Wezzie Posted May 30, 2010 #1 Share Posted May 30, 2010 My husband and I were on the May 12 Star Princess cruise around the Baltic. We had perfect weather and calm seas. The ship was lovely, the staff was great and there was much to do in the ports and on the ship. The ship's newsletter will alert you to meet & greets for members (and wannabe members) of Cruise Critic. Very fun and helpful. Our flight to Copenhagen (via Frankfurt) was cancelled 'the morning of' because of the volcano in Iceland, but United Miles Plus found us other flights. Unfortunately our luggage didn't make it to Copenhagen with us, but was delivered to the hotel the next afternoon. Clearly it was a good idea to arrive in the departure port a couple of days early. With the flight problems and resulting loss of luggage, we would have been in trouble if we'd arrived just one day early or the day of the ship's departure. Our hotel gave us toothbrushes, toothpaste and XL white t-shirts to sleep in . We stayed at the Marriott Downtown Copenhagen - $104 a night on Priceline. In the morning of our full day in Copenhagen we walked past Tivoli and the town hall square (look for Hans Christian Anderson!) in the early morning, then down Stroget to Nyhavn for a canal tour. After the tour, we walked back up Stroget and went into the shops. Royal Copenhagen and Illums Bolighus are must-sees. We took a side trip to the Round Tower and to the University of Copenhagen. Later, we headed over to the National Museum (free) and spent a couple of hours examining the prehistory to Viking age exhibits on the first floor and the later period exhibits on the second floor. That evening we went to Tivoli and enjoyed the buffet & music at the restaurant Herzegovina right there in the park. (Shopping - paper cut mobiles of Hans Christian Anderson tales purchased at the airport on the day of departure.. about $20 ea) Boarding the ship was a snap. The first day on board was a day at sea. Day 2 was Stockholm. Stockholm was a wonderful surprise. There's so much to do there and it's all reachable by the hop on hop off boats in the harbor. The Vasa was incredible. We went to the King's palace and bought several things in the palace gift shop. I bought my 4 yr old granddaughter a postcard with a pic of the royal family (the Queen and princesses in traditional dress) and a pink hand towel with a gold crown on it. Heir to the throne, Princess Victoria, is getting married next week to a commoner. It's a love match. :) Old town near the palace is incredible. Make sure you have plenty of time to wind your way around the old streets and in & out of shops. (Shopping highlights - Vasa Xmas ornament, Swedish design tea towels, a colorful apron, hot pads, colorful plastic serving trays, wooden Swedish Xmas horses, Swedish doll in traditional dress, gold crown & rhinestone earrings from the Palace gift shop -only $10 and sooo cute!) Helsinki is lovely. We took a cab to the church on the hill (biggest orthodox church in Finland or Scandinavia) and then walked down The Esplanade of trees and sun worshipping Finns. We stopped for coffee and pastry and did some people watching, too. I think it was in Helsinki that we visited Stockmann Dept Store. Go to the kitchenware section and you'll find a really good souvenirs. (Shopping highlights - plastic trays with pics of Lapland, Lapland stuffed 'animals (costumed boy & girl and a moose), stuffed animals at shops at dock (reindeer and husky puppies) ) Our two-day tour with SPB in St Petersburg was excellent. Viktoria is the owner and Eugene was our guide. ($290 pp + tip) We saw everything from the subway, to the synagogue, the Church on Spilled Blood, Catherine's Palace, Peterhof , Peter and Paul Fortress (Tzar's graves) and the Hermitage. We rode the hydrofoil, had a canal tour on a small private boat and enjoyed two lunches at very nice cafes. We women would have liked more shopping time at the gov't approved store , but fortunately there were a few shops at the dock right outside of immigration. (Shopping highlights - Russian stacking dolls, amber necklaces and a lighter with CCCP (soviet) lettering on it - fake but fun) I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever go to Russia Imagine! Tallinn is a gem. The architecture and shops were fantastic. I'd go back there in a heartbeat. I left my heart in Tallinn. (Shopping highlights - beautiful linen , amber, hand carved wooden items) The afternoon after the ship leaves Tallinn is one of the first opportunities for people to do laundry. Get there asap armed with your quarters and soap and a good book to read. Stay there and guard your things and place in line. My husband called the laundry room "the snake pit." Poland was sort of depressing. Baltic (oil) prosperity has not come to Poland. The people look like they live hard lives and there are sad-looking beggars on the streets of old town Gdansk. For $100 total (plus tip), our group of three hired a taxi to take us to old town in Gdansk , Sopot, to a church for an organ recital, and around Gdynia (e.g, Lech Walesa house, the Solidarity monument, a scenic view of the harbor, etc). Amber shopping in Gdansk was very disappointing. If we'd known, we would have shopped more in Tallin and St Petersburg but we'd read that Gdansk was the best place for amber. There are fancy pieces with silver in shops on one of the streets, but if you're looking for gifts for the girls-back-home, you'll find better bargains and pieces in Tallin. Sopot is a lovely hotel and beach area . We liked it better then old town Gdansk and the amber shopping was much better price-wise and variety-wise in Sopot. Stop and have a cup of coffee and a pastry at the cute two story restaurant at the pier and then check out the amber stalls and shops nearby. (Shopping/gift idea - amber bracelets on elastic string for $10.00 each - less if you bargain. Amber/turquoise combos are popular now, and those are available in the bracelets too.) Oslo was super. My husband read Kon Tiki before our trip so we made sure to go to the Kon Tiki museum . We also went to the sculpture park. The hop on hop off bus took forever and didn't stick to it's bus-every-half-hour schedule, so we didn't have time to go to the Viking museum or open air museum. My suggestion is to decide where you want to go and take a land or water taxi. (Shopping - Kon Tiki mouse pad) We bought departure transfers to the airport on the ship. As there were very few taxis available, we're very glad we had the ship transfers. They were worth every cent. Our cabin was great. A722. We were conveniently located just one staircase from the Horizon Court buffet so getting to breakfast was a snap. As it turned out, either side of the ship would have been fine. We'd thought that the port side would have the best views, but once you're out at sea, you're so far from land that it doesn't matter. Plus.. it was foggy... The balcony was the perfect place to view the fjords outside of Oslo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdngrl Posted May 30, 2010 #2 Share Posted May 30, 2010 thank you. russia is on my list of places to get to someday. i liked your shopping tips. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TracieABD Posted May 30, 2010 #3 Share Posted May 30, 2010 I took this cruise and just loved it! Thank you so much for your wonderful review!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
never2late Posted May 30, 2010 #4 Share Posted May 30, 2010 Great review -- we plan on going on the Emerald in September of 2011. Which tour company did you use in St. Petersburg? Do you recommend them? There are 3 of us -- what kind of vehicle did they use? Thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsqrl Posted May 31, 2010 #5 Share Posted May 31, 2010 Thank you for your review; sounds like a fabulous cruise! Like you, I was really pleasantly surprised by Stockholm -- I wasn't expecting all that much and yet totally loved it there. Beautiful city, tons of neat stuff to see and do, easy to get around, not nearly as expensive as everyone warns (I was there on a land trip), and really friendly people who speak embarrassingly good English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Woobstr112G Posted May 31, 2010 #6 Share Posted May 31, 2010 My husband and I were on the May 12 Star Princess cruise around the Baltic.We had perfect weather and calm seas. The ship was lovely, the staff was great and there was much to do in the ports and on the ship. The ship's newsletter will alert you to meet & greets for members (and wannabe members) of Cruise Critic. Very fun and helpful. Our flight to Copenhagen (via Frankfurt) was cancelled 'the morning of' because of the volcano in Iceland, but United Miles Plus found us other flights. Unfortunately our luggage didn't make it to Copenhagen with us, but was delivered to the hotel the next afternoon. Clearly it was a good idea to arrive in the departure port a couple of days early. With the flight problems and resulting loss of luggage, we would have been in trouble if we'd arrived just one day early or the day of the ship's departure. Our hotel gave us toothbrushes, toothpaste and XL white t-shirts to sleep in . We stayed at the Marriott Downtown Copenhagen - $104 a night on Priceline. In the morning of our full day in Copenhagen we walked past Tivoli and the town hall square (look for Hans Christian Anderson!) in the early morning, then down Stroget to Nyhavn for a canal tour. After the tour, we walked back up Stroget and went into the shops. Royal Copenhagen and Illums Bolighus are must-sees. We took a side trip to the Round Tower and to the University of Copenhagen. Later, we headed over to the National Museum (free) and spent a couple of hours examining the prehistory to Viking age exhibits on the first floor and the later period exhibits on the second floor. That evening we went to Tivoli and enjoyed the buffet & music at the restaurant Herzegovina right there in the park. (Shopping - paper cut mobiles of Hans Christian Anderson tales purchased at the airport on the day of departure.. about $20 ea) Boarding the ship was a snap. The first day on board was a day at sea. Day 2 was Stockholm. Stockholm was a wonderful surprise. There's so much to do there and it's all reachable by the hop on hop off boats in the harbor. The Vasa was incredible. We went to the King's palace and bought several things in the palace gift shop. I bought my 4 yr old granddaughter a postcard with a pic of the royal family (the Queen and princesses in traditional dress) and a pink hand towel with a gold crown on it. Heir to the throne, Princess Victoria, is getting married next week to a commoner. It's a love match. :) Old town near the palace is incredible. Make sure you have plenty of time to wind your way around the old streets and in & out of shops. (Shopping highlights - Vasa Xmas ornament, Swedish design tea towels, a colorful apron, hot pads, colorful plastic serving trays, wooden Swedish Xmas horses, Swedish doll in traditional dress, gold crown & rhinestone earrings from the Palace gift shop -only $10 and sooo cute!) Helsinki is lovely. We took a cab to the church on the hill (biggest orthodox church in Finland or Scandinavia) and then walked down The Esplanade of trees and sun worshipping Finns. We stopped for coffee and pastry and did some people watching, too. I think it was in Helsinki that we visited Stockmann Dept Store. Go to the kitchenware section and you'll find a really good souvenirs. (Shopping highlights - plastic trays with pics of Lapland, Lapland stuffed 'animals (costumed boy & girl and a moose), stuffed animals at shops at dock (reindeer and husky puppies) ) Our two-day tour with SPB in St Petersburg was excellent. Viktoria is the owner and Eugene was our guide. ($290 pp + tip) We saw everything from the subway, to the synagogue, the Church on Spilled Blood, Catherine's Palace, Peterhof , Peter and Paul Fortress (Tzar's graves) and the Hermitage. We rode the hydrofoil, had a canal tour on a small private boat and enjoyed two lunches at very nice cafes. We women would have liked more shopping time at the gov't approved store , but fortunately there were a few shops at the dock right outside of immigration. (Shopping highlights - Russian stacking dolls, amber necklaces and a lighter with CCCP (soviet) lettering on it - fake but fun) I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd ever go to Russia Imagine! Tallinn is a gem. The architecture and shops were fantastic. I'd go back there in a heartbeat. I left my heart in Tallinn. (Shopping highlights - beautiful linen , amber, hand carved wooden items) The afternoon after the ship leaves Tallinn is one of the first opportunities for people to do laundry. Get there asap armed with your quarters and soap and a good book to read. Stay there and guard your things and place in line. My husband called the laundry room "the snake pit." Poland was sort of depressing. Baltic (oil) prosperity has not come to Poland. The people look like they live hard lives and there are sad-looking beggars on the streets of old town Gdansk. For $100 total (plus tip), our group of three hired a taxi to take us to old town in Gdansk , Sopot, to a church for an organ recital, and around Gdynia (e.g, Lech Walesa house, the Solidarity monument, a scenic view of the harbor, etc). Amber shopping in Gdansk was very disappointing. If we'd known, we would have shopped more in Tallin and St Petersburg but we'd read that Gdansk was the best place for amber. There are fancy pieces with silver in shops on one of the streets, but if you're looking for gifts for the girls-back-home, you'll find better bargains and pieces in Tallin. Sopot is a lovely hotel and beach area . We liked it better then old town Gdansk and the amber shopping was much better price-wise and variety-wise in Sopot. Stop and have a cup of coffee and a pastry at the cute two story restaurant at the pier and then check out the amber stalls and shops nearby. (Shopping/gift idea - amber bracelets on elastic string for $10.00 each - less if you bargain. Amber/turquoise combos are popular now, and those are available in the bracelets too.) Oslo was super. My husband read Kon Tiki before our trip so we made sure to go to the Kon Tiki museum . We also went to the sculpture park. The hop on hop off bus took forever and didn't stick to it's bus-every-half-hour schedule, so we didn't have time to go to the Viking museum or open air museum. My suggestion is to decide where you want to go and take a land or water taxi. (Shopping - Kon Tiki mouse pad) We bought departure transfers to the airport on the ship. As there were very few taxis available, we're very glad we had the ship transfers. They were worth every cent. Our cabin was great. A722. We were conveniently located just one staircase from the Horizon Court buffet so getting to breakfast was a snap. As it turned out, either side of the ship would have been fine. We'd thought that the port side would have the best views, but once you're out at sea, you're so far from land that it doesn't matter. Plus.. it was foggy... The balcony was the perfect place to view the fjords outside of Oslo. Thanks for taking the time to post your observations.....:):):) Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wezzie Posted May 31, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted May 31, 2010 Never2Late, we signed onto tour in St Petersburg with SPB Tours . It took me forever to remember the name of the company until I realized it probably stands for (st) (peters) (burg) = SPB. http://www.spb-tours.com/ The company specializes in tours for cruise groups. I wrote to them and listed the things we wanted to see and they told me that a group was forming from my ship. The tour was limited to 12 people who all turned out to be very pleasant, fun-loving and hardy walkers. We drove in a comfy van that had room for about 20 people, I'd estimate. The driver stayed with the van so we could leave our coats, packs and packages on the bus if we wanted to. I highly recommend this company! SPB Tours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TracieABD Posted May 31, 2010 #8 Share Posted May 31, 2010 Thank you for your review; sounds like a fabulous cruise! Like you, I was really pleasantly surprised by Stockholm -- I wasn't expecting all that much and yet totally loved it there. Beautiful city, tons of neat stuff to see and do, easy to get around, not nearly as expensive as everyone warns (I was there on a land trip), and really friendly people who speak embarrassingly good English. Swedes rock!:) (OK, about 3/4 of my family still live there... so I am biased!) Love Stockholm as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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