Need tips from those who have sailed the "Pride" on the Baltic itinerary

[shiner6]

   First off, I wish to thank all of you who so graciously give advice. Originally, I booked this itinerary for the opportunity to visit St. Petersburg. Now, of course this has changed, and I have a non-refundable deposit, so I am looking at the new opportunities to visit this region.  Would you please offer your experiences and advice about visiting the following areas?   We r both in our late 60's, in good health and good mobility, traveling with a 16year old female.  This is our first trip to Europe.  How much time to allow for disembarking at each port?  Was there any tendering to deal with?  Any other tips are greatly appreciated (specially restaurants, street food, drinks, pubs, etc.) 

 

1. Gothenburg--especially interested in the Botanical Gardens and Hop on Hop off Bus. Is this the best use of our time? 7a-4p

2.Warnemunde--not interested in the 3hour trip to Berlin-probably visit areas nearby

3. Tallinn-- What to do here? 9-6

4.Helsinski--????

5. Copenhagen--Lots to see here-need help in honing it down/ what did you enjoy most?  I am tentatively planning to do Rosenberg Castle 9-10:30, Tivoli Gardens from 11-2, then walk back to the ship. 8-4

6. Kiel---??? 10-7

7. Stockholm--Book a tour?

Edited August 28, 2022 by shiner6
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[ninjacat123]

If the Carnival excursions available don't entice you, check out TripAdvisor.  I have booked numerous excursions/tours and been very pleased.  Plus I feel like I have a better idea of what each city has to offer.  Have a great cruise!

[shiner6]

Thank you. I have already checked out Trip advisor and it does contain useful information. People on cruise critic might have some other tips as well. As you can see, I am an over planner. I very much enjoy the planning of a cruise (but not as much as the actual experience).  

[ontheweb]

Tallinn is very walkable; you do not need an excursion. We had Rick Steve's book on the area and followed his detailed walking tour.

 

There is so much to do in Stockholm. We found the Vasa Musuem quite interesting, but there is so much else. It is definitely a port where you will have your choice of things to do. Again, you do not need an excursion.

[nybumpkin]

We did several of these ports on Legend's Baltic cruise in 2013.

 

Tallinn - It turned out to be our second favorite port (St. Petersburg was first, but - no). Walking tours are easy. For lunch, there are many outdoor cafes to enjoy. DH and I split a Baltic herring platter and sons had pizza. The place we visited prided itself on its pizza and sons liked it a lot.

 

Helsinki - We took a Carnival excursion to the town of Porvoo with lunch followed by time in Helsinki. We went to the Rock Church, which is very pretty and has a fantastic organ.

 

Warnemunde - we did an independent tour of Warnemunde and Rostock. Our ship docked in Rostock in an industrial port, so we couldn't just walk off the ship. If you dock in Warnemunde, it's easy to do a walking tour.

 

Copenhagen - I think your tours may depend on where the ship docks. We were fortunate to dock near The Little Mermaid, so we just did a walking tour.

 

My full review with pics is at https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/1814587-carnival-legend-july-3-15-2013-the-baltic-blowout/.