Getaway Baltic Cruise Highlights With Photos

Hi fellow Cruisers. Time to pay it forward and share some information on our May 16th to 25th Baltic Cruise. Cruise critic was very helpful to us in both trip planning and finding another family to share tours with on both this cruise and the Barcelona to Venice cruise on the Spirit in 2015. I enjoyed looking at CC photos and they were also helpful in our trip planning.

We travelled with our two university aged sons, YS (18) and OS (21). We left home May 6th and met OS in Krakow. We also visited Prague and Berlin before arriving in Copenhagen early afternoon of the 15th.

We took a cab from the train station to the Generator Hostel. Since we were pleased with our stay we returned for second night on the 25th. Surprisingly, there were other seasoned travellers at the hostel with and without young adults in tow. We had a private room with four beds, shower and bathroom. Location was excellent. Next to Nyhavn, Rosenborg Castle and a 20minute walk to Tivoli Gardens. The hostel provides a big breakfast (extra cost) and laundry which came in handy after 9 days on the road.

Copenhagen is a great city for walking but watch out for the bikers,they are everywhere. YS enjoyed the roller coasters and other rides at Tivoli Gardens. Nyhavn is great both day and night, boat trip around the canals is a must do as is walking across the kissing bridge to the Copenhagen Street Food market.

We took a cab from the hostel both to (178 DKK) and from (190 DKK) port. Arrived about 10:40 am and on the ship about noon. Boarding process went smooth, considering it was the first NCL cruise of the season and the ship was a much larger ship than previous years.

On return we used self-assist for the first time and it worked like a charm. We walked off the ship, waited a few minutes in the taxi queue, and off we went. There were plenty of taxis waiting at the terminal doorstep. As you can see in one of my photos (if I figure out the upload process), there is one that shows the location of the bus stop which should be helpful for those interested.

As forgetting to the airport, we had plenty of time after the 10 am check out to catch our flight so we took a leisurely walk to the nearby underground train.

View of the Port taken from our balcony prior to departure.

Tivoli Gardens and rides. Snapped a few of ys on the rides.

Bikers everywhere

Looks like the pics showed up...... a few more in Copenhagen.

A few more from Copenhagen.......... Will post some of the Getaway later.

The bridge to Sweden.

Oh boy! Will be following along and taking notes! Cruise in September. Thanks!!

Your pictures are awesome! thank you for taking the time to share - Looking forward to more!

Very nice pictures - looking forward to the rest of your review before we leave for Copenhagen ourselves for this itinerary in a few days.

Love this so far! We are doing this cruise in a few weeks.

Next up the Getaway. This is largest ship we cruised on. Lots of outside activities but due to the busy cruise and Baltic temperatures there were few passengers to be found outside. (see photos). The boys enjoyed the rock wall, ropes course, mini golf, walking the plank, bowling etc. YS used the treadmill and gym every night and facilities were relatively empty. Staterooms were great but a little tricky accessing the closet space. Bathrooms were a good size. Our room was the same size as the boys but our balcony was larger. We had the forward looking angled balcony which was quite nice.

Balcony view. Standing toward stern. I leaned out to take this.

Balcony view/ Standing looking forward.

Balcony view sitting position. Daytime view.

Balcony view sitting position. Late evening view. Sunsets were great!

Our room from Deck 8.

Angled balcony view, on starboard side.

More Getaway.

As for the food, it was the usual and same as always, no surprises there. I don’t recall the boys saying they were hungry. After 10 days of pre-cruise travelling it was nice to get onboard and not have to figure out where to eat every night. As expected, breakfast on the lido was very busy during port days, as everyone was on a similar schedule with regards to getting off the ship. You had to look around a bit for a table. Due to the nip in the air the outside tables were underutilized.

Despite the crowds I enjoyed the lido breakfast. It is massive but once you get your rhythm down, you will find it offers a great variety. The made to order eggs and omelets are much better than those offered at the restaurants - much faster service too. There were plenty of made to order stations and little or no line-ups.

We enjoyed the vessel, entertainment and service but in reality the ship is not the best fit for the Baltics. There is limited inside public space for cold weather cruising. Many activities take place in the atrium. It was packed and to be fair some folks will find it overwhelming while others will say it’s best kind. It was fine by me, I’m on vacation! TIP: If you need a chair get one from the small conference room across from the library on the atrium side by the internet café. The Million Dollar Quartet is excellent. TIP: Sit to the left of center facing the stage about 8-10 rows back, sit back and watch Gerry Lee Lewis work his magic. He stole the show.

The ABBA night was a hit, playing the evening we departed Sweden, nice touch NCL. It was packed and the band fed of the energy from the crowd. NCL lacks in the comedians and magicians however. For my two cents worth, the Getaway was great but I prefer the layout, size and design of the Spirit. Interestingly,the Getaway GRT is about 3.5 times larger than the first ship we sailed on in 1990 (NCL Seaward).

Mini Golf

Chess

Daily walks

This one is for my mom. Growing up she would say we were driving her up the wall. Today I'am driving her grandchildren up the wall. LOL

And off the Deep End LOL - could not resist the pun

A few more pics around the ship

Vibe

Adults only area - Benefits of colder weather cruising. One big balcony to share among a few friends. Jacuzzi's, big screen TV and a couple of bartenders included.

One of the few inside photos I took

Margaritaville - More outdoor quiet space.

Next up ports of call.

Great pictures! The pool looks so different than when we were in the Caribbean! So empty!

So glad you liked MDQ. Even if a person does not think that that show is "their thing" it is worth seeing that piece of rock and roll history. Also if you have teen girls take them to see the show, sit them on the left side of theater as noted so they can see Jerry Lee play the piano. They just may have a little crush by the end of the show. (Just like girls did years ago with the real JLL-Jared is his real name and he is just 20 years old-amazing) I know my 15 year old niece did last year when we went! All of the guys are very talented actors and musicians.

Enjoying your review very much. We are doing this same cruise next May on the Breakaway. Would love to also hear about your land trip before the cruise. From where did you take the train in to Copenhagen? We are looking to do some land trip also but not sure how to get to Copenhagen from the continent except maybe by plane, which is expensive.

Flying within the continent is relatively inexpensive. Look to some of the less expensive airlines like Norwegian. We flew from Barcelona to Warsaw for $65, Copenhagen to Krakow for $122 on Norwegian, and Warsaw to Rzesow for $25 (LOT airlines).

There are other inexpensive airlines in Europe. Check out the advice on Rick Steves.com

Thanks for sharing! Great information!

Enjoying your review very much. We are doing this same cruise next May on the Breakaway. Would love to also hear about your land trip before the cruise. From where did you take the train in to Copenhagen? We are looking to do some land trip also but not sure how to get to Copenhagen from the continent except maybe by plane, which is expensive.

MarkandDonna provide great advice.

We planned on flying from Berlin to Copenhagen but once we started trip planning I found a great train connection with the bonus of crossing the Baltic Sea by ferry. We left Berlin at 7:06 am, arrived in Hamburg at 9:11. We departed Hamburg 9:28 and arrived at the Kobenhavan Station 2:22 pm. The high speed ICE train was 5 cars in length and drove onto a ferry in Puttgarten Germany. We had lunch on the ferry and 30 or 40 minutes later we got back on the train and departed the ferry continuing on to Kobenhavan Main Train Station. Station is located across the street from one of the gates for Tivoli Gardens. As a bonus both train stations are near City Centers.

We could have saved a couple hours by flying but for us the journey was also the destination. Train travel is fun. We had seats facing each other with a table in between. Perfect for great discussions and cruise planning with the family.

Search "man in seat 61" His website provides everything you need for travel by train.

We booked our train tickets from these sites www.le.cz/ www.bahnadewww.cd.cz/eshop

Next up, Warnemünde/Berlin Germany.

This was the warmest day of our trip, hitting 20+ degrees. After 10 days on the road we scheduled this as a day with no plans. OS however, was one of the first down the gangway. He spent his day exploring Schwerin, Rockport and Warnemünde. He highly recommends visiting the castle in Schwerin.

We departed for town around 11:30 am. It took around 15 minutes or so by foot. The town has a resort kind of feel as it has plenty of quaint shops, cafés and restaurants. We visited the beach and enjoyed a bare foot walk in the cold water. Mid-afternoon we were back on the ship. We played mini-golf and YS tried out the water slides, rock climbing wall and ropes course.

We spent three nights in Berlin prior to our cruise. If you have not been, you should do so. Vibrant City with plenty of neighbourhoods to explore. Transit system is excellent and with some pre-planning you can see the highlights during your one day visit.

Besides the must see attractions we enjoyed the WWII underground bunker tour and our visit to the 1936 Olympic Stadium. The one hour bunker tour was very informative. Amazing what lies below one’s feet. Sitting in the Olympic Stadium where Jessie Owens won his four gold medals – hard to top that. If visiting on a Sunday be sure to spend a couple of hours in Mauerpark. Most things are closed on Sunday's so the park is the place to be. If you can sing visit the karaoke pit, if not visit anyway, if you can find a seat, sit back and enjoy.

Another highlight was exploring the history and tracing the remnants of the inner and outer Berlin walls. For those boarding in Berlin, there is plenty of night life. Prater Biergarten is worth a visit. OS met up with a classmate for a night on the town. The nightlife met his expectations.

Warnemünde photos followed by Berlin

Berlin pics

Brandenburg Gate view from the former East German side

Brandenburg Gate view from the former West German side. It was on this side of the gate in West Berlin where Reagan made his "Tear Down This Wall" speech in 1987.

Inside the Reichstag's Dome

One of the few remaining East German Guard Towers. Also one of few remaining places you see the inner wall.

The picture seen across the world in 1961

OS crossing the same place as the image above

Great review so far! Love the picture's.

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A few more Berlin Pics

Burgermeister - It took about 40 minutes to get our burgers - worth the wait. TIP: If you see locals line up for street food it must be good.

Sure everyone seen this before......... at the East Side Gallery

1936 Olympic Stadium - the BIG Berlin 25 road race was just finishing up when we arrived

Potsdamer Platz area - The New Berlin, developed on land near the former walls and Death Strip.

Outer wall remains near Mauerpark. The biker on the left is in the former East Berlin. Actually he is between the inner and outer walls in area once called the Death Strip.

Sunday in Mauerpark. Bearpit karaoke

Wow love your photos and extra thanks for highlighting where key transportation points are. We are going on same cruise in August and I love to visualize things in advance so your report is so helpful! We are also taking our two "kids" 21 and 18. Would live to hear more about what your kids found to entertain themselves on the ship besides the ropes and slides. Were there other of similar ages onboard? Thanks!

We are on this cruise in October and are also taking our kids, twins age 20.... so enjoy hearing about your trip. Great pics too!

Wow love your photos and extra thanks for highlighting where key transportation points are. We are going on same cruise in August and I love to visualize things in advance so your report is so helpful! We are also taking our two "kids" 21 and 18. Would live to hear more about what your kids found to entertain themselves on the ship besides the ropes and slides. Were there other of similar ages onboard? Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback. I realized on the cruise that a few visuals would have been useful to us, glad you feel likewise.

The boys were always busy. We did stuff together and the boys did stuff together (they were competitive with the mini golf, whoever lost last was always eager for a rematch). They also hung out with fellow roll call students that we shared a tour with. YS did his daily run and workout. OS enjoys live music and took in the dueling pianos whenever he had the opportunity. If we or his new friends were not around he went out on his own.

Overall, there were not that many passengers in the 18 to 22 year old age range. Hope this helps.

Hope this is helps.

For those of you taking the time to provide comments, thanks. Next up. Tallin.

Another sunny day and perfect temperatures for walking. We departed the ship about 20 minutes after the gangways opened. No line up to get off. It was about a 15 minute walk to Old Town.

Tallin can be summed up in one word - fun! Explore and get lost or should I say find a new way. If you wish to look like a tourist, you found your place. We did our part, we were the family of four walking about with Rick Steve’s by our side, actually in the backpack, but he did make if off the ship and we stayed close to his route. Navigating was a little tricky at times but we relied on OS using his phone more so than the guide book which was in the bag.

Make your first stop at St. Olav’s Church, climb to the top for great visuals of both Old Town and Upper Town. (I think we paid a small fee). Looking through my photos for this post I noticed I can see most of the sites we visited. TIP: From the top make a visual plan of your day. Look carefully and you can see Rick’s must do sites. Go early before the crowd arrives as the platform area around the top is very narrow. We had the views pretty much to ourselves. On the way down we squeezed past a large group of students going up. It must have been crowded when they arrived up top.

For lunch we tried the Russian pancakes and herring at Kompressor. Mostly locals at the nearby tables. We sat by the open window, great spot to watch the hordes of picture taking tourists walk by. I felt guilty not being among them!

We arrived back at port about 20 minutes before departure. We had no luck with the free wifi so we browsed around the shopping kiosks. Next up St. Petersburg!

Once again thanks for following and I appreciate your kind comments.

View from St. Olav’s church tower. Look close and you can see the road toward Upper Town as well as the major attractions and lookout areas.

Opposite view taken from Upper Town looking down on Old Town. You can see the church tower from which the previous picture was taken.

Six more pics. Every picture in Tallin is a keeper. Hard to take a bad picture in Tallin.

Hi my friend and i doing this cruise leaving on the in September , can you suggest which are the best excursions to book on . :):)