12 night northern europe

[schmil]

has anyone taken the 12 or 14 night cruise from Amsterdam to Norway, Sweden and St Petersburg Russia. is is nice, sights to see etc please let me know planning summer'11 cruise

[RTanner]

has anyone taken the 12 or 14 night cruise from Amsterdam to Norway, Sweden and St Petersburg Russia. is is nice, sights to see etc please let me know planning summer'11 cruise

We got off the Constellation's Baltic cruise in June. It's a really good cruise, but a bit port intensive (for us).

 

We departed Amsterdam the last week in May and the entire cruise was little chilly for my taste. If we had it to do over, we'd probably chose a late June time frame, even though the kids are out of school This didn't strike me as a cruise a lot of youngsters would normally be present.

 

There are numerous hotels in Amsterdam in the downtown area, close to the bahnhof (train station) They range from very expensive to reasonable, but all are within a very short taxi ride from the cruise terminal. If you want to be close to the cruise terminal there is a hotel right on the pier (Mavenpick?) which a lot of folks opt for.

 

Take clothing for spring and fall and be prepared to dress in layers.

 

Ports are very subjective. For us, we liked Warnemunde, St. Petersburg and Tallinn the most. Stockholm and Helsinki were...? Stockholm and Helsinki. Except for the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, there isn't much at either port which would make us want to return. But, others will differ 180° in that opinion, I'm sure. It's all subjective.

 

If you visit Warnemunde, I would strongly suggest a tour with Friends of Dave. We opted for that instead of a day trip to Berlin because of the time traveling and felt Berlin is, like most large cities, just too much to try and see in a single afternoon.

 

I would also suggest a St. Petersburg tour through one of the Russian tour companies. You do NOT need a visa to take one of these tours. The main companies are TJ, Alla, Anastasia, Denrus and Red October. They are all priced about the same and offer mostly the same tours. Almost without exception everyone will tell you that their tour was the best. I believe that if you choose any of the aforementioned tours you will be most satisfied. We talked to folks who took the ships tours and, almost to a person, they felt that they got less for their money than those of us who took the Russian tour companies.

 

Be forewarned, St. Petersburg is crowded in the summer and your visit to the , the Church of the Spilled Blood and the tombs of the Tsars can become a chore at times. It's all worth the effort.

 

Tallinn is a medieval treasure that shouldn't be missed.

 

Of course, all this is just one traveler's opinion. There are those that will differ. But, I believe we will all agree that, as a whole, the Baltic cruise is a cruise of a lifetime.

[cruise kitty]

Thanks for your review, a Baltic cruise is on our bucket list, as DH & I are both of russian descent.

[RTanner]

Thanks for your review, a Baltic cruise is on our bucket list, as DH & I are both of russian descent.

Here is a possible tip for St. Petersburg: Whoever you decide to tour with, ask if they can include the Siege Monument in the tour. Our tour did and it was one of the highlights of the day. It's not a large memorial and a visit to it can easily be accomplished in an hour. It isn't normally part of the tour group's itinerary and it's a shame.

 

It memorializes the people who withstood the Siege of St. Petersburg (nee Stalingrad) during WWII. The memorial has some great statuary and has a movie in a small theater which is outstanding.

 

Enjoy the cruise.

[tally10]

We have done 3 Baltic cruises on the Eclipse, the Constellation, and RCCL's Jewel of the Seas. All were wonderful cruises. Obviously we feel that this is the BEST itinerary. Have done Amsterdam and also Oslo on a different cruise itineraries and both are wonderful places to explore. You just can't go wrong with anything in the Baltic. So much history both ancient and fairly recent, whereas the Mediterranean is really ancient history. Good luck and I hope you do get there!

[boogs]

We recently returned from a 12day Baltic cruise on the Constellation from August 22nd to Sept 3rd. We spent three days prior in Amsterdam, a great city to wander around in. We stayed at the Convent Hotel, situated on one of the main tram lines that gave us easy access to almost everywhere.

 

Our favorite port was without a doubt St. Petersburg. I've heard people describe it as a real 'gem', and that is an apt description. We hired Anastasia tours to show the four of us around, modifying the suggested itinerary to give us a bit more variety. By doing a private tour we were able to stay in the city from 8:30am to 9:00pm the first day, and 8:30am to 4:30pm the 2nd day. This is in comparison to ship excursions where we would have had to return to the ship in between tours, wasting a lot of valuable sightseeing time. Helen, our unbelievably well informed guide, and Anatoli, our very courteous and safe driver, took us to their favorite restaurants for lunch and dinner where we ate traditional meals with the locals - a not to be missed adventure, including excellent tasting foods and the obligatory taste of vodka. Helen was able to get us in to many of the more heavily visited sights through a special door available to smaller groups. This saved us as much as a half an hour wasted waiting in line at some places. We also had time to visit a local farmers market and grab a blinni from a sidewalk food vendor. We even took a short ride on the subway system to see the beautiful way the stations are decorated - they rival some of the palaces! Before returning to the ship the first day we were treated to a private boat ride through the waterways of the city, while enjoying champagne and chocolates that Helen brought along for us.

 

We were a bit concerned about booking through a private tour company, but we ended up having a great time in the very capable hands of Helen and Anatoli. Our two days there was the highlight of the entire trip.

[Bet & Peg]

We were on the Constellation for the July 3rd Baltic Cruise and it was FANTASTIC!!! Much of RTanner said is true - everything depends on just what you are interested in seeing/doing. We spent two days in St. Petersburg with the SPB tours company and they were terrific - very accomodating. MY DH is an historian so that was our main objective in most cities - Helsinki we spent time at the Suomelinna Fortress (Mikitary Museum & U-boat-like sub); Stockholm (Royal Armory Museum); Copenhagen (Castles & History Museum). We had a wonderful time and also saw a ton of other things!

 

Weather ~ we had expected weather in the 70s (checked weather daily!) but the Baltic area had a heat wave - some of the hottest temperatures ever! It's very difficult to predict the exact weather - we wished we had brought more shorts!!

 

We did have a balcony - not a necessity - however we used it every day for breakfast and in/out of Stockholm was fabulous!

 

I would highly recommend a Baltic cruise for anyone - even though it IS port intensive! Since you both are of Russian descent I think you'd enjoy it even more!! Just one suggestion - do your "homework" on both the cruise and the ports! You'll find lots and lots of info right here on the CC boards!!

[AMScruiser]

There are numerous hotels in Amsterdam in the downtown area, close to the bahnhof (train station) They range from very expensive to reasonable, but all are within a very short taxi ride from the cruise terminal. If you want to be close to the cruise terminal there is a hotel right on the pier (Mavenpick?) which a lot of folks opt for.

 

'Bahnhof' is a german word. The main train station in Amsterdam near the Passenger (cruise) Terminal is Centraal Station.

The hotel you mean is a Mövenpick Hotel

 

It memorializes the people who withstood the Siege of St. Petersburg (nee Stalingrad) during WWII. The memorial has some great statuary and has a movie in a small theater which is outstanding.

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

Stalingrad is a total different city and battle site of WWII. It is now known as Wolgograd, in the South of Russia.

 

At the time of the Siege, St. Petersburg was known as Leningrad.

[Bet & Peg]

For our recent Baltic Cruise we stayed one night pre-cruise at the Movenpick - just steps from the Passenger Terminal. We also stayed 4 days post-cruise and, wanting a more local experience, chose a more B&B type hotel not far from the Dam - Hotel Brouwer.

 

The Movenpick turned out to be a wise choice since the airlines lost my checked suitcase (was delivered in Germany while on the cruise) and the Concierge there was wonderful in dealing with the airlines! It's a very modern hotel (could be anywhere in the world!) but very well run with a very helpful staff!!

 

Amsterdam is a fun city - once you get use to the bikes which are everywhere!! The Museums, canals, restaurants, trams, flower market are just wonderful and don't miss the Heinenkin Experience - and I don't drink beer!!! And, if you have time, a 1/2 day trip to ZanseSchans to see the windmills is lots of fun - and its easy using the local bus just across from the Centraal Station - the Info building (also just across from the station) has lots of help - but long lines!

[RTanner]

'Bahnhof' is a german word. The main train station in Amsterdam near the Passenger (cruise) Terminal is Centraal Station.

The hotel you mean is a Mövenpick Hotel

 

 

 

Stalingrad is a total different city and battle site of WWII. It is now known as Wolgograd, in the South of Russia.

 

At the time of the Siege, St. Petersburg was known as Leningrad.

Bahnhof: I stand corrected. Old habits are hard to break.

Stalingrad: Ditto on the standing corrected. I was thinking Leningrad but, for some reason, wrote Stalingrad. I didn't mean to mislead anyone. Chalk it up to a "Senior Citizen Moment." My bad, but the Seige Memorial is still a good visit.