Baltic Heritage on Crown Princess 3 June, 2017

[PurpleTraveller]

Monday June 12 - Helsinki

 

Today our good luck with the weather ran out and we woke to rain and mist. My plan to get the ferry to Suomenlinna Fortress was immediately scrapped so we had a leisurely breakfast. At 10am we made our way off the ship and decided to get the shuttle bus into the centre of the city. It cost Euro10 each for a return ticket and we paid cash on the dock. The bus took 20 minutes and dropped us five blocks away from Market Square. We walked through the Esplanade Park to Market Square where it was very wet. The market stalls had not yet been set up so we walked past Upenski Cathedral to the marina.

 

 

Onward to Senate Square and a statue of Emperor Alexander ll.

 

 

We climbed the stairs up to the Cathedral and found that it was very crowded as it was one place that you could get out of the rain and dry off a little.

 

 

After a quick visit we then walked back to Market Square and went to the Covered Market. We were surprised to find it uncrowded as it was warm and dry in there. We had an enjoyable time walking around and looking at the produce including a lot of reindeer meat.

 

 

 

When we went back outside it was still raining and in fact it didn't let up all day. A quick walk around the few outdoor market stalls and we decided that two hours in the rain was enough. We walked back to the shuttle bus stop where there was a bus waiting and a short time later were back at the ship.

 

After dropping our wet rain jackets and umbrellas in the cabin we headed to the International Cafe for a warming hot chocolate, a pot of tea and some lunch. A lazy afternoon then ensued.

 

As we thought the food in the Dining Rooms and Horizon Court was not as good (not bad, just not as good) as we have had on previous Princess cruises we had decided to try the Crown Grill for dinner tonight. We had never been to a specialty restaurant before so this was a first for us. We had a lovely meal that we thoroughly enjoyed. The food and service were both great.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

Tuesday June 13 - Sea Day

 

Today was another lovely sea day. We started off with morning trivia then went to the Destination Presentation on Gdansk. During the talk we were told that Gdansk is a 45 minute drive from Gdynia where we would be docking and that there is not a Hop On Hop Off Bus there and few taxis. The train is a two mile walk then 45 minutes to an hour to get to Gdansk. After the talk the queue for the Shore Excursions desk was so long it went into the casino. We were later told that all Shore Excursions had been sold out.

 

Next was a quick visit to the Michelangelo Dining Room sale and then lunch. The Navigation at Sea seminar in the Princess Theatre was interesting and after a bit of time to read it was time for afternoon trivia.

 

The first Captain's Party for Elite and Platinum passengers was at 5.30pm. Another party was held later that evening for the passengers who didn't go to the first party. The most travelled passengers were 1st - 540 days, 2nd - 454 days and 3rd - 452 days.

 

Tonight we went to Sabatini's for dinner. We had received this meal as part of the "Three for Free" promotion so after never being to a specialty restaurant we ended up going to two in two nights. The food was excellent and so was the service. As we were not interested in any of the desserts our waiter offered to get us lemon sorbet from the main dining room. It was delicious. We left stuffed full and having had a wonderful meal.

 

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[upwarduk]

We sailed Crown Princess 13-27.05.17.

We were surprised, whenever we passed by the Crown Grill in an evening how few diners were there!

[PurpleTraveller]

We sailed Crown Princess 13-27.05.17.

We were surprised, whenever we passed by the Crown Grill in an evening how few diners were there!

On the night we went there were only a handful of occupied tables when we arrived but by the time we left it was about half full.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday June 14 - Gdansk (Part One)

 

When I started doing research on this port I discovered that Gdansk is a 45 minute drive from Gdynia and that it is a long walk to the train station. As All Aboard would be 3.30pm I didn't want to risk being late if there were problems with the trains so I booked a Princess Shore Excursion as soon as they were available to book. I chose "Gdansk On Your Own" to maximise the time we would have to walk around Gdansk and not have any concerns about returning to the ship on time. After the Destination Presentation on Gdansk I was very pleased that I had done this as it sounded like it was not an easy matter to get to Gdansk on your own and all Shore Excursions were sold out.

 

We met at 7.30am at Club Fusion and were on our way at 7.45am. As we left the port there were a number of taxis at the port gate but I don't know how much they cost to go to Gdansk or how easy or difficult it was to get a taxi back to Gdynia. We had a tour guide who was full of information on Poland and the tri-city area of Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk. We drove past the Oliwa Cathedral and also the home of Lech Walesa the founder of the Solidarity Movement, who won the Noble Peace Prize and became President of Poland.

 

We arrived in Gdansk at 8.45am to a glorious sunny day. After checking the meeting time and place for the return we made our way to the Green Gate one of the entrances to the Old City and previously a residence for visiting royalty. Lech Walesa also had his offices here for a number of years.

 

 

Before we entered the Old City we walked along the riverfront so we could view the Gdansk Crane from across the river. The riverfront is very pretty with all the lovely buildings and boats.

 

 

The Gdansk Crane was built in the 14th century and along with much of Gdansk it was destroyed in WWll. After the war the crane was pieced back together and reconstructed, making it the only fully restored relic of its kind in the world.

 

 

We entered the Old City and found a delightful town filled with beautiful buildings and lovely streets.

 

 

We walked past the Neptune Fountain and the Main Town Hall.

 

 

 

 

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Edited July 8, 2017 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Wednesday June 14 - Gdansk (Part Two)

We continued down the main street to the Golden Gate and through to the Prison Tower.

 

 

Next was the Great Arsenal a very beautiful building.

 

 

Now we walked past the Hyacinthus' Tower to the Market Hall. After a quick look around we then walked on to the Old Town Hall and Great Mill. The Great Mill was built around 1350 and was one of the largest industrial buildings in medieval Europe.

 

 

Then a visit to St Mary's Church one of the largest brick churches in the world.

 

 

We wandered the streets enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

 

 

We walked across the river to Spichlerze Island and sat back across the river from the Gdansk Crane and enjoyed the lovely sunshine and view.

 

 

All too soon it was time to meet the group at 1.15pm at the Green Gate to return to the ship. We walked back to the bus and set off with a stop at the Monument to the Shipyard Workers. On the way back our tour guide passed around photos of the devastation to the city in WWll and photos of the buildings today. The reconstruction and restoration of the city is remarkable. We got back to the port at 2.45pm after a wonderful visit to beautiful Gdansk.

 

Dinner was at the Botticelli Dining Room after being transferred there from the Michelangelo Dining Room as once again they didn't have any tables for two. We were seated at the same table as we had been the previous week and were warmly greeted by the waiters and had a lovely meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited July 8, 2017 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Thursday June 15 - Sea Day

 

Today was another sea day and we had a relaxed start to the day. We went to morning trivia and then at about 10.45am went up to the front of the Sun Deck as we were due to sail under the Great Belt East Bridge at about 11.15am. The bridge is 6,790 metres long and the span of the suspension bridge of 1,624 metres is the third longest suspension bridge span in the world. As we got closer to the bridge it became very crowded at the front of the ship. The bridge is very impressive and the clearance as we sailed under it was about 9 metres. The horn was sounded as we passed directly under the bridge which made everyone jump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we had passed under the bridge it took a while to make our way back to the main part of the Sun Deck and I was amazed at how many people were there. I have never seen so many people on the upper decks at the one time.

 

At 1.45pm an announcement was made that there was a submarine and helicopter doing manouveres on our port side so we went to watch this as it is not every day you get to see a submarine surfaced in the middle of the sea. When the manouveres were finished the helicopter made a fly past close to the ship before it flew away. Ten minutes later we passed Regal Princess who sounded her Love Boat horn as we passed.

 

Afternoon trivia, reading, dinner and the 8pm show in the Princess Theatre - Encore finished our sea day.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

Friday June 19 - Sea Day

 

Another sea day was our last day of the cruise. When we returned to our cabin after breakfast we were greeted by the dreaded sight of the luggage mat on the bed. Putting off the inevitable we went to morning trivia. On the way we stopped off in the Piazza and looked at the display of five replicas of Princess Diana's dresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the cruise we had played trivia on every sea day with the lovely Australian couple who had organised our shared taxi in Bruges and another lovely American couple we had met at trivia. We had lots of fun and laughs and often had been only a point away from a win. However today was our day and we won! Our prize was a laundry bag!

 

A visit to the Culinary Demonstration in the Princess Theatre was next and then back to the cabin to pack.

 

We had met a delightful English couple when we shared the taxi to Bruges. They had joined the Princess Pop Choir so we went to see and listen to them sing in the Piazza. They were wonderful! As a group of passengers who had never sung together before this cruise they sounded great.

 

 

Afternoon trivia was followed by The Voice of the Ocean final in the Princess Theatre. I was so impressed by the calibre of singers and of their bravery in singing in front of hundreds of strangers under the lights in the theatre. The winner was a member of the Princess Pop Choir.

 

The 8pm show in the Princess Theatre was The Royal Variety Show and was wonderful. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed all the acts immensely.

 

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Edited July 9, 2017 by PurpleTraveller

[Travlin grrl]

Thursday June 15 - Sea Day

 

 

 

 

 

At 1.45pm an announcement was made that there was a submarine and helicopter doing manouveres on our port side so we went to watch this as it is not every day you get to see a submarine surfaced in the middle of the sea. When the manouveres were finished the helicopter made a fly past close to the ship before it flew away. Ten minutes later we passed Regal Princess who sounded her Love Boat horn as we passed.

 

Afternoon trivia, reading, dinner and the 8pm show in the Princess Theatre - Encore finished our sea day.

 

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Hey there. I'm working on my Baltic cruise review on the Regal and we saw this submarine too. I remember passing the Crown and taking a photo. Did you see me wave at you?

[PurpleTraveller]

Hey there. I'm working on my Baltic cruise review on the Regal and we saw this submarine too. I remember passing the Crown and taking a photo. Did you see me wave at you?

Hi, I've been reading and enjoying your review. I did see you waving [emoji1]. Hope you saw me! Look forward to the rest of your review.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

Hey there. I'm working on my Baltic cruise review on the Regal and we saw this submarine too. I remember passing the Crown and taking a photo. Did you see me wave at you?

I found my photo that I took of Regal Princess as we passed. If I look carefully I can see you waving [emoji1].

 

 

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[BabySarge]

Thanks for a great review. Will be on the Regal at the end of August doing some, but not all, of the same ports as you and your review has helped quite a bit with our planning. Again, thanks for a great review.

 

AWT

[rdsqrl]

I can't tell you how much I've been enjoying your review and your photos -- you've done a phenomenal job and included some really excellent information, and done it with such good writing that I feel like I've been right there with you.

 

You didn't happen to get any photos of Kotlin Island and the Leningrad Naval Base, did you?

[CruisingObsessed]

Fabulous review with beautiful photos, thanks!

[PurpleTraveller]

Thanks for a great review. Will be on the Regal at the end of August doing some, but not all, of the same ports as you and your review has helped quite a bit with our planning. Again, thanks for a great review.

 

AWT

Thank you. I am glad that this review has helped you. We had a fantastic time and loved this itinerary. Enjoy Regal and hope you have a wonderful cruise and good weather.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

I can't tell you how much I've been enjoying your review and your photos -- you've done a phenomenal job and included some really excellent information, and done it with such good writing that I feel like I've been right there with you.

 

You didn't happen to get any photos of Kotlin Island and the Leningrad Naval Base, did you?

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you have enjoyed this review. I have some photos of Kotlin Island and the Naval Base but they aren't very good as I took them through the cabin window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited July 10, 2017 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

Fabulous review with beautiful photos, thanks!

Thank you. Glad you have enjoyed it.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

Saturday June 17 - Disembarkation Day

 

Well today was the sad day that we were evicted from our lovely cabin and had to leave Crown Princess. We left our cabin at 8am and went for a leisurely breakfast out on the Lido Deck for the last time. We enjoyed sitting in the sun for a while then went to the Platinum/Elite/Suite Lounge at Club Fusion. At 9.45am we walked off the ship in a matter of minutes and picked up our luggage. There was a short five minute wait for a taxi and then we were off to the National Express Bus Station. The taxi took about ten minutes and cost GBP7.

 

When planning our trip I had decided to pre-book our bus trip from Southampton to Heathrow Terminal 5. I did this through the National Express website which is easy to use and the tickets cost GBP25 each. I pre-booked as I was concerned that with a number of ships docking in Southampton that the 11.30am bus to Heathrow would be full. It was a very good thing that I had pre-booked as the 11.30am bus was full with not a single empty seat as we left Southampton. The next bus wasn't until 1.15pm so that would have made it very tight to make our flight and I would've been stressed the entire way. However we were on the 11.30am bus and had a pleasant two hour journey to Heathrow. On arrival at Heathrow Terminal 5 we checked in for our flight to Dublin and continued on our holiday.

 

We had driven around the south of Ireland for ten days last year and enjoyed it so much that this year we planned to drive around the northern part of Ireland and Northern Ireland for another ten days. After a short flight we were in Ireland.

 

Now I know that Ireland has nothing to do with cruising but I thought I would show you a glimpse of some of the wonderful places we saw in Ireland and Northern Ireland just in case you are thinking of adding on a trip there before or after a cruise.

 

We had a wonderful time and saw spectacular scenery, beautiful gardens, lighthouses, castles, churches, abbeys, ancient sites and lots of ruins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

And just a few more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[cdngrl]

thank you for taking the time to share this. your photos are stunning and i loved the review. i leave in 5 days (wooooo!!!!) for my baltic cruise. your review helped me so much!

[PurpleTraveller]

thank you for taking the time to share this. your photos are stunning and i loved the review. i leave in 5 days (wooooo!!!!) for my baltic cruise. your review helped me so much!

Thank you. I am glad that the review has helped you. This was one of my favourite cruises. The Baltic's is a beautiful area with great ports. Hope you have a wonderful cruise and good weather!

 

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[upwarduk]

Celebrity Eclipse has a TA which ends in Dublin next April and then it 'homeports' there for 5 cruises, so your Irish photos could be quite appropriate for a future 2018 cruiser!:hearteyes:

[PurpleTraveller]

Celebrity Eclipse has a TA which ends in Dublin next April and then it 'homeports' there for 5 cruises, so your Irish photos could be quite appropriate for a future 2018 cruiser![emoji813]eyes:

Hadn't thought about that! Now that I think about it, Princess also has cruises that visit Ireland and Northern Ireland. Some of the photos such as the Giant's Causeway, the Dark Hedges and Glenarm Castle Walled Garden could all be done on a day tour from Belfast.

 

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[PurpleTraveller]

Conclusion

 

I want to start this round up with a disclaimer that this is my opinion only and I am sure that others on this cruise would have other opinions.

 

The Crown Princess is a wonderful ship and I love her design. I was a little concerned before our cruise after reading a number of negative comments but I was pleasantly surprised at her condition. She was not shabby or in bad shape and I saw maintenance being done on a number of occasions. The service I received during the cruise was good with only a couple of minor exceptions. The food was good but not great with the exception of the meals I had at Crown Grill and Sabatini's where the food and service were great. The shows I saw in the Princess Theatre were all very enjoyable. Our cabin was in a very convenient location, was very quiet and the bed was comfortable. The obstructed oceanview was not very obstructed and I would book this cabin again (in fact I have for our next cruise).

 

I don't know what it was - maybe the age demographic which was slightly older than we are used to (but age is just a number anyway!) or the mix of nationalities, but this was the friendliest group of passengers I have ever had the pleasure of sailing with. It didn't matter where we were on the ship but we met many lovely, interesting and friendly people.

 

The Baltic itinerary is wonderful and we saw many interesting, beautiful and amazing places. St Petersburg was a standout with our TJ Travel tour fantastic and Tallinn was also a favourite. Most of the ports are very easy to DIY and I didn't have any delays or problems with immigration particularly in St Petersburg.

 

I loved this cruise and I would not hesitate to sail on Crown Princess or this itinerary again.

 

It is now time to wrap up this review. I hope this review has been of some help to those of you who are going to the Baltics and maybe inspired some of you to consider a cruise to the Baltics. Thank you all for following along and thank you for your lovely comments and kind words. They are truly appreciated. Where is our next adventure? We will be sailing on Emerald Princess from Buenos Aires to Santiago followed by ten days in Peru to visit Machu Picchu in February 2018. I will do a review of that cruise when I return. Until then "Bon Voyage".

 

 

 

 

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[sophielove]

Thank you so much for this review and all of your beautiful pictures. The Baltic is now on my bucket list.

 

 

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