Jewel 6/10 (with kids) any questions?

[Shadowstar]

We sailed on the NCL Jewel on 6/10 and had a fabulous time - here is our experience.

 

We were a party of six (our family of four including two boys 11 years and 14 years) and my parents. We were in a mini suite. I found our suite to be perfect for our family of four. The bed was extremely comfortable, and well laid out. The children complained that their sofa bed was a little hard but seemed to deal with it well. There was a curtain that divided the room in two which we found invaluable so that everyone could have some privacy. Our room was kept immaculately clean and we had no complaints. We took a shoe organizer as recommeded on these boards to keep our various toiletries, and we found this to be a great tip!

 

We were a bit concerned by the Noravirus outbreak on the previous cruise but after speaking with our cabin steward regarding the sanitizing procedures I was no longer worried. All the cabins were fogged, and the walls and windows sprayed down and wiped. Even the TV remote and the Holy Bible were sanitized! The buffet was served to us and I had no problem with that, and welcomed all the hand sanitizing stations, it was a small price to pay in order to stay well and enjoy our vacation.

 

My 14 year old went to the Club "Underground" the teen hang out quite often and played games in the "Whatever" rooms. He met other teenagers and seemed to be having a good time- we hardly saw him! We took walkie talkies which worked well to communicate with our teen so that he knew when to come for meals etc.

 

My 11 year old went a few times to the Tween hangout but did not enjoy it as much and spent most of his time with us which was fine.

 

There were a few kids on the ship but most of the passengers were adults.

 

We all liked the food very much and had no complaints. If I had to be nit picky I would say that they should have had more variety in the sides being offered at the Garden cafe. At each meal, we had the same fresh fruit, pineapple, canteloupe and honey dew. At tea, we were offered the same scones, pound cake and banana cake every day. We ate mostly at Tsars but also tried Tango's, and Chin Chin's. Both were very good.

 

We loved all the entertainment and thought the quality was very superior. The children also enjoyed the shows. For the most part the comedians were quite clean which I appreciated very much. A local Danish troup was brought on board to entertain before we set sail from Copenhagen which we all enjoyed very much.

 

The North Sea crossing was rough the first day and on the last day. We broke out the Drammamine, but only needed one tablet, the sea calmed down towards evening on the first day and by lunch the second day, the rest of the cruise was calm. Our ship listed quite badly on the second to the last day from having to turn in order to avoid a barge that had come into our channel. This is what I heard from a fellow passenger, there was no official announcement on why we listed. That was quite scary!

 

Our children have traveled extensively and are generally good travelers this is what we did at the various ports:

 

Copenhagen- we joined the Richards Karpen walking tour and loved it. The kids enjoyed it too. We then spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the various other sights and enjoyed some Danish ice cream and a local smorgasbord. The weather was a bit cold and rained for a few minutes, but nothing unbearable. Never leave your ship without an umbrella!

 

Warnemunde- we rented a van and took a scenic drive to Schwerin. We all enjoyed this little town very much. We went into the palace and enjoyed the town. There was a local band playing which we listened to for some time. On our return, we walked around Warnemunde and returned to the ship.

 

Tallin- my parents did most of their shopping here. The amber was cheapest here but the Russian eggs more expensive. We also bought sweaters. I liked the sweaters and the price was good, but after coming home I find the sweater is a little scratchy! Tallin is a gorgeous place and we enjoyed our time here. We ate in a little restaurant that looked like a cellar and lit by candle light- the food was great and the people very friendly.

 

St Petersburg- We docked at 8 AM but ship was not cleard until 8:20 AM. We got off the ship without any problems, no one stopped us or tried to talk us out of going on our own private tour. we went on a private tour with Anastasia tours. Our tour guide Tatiana and our driver Sergay were excellent. Tatiana was a fountain of knowlege and Sergey was a skilled driver and took care of our things while we went in to the various sights. Tatiana was also able to keep our children interested and they both enjoyed our time here. We had a packed itinerary visiting all the popular sights, metro stations and taking in a folk show in the evening. We canceled our boat trip so that we had some time for shopping. I am glad we did that because the ship made a big deal about the Russian bazaar on the night we sailed from St. Petersburg but all their prices were more than double what we paid. On our first day we ate in a lovely restaurant near Catherine's Palace, Anastasia had sent us menus ahead of time and we chose the menu we liked. On the second day, we ate Russian pies and Anastasia sent Rubles so that we did not have to exchange our money and simply reimbursed her at the end of our tour. We were very happy with our tour and could not have asked for more. The other passengers on the ship who did the ship's tours were not as happy due to the large groups they were in. Every palace, and every cathedral is packed with tourists, so in a large group it is very difficult to hear or ask questions.

 

Helsinki- we loved Helsinki despite the drizzle! We walked around the town and went to a local market near the water. Many local handicrafts were being sold there and we bought some lovely souvenirs. We found the local people very friendly and helpful and most spoke english.

 

Stockholm- if I had to do this port again, I would either take a HOHO or a ship's tour. We went on our own and had some difficulties. We got on the #76 bus and the driver promised to tell us when to get down for the Vasa. Well, he forgot! So, we got down at Gamla Stan instead. We followed a walking tour from Rick Steve's guide book and then took the ferry to Vasa. We loved the Vasa, it was the highlight of our visit to Stockholm. We left the Vasa about 2 1/2 hours before our departure for which I am very thankful now in retrospect. First, we had trouble buying tickets for our journey. The kiosk which normally sells tickets had run out of them, so we walked to the nearest ticket machine. Made it back to the bus stop and waited for the bus. The 76 bus arrived and all the locals who came after us pushed and shoved their way on to the already crowded bus. We could not get on. We waited another 20 minutes for the next bus. Again, the locals pushed ahead of us very aggresively, we tried to get on the bus too and my mother almost fell off the bus. My kids and I were the only ones who managed to stay on this bus and my husband and my parents had to wait for yet another bus. Fortunately we had time on our side. The problem is that this bus is a small one and comes packed with locals and tourists from Gamla Stan. Had we got on at Gamla Stan we may not have run into this problem.

 

The cruise through the Swedish archipelago was lovely and the following day too there was some scenic cruising.

 

Departure at Dover was very smooth. Put several tags on your bags, my parents tag had come off and we took some time to find it.

 

We loved our cruise and have come back with many wonderful memories, I hope you do too.

[epixx]

Hello Shadowstar!

 

We are also going on Baltics cruise with kids (girls, ages 14 and 10). We are also taking Anastasia tour in St. Petersburg. Questions:

 

1. What were the kids' favorite sights/activities in St. Petersburg?

 

2. Same question for Tallin.

[egit]

Did you do a private tour with Anastasia? Have you got thier web addresss.

[Shadowstar]

Hello Epixx!

 

My children's favorite port was St. Petersburg. My oldest is not a history buff or very fond of museum's, so this came as a surprise to us! Their most favorite sight was Catherine's Palace and the Peterhoff gardens with the trick fountains. They also really enjoyed the folk show. Being boys they were also impressed with the metro stations and how deep they are. Their least favorite place was the Hermitage because it was even more crowded than the palaces and it's almost too much to digest in the small amount of time we had. The rooms are richly decorated and then each room had so many masterpieces to look at, it was too much for our eyes!

 

In Tallin we walked around and followed Rick Steve's walking tour. We did not go into any place, other than for our shopping. They liked the atmosphere and the feel of the mideaval town. They particularly enjoyed the lunch we had- it was in a restaurant called Vanaema Juures (Grandma's Place). It was a small cellar restaurant serving traditional Estonian meals and lit by candle light. If you plan to go here, go early (by noon) it gets filled up fast since it is so small.

 

My children loved this cruise more than any other we have done in the past, I am sure your children will also enjoy it very much.

 

I hope this helps you plan.

[Shadowstar]

Hello Egit!

 

Yes, we did a private tour with Anastasia. Her web address is:

 

http://anastasiaworld.com/

 

We listed the places we wanted to go to and she arranged the timings and order of our tour. She was extremely professional and replied within 24 hours. The first day we had a pre-arranged lunch which was good because the lunch was ready as we reached the restaurant and we were able to keep to our hectic schedule. Anastasia sent us several menus and we picked the one that suited us. The guide she assigned to us was EXCELLENT and the driver was equally good. We left our bags in the van and he never left the van and took care of our belongings. He also helped us cross the road safely. Our guide took us in to the sights quickly and even showed us less crowded restrooms so that we did not waste any time. She spoke excellent english and was very well informed. The guide left us before the folk show started but made sure that we had our tickets and understood what to do and where to meet the driver. The driver was waiting for us at the end of the show and took us back to the ship. The following day, we had asked to eat Russian pies and that did throw our schedule off because the place was crowded and we had to wait in line. We did not mind, we had already decided to cancel the boat ride in order to get our shopping done.

 

I highly recommend taking a private tour. The others on our ship who took the ships tours were not as happy. They were also not given any time to pick up souvenirs etc. but just herded around from one sight to the next.

 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask!

[HeinBloed]

Hello Egit!

 

Yes, we did a private tour with Anastasia. Her web address is:

 

http://anastasiaworld.com/

 

We listed the places we wanted to go to and she arranged the timings and order of our tour. She was extremely professional and replied within 24 hours. The first day we had a pre-arranged lunch which was good because the lunch was ready as we reached the restaurant and we were able to keep to our hectic schedule. Anastasia sent us several menus and we picked the one that suited us. The guide she assigned to us was EXCELLENT and the driver was equally good. We left our bags in the van and he never left the van and took care of our belongings. He also helped us cross the road safely. Our guide took us in to the sights quickly and even showed us less crowded restrooms so that we did not waste any time. She spoke excellent english and was very well informed. The guide left us before the folk show started but made sure that we had our tickets and understood what to do and where to meet the driver. The driver was waiting for us at the end of the show and took us back to the ship. The following day, we had asked to eat Russian pies and that did throw our schedule off because the place was crowded and we had to wait in line. We did not mind, we had already decided to cancel the boat ride in order to get our shopping done.

 

I highly recommend taking a private tour. The others on our ship who took the ships tours were not as happy. They were also not given any time to pick up souvenirs etc. but just herded around from one sight to the next.

 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask!

 

31 minutes after request I got a response, although it's Sunday afternoon in Central Europe and early evening in Russia.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

 

(glad to hear that you had a good time in Schwerin)

[debbiew19]

Thanks for your info. We are going on the same cruise with my children ages 10 & 11 in August. We are scheduled to use SPB tours...but based on your posts I have contacted anastasia. If you were to eliminate any of the sites you saw in St. Petersberg to spend a little time shopping and just checking out the town what would they be? Any other things that you kids loved?

 

Debbie

 

Yes, we did a private tour with Anastasia. Her web address is:

 

http://anastasiaworld.com/

 

We listed the places we wanted to go to and she arranged the timings and order of our tour. She was extremely professional and replied within 24 hours. The first day we had a pre-arranged lunch which was good because the lunch was ready as we reached the restaurant and we were able to keep to our hectic schedule. Anastasia sent us several menus and we picked the one that suited us. The guide she assigned to us was EXCELLENT and the driver was equally good. We left our bags in the van and he never left the van and took care of our belongings. He also helped us cross the road safely. Our guide took us in to the sights quickly and even showed us less crowded restrooms so that we did not waste any time. She spoke excellent english and was very well informed. The guide left us before the folk show started but made sure that we had our tickets and understood what to do and where to meet the driver. The driver was waiting for us at the end of the show and took us back to the ship. The following day, we had asked to eat Russian pies and that did throw our schedule off because the place was crowded and we had to wait in line. We did not mind, we had already decided to cancel the boat ride in order to get our shopping done.

 

I highly recommend taking a private tour. The others on our ship who took the ships tours were not as happy. They were also not given any time to pick up souvenirs etc. but just herded around from one sight to the next.

 

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask!

[RachelG]

Glad to hear the good report on Anastasia's tours in St. Petersburg. We had already booked with her for the Aug 2 Regent cruise.

[Shadowstar]

Hi Debbiew19!

 

Hm- what would we eliminate? That is a difficult question. As I mentioned we already eliminated the boat ride that gave us 1 hour. I wish that we could have done that too- but something had to give! The first day lunch we were scheduled to stop for 1 hr. and 45 minutes but we finished in 1 hour, so that gave us an extra 45 minutes. I took a poll just now from our family and they said that if they had to give up another sight it would be the metro station, although they were interesting- very deep and ornate. Every church and every palace we went into took my children's breath away and they really enjoyed all of it. Don't miss the folk show it was great- we went for the 6:30 PM show and returned to the ship by 9:00 PM. The ship also had a folk show on the second night but it was nothing compared to what we saw. I hope that the weather will be cool and not warm when you are there, these buildings do not have a/c and with the mob of tourists it gets warm even on cool days!

 

Also, I should mention that we were taken to tourist type souvenir shops we were told by our guide that the quality would be better and there would be no problem with them accepting our credit cards etc. I am not sure that we would have enjoyed just going around the town. St. Petersburg is very crowded- full of pedestrians and walking around is difficult as is driving around. So, frankly, one hour for shopping was adequate for us. Each place you visit will also have a museum store. We bought a couple of things at the Hermitage. I asked about the market behind the Church of the Spilled Blood which is recommended on these boards. Our guide dissuaded us that the quality is not good and she has had complaints from some of her customers after they went home. So, we decided that even if it costs a little more, we would prefer to take home an item of quality.

 

I am sure that SPB tours will do a great job as well based on the input on these boards. I had contacted them and Viktoria seemed very professional and she has two children herself, I was very impressed with her- but, I am not sure who she uses as guides. We went with Anastasia primarily because her quote was less and as luck would have it we ended up with a great guide and driver. We rec'd our guides email address about one month prior and we were able to email her and discuss further details directly with her. I should also tell you that these guides and drivers work for various different tour companies, not just one- they are basically independent.

 

I hope this answers your question. Have a great trip!

[drkq]

We are taking this cruise on August 11, 2008 with our daughter age 13. We have been to Russia in the past (Three weeks in Moscow and Novosibirsk). We are doing half day ship excursions and had some apprehension about booking the Hermitage with daughter (and husband). I thought maybe too crowded and overwhelming during this brief stay. Especially, our two days in St. Petersburg are Sunday and Monday. Hermitage is closed on Monday.

 

We have decided on three ships excusions:

 

Sunday AM-Catherdral on Spilled Blood & Waterways (i.e.,canal transportation to catherdral and shopping in market nearby).

Sunday PM-Catherine's Estate in Tsar's village (bus transportation)

Monday PM- Peterhof Gardens & Fountains (Hydrofoil transportation).

 

These sound consistent with your children's favorites.

[Shadowstar]

Yes, my kids enjoyed these sights. I would encourage you to book a private tour though. Each of these sights are extremely crowded and going in a big group becomes most unenjoyable. I am convinced that my kids did so well in St. Petersburg because we were in a small group with our own guide and could hear her easily and we were able to ask her our questions as we went along. I would also recommend the folk show.

[debbiew19]

Thank you for your response. I will question both companies on their guides...maybe that will help with the decission. Thanks for all of your info! Were you able to go in the same clothing that you wore during the day to the folk show?

 

Debbie

[Shadowstar]

Yes, we wore the same clothing. Most everyone was casually dressed.

[debbiew19]

One more question...I am having trouble deciding what to do in Wermanude (sp?) I know that I do not want to travel to Berlin for just one day. We were thinking of just spending the day in Wermanude and going to the beach? Did you see the beaches there are they nice enough for the day and is the town nice enough to walk around for the day or is there something else that you would recommend. Thanks again!

[debbiew19]

One more question...I am having trouble deciding what to do in Wermanude (sp?) I know that I do not want to travel to Berlin for just one day. We were thinking of just spending the day in Wermanude and going to the beach? Did you see the beaches there are they nice enough for the day and is the town nice enough to walk around for the day or is there something else that you would recommend. Thanks again!

[rundogrun]

In Stockholm, was there a reason you opted for the bus instead of the ferry? From what I've read, the ferry seems like the easier way.

 

Glad you had a great trip. We leave tomorrow!

[Shadowstar]

Hi Debbie!

 

We did not want to go to Berlin either. So, we rented a van (for six) from Europcar and took a scenic drive to Schwerin. The drive was really nice, taking us through various little towns, some wooded areas, along the coast at times and farming country. There was a beautiful castle and lake in Schwerin. We enjoyed the drive very much. It was very easy driving there and we had an english GPS! Since we took the scenic route, the drive there took about 3 hours (only 1 1/2 hours if taking the autobhan route). On the way back we drove on the autobhan and made it back at about 5 PM.

 

When we returned we walked around Warnemunde. While this is a charming seaside town, there is really not enough to do all day. I did not check out the beaches since the weather was too cold.

 

We were so glad we did this because it was different to all the other ports where we were in the city.

[Shadowstar]

Hi Rundogrun!

 

From the port, the only way we could go was by bus #76. The ticket machine was broken so all the tourists got to ride for free! From Gamla Stan to Djurgarden (to see the Vasa) we took the ferry. Then back to the ship by bus #76. To get to the bus stop from the Vasa turn left and go over the bridge and the stop is on the left. From what I saw there are two buses that service the port where we stopped (Frihamen (sp.?)) bus #76 and bus#1. Bus #1 is large and I am not sure of its route, but it comes empty where as bus #76 is always over crowded.

 

Stockholm is probably the biggest city we stopped at and I think we would have been better off with the HOHO. We did not come across a Tourist Info. office until we got to the Vasa where there was a a TI desk and they were quite helpful. As we got off the ship we noticed there was some one handing out maps and brochures at the dock. I went up to her and asked a question- and she told me to look it up in the brochure! So, they were not the most helpful!

 

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

[rundogrun]

Sounds good...thanks for the info!

[debbiew19]

Shadowstar-

Did you change money for each country before the cruise or did you do it in the individual country? Was it easy to use your ATM card? Also is it true that in Stockholm they do not take American Credit cards. Also was there any places that you kids needed not to be in "typical american teenage oufits" Thanks again for all of your info! There is a lot that goes into this trip!

 

Debbie

[Shadowstar]

Hi Debbie!

 

No, we did not get money ahead of time. We got local money via the ATM machines at each stop. We found this to be the easiest. The biggest problem with this cruise is the fact that almost every country has a different currency- so we have come back with a lot of different coins and notes we did not use!

 

St. Petersburg was the only port we did not exchange money at since Anastasia sent Rubles for our use for lunch and we paid her back in US $. The shopping we did, we used our credit card.

 

We did have one problem with our credit cards. Since the cards were being used in so many different countries, the credit card companies, I think, automatically stopped their use thinking that they had been stolen! We should have called our credit card company ahead of time and warned them that we would be in many different countries! Only one of our cards worked! We tried not to use our cards too much since it costs for each foreign transaction. It is better to just take the correct amount of money out.

 

We had no problem in Stockholm using our credit card. We did not buy anything but my parents bought some crystal and I know my Dad used his credit card, I am not sure which one (AMEX or Mastercard). But, this purchase was made at one of the ship approved stores, so I am not sure if that was why he could use his card.

 

As for dressing, we noticed that in Europe people do dress better than in the US. The weather was cool so we did not wear shorts. The kids wore jeans and a T-shirt and a light jacket if needed. In St. Isaacs Cathedral we needed a head scarf to go into the inner sanctuary, but there were some to borrow.

 

I hope this helps.

[debbiew19]

Thank you so much...because our children are similar ages, I fell like I found my own personal cruise consultant

[Shadowstar]

No problem Debbie, I am glad I could help. BTW just an idea for packing- we took a walkie talkie and found it to be invaluable since we could communicate with our children while they were out and about the ship! Also, the idea we got from this forum to take a shoe organizer for all our toiletries was great- with four in the cabin this really helped a great deal! Finally, I was surprised but the kids also felt sea sick on the North Sea and I gave them Drammamine which really helped, they too only needed one tablet. I am not sure if you know this, but the washer/dryers are free but you have to pay for soap and there are no dryer sheets available, so take your own soap and dryer sheets if you plan to do laundry-which we did several times!

[Fintry]

Thank you that is such a helpful review We travel on 16th July (me and my 14 year old son). I have still not arranged anything for St Ptersburg and am panicking as the tours offered by the ship don't sound ideal but i have lef it too late to do anything else. I was nervous about arranging an individual tour as there are just the two of us. Out of ships tours did you ever hear any chat of what was not worth the time or money - we would want to see as much as possible in the time we are there.

 

Glad you had such a good holiday

[debbiew19]

We went on a cruise to Alaska and the walkie talkies were amazing! It helped me feel comfortable when they were walking around. I am going to try the shoe organizer idea. We are 4 in a regular balcony room. We wanted a jr. Suite but they only had 2 beds in them and my kids would prefer less space and their own beds. Should be interesting after 12 nights in a room the size of my closet. How rough was the first night at sea? Last time the wrist bands seemed to work for my kids other than our first morning when everyone was pretty miserable. I think we will try the dramamine this time

 

debbie