marbleski

You may have said this already and I apologize if I missed it. Did you do any of the NCL excursions, or did you book third party. We now have some shore excursion credit and I'm looking at options. I hate to lose money, but my experience with NCL excursions in the Caribbean is that they were just 'okay'.

 

I'm really enjoying your pictures. I did search for your camera type. I want to purchase a new point and shoot as I have a Nikon D50 and I'm not sure I want to lug it around. I'm a wanna be photog, I'd love to do it, but I'm just not that good.

We did not do any NCL excursions. St. Petersburg is the only port we booked independent tours. The remainder were do it yourself with our oldest son using his cell phone for maps, GPS, and local transportation.

The D50 is excellent, my first DSL camera. I used mine extensively as the boys were growing up. I upgraded to the D7100 Christmas 2015 as my D50 had a few minor issues. At 6.1 mega pixels my D50 takes as good pictures as the D7100.

Some of my pics at Catherine's Palace (outside ones) were with my iphone 5. The newer model phones take even better pics. Inside pics would be tougher with the iphone as some sights have low light. Forget the point and shoot as they will have the same issue in low light. Use your cell phone and for the must have photo sights take the D50 along. D50 is pretty decent in low light, just open your shutter to maximum and crank up your ISO to the maximum and keep your flash off.

I am no camera expert but hope I have been of help.

What did you do for lunches while on St. Petersburg tours? We are thinking of Best tours, but it looks like the two day intense tour which it looks like you took, doesn't say anything about breaks for lunch? Als wondering if that TShirt tourist booth near dock took credit cards or USD or Euros? Thanks

Our tour was intensive, as we planned. First day we purchased food from a kiosk near the subway station and ate in the van on the way to the Peterhof.

Second day we ate here.

We had no set lunch plans. Once we got hungry we told our guide we wanted to try Russian food and she made a few calls and arranged this place as it was near the canal boat tour. We were rushed eating as we did not allow enough time. It was not the fault of our guide as we decided at a moments notice to have a sit down meal knowing full well that we would be rushed.

I suggest you decide early in the day and make arrangements for a meal if you wish to dine in. Better still make the request to Best Guides and they will put it on your itinerary.

The kiosk at the port terminal took Euros, Rubles and visa. All prices were marked in both the Euro and Ruble. There were no USD prices on the items. We had Rubles and Euros and used both. Not shore about using USD at the port kiosk but we used our USD to tip the guide and driver.

We are on the ship sailing the Baltic in early July. So excited!. My question is it warm on the ship when you're walking around or is it chilly? Is it warm enough around the pool to lay out around the pool?

It was chilly outside while at sea. July will be warmer and it should be nice on the sea days. If the sun is out and you find a place protected from the wind I think it will be quite nice to lay out in the sun. The cool wind from the Baltic Sea will have a bit of chill, especially in the shade.

One sea day we relaxed on a lounger at the adults only deck wearing long pants and t-shirt. We had to stay in the sun however and wear our light fleece to and from the lounger. There were a few people using the hot tub. On the plus side there was plenty of space to find a place to sit and two lonely bar tenders at the bar. You should have the best of both, warmer temperatures but still plenty of space to find a lounger when and where you want.

Thank you so much for posting. We are enjoying reading and really nice photos! We sail in a few days on July 1st!

Have a great trip. It should be nicer now with the leaves on the trees and the flowers in bloom. I had five of these six pictures uploaded and accidentally closed out of CC. Had to upload them again. Second time around........

A photo from the City Tour

Subway ride. Escalators are long ride down. Subway stations are like museums. Be sure your tour includes the subway.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral

Saint Isaac's Cathedral

Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress

This is an awesome review - so detailed and informative plus excellent pictures. Looking forward to more and a Great big Thank you!

TSUmom and CasdeM appreciate your comments. Glad to be of help. St. Petersburg and Russia has such a fascinating history. I had a chance to sort out the rest of my St. Petersburg photos in folders for each site. Here are few more photos.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. WOW inside and out. Each side has a different view. We stopped by for photos one day and visited it the second day.

Boat Tour

Hydrofoil going the other way. Hardly had time to get a picture

Street Vendors near the Quay with Sphinxes

S

The Catherine Palace - Pics #2

Next up Catherine Palace - Summer residence of the Russian tsars

The palace is about 30 km outside St. Petersburg. Pleasant drive and it didn't seem like we drove 30 km as the drive was busy with interesting conversion as our guide answered our questions about her childhood memories before and after the fall of communism, current day to day life in Russia and so on. Very interesting indeed.

A few pictures at Catherine Palace and grounds. I only took a few inside but here they are.

We had this guide. She was outstanding. Highly recommended.

Hi Willma

She was outstanding indeed.

Peterhof Pics page 2

Kids were sure having fun with the fountains. There lots and lots of families around.

Peterhof - Due to a major event taking place 2:00 pm at the Peterhof the traffic was slow and our trip took at least an extra 30 minutes. The ceremony started just after we arrived. It must have been an important event as it was packed (I think it was a re-opening of the fountain ceremony). There was some sort of honour guard surrounding the ceremony. I assume it was for both pageantry and security as we had to be careful not to step on their feet walking down the crowded stairs. There were big banners on display, dancers and speeches.The speeches were interesting as they were full of passion. Too bad we didn’t understand a word.

On the plus side it was great to be there to experience the local celebration but on the downside we could not get near the main fountains, which I was looking forward to the most. We spent a couple of hours touring around the gardens and visiting the Boat House Wing of the Monplaisir Palace. We had to put slipper covers on before entry. The Copper Bath Tub was interesting.

By the time we finished the Boat House Wing tour the ceremony was over and we circled toward the main fountains for a family photo. We did not have time to walk immediately next to the fountains as we had to catch the hydrofoil, which was in the opposite direction. Our guide purchased the hydrofoil tickets and we were grateful she managed to talk them into holding the boat for us. We were stopped and individually photographed before boarding. Must be for security purposes.The ride was smooth but it flies. Most the group had wink or two.

Big crowd watching the music, dancers and speeches.

The Copper Bath Tub. Getting a bath was a major event!!!

Thank you for sharing your journey with us and looking forward to see the rest.

 

Question for ya - we have a 11AM flight out of Copenhagen on disembarkation day. We plan to be one of the first people out ... heck we'll even help them drop anchor if necessary. How was your experience with the customs in CPH when disembarking?

 

Our cruise is in two weeks!

Customs was a none event for us. Little to no line up. Four of us walked up together and the agent looked at our passports and we were on the way.

Thanks. I'm guessing the 25/27 take you directly to the city center right?

The bus will get you to the city center but it might involve a transfer, but I'm not 100% sure. Check out the CC Baltic port page, lots of helpful tips there on Copenhagen.

Did NCL offer transfers to city center before disembarking? I'm seeing some conflicting info.

Pr0pel;

The only shuttle I recall was to the airport. I don't think they offered one to the City center but I could be wrong. As seen in one of my earlier photos the bus stop is only a short walk once you depart the port terminal. Buses 25 and 27 depart on a regular basis.

I think our walk through the airport was much further. Our plane was assigned the furthest departure gate possible.

May I know what camera do you use? :D

Hi Kebenarans;

I used a Nikon D7100 for most of the images posted. A few of were taken with my iphone. The iphone is always with me while the D7100 gets used on vacation.

We did and seen a lot over three weeks. All us recall a few special moments. Two of my favourites were captured on my 4 year old iphone 5.

This picture was taken during my best meal on our trip. Freshly prepared Czech food paired with a Czech beer in a gorgeous dining car riding the rails through the beautiful Elbe river valley between Prague and Berlin. This photo captured the experience - great views, better company. What did I eat. I don't recall.

This one is a selfie I took of myself relaxing on our balcony with the feet up, ocean breeze on my face, sunshine and nothing but blue sky and Baltic Sea as far as the eye can see. Vacation at its best.

Make a mental note of these feet and on your next NCL adventure, look down every now and then and if you see these feet be sure to say hi.

I'm no photographer but I got to say that your pictures are fabulous. They are one of the most vivid and colorful ones I have ever seen on cruise critic. Also, thanks for the info on the train into Copenhagen. I am also considering flying into Oslo and taking a ferry to Denmark. And then again, I'm thinking about doing the Epic 7 day the week before and flying from Barcelona. Decisions, decisions.

Appreciate the comments. I am no professional either but the boys are growing up and I be must aging. I purchased my camera to capture action shots of the boys playing sports. I never thought the day would come and they would be grown up and I would be reduced to capturing stationary objects. LOL.

The State Hermitage Images #2

The Getaway 8 on tour at the Hermitage

OS enjoying the composition of light in Rembrandt's Descent from the Cross

Leonardo Da Vinci - Madonna and Child (The Benois Madonna)

Rembrandt - Danae

St. Petersburg, the big day is finally here.

I’m sure the Getaway sneaked a wee bit of Caribbean weather through customs. Two more pleasant days. At each port the locals indicted we arrived on the finest day of the season. They were correct. We followed the weather app before our trip and there were some nasty cold temperatures before our ship sailed in.

Based on past experience we decided two families of four would be the ideal group size for our two days in St. Petersburg. I contacted a couple of tour companies early in the New Year and Best Guides was the best fit. We confirmed our four person tour in February with the option of adding up to four others if we decided to do so later on.

As our cruise date came near I posted my tour details on our roll call and hooked up with another family of four, two student included. After speed dating via phone calls and emails we had ourselves a match. Our group is now 8. Thanks to the CC roll call we are two for two playing the speed dating game.

We travelled in a 16 passenger van. Everyone had a window or aisle seat, their choosing. This made for a comfortable two days. Our guide lucked out, she only had two families to keep in line. The outcome, we covered a lot of ground and when necessary we were able to move quickly and efficiently through the major sites, traffic, road closures etc.

Our astute guide really shined at the major sites. She knew everything about everything. Most importantly her navigation skills through and around the larger groups was outstanding. Being among the first to arrive at The State Hermitage allowed us see the popular exhibits and rooms before the crowds arrived.

The two day tour included most of the usual sights (except the Faberge Museum) as well as a subway ride, the hydrofoil and canal boat tour. Both water transits provided relaxing down time. Most of the group caught a wink or two on the return hydrofoil from Peterhof.

Back to the guides, St. Petersburg has great guides. They are well trained and certified. Most are highly educated with master degrees in various disciplines. It is more lucrative for them to work as a guide than their field of study. The great ones seem to be in high demand. As soon as we confirmed our booking with Best Guides they immediately contacted our guide to book her for the tour. TIP: book private tours early, it might improve your odds of getting the “Best Guide”.

Our guide was born and raised in St. Petersburg and she travels extensively in the off season - making for great conversation. She loves her job, and it sure showed. Overall, the tour was great and I would use them again. Due to a major event taking place at the Peterhof we were delayed in traffic. Our guide and driver did a great job tweaking the itinerary to make up for lost time. One of the benefits of travelling with a small group.

At the 8:30 pm OS did an evening pub crawl. He also watched the opening of the draw bridge around 1:00 am or so. He had a great time and a late night. "Russian vodka tasted in Russia" now has a tick on his bucket list.

TIP: Spend a few hours brushing up on your Russian History. Some knowledge about the Romanov’s, Bolshevik’s, Russian Revolution,Lenin, Stalin, WWI, WWII and the Cold War will enhance your touring experience.

TIP: Customs is very slow on the first day. Some lines move faster than others. We happened to choose a slow line. Be among the first off the ship or expect a good 45 minutes or so in the immigration line. Usually our family of four proceeds through customs together. Not here,one at a time. It may have been faster if our group of 8 had split up among a few different lines. Here are a few pics from The State Hermitage. I will look over the rest of my pictures over the weekend and post a few more. from the other sites.

This room hosted many Grand Balls

To the right you can see the guide who knows it all.

Michelangelo - The Crouching Boy

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

With the exception of St. Petersburg, we toured on our own. In St. Petersburg we booked a two day tour with another family for a group of 8. We used a company called "Best Guides". I didn't look much at the NCL shore excursion options - way too many to read through. Rick Steve's Guide book is a great starting point. He does a great job of highlighting the major attractions at each port. Your ship should have a roll call. Sign on and connect with your fellow passengers. They are wonderful people who are only too glad to share ideas and tours.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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