FraudBroad

Stockholm Day

Just a bit of background before I get going with our day. When we initially booked this cruise, we were going to dock in Nynashamn. Not happy about that….it’s an hour and a half away from Stockholm. You tender there then have to take a train in. Nope, not happy at all.

I scheduled a private tour with TJ’s and opened it up to the Roll Call. 15 others were just as crazy and warped as I am and we had the tour scheduled. Low and behold…the heaven’s opened and the angels sang…and Princess changed the schedule and we were now going to dock directly in Stockholm….can I get a collective WOO HOOO????

Hang on, hold you horses…WTH????

When we were initially scheduled to dock in Nynashamn, we were scheduled to be there from 7:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night….and that would be great.

But now we are in Stockholm…get this…from 7:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon.

Which means we will have an “all aboard” time of 1:30…and no tours are going to start until 8:00. Just shoot me now.

Are you kidding me? My dreams come true and are then dashed…run over by a Mack truck…flatter than a pancake.

This sucked

I actually had lunch one day on the ship with the Manager of Guest Services and said the words out loud…”I kind of hope we can’t dock in Stockholm…if we dock in Nynashamn we will have more time to see Stockholm.”

Wow….that man almost came across the table and strangled me right there an then….he said “Are you kidding me? Do you have ANY idea what that would do to my department if we weren’t able to dock directly in Stockholm? The tours that have to be rescheduled, the angry passengers….”

So, that’s when I decided it would be best if we docked directly in Stockholm.

We all gathered in the IC at 7:30. Once all of the men stood up and decided they had to pee we waited then all walked off the ship together. Gotta love men and their prostates.

When getting off the ship I ran into the my BFF, the Guest Services Manager...with a big smile on my face I say "WE MADE IT!!!"

He leans over an laughs and then says "I almost called you...we almost didn't make it in!"

Sailing into Stockholm on a ship the size of the Regal is a feat in and of itself. The Swedish Archipelago has over 300 island and is very narrow in spots making navigating a ship that size darned near impossible. But our captain did it and we were there and the Guest Services Manager was happy so let's get going!

We promptly met our guide for the day, Marina. She was excited to get going. I gave her all of the names and that’s when it happened….

She only had 14 names and we had 16 in our group.

And she didn’t have poor solo Aussie sailor Trevor on the list. And she didn’t have one couple’s daughter on the list.

No way was this happening on the tour I arranged!

I threw myself in front of Trevor and screamed “NO, WE CAN’T LEAVE TREVOR BEHIND!!!”

At this point we were all feeling more than a bit protective of poor Trevor…he’s like my brother from another mother. The peanut butter to my chocolate…the ying to my yang….you get the picture.

The big deal was we had plans that day to go to the ABBA Museum. They’d only pre purchased 14 tickets and we needed 16. The ABBA Museum tickets are sold by time slot. Getting two more tickets for the same time might prove to be problematic.

Marina was a bit flustered and I felt bad for her….after all, this isn’t her fault…she’s contracted by TJ’s…the fault was theirs and theirs alone. She decided that we’d go ahead and get the tour started and see what could be done about getting the tickets.

On the bus we went and started our way to downtown Stockholm. Can I just say that Stockholm is probably one of the MOST beautiful cities I’ve ever seen? It is just downright delightful!

As soon as we were on the bus I emailed TJ's with my dissatisfaction over the mess up with the number in the party. As soon as I sent the email that's when someone in the group asked how much we'd paid for the tour.

Seems that TJ's charged different people different amounts for the same tour. Some paid as much as $142 and some as little as $115. I was, to say the least, furious...thus another terse email was sent.

I cleared my head and was determined that we'd all have a GREAT day!

Our first stop of the day was at City Hall. What a freaking surprise that turned out to be. I knew it was supposed to be nice but how nice I hadn’t a clue. The place is BEAUTIFUL!

Our first stop once entering was the “Blue Hall.” Which, incidentally, doesn’t have a lick of blue. When the City Hall was built, the room was to be painted blue. That never happened but the name never got changed.

Marina explained this was the hall where the Nobel banquet was held every year. She taught me more about Alfred Nobel and the Nobel prized than I learned in the wasted 45 minute tour at the Nobel Museum in Oslo. I also learned the reason why the prized are given in both Sweden and in Norway. I never knew (or I may have at one time…a LONG time ago) that Norway was once part of Sweden. Hence, the Peace Prize is awarded in Norway and the remaining prizes in Sweden. And the banquet for the winners in Sweden is held in the Blue Hall of Stockholm’s City Hall. Don’t you love today’s history lesson kiddos?

We went upstairs and saw the beautiful Gold Hall covered in gold mosaics. I mean it is COVERED IN GOLD MOSAICS. Boy, were my kids EXCITED to once again see MORE MOSAICS!

In all honesty, the hall is totally freaking amazingly beautiful.

We made our way through another couple of rooms and then back outside. IMHO…Stockholm City Hall is a total CAN’T MISS!

Boom, we are all back into the van on time and all together. We have Trevor, we are good to go.

And I have an email from TJ's...they're working on getting the extra tickets for ABBA and are looking into the disconnect over how much people paid. I sent them a list with the names of each party and how much everyone paid for the tour.

Next stop is the Vasa Museum. Wow…totally cool and awesome…

Unbelievable that this ship sat at the bottom of the Stockholm Harbor for over 300 years (333 to be exact) and was brought up almost completely intact. Marina explained it was due to the brackish water in the harbor. Had it been salt water, it never would have survived.

Marina gave us our history lesson…the King kept making changes, the boat builder knew there’d be issues…they sailed it anyway and it promptly sank to the bottom of the harbor where it would remain for the next 333 years.

We had approximately 45 minutes to explore on our own…and that’s when Marina said that downstairs there were skeletons. My kids were all over that in a freaking heartbeat. Who knew it would take some skeletons to get them excited?

So we looked at the skeletons and learned who they belonged to and what their jobs were on the boat.

And then my oldest told me she’d seen and ice-cream stand outside and wanted to make sure she got her Swedish ice-cream.

Nothing better after viewing skeletons that a bit of ice-cream!

We all made it back to the van on time and Trevor was there…and we had GREAT NEWS…they’d gotten two more tickets and we were on our way to the ABBA Museum!

Not only that...TJ's said since we were 16 people the price should have been $120 per person. They refunded everyone's money immediately...everyone had the cash (thru pay-pal) or credit on their credit card before we even returned to the US.

Marina told me that when she’d gotten the tour itinerary from TJ’s she’d just laughed. She didn’t think there was anyway we could do all we wanted to do in such a short period of time. She was impressed at how well trained we were and how well we listened.

After almost 10 days of this we knew how to tour together in an efficient manner...we knew how to stay together, count heads to make sure everyone was there…and we KNEW how to be someplace ON TIME!!!

Gold stars for everyone!

We actually arrived at the ABBA Museum EARLY!!! As our tickets had specific times we were to enter, we thought we’d spend around 20 minutes in the gift shop before we could go in. But lucky for us…we had the most awesome tour guide ever…Marina actually WORKS at the ABBA Museum as a guide…she knew the guy at the door and he told us to GO ON IN!!!

Let me tell you what…we got into that museum and Marina just LIT UP LIKE FIREWORKS ON THE FOURTH OF JULY!!!...wait a minute…that’s actually today! Happy 4th everybody!

Seriously…this was her forte…she was in her element and you could tell how much she loved this band….the members of ABBA are like national heroes in Sweden!

The museum is oh so cool...the motto is “Walk in…Dance out…” and that’s exactly what we did.

They have a huge display of their costumes, there’s a phone that they say if it rings it’s one of the band members calling (the girls have both called on several occasions but neither Benny nor Bjorn have ever called), they have a replica of the recording studio and inside there is a player piano. They say when the piano begins to play its Benny playing in his home. The whole place was fun and by the end we all knew that Marina was secretly in love with Benny. Too cute, too much fun…we had a great time! And we all danced right outside and into the van.

Everyone was there…even Trevor and we headed downtown to old town – Gamla Stan….

On the way we ended up behind the guards and the band that were headed to the palace for the changing of the guard. Marina said the ceremony takes about 45 minutes, and we only had about 45 minutes to explore. Some of the group stayed with Marina for a history lesson…I took off with my mom, aunt and kids to, of course, do some more shopping.

We now own a shot glass from every single Baltic country we visited…the end…it’s time to go home.

We were arrived on time at the meeting place, even Trevor, for the short ten minute ride back to the port.

Once we arrived Marina was nice enough to take a picture of us all together…after all, we’d toured the Baltic together and needed a memento to remember all of our new friends!

The line, of course, was long to get back on the ship…but we’d had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL and SUNNY day in Stockholm that couldn’t have been any nicer….and once again we had an AMAZING tour guide and driver. It doesn’t get any better!

Once back on the ship I hurriedly ran to my cabin to change into my new “Dancing Queen” t-shirt and headed up to deck 16 for the “ABBA” sail away party. They were playing ABBA videos on the big screen and I didn’t want to miss is. I also grabbed my two bottles of champagne out of the fridge as we were going to have a good time.

I met my parents and my aunt on deck…for whatever reason my kids didn’t think it sounded like a good time. WTH…it’s freaking ABBA!!! What about that doesn’t sound like fun?

I opened the first bottle of bubbly, took a drink….and almost spit the whole mouthful all over the deck. This wasn’t even drinkable. Now I know why it was “free.” And you now have me to thank for the public service announcement about NOT drinking the free champagne they give you for winning a game on the ship.

I grabbed some OJ from the bar and we were able to finish the bottle. I saw Simone, the Cruise Director, on deck and I politely gave her BACK the second bottle. I was sure the staff would enjoy it at the crew bar that evening.

After the party I went down on deck 7 and grabbed my kids from the bar (this was getting to be a habit) and made them come outside and see some of the Swedish Archipelago as we sailed out of Stockholm. It’s interesting to note, the sailing in and out takes almost 6 hours each way. The pilot got on the ship at 1:00 in the morning and we docked at 7. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

The kids lasted 10 minutes…we took some pictures and they headed back to the bar. I stayed outside for a bit and enjoyed the scenery.

I skipped dinner with the old folks as I’d just eaten lunch at 3:00. At 8:00 I played “Word Tennis” in the Vista lounge…it was pretty fun…they gave a topic and you had to say a word that fit…like “color” and it went back and forth…blue…green…yellow…purple…pink…turquoise…you did this until a word was repeated or someone couldn’t come up with a word…had a great time!

At 9:00 I did “Big Screen Bingo”. They gave you 4 bingo cards and all had a different game on them. My favorite was “famous quotes.” They showed a famous movie quote and you had to figure out which movie it came from….things like….”THE TRUTH…YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH (A few good men)….”YO ADRIENNE…I LOVE YOU!!!” (Rocky)…you get the idea…I didn’t win any of the bingo games but we all had so much fun watching the old movie clips that Corey played the rest of them for us when Bingo was over with.

I stayed for the 10:15 “Passenger Bingo” but our team was never called. We watched a few rounds then headed for the casino.

Tonight, Steve and Pattie, my new BFF’s from Texas, were going to teach me to play 3 card poker.

All I can say is after playing with Steven and Pattie…they’ve created a monster. And I finally started to WIN in the casino. After they left I stayed and played even longer and didn’t make it to bed until 2:00 in the morning!

Final thoughts on Stockholm

We didn’t see nearly half the penises in Stockholm as we did in Oslo.

A better guide will give you better information and actually TEACH you something about the Nobel Prize and Alfred Nobel.

You can’t HELP YOURSELF….you will dance, dance, dance you way through the ABBA museum…unless you’re 17 & 19 an have to look “cool” at all times.

When the guide tells you “we don’t have time to shop in the City Hall souvenir shop” inevitably someone from your group will try and stop and buy something….until you scream their name and they are shamed into leaving immediately.

Skeletons are more interesting than a ship that rested on the bottom of the ocean for 33 years…or at least that’s the truth according to teenagers.

The Royal family of Sweden doesn’t actually LIVE in that big, huge beautiful palace in Stockholm…they only work there.

Sweden has the best ice-cream…or at least the kid thinks it does…because you didn’t buy her ice-cream in Russia she needs to come back and start the quest for the best Baltic ice-cream all over again.

Coming up…our last day on board the beautiful Regal Princes…traveling home and some final thoughts.

FraudBroad you are so whimsical in the face of adversity (potty breaks)!

 

Like many before me, I find your writings and descriptions to be sarcastically truthful and would travel with you anytime! :D

 

My kids are grown, however I get the "your to old to understand Mom" attitude..Oh yeah? Well you will get where I am some day...hehehe :p

 

Sounds like all in all you had a wonderful time and thanks so much for sharing it with us!!

 

I doubt I will ever be able to go on this cruise however I would love to see the architecture!

 

Again, thanks for sharing :)

Oh no..I hope you can someday do this cruise! It is just incredible!

Of course there are things I would change....but I'd do it over again in a heartbeat...it's simply amazing!

And thanks for your kind words....I am truly the dumbest person on earth...or at least according to my teens...but they are stuck with me...like it or not...and they do love me :)

Or at least I think that's what they're saying each time they roll their eyes at me!

Thanks for following along!

I also am enjoying your descriptive account of your voyage and I feel for your efforts to "herd cats" when dealing with multi generation family unit. Been there - done that......but never again.

 

Our plan is to do our own "Rick Steves" walking tours of most of the ports in this itinerary - Oslo, Tallinn and Helsinki. The others are with either SPB for Germany and St. Petersburg and Princess for Stockholm since we might be docking far away from the city and we want to see the Vasa Museum and then on our own.

 

Looking forward to your Stockholm experience.

Work with SPB and they'll do a customized tour for you in Stockholm..that's what TJ's did for us and it was perfect!

Great idea to stick with the walking tours in the other ports. Again, would have loved to have done it that way but couldn't with this group!

I hope you have an amazing cruise. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience!

Thanks for following along!

Hope you make it back today. Can't wait to read your next post!

I'm here...and it's coming in just a few minutes! Thanks for following along!

Thanks for the fantastic review! I'm enjoying both the humor and the descriptions of what you saw and experienced. Also appreciate you telling it like it is when things were less than perfect.

And thank you for following along! I really do appreciate it!

We went to Walt Disney World in Florida last year and selfie sticks were banned in the parks. Keep the review coming.:(

They should ban them EVERYWHERE!!! What a total pain in the arse those darned things are! I'm so over them after this trip!!!

Thanks for following along!

Hi! I have been SO enjoying your funny but well balanced review. We did the same cruise right before you. I think we were a bit luckier with the weather though. Although we had about two hours of rain the first day of our 3-pre-cruise days in Copenhagen and a lot of rain the first day of our SPB St. Petersburg tour (we didn't get to do the hydrofoil because of that), the other days were pretty rain-free with temperature probably in the low-mid 60's for the most part. We even got to spend some sunny time on our balcony near the beginning and ending of the cruise. But like you, we had an absolute amazing time and we loved our combination of on-our-own, Princess excursions, and SPB excursions. Again, thanks so much for sharing and all of your humor!

Honestly the only time I used our balcony was to walk out in the morning and see how cold it was! We were going to do an inside cabin but my Aunt flat refused..thus the balcony..and I paid for three people...tell me again how this worked out to my advantage???

Despite the rain, it truly was an amazing cruise and I'd go back again in a heart beat.

Thanks so much for following along!

I must add to all the other comments posted by CC members, this was such an enjoyable, and enlightening review. Thank you so much your time writing and posting the review.

 

(that should have said Deserved, and not served.)

You are all much, much too kind. Thank you for all of your nice comments. They truly do mean a lot to me! Thanks for taking time out of your day to follow along!

I am absolutely loving your review, thanks so much for sharing...and I actually punched the air with yay! when your luggage was found lol

You punched the air and I found the closest bar...I needed a drink after that experience!!!

Thanks for following along!

Thanks for a great review - we are thinking of doing it next year. Somewhat concerned by the amount of rain - not so sure now.

Don't let the rain stop you! This was the MOST incredible trip I've ever taken...I'd do it again and again if I could afford it! It is simply a can't miss...just amazing! Just bring a waterproof jacket and an umbrella...you won't be dissapointed!

I never really thought too much about the HOHO buses until we decided to use public transportation in Barcelona. We saw people lined up just waiting to get on the next bus. It was sunny. It was HOT. And you were out of luck if you didn't want to sit on top with the sun beating down on you.

 

We got a public bus route map at a tourist information booth, went all over, and it cost us a LOT less.

Exactly...and it doesn't surprise me one bit. You will never, ever, ever, ever, ever catch me on a HoHo again...as long as I live!!!

If it hadn't been for the size of my group, I would have done public transportation everywhere we went!

Thanks so much!

We don't do HoHo buses. Fortunately we don't do multigenerational cruises [emoji33] The trams in Helsinki will take you almost anywhere you want and run frequently. On our Baltic cruise on the Emerald there was a tram stop on the dock and it was very convenient. That is not the case on all of the docks in Helsinki.

The dock we were at in Helsinki didn't have any type of public transportation near by...I know others did as we dropped those cruise passengers off first.

No more HoHo for me!!!

Unless it's the Hostess variety!!!

Lots of discussion the night before our arrival in Helsinki on what time we’d get off the ship. We were docking at 8. I wanted to meet at 9, kids wanted to meet at 10. We settled on 9:30.

Our group of 6 met in the IC and promptly walked off the ship towards the HoHo bus. Once again we’d booked the HoHo, and at this point I’d figured out we should have just done tours in each city. It is what it is, hindsight is always 20/20.

We waited only about 10 minutes for the bus, but evidentially other passengers had been waiting much longer…and I really thought there was going to be a mutiny as one passenger was screaming at the top of his lungs at the poor guy from the HoHo Company. His response was priceless…”I don’t take complaints.”

Oh Heaven’s to Besty…what have I gotten us into today….

Once the bus arrived we easily found seats…and OH MY GOSH…that BRIGHT ORANGE THING WAS BACK!!! What’s it called again? Oh right, the SUN…it was shining and it was BEAUTIFUL OUT!!!!

I’d learned after Copenhagen to bring my own earphones…the ones the bus company supply suck. I was pleased to see on the HoHo in Helsinki they actually had headphones that went over your head and covered your ears. They were much more comfortable, and hey, unlike Oslo, THEY ACTUALLY FREAKING WORKED….This was going to be a great day!

We weren’t on the bus for long before we got off at the stop for the Rock Church. We walked a couple of blocks uphill before arriving at the church….with every other tourist in Helsinki that day…no lie…the place was freaking packed to the gills. When we finally made it into the church we came to a dead stop when trying to walk up the aisle. There it was again…the dreaded SELFIE STICK….that freaking stick was EVERYWHERE on this cruise and it had gotten to the point that I was going to start throwing them overboard. I don’t know how people think it’s okay to stop dead in their tracks in the middle of a walkway and fiddle with the darned thing until they get the perfect picture. Downright annoying if you ask me!

The Rock church really is amazingly beautiful. Would have loved to have been able to make out the acoustics but with 10 million people there (okay…may I exaggerate just a bit) it was impossible. We sat in a pew for a bit and just admired our surroundings….the selfie sticks, crying babies, obnoxious children that had no desire what so ever to be there…it was truly a lovely, moving experience.

We walked back down to the HoHo stop just as the bus was leaving…just our luck…we’d stand there for over 30 minutes waiting for the next bus to come. We’d wanted to go to the Sebalius monument, and it would have been walkable from the bus stop…but I was vetoed by the group.

Because we waited so long for the bus to arrive, and because of the mass of humanity that was also taking the buses that day, I made the executive decision NOT to stop at the Sebalius monument. We did see it as we drove by…along with another 150 selfie sticks…the monument isn’t that far from the road, but I knew if we got off, walked to see it, then walked back…we’d waste another 30 minutes waiting for the bus. No thank you….

So we rode…we passed the Olympic Stadium (which was originally on my list of places to see but was closed for renovation), Parliament, City Center, Swedish Theater and finally got off at the Esplanade/Market Square. The fact of the matter was, my kids were sick to death of museums, churches, palaces and castles. They just needed a day to chill out and souvenir shopping would do the trick…and food…they need to be fed on a regular basis or they become nasty tiny humans.

Finally, we were off the bus and on our way and the kiddies are going to have fun…and then…we head those words…you guessed it….

“I’ve got to pee”

So across the street we went to some huge building that has public toilets. And waited in line 10 minutes for everyone to pee. I spent more time waiting for people to pee on this trip than I care to count and the bottom line is I’LL NEVER GET THAT TIME BACK!

Once done we headed over to the Market Square and immediately it became painfully obvious that the six of us were not going to be able to stick together. Everyone had different things they wanted to look at and nobody wanted to wait for anybody.

I told the old folks that the kids and I were off to do our own thing…and the girls breathed a sigh of relief that they’d not hear the words “I have to pee” for the rest of the day.

We found souvenirs for our friends back home and sat for a bit and ate some lunch. My youngest and I had a platter of sausage and fries while my oldest got a barbecued beef sandwich. And OF COURSE I made sure she had ice-cream. Although I was reminded I’d already ruined the trip since she didn’t get any “RUSSIAN” ice-cream!

My youngest had the most difficult time finding something to bring home for her boyfriend. She really wanted to get him a stuffed husky dog but then the oldest said “you got something like that in Alaska for your OLD boyfriend and you can’t do that again!”

Well, that just put the youngest into a funk and I feverishly spent the day shoving stuff in my youngest’s face saying “how about this? How would he like this? I think you should get him this!!!”

The bottom line is I’m 50 which makes me stupid to teenagers. I obviously have NO taste and I’m just down right dumb.

Welcome to my world folks…

The kid pretty much moped for the rest of the day, dejected by the fact she had nothing to bring home to the love of her life…

We hopped back on the bus which then took an HOUR to get back to the ship. We arrived at the port at 3:00, thirty minutes ahead of our 3:00 all aboard time.

Since there was shopping at the port and I had 16 Euros to spend I convinced my youngest to look for something for the boy toy. I picked out a cute stuffed animal and asked her if she liked it. She did! I also told her I didn’t think it mattered that she’d given the old one a stuffed animal two years prior. Big deal…I’m sure current boyfriend doesn’t know that ex-boyfriend got a stuffed animal.

She finally consented, I spent my last 16 Euros and once again all was right with the world.

Once back on the ship I attended afternoon trivia at 4:15 then went back to the cabin to clean up for our daily cocktail hour. Tonight was the second formal night so we had to get all snazzed up!

We actually all ate in the dining room together tonight as they had Chateaubriand and lobster. I wasn’t about to miss that. The lobster and prawns were excellent, the Chateaubriand not so much. Oh well, you win some and lose some!

I spent a couple of hours in the casino and actually walked away with money….there’s a first time for everything!

Final thoughts on Helsinki

Lovely, lovely, lovely super clean city...

The Rock Church is AMAZING...or so it looks in the pictures I saw because with 10 million people and a ton of freaking selfie sticks it was impossible to enjoy...

The HoHo buses just SUCK...I don't care what city you are in. Save yourself the hassle and take public transportation.

I can now locate each and every public toilet in Copenhagen, Berlin, Tallinn, St Petersburg and Helsinki. A new talent I never imagined having.

The Sebalius Monument looks wonderful...when you see it through the bus window as you drive by...

And then your kids say they don't mind missing it because they have no idea who Sebalius even was...

You really get irritated when you drive by the Olympic Stadium, one of the top places on your list to see...and realize they've chosen now, the first time since 1938 to renovate...just my stinking luck...

When you suggest 9000 things for your kid to bring home to her boyfriend NONE of them will be the right size, type, kind or cool enough. You're still old and your taste still sucks.

There are a LOT of food choices at the Market and you'll spend 30 minutes walking back and forth until you realize each places offers virtually the SAME food.

And even though you remember to purchase the ice-cream the kid will still complain about missing it in Russia.

Up next…our last stop….Stockholm

Thank you so much for the info. I'm loving your review.

Thank YOU for taking the time to follow along!

We really didn't have "shopping" time in Russia. You may have to buy the first set you find and like! I would have like to shop around a bit but knew that wasn't going to happen. I am quite pleased at the ones I did end up purchasing!

I am thoroughly enjoying your review in spite of having no plans to repeat that itinerary. I have always packed some of each of our clothes in each bag, so neither of us will have to shop, unless the airlines loses both bags. Yet, good friends with whom we often travel, and who fly abroad several times a year, refuse to take my advice.

I love your paint by number comment about the nesting dolls.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh my...let me just say...no way in heck would I paint one of those dolls any other way! Way too beyond my artistic limits! And I am so freaking limited!

Trust me...next time I fly a little bit of me will be in every single solitary bag that flies...wouldn't have it any other way!

Thanks for reading along!

Still loving your post!

Awww..thanks so much!

Really enjoying your review. Great to reread about places we visited.

If anyone is visiting Copenhagen I recommend the free walking tour from outside the City Hall. You top the guide what it is worth. It was an excellent way of seeing the city.

While on the luggage theme it is a great suggestion to pack some of each persons things in the other case it was no good to us when our luggage was lost for 5 days. All we had was a change of underwear and T shirt. On that cruise over 30 families had no luggage, some for the entire time. Ours travelled to places that we didn't, Rome and Athens, and finally caught up with us in Santorini.

I look forward to the final stage of your trip.

Thanks so much!

I knew about the Free Walking Tour but opted for the HoHo buses due to jet lag and limited mobility of my Aunt. Funny thing is...she can walk when she wants to but if she doesn't she'll make EVERYONE miserable! It is what it is!

I know of many on our trip that did the free walking tour and said it was outstanding! Thanks for sharing with everyone and thanks for following along!

Just love reading your review .You make the bet out of any situation you fnd yourself in.

 

Keep it coming.

 

Scotslizzy

Thanks so much! I really do appreciate all of the positive responses! Glad you are enjoying!

Hi Fraudbroad!

I am SO loving reading your posts! We are sailing on the Regal on August 30, then the TA to NYC. Bucket list cruise for me!

Thanks for sharing your adventures - you have a "book in the making"! I am looking forward to reading your posts on the remaining ports, since I'm making a list of some of your ideas, e.g. take a cab or shuttle in Talinn, and buy a doll in St. Petersburg, and needing umbrellas (plural) and maybe even a second raincoat? I don't even want to THINK about "bad hair/hat hair" days!

And regardless of the gripes and complaints of your teenagers, you are making memories with/for them that they will cherish - our adult daughter often talks about our travels, and she now works for a travel company and is "travel-holic"!

You have given us a gift with your posts!

Mary Anne

Thanks so much Mary Anne! I'm so jealous! I really do want to do the TA from Copenhagen next year...it's just way out of my price range right now! I'm hoping it goes down in price so I can go back and really SEE Copenhagen!

I knew when I booked this cruise that the kids might not have the greatest time...although my oldest does seem to have the "travel" bug now! The main thing is in 50 years when I'm dead and gone they can look back on this and say "that was the coolest thing mom ever did with us." And the fact they got to experience the Baltic with their Graham Cracker and Pop-tart...totally priceless!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my diatribe! Enjoy your cruises next year!

Thank you so much for the info. I'm loving your review.

Thank you for taking the time to read it!

Really enjoying your review. We did the Baltic cruise aboard the Regal last year. Yup - got rained on quite a bit. We juggled our plans for Oslo and did the ship museums with a Princess tour during our time in port. We went back to Oslo after the cruise and got to see "Penis Park" when it was sunny out. We walked out there and took the bus back.

Lucky you! Penises when it's sunny out! I can only imagine the glee!

Thanks for following along!

I have enjoyed your review.

 

One man at our dining table on a 7 day Scandanivan capital cruise, had his luggage lost for the whole cruise. He had a hard time finding clothes to fit an American size man.

Ouch...I totally understand his pain...not fun at all!!! I just can't imagine losing it for the ENTIRE cruise! That would have put me over the edge!!! Or maybe forced me to throw someone else over...either or...take your pick!

I agree with your point that every roll call seems to stick with one tour guide, our seems to be SPB. We are 4 Aussies and we are doing our own private tour with Insider Tours, and they allowed us to pick what we wanted to see. I tried a few companies and Insider Tours always answered promptly and it seems always the same person responded, the other 2, I heard from one and they just quoted their normal tour and even after I emailed and advised we did not want to spend too much time at The Hermitage or too many churches the other never replied. We are also doing a private Berlin tour with Insider. After reading your experience with TJ, I will make sure I email Insider again about a week out before our cruise to confirm all the details. Again this is the best review I have ever read.

 

 

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I really think they're all about the same...and it seems like all of the guides contract so you could go with a totally different company than I did and still get the same guide I did!

Keep in mind English is their second language.

I don't blame you for wanted to cut down time at the Hermitage and churches...we only did a photo stop at St Iaasac's and the only one we truly toured was Church of the Spilt Blood - a can't miss if you ask me.

If you asked my kids they would probably say skip all museums and churches!!!

I think the mark of a really great company is how the deal with problems that arise. In our case, TJ's was exceptional....we were very happy!

I'm sure you'll have a great experience with Insider Tours. Enjoy your cruise...you will love St. Petersburg!

I can so relate to your lost and then found luggage. 2 1/2 years ago we flew from Newark to Munich arriving late. We then ran for and made our connecting flight to Athens. Our luggage didn't run fast enough and didn't made the flight. As we arrived in Athens and were entering the baggage area, they were calling our names so we knew our luggage was sitting on the ground in Munich. This is when we met some very, very nice and helpful people - the lady behind the desk in baggage and all the Princess employees.

 

We were not flying in early so went straight to the ship and to the front desk to also get them involved in locating our luggage. We were supposed to sail at 5:00 and during the afternoon were told we probably would not get our luggage until 3 days later in Venice. Then a bit later they told us a plane with a good number of passengers for this cruise was sitting on the ground in Düsseldorf and would be several hours late getting to Athens so the ship would not sail on time. The flight from Munich to Athens with our bags was due to take off about then and there was a slim possibility they might actuaflly be able to deliver the bags to the ship a few minutes before we sailed.

 

Of course we were checking every half hour on our luggage and on the flight from Desseldorf - the later they were, the better chance we had to get the bags. When the bags were not there by 7:30, we gave up on them and resigned ourselves to no luggage for the first few days. Just then we learned the Düsseldorf flight had landed in Athens, so that just confirmed for us - no luggage. We went to dinner and as we returned to the cabin, our cabin steward ( who of course knew we so wanted our bags) followed us into the cabin because he wanted to see the book on our faces when we saw our luggage sitting there! Big grins, big, big grins!!

 

Only those who have experienced this can really appreciate what you wrote.

 

Thank you for this very enjoyable review

OMG..how crazy...and how flipping luck you were!! That's an unbelievable story! I totally would have been freaking out...oh wait...I did do that in Copenhagen...

Never in my wildest dreams did I think they could lose luggage on a direct flight...oh well, live and learn!

So glad you got your bags and had a great trip!!! Thanks for following along!

Really enjoying your review, thanks for posting.

Thanks so much! I do appreciate your kind words!

Love reading the review.

 

And found interesting the weight limit on your carry on. And then I remembered that I have traveled on international airlines where we had a weight limit.

 

Which reminds me why I try to stay with U.S. airlines because only the size matters .... the weight limit is how many lbs I can lift over my head into the overhead bin (I'm 70). :D

Amen to that one...I am NOT a fan of European airlines after this trip! I'll try and stick with American and United when I can going forward. The whole crazy thing was they didn't even weigh the darned carry-ons...so why the limit???

Enjoying your blog. We are taking Viking River Cruise from Moscow to St P and then boarding the Regal back to USA. I am excited to be able to paint my own set of dolls at one of our ports on the Volga...

They actually offered a doll paining class on the Regal...I believe it was $30. As they didn't offer a "Paint by Number" option I chose to skip it!

I do love my dolls! I just took them all apart to show a friend yesterday!

Thanks for following along!

So enjoying this posting. Brings back so mant memories of my Baltic Cruise and makes me remember how fantastic it was. Time to do another. Looking forward to seeing how you enjoyed Poland, the food there was fantastic and sooo reasonable compared to other ports I ate in.

Unfortunately we didn't go to Poland on this sailing..though I would have loved to! And you're right...the food throughout the Baltic was sky high in price and not that great in quality. Lesson learned, don't eat in the touristy spots!

I have to say though the meal we had our last night in Copenhagen at Copenhagen street food was exceptional!

Thanks so much for following along! I really do want to take another Baltic cruise. The whole experience was amazing!

This is great fun reading.

 

Just a hint though. When we pack' date=' we play "musical chairs" with outfits. Lay out the suitcases. Each person puts two FULL outfits in each--undies, socks, bras, everything. Then pack the rest with whomever the case "belongs" to. That way, if a bag is lost each person has something to wear. Also, I always pack a full outfit in my carry on (if ALL the luggage gets lost, I have one change of clothing!)

 

Yes, this approach requires a little sorting out when we arrive at our destination...but after luggage being lost for 4 days of a WDW trip....I didn't fit well into teen daughter's jeans.[/quote']

 

YIKES! I would NOT have fit in teen daughter's jeans either...OMG...but at least at WDW there are store near where you can FIND clothes that FIT that don't cost you and arm and a leg!

 

Lesson learned on the packing...next trip I'll be taking an entirely new approach!

 

Thanks so much!

Final thoughts on St Petersburg

When the weather is beautiful you can be darned sure you'll spend ALL DAY LONG INSIDE....

Catherine's Palace is breathtaking and beautiful...but it's not the original and has been totally rebuilt...and you're kids will never let you forget that you've taken them to a reproduction.

And because it's been re-done all they'll ask you about is how they knew which piece of amber to put where on the walls in the amber room..."Mom, that's like the biggest puzzle I've ever seen...."

After having told the group that you're touring with about your day in Oslo at the Sculpture park, they will be sure to point out each and every single penis in St. Petersburg.

To which you'll feel obligated to point out every single boob you see.

After 4 shots of Russian vodka you will learn that your oldest daughter and your aunt both make sloppy drunks.

You will see during your evening tour that the name of the restaurant you are at is called "Pectopah." When you see the same thing the next day at Peterhof and point it out to your guide and tell her you went to the same restaurant downtown the night before she'll burst out laughing...."Pectopah" is Russian for restaurant. And for the rest of the day your tour group will point out that "restaurant" all over the city...like everywhere...all day long.

Which brings you to the thought you should have learned to read Cyrillic before you left.

Your kids will then point out that the fountains and palace at Peterhof have also all been re-built and again you've taken them to ANOTHER reproduction and why would you do that to them???

You will learn all there is to know about each and every single Czar that every ruled Russia. They will tell you how amazing Peter the Great was and how wonderful Catherine the Great was. All the time you're thinking....you arrested them, executed them and overturned their rule. But hey, you now think they're marvelous!

They will not once talk about Stalin, Lenin, Gorbachev, Communism or Socialism. The closest you get to that is when the tour guide talks about communal apartments.

As you're about to get on the Russian subway your youngest will remind you of the time you lost her on the subway in Washington DC when she was 11...and you'll panic...and drag her by the scruff of her neck on the subway and won't let go until you're back above ground...

You'll be amazed by the number "Subway" restaurants in St Petersburg...more Subways than Starbucks if you can believe it...

You will be amazed at the number of Russians that speak English and think to yourself that's probably only come to be in the last thirty years.

Your kids will think the church at Peter and Paul Fortress is a rip off because while they have the tombs, the bodies are buried underground. Which makes said tombs a rip off and that's just "stupid."

And when you finally get back on-board the ship after two overwhelmingly wonderful days...you kid will complain that you didn't buy her ice-cream in Russia and she's had the ice-cream in every other Baltic country and you've now ruined her life.

Next up...a beautiful day in Helsinki

Truly enjoying your review. Amusing and touching at the same time!

 

Lisa

Thank you so much for your kind words. As much as I would have love to have found humor in Berlin, it would have been in poor taste. It really does make you think when you see those sites. And the flowers at the Embassy, well, just tears. The city and that experience are ones I think everyone should do. Thank you again for following along!

I'm beginning to think that this will be a BAD HAIR cruise for the ladies, I really don't like Bad Hair Days and Hat Hair IS THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG...can I just say...bad hair day is an understatement. I ended up putting my hair in a pony tail every day and tying it into a knot on the top of my head. Now add my big puffy white jacket and hood. I looked LIKE A FREAKING CONE HEAD from and old Saturday Night Live episode...seriously...it was bad...bad...bad!!!

If you want to read the best CC review , check this out.....great details and one of the most laugh-out-loud reviews I have ever read. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2372686.

OMG...THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! That is SO kind of you!!!! Oh my...blushing now...and tears....you're awesome!

St Petersburg – Day 2 - the almost sequal - except this time it's wet!

Before everyone had returned to the ship the day before we’d agreed to meet a little before 7:30. One of the men thought that was too early (we had to meet our guide by 8:15) but his wife quickly agreed the earlier the better. Men and prostates…you must be prepared.

On-time everyone arrived in the IC and after the potty stops we walked off the ship and breezed through immigration. And we were early, our guide wasn’t even there yet. Inna was so stinking proud of us! We were learning how to be on time and stick together. Gold stars for the entire group!

And of course, as promised….it was freaking raining….again all I could think about was how lovely Peterhof would have been with the sun and blue skies. It just wasn’t meant to be.

First stop of the morning was to pay for our tours. Inna had indicated the day before that we’d pay today and I asked for us to be able to pay first thing in the morning. I was paying cash and I didn’t want to be hauling all of the money all over St Petersburg.

We stopped at a souvenir shop and had some time to look around before the TJ’s representative arrived to take our payments. Here’s an important note. When I was planning this trip I had a huge spreadsheet that listed out what we were going to do where, when and how much it was going to cost everyone. I sent that spreadsheet to my parents and aunt at least 4 times. I even sent separate emails to all of them detailing the cost breakdown at least three times in the weeks prior to leaving. The DAY BEFORE our second day I detailed for each of them how much they were going to have to pay TJ’s.

So I paid first and they told me I owned a different amount, much higher. I didn’t even show the woman my paper work, just told her the correct amount, she took it, no questions asked, and I went on my way to peruse the shop while the other members of our group paid. And then I heard it…my aunt…YELLING MY NAME AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS….seriously? I can’t make this up folks.

So to get her to stop yelling my name, over and over again, I rushed to the front of the line to see what the problem was. And she says….

“How much am I supposed to pay them?”

Shaking my head folks…just shaking my head…I can’t make this stuff up….

We finished paying, the skies fully opened up and it was pouring rain.

We made our way back to the van and headed to pick up the hydrofoil….in the pouring rain…and I do mean POURING RAIN. It was fruitless to try and look out the windows, everything was fogged up. After a 30 minute ride we arrived at Peterhof.

Exiting the boat the rain really began to fall even harder. This was going to be one really, really, freaking wet day and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Again, I would have traded an empty Hermitage for a sunny Peterhof any day…now you art lovers stop rolling your eyes and shaking your heads…seriously, a sunny Peterhof trumps an empty Hermitage ANY DAY!!!!

So this morning before we left I decided I was tired of wearing wet tennis shoes so with the warmer weather I opted for my flip flops. I knew my feet would get wet, but they’d dry off quicker in flip flops than they would in sneakers. My only problem was I didn’t account for the dirt/gravel we’d be walking on. With the flip flops the dirt was launched onto the back of my jeans and even my jacket. I was one hot mess by the end of the day.

We walked around the entire lower gardens, in the rain, sometimes just sprinkles and sometimes much more and saw all that Peterhof had to offer. The fountains are down-right amazing. Especially when you know they use gravity, no pumps. They’re fed by springs from the upper gardens and flow into the Gulf of Finland.

Now our tour guide made one decision this day that totally ticked me off. Because of the weather, when we arrived, instead of waiting for the huge centerpiece fountain to be turned on (look at youtube…they play music, it’s a huge deal) we walked around the lower gardens and totally MISSED the centerpiece of the entire palace being turned on. Again, thoughts of the empty freaking Hermitage vs Peterhof in sunny warm weather danced through my head. I wasn’t happy…at all….don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled with what we got to see but the bottom line was I was expecting lines at the Hermitage and that would have been fine. But sunny weather on this trip was hard to come by. I really was disgusted at the decision that was made.

When we finished the lower gardens we walked up the huge staircases flanking the center fountain, took some pictures and were ready to roll. A few wanted to see the upper gardens but my group wanted to sit under some umbrellas and get a respite from the rain. Of course, all of the chairs were wet, and the concession stand only accepted Rubles, no credit cards, no Euros, no US dollars. And before you think that’s weird, trust me, we’d used credit cards, Euros and US dollars to pay for things the day before. So we waited, standing, thankfully under the umbrellas and protected from the rain, for the group to finish.

We hopped in the van and headed back to the city where we stopped at “Stolle” for lunch. Stolle is a chain restaurant that serves pies. Pies are “Russian comfort food” like your grandma would make...that is if your grandma is Russian. They have both savory (beef, pork, chicken, egg, and mushroom) and sweet (apple, cherry, lemon and lingonberry) pies. And let me tell you what…they were freaking delicious!

We tried the chicken/pork combo and the beef. We also had the cherry, apple and lingonberry..a small slice of each. The chicken/pork combo and Lingonberry win hand down. Make a note, insist on Stolle and you won’t be disappointed. The girls and I each had a large piece of savory, a small piece of sweet and each ordered a soft drink. The total bill was $12. That would be the cheapest meal we bought throughout the entire Baltic cruise.

Note…I said we got LARGE slices of the savory pies…my thought was if there was going to be any more vodka today I wasn’t doing THAT again on an empty stomach…sadly, no vodka…but dang…those pies were freaking fabulous!

When we arrived at the restaurant, solo Aussie sailor Trevor realized he’d lost his credit card. Poor Trevor!!! If you remember he was the one that lost his passport the first day in Copenhagen! He was pretty sure he must have dropped it when we stopped to pay for the tours at the beginning of the day so Inna called to see if they could located the card. Long story short, they didn’t located Trevor’s card for two more days. He was traveling with ONLY one credit card! When he got back to the ship his brother sent him OBC. He was able to close out his shipboard account and would have enough left to get him through his overnight in Copenhagen the last day (Trevor stayed over on Saturday and didn’t return to Australia until Sunday). For the rest of the trip everyone kept saying “where’s Trevor, we can’t lose Trevor). If we ever all cruise again together we will all have “Where’s Trevor” t-shirts.

After our delicious lunch we headed for a subway ride. This was so freaking cool….number one, the escalator is one of the LARGEST you will ever ride in your LIFE….next, the marble columns, sculptures and paintings they have in their subways are so unbelievable. Seriously, it was totally cool and a “can’t miss” if you spend time in St Petersburg.

Once done we headed to our canal boat ride. Honestly, because of the weather, I wish we’d skipped this. It did stop raining a bit where you could go outside, but everyone was super tired and just really wanted to sit (all chairs outside were wet). And because it was raining…the windows were fogged up. The canal boat had been an “add on” to our tour and I wish I’d saved the $20 per person that it cost. Not really worth it…IMHO….we saw pretty much the same view on many occasions while driving through the city. Just my two cents…I’m sure others feel/felt different…again this is my perspective.

We were all starting to get a bit nervous about the time…the Captain had been VERY stern when he said “YOU MUST BE BACK NO LATER THAN 5:30.” We wanted to be back by 5:00 so we weren’t cutting it too close. We only had one more stop, Peter and Paul Fortress. We were only going to the church to see the burial place of the Czars.

When we got there, we literally walked in and hurried around quickly…yep, there’s Peter the Great…yep there’s Catherine the Great….okay, yep, I can see over that head into the room that houses the remains of the Romanov family…okay we are done…the end.

A total disappointment. I really would have enjoyed spending more time there to take in the sight and really be able to see everything. Again, it was a mass of humanity and it was difficult to get a good look at anything at all. I can tell you there’s a lot of marble in there. There’s a lot of marble everywhere in Russia….I can’t help but think if we’d skipped the canal boat tour we would have had the time we needed to really see everything and not feel so rushed.

We got back in the van and made it back to the ship by 5:00. As we watched Princess Tour buses arrive at the Fortress as we were leaving, we knew the ship would not sail on-time. We gave both Inna and Oleg their tips (TJ’s suggests 10% to the guide and 5% to the driver), thanked them both profusely (especially Oleg, the traffic in St Petersburg sucks and he got us everywhere on-time and safely) gave them each a hug and headed back to immigration. Again, immigration was a breeze and we were back aboard Regal Princess in no time.

Best line of the entire two days came from Inna...when speaking of female drivers in Russia...."We say women drivers are like the stars...we can see them, they can't see us..."

Priceless

The cost of the two day St Petersburg Tour with TJ’s was $245. It would have been $225 but we added the stupid canal tour which added another $20. As both my girls are students the cost for them was $210 each. The evening portion of the tour was an additional $45 per person, no student discount.

I would use TJ’s again and highly recommend them to all who are researching tours in St. Petersburg. We could not have had a better guide or a better driver for our time there.

That evening on-board I enjoyed the Beatlemaniacs in the Piazza for a bit before I headed to the “Couch Potato” game in Princess Live. I think our team did win…so what does that tell you about me? I really do need to get a life….

I did make my daily deposit in the casino before calling it a night. We were sadly not going to have a much needed day at sea, instead we were arriving in Helsinki nice and early.

By far, one of the best - if not THE BEST - reviews I have read. I feel the rain, I taste the food, I smell the smells, I hear the sounds, and see the sights as I read. You have a gift! Thank you for taking the time to put your experience into words!

Wow...I am truly humbled...thank you SO much for you kind words...I really do appreciate you following along! You just made my day :)

I am loving your review. We have been lucky enough to have taken two Baltic cruises. After reading about your cruise maybe I need to go one more time. The second cruise we escorted my in laws and two other older couples. I really can appreciate all the situations with taking ones parents. Potty breaks were plentiful indeed. Cant wait to read more about your trip. Memories to last a life time.

It was simply the most amazing trip I've ever taken in my entire life. And like you, I'm already craving a return trip! Thanks so much for following along!

Don't know why I clicked on your review. But I'm so glad I did. It's wonderful!:)

Awwww...you're too kind! Thanks for your nice words and thanks for following along!

Was the ship warm enough in the evening to wear short sleeves? I am only used to hot weather cruises.

I had no issues with the temperatures on the ship. There were times I wore short sleeves and was perfectly comfortable. I always carry a light cardigan or jacket with me just in case!

Excellent review! We did our second Baltic cruise last year, loved and appreciated it every bit as much if not more than the first!

I'd love to go back!!! I'd really like to take my time the second time to truly see things more in-depth. It is a high paced/overwhelming trip for sure. My brain needed a big break after St. Petersburg! So much to learn and see.

One of the most entertaining review I've ever read on cruise critics. Our family will be on the NCL Northern Baltic cruise with very similar itinerary as the Princess in June of next year. Just wondering about your thoughts on TJ travel. I plan to use them for all 5 Northern Baltic port. I just can't decide between Alla tour, SPB tour or TJ tour. Thanks.

 

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So are you sailing the Getaway next year? Beautiful ship...we were on her last year and enjoyed her! We were actually docked next to the Star when we returned to Copenhagen.

So here's my two cents on TJ's. I can't comment on any other tour companies (and neither can anyone else that was on our tours) because we only used TJ's. It seemed to me that each Roll Call tended to gravitate towards a particular tour company. Many on our used TJ's though closer to the cruise some used Alla.

We had 4 issues/problems with TJ's.

1. We couldn't get a "clean" confirmation. There was always one thing off. I had originally booked a private tour for just the six of us. I'm not kidding you when I say I have over 100 emails from TJ's going back and forth. In the end, we decided to ditch the private tour and go with another group.

All fine and well, their website clearly stated no more than 11 in a group. When the group ballooned to 16, I told the guy that inherited the group that that didn't fly. I told him exactly what to email back to TJ's. I had NO desire to tour with a huge group...too slow for my taste and SOMEBODY always disappears.

TJ's then broke us into two group and we had our desired 11. When we arrived in St Petersburg they told us there were 13 in our group. No way, no how, that wasn't going to happen. They quickly made the change and there was a total of 11 in our group.

Bottom line, when you're emailing back and forth and a different person responds each and every time and English is their second language there are going to be mistakes. None of which will kill the trip and get you a bad tour. People make mistakes :cool:

2. Helsinki - Confusion with the meeting time (I was not part of this tour). Once person said 7:15 meeting time and that's when they waited. TJ's didn't show until 8:45. In the end TJ's refunded half the cost to everyone on the tour for the inconvenience.

3. Stockholm - We had a group of 16 and I had arranged a tour that included City Hall, Vasa, ABBA Museum and Gamla Stan. The tour guide had us down for 14, not 16 and was missing two tickets. I immediately emailed TJ's and told them of my displeasure. By the time we left the Vasa two more ABBA Museum tickets has magically appeared. Problem fixed.

4. When emailing them about the missing ABBA Museum tickets I found out that people on the bus had paid different amounts for the tour. Some paid $142, others $128. I immediately emailed them again and they told me that since we were 16, not 14 that everyone was getting money back. We had our refunds (cash through paypal and credit card refunds) before we were back on US soil.

It important to note that the tour guides for TJ's, no matter what city you tour in, are all contracted by the tour company. And every single one of them were excellent.

In the end, while we had some bumps along the way, TJ's cleared them up IMMEDIATELY. I would HIGHLY recommend TJ's to anyone traveling in the Baltic. I don't think you can go wrong!

You should put this in a book. It is brilliant. Keep going.

You're so sweet to say so! Thanks so very much!

I am dying to buy the dolls in Russia. Do you mind sharing an approximate cost?

I paid $135 for my set. The sets on the ship ranged from $300 to in the thousands. It really depends on how eleborate the doll is, how many pieces there are etc...My set breaks down to 15 dolls. I actually took it apart yesterday for a friend, the entire time terrified I'd drop the last doll on my dark hardwood floors and never find her again...the get SUPER tiny at the end. We really only had the one store to shop in but they had a great selection. I was very pleased with mine. If I can figure out how to post a picture I will!

Thanks for following along!

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Thanks for the review.

Thank you for reading along!