Live on the Star in the Baltics, August 2016

[easyboy]

Did they do any overnight tours to further inland Russia? I see it's probably too far for coach trip but 3.5hrs to Moscow by train so wondered if anyone would do that staying overnight in Moscow or if it would be too far?

Tour agencies like the one we had only provides Moscow tours if ship has 3 days in port. Ours was only for overnight.

Other cruise lines have St. Petersburg as intraport where passengers have it as embark/debark port.

They then spend time in Moscow before or after the cruise.

[Single Cruiser]

Tour agencies like the one we had only provides Moscow tours if ship has 3 days in port. Ours was only for overnight.

Other cruise lines have St. Petersburg as intraport where passengers have it as embark/debark port.

They then spend time in Moscow before or after the cruise.

 

 

That would make more sense. Thanks for the info.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[KeithJenner]

On to Helsinki.

 

We were unsure whether to walk into the city or use a hop on hop off bus. It is about 2.5 miles to the market square from the cruise port and then a mile to the rock church from there.

 

We went for the hop on hop off as we also decided to go to the Olympic stadium, which is a bit further away. However, we then found that the stadium, and the viewing tower, is currently closed for refurbishment.

 

In the end we were pleased we went for the bus. We would obviously have missed quite a few sights along the way of we had walked, including the return route to the ship which has some great views out to sea.

 

We arranged to meet an old school friend for a short while at the market square. He has lived in Helsinki for a few years and I haven't seen him in over 10, so it was nice to meet up.

 

We spent a few hours in the area. It's a great place to just wander around, with some interesting architecture and my wife enjoyed looking around the stalls.

 

We then walked to the Rock church, which is well worth visiting, and then got the bus back to the ship, completing the lap of the hop on hop off bus route.

 

Helsinki is a great port to follow St Petersburg. It is a laid back place and easy to explore. The ship leaves at 4pm, so unless you are off the ship promptly then it is a fairly short stop. We got off at about 10am and we're back to the ship after 3.

 

It's a lovely city though, and we may well be back to stay with my friend some time soon (perhaps catching the ferry to Tallin for a day or two as well).

Edited August 17, 2016 by KeithJenner

[KeithJenner]

I've got a few hours hanging around at the airport today so I'll try to wrap this up.

 

We had the choice of an early or late flight, and decided to go for the relaxed option. We had some plans of dropping our luggage off at the central station and spending some time in Copenhagen, but as we had yesterday there we have gone for putting out feet up instead.

 

Anyway, back to Helsinki. We had booked La Cucina in the evening.

 

Our experiences have always been fairly mixed in the past. Actually, that's not true. I've always really enjoyed it (always have the Osso Bucco with is really good), but previously the people I've been with have never enjoyed it (and I've always had negative comments when friends have gone as well).

 

Anyway, that changed on the Epic in the Spring, when we all thought it was excellent, and it was the same this time. I don't know whether we've just got lucky, but our last two meals there have been amongst our favourites in any speciality restaurants lately.

 

We only went there on the Epic because of Moderno no longer being covered by the latitudes offer and now we will book it out of choice.

[KeithJenner]

The announcement about missing Stockholm was made during the evening after Helsinki and I have to say that we had a very enjoyable sea day instead.

 

The weather was mixed, with it getting cool and windy at times, but there were some long periods of sunshine.

 

Our son made some friends and spent a few hours in the pool with them so my wife and I had no choice but to have a few drinks. A hard life. :)

 

We went back to Moderno again in the evening, as it is our sons favourite. Again it was excellent (although the chicken was a but chewy again, after similar at Teppenyaki).

 

Basically a lazy day at sea. :)

[KeithJenner]

Finally, Copenhagen again.

 

I think this was the perfect way to end the cruise, and would love more cruises to finish this way.

 

On the Spirit last year, the itinerary has the ship arriving in Venice around lunch time the day before disembarkation and then we got off the next morning. The only problem with that was that the port is a little way from the city (or a ride on the people mover). However, where we were docked in Copenhagen is a great location to overnight.

 

We were at the same place when on the Norwegian Dream (and also overnighted there) and it is a really pleasant walk into the city.

 

We had a late breakfast and then headed off. When in Copenhagen last week our son had wanted to visit the Guinness World Records place on Stroget. We had managed to avoid it then, but decided to let him go in this time. It was exactly as we expected (expensive, small, out of date facts and really pretty rubbish), but he enjoyed it which is the main thing. The man who eats metal and glass was quite fun though. I couldn't watch the video of him tucking into a starter of razor blades and lightbulb a though. :)

 

We spent a few hours wandering through the city and then headed back to the ship so our son could have a final swim and we enjoyed some more drinks and the sunshine (the weather was excellent).

 

We may have gone for a meal in Copenhagen, but had Cagneys booked so went there instead. It was excellent as usual. Afterwards we left the ship and wandered down to the little mermaid. A lovely way to finish the cruise.

[KeithJenner]

As our flight is not until this afternoon, we stayed onboard until about 9.30

 

The taxi queues were fairly long (there are taxis coming fairly regularly but not a constant stream like in Barcelona for example). My guess was that it was probably a 30 minute wait.

 

We were doing the bus/train again as we were in no rush and it's a lot cheaper. The queue was long enough that we didn't get on the first bus and we waited for about 45 minutes in total. No problem for us, but this could be an issue if time matters.

 

There are two buses. 27 goes to Osterport and 25 to Norreport. One also goes into the centre, but I don't recall which one.

 

We for the 27. The issue with going to Osterport is that you have to climb some stairs to get to the platforms which was tricky with bags. If doing it again if wait for the 25 as you can get to the metro using lifts.

 

There were some lifts under construction at Osterport, so hopefully that problem will be solved in the future.

 

A bit of a pain, but it cost us 72DKK compared to something like 3-400DKK for a taxi or even more for NCL transfers, so I'm pleased we did it.

[KeithJenner]

To round up, a bit of a summary.

 

This is probably my favourite itinerary that we have done. My wife says she preferred Alaska but we both decided that it's close between the two (and they are very different).

 

Every port is a treat. Easy to get around, clean, friendly people and a laid back atmosphere.

 

Places like Rome and Athens may have more to see, but they are also a pain to get to. Other than St Petersburg this is an ideal place to do yourself or just grab a hop on hop off bus. It is really hard to pick a favourite (although yesterday reminded us how much we love Copenhagen).

 

I would very much recommend a private tour in St Petersburg. A group tour will be cheaper than the ship your and is likely to be better. Having a tour guide to ourselves was perfect, although this would get pricey for two days.

 

As for the ship, it was great. I think prefer the Jade for a number of small reasons, but there isn't much in it. The service was excellent. There wasn't really anyone who stood out (although our room steward was one of the better ones we have had), as the staff were consistently excellent.

 

Once again, I think of the comments I read on here about staff not being happy and just don't see it at all. I can honestly say that I haven't seen any change in the attitude of the staff during the past few years. They used to be excellent and they are still excellent.

 

If you are considering a Baltic cruise or a cruise on the Star (obviously the two don't go together after the current season ends) then I would recommend it.

[Single Cruiser]

Thanks for that Keith. Will be interesting next year when on Getaway with larger passenger numbers with some of the queues you mentioned in Copenhagen. For Russia if you chose private how did you arrange your visa and cost? As I think ship tours sort all that out

[KeithJenner]

As long as you book a private tour with a recognised operator in St Petersburg then they do the visas for you as well. We just needed to provide them with passport information. It's all included in the price.

 

You just show your tour ticket at immigration.

Edited August 18, 2016 by KeithJenner

[hawkeyetlse]

You probably don't have time anymore, but for people with later flights out of CPH, the aquarium Den Blå Planet is well worth a visit and it's within walking distance of the airport. There are also free shuttles and a frequent city bus, both leave from in front of the airport Hilton. If you stop by the tourist info desk at the airport they have a leaflet with all the directions, plus a 10% discount off the ticket (normal price 170 DKK for adults, so you can get in for about 20 euros).

 

It has an amazing shark/ray tank with a tunnel going through it, piranhas, puffins, sea otters… Touch screens at every tank with information about the animals in English. Not a huge place, but plenty to occupy a couple of hours if you're stuck at the airport anyway. And they have luggage lockers for cabin-sized baggage (requires 10 DKK or 1 euro coin).

[KeithJenner]

You probably don't have time anymore, but for people with later flights out of CPH, the aquarium Den Blå Planet is well worth a visit and it's within walking distance of the airport. There are also free shuttles and a frequent city bus, both leave from in front of the airport Hilton. If you stop by the tourist info desk at the airport they have a leaflet with all the directions, plus a 10% discount off the ticket (normal price 170 DKK for adults, so you can get in for about 20 euros).

 

It has an amazing shark/ray tank with a tunnel going through it, piranhas, puffins, sea otters… Touch screens at every tank with information about the animals in English. Not a huge place, but plenty to occupy a couple of hours if you're stuck at the airport anyway. And they have luggage lockers for cabin-sized baggage (requires 10 DKK or 1 euro coin).

 

 

 

Thanks for the tip. I do remember looking at that a few months ago, but then I forgot about it. :)

 

I think we're all ready for just settling down with a book for a couple of hours. We've got rid of our luggage now and have a couple of hours before our flight.

[hawkeyetlse]

Have a safe trip home. I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise. Thanks for adding useful content to CC!

[j-9]

Hi Keith, thanks for the trip report.

We are on the Star in 4 weeks doing the Iceland cruise, and are wondering if there were any special themed dinners offered. In the past we have experienced one called A taste of India, that we really enjoyed, as well as the Jazz brunch and chef's table. As ours is a 14 day, I hope they mix it up a bit!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[kathybelcher2433]

Okay, that settles it. This trip just moved to the top for 2018. Thank you for the encouraging report.