Scottishclover

I loved your review, thanks for taking the time to post. I prefer reviews like yours which focus more on ports than the ship and food and drink. We have always avoided Caribbean cruises, as we are not beach people and like to spend lots of time hiking while on holiday. You may just have sold me on this itinerary with your suggestions for hikes. Btw Norway is a great cruise for hikers, would recommend if you’ve not been. I am very jealous of your Azores trip. Have been looking at going there for a while but it’s quite tricky to get there from Scotland. Another Portuguese island, Madeira, is also great for hiking and a favourite of ours. Enjoy your trip in February and thanks again for the fantastic review.

Pleased to read this as we are staying in Lucca for 4 nights before our cruise next year and then getting a train to the cruise port. There is just one change of trains in Pisa. I prefer smaller towns to big cities and it means we still have the option of going to Florence for the day on our own time rather than be restricted by the ship’s docking time at Livorno. I also looked at staying on the island of Ischia near Naples ( we are going in July) but it was going to be a bit complicated with timings. I thought the Amalfi Coast/ Sorrento would be too busy in the summer but it would perhaps work for the OP who is travelling in October.

Monday 8th May has just been announced as a bank holiday so you will need to factor that into your plans too. Although King Charles has decided to have a scaled backed coronation, I imagine London will still be very busy. I don’t know about attractions being closed, best to email them directly.

We did a Baltic Cruise in July with 2 older teens and had 2 days in Stockholm. We could have spent much longer there. Lots to do and plenty to appeal to your 12 year old, especially on Djurgarden. By the way, crew members told me that Grona Lund is much better than Tivoli in Copenhagen for rides, if your son is into that. It would make a great night time excursion in Stockholm as it’s open late. The first stop on our cruise was Bornholm. I think a lot of people found it underwhelming but we liked it. We took a bus up to Hammershus Castle and explored. The main town was filled with Danish holidaymakers and gave us a great impression of local life. I think Bornholm, and I imagine Visby too, offer a nice change of pace from the cities on a Baltic cruise. I certainly wouldn’t rule out a cruise because of these ports. I know a lot of people don’t think Helsinki compares with other cities on a Baltic cruise and it probably doesn’t in terms of things to see and do, but it was actually my daughter’s favourite stop. She said it had a cool vibe. You could rent electric scooters everywhere to get about, which I’m sure any 12 year old would love. Something to consider: Everyone says that a Baltic Cruise is all about the ports and I would say that’s normally true, but there’s a balance to be had if you are travelling with children. The ship really does matter in that case. You will know how much activity your son needs. I’m not sure any 12 year old ever thinks it’s too cold to swim 😂 There were quite a few children on our cruise and the pool was well used. Im sure you will have a great time, no matter what high cruise you pick.

To avoid London, I would suggest taking an Avanti West Coast Line direct to Birmingham and then change there to a train to Southampton. It’s around 4 hours to Birmingham by train. Full disclosure, I have never done this and it will probably take much longer than using the East Coast Line. Also, there always seems to be a lot of work/ delays going on on the West Coast Line for some reason. If you were to go on the East Coast Line to Southampton with any company, you would always change in London as this would be the usual and quickest route. No problem to take luggage on the train, if you are happy to lug it about when you change trains. Sorry, can’t help with luggage transportation. You may not know this but you can actually fly direct Edinburgh to Southampton with Loganair ( if you like tartan, you will love Loganair😂) The train however would be a greener choice, of course. Happy to answer any more questions you have about Edinburgh.

We have booked early dining for our Beyond cruise next summer. So really we would be better changing to anytime and actually making reservations pre -cruise rather than having to queue up? This open dining for all actually happened too on our Apex cruise in July but we just assumed it was because the ship was at very low capacity. We were told just to turn up when we wanted and we always got a seat without waiting. We like to have the same serving team due to allergies and we were seated in the same server’s section regardless of when we are. I’m sure this wouldn’t have been the case though on a busier ship. Thanks for letting us know about the change in policy. Appreciate it😀

Now was it fudge or tablet? Tablet is very unique to Scotland and has a different texture to fudge. Delicious and should be tried on a visit to Scotland, mind you, you would need a visit to the dentist after eating it 😂The National Museum is another attraction worth a visit and is just behind the Royal Mile on Chambers Street. It’s free to enter although any special exhibitions have a fee.

I agree with much of what John Bull said, especially about going further afield from Invergordon but will give a few more suggestions on the Scottish ports. In 2021 due to covid travel restrictions, we had a staycation and based ourselves in Evanton, just down the road from Invergordon. The whole point of ships docking there is to take advantage of typical Highland scenery and I would whole heartedly suggest you organise some kind of private tour. Can’t stress enough, no real infrastructure to accommodate cruise ship numbers so find something as soon as possible. I know the road to Skye has been mentioned but Skye should be avoided at all costs in the summer - it’s just crazy with people and traffic. Here’s some alternatives: - Head over to the village of Lochinver via Lairg. Scenery is just stunning. You would need private tour for this. The mountain formations are amazing and you can have a lovely seafood lunch once you get there. The famous beach of Almelvich is nearby but avoid due to traffic jams on a single track roads. Not worth it in high season. On the way back visit the Geopark for stunning views and information about the geology of the region. This was the favourite thing we did on our 7 day trip. If you like to hike, there’s also some fantastic short hikes on this route. - Loch Ness is not the prettiest loch by any stretch of the imagination and the nearby town is very touristy. Urquhart Castle has an attractive setting though. Much better in my opinion is the drive up Glen Affric. It has everything you expect from true Highland scenery. We were blown away ( but should add the weather was lovely too). It’s in the vicinity of Loch Ness so could be combined. Also worth a wee stop is the Highland town of Beauly. - Cairngorms area is lovely but you need to be a hiker to get the best of it. Also getting over touristed. You would need a tour to get there. - We loved Culloden, the museum is very well done and the walk on the battlefield was quite poignant. It’s a nice half day trip but wouldn’t be a priority if I had one day. - Not for first timers, but The Black Isle makes a lovely day if you wanted to stay nearby Invergordon. It’s very quaint and there is a famous dolphin viewing spot. I couldn’t believe how close the dolphins were to the shore. Again, I’d say this is more for people who have been to Highlands before. Regarding Edinburgh, you get great views over the city from Calton Hill. Obviously being Scottish ( and living a half hour from Edinburgh) the Royal Mile is not high on our list but as a tourist it’s a priority. Just ignore all the tartan tat 😩Our favourite part of Edinburgh is Stockbridge and the Village of Dean. It’s walkable from Princes Street and you wouldn’t believe you were in a major city, especially down by the Water of Leith. If it’s a nice day when you are there be sure to spend some time in “ the gardens,” the green area around The Mound between the old town and new town. It will give you a nice slice of local life. Some final pieces of advice - if you plan to visit the castle book in advance. The queues can be awful . Also expect crowds, Edinburgh has become very popular recently. We NEVER head into town in August during the festival. If your cruise falls in that month plan accordingly!! I hope this helps and happy to answer any questions you have.

Really looking forward to reading what you get up to in Rome as we are staying there for 4 nights before our cruise on the Beyond next summer. It’s been 25 years since our last visit so I need a wee memory jog. Thank you for including details of your pre- cruise trip. Enjoy 😊

We did this tour in 2017 and loved it. It is not strenuous at all and a great way to see Key West. One of our daughters was not a confident cyclist at the time and she managed it fine. Our tour guide was informative but very chilled and honestly answered questions about the cons of living in the town. The whole tour was so relaxing and we finished with a lovely slice of key lime pie at the end. My husband needs to eat gluten free and they had organised a special pie for him too. Can recommend. We would do it again if we are ever back in Key West. Much more fun than the trolley tour.

As others have said, you won’t be able to do all 3 cities in a day. We spent a week in Nice in April and did a bit of travelling around so here’s my advice. Forget Cannes and focus on Nice for a day. Bus from Villefranche drops you at the port in Nice. it takes 15 mins at most. Train stations are a wee bit further out. There’s so much to see and do and although there’s lots of tourists, it still has some authenticity. We didn’t enjoy Monaco at all - ugly buildings and designer shops. Spent an hour there and then got the bus to the delightful town of Menton near the Italian border. The 100 bus goes to Menton.If you MUST do Monaco, I would combine it with Menton or the mountain village of Eze. Eze was so beautiful but we were there early on and it was quiet. I would not like to be there when all the bus tours arrive. You can get a bus there from Monaco. Villefranche is also a pretty port for drinks/coffee. There is a great walk from there round Cap Ferat. A nice alternative if you get sick of wandering around cities on your cruise. We found Bus 100 to be pretty reliable. It’s generally busy at rush hour times as commuters use it. A tip is if you are travelling back from Monaco/ Menton to Nice/Villefranche around 4 pm , it’s best to take the train or you will be standing. Also great views from the bus as it hugs the coastline.

If you are expecting the usual with lots of photos of food, cocktails and the ship then this review is not for you. Other posters have made a much better job of photographing and reviewing this than I ever could. However, if you want to know about things that are not often covered in the forum like eating vegan and gluten free, activities on the ship, fitness classes, Celebrity for families, etc. then read on. And of course lots of details and photos of the gorgeous Baltic ports we visited on our 12 days cruise. So a little about us. We’re probably not your typical Celebrity cruisers - Scottish, In our 40s and travelling with teens, not big drinkers ( but you’re Scottish, I hear you say 😂) , not foodies ( more on that later) and very independent travellers. Why on earth do we cruise then? Well, purely for convenience. DH has coeliac disease and both DDs are vegan and so the easiest place to eat is on a cruise ship. Unless we go to airbnbs and cook ourselves ( and let’s face it, that’s not exactly a holiday), it is nigh on impossible to find restaurants that cater for gluten free and vegan. One or the other - yes, but rarely both. We discovered cruising in 2016 and have done 3 cruises before, all with Disney, to Norway, Caribbean and Alaska. While we had a fantastic time we knew we needed a change. Our girls who are 19 and 17 had grown up in the 3 years since our last cruise, the prices were eye watering for the Baltic and well, let’s face it there’s only so much Disney you can take. So after much research we decided Celebrity would be a good fit for us….. and how right we were. One last thing to know before I start this review proper is that DH is a bit cheap, ahem, I actually meant to say he enjoys getting value for money 😉. He loves nothing better than a good moan about the cost of things. Scandinavian prices - surely we’re on the wrong cruise??!! Waiting to board the short 1 hour flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam. What we wouldn’t give to be back at this point in time.