Newbie on O Doing Scandinavian Cruise on Marina Questions

[Mylisa]

Doing the Nordic Legends cruise in July in concierge veranda A1 level cabin.

 

We've also booked the premium economy airline upgrade and the O Life offer choosing free internet and 3 free excursions. I hope we did right with these choices?!

 

We've never been on O but all the threads I've read here are positive. We've been sticking with the smaller cruise lines and really enjoying them but we liked this itinerary better this time. Our TA highly recommended O and so we're going with it.

 

Looking for advice on cruising O. Any tips would be appreciated. Where to eat and when, etc.

 

Also looking to find out what tours to book with the ship and which not to book. Any advice on booking our own tours and with whom would also be appreciated.

 

Our Itinerary- Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg; Helsinki; kalipedia, Lithuania; Gdansk, Poland; Berlin; Copenhagen; Oslo, Norway; Southampton, England.

 

As always, fellow CC friends, thanks for your invaluable help and input.

[Mura]

We've done a couple of Nordic cruises on Oceania but they were Norway more than Russia. We did the Baltic on Renaissance in May '01 but that's a long time ago.

 

I would recommend booking private tours in St. Petersburg, only because so many CCers have raved about the various agencies. When we were there they didn't exist. We did have a private guide but she couldn't give us the group visa which the newer groups -- Red October, etc. -- can.

 

I have frequently objected to trying to do Berlin from a Baltic port... you are on the road more than you are in the city, and this is a city that merits at least several days. A better bet is Lubec, but even that is about 2 hours from the port. So when considering ship's tours, DO look at the time it takes to get to the destination.

 

Stockholm is easily done on your own especially since you overnight there before departure. I'd recommend coming in at least a day before so you can really see the city. Don't miss the Vasa. Across the street from the Vasa is a wonderful folk arts museum.

 

Tallinn is also walkable from the port. When we were there with Renaissance in '01 we did take a ship's tour but many others on our cruise just did their own thing.

 

As I look at the itinerary, there's lots that can be done on your own. You need to look at the ship's tours and see if there are any that attract you.

 

Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities but on a port visit, there's not much that you can do ... a ship's tour, maybe if it goes out of town (say to Helsingor or the art museum at Louisiana) might be a good bet. You can also walk around on your own or perhaps take a boat tour around the city.

 

Enough said ... I think you are getting my drift!

 

Mura

[Mura]

In looking further at your itinerary, Oslo is also good to do on your own.

 

You can take the ferry (just off the dock) to Museum Island. There are several wonderful museums there, about 5 -- the Viking Museum and the Kon Tiki are among our favorites, but there is also an excellent Folk Art Museum. Well worth a visit.

 

Also don't miss the Vigeland Museum, a collection of fabulous sculptures. It's a short bus ride from the port.

 

For the other ports, I can't speak to Klaipeda or Gdansk. Check the ports of call section for suggestions, or do a search. Many have talked about Gdanski, I don't recall comments about Klaipeda.

 

Helsinki is also do-able on your own. When we were there in 2001 we did a bus tour that took us the same places as the ship's tour but we could spend as much time as we wanted at each stop.

 

Have fun!

 

Mura

[Artful]

Doing the Nordic Legends cruise in July in concierge veranda A1 level cabin.

 

We've also booked the premium economy airline upgrade and the O Life offer choosing free internet and 3 free excursions. I hope we did right with these choices?!

 

We've never been on O but all the threads I've read here are positive. We've been sticking with the smaller cruise lines and really enjoying them but we liked this itinerary better this time. Our TA highly recommended O and so we're going with it.

 

Looking for advice on cruising O. Any tips would be appreciated. Where to eat and when, etc.

 

Also looking to find out what tours to book with the ship and which not to book. Any advice on booking our own tours and with whom would also be appreciated.

 

Our Itinerary- Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg; Helsinki; kalipedia, Lithuania; Gdansk, Poland; Berlin; Copenhagen; Oslo, Norway; Southampton, England.

 

As always, fellow CC friends, thanks for your invaluable help and input.

 

I highly recommend Alla Tours located in St. Petersburg. We took a package including Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Tallinn, and St. Petersburg. Guides in St. Petersburg, Oslo, and Stockholm were outstanding. Adequate in other cities. Very easy to work with online. You can read reviews in Trip Advisor about their St. Petersburg tours. Varied and informative. From the Hermitage to Palaces to subway ride to a boat ride. Small Mercedes buses. Very comfortable.

Edited February 14, 2017 by Artful
Forgot Oslo

[Mylisa]

Thank you for your response. Did you take a group tour with Alla or an individual tour? How do you get in touch with them? Do you have an email address for them.

[wally_bushy]

We used Red October in St Petersburg (ask for Irena:))

We have recommended them to a number of friends who were happy with them and particularly Irena as a guide

[Artful]

Thank you for your response. Did you take a group tour with Alla or an individual tour? How do you get in touch with them? Do you have an email address for them.

 

 

Just "google". Alla Tours to get their website. We did a group tour - maybe ten of us from the Emerald Princess. I arranged a place for us to meet on the ship by email and we all disembarked together in St. Petersburg. Some were on the 5 city tour and others only St. Pete.

[Skyrose]

We used Alla in SPB in 2015. The tour, and tour guide were excellent, although I suspect that would be true of all the tour companies there. What I believe was unique about Alla was that they priced per person, and they took responsibility for putting a group together. They guaranteed the tour would happen even if there were only the two of us. If I recall correctly, they limit tour size to 12. As it happened there were only six of us on the tour. They have a Web site, and you can send them email. They were prompt and thorough in answering all our questions. Ask for the Cruise Critic discount. In Stockholm and Helsinki we used the HOHO bus. We did Talinn on our own by foot. The Rick Steves Baltic Cruise Port book was great in helping us figure out what we wanted to see and do. We used Google maps on my phone to help navigate. (Thanks T-mobile for free international data! ). That was our first Oceania cruise; we loved the itinerary and loved Marina.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Forums mobile app

[Pet Nit Noy]

... the O Life offer choosing free internet and 3 free excursions. I hope we did right with these choices?! ...Looking for advice on cruising O. Any tips would be appreciated. Where to eat and when, etc.

 

Also looking to find out what tours to book with the ship and which not to book. Any advice on booking our own tours and with whom would also be appreciated.

 

Our Itinerary- Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg; Helsinki; kalipedia, Lithuania; Gdansk, Poland; Berlin; Copenhagen; Oslo, Norway; Southampton, England.

 

As always, fellow CC friends, thanks for your invaluable help and input.

 

The single most important piece of information about a cruise which includes St Petersburg is that you will have three options for visiting: taking an excursion booked with the ship, getting your own visa an touring without any Russian guide, and taking an excursion booked with a licensed Russian tour company. You will get very intimidating email/letters from your cruise line telling you about options one and two. They simply omit mention of option three. (Oceania is not unique in failing to mention option three.) If you are with a licensed tour guide in St Petersburg, you will NOT need to get an individual visa whether that tour guide is one provided by the ship or one that you book with directly.

 

In addition to this Oceania board, get involved with the Northern Europe/Baltic board. Lots of participants will help you evaluate various destinations and tour companies. Here are the names of some of the most popular St Petersburg tour companies: Alla, TJ, SPB, and Best Guides. Happily, the reality is that the top 10 names of tour companies listed on Trip Advisor will all deliver outstanding experiences in St Petersburg. You should not be intimidated into thinking those four names are your only way to a great experience in St Petersburg.

 

There are small differences among the various tour companies: assistance forming a group, sit down lunch VS quick snack, size of the group, emphasis on historic/artistic sites VS some exposure to the way the locals live (e.g. subway ride), and somewhat slower pace for people with mobility/stamina issues. Just go to the web sites and see what appeals.

 

I'm not a great fan of the three free tour option with O Life because the ship's tour groups are typically large. Going through the excursion desk, you can expect 40+ cruisers together on a big bus. A group that size cannot move as productively as a the more typical group size (12-16) in a private licensed Russian tour groups. (Since I suspect you're quite far out for this cruise, see if your TA can switch your specific O life benefit.) If you can't switch, consider using your O life tours any place but St Petersburg!! That's where you really, really want the advantages of small-group touring.

 

If you can't switch to onboard credit or something else, I'd strongly recommend you use one of your O life tours in Klaipedia. This is a very small town that will be a huge let down after the glories of St Petersburg and Tallin. A ship's tour will let you get whatever can be gotten out of this port. If you drop the O life tour option, assume this port call will involve not much more than a stroll and lunch in town, although I have read that the occasional visitor books a local guide.

 

If you think you're going to tire of palaces, museums, and history on this very port intensive itinerary, consider booking a food tour during one port call. I can enthusiastically recommend http://foodtours.eu/ We enjoyed the four-hour tour in Copenhagen but that was the four-hour option taken during a post-cruise stay. There are shorter versions that will let you see some of other sites.) I have no personal experience with a Tallin food tour, but I've read enthusiastic reviews on this board or the N. Europe board.

Edited February 14, 2017 by Pet Nit Noy

[TERRIER1]

Agree with everything posted above. We used Alla for St Petersburg and they were great. Our group had 6 people. Copenhagen can be done on your own and a canal cruise is really lovely. Tallinn is a small town and great for walking and doable on your own. Berlin is far from the port and you need to make a decision if you want to spend a great part of the day in transit to and from the ship. Stockholm is also doable on your own and I highly suggest a visit to the Vasa Museum. Rick Steves and other guide books have walking tours for these cities. Take a look at what Oceania offers in their "included" tours from Olife and determine if most of these are just walking tours. You will probably want to use your Olife tours for those ports where it is difficult to do on your own or where there is nothing going in near the port. Oceania excursions are known to be overpriced so you may want to check your roll call and see if you can share a private excursion with others. Enjoy your trip.

[Mylisa]

As suggested I have ordered the Steve Ricks book and changed my O Life benefits to free internet and onboard credits.

 

Is there anything we we need to know about the ship and onboard life that would be helpful to know? We are in A-1 concierge level. Any tips would be appreciated since this is our first cruise on O.

[LHT28]

Is there anything we we need to know about the ship and onboard life that would be helpful to know? We are in A-1 concierge level. Any tips would be appreciated since this is our first cruise on O.

Make sure you try afternoon tea at least once at 4pm in Horizons

 

Book your specialty restaurant reservations as soon as your time slot opens up (date is on your invoice )

 

Enjoy

Lyn

[GeorgesGal]

Make sure you try afternoon tea at least once at 4pm in Horizons

 

Book your specialty restaurant reservations as soon as your time slot opens up (date is on your invoice )

 

Enjoy

Lyn

 

 

Watch out for that afternoon tea - it can be habit-forming!;)

[LHT28]

Watch out for that afternoon tea - it can be habit-forming!;)

 

rarely miss it :D

[dfb]

We did this itinerary in both directions in the summer of 2015. Here are some blogs links about our experiences. I recommend Alla Tours as well (except for in Copenhagen). They were easy to work with and formed groups on their own, so you don't have to do it. Alla handles all communications and planning through a feature on their website. It is easy to figure out. Also, since we were on the itinerary twice they were great about customizing our tours when we came back so we could go to Moscow. Alla had a tour in Klaipeda! I also recommend Friends of Dave in Germany. We did do Berlin with Alla and enjoyed it but it was a long bus ride. The bonus of that ride was that you drive through an area famous for stork breeding/nesting and they were in season when we drove through so bird watching kept us busy.

Stockholm

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/stockholm-sweden.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/stockholm-day-1.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/stockholm-day-2.html

Tallinn

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/tallinn-estonia.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/return-to-tallinn-estonia.html

St. Petersburg

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/saint-petersburg-russia.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/saint-petersburg-day-2.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/saint-petersburg-day-3.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/private-tour-in-st-petersburg-day-1.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/moscow.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/last-day-in-saint-petersburg.html

Helsinki

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/helsinki-finland.html

Klaipedia

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/klaipeda-lithuania-and-curonian-spit.html

Gdansk

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/malbork-castle-and-gdansk-poland_86.html

Berlin

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/berlin-germany.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/warnemunde-germany-again.html

Copenhagen

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/copenhagen-denmark.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/copenhagen-again.html

Oslo

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/oslo-norway.html

Southampton

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/southampton-salisbury-and-stonehenge.html

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/07/southampton-again.html

[NewCruiser2016]

Hi dfb,

 

Thank you for posting your very interesting blog and photos.

 

Can you share the make and model of your camera? Also, did you do post-processing or are the pictures right from the camera?

 

Many thanks again.

[dfb]

My husband is the photographer in our family. I believe he shot most of the photos on that trip with an Olympus Stylus SH-50 point & shoot type digital camera with 24x zoom. It is gone by now though. You might search online and see what has replaced it. He doesn't do any photo processing, so those are straight from the camera's memory card. I believe they may have been automatically size-reduced by the photo storage site's uploading process. If that doesn't answer your questions, let me know and I'll get my husband to give you more information.

[NewCruiser2016]

I believe he shot most of the photos on that trip with an Olympus Stylus SH-50 point & shoot type digital camera with 24x zoom.

 

The photos are terrific. I am going to Norway in July and hope my pictures are half as good as yours. Many thanks for the camera information.

[dfb]

Good Luck! Note that we did a tour of Norway for the 2 weeks or so between these 2 Oceania Marina cruises. The blog of that portion starts here.

http://epicendurancecruising.blogspot.com/2015/06/fly-back-to-oslo.html

[blackbr]

We used TJ Travel for our private tours on a similar itinerary (Tallinn, Riga, and St. Petersburg).

 

St. Petersburg was the city I was least looking forward to on this cruise. When I think back about the cruise, though, I think about the three days we had in this city. We had a private tour for our group of five. Our guide got us into all of the major sites and we bypassed all of the very long lines (I almost felt guilty about that. Almost). Our van driver was amazing. There is no place to park in St. Petersburg but when we emerged from our tourist site somehow he magically appeared with our van. He expertly threaded that van through all the heavy traffic too. The excursion wasn't cheap but it was unforgettable. In retrospect I don't know that I would have used them in the other cities but in St. Petersburg I would DEFINITELY book with TJ Travel or another reputable company.