afto

Just reporting in on our experience with the SL 72-hour travel card. We docked at Frihamnen. Having researched this ahead of time, we even had instructions of how to purchase the tickets from the machine at the bus stop. Arriving at the bus stop there was a long line of tourists trying to use the machine. No one succeeded in purchasing a travel card while I was there; some purchased single tickets while others took a taxi. Meanwhile, because this was taking so long, busses were passing by. After about 15 minutes, we gave up and walked back to the travel information desk back in the cruise passenger building to buy the passes. And then back to the bus stop. It's 850 metres from the ship to the bus stop, 850 back to the travel desk, 850 metres back to the bus stop ... so that's a fair bit of walking plus over an hour of our time just to get the passes. One of the passes worked just once. After that, every time we got on a bus we had to plead with the driver to let us travel, because the pass was not working. We didn't even attempt a T-bana ride because of the hassle. So, all in all, this did not work out to be a great transportation option for us. Still, our overall impression of Stockholm was very positive; what a beautiful city and so much to see.

Elgiganten on Strøget would be my best bet.

Hey, Danish Viking, you are my hero! This was a great recommendation! They had exactly what I needed, and your suggestion saved me a lot of precious holiday time today. Thanks so very much for your help.

Afto

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In Oslo today where I accidentally destroyed my Nikon DSLR camera. Tomorrow we are in Copenhagen. Wondering if you have any suggestions for a good camera shop in the downtown area to buy a replacement. A used camera would also be acceptable. Thanks for all you do here on the boards.

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Tallinn was very easy to do on our own, even in the rain.

 

https://msknortherneurope.shutterfly.com/pictures/382

I enjoyed your lovely photos. Thanks for posting the link.

 

Sail in / sail out through the archipelago. Not sure exactly where it is but I think it at this location.

https://www.google.com/maps/@59.4705815,18.4321174,5622m/data=!3m1!1e3

The two cruise ships (Mein Schiff? and MSC Orchestra) and the Tallink cruise ferry (m/s Romantika ?) are heading out

while the two Viking Line cruise ferries (Amorella - left and Gabriella - right) are arriving.

 

Thanks for all the information that you post; it is much appreciated by the many who have learned a lot about Stockholm on this thread. I love this photo of the busy passage through the archipelago. Can't wait to sail through on the Celebrity Silhouette in May!

We sailed with Alejandro on the Equinox last year and wasn't nearly as impressed as others on this thread. To me he wasn't as funny as he thought he was and seemed a little arrogant to me.....but that's just MY opinion which pretty much means nothing. I'm an "A"- Hole and I approved this message.

lol ... I appreciate your comment and this just goes to show that there are indeed different strokes for different folks. :D

Another fan of Alejandro here. He is so much fun. Liars Club with Alejandro and Captain Leo on the Equinox last year was really a hoot.

Thank you and thank you for sharing your great photos . Can we look forward to some photo reviews from you in the future ? :) :D

Following in your footsteps to the Baltic in May of next year, so for that cruise I might try my first photo review. I appreciate all the time and effort that people put into doing these; I find them very helpful.

Great review! I have bookmarked sections for future travel planning. Thanks for taking the time to post with all the terrific pictures.

Celebrity just called and we will get a $37 refund:)

Thanks for coming back to post this update.

That might cause a mutiny on Disney.

 

I have never, ever seen so many door signs, fish extenders, magnets... didn't bother me but wow some of those folks are really devoted and have a lot of free time!

I had to google fish extender. Most of my cruising has been on Celebrity so I was surprised that these even existed. I can see why kids would love these.

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1930's Washington State Ferry.

I think I'd rather sail on the 1930s Washington State Ferry! :D

Putting in my order for a slice of the Tres Leches cake, please.

I'm a bit late to the party on this thread, but my own preference was a tour by sea. We did a Celebrity tour by land; the drive was long over winding roads with the occasional drop-off that made me a bit nervous. Next visit to St. Lucia, we booked Herod's tour by speed boat. Very scenic ride along the coast, with the Pitons in view for much of the journey. Ended at Jalousie Beach where we could snorkel right at the base of the Pitons. Took an optional add-on which took us into the jungle for a chance to stand under a hot-water waterfall -- amazing experience. Also cruised through the sailboat harbour at Marigot Bay, for nice photo ops, and sailed through a natural rock arch. A fun experience overall. The advantage of the land-based tour was that we were able to visit the "drive-in volcano" and the botanical gardens, and had a bit of a drive around the town of Soufrière, so we saw a bit more, but I enjoyed the speed boat tour along the coast much more. Hope you have a great visit to the really beautiful island of St. Lucia.

I think it's lovely that so many men on this thread can remember what their wives wore on previous cruises, and remember their being complimented on their attire. And some of you even know "technical" fashion terms like bolero, piping, etc. Wow! I'm very impressed! :) My DH would be hard pressed to tell me even the colour of any of the dresses I have hanging in my closet, and he certainly could not recall what I was wearing on our last cruise.

Here are a couple more pics ... taken on board the Solstice heading for Alaska in May 2015.

This is a silly question, but I wanted to ask someone who has actually taken this tour because you seem to be in the vehicle for a while...do they give you bathroom breaks? Because some stops seem like looking at the beautiful scenery and walking around on the grounds. thank you....

There were bathrooms at the Fort, at Caribelle Batik, and at Cockleshell Beach.

I think you might find that few people have done BOTH tours and who could give you a comparison between the two. We toured with Thenford Grey and were very pleased. Vehicle was comfortable, the stops were very interesting, Thenford Grey was a very knowledgeable and professional guide, and the drive was scenic --- St. Kitts is a beautiful island. Perhaps you could arrange a later pick-up from the beach --- ask both tour companies about that and see what they say? Taxi might also be an option, but the beaches that are mentioned on Grey's tour are quite a distance from the cruise port so taxi might be expensive and might have to be arranged in advance. We had about an hour and a half at Cockleshell Beach, and we found that to be enough as we were feeling a bit tired after spending a few hours touring the island in the heat. Love St. Kitts though and hope to return some day.

We booked our Baltic 2017 during an ultimate Carbbean cruise that sailed November 30 2015. The 2017 sailings opened up for bookings while we were on board and we booked right away. (Got some OBC and a reduced deposit for booking on board.) Of course that is no guarantee that the same time frame would apply for 2018 bookings.

You are in good hands with Native Choice, and the ruins are very interesting. Enjoy your tour!

The walk to their office is easy and you will feel safe. As an alternative to the tour that visits a Mayan village, you might also consider the Chacchoben Extreme tour. There is really nothing very "extreme" at all about this tour, except perhaps 15 minutes of riding along a slightly bumpy dirt road to get to the resort after visiting the ruins. The resort is new, the eating area is very clean (as are the washrooms and changing rooms), and the lunch is a bit boring but adequate - all vegetables are cooked. After lunch you can relax in comfy lounge chairs at the edge of a lagoon (or you can swim or kayak if you prefer). We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. A few photos attached will give you an idea.

https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/chacchoben-extreme-tour

[/url]Native Choice tour - lunch by

Bacalar Lagoon Resort by

Bacalar Lagoon by

Bacalar Lagoon by

Thanks so much, Andy. Have always appreciated your efforts to guide the confused and calm the outraged among us. Best wishes in your new endeavour.

Another great review! Thanks so much for providing the link. I am very much enjoying your fantastic photos and descriptions of your adventures. Looking forward to the next chapter!

Our first stop in Copenhagen was at one of the most famous and popular places - The Little Mermaid .

 

 

I successfully resisted the urge to shout out to the mermaid 'What's the best tuna ? ', fearing an unscheduled trip to the insane asylum .

 

 

Some of the American readers may recognize the line from a popular advertising jingle :

LOL! This had not crossed my mind, but now I am sure that when I see the Little Mermaid next year in Copenhagen, I will think of you. :D

Thanks for this detailed cruise report, all the great pictures and videos, and all the relevant links. It has been so helpful in planning for my first Baltic cruise. Sad that the thread must soon be coming to a close.

Thank-you very much, Celebrity, for taking the time to confirm that evening turn down service is not discontinued! Good news indeed!

 

 

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This appears to be a rare instance of the official Celebrity rep actually addressing CC members concerns/questions in something other than a direct quotation from the web site. Things are looking up!