(first post...) combined schedules and links to ships?

[ljwobker]

OK, we're gonna give this thing a shot. A couple of disclaimers before I start:

 

1) I'm new to the board...

2) I've never actually been on a cruise ship...

 

with that out of the way, please be gentle. I did do a bit of pre-reading before posting and I'm starting to (barely) get the feel for the board, and since it generally feels very newbie-friendly and pretty low-key, I'll take a stab at what may be a really obvious/stupid question (although I did search for a FAQ or similar posts).

 

I'm going to be spending a week in Norway this July (4th-11th) skydiving with some friends of mine. My wife and I were in the same part of norway last summer and had a fantastic time, and one of the ideas that we had for going back was to do a baltics cruise to see some of the cities that we might not ever specifically visit via land. Specific ones we had in mind are Stockholm, Talinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and maybe Copenhagen or Oslo. I think ideally we'd like to see the eastern baltics (Tallinn/St.Pete/Helsinki) more because with my job I've spent a little bit of time in Stockholm/Copenhagen/Oslo already. There's little chance of my ever scoring a business trip to Tallinn, let's put it that way.

 

Given all that, what I think I'm really trying to find is a list somewhere of sailing dates and locations that the major cruise lines offer for Baltic cruises. Are there any websites or lists that would have this information aggregated in one place, or is it a matter of going individually to each company's websites and looking up dates and ships? (The really stupid question here would be "what ARE the companies to look for, anyway?")

 

Without really knowing for sure, I think we're probably looking for something in the 7-10 day range that either arrives back in (oslo/stockholm/copenhagen) a day or two before July 4th, or departs from one of those same cities a day or two after the 11th.

 

I ask because due to specific dates for the "other" part of my trip to norway, I need to sort of book the cruise dates around the skydiving, rather than optimizing around the cruise itself. Once I start to get an idea of what ships and options there are for those dates, I will probably have some more specific questions about the differences between the different companies and different ships, as well as questions on how to best enjoy the cruise itself.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!!!

[newfarmers]

unfortunately we're not able to post the names of travel companies on here but if you combine the word that Americans use for their holidays with to and go there is an ability on that site to do just what you are asking. this post might get pulled but I might as well give it a try

[broberts]

If you look at the banner on this page you will see a link to a list of agencies who, I presume, contribute to cc. At least one of these agencies has a cruise search engine.

 

Most cruise search engines allow you, among other things, to pick the area of interest. You'll probably want to specify Northern Europe.

[kaisatsu]

As previously mentioned, we aren't really supposed to talk too much about external sites, because it conflicts with CruiseCritic's marketing, and they do need to turn a profit to keep the site running smoothly! ;)

 

However, a lot of the online agencies have search options. Do a search on Google for something like "cruise vacation search." Visit a few of them and see if any have a search function that meets your needs. I know that in at least one case, you need to sign up for their mailing list to get access to the search function.

 

The only Baltic cruises sailing out of Oslo itself are earlier in the season. This year Royal Caribbean started a 7-day cruise to Copenhagen, Tallinn, and St.Petersburg on Vision of the Seas, but it's last Oslo departure is June 12.

 

So given your schedule, it looks like you'll have to travel somewhere else for the cruise. Common departure ports for the Baltics are Copenhagen and "London" (Dover, Harwich, Southampton) with some sailings from Amsterdam and a few from Stockholm. One other option to consider if the dates work better or you don't want an extra flight is a cruise that visits Oslo and embarking late or disembarking early.

 

Doing a quick search for the specific days you're looking at, sailing just out of Stockholm and Copenhagen, I found the following:

(You may have more options if you extend the search to include London and Amsterdam.)

 

Returning around July 4th:

From/To Copenhagen...

Jun 21 to Jul 1 - 10-nt Princess Star Princess (Stockholm, Helsinki, St.Petersburg - overnight, Tallinn, Gdansk, Oslo, Copenhagen)

Jun 26 to Jul 3 - 7-nt MSC Orchestra (Kiel, Stockholm, Tallinn, St.Petersburg, Copenhagen)

Jun 27 to Jul 4 - 7-nt Costa Deliziosa (Tallinn, St.Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen)

 

Leaving around July 11th:

From Stockholm...

Jul 11 - 7-nt Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas (Helsinki, St.Petersburg, Riga, Gdansk, Visby, Stockholm)

Jul 11 - 7-nt Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Helsinki, St.Petersburg - 2 overnights, Tallin, Visby, Copenhagen)

From Copenhagen...

Jul 11 - 7-nt Costa Deliziosa (Tallinn, St.Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen)

Jul 11 - 10-nt Princess Star Princess (Stockholm, Helsinki, St.Petersburg - overnight, Tallinn, Gdansk, Warnemunde, Helsingborg, Copenhagen)

[Giantfan13]

OK, we're gonna give this thing a shot. A couple of disclaimers before I start:

 

1) I'm new to the board...

2) I've never actually been on a cruise ship...

 

with that out of the way, please be gentle. I did do a bit of pre-reading before posting and I'm starting to (barely) get the feel for the board, and since it generally feels very newbie-friendly and pretty low-key, I'll take a stab at what may be a really obvious/stupid question (although I did search for a FAQ or similar posts).

 

I'm going to be spending a week in Norway this July (4th-11th) skydiving with some friends of mine. My wife and I were in the same part of norway last summer and had a fantastic time, and one of the ideas that we had for going back was to do a baltics cruise to see some of the cities that we might not ever specifically visit via land. Specific ones we had in mind are Stockholm, Talinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and maybe Copenhagen or Oslo. I think ideally we'd like to see the eastern baltics (Tallinn/St.Pete/Helsinki) more because with my job I've spent a little bit of time in Stockholm/Copenhagen/Oslo already. There's little chance of my ever scoring a business trip to Tallinn, let's put it that way.

 

Given all that, what I think I'm really trying to find is a list somewhere of sailing dates and locations that the major cruise lines offer for Baltic cruises. Are there any websites or lists that would have this information aggregated in one place, or is it a matter of going individually to each company's websites and looking up dates and ships? (The really stupid question here would be "what ARE the companies to look for, anyway?")

 

Without really knowing for sure, I think we're probably looking for something in the 7-10 day range that either arrives back in (oslo/stockholm/copenhagen) a day or two before July 4th, or departs from one of those same cities a day or two after the 11th.

 

I ask because due to specific dates for the "other" part of my trip to norway, I need to sort of book the cruise dates around the skydiving, rather than optimizing around the cruise itself. Once I start to get an idea of what ships and options there are for those dates, I will probably have some more specific questions about the differences between the different companies and different ships, as well as questions on how to best enjoy the cruise itself.

 

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!!!

 

 

First all all, welcome to our little corner of the world. Anyone looking to do a Baltic cruise is sure at the right place. We were all in the same position as you, at one time. We either had a cruise booked or we were just looking for info to help us along.

Just ask away. Most of us are here to repay for all the info we got from this site, so now we want to give back.There are no questions that are wrong. I know before we went, we had so many questions I was almost embarrassed to ask, but I did and the answers were invaluable.

 

You mentioned that you will probably never do business in Tallin. (Unless you are part of the Amazing Race), so if you have the chance to go there, do so. We did a cruise out of Dover, last august, and visited most of the ports you mentioned. But Tallin was special. It was our second favorite port on the cruise. It mixes so much of the 'old' with some modern Europe, and it is a great walking town. there are so many things to explore, from tiny shops to cobblestone narrow street. You will love it.

 

Here are a few pix to sort of 'whet' your appetite

 

 

Tallin is up on a hill, here is a shot from on top of the hill, overlooking the rooftops

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe546.jpg

 

You have to really duck your head to get into some of the smaller shops

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe546.jpg

 

Some of the 'street people' that help make tallin so wonderful and picturesque

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe546.jpg

 

Just explore some of the nearow, cobblestone streets

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe587.jpg

 

Flowers against the old walls of the old city

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe531.jpg

 

One of the many magnificent churches that help make Tallin such a wonderful place

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe522.jpg

 

Anything else, just ask

 

Len

[ljwobker]

OK so this is really helpful so far. As far as planning things I'm one of those people who is very used to doing everything myself and a-la-carte, mainly because I've almost always got a very specific schedule or needs to meet... but are there links or forums here that can help me determine things like "which ships do I want to be on?" and "where can I find a good value for the things that are important to me?" (as opposed to important to someone else)

 

At this point I'll be completely honest: I have no idea what one ship or one cruise line is compared to the other. In a brief search I managed to find two different 7-day cruises in/out of stockholm -- one of which had cabins for less than $1000, and another where the lowest price I saw was over 5x that amount!

 

My original thinking was that the primary reason to cruise as compared to driving or flying is that it's basically a hotel that moves with you -- we'd get to see several different cities without having to (un)pack in each one. Is that a reasonable consideration? Certainly I'm not saying that the ship itself is meaningless, but I think our focus would be more on the days spent on shore in the various ports of call, and less on the ship itself.

 

Again, thanks for all the help so far...

[Giantfan13]

OK so this is really helpful so far. As far as planning things I'm one of those people who is very used to doing everything myself and a-la-carte, mainly because I've almost always got a very specific schedule or needs to meet... but are there links or forums here that can help me determine things like "which ships do I want to be on?" and "where can I find a good value for the things that are important to me?" (as opposed to important to someone else)

 

At this point I'll be completely honest: I have no idea what one ship or one cruise line is compared to the other. In a brief search I managed to find two different 7-day cruises in/out of stockholm -- one of which had cabins for less than $1000, and another where the lowest price I saw was over 5x that amount!

 

My original thinking was that the primary reason to cruise as compared to driving or flying is that it's basically a hotel that moves with you -- we'd get to see several different cities without having to (un)pack in each one. Is that a reasonable consideration? Certainly I'm not saying that the ship itself is meaningless, but I think our focus would be more on the days spent on shore in the various ports of call, and less on the ship itself.

 

Again, thanks for all the help so far...

 

Every cruise line has it's own goods and bads. Some are, like you say, more for the 'rich and famous' others are more family orientated so that the prices are much lower. If I could be of more help, I would, but that is something you will have to do for yourself, sort of see what each cruise line offers in respect to what you want and how much you want to pay.

 

What you say about cruising is right on though. Once you get on board it IS a sort of floating 5 star hotel with all gourmet meals, top entertainment, dancing, shows or just kicking back and relaxing. Some itineraries are more 'Port intensive' than others, which means most of the days you are cruising, you are visiting ports. Others have a number of 'sea days' where you are just cruising without stopping at any port. WE like the combination of ports and seas days, others like just ports while still others just like to be on a ship and that's all.

Lines like Carnival and NCL are probably the cheapest of the many crusie lines, but even at that, they do an extraordinary job of making you feel like a king. You are basically pampered from when you get on board to when you leave. We prefer NCL to other lines just for the fact of their 'free style cruising' which means there is NO SET TIME to eat dinner. While most other crusie lines have early or late sating for dinner, these are set times and once you pick which dinner you want, it is very hard to alter that. on NCL, you can basically walk in any time you want and eat either with a different group every night, or by yourselves if you wish. We like that if you are on a more port intensive schedule, so as you do not have to rush back to the ship to eat dinner. You can, of course, always eat in the buffet, which all lines have, and there you can also eat whenever you want.

Speaking for ourselves, we do not care for the buffet, as we do like to sit and be served dinner. It is truly a great experience.

If you go to the other sites on these board of all the different cruise lines, you will see what the difference is between mnay of them. It is hard for us here to say which ones are better than others. Some have better food, some cater more to kids, while others are more senior than some.

 

Hope this helps some.

Len

 

Oh and I see I screwed up some of the pix I tried to post

 

Here are the ones I messed up

 

You have to duck your head to get into some shops

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe619.jpg

 

some of the street people that make Tallin such a wonderful place

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe627.jpg

 

Russian influence church in Tallin

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe566.jpg

 

The Peppersack, a great place to sit and eat

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe594.jpg

 

Booths full of vendors selling some remarkable things along the old walls of the city

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe622.jpg

 

main square in Tallin, with all the magnificent outdoor restaurants

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster602.jpg

[MercedMike]

 

Given all that, what I think I'm really trying to find is a list somewhere of sailing dates and locations that the major cruise lines offer for Baltic cruises. Are there any websites or lists that would have this information aggregated in one place, or is it a matter of going individually to each company's websites and looking up dates and ships?

 

You are starting out with the very basic questions, and absolutely the best advice I can give you is to find a good local Travel Agent who is a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor (look for the agent's diploma on the wall, not just an agency sticker). Ask your friends and co-workers for a recommendation. The service is entirely free to you. ACC's are trained to find the very best cruise for you, after learning your personal situation and preferences, and work hard to get you the very best rate.

 

On this board, you only get people's personal experiences, most often from their one and only cruise to the Baltic. From the TA you get ALL the possibilities from a professional comprehensive data base, as well as a personalized approach. Once you have narrowed it down to a few options, then you can come to this board and ask specific questions like "Who can compare Crown Princess to Celebrity Millenium?" or "What are the best things to do in Oslo?"

 

The Baltic is a wonderful cruise and I know you will enjoy it. Just to whet your appetite (and certainly NOT as the only option available) Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/baltic.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!