simple day at sea. I will be doing Zumba at 0930 this morning with Kim. Judy will probably sleep most of the day.

 

That’s it from the Emerald. Later!

[Woobstr112G]

What fantastic weather yesterday! And it looks like it’ll be great again today. Just being able to walk around and soak in the sunshine was great, and it was actually warm as well.

 

Helsinki doesn’t boast antiquities or palaces or lots of museums, but just has a really nice ‘feel’. Very clean, organized, modern and a very nice place to visit. With all the water it reminded me a lot of Seattle, Juneau or Skagway. I deliberately chose the shorter 3 hour city tour with Alla on this stop. After the 4 prior port days, I wanted the option for a short tour, and long nap, or go back into town to sample the food for lunch.

 

Helsinki is built on solid granite. The ice age glaciers basically stripped the land down to bedrock. You can see this around the city and on the trip into port. The little islands around the port entrance are smooth granite with maybe one or two bushes or trees on them. It looks a lot like the inside passage. Around town various outcroppings of granite are everywhere. Pine and birch trees are everywhere making for a very green looking city. Not sterile concrete and glass at all.

 

The drive took us around the city and the various parks. Visited the Rock Church, carved out of the bedrock, the Cathedral, city hall and the local market. We could have easily spent a few days in this town. City hall had a display of the weirdest contraptions by a company called Bonk. The displayed items, from an anchovy paste dehydrator to an electromagnetic balloon, are almost indescribable. Everyone will have to wait for the full review as I took photos of the description plate and will have better access to Google to try and explain some of this stuff. We had a great laugh over the black and white photos accompanying the displays. In one photo, of one of the more complex electrical gadgets with wires and insulators and switches, sat a man who had a beard and looked a lot like Rasputin. Charlie, one of our new found friends from Australia, and whom was on the tour with us to see the Rasputin display in St Petersburg, commented that he’s still alive, but now they are trying to electrocute him!

 

We did visit the Cathedral as well. After seeing the elaborate interiors of the Russian Orthodox churches in St Petersburg, the interior here was quite plain. However, the statues of the 12 apostles on the outside of the church, life sized, are made of pure zinc!

 

The market was way cool. Love outdoor markets and this was one of the best. Fruits and vegetables, street food, handmade items like sealskin caps (very soft, but illegal to import into the US). We found our obligatory magnet, then a warm wrap for Judy and scouted out where we wanted to come back to after the tour was over. Prices on the fur items were very reasonable. Actually cheaper than the fur caps in Russia. The people were very friendly. Spoke English better than most Americans. (It’s really a shame we don’t require fluency in at least one other language in our schools.)

 

What’s really interesting to me is that the root of the Finnish language is from a swath of territory that stretches from Turkey to Hungary to Estonia to Finland. It is not Cyrillic or Slavik language based, nor is it Danish/Swedish/Norwegian based. I found that fascinating to contemplate how that came about geographically.

 

The tour took us back to the ship at noon and we turned around and took the shuttle bus (10 Euros round trip) back to town with Jeanine and Charlie, a couple from Australia we’ve been hanging with for a few days. From the shuttle drop off, we wandered through the Esplanade are to the market for lunch. Jeanine and Charlie had the moose meatballs, Judy had the three meat platter and I had the three fish platter. Everyone agreed the moose meatballs were pretty tough and not very tasty. Probably should have opted for the lamb meatballs in a red sauce that another shop was making. But Judy’s sausage and pork were really good. My salmon was fantastic having been flat topped with dill and lemon. My fish included local ‘wendys’, a small sardine like fish deep fried. They reminded me of the baby fish fried in Vietnam. A little fishy, but not bad.

 

We topped off the lunch with ice cream, checked out the various statuary in the esplanade and headed back to the ship in time to partake in the buy one, get one for a dollar in the wheelhouse. After seeing Charlie’s pictures of the crocodiles and countryside around Darwin, we want to go to Australia even more.

 

Dinner for us was a simple trip to the HC for a light snack. Judy had picked up her cruise cold and wanted to do a Nyquil night early. We did go to see a ballroom dancing show by a couple – Katia and Zenia. We really enjoyed the show as we’ve never seen a full show of ballroom up close like this. Only snippets of dance during the production shows. And we are big fans of Dancing With The Stars. They did a really good job going through several ballroom dances – Rhumba, Viennese Waltz, Jive, Swing. Very high energy.

 

Today is a simple day at sea. I will be doing Zumba at 0930 this morning with Kim. Judy will probably sleep most of the day.

 

That’s it from the Emerald. Later!

 

Sounds like a great day at sea. Hope your significant other gets better soon.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ccrain]

Weather looks like it could go either way. Partly cloudy one way, black and stormy the other. Its either coming in or going out. We’ll see what’s happening in the next few hours to decide how to dress. Judy will probably not be going out. She had a pretty rough night coughing as the cold moved down into her chest.

 

We have the Grand Tour with Alla today. Our last Alla tour of the trip. They’ve been very, very good this trip, and we’ve really enjoyed the guides and the itineraries – again at a fraction of the price of the comparable Princess tours.

 

So yesterday was a nice relaxing day at sea. Did the morning workout and then Zumba with Kim. Finally had our obligatory burger and pizza lunch. The burger and fries were really good, but the pizza dough was a bit flat. Like it needed a bit more salt in the mix. The margherita pizza is still the best overall pizza though. At 1500 we ended up in the wheelhouse again meeting with some fellow cruise critic members to enjoy the buy one, get one for a dollar. Fixed Judy a hot toddy consisting of spiced orange tea from the HC and two shots of Jim Beam Honey Whiskey.

 

Last night was another early Nyquil night for her. But we did manage to make it to the Captain’s Circle party. They had to have 3 separate parties. There were over 2000 Circle members on the ship. 300+ Elites. The most traveled had over 1400 days, the third a little over 800 days. We’ve sailed with Captain Martin Stenzel before. He’s a very visible captain as he does rounds all over the ship at all hours. He came through Zumba in the morning just to see what was going on. I like a hands on Captain.

 

Looks like we’ll have to sail on the Royal class sooner or later. With five of those class of ships, I just don’t see them going back to the smaller ships ever again, and eventually these will wear out. What a shame.

 

Pulling into dock. Gotta go. Later…

[macusr]

Somehow I missed that it was time for another cruise and Live From thread so I got caught up tonight on it!

 

We really liked Emerald when we sailed her back in 2010.

 

Kristin

[ccrain]

It was a beautiful warm and sunny day, all day. Almost hot in the sun, but cool in the shade and in the breeze. Very enjoyable. We are sitting in the IC enjoying a variety of teas after having a Bavarian Dinner in the HC. Great fresh sauerkraut, tasty sausages, red braised cabbage to die for, terribly gummy and pasty pasta (hey you can’t win it all), steamed asparagus, a mushroom bisque, really nicely done Pork Milanese and of course, fresh bread and cheeses to die for. A trio is providing the musical backdrop, the staff is very friendly and like is good. (It would be perfect if Judy felt better, but she’s on the mend.)

 

I really enjoyed Gdynia and Gdansk. (Judy decided to stay in bed today. No need to be coughing up a lung in the closed confines of a tour bus.) The Alla tour was really good, but there was a different vibe from the people and the sights in this town. Maybe it’s because of my familiarity with the historical events of Solidarity in the 80’s and 90’s, the rise of Lech Walesa and Pope John Paul II. Maybe it’s because of my familiarity with the WWII history of Poland – the charging of German Panzers by Polish cavalry – or the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Whatever it is I really like the town and the people.

 

There was only seven of us for the Alla Grand Tour of Gdansk. In one medium sized van, we all had plenty of room. The tour started in Gdynia with a drive around the city. As our tour guide explained, almost everything in the area was leveled during WWII. What has arisen is a mix of old communist building and apartment blocks, Polish government funded restoration projects in the pre-independence days and post-independence private and government investment in redevelopment and restoration. In the ‘suburbs’ this makes for a wild mix of architectures and styles. Almost haphazard, but alive, not sterile. Sort of like Naples – a living practical environment. A lot of green space, a lot of parks, a lot of trees as well.

 

We visited the shipyards and the Solidarity monument. Not quite what I expected, but interesting nonetheless. It was interesting to hear how the whole movement got started – from a Polish perspective. Our guide’s accent was very heavy, but after a while I was able to dial in a bit, and it became fun to listen to her try to find the English word to describe what she was trying to say. Once again a person I would have loved to have lunch with to listen to her version of what went on in the 80’s and 90’s.

 

Most impressive is the old town restoration. The theme is to restore the entire area to the state prior to its destruction in WWII. This means you end up with an eclectic mix of 13th through 19th century buildings side by side with very wide pedestrian streets – and of course all of the paved and concrete roadways and walkways are being replaced with cobblestone. The old dockyard canal is being used for guided tours, rental motor boats and a replica pirate sailing ship. And the people are so very proud of what they are accomplishing – and rightly so. It will rival Copenhagen in the architecture, but be designed specifically for people to walk through and enjoy – without the traffic snarl of Copenhagen.

 

We did visit two more churches. Yes, two more churches. Both magnificent in their own way. The downtown cathedral (St. Mary’s) had to be essentially restored from scratch having been leveled in WWII. Loved the carved wood and the huge pipe organ. But the Oliwa Cathedral takes the prize. Wow! The organ here had over 7000 pipes and we made it in time for a short concert which would blow your mind with the sound. In this day of electronic synthesis, there is just some indescribable quality to a live organ music from such a large instrument. Very moving. And this was one of the few cathedrals to survive WWII almost unscathed. The altar, the artwork, the woodwork, were just phenomenal, unique and interesting. Above the altar were ‘billowing clouds’ with the heads of angels poking above the clouds. This was not a painting, but a 3D diorama of sorts. Just phenomenal.

 

The only major complaint on the Alla tours, especially this one, was the lack of time for a nice sit down lunch and careful shopping in the downtown area. We only had an hour of the 5 hour tour, but they really should have picked us up an hour early and given us a bit more free time in downtown. After shopping we really didn’t have time to sample the local brews and food. I guess that is what makes a great tour – you want more!

 

This would be a very easy and comfortable city to DIY. You could easily cab from the ship to the town, or take the Princess shuttle bus, or a train from Gdynia – and the trains (light rail) look very modern and comfortable as well. As in previous ports it was better to bring local currency as all the prices were in Zloty – although credit card sales always have a better rate – it’s hard to put Visa into the church collection plates or for that small magnet or bottle of coke.

 

That’s it for the night. Time to take Judy back to the room for her beauty sleep! Night!

[ccrain]

Somehow I missed that it was time for another cruise and Live From thread so I got caught up tonight on it!

 

We really liked Emerald when we sailed her back in 2010.

 

Kristin

 

Next week I will be writing in Shogun's live from thread during the next cruise. Norway should be a real blast!