kkbay

If there is anything good about the Cuba situation, it is the fact that many cruisers will actually read the fine print attached to their cruise documents.  It clearly states that the cruise may change itineraries. This has always been the case.

We are staying for 3 night prior to our PG cruise in August. Stayin gathte  Intercontental and totally arranged by PG. All transfers included in the price.

LOVE, LOVE< LOVE your blog! If you don't mind, please tell me what kind of camera you used. I saw you had a Go Pro. Is this the one you used  for those fab underwater shots? We are going on the PG on this same cruise itinerary in August. Thanks!

kkbay - Who did you you use for the Moscow tour? We were debating about doing that on our Baltic cruise next year since we have 3 days in St. Petersburg too... Also, who did you use on the Berlin tour? We are in the same situation as you.. we will never be going back there, so we want to see it while we have the chance, even if it's not the most ideal way to see Berlin... Thanks!

We went with the tour offered by our ship, the Crystal Symphony. It was one of the best excursions I've ever been on. Many people on our cruise regretted not doing it. Was quite pricy, but you can save $$ and take less expensive excursions at the other ports. I was even told by one of the ship's employees not to take any excursions in Estonia - not worth it. Wit a little planning and help from this site, you can save $$ by booking excursions yourself in the other ports. If you have not been to Berlin and never plan on going, I think this is a good excursion to do in Warnemunde, Just my opinion

kkbay - Who did you you use for the Moscow tour? We were debating about doing that on our Baltic cruise next year since we have 3 days in St. Petersburg too... Also, who did you use on the Berlin tour? We are in the same situation as you.. we will never be going back there, so we want to see it while we have the chance, even if it's not the most ideal way to see Berlin... Thanks!

We were on the Crystal Symphony and booked the Moscow tour with them. IMO, the best way to do it. The train was great, we had coffee and pastries at the famous Metropol Hotel, a walk around the Kremlin grounds and a tour of the Grand Kremlin Palace, which you cannot book on your own. Next a tour or the Armory, which is not an armory as I thought.We were the only group in there. Other sights, a lunch/ dinner at a beautiful restaurant with caviar and vodka, and before we left, a ride on the Moscow subway to see how beautiful it is. Breakfast and dinner were provided on the train. We were in Business class, which is great. All for one price. It was quite expensive, but we would never be that close to Moscow again and decided to do it. Which cruise line will you be going on?

We have been to Germany twice before, but mainly in Bavaria. We had not been to Berlin, and never felt that it would be part of any future trips so we did the day tour there. So glad we went. I know it's a big city and we could not possible have seen everything, but the tour we went on also had monitors in the bus with historical footage of what happened at the sights we had seen. If you don't want to go, then don't go. If the rest of your family want to go, then they should go. On our Baltic cruise, we had three days in St Petersburg and chose to spend one day by taking the Sapsan train to Moscow. It was an 18 hour trip. So glad we did. I know we would never have made it back to Moscow and we had a fabulous time. That's why I say to be sure and take a Baltic cruise that spend three days in Russia.

If you are on a cruise and want to do a day tour, do not bother with the Blue Lagoon.

Yes, there will be free shuttles to town. Don't bother doing a tour. Save your money and purchase amber and Russian stacking dolls in Estonia. LOTS of shopping. Very safe.

We are back from a Baltic cruise that included 3 full days in Russia. I would encourage all of you that are interested in doing this cruise to e sure and book one that has 3 days instead of the usual two. We were on Crystal Serenity. On day two in Russia, we took the Sapsan bullet train (wonderful) from St Petersburg and went to Moscow. It was fabulous, and included a private tour of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Kremlin, and a lovely dinner at a beautiful restaurant. It was a 20 hour excursion, but we got to see Moscow. All of our tours (in Russia) were booked through Crystal. All of our tours did not require us to purchase a separate Russian Visa. We then had two full days in St Petersburg. Russia is truly the crown jewel of this cruise, The palaces and decor you will see will leave you amazed.

My biggest suggestion to you who are planning a Baltic cruise is to be sure to get one that has three full days. I know these cruises are pricier, but IMO it is well worth the money. We also booked a tour of Berlin from our port Germany and it was great.

Loved the Star Pride. I will say this - if you have any type of problems walking or getting into a tender, this is NOT the ship for you. Many people need to be aware of this situation before they book a cruise on this ship. Every port is a tender. There might be an elevator to get to the lower deck to tender, but I never saw one.

We will be on the Crystal Serenity in June. We chose this cruise because it is the only one I could find that gives 3 days and 2 nights in SP. That means a lot to me to be able to see SP for a longer period of time. We also will have two days in Copenhagen and Stockholm. Crystal seems pricy, but when you add in all the freebies (Free internet, free laundry, tips included, all beverages both alcohol and non alcohol, and dining twice in the upscale dining rooms) it works for us.

Any recommendations on a car service or shuttle to get us from TIlbury to Heathrow?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, they play it on the Star Pride

We had a wonderful cruise. The rooms are spacious and we really liked the little walk in closet. Food was great, the ports were small and interesting. The staff was very friendly and so helpful. We especially liked Montserrat and our excursion to the city covered in ashes. The hot tub worked. I never saw the pool with the jets in action. We liked the small ship feel and not being hounded to purchase over priced jewelry or gold by the inch. As stated before, San Juan is rebuilding, but taxis and hotels are open and running.

i know many of you are concerned about embarking from San Juan. No worries! Flew in yesterday and airport has electricity, Starbucks had a line, taxis easy to get. roads are great, stayed at Sheraton wonderful!! Ship is clean, food great, no problems!! I have been on countless cruises and the embarkation rates a 10! Will post more when I get back:)

Will be on a Baltic cruise this June. We need to book a hotel in Stockholm pre-cruise. ANy suggestions? Anyplace we should avoid?

Thanks!

Celebrity Cruises do not visit St Bart's. we will be on this sailing and I am thrilled that we will be able to go to St Bart's. our third time there. Considering all the damage, I feel fortunate to be able to travel to the Caribbean

Looking for a tour that takes us from Portsmouth port to Heathrow, stopping at Highclere, Stonehenge, and Windsor, or perhaps a private driver to take us to all of these places. June 2017

Thanks!

We will be on a Crystal Symphony cruise in October. Ho tours are scheduled through the cruise line for Tangier. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

FYI, we are a party of 6 and are taking a limo. The driver will stop at stores along toe way for us to purchase wine, beer, water to bring on board. Disney allows each adult to bring 2 bottles of wine on board, or a six pack of beer. We have a set time to meet and he's gotten great reviews. ALso, it is much less expensive than taking the DCL bus.

Contacted RomeCabs and have already secured our reservation. Very professional and great reviews on this site and others. We do not wish to take the train with luggage in tow in Italy. Have heard horror stories from others and would rather have a driver.

Flying to Rome on air miles and not staying in a hotel, so this is our little splurge.

I finally found my paperwork and saw that we had used RomeCabs a few years ago. They were great - no problems. Thanks for your help!

We've cruised out of Rome before and I cannot remember who we used to drive us to the port from the airport. Any recommendations? We used a driver two years ago and I cannot remember who it was.

Thanks in advance!:)

For a great tour, contact the Vatican and arrange a tour of the Scavi, which will bring you down to the streets of Rome from the year 63AD. They only let in 15 at a time and you have to book ahead. You can actually tour St Peter's Basilica yourself with a good guidebook, such as Rick Steves. Be sure to get the most current one, as the Vatican tends to move things around. Personally, if I only had two days in Rome, I would contact Rome in Limo and let them sort things out for me. I've been to Rome three times for a total of about 10 days, and there's still more I would like to see.

I believe this is the one that Costco has directed us to use.:)