Cruising the Baltics with a Teen and Tween on the Getaway; A Review

[Travel R]

We passed through the city of Copenhagen one last time, and even under the spell of sickness, I still took a few pictures of the town as we drove along the highway.

For the last time, some travelling music please . . .

[This reminded me of the factory on the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals album:]

 

 

 



 

 





 

 

[Ding . . . . .]

 

 



 

 

[Travel R]

The trip to the airport was only about 20 minutes long. When we arrived at the terminal it was, at first, confusing to find the ticket booth for IcelandAir. But once we did, it was a very quick process checking in (my DW did all the talking), and going through customs was also a breeze.

 

 

We had something to eat in the airport while waiting for our flight (we arrived two hours early). I ate, and although I did not fall asleep, I closed my eyes while we waited on a couple of chairs we had found. Although note, there were delays,but it did not affect our connecting flight – the next plane waited a little longer for us to board, which someone said is a common practice for this airline. We all sat next to each other on this flight.

 

My head became more congested as the day wore on. I switched between sleeping (or just closing my eyes listening to music). However, my ears began to hurt when landing in Iceland. The boarding here was not very efficient. There was a long line that went down the stairs to an awaiting bus. We were towards the back of the line, and since they were waiting for a few late passengers, we were kept (standing) at the terminal until they arrived. It was only an annoyance because I was not feeling well, and wanted to sit down.

 

Once the bus took us to our airplane, we walked up the stairs and arrived at our seats. My DW sat with my DDs, and I got a seat in the back of the plane. The woman next to me was very nice and we did not fight over the arm rest. I think I must have listened to music for most of this last flight home, or tried to sleep. However, I was awake when we passed over the southern part of Greenland. The view as magnificent with glaciers and snow capped mountains covering the terrain as far as the eye could see.

 

 



 

 

 

The flight was fairly uneventful, although I was still feeling terrible (I did order some yogurt, which was quite good) until we began decent. My ears were in pain. I have never experienced such discomfort on an airplane before. As soon as we landed, I called for a car, which was waiting for us as soon as we walked outside the terminal with our luggage.

 

 

When we arrived home, I changed my clothing, took some medications (over the counter pills) and fell asleep. I awoke in the morning to call my manager that I was taking the day off, and called the doctor for an appointment later that day.

- - - - - -

This review, for the most part, is over. I will return to post some closing remarks and provide a brief (or as brief as I can manage) summary of the trip. I will also be adding something to the "official" review section for the Getaway.

 

 

Just a note on that - I have begun reading the member reviews for this itinerary, and it is interesting to read about what people liked and disliked the most - and how each of our experiences were so different. As I keep on mentioning, we are all on our own journey.

Edited September 11, 2017 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Weather

 

Since weather is of utmost import in this type of itinerary, I was talking to my co-worker that used to live in Germany (about 1 hour west of Warnemunde). He said he was talking to his family back home and they were commenting how miserable the weather has been this summer. They told him there were only a small handful of nice days the entire season. He mentioned how he remembers spending many summers on the beach there.

 

So when I researched the average temperature/weather on the Internet, it was just cold facts that it turned out to have been cooler than usual, but receiving a confirmation from a real-life person is reassuring that I did not misinterpret the data.

 

On the other hand, we were prepared for it, and Mother Nature did not affect our enjoyment of Germany or any other ports. We were prepared for the cold and the rain, although did have hope for the warmth and the sun. Hopefully this was just a bad season and for those of you doing research for next year, will have some nicer weather for the 2018 Baltic Cruise season.

 

[bluehorizonlover123]

Question for you??? If you had a choice which of these sites would you say is a must do??? Faberge or Yusupov's Palace. The tour company says we can't do both and have to pick which one to do??

[Travel R]

Question for you??? If you had a choice which of these sites would you say is a must do??? Faberge or Yusupov's Palace. The tour company says we can't do both and have to pick which one to do??

 

You will most likely see the exterior of the YP, and you will see enough interiors of palaces to get a good idea of what that one looks like as well.

 

On the other hand, you will not get to see the Faberge Egg collection elsewhere (or the other Faberge items).

 

Although I would chose the Faberge over the YP, as a history buff, it would be interesting to see the site of Rasputin's demise.

[hun]

Question for you??? If you had a choice which of these sites would you say is a must do??? Faberge or Yusupov's Palace. The tour company says we can't do both and have to pick which one to do??

 

 

 

 

We were with SPB Tours 2-say Deluxe last week and our tour didn't include the Faberge museum but we did enjoy touring the inside of the YP with story of Rasputin!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[bluehorizonlover123]

Travel R, just a suggestion, the next time you have to travel sick, bring Afrin spray to open your sinuses and wear ear plugs on take off and landings. I also take a sinus opening pill before the flight.

[Seminole1975]

I am taking some Airborne

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Travel R]

Travel R, just a suggestion, the next time you have to travel sick, bring Afrin spray to open your sinuses and wear ear plugs on take off and landings. I also take a sinus opening pill before the flight.

 

I took a bunch of items, it was just not enough:

 

Airborne before each flight

Multivitamins each morning and evening

Advil cold tabs as soon as I started feeling ill

I wore the ear plugs (only on landing going to Europe, but on both takeoffs and landings coming back)

[Travel R]

THE VACATION: IN HINDSIGHT

 

Would I do it again?

 

Even with the weather, and getting sick, and any of the other small stuff that I complained about, I would definitely do it again, even if nothing had changed.

 

If I could do it again, and were able to change things, what would I change?

 

Hmmm. .. . I am not sure if there is anything I would change that I have control over,such as the weather and myself and my DD getting sick

 

Although there may be a few things to consider if I were to do it over again:

• Not work the day we left (and rested that day and got to sleep early the night before)
  
• Had better communications with the curator from the Samuel-Max Haus in Rostock
  
• Bring more/better OTC medications
  
• More strongly consider going to Berlin
  
• Eat at Shanghai’s for one of the meals
  
• Go on rope course earlier in cruise when I had the time instead of waiting for “better weather”
  

Did I enjoy the Getaway?

 

Overall, yes. There were a few things I did not love about the ship, but there were many things that I did enjoy. NCL will definitely be a possibly choice in my future cruise plans.

 

The Bad: I am someone that likes to do it all. In order to try out everything the ship has to offer you have to make lots of scheduling. [As mentioned, I do not consider this freestyling.] I would have preferred if all the activities were open to be reserved prior to sailing instead of having to waste my time while aboard. The buffet became a place that we avoided (except for a late-night snack) – way too crowded. I really wish the ship had a retractable roof – it would have made the top deck experience so much more beneficial on this cold-weather cruise. The atrium is too small for a ship this size. I did not love the specialty restaurants. Also, (partially because of the limited use of the top deck) there were not enough things to do during the day/afternoon that did nothave a sales aspect to it.

 

The Good: It was a nice ship and very easy to get get around (once you knew where youwanted to go). The food in the MDRs was pretty good for a cruise ship (and with 3 MDRs), and some of the entertainment was excellent (shout out to MDQ and Cirque). The staff was friendly, and the late-night food options were the bestI have seen since the midnight and chocolate buffets. The ship’s staff helped us run a very good M&G. We did like the large bathroom in our mini-suite. Although the balcony was comparably quite small, it was still a good fit for me and I spent many hours just chilling out with the wind blowing in my face.

 

I also want to add the fact that although one half of me did enjoy not having to pack asuit for this cruise, the other half missed having at least one formal night.

 

What’s Next?

 

I will be returning to this thread every few days to see if anyone has any questions. In a few months the 2018 Baltic cruisers will be performing their research, and they have inquiries into these ports and although the Getaway will not be on that sailing, the Breakaway isher sister ship.

 

I have two more things to post. First, I will post a final summary. Then I need to create a final consolidated Index for this entire opus magnum.

 

For my future travel plans, I have already begun researching an Italy vacation for 2019 (sans the kids). We will also be taking a much smaller family vacation next year before my DD goes off to college (probably not a cruise).

 

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as I re-lived our Baltic journey. Hopefully you also picked up a few items that will help you on your own future cruises as well. If so, you will be taking a little bit of me on your cruise(s) with you!

 

Cheers!

PS: If you cannot wait until 2019 for my next review - If anyone wants to pay for another vacation sooner for me and my wife, I would be happy to write another review!

Edited September 15, 2017 by Travel R

[Travel R]

CODA

 

When I had awoken on the morning of June 26th, I did not know the wonders that my eyes would behold during the forthcoming journey I was to take with my family.

 

Nature’s disparity and her amazing beauty was on display in the wilds of the Icelandic topography, while driving in a Martian-like dry and rocky environment with majestic snow-covered mountain tops forming the backdrop to our 24-hour whirlwind tour. I would be remiss if I were not to also mention descending down into the crater of a volcano; the sight of glaciers, geysers, and waterfalls, standing on two continents at the same time, and dining on whale.

 

The natural beauty of our former stop-over was a huge contrast to the story-book city of Copenhagen displaying a modern façade highlighted by its touches of post-medieval history. The stories and fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen came alive as we toured much of what ith ad to offer. Tivoli Gardens thrilled and entertained us with rides, shows, and food. The colorful area Nyhaven brought us back in time, and the jewels of Rosenborg Castle glistened in the eyes of my daughters, caught in the glamour of the royal accouterments. The recital of Andersen’s works along the way added to the enjoyment of the place and brought us into his fairy tale world.

 

It was onto the sailing ship named Getaway that we were to take transport for the remainder of our adventure. To five more ports it will bring us. It is a behemothof a vessel, holding a city within its bowels. A fine ship with much to offer, but it was not optimum for the cold-weather conditions of the Baltic Sea. However, with many an hour exploring the shores of distant lands, it did not factor greatly into the overall experience of our holiday. The ship was not short on entertainment, with Cirque, Million Dollar Quartet, and Howl at the Moon shining brightest, although Burn the Floor and Escape the Big Top also deserve a mentioned. The cuisine was good, with a preference for the MDRs over the buffet and the Specialty venues – but I must also tout O’Sheehans as a wonderful find upon this ship.

 

We did not venture to the capital of Germany on our next stop, but took a jaunt to the town of Rostock. Although the rain caste a heavy shadow upon the day, we enjoyed the little we saw of this town masked in both soviet era and medieval architecture, with modern shops and stores. While you may not expect much from this town the gothic architecture of St. Mary’s Church is not to be missed. A visit to the Stassi museum is also something to be remembered.

 

Tallinn was the Cinderella port of this itinerary. This stunning little town was never affected by the wars, fires, andother destruction of the other Baltic capitals, and hence retained much of its medieval charachter. It was a wonderful day walking around the town and seeing the centuries-old buildings. Our guide, a young, very proud, Estonian, made the tour even more enjoyable by bring forth her love of the country into her stories and historical dissertations. Tallinn is the town where we received more than we had bargained for, and glad to have made her acquaintance.

 

For two days thereafter a door was opened where we were transported into the grandeur of the Tsarist era of Russia, showcasing impressive architecture and gardens meant to humble all who enter, including foreign dignitaries paying a call upon the Russian rulers. While the palaces are quite impressive, their interiors are nothing less than opulent. Hand carved décor ornaments each room, with as much detail given to the walls as they are to the ceilings and floors. The lives of these privileged few was unbelievable to behold in how they flaunted their wealth; but to be honest, the lavishness of their situation to be a bit too gaudy for my taste. It was forty-eight hours packed with activities that included visits to the Hermitage and her gold room, Catherine’s Palace, Faberge Museum, the fountains of Peterhoff’s Palace, a canal boat ride, and much more.

 

Our next port was the most enjoyable of all. We expunged ourselves from the restraints of following the usual tourist activities, such as museums and historical sites, and dedicated the day to family fun. Our day was spent at a controlled winter wonderland outside of the city of Helsinki. We took husky rides, played in an igloo, wentskiing, and even had a drink at an ice bar. It was just a good-ole’ family bonding time. Best of all, we did drive past many of the city’s sights, and took a quick detour to take in the tranquility of the Church of the Rock.

 

And then we arrived at our final port, a scenic hour’s drive through Sweden to get to our destination in the lovely city of Stockholm. We gazed upon the 17th century during our visit to the Vasa museum, and towards the future at the Nobel museum. Then after satisfying our appetites, in our exhaustion, we sat in theshade and bided our time by watching the flow of minutes and the stream of people pass by until our coach brought us back to the mighty cruise ship.

 

A da yat sea, in which I mostly saw the four walls of my room and the view from the balcony was where the close of this dream had set the stage for its always untimely conclusion. The day had finally arrived where we were to say adieu to the Getaway and take the flight back home and say our final farewell to this amazing vacation.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Travel R

[bluehorizonlover123]

Loved your review!! You are very funny and witty and knowledgeable about history and a great writer.....

 

PS: If you cannot wait until 2019 for my next review - If anyone wants to pay for another vacation sooner for me and my wife, I would be happy to write another review!

 

And I am so happy I found your review. I thank you a thousand times over. You have helped me immensely as I decide which tours we should sign up for on our Baltic cruise and land tour. We already sailed the Getaway out of New York a few years ago so that was interesting to read also.

[scienceteacher]

Loved your review! Thanks again. We will be on the Getaway next month for a transatlantic from Copenhagen to Miami. I learned a lot about our ship and cannot wait to experience it all.

 

Karen

[Travel R]

Loved your review!! You are very funny and witty and knowledgeable about history and a great writer.....

 

PS: If you cannot wait until 2019 for my next review - If anyone wants to pay for another vacation sooner for me and my wife, I would be happy to write another review!

 

And I am so happy I found your review. I thank you a thousand times over. You have helped me immensely as I decide which tours we should sign up for on our Baltic cruise and land tour. We already sailed the Getaway out of New York a few years ago so that was interesting to read also.

 

Thank you very much for the compliments!

 

I hope you enjoy your vacation. If you have any other questions, I will continue to stop on by this thread.

[Travel R]

Loved your review! Thanks again. We will be on the Getaway next month for a transatlantic from Copenhagen to Miami. I learned a lot about our ship and cannot wait to experience it all.

 

Karen

 

Thank you.

 

A TA is on my bucket list. And you will be visiting a few exciting ports in-between.

[bluehorizonlover123]

Hi, I do have a question for you. For Stockholm, one tour includes a canal river ride while the other doesn't include the river ride, instead it includes a trip to the Vasa museum. Which tour would you lean towards if you had to choose between the 2 sites?

[Travel R]

Hi, I do have a question for you. For Stockholm, one tour includes a canal river ride while the other doesn't include the river ride, instead it includes a trip to the Vasa museum. Which tour would you lean towards if you had to choose between the 2 sites?

I took a look at the land n sea excursion by ncl. If I were not with kids, in hindsight, I might have chosen that option. However, you will really need to consider the temperature and weather - you will be on the water, in Stockholm in October.

 

On the other had, tStocholm and the surrounding area is very scenic, and you will probably have some great views.

 

I am not sure if this is any help, but it will give you things to consider.

[bluehorizonlover123]

We will be there at the beginning of next June. Our kids are all grown so taking kids is not an option. Which tour seems most interesting to you? Both very expensive. But that's ok we have lots of OBC to use up.

 

this is tour number 1

 

Discover the splendors of Stockholm on this comprehensive tour including such diverse districts as Södermalm, Östermalm, Gamla Stan and Djurgården. Tour City Hall, visit the famed Vasa Museum and enjoy a walking tour through historic Old Town including an inside visit to the Royal Palace.. Enjoy some free time to explore independently before it is time to set out on the 50 minute Royal Canal Cruise. $150 pp 4 1/2 hours

 

this is tour number 2

 

Discover the splendors of Stockholm on this comprehensive tour including such diverse districts as Södermalm, Östermalm, Gamla Stan and Djurgården. Tour City Hall, visit the famed Vasa Museum and enjoy a walking tour through historic Old Town including an inside visit to the Royal Palace.Lunch is included in this exhilarating day. $180 6 hours

[Travel R]

We will be there at the beginning of next June. Our kids are all grown so taking kids is not an option. Which tour seems most interesting to you? Both very expensive. But that's ok we have lots of OBC to use up.

 

this is tour number 1

 

Discover the splendors of Stockholm on this comprehensive tour including such diverse districts as Södermalm, Östermalm, Gamla Stan and Djurgården. Tour City Hall, visit the famed Vasa Museum and enjoy a walking tour through historic Old Town including an inside visit to the Royal Palace.. Enjoy some free time to explore independently before it is time to set out on the 50 minute Royal Canal Cruise. $150 pp 4 1/2 hours

 

this is tour number 2

 

Discover the splendors of Stockholm on this comprehensive tour including such diverse districts as Södermalm, Östermalm, Gamla Stan and Djurgården. Tour City Hall, visit the famed Vasa Museum and enjoy a walking tour through historic Old Town including an inside visit to the Royal Palace.Lunch is included in this exhilarating day. $180 6 hours

 

I am going under the assumption that this is going to be your last port of call, and I am also going to predict that your party will be tired by this point of your itinerary.

 

Therefore I would chose Tour #1 becuase: it is shorter, the words "exhilarating" are in the description of Tour #2, it offers a scenic (and more relaxing) boat ride (#2 includes more walking). You have free time with tour #1 (maybe enough time to see Nobel museum), and you are not wasting an hour for lunch (you have to hope the lunch is worthwhile).

 

For both tours you get to see the Vasa and Royal Palace, as well as drive through the various districts of Stockholm. But as stated above, Tour #1 does not seem as foreboding at the tail end of a port-inclusive cruise.

[Travel R]

I was looking at the 2018 Breakaway Itinerary - it is not entitled the "Baltic Capitals" itinerary, but the

9-Day Scandinavia, Russia & Baltic from Copenhagen

 

It includes the same ports as us. The itinerary I am looking at shows that the Breakaway is docking in Stockholm (not Nynashamn) and does include "Cruise Stockholm Archipelago" as part of the itinerary - that should be very cool. There have been some itineraries this year that have been able to do it.

 

 

@bluehorizonlover123 - if you are going to be docking in Stockholms itself (and not an hour away), it may be worth your while to look into private 3rd party tour providers that will customize a tour to exactly what you want to see, and will probably be cheaper than the ship's tour.

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

TravelR ~ I just want to reiterate how much I've enjoyed your opus & reliving my cruise through you.

So glad to hear you enjoyed NCL for the most part, & would cruise with them again.

Here is a link to a website I just discovered on another super planner's RCL thread. It looks to be very helpful in planning travel so hope you & others reading here give it a try.

http://www.visitacity.com/

 

Thanks once more for a delightful, in depth report on your amazing trip & may you have many more!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[bluehorizonlover123]

Travel R. Next summer we are traveling on Regal Princess. First on an 8 day land tour to Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin. Then on a 11 night cruise to the Baltics. We hit the same ports you did so all your help is much appreciated!

[Bean2010]

I am going under the assumption that this is going to be your last port of call, and I am also going to predict that your party will be tired by this point of your itinerary.

 

Therefore I would chose Tour #1 becuase: it is shorter, the words "exhilarating" are in the description of Tour #2, it offers a scenic (and more relaxing) boat ride (#2 includes more walking). You have free time with tour #1 (maybe enough time to see Nobel museum), and you are not wasting an hour for lunch (you have to hope the lunch is worthwhile).

 

For both tours you get to see the Vasa and Royal Palace, as well as drive through the various districts of Stockholm. But as stated above, Tour #1 does not seem as foreboding at the tail end of a port-inclusive cruise.

 

I would pick tour 1 as well.

[Travel R]

Hi all!

 

TravelR ~ I just want to reiterate how much I've enjoyed your opus & reliving my cruise through you.

So glad to hear you enjoyed NCL for the most part, & would cruise with them again.

Here is a link to a website I just discovered on another super planner's RCL thread. It looks to be very helpful in planning travel so hope you & others reading here give it a try.

http://www.visitacity.com/

 

Thanks once more for a delightful, in depth report on your amazing trip & may you have many more!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Jo:

 

Thank you very much, I am glad you enjoyed the review.

 

Also thank you for the link - for myself and others reading this thread. It will come in very handy as I plan our next vacation.

[Travel R]

Travel R. Next summer we are traveling on Regal Princess. First on an 8 day land tour to Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin. Then on a 11 night cruise to the Baltics. We hit the same ports you did so all your help is much appreciated!

 

First I would like to say WOW!!! That sounds like an amazing vacation.

 

With that information, I would definitely recommend the shorter (and less exhausting) tour #1.