Just Back-Concise Notes

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BALTIC CRUISE NOTES

 

 

COPENHAGEN

(3 DAYS Pre-CRUISE)

 

Airport to hotel(Marriott) Taxi $30.00 approx. 20 minutes - taxi takes credit card. No tipping except bellmen.

Marriot very nice...new..clean..good location..5 minute walk to town center.

 

1st day Used hop on/hop off tour bus for general tour of city...Red line does most popular areas including a photo stop at The Little Mermaid. English tape recording as you drive along.

2nd day Walking tour on our own Tivoli at night...a must.

3rd day Hop on/hop off Green tour (Christiania) ...not as good...do not climb church tower

 

Dinner: Peder Oxe...outstanding...great service and food..dinner for two with wine about $80.00

Tivoli dinner at Grafton Rest. even better than above...great fish....cost for two with wine $70.00

Lunch at non-touristy typical local rest....Kronborg...all locals and local foods..cost for two $42.00 Address:Brolaeggerstrade 12 (phone 33130708) (located just one block off of Stroget which is the main shopping street).

Taxi to airport..easy...Approx. $20.00

 

ABOARD GRAND PRINCESS

Very easy embarkation..ship is huge and beautiful...overall service was wonderful..no difficulties. Even though gratuities were included ($10 pp/pn) we gladly tipped our room stewart and dining room staff extra.

Liquor for use in room was not expensive ($20.00 for liter of Absolute) available from room service.

Duty free prices for liquor was very good.

STOCKHOLM

Used Princess Tour to go to Vasa Museum and general sightseeing. Very good. Ate lunch at Food Market..was good but expensive.

HELSINKI

Rainy day. Hired private taxi at dockside for three hours at $30/hour. Highlight was Church of the Rock..also went to Museum of Modern Art.

SAINT PETERSBURG

Highlight of the cruise. We used RED OCTOBER. they were everything that the board has said plus some. Our wonderful guide was a lovely lady by the name of

Svetlana. We had a group of 11 and had our own private bus. We got into everything quickly and often before the large groups even arrived. We used the suggested tour and added in a stop at the Jewish synagogue. Payment was not request until the second day.

When we were presented the invoice it was itemized per day per item and was just as quoted. The only discrepancy was that the total was more than the individual items. When questioned it was explained that the total was if it was paid by credit card ( an additional 3%). when I told them we were paying in cash (with new american currency) the total was adjusted. We made a stop each day at a Red October store and found that the prices and choices were very good.

We had not problem disembarking from the ship early and the guide and van was their waiting for us.

We added 10% to our total price to account for tips to our guide and driver. The guide was so good the group decided to give her a little more. (guide/$25,driver/$10).I would highly recommend using Red October.

 

GDANSK

 

Gdansk is 45 minutes by car from port city of Gdynia. We hired a private van and guide at dockside ($30/person ). Very good with stops at church on way into

Gdansk then a walking tour of the city with time for eating and shopping. We ate a wonderful restaurant just off the main street called Restaurant Tawerna. Very nice and quiet compared to other locations. You will see many stores with what appears to be the name Bernstein..but it means Amber. Very nice assortment of Amber at fair prices.

 

TALINN

 

It is an easy 10-15 minutes walk into town , but we choose to hire a taxi at dockside and he returned at the designated time to pick us up for the return.

Talinn was the surprise port. It is lovely with beautiful sights and stores. Very good prices.

 

OSLO

 

Another surprise port of call. A wonderful modern city. We caught a City Tour Bus ($18 pp) right at dockside..it left at 8:30AM. This is NOT the hop on hop off city tour bus. We had a guide who took us on a walking tour of the grounds of the Akershus Castle which is right at the foot of the dock where the Grand Princess was,then a narrated tour on our way to the Vigeland Park(an absolute must see stop) where again we had a guided tour. The bus then continued on to the Museum area. We choose to go to the Viking Museum(admission not included). We had about 40 minutes at the museum. Other people choose to continue on the bus to The Kon Tiki and Fram Museums. The bus then returned us to Dockside.

At the dock is a tourist shopping building. If you have time do your souvenir shopping before boarding the bus. There are many less people there then at the end of the day.

After the bus tour we walked around the water and found the shrimp boats that sell cooked shrimp in sea water by the kilo ( 1/2 kilo was $5.00.) We stood there at the water and devoured them, don't miss this treat. We still had time just to walk around the commercial area near the docks.

 

GENERAL COMMENTS

 

Currency:we had no problem using dollars or credit cards wherever we went. In Copenhagen we used the ATM machines for local currency because we were there for a longer period of time. Then because we didn’t know better we used the ships currency exchange machine before disembarking for Stockholm. It really wasn’t necessary and the exchange rate was not very good. After that we used only our credit cards and US Dollars.

 

Local taxies,guides or buses were easy to find and use. In most cases we were able to negotiate rates, always much cheaper than the Princess package tours. In those areas where local transportation was available, the taxies just seemed much easier and faster for us.

 

We originally had planned to use our own taxi to get from the ship to the airport, but were advised by Princess that there were to be three cruise ships arriving at the same time and taxies might be in short supply. We panicked and decided to use the ships shuttle service ($40/pp), The ease and good organization made it a wise decision.

 

To all of you who made previous comments I would like to say thank you, it made our trip all the better. I hope these notes will help those who are still planning there own trip. If I can answer any questions do now hesitate to ask. I will post photographs very shortly.

[japiscopo]

Thanks for the notes on your trip. We leave in 8 days. One question: How did you pay for camera fees in St. Pete? Rubles or dollars? If rubles can you add it to your RO bill?

 

 

Mary Lou

[travelynn]

Photofoot,

 

Thanks for the quickie review. We leave on the Jewel on August 20. I have been doing research for some time, and your comments reinforced the decisions that we have aleady made about what to do and see. I agree that this board has been very helpful in preparing us for our trip.

 

Lynn

[photofoot]

Thanks for the notes on your trip. We leave in 8 days. One question: How did you pay for camera fees in St. Pete? Rubles or dollars? If rubles can you add it to your RO bill?

 

 

Mary Lou

No one in our group choose to take photos inside. I think it was a wise move. You can do better by buying a book about the place you are in. If you want to take pictures I would send a note to RO.

[JLSchutt]

No one in our group chose to take photos inside.

Are you implying that one may take photos outside (anywhere?) without being charged a fee?

[photofoot]

That is correct. There is no charge for taking photos outside.

[CruisePlease416]

We were on the same Grand Princess cruise as you and took the same 8:30 tour in Oslo. We enjoyed that tour very much. Vigeland Sculpture Garden is not to be missed - as long as you are okay with graphic nude sculptures. It is really fantastic. However, we went to the Kon Tiki Museum rather than the Viking Museum. It was very interesting, but we did not have enough time there.

 

St. Petersburg - We used Red October and were thrilled with them. We did not care for the restaurant, but loved having lunch with a Russian family. We also added the Synagogue to our tour and it was beautiful. St. Petersburg was probably the highlight of the trip for us. I was very concerned about the bathroom facilities in St. Petersburg after reading some of the posts here. Our guide directed us to specific bathrooms and I found them to be just as clean or cleaner than most I have seen in the states.

 

Copenhagen - We loved Copenhagen, but did not really care for the food there. It was good food, just not to our liking. We were very disappointed with the Hop On Hop Off bus and would not recommend them at all. The drivers did not stop at all the stops and several buses we were on had malfunctioning headsets. I would suggest a regular guided bus tour and then using public transportation or feet to return to what you are most interested in. We found public transportation easy to use.

 

Took the lower priced canal tour and loved it.

 

Do not miss the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen. Try to get there for the free guided tour in English, if you can.

 

After the cruise, we rented a car and toured the shore up to Gilleleje. It was beautiful and I highly recommend that. You can rent a car at your hotel at tourist rates, which are less than the regular rates. We found driving in Denmark to be quite easy, but we are used to New York City and Boston. Seriously, once you get out of the city, driving is very easy.

 

We also took a guided walking tour in Copenhagen, which we really enjoyed.

 

Tallinn - I was disappointed in Tallinn. I had been looking forward to seeing a true medieval city, and found Tallinn to be too touristy. Guess everyone was looking for the same things I was. Very reasonably priced. Beautiful city if you can ignore all the tourists.

 

Gdansk - Loved Gdansk. Got the medieval city feel here, even though most of the city was restored or rebuilt after WWII. Great shopping, great prices on everything.

 

I am still exhausted and am sure I am missing a lot here. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at reinziger@hotmail.com

 

Bobbie

[CruisePlease416]

re: Camera fees - Some people in our Red October group took photographs inside. There is an additional fee and you need to pay it to your Red October guide before you get off the van to tour the museum. We did not need rubles for this.

Also, thanks to everyone for all the great information. It made our trip a lot more enjoyable.

Bobbie

[M&T]

I will be on the Star Princess next summer. Does Princess offer any shuttle buses into the city centers or just tours? The cruise is in the Baltic/Scandinavia just as the Grand being discussed.

[swdke]

M&T, when are you sailing on the Star? We are looking to book on the July 24 cruise.

[kool kruiser]

M & T

 

Our Baltic itinerary this year included Warnemunde rather than Oslo. Shuttles( approx $4-$5 per person) were provided at Helsinki Warnemunde and Copenhagen (penultimate day of cruise). We used them in Warnemunde and Copenhagen but in Helsinki we bought day tickets for local buses/trams, which were great value.

[M&T]

Our ship sails from Copenhagen on July 14, 2005 arriving back in Copenhagen on the 24th. Because we have been to several of these ports, we have specific things we want to go back to see. That is why I was hoping for shuttles rather than tours. Where does the ship dock in Oslo, Helsinki and Tallin? Is it easy to get to the public transportation?

[kool kruiser]

In Helsinki we walked off the ship, turned round the corner and the local bus was there, where we bought our all day tickets. The journey into town took 10-15 minutes-very easy.If your cruise director is John Lawrence, ensure you watch his port talks as he provides full details of precisely what to do.

 

In Tallin it is very easy to walk into town...about a 15 minute walk

 

Sorry...didn't go to Oslo

[photofoot]

In Oslo the ship docks right next to the AKERSHUS CASTLE and Downtown. We picked up a Bus Tour right at the dock that included the AKERSHUS CASTLE, Vigeland Park and and the Viking Museum. Cost was half of the Princess Tour. Eating fresh shrimp cooked in sea water right at the waterfront is a must.

[M&T]

Thanks for your responses. I'm new to Princess. I am fairly new to these boards. They are fantastic!

[pungo3]

Thank you for posting all this information. I'll be on the same cruise as M&T and I'm trying to gather as much information as possible. You guys are GREAT!!!

[Princess Di]

Thank you, PhotoFoot, for your great review. :D

Especially, the advice to pay Red October in U.S.D. to save over using a credit card. Do you know if you would save even more by paying in Rubles? :confused:

I understand that the Ruble is fairly stable and I plan on buy different currencies here at my bank before leaving. Would you recommend this? :rolleyes:

Sue, Dennis, Kathy, and I are on the 2 September Star Princess.

 

Thanks for all your help. :cool:

[stanj]

Thank you, PhotoFoot, for your great review. :D

Especially, the advice to pay Red October in U.S.D. to save over using a credit card. Do you know if you would save even more by paying in Rubles? :confused:

I understand that the Ruble is fairly stable and I plan on buy different currencies here at my bank before leaving. Would you recommend this? :rolleyes:

Sue, Dennis, Kathy, and I are on the 2 September Star Princess.

 

Thanks for all your help. :cool:

 

Yes the Ruble is very stable but the US dollar is not. It has been taking a beating from other currencies this last couple of months so the Ruble, Euro and UK Pound are making buying anything a little more expensive for Americans.

It is a bad idea to buy currency from your bank because you will get a poor exchange rate for all currecies except Rubles. Why not Rubles, because they are not legally traded outside Russia, it is not a convertable currency. Putin promises to make it convertable within the next 3 years. Exchange banks in Russia will offer competitive rates as will a few of the major hotels. The spread between buying and selling Rubles is really great, way too high at the ship exchange banks wo wait until you get on dry land to visit one of the hundreds of exhange banks in the city center of St Petersburg. They are small storefronts or sometimes below street level, hand them a hundred dollar bill or how much you need for a 2 days tour, plus your passport and they process a form that documents the exchange and they slide the Rubles into your passport and send it back to you in a metal security drawer, it takes 1 or 2 minutes. The exchange banks post their exchange rates and which currencies they trade on signs outside on the sidewalk. That makes them easy to spot without being able to read the signs. Pay with credit cards in advance if you can because if there is a problem with a store or supplier, you have recourse.

Good Sailing

Stan

[Princess Di]

Oh, I'm so excited. The Stan is talking to me. I have read almost all your posts. You are so well-spoken and give excellent advice.

In Tahiti and French Polynesia, the Tahitian Princess actually had the best exchange rate and sometimes the price was better to pay in XPF but other times in USD so then I had a choice.

In 2003, I bought $1000 AUD and $1000 in NZD in April, and by the time I sailed in December, I had already made money. However, I realize that it works differently according to the country.

I shall take your advice and buy rubles in SPb. However, if dollars are widely accepted and they are accepted at the same rate as the rubles, should I just use USD?

I know when I lived in Germany (1955 to 1957) people used dollars in town, although it was forbidden. It was 5 marks to the dollar (the good old days). The Deutsch street vendors (vegetable stands) even took our script.

I take a lot of all different denominations so that I have exact change for souvenir and dining purchases in my money belt.

You would think that they would be afraid of the USD because it is so easily counterfeited, whereas, AUD, NZD, and others have little plastic windows and different colours and threads that are harder to duplicate.

Perhaps the merchants have those marking pens that show up when marked on counterfeit bills.

[stanj]

I am so flattered, and by a Princess yet;>)

 

Yes, sometimes it is quite an advantage to buy currencies in advance .....if it is moving in the right direction. The slide of the dollar is slowing now.

Dollars are commonly used in private tansactions such as buying a used car from someone or renting an apartment from the owner...but not the city which owns about 30% of the residences in the old part of town. Until recently people used tin cans or boxes at home for their savings not trusting banks. The advent of consumer credit and debit card payroll has changed the image of banks and suddenly they are not so feared. When people collected cash they preferred it to be in dollars instead of Rubles because twice in the 90s the Ruble was suddenly devalued. It hurt a lot of people. Now the middle class is growing fast, very fast and more sophisticated personal finance comes with that territory.

 

All businesses are required to transact business in Rubles only unless they are a bank. But many will stores will accept them under the table, but not restaurants or other brick and mortor shops.

Your tour guides will gladly take dollars, Euros or Rubles for tips but there is a lot more confidence in Rubles now so they will not shy away from them. If you do not plan to spend a lot, for art work or an antique that would look great in the hallway, you really do not need much cash on tours. I would suggest exchanging what you think you might need, say $100 a day, and leave the rest in a safe place, not in a money belt. Those things are always a hassle to get to. $100 in Rubles is not going to make you a target for theft, the average teenager gabbing into their cellphone probably has that much in pocket change. It is a cash society and it amazes me when I see so many people walking around with several hundred dollars in cash, a months salary. But since few have any monthly bills, most income is descretionary income to be spent. The cell phone is often the biggest expense during the month, even higher than food if someone owns their apartment.

Don't worry about counterfeit bills, if you have one every merchant or exchange bank will spot it in 1 second. Modern era US bills, particularly the preferred $100 bills that is a standard bill of exchange in Russia, are very had to counterfeit. But the US Treasury Dept claims 50% of the $100 bills in Russia are counterfeit. I do not believe that, everybody knows what a proper bill looks like and how it is tested and have never seen one there. More US $100 bills are in circulation in Russia and Europe than in the US.

To be safe, do not exchange money with anyone except a legal exchange bank, sidewalk private transactions of exchange is a good way to be given counterfeit bills. The exchange rates promised are too good to be true.

Since it is illegal to transport Rubles out of the country, cruise ships buy the currency when it arrives in port. They have to pay close to what you do at the exchange banks so when they add their handling fees, the rate is not good to you. All that being said, if you need only a little local money, seeking out an exchange bank when your group wants to move on might be more hassle that the small savings warrants. Larger purchases however ought to be done with Rubles exchanged at a bank....they are all over, easy to find.

 

Have a great trip Di

Stan

[SaylorGirl]

Stan - Do you feel then it is better to exchange $100 bills at an exchange office rather than using a ATM or Cash Point machine??

 

Thanks for your answer. I have appreciated all your answers that you give to everyone they are very detailed and very helpful.

[stanj]

Hi SaylorGirl

ATMs are everywhere so they are a good way of getting money but the exchanges turn out to be a little cheaper because they have the latest rates but ATMs charge end of day rate or whatever is worse plus a transaction fee plus your own bank's non-system ATM fee, that totals about $8. I use them often but if I have a $100 bill, it is just as fast or even faster to pop into a exchange bank and get my 2750 Rubles. Nowadays the exchange banks charge a commission of about 30 Rubles, or a little over $1

 

Have a great trip

Stan