Hop on Hop off - How far from Ship

[hebeeast]

Can anyone who has returned from the Baltic Constellation, tell me how far the Hop On - Hop Off buses are from where you get off the ship.

 

I read they have these in Oslo, Stockhohm, Helsinki, and Copenhagen. Also is there smooth payment for someone using a wheelchair.

 

Thanks in advance.

[kitty9]

As someone who's disabled, some of the Baltic countries are the worst for accessability. Stockholm's Old Town is the worst because of the loose cobblestone streets. Actually, cobblestones are everywhere in that area of the world, so wheelchair riders will have a bumpy go of it. Oslo is the best in terms of accessability.

[stingraynz]

I went last year not this year so I hope someone else from this year can back me up.

 

Oslo - I didn't use the hop on/off here (I don't know if I saw one) but we picked up a first come first serve bus tour right off the gangway. So about 100 ft from the gangway. This tour was excellent and went everywhere we needed to go except for the ski jump. The only thing was if you wanted to go to the museums on Bygdoy penninsula you had to get your own way back, so keep this in mind.

 

Helsinki - We had a private tour here. and afterwards we took the constellation shuttle right into the middle of Helsinki. I think I remember it being nice and low - good for getting on and off. Having done both I enjoyed the being in the town square and market better than our tour.

 

Stockholm - picked up the hop on/off bus again right off the gangway - about 50 feet. In this port the hop on/off tour picks you up at the ship BUT it does not bring you back. MAKE SURE you know where the Celebrity shuttle pick up point is!!!! We took the shuttle back with no problems but we knew where to go. For us the pick up point was right in front of the Opera house on the side that faced the bridge to Palace and Gamla Stan. The hop on/off was good in Stockholm.

 

Copenhagen - We docked at Langeline pier which was one of the nicest piers I have been to. The hop on/off bus' are lined up all out front of the ship. Literally steps (10-20 feet to a max of 100 ft) from the gangway. This is a regular stop on their route so no worries getting there and back. I like the hop on/off in Copenhagen.

 

Hope this hasn't changed for this year - because everything was fairly close to the ship. If you take the hop on/off buses in London remember to take the packaged head phones they give you. because the ones in Stockholm and elsewhere were kind of old, used and possibly gross. They may or may not have a live commentator.

[hebeeast]

Thank you for the valuable info

[CruisePlease416]

We just returned. We had bad experiences with the Hop On Hop Off buses in Copenhagen and consequently, did not take them anywhere else. They did not stop at every stop and many times, the head sets did not work. I would recommend a regular guided bus tour. IMHO, this is not the easiest area to maneuver with a wheel chair. You might want to check with a tour company or use the ship's tour and check with them.

Bobbie

[NH Cruiser]

Stingraynz, can you post the name and how to reach the private guide you used in Helsinki, and the cost. What sights did you see with the guide vs on your own. Thanks . . .

[stingraynz]

The guide and driver we had in Helsinki was arranged for us by a large paper supplier the company I work for uses. So I don't know the name or what they paid for them. We took a picture with the tour guide so I can probably try to see in my pictures, I think the guide had a crest on his jacket.

 

This is where they took us to the rock church, the olympic stadium, the sabbilius (sp?) monument and the senate square and cathedral, then the central market area. We decided to stay at the market from there. Honestly, the sights were just OK none of them were must sees. It was nice our company did this for us however, the beauty of Helsinki lies within the main market area I think. I don't know what cruise line you are on but Celebrity has a shuttle that drops you off right at this centre town market area. It is so gorgeous there! Beautiful architecture in the surrounding city area, a few streets over, is the senate square and cathedral - you can walk to these they are very close. The market where they sell fish/produce and flowers is all along the waterfront. It is just the kind of place that you wanted to walk around with a coffee and take it all in, maybe people watch a bit or browse. There is also a great Russain orthodox church with some onion domes. You can also walk over to there. If you don't care to take organized tours, leave Helsinki to walk around this centre area. If you think you must take a tour I don't want to discourage you by saying don't take a tour. But I did notice the sights we saw all seem to be the same ones the ship went to as well. The other ports have very specific art museums and cathedrals to go to. I thought Helsinki was just a nice place to relax and take it in stride. I hope you have good weather there that would really help. Our day there was warm and not a cloud in the sky, perfect for walking around.

[NH Cruiser]

Thanks for the information on Helsinki. From the online maps I've seen, it appears you can walk the main areas as you said, but maps can be deceiving. It's always great to have first-hand reports. It appears the Esplanade, Market, and Senate Square are the major attractions, as well as the Rock Church. We are on the Jewel of the Seas next July. Thanks again . . .

[cheza]

We were just on our baltic cruise last week. Our family split up here and our parents did the bus tour (as they usually do), the said it was a waste of money as it didn't go to many places.

 

The balance of our family walked to the church in the rock from the town center. It took about 20 mins, but we were just walking slowly and chatting on the way. (the church is well worth the visit, as it's very unusual). It felt safe to walk and there was lots of people about.

 

The town has lots of shops to keep you busy too, we got back to the ship about 3pm.

 

 

Chez

 

:-)