Best Line For Northern Europe/Baltics?

[debt]

I'm hoping to visit this area in 2009. Any views on which cruise line to check out?

[LHT28]

Depends on you your wants/needs .

Usually you are in port more than on the ship

 

A good TA can help you choose the line that suits your needs

Many ships go there so it is a matter of your choices

Everyone has a favourite line for many reasons yours is probably different than mine.

[TLCOhio]

I'm hoping to visit this area in 2009. Any views on which cruise line to check out?

 

What's your budget range, past cruising and Europe experiences on land or by ship, age, number in your party, personal travel interests and style, etc.???? The good news is that there are lots and lots of great options ranging from the bigger mega ships to the smaller-style yachts. BUT, the costs in this area are not cheap and the season is fairly short. Good planning and advanced thought are important in narrowing your choices. We all can give you lots of good feed-back once we hear more from you.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Bruin Steve]

I'm hoping to visit this area in 2009. Any views on which cruise line to check out?

 

Everyone's going to have a different opinion, but, just for the heck of it, here's mine:

 

I have cruised Europe on Celebrity, Princess and Oceania...

 

My personal preference is Celebrity--primarily for the value and superior service plus the entertainment and amenities of a big ship...

 

But, Oceania does a pretty good job as well--only different...Smaller ships, less entertainment...but a couple of good points for this route--they do a three day visit to St. Petersburg...and "open seating" works well with long touring days...But Oceania is also a bit more costly (don't just compare base rates, there are a lot of hidden charges)...Azamara would be very similar to Oceania with sister ships to the Oceania ships...

 

I was absolutely not thrilled with Princess in the Baltic...They run a shorter cruise (10 days vs. 14), cutting corners on port times, among other things...

 

HAL has some great itineraries...but also the reputation of catering to a much older crowd (not necessarily a minus...maybe depends on what demographic you fall into yourself)...

 

We like Celebrity here...and, putting my money where my mouth is, that's why we're going back to the Baltic on the Constellation in July...

[Len3]

We have selected to go with NCL because of the Freestyle concept. With this, we have no worries as to dinner times, etc. Plus, we don't have to bring "formal" clothes that just adds weight to the luggage. It seems easier.

[cruising g-mom]

We chose a ship that was small enough to go under the bridge on the Kiel Canal for our cruise. The largest ships cannot go that route because of the bridge. The Kiel Canal portion was one of the highlights of our trip. As others have said, what your preferences are will determine which cruise line or even which ship you choose.

[CJcruzer]

We were on Oceania for the Baltics because:

 

1- smaller ship

2-casual anytime dining (no formal nights)

3-itinerary: 3 days in St. Petersburg - and day transit of Kiel Canal

4- 14 day cruise

 

However, pricewise it was more than if we had sailed with another line - one benefit was we met up with a few from CC and could share cabs, private tours, etc...

 

Toruing on your own in most cities was fairly easy- most places English was spoken and public transit system very good and easy...Private tour in St. petersburg and we opted for ship's tour in Gdansk, Poland (English not spoken widely and traffic horrendous)

 

Whichever cruiseline you sail with, the ports are fabulous!

 

CJcruzer