NCL SUN 12 Day Baltic 5/23 - 6/4/10 Review

[princessebird]

 

We had a private 6-pax van with tour guide and driver. Although extremely knowledgable (which we appreciated)' date=' the tour guide was aloof and cold. I've heard others say their tour guides were warm and receiving ... ours was not.[/font']

 

Our guide was also very cold. She was knowledgeable, knew where we needed to be, and appropriately aggressive in a few situations, but we never saw her smile once in two days. There were six of us and she knew what my name was because I was the one who made the arrangements, but she never asked the names of the fellow travelers. We interacted with a couple of other people--the clerks at the souvenir shop and the waiters at our restaurant--and they seemed to be much warmer.

 

I took the guide's coldness just as her temperament. She didn't give out many details about her life, but we were able to put together that she had a degree in art history but wasn't allowed to pursue an advanced degree, lived in a small apartment with her mother, and really wanted to travel to France and the US but would never be able to get a visa unless she got married (we're a little fuzzy on why). If that was my life, I might not smile much either.

 

And, speaking of wanting to get out of there, my 60 year old mother was the same way. Happy she went, and happy she will never go back. (The group of 70 Russian sailors crossing the street wigged her out.)

[Cruise NH]

Hi Tom & Jane,

 

Thanks very much for your detail review.

 

We will be arriving in Helsinki on Sept 4. The Sun is scheduled to dock at LMA which is the West Harbour, according to the Port of Helsinki site. I am not sure if it is the same "West Harbour" where you docked.

 

Unfortunately, the Port of Helsinki has already deleted that information. (It only shows past information up to a certain point).

 

Assuming that we will be docking at the same place as you did, would be able to tell me how to get to the 16 bus stop, how far is it from the ship etc?

 

Thanks very much for your help.

 

"Helsinki, Finland - NCL docked at the far western docks about 2 ½ miles from town. We got off the ship took the 16 bus into town and then took the 3T tram around town. The price of the all day pass also includes a ferry ride to the fortress and back so we did that as well."

 

Ella

Sorry to say, but I think the LMA dock is not the same one the tomandjane docked at. I looked at our 8/15 sailing on the Sun and we're docking at LMA too.

 

I then looked at the bus 16 route on the Helsinki site and it does indeed stop at a dock, but it's the one next to, but across the water from, LMA. Believe it or not, LMA is a WORSE place to dock then tomandjane described.

 

So bus 16 does not go to LMA. I checked out the Helsinki site and the nearest bus/tram to the LMA dock appears to be #6. It does not go all the way to the dock, but it looks like it's not to far.

 

#6 does not pick up at Market Square, it looks like we'll have to start walking toward the dock and pick the bus up on the way.

[YFEW]

Hi Cruise NH,

Thanks for the info.

Would you please tell me how to get to the bus/tram stop 36 from the dock LMA? e..g directions, distance etc.

Will #6 bus go to Market Square?

Thanks

Ella

***

 

 

Sorry to say, but I think the LMA dock is not the same one the tomandjane docked at. I looked at our 8/15 sailing on the Sun and we're docking at LMA too.

 

I then looked at the bus 16 route on the Helsinki site and it does indeed stop at a dock, but it's the one next to, but across the water from, LMA. Believe it or not, LMA is a WORSE place to dock then tomandjane described.

 

So bus 16 does not go to LMA. I checked out the Helsinki site and the nearest bus/tram to the LMA dock appears to be #6. It does not go all the way to the dock, but it looks like it's not to far.

 

#6 does not pick up at Market Square, it looks like we'll have to start walking toward the dock and pick the bus up on the way.

[Giantfan13]

My dislike of St. Petersburg had nothing to do with the congestion. We do live in a small town ... but that is by choice after moving here from a big city. In fact' date=' I love the energy a large city offers ... not a prob.[/font']

My problem with St.P was the people themselves ... cold, suspicious, rude are just the tip of the iceberg. We have traveled well, but the greeting and treatment we met with in St.P left us feeling extremely unwelcomed. Being a child of the 50's and remembering "duck & cover" drills, I was hoping for a more positive glimpse into Russia. I would have loved to have sat down with another 60+ woman from Russia and traded stories of growing up in the cold war. Instead we were yelled at, herded like cattle, looked on with great susipicion wherever we went. We had a private 6-pax van with tour guide and driver. Although extremely knowledgable (which we appreciated), the tour guide was aloof and cold. I've heard others say their tour guides were warm and receiving ... ours was not.

That was our experience ... truly wanted it to be different.

~dianne

 

Diane

 

If I may ask, which tour group did you use?? Same for Princess Bird?? I ask because it may be beneficial to others who are looking for independent tour groups.

 

For the most part, everyone who posts here, seemed to have loved their tour groups, whichever one they used. I have been posting here for about 2 years now, and almost to a man (or woman), everyone who has returned, has only raves about their particular group and it's usually the 'best one in St Petersburg'.

 

We used SPB tours,and we were extremely satisfied with them and our 2 day tour. We did not encounter very many private citizen Russians, but a few that we did, did have that sort of attitude you speak of. While we were visiting a Russian market, we wanted to buy some Russian chocolate bars. The woman who ran the booth did not speak any English and our guide translated for us. To this day I feel we were cheated on the price, and they got a good laugh out of it. We also shopped at some street vendors. As long as you had cash, they loved you. If you were window shopping, well......

 

I was also a child of the 'duck and cover' generation of the 50's. We grew up basically hating the Russians, and I've said it many times, who'd have thunk it, that we would be in Russian one day. But besides that, I simply could not let the grumpiness of a few Russians stop me from enjoying this simply marvelous city. There were so many wonders to see, with it's history, and such. The city was magnificent and we enjoyed our time there, as a 'once in a lifetime' experience. It wasn't our favorite port on this crusie, but we enjoyed it tremendously.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Cruise NH]

Hi Cruise NH,

Thanks for the info.

Would you please tell me how to get to the bus/tram stop 36 from the dock LMA? e..g directions, distance etc.

Will #6 bus go to Market Square?

Thanks

Ella

***

I'm truly no expert and I'm trying to find out how to get around myself.

 

The link below will show you the route of Bus number 6 with a list of all the stops. I looked at the Helsinki cruise schedule and the 'LMA' dock is the place name you see on the map as, Lanisatama Vastra hamnen. As you see it's at the end of the bus 6 route, sort of...I haven't found anything closer.

 

Market Square isn't on the direct route, as you'll see but it doesn't look like to far of a walk either...

 

http://aikataulut.ytv.fi/reittiopas/en/line/?&adv=&maploc=&mapline=57%3A2%3A1006++%3A20080707%3A&keya=&line=6&a=&aa=&an=&mapstyle=&nk=1&map=&px=2550672&py=6672213&ppx=2551495&ppy=6672600&zx=2550672&zy=6672213&ss=&se=&click=2&hlterm=&hlloc=&p=2&print=&zoom=4&x=450&y=100&width=600&height=400&nc=1

[Ultima Thule]

I'm truly no expert and I'm trying to find out how to get around myself.

 

The link below will show you the route of Bus number 6 with a list of all the stops. I looked at the Helsinki cruise schedule and the 'LMA' dock is the place name you see on the map as, Lanisatama Vastra hamnen. As you see it's at the end of the bus 6 route, sort of...I haven't found anything closer.

 

Market Square isn't on the direct route, as you'll see but it doesn't look like to far of a walk either...

 

http://aikataulut.ytv.fi/reittiopas/en/line/?&adv=&maploc=&mapline=57%3A2%3A1006++%3A20080707%3A&keya=&line=6&a=&aa=&an=&mapstyle=&nk=1&map=&px=2550672&py=6672213&ppx=2551495&ppy=6672600&zx=2550672&zy=6672213&ss=&se=&click=2&hlterm=&hlloc=&p=2&print=&zoom=4&x=450&y=100&width=600&height=400&nc=1

 

#6 is actually a tram. After exiting the harbour area (0.8 miles walk), take to the right, follow the quay some 50 yards to a place to cross the road. Then turning right again go another 100 yards to the tram stop.

 

http://maps.google.fi/maps?hl=sv&ie=UTF8&ll=60.160686,24.925961&spn=0,0.03298&z=16&layer=c&cbll=60.161502,24.921314&panoid=lziNd_gSyhNvYdnBRxOYNw&cbp=12,71.42,,0,5.42

 

you can see the yellow/green tram in the background, but the area has been changed since this picture was taken with road rebuilding going on. Even the road crossing has moved a bit.

http://maps.google.fi/maps?hl=sv&ie=UTF8&ll=60.160686,24.925961&spn=0,0.03298&z=16&layer=c&cbll=60.162142,24.92276&panoid=0kfXN54V6Y2HmHBGz1D-Jw&cbp=12,108.71,,0,6.64

 

But dock LMA is the worst one for tourists, so Im quite confident they will provide bus shuttle traffic from the ship.

[Bet & Peg]

Tom & Jane ~ Thank You SO much for your review - especially of the ports! We'll be on a Celebrity Cruise but the port info is very helpful!

 

If you don't mind, I have a few questions regarding Helsinki. Did you dock at West Harbor LHC? That's where we're scheduled to dock and, from what I've read, we can catch bus 16 there. We are also interested in going to the Fortress - how did you like it? Any suggesions? My DH is an historian and he's VERY interested in seeing the submarine and cannons. Any suggestions you have would help with our limited time!

 

Thanks loads!

[Bennett'sCruise]

Diane

 

If I may ask, which tour group did you use??

Len

 

I honestly can't remember ... my DIL set it up. I do know it was one of the ones talked about on CC a lot.

One thing ... we are very curious folks and LOVE learning about the history as well as the real lives of the people of the countries we visit. Before our Baltics cruise I read every book and every movie I could find about Czarist Russia. Interesting stuff ... especially how all the royals of Europe were intermarried, etc. On our actual tour, I asked several times, "Why ... (this)" or "why .... (that)". Our guide turned around each time, lowered her glasses down her nose and said, "It's better not to ask such things." I finally got the point and stopped asking. I felt we were in their country on THEIR terms only and to just "shut up, sit back, and we'll let you know what WE want you to know".

As I said, first (and last) country we've ever encountered that attitude.

The docents at the Hermitage and Petershoff were stern looking women who never responded to the smiles and greetings of the guests. (I can imagine that would be a boring job) ... BUT, when my son or DIL walked in carrying their 13-mo old baby, the dosents turned into loving, smiling, caring "g-mas". That was a joy to see.

Not sure why I took over this thread about our feelings on St.P ... sorry.

~dianne

[princessebird]

Diane

 

If I may ask, which tour group did you use?? Same for Princess Bird?? I ask because it may be beneficial to others who are looking for independent tour groups.

 

 

We used Anastasia and Helen was our guide. And let me reiterate that she was exceedingly knowledgeable, gave us great information, was flexible when we wanted to change some things up, helped us with language and monetary barriers, knew where are ALL the bathrooms were, answered honestly every question we asked, knew how to "negotiate" (that's putting it generously) lines so we only stood in any kind of line once (at Catherine's Palace), and was generally quite kind. Warm and fuzzy, no, but polite and kind, yes.

[Giantfan13]

thanks for your 'honest' assessment.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[TomAndJane]

Tom & Jane ~ Thank You SO much for your review - especially of the ports! We'll be on a Celebrity Cruise but the port info is very helpful!

 

If you don't mind, I have a few questions regarding Helsinki. Did you dock at West Harbor LHC? That's where we're scheduled to dock and, from what I've read, we can catch bus 16 there. We are also interested in going to the Fortress - how did you like it? Any suggesions? My DH is an historian and he's VERY interested in seeing the submarine and cannons. Any suggestions you have would help with our limited time!

 

Thanks loads!

I would assume that is where we were docked and it was very easy to catch the 16 bus. The fortress is nice to walk around. We didn't go to all the islands but it looked like there were four linked islands you could walk around and we didn't see the sub either. If you get the all day pass from the bus driver (6.8 euro per person) it includes the bus, 3t and 3b trams and a boat ride to the Fortress and back. I think it is well worth the money.

 

Tom

[TomAndJane]

We used Anastasia and Helen was our guide. And let me reiterate that she was exceedingly knowledgeable, gave us great information, was flexible when we wanted to change some things up, helped us with language and monetary barriers, knew where are ALL the bathrooms were, answered honestly every question we asked, knew how to "negotiate" (that's putting it generously) lines so we only stood in any kind of line once (at Catherine's Palace), and was generally quite kind. Warm and fuzzy, no, but polite and kind, yes.

 

I would say our tour guide from Denrus was about the same as yours. She even said at one point that the Russians smile when someone has said something funny. If they see someone walking around smiling at people (like a lot of Americans do) she said they think the person is crazy..hahaha

[Bet & Peg]

Tom and Jane ~ thanks SO much for the information!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

My husband spent some time in Russia in years past and says that generally speaking the Russians are a very somber people. They do not

smile openly, as someone here said, and they do think people who do are not to be taken seriously. They have lived through times that gave them little to smile about I suppose.

 

On our first Baltic cruise, our guide on both days (we booked through the ship that time and as such had different guides) were very cordial. They spoke openly about their cramped living conditions and lack of what we think of as essential (computers or cars). They were very knowledgeable, which you have to be because you must take an exam to be tour guide in Russia, so most of the guides are art and/or history grads from university.

 

Anastasia has been very nice to deal with thus far by email, so we are

hoping our tour with them in August will be the same.

MB

[janisutx]

Tom and Jane, thanks for your insightful review. It's refreshing to read a balanced review. The "my cruise was perfect reviews" are less helpful. I'll be better prepared for St. Petersburg and the somber Russians because of you.

[lanceholt]

MB, You will be pleased with Anastasia, she was very good to deal with, met us at the dock with our guide and was very cordial. Our guide, Irina, was excellent, very pleasant, knew her sites, was an expert at wiggling us all through the lines quickly, and was a good companion for our 2 days in St. Petersburg. She readily admitted that the Russian people do not smile, they are somber, but they have had and still have a lot to be somber about from what we observed. Russian families enjoying the Peterhof Gardens were the same as anywhere else, we could see Russian guides with Russian groups going through the fountains with a sense of humor.

 

Although my husband and I were children of the "duck and cover" cold war days, we didn't take this into account when we visited Russia. What we do understand is that their culture is not like ours. We got a kick out of the very stern Russian ladies with pocketbooks guarding the rooms of the Hermitage, found some of their stern mand somber ways amusing in a lot of different places, weren't put off by them anywhere. We had a great time teasing with the Russian vendors at the bazaar near Spilled Blood, even the ones where we didn't spend any money. We had lunch the 2nd day at Stolle and it was simply great...we were the only Americans in the place and Irina told us were the first tourists she ever had ask to eat there although it is on her list of places to recommend. We invited our driver Anton to join us and although he didn't speak but a couple of words of English, we all had a really nice time at lunch together. Our ethnic background is Slovak and Croation...our grandparents....and it was funny to see Irina's face when Anton ordered a haluski pie and we said "cabbage", turned out that all the traditional Russian dishes were the ethnic foods we grew up eating and were called by the same names. First day we had a bite to eat at one of the places at the Peterhof and it was only ok. All in all a memorable two days and I am sure it will be for you too.

 

Go with an open mind and you won't be disappointed. Anton shook our hands when we said good bye and Irina saw us off with a hug and kiss and great memories of two very unique days.

[TomAndJane]

Lanceholt,

 

All I can say to that is "Nicely Said"!!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

lancelot, thanks for the update on Anastasia.

I thoroughly enjoyed our first visit and I'm sure this one will be even better. The second time allows you to soak in more, I think. I remember the little guard ladies at several sites who had little sticks and if you got too close to the guard ropes or exhibits in general they gave you a little switch on the leg. Took me back to my childhood :rolleyes: We speak of them

often at our house. Can't imagine why.

 

On our first visit we did not have time to go into Spilled Blood, just see it from the outside and visit the market so I am really looking forward to seeing the inside of it. This will also be our first visit to the metro.

 

How was the canal tour? What time did you get back to the ship?

MB

[lanceholt]

You will love Spilled Blood, it is awe-inspiring. We did not take a canal tour, we had our driver take us via land from Peterhof into St.P and the countryside between the two was just fascinating, told us a lot about Russian life and how hard it is.

[HokiePoq]

Thanks so much for the great review. Did you have any problems getting off the ship in St. Petersburg for a private tour? We are using Red October for our upcoming cruise on the Sun. We noticed the same reduction of servers clearing tables on the Gem in April.

Your insights are where the ship docked are most appreciated.

[TomAndJane]

Thanks so much for the great review. Did you have any problems getting off the ship in St. Petersburg for a private tour? We are using Red October for our upcoming cruise on the Sun. We noticed the same reduction of servers clearing tables on the Gem in April.

Your insights are where the ship docked are most appreciated.

 

We didn't have any problems at all. A few of the people from our group met about 15 minutes before the ship was supposed to be cleared and we all walked down together because we had heard the stories about private tours... NCL did it right. Not one problem just a bunch of have a great day. Easy off and easy on. From the time we started to get off the ship to the time we cleared Russian immigration was probably 15 minutes max!!

[Bennett'sCruise]

MB, You will be pleased with Anastasia, she was very good to deal with, met us at the dock with our guide and was very cordial. Our guide, Irina, was excellent, very pleasant, knew her sites, was an expert at wiggling us all through the lines quickly, and was a good companion for our 2 days in St. Petersburg. She readily admitted that the Russian people do not smile, they are somber, but they have had and still have a lot to be somber about from what we observed. Russian families enjoying the Peterhof Gardens were the same as anywhere else, we could see Russian guides with Russian groups going through the fountains with a sense of humor.

 

Although my husband and I were children of the "duck and cover" cold war days, we didn't take this into account when we visited Russia. What we do understand is that their culture is not like ours. We got a kick out of the very stern Russian ladies with pocketbooks guarding the rooms of the Hermitage, found some of their stern mand somber ways amusing in a lot of different places, weren't put off by them anywhere. We had a great time teasing with the Russian vendors at the bazaar near Spilled Blood, even the ones where we didn't spend any money. We had lunch the 2nd day at Stolle and it was simply great...we were the only Americans in the place and Irina told us were the first tourists she ever had ask to eat there although it is on her list of places to recommend. We invited our driver Anton to join us and although he didn't speak but a couple of words of English, we all had a really nice time at lunch together. Our ethnic background is Slovak and Croation...our grandparents....and it was funny to see Irina's face when Anton ordered a haluski pie and we said "cabbage", turned out that all the traditional Russian dishes were the ethnic foods we grew up eating and were called by the same names. First day we had a bite to eat at one of the places at the Peterhof and it was only ok. All in all a memorable two days and I am sure it will be for you too.

 

Go with an open mind and you won't be disappointed. Anton shook our hands when we said good bye and Irina saw us off with a hug and kiss and great memories of two very unique days.

 

We also had lunch at Stolle. It was excellent and a fun, cultural experience.

BTW: since I was the first one to mention "duck & cover" on this thread, I will say ... we absolutely went with an open mind ... always do ... and we are rarely disappointed. We love experiencing other cultures and getting "out of our box". HOWEVER, for us Russia was a disappointment ... Our opinion only ... but it wasn't because of a closed mind. Thank you very much.

~dianne

[gliles]

Tom, thank you for this detailed review. I loved all the hints and have written them down since we are staying in the Premier Inn Ferry Terminal and doing similar things in port. We leave in 3 weeks and are very excited.

It is unfortunate that there doesn't seem to be enough staff. We have felt that same way about our last 4 RCCL cruises. The staff that is working are working very hard and seem frazzled sometimes. Thanks again for the review.

 

Same here, I was thrilled to see that he left from Dover on the Sun and stayed at Premier because that's what we are doing in October. I printed it and put it in my "cruise folder" Thanks! :D