Baltic HAL (or private) shore excursions

[amd92602]

OK, what's the best excursions in St. Petersburg, Berlin, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen?

[Stevesan]

Go to Star Princess reveiw pages and look thru the Northern Europe reviews. Lots of good info there:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=255

 

I've consolidated some. I don't think the authors will object if I post them here:

 

Assorted Tour Comments:

Garnered from CC and Cruise Report Member’s Review Sections circa 2006 on Star and one (Oslo) from Golden Princess

 

Tallinn Weather: partly cloudy. We used the ships shuttle from the port to the drop off point which was about 2 blocks from the gate entrance. Cost was US$4.00 pp one way. The city is very easily done on your own. We walked back to the port as it took only about 20 minutes. Time Change: Clocks set back one hour at bedtime.

Tallinn, Estonia – free and easy. Our group decided to explore Tallinn on our own. So we disembarked from the ship at 8.00 am and walked towards the Town Hall Square through the Stout Margaret Tower along cobbled streets and narrow sloping alleys. It was not too difficult to find some of the landmarks in Tallinn such as the mansions and guildhalls along Pikk Street, Toompea Castle (seat of Parliament), the Dome Church, Swedish church and museums. However, there was one landmark that a few of us in our group missed due to the time factor – Dunkri – the Cat’s well. We feel that the time in Tallinn, which is such a unique and pretty town with plenty of market stalls and shops to browse in, was too short. The ship was only anchored in Tallinn from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm.

Tallin: A little gem. I wish we had more time here. Easy walk to the town, then just wander or follow the Rick Steves self guided tour. We ate lunch at the "Olde Hansa" restaurant and it was fun. It's an old medieval building with old style food. My kids tried the game plate (elk and venison).

Tallinn: Walking Tour of Old Tallinn Oh, how I wish we had been given an entire day for Tallinn! Definitely one of the best places we visited on this cruise. Two thumbs up for this excursion! The walking tour is wonderful. Get yourself down to the meeting place on the ship so you are in the first group that leaves so your bus will be the first to arrive. We got there before everyone else and it was like we had been transported back in time. Well, except for when one of the residents when zipping by in their car! Do not miss this excursion or this area of Estonia. Absolutely gorgeous.

Tallinn: For me, it was the highlight of the trip. The old city is beautiful. My wife and I did the walking tour and loved it. The only draw back is that there is little time for shopping. The local sweaters and crafts are beautiful. If you have time shop for sweaters. There hand made, as beautiful as the sweaters in Norway at a fraction of the price.

Gdansk: Gdansk Old Town and Amber Exhibit I came down with a cold after we returned from Estonia and felt really icky when we were in Gdansk. Having said that, I must honestly say that my physical condition is NOT what makes me say what I am about to say and that is that I really cannot encourage you to take this excursion. I wasn't all that impressed with Gdansk, although I did enjoy the trip between the port in Gdynia and Gdansk. But the old town portion was a big let down after the old towns in Stockholm and Tallinn. It was mainly pretty exteriors housing jewelry stores or restaurants. The best part of the old town was that it blocked the cold wind. The big brick church was interesting. The Amber exhibit at the fortress was basically just an excuse to get you to shop. There was no exhibit to speak of. Just a PowerPoint presentation on how amber is created and then you go through the door into a big area of the dungeons where they are grinding amber and in the center of the room is a long display area of amber jewelry for you to buy. That's it. Skip this excursion. This was the only time I felt I had wasted my tour time and money.

Gdansk and Sopot (Poland) - (6.5hrs) - We opted for this excursion which took us to Gdansk for a walking tour of the historic Main Town where we also visited St. Mary’s Church. The Main Town was an interesting place which boasts of an array of buildings and monuments. There were many shops selling amber as well as other souvenirs, as well as cafes and eateries. However, please be warned that there are pickpockets and I nearly fell victim to a young gypsy-looking pickpocket who covered one hand with a brown knitted scarf under which her fingers groped for the opening of my satchel which was hung round my neck, across the front of my body. This happened when I was buying ice cream and she stood next to me to carry out her dirty trick. When I felt the pressure of her hidden fingers on my bag, I turned and looked at her and uttered “This lady is a pickpocket!” She muttered something in a foreign language, most probably to deny and then walked away. The moral of the story: always be wary of suspicious looking strangers coming close to you while you are busy shopping or browsing and who hide their hands under scarves or clothing to enable them to carry out their pickpocketing tricks. While the Main Town is worth visiting, the visit to the so-called resort of Sopot, the “summer capital of Poland” was not worth the effort. There was nothing unique to see except the walk along the long wharf and the beach.

Gdansk: We did the "Gdansk on your Own" tour which was convenient. The bus took us through Sopot on the way to Gdansk, and stopped at the resistance monument on the way back. The town itself is very charming. We went to part of a Mass at St. Marys, did a little shopping and had a great Polish lunch. Very inexpensive here.

Gdansk Very nice city. We opted for the Malbork Castle and City tour. Very disappointed in the tour. It probably depends on which tour guide you get at the castle, but it was horrible. It was so loud due to the crowd, we could not hear the guide. The tour was rushed and the areas in the castle visited were limited. We did not get to see the dungeons or the armor room. Other groups did. we were shown an amber exhibition in one of the rooms, not exactly what I came to see at a castle. We were rushed to lunch even though other groups were well behind ours. Its two hours to the castle without a bathroom stop along the way so be prepared. The city is very pretty, similar to Tallinn. Plenty of shopping and we had ample time in the city.

Gdynia Weather: Light showers. We used the services of Katarzyna Czaykowska who is a licensed tour guide for a full day tour which included Malbork Castle and Gdansk. Our driver was Alex. 2 other couples from our CC roll call joined us on this tour. We first went to Malbork Castle which was approximately 1 ½ to 2 hour drive from the port. We spent about 1 ½ hours touring the castle and learning the history of several of the rooms. We then drove to Gdansk where we had lunch at the Sphinx restaurant (very good food, large portions and inexpensive) followed by a tour of the old city and inside visit to the oldest brick church. As we drove back to the port, our driver took us through Sopot which gave us an opportunity to see this charming little town.

Oslo: Oslo's Maritime Past I forget the actual name of this excursion, but it included visits to the Viking Ship Museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum and the Fram Museum. These museums were very good, but the ships were a little less awe inspiring after seeing the Vasa. The Viking Ship Museum is rather sparse; the Kon-Tiki is nicely laid out with exhibits and also includes the Ra II (which you see first when you enter the museum); the Fram houses the Fram itself and also allows you to board the ship--the only museum that does let you get "hands on" experience. Definitely worth the time and money.

Oslo~Beautiful. Being right across from Akershus Castle was great, it was a lovely view. I had ordered the Oslo passes prior to leaving the US and it was great. We walked into town, about a 5 minute walk and took the ferry over to the different museums that we wanted to see. Enjoyed the viking ship museum. After touring some of these took the ferry back and walked around town. We grabbed sandwiches from a deli and sat on a bench in the park people watching. After lunch we headed towards Akershus Castle which we really enjoyed as well as the Norwegian Resistance Museum.

Oslo We opted for the city tour with the ski jump and Viking Ship museum. Very nice tour, especially the Viking Ships. The tour bus lets you off down town after the tour for a few free hours to walk around. Plenty of time to grab some last minute gifts. Pewter is cheap but the sweaters are not. If you had your heart set on a sweater from Norway it will cost you anywhere from $200 to $400 dollars for a nice one.

Oslo Weather: Sunny. We did this port on our own and an easy walk to all the sites. The ship docks right by the Akerhus castle so you disembark and walk into town. The ferry to the Viking museum is about a 10 minute walk which began service at 8:45am. We were told by the tourist information office on the dock that we needed local currency for the ferry. Not true. The ferry took US$ and euros. Once you get off the ferry, it is about a 15 minute walk to the museum. We then took the ferry back and walked to Radhus-Town Hall, Royal Palace and strolled around the Akerhus castle grounds and went into the Resistance museum.

Stockholm: Stockholm Sampler - Vasa Museum One of the best excursions I went on during the cruise, but maybe that was just because I loved Stockholm and the Vasa so much. It took about an hour to get to Stockholm from the Nynashamn port, but the countryside was beautiful and the time sped quickly by along with the scenery. The tour included a tour of some of the 14 islands that comprise Stockholm along with a visit to the Vasa Museum and then a short shopping excursion in Gamla Stan.

Stockholm – (7 hours) - We enjoyed Stockholm where we had the good fortune to be led by Dr. Fischer, a pastor who is very knowledgeable about the inside-out of Royal Stockholm. We visited the Gamla Stan – historic Old Town, Royal Palace, Coronation Church, City Hall (Stadshuset) with its famous blue room where the annual banquet honoring the Nobel laureates is held. A nice lunch at the Hilton Hotel was included in this tour, which we enjoyed.

Stockholm We did not book a tour and decided go it on our own. We opted for the local hop-on/hop-off bus. It was expensive and probably not worth the price, plus a lot of people decide to do it and it is really crowded for the first few stops. The only place of special interest in Stockholm was the Vasa Museum. It is outstanding and you can spend several hours in there. The rest of our day was spent walking the streets and shopping. A beautiful city to just walk around and relax.

Helsinki: Helsinki Highlights This was an okay excursion, but due to Helsinki's lackluster architectural style it was a rather boring one. Our first stop was at the Sibelius Monument. It looks like a silver tubular weeping willow. Heavy sigh. The second stop was at the Rock Church. This was actually rather cool. If you can get a postcard showing the view from above the city, it looks like a giant flying saucer has crash landed in the middle of the city. The pipe organ inside the church reminded me of the Sibelius Monument. The last stop was at the Senate Square. We actually walked two blocks away to go to a local pharmacy (since my friend had slipped on the gangway while disembarking the ship and had slightly twisted her ankle) and across the street from the pharmacy was an open air market place so we went over to it afterwards. Great deals (especially on the fur hats from Russia). You should consider checking this out instead of the Senate Square area if you are looking for souvenirs. Some vendors took credit cards, some didn't. Most spoke English.

Helsinki City Highlights – (3 hours) - We were not so fortunate in Helsinki where our tour guide was rather indifferent in attitude and spoke in a dull monotonous voice. Nevertheless, we covered the Senate Square, Temppeliaukio Rock Church (which was a disappointment after all the rave reviews we had heard about it before the visit), the Market Square and the Grand Central Church. Thank goodness it was a half-day tour; otherwise we would have to suffer the monotonous and uninteresting voice of this guide. Tour guides can either make or spoil a tour for its guests.

Helsinki We did not book a tour and decided go it on our own. We opted for the local hop-on/hop-off bus. It was expensive and probably not worth the price, plus a lot of people decide to do it and it is really crowded for the first few stops. The only place of special interest in Stockholm was the Vasa Museum. It is outstanding and you can spend several hours in there. The rest of our day was spent walking the streets and shopping. A beautiful city to just walk around and relax.

Helsinki A beautiful little city. We opted to go it on our own and found it was very simple to get around. An all day transportation pass was $6.oo (cheap!!!!). The bus stop is close to the port. The city bus takes you to Market Square which is close to all the sites and shopping. You also have time to go explore some of the nearby islands. One recommendation is to take the local train to the Rock Church. It's beautiful and is very different than the other churches in town.

 

Here' an excellnet detailed review of a Denrus experience:

 

Last Fall after a lot of research and inquires we decided to do a tour with DenRus http://www.denrus.ru/

Over a few weeks last October and November I exchanged numerous emails with them and Red October getting quotes and schedules and tour information. After reading reviews and reading the price quotes we settle on DenRus. They are very flexible about our tour and what we do. They also gave a student discount which applied to 4 of our party. We decide a fairly basic 2 day tour but we throw in a few fun things. We didn’t want to get totally worn out as an 8 hour day with 11 people can be a bit tiring. The best thing we did on the whole cruise turns out to be scheduled for today and that was the lunch with a Russian family. More on that shortly. So here is what we selected for our 2 day stay:

 

Day One, SUN

 

0830 start of the tour. Drive South-West of St Petersburg to visit one of summer residences of Russian Tsars in Peterhof – the Russian Versailles.

0930-1020 a guided tour of the GrandPalace of Peterhof (Specially arranged Early Opening to avoid crowds).

1030-1100 walk round the world famous fountain park to enjoy fountains playing

1115-1230 return drive to the city

1250-1350 Lunch at Russian Family.

1430-1500 Aurora Cruiser visit.

1530-1700 inside visit to the Hermitage, including WinterPalace (a guided tour of the best collections).

1700 - 1730 drive back to the ship

1730 – back to ship

 

Day Two, MON

 

0830 start of the tour. The city orientation drive (city highlights).

1000-1050 visit to Peter-and-Paul Fortress and Cathedral

1100-1145 Boat trip “NevaRiver and Canals” from Nevsky gates of PPF

1215-1300 Inside visit to Spilled Blood Cathedral, shopping at flea market

1300-1500 Quick coffee-break with Russian pies at “Stolle” coffee-shop and shopping in the city center

1500-1530 Inside visit to the famous St Isaac’s cathedral

1600 – back to ship

 

So we prepare to disembark from the Star Princess. Note that in Princess mailings prior to the cruise and even onboard during the first few days they communicate mixed messages about touring in St Petersburg. They make it sound like unless you are on a Princess tour you can’t get off the ship. In reality on the day we disembarked, you just go down to the gangway anytime you want and walk off. The ship checks nothing other than your cruise card. You do have to have a ‘Tour Visa’ for Russian immigration though and DenRus supplied us with that. If you want to go off ship without a planned tour then you must have made prior arrangements and actually have a Russian Visa.

 

When we disembarked at around 8am there was 2 huge lines waiting to go through Russian immigration. We got in line and it took about 30 min to get through. Remember for US citizens you have to have 3 things here:

- your passport

- a copy of your passport which they keep

- your ‘Tour Ticket/Visa’ from your tour company or Princess

 

They check your passport and give you a small red card which you must turn in when you return to immigration. If you lose it it’s a $50 fine

 

Monday – St Petersburg, Russia

We went back through the non-descript and definitely not friendly Russian Immigration again today without issue. We met Michael and Shamiel and we were off on Day 2 of our visit. We hit the sites listed above and really enjoyed the day again. We asked Michael at one point to take us by a Russian McDonalds just so we could see what it was like. We got out and took some pictures but didn’t buy anything.

 

One of the fun stops today was the Russian Pies called Stolle. This is a local chain and they serve various breaded pies with stuffing’s ranging from meat, fish and rabbit to pastries of all flavors including apple, lemon, etc. Everyone ordered two each and some tea or pop. This was all included in our tour. And everyone enjoyed these very much.

 

We saw all the amazing tour sites and enjoyed each of them. The wonder of this city is the historic and cultural exhibits that are here. It is a treasure trove of collections that are World renowned. And the architecture and beauty of the mosaic tiles of the Church of Spilled Blood was amazing. And everyone really enjoyed the canal boat ride which was relaxing.

 

We got back to the ship and thanked Michael and Shamiel of DenRus. We gave them each a tip showing our great appreciation of their expertise and to thank them for our 2 day fun visit. We got back on board, changed clothes, showered and by the time we got to dinner we were sailing again headed to Tallinn.

Tallinn, Estonia 07:00 – 1:00pm

 

Sleeping soundly yet again, I awake as the ship stops in Tallinn. I always like getting out on the balcony as we approach. Nine times out of ten I’ll wake up when I feel the ship change speed or the thrusters start pushing us into the dock. I have to admit this cruise was one of the quietest I’ve ever been on. From the standpoint of hallway noise at night we never heard a thing. It was not uncommon to be walking back to the cabin and see no one the whole length of the hallway. Not sure where everyone was but there were a lot of ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs out awful early each night.

 

One other point to make about our fellow passengers. This was definitely an older group of passengers compared to other cruises we’ve been on. We met a very nice couple that worked as crew on the ship. One of them was a videographer and the other was a youth counselor. They told us that out of the 2,600 passengers there were only 80 that were under 18. And in looking at the passenger mix there were many retired and elderly passengers on this cruise.

 

Here in Tallinn we dock right at the city. It’s probably about a mile or a bit more to walk from the ship to the historic Old City here. There is some shopping along the way and the path is pretty obvious. I’d estimate about ½ the people walked and ½ took bus tours. So we look out over the city of Tallinn and immediately we are struck at the contrast. Over to the left you have a small city with some large office buildings and a typical city and over to the right you see the large church and the historic buildings of the Old City. It’s quite a contrast in history in one photo shot.

 

We all get off the ship about 8:30am and walk to the Old City. There is a small shopping about 3-4 blocks outside of the port gates. It houses a lot of souvenir shops and even a small grocery store. I’d recommend maybe walking through here quickly to get an idea of what is in this building then stopping back here after your visit to buy your things before you board the ship.

 

Once you walk past the asphalt streets and sidewalks you instantly walk into the historic and narrow cobblestone streets of the Old City. It’s quite an amazing transformation and the streets wind around and up and down going every which way. You definitely need a map here to keep your bearings. We walked all around the city over the next 2 ½ hours. I’d highly recommend getting to the Town Hall Square and stopping in the many shops and stores around town. There are many small shops and prices are reasonable. There are also outdoor seating restaurants in several places and many people were having an early lunch or quiet drink.

 

Our group bought quite a bit of things here. We purchased sweaters, some amber things, a couple of prints and some other typical souvenirs. To a person we all liked Tallinn and wish we had a full day here to explore more vs having to leave at 1:00pm. We wandered back to the ship and boarded about 12:15 and then had lunch in the dining room. Great food and service as usual. Standing up on deck watching people dash back to the ship I saw one lady looking desperately for her husband to return. She said they choose to go separate paths in town and he said he’d meet her back on board. The problem was they had discussed the return time and he said he’d be back on board well before the ship sailed at 1AM! We actually sailed at 1PM and he thought we were there until 1AM that night. Never did see him come on board.

 

Gdansk, Poland 09:00 – 06:00pm

 

The ship actually docks at Gdynia, Poland which is about 15 miles line of sight from Gdansk. So you have to figure out how to get to Gdansk. You can take a ships tour of course, you can take a taxi to the Gdynia train station and then take a train into Gdansk or you can take a taxi (expensive$) the whole way. We choose to take a Princess tour called Gdansk on your own. For $23 we got a roundtrip bus ride to and from the port to downtown Gdansk. This was not a shuttle it was a time specific bus ride. We left at 09:30am and the bus returned at 2:30pm. The bus had a tour guide that provided commentary along the way but it was not air conditioned.

 

As we got off the ship it was partly cloudy and the forecast was for showers and possible thunderstorms. The temps were in the mid 70’s. We met in the Vista Lounge at the tour ticket pre determined time and proceeded as a group to the bus. The bus guide was very good and pointed out sites and information about Poland the entire trip. While it’s only about 15 miles to Gdansk it is a very slow and winding and crowded road. So the trip took about an hour. We drove past the current home of Lech Walesa the famous Polish shipyard politician. He was having some big party in his yard that day and it was being set up as we went by.

 

The bus dropped us off right downtown near a large central square. The usual warnings about pickpockets were given. We had no trouble by anyone in our group. We did hear of a lady that had her purse stolen and another that had her wallet taken from her purse during the week. I forgot which port that happened at. We walked around Gdansk for the next several hours. As was usual in most ports we went to a nearby ATM to get some local spending money. We did that in each port, except St Petersburg, and it worked out quite well. So today purchased some small prints, some other small souvenirs and some t shirts. It was very warm today and was close to 80 degrees again. We decided to take a break at a local out door café and had some beer, drinks and some deserts. It was very good. Not much English was spoken here, far less than in the Nordic countries.

 

As we were sitting at the outdoor café the skies rapidly darkened and then it started to rain, hard. This was our first rain of the whole cruise! It turned out to be an actual thunderstorm with lightening and a nice hard shower. We decided not to walk much further so we spent our entire day within about 6-8 blocks of the central square area. We broke out our umbrella’s and Bass Pro Shop ponchos and watched it rain. We slowly walked back to the bus area and boarded for our return trip.

 

The only thing different about our return bus trip was it was now very humid, very hot and the bus still did not have air conditioning or windows that opened. So on the bus ride back it was like riding in a sauna! It was very uncomfortable and not a fun ride at all. Compounding this was the traffic which was much heavier than the morning. So our return trip took over 90 min to go those 15 miles. This was the least fun we had on the whole trip!

 

We got back to the ship and it was still pouring rain. Water was deep all over the dock area and there were some lengthy lines to get through ships security. This applied to most ports as well. Since everyone is generally getting off the ship and everyone is returning about the same time it was not uncommon to have to wait 10-15 minutes to get through the metal detectors and card reading process to board. So if it even appears that it might rain, bring a poncho just in case your standing in the rain for 15 min!

 

Friday – Oslo, Norway7:00am – 2:00pm

 

As usual I awake as we are docking and I head up on deck to shoot some pictures of Oslo. The forecast for today is scattered showers and much cooler than any day we have yet had. The forecast proves to be accurate and we have highs only around the low 60’s today and scattered rain shows around noon. Oslo is a very clean and easy to see town. It is also very expensive. Do not save your purchases for this city. A burger fries and drink at the local McDonalds was almost $16!

 

The ship docks right near town and it’s an easy 6-7 block walk to the heart of the city. There is a small shopping area right at the port but prices are quite high here too. We did Oslo on our own so we just walked around downtown. We checked out the Royal Palace and then Stortorvet Cathedral. Then we just walked around and shopped and bought a few snacks. We decided to take a tram and subway to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. We just bought tickets at the subway station for our roundtrip travel and then took a tram back to the pier area. I believe it was tram #21 (or #12 can’t recall for sure) but it stops right down near the pier and runs a route around the downtown area.

 

We stopped for a snack and some t-Shirts at the local Hard Rock along the main street Karl Johansgate. Then it started to rain pretty heavy so we broke out the trusty ponchos and headed slowly back to the ship. There was the usual 10-15 min line as everyone dashed to be back onboard by 1:30pm. Again much too short a stop in this nice city.

 

As we departed Oslo the sun broke and we had a beautiful exit down the Norwegian fjords. The scenery was fantastic and for about the next hour after we departed cruise director John provided commentary on the speaker system about the sights along both sides of the ship. I’d highly recommend being out on deck 14 or 15 for this sail away. I got some great pictures along this area.

 

Copenhagen:

They planned to start disembarkation at 6:00am and sure enough right at 6:00am the process started. They started calling the color codes over the ships PA and called a new group about every 10 minutes. If you had made your own travel arrangements, ie non-Princess, then you walked off the ship and in the Copenhagen Port you found your color coded luggage pile and then found your own luggage. Then you headed off via taxi, walk to the train station or other arrangements.

 

However, if you purchased a Princess Airport bus transfer or had your air through Princess you walked off the ship and right onto the bus! All your luggage was sent ahead and waiting for you at the airport. That was kind of cool! So at 6:40 am they called Purple 3, our lucky number. We headed to the gangway where there was no line at all, showed our Purple 3 luggage tag stubs and walked into the Port Terminal. We showed the lady our Princess Airport Bus Transfer tickets and hopped onto a waiting bus. Only 5 minutes later we were headed to the Airport. The bus ride took about 25 min or so. As the bus pulled into the Airport they had all the luggage sitting along the median and sorted by our color tags. We walked to the Purple 3 tagged area and immediately found our luggage and walked inside the terminal at about 7:40am.

 

 

St. Petersburg Tour -(2 days) by DenRus Travel and Tour Company. The highlight of this cruise was, of course, St. Petersburg with its fascinating and impressive historical palaces and museums. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit which was organized for us by DenRus, a private independent travel and tour company specializing in St. Petersburg tours. Our customized, comprehensive two-day program was expertly and competently conducted by Oksana, an effective English speaking guide. Our itinerary covered the following:

 

Day 1

· a Metro ride to see a very beautiful train station with huge crystal columns and chandeliers (can you imagine the grandeur and luxury?)

• Peterhof and a guided tour of the Grand Palace (Russian Versailles)
  
• Lunch at Tchaikovsky restaurant
  
• Shopping for amber and jewelry in one of the shops
  
• Inside visit to the famous Spilled Blood Cathedral
  
• Peter-and-Paul Fortress and Cathedral • Boat trip on the Neva and Canals
  
• Inside visit to St. Isaac’s Cathedral – tombs of all the Russian Tsars
  
• Evening program- Folklore show at Nicholas Palace – traditional dances and music performed by various Russian schools of arts. Ambience of the venue including the hall and seating was rather disappointing

Day 2

· Guided tour of the Catherine Palace of Pushkin

• Shopping for scarves, amber, etc.
  
• Lunch at another Russian restaurant, Demidov
  
• Inside visit and guided tour of the best collections at the Hermitage Museum

Although our visit to the Hermitage was rather rushed and short because of the time factor, (we had to be back on the ship by 5.30 pm before it set sail for the next port), we were shown some of the more significant rooms and displays. In fact, one can spend days, weeks and even years browsing and examining the Hermitage treasures. On the whole, our group of 21 was happy with the St. Petersburg excursions organized by DenRus.

We would like to reassure future tourists from Singapore (and elsewhere) that there is no need to apply for individual Russian visas as DenRus is a government recognized tour agency which is authorized to conduct visa-free tours for cruise passengers, as long as their stay does not exceed 72 hours. Based on our experience and dealings with DenRus, which we found trustworthy, reliable and responsible, we will certainly recommend DenRus to other cruise passengers visiting St. Petersburg who prefer to be in smaller groups with their own personalized itineraries.

[RuthC]

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder. If you could post a bit about your interests, whether or not there's any mobility problems, ports and how much time in each we might be able to give some good ideas that would make this cruise extra special.

I will say that the Baltic is a very busy itinerary and it might be a good idea to alternate full-day activities with partial day ones. Otherwise it can be too exhausing. I will also highly recommend Red October when you're in St. Petersburg. They will plan around your interests, get your visa for you, give personal attention with small groups. This is the one port that I advise to "fill 'er up" with sightseeing. There's so much to see and do!

[CDRMark]

Alan and/or Barbara:

I see you have also posted on the Baltic board. LOTS of grear info there.

Ms. RuthC is correct; whatcha lookin' for? A number of people here have done the cruise and can provide answers to more specific questions.

DW and I were on a Rotterdam Baltic cruise last month and loved it. My review is around here somewhere.

RuthC is also correct on St. Petersburg. We got back to the ship on the first night at 1:00 AM and were up and out at 7:00 the next morn. We used DenRus and have nothing but praise.

You have plenty of time for research.

Have a geat cruise!

Cheers

Mark

[amd92602]

Ruth, Mark, Thanks for the reply.

Not looking for anything specific, just anecdotal information that may help when making decisions impacting tours. No mobility issues, just active curiosity! We have until July, 2008 to wait for this cruise, so I am doing my homework early! How was the train ride from Warnemude to Berlin?

[RuthC]

I already mentioned St. Petersburg, and haven't been to Berlin, so that leaves Oslo and Copenhagen.

There's lots to see and do in Oslo. I loved the sail in the bay on a schooner. The Resistance Museum is well worth an hour or three. The Viking Ships Museum, Kon Tiki Museum are both very interesting. I haven't done the walk through Vigeland Park, but hope to get there on my next visit. The ski jump is interesting, but can be skipped if time doesn't permit.

In Stockholm the Vasa Museum is a must! I also very much enjoyed the hall where Nobel Prizes are awarded---there's some mosaics there that are fascinating. Do save some energy to be outside (assuming good weather) for the sail through the archepeligo. It has to be one of the most beautiful rides in the world!

I loved the boat ride through the waterways in Copenhagen. A stop at The Little Mermaid is easy and quick, so why not. Can't remember much else there as it was never a port stop; I was there for embarkation.

Hope this helps. Have a great time on this cruise---it's a great itinerary.

[JAVERZ]

We did the Baltic cruise on the Rotterdam in August. We either took HAL excursions or went out on our own without hiring a private excursion. Here's some of our experiences:

 

Copenhagen -- This was our embarkation port and we arrived there two days before boarding the ship. We were given a map at the hotel which showed a self-guided walking tour. Weather was beautiful so it turned out to be great day to walk around and see the sights on our own. We also took a canal boat tour and this shouldn't be missed. We spent an evening at the Tivoli Gardens. Had a great dinner there and took in some of the shows. Well worth the admission price. HAL provided a half-day city tour before borading the ship and we went around by bus to most of the same sights we saw on our own the day before.

 

Oslo -- We took a HAL tour. It consisted of a short city tour, a tour of the lovely Vigeland Park with the famous sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland. Also went to the Viking Museum and the Kon Tiki Museum. Both were very interesting -- but we felt we didn't have enough time in the Kon Tiki Museum. The park was nice but if we had spent a little less time there perhaps we could have had a little more time at the Kon Tiki. We found that sometimes the HAL tours could be paced a little better.

 

Stockholm -- Another HAL tour. We took a city tour by bus and visited the famous "Ice Bar." The ice bar was really a kick -- everything really is made of ice and you have to wear warm clothes and gloves. Afterwards we had a walking tour of the Gamla Stan and some free time for shopping.

 

Berlin -- We had been to Berlin before so we chose to stay in Warnamunde for the day. It's a charming costal resort town. We thoroughly enjoyed just stolling through the city and on the beach boardwalks. In the afternoon we took a HAL tour that visited the amber museum and a hunting lodge in the country. The tour wasn't that great -- we probably should have just spent more time in the town. If you choose to go to Berlin, it's a very long day but the trains come and go from a station right next to where the ship is docked so they are very convenient.

 

St. Petersburg -- We didn't get visas for Russia so we were limited to HAL tours. Took a half-day city tour one day and half-day Hermitage tour the second day. The Hermitage was so crowded we had a hard time enjoying it. It was very hot and there's no air conditioning. The city has grand buildings and interesting canals but things are not in very good condition. It's a shame to see such beauty not being cared for and cherished.

 

Hope some of this helps you. Our cruise was 27 days -- the Baltic and the Mediterranean back-to-back so we tried to pace ourselves. We knew we couldn't do everything -- so we tried to vary our excursions here and there and just enjoy the experience. It worked for us. We had a great time and throughly enjoyed ourselves. We'd do it over in a hearbeat.

[amd92602]

Nevadagal,

Did you happen to stay at the Scandic Copenhagen Hotel while in Copenhagen? This is where HAL has us booked pre cruise. If so, how was it? If not, where were you staying and how were the accomodations

[JAVERZ]

Yes, we stayed at the Scandic Hotel in Copenhagen. Thought the hotel was in a good location. We are good walkers so we could walk just about anywhere we wanted to go. Our room wasn't spectacular -- pretty plain actually -- but it was clean and comfortable for the two nights. A couple of nice features were that HAL had a desk in the lobby to answer questions and help you with ideas for tours, etc. and our stay included a nice buffet breakfast each morning. Most restaurants in Copenhagen are pretty pricey so we appreciated having breakfast included.

[amd92602]

Nevadagal,

Thanks for the reply! Trip advisor wasn't very helpful for this hotel so I thought past cruisers may have stayed there. I'm sure it will be fine for two nights and I noticed it is within walking distance of most things.

[sailaway5]

Not looking for anything specific, just anecdotal information that may help when making decisions impacting tours. No mobility issues, just active curiosity! We have until July, 2008 to wait for this cruise, so I am doing my homework early! How was the train ride from Warnemude to Berlin?

 

We took the train ride to Berlin on the Ship's tour in July, 2007. The service on the train was excellent as well as our guide. The ride was enjoyable (seeing the German countryside, various buildings etc). We had the combination river and train, which also was interesting showing us a different perspective of the city. Of course, the major sites were included and there was plenty of opportunity for photo's. Lunch in a Hof Brau was also above average. Although it was a long day, we would do this again if we had the opportunity. They also served hearty snacks (sandwiches) on the train.

 

In Oslo, it was easily done on your own. I puchased the "Oslo" card which included public transportation and museums. We took the ferry to the Viking Ship Museum, then walked to the Outdoor Folk Museum where all the old buildings, Stave Church (built in 1200), and way of life was. Then we walked to the KonTiki Museum and Fram Museum (they are next to each other). We were able to walk thru the Fram, which my husband thoroughly enjoyed. You can also take the public bus to them. All museums were interesting. We took the ferry back and had time to walk in town, have a local drink and shop.

 

Stockholm, also on our own -- We bought the Stockholm Card over the internet which included public transportation and museums. We took a taxi directly to the Vasa Museum and were there at opening (before the ship crowds). We were able to wander around and see most of this hugh exhibit, including the film. There is so much to see in this museum. We then took the public bus to Gamla Stan to catch the Changing of the Guard. You need to be early in order to see. The Royal Palace has a neat museum tucked away --- outside entrance, basement level. It held the royal armory, carriages, the king's "stuffed horse" (from the 1600's). It was quite impressive and not crowded at all. Then we just wandered around the town square, shopped etc.

 

Copenhagen, also on our own -- We bought the Copenhagen Card and enjoyed the Hop-on, Hop-off bus for a city tour, Little Mermaid stop and entrance to Tivoli Gardens. We lunched at Nhavn Harbor and people watched. We wanted to do the Round Tower here, but unfortunately ran out of time.

 

In St Petersburg, we took a private tour with Den Rus, which I recommend highly.

 

There is so much to see and do in these Baltic Ports. Like you, I started my reseach one year ahead of our cruise. These boards were great in gathering information. Have fun researching. You'll have a great time next year on your cruise.

[amd92602]

Sailaway5,

I'm glad to hear the train ride to Berlin was good and that you had 'hearty snacks'! Did you take the HAL tour in Berlin, and if so, which option? What was YOUR highlight?

[sailaway5]

Sailaway5,

I'm glad to hear the train ride to Berlin was good and that you had 'hearty snacks'! Did you take the HAL tour in Berlin, and if so, which option? What was YOUR highlight?

 

Yes we took the HAL tour. I think it was called Berlin by Train & River. Our highlight had to be the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. All of the tour was interesting from start to finish and never boring. We saw so much history. We were certainly fed enough (big buffet german lunch and snacks on the train). You won't be disappointed. Our group of six all enjoyed it. Well worth the time and $$$. Have fun researching. Check out the Europe Baltic boards under Ports of Call. That is is where I gained a wealth of information on all of our ports.