Would you recommend Celebrity Baltic cruise?

[caribgirl40]

Hi DJ,

Thank you for your thoughtful questions. Firstly, we are a family who enjoy spending time together and having some separate adult time and kid/peer time. Our experience in Alaska provided amazing family memories while the superior fun factory on board Celebrity offered our kids a great time and the two of us some wonderful couples time. Our Alaska trip was out of this world and our kids talk about it all of the time. I would be happy to answer any questions about our experience, should you be interested.

 

We thought about a Med cruise at first because our kids have an understanding of western European history and art. However, their sports' schedules prohibit us from going earlier in the season and considering crowds and temps, we thought we would save such an intensive trip until they're a bit older. the Baltic is appealing because we've never been and the ports directly offer a great deal without additional travel. Plus, we talk a lot of history, politics, and psychological motivation (husband 's a psychologist) in our house and kids are already fascinated by likes of Catherine the Great, Tsar exploits, Rasputin, and their Mom 's crazy swede relatives. Additionally, my honey and I think that if we are happy, kids will have a good time too. Yes, self-indulgent, but I never went to Europe at 10!:)

Please consider Alaska for grandkids - so very amazing. So appreciate all of your comments!

 

Best,

LB

[djmutters]

Hi from a UK cruiser point of view we have done the Med three times and the Baltics once, I'm more excited about our next Baltics cruise again this June then I was the second or third time to the Med,however we found less children on the Baltic cruises compared to the Med cruises hence us deciding on the Baltics again and out T/A actually said you do find less children on Baltic cruises I guess not all children or familys are intrested in history etc.

 

Another poster mentioned "Make sure you are up early (5AM) to experience the ship sailing at a snail's pace through the very small islands of Sweden's archipelego on the approach to Stockholm"

 

So very true and this for us is something we can't wait to see again it's one of thouse things you remember for the rest of your life.

 

Warnemunde is just great a lovely seaside town that the ships docks right in the middle of and 2-3 mins walk to the train station for Rostock we caught the train to Rostock (6-7 Euros return) enjoyed Rostock then just spent the afternoon people watching in Warnemunde.

 

Whatever you decide I hope you and your family have a great holiday/vacation.

 

Nigel & Robert UK

[bear17]

Thanks for your prompt answer. Do you remember the cost of the visa- trying to start a cruise budget.

Happy Holiday

Carole

 

It's "free" i.e, included in the cost of the guided tour.

[Bridge Maven]

For the Scandinavian countries, I would recommend the hop on hop off buses.

[rwr235]

You need a visa if you are doing independent sightseeing. If you take a private tour, they arrange the visa and you get a document in your stateroom that you show with your passport as you enter the country.

 

My sister and I took this cruise last summer departing from Amsterdam. We did independent touring in Germany, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Helsinki. We hired a company in St. Pete. They advertised x dollars per person depending on # in tour and we said that we would take if if tour size got to 8 people as that was all we could afford. Turned out the tour only got to 4 people and they charged the price as if we were 8. Nice air-conditioned van with driver who could park in odd spaces to drop us off and then circle back to pick us up. We always went to the front of the line with the guide's credentials. Tourism is huge business there and they do everything possible to deliver a quality product.

 

In Estonia, we arranged for a walking tour that was FABULOUS. The young Estonian woman showed us many sites in the old town and then took us outside the quaint old town that looks like a set built for Disneyland and showed us some real native parts. We ate in a cafe with only other Estonians. No one else got to see what we did. Estonia is also very do-able on own, especially if you like to shop, which my sister and I don't.

 

Estonia has a hot wi-fi spot at the dock and it was amusing to see everyone clustered around getting their fixes "for free." Also a nice market there so if you don't get your shopping in town, you have one last chance here.

 

 

Hi Bear17

Do you remember who you scheduled the walking tour in Estonia with? Sounds like a wonderfully "local" excursion...!!

 

Thanks

[bear17]

Hi Bear17

Do you remember who you scheduled the walking tour in Estonia with? Sounds like a wonderfully "local" excursion...!!

 

Thanks

 

That took me a bit of research! It was the Legends of Tallinn http://www.getyourguide.com/en/tours/estonia-tallinn-/legends-of-tallinn/?id=5191 . We did this tour in July 2010 for $15 USD each and now they want $34. It was not worth THAT much. When we went, it was a small company run by an Australian. This new website looks like he might have sold out. We loved the combination of the medieval town with the guide taking us outside and showing us some of the more "normal" parts. That was where we stopped for lunch. She was also a very engaging young woman. I would recommend renting the movie The Singing Revolution on Netflix to learn how Estonia escaped Soviet rule.

 

I do agree with OP who said that Tallinn is totally do-able on one's own... but a good tour guide can pack so much information and make it really come alive.

[rwr235]

That took me a bit of research! It was the Legends of Tallinn http://www.getyourguide.com/en/tours/estonia-tallinn-/legends-of-tallinn/?id=5191 . We did this tour in July 2010 for $15 USD each and now they want $34. It was not worth THAT much. When we went, it was a small company run by an Australian. This new website looks like he might have sold out. We loved the combination of the medieval town with the guide taking us outside and showing us some of the more "normal" parts. That was where we stopped for lunch. She was also a very engaging young woman. I would recommend renting the movie The Singing Revolution on Netflix to learn how Estonia escaped Soviet rule.

 

I do agree with OP who said that Tallinn is totally do-able on one's own... but a good tour guide can pack so much information and make it really come alive.

 

From one Retired LEO to another...Thanks for the info !

[TexCruise371]

I reading this thread with great intrest as we have the Eclipse booked for July 2012. This sounds exciting! :D

[2morecruises]

Come join us! We are cruising with another couple on the Eclipse Baltic cruise out of Southampton 26 May 12. We signed up for it last week, and are looking at various tour options and so on.

 

Den

 

 

Hi Denny

 

Just signed up for this cruise too (actually changed over from the June 9th cruise) as this itin. was on our bucket list, St Petersburg the deciding factor.

 

It'll be here before we know. :)

 

Mike

[zeenichka]

We took the Baltic cruise on the Connie in 2007 and it was wonderful. Thanks to all the great suggestions from CC people we had a wonderful time in every port including St Petersburg (DenRus tour). This trip was VERY port intensive.

We were 2 families and had 3 20 year olds and thought they might be bored but they had the best time and loved all the history and sights. We took ship tours as well as doing things on our own. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Talinin, Poland, Germany (Berlin) were amazing and sad because some of the history.

When we get together with our friends we still talk about our wonderful experience.

Just my 2 cents worth. :)

[CruisingChick]

We did a 14 night Baltic Cruise on Constellation a few years ago and thought it was one of our best cruises ever.

 

We also did 14 night Baltic Cruise on Constellation in 2006. I have to say it was the best trip ever.

[caribgirl40]

Just wondering if there were kids on your 14 day trip? Thanks!

[80sramfan]

We're trying to narrow down our options for a 2012 Baltic cruise with our 10 and 12 year old boys. They loved our Celebrity Alaska cruise two years ago, so wondering if we should stick with tried and true. We loved it too, but interested in other opinions. Many thanks!

 

Went with my 10yr old daughter last year it was excellent. Highly recommend it.

[CruisingChick]

Just wondering if there were kids on your 14 day trip? Thanks!

 

Yes, there were. We took our son who was 15 at the time. Also there were many other kids of all ages. We cruised during 4th of July and the Cruise Director, Activities Staff and the Youth Staff put on a 4th of July Parade around the ship. It was so cute.

[caribgirl40]

Thanks so much for your quick reply. My husband was worried that there might not be any kiddie on a 14 day cruise. Now we just need to decide between the 12 and 14 day journey! A good problem to have...

[CruisingChick]

Thanks so much for your quick reply. My husband was worried that there might not be any kiddie on a 14 day cruise. Now we just need to decide between the 12 and 14 day journey! A good problem to have...

 

Do the 14 night journey.

[brazilgirl]

We did the 14 night Baltic cruise on the Constellation in July 2009 with our 3 children , at the time 11 , 9 and 5. We had an incredible time. The kids absolutely loved it , as did we.

 

I spent a lot of time studying the ports and tried to plan a nice "mix" which included castles , amusement parks ( Tivoli Gardens) , museums and lots of other unforgettable adventures.

 

Some highlights:

 

Amsterdam: Canal Ride , strolls , yummy apple pancakes , Anne Frank Museum

 

Warnemunde: We rented a car , drove to Lubeck and visited an amazing Puppet Museum-wonderful!

 

Helsinki: Took the day to stroll , visit a park , some shopping , observe beautiful architecture

 

Stockholm: Vasa Museum , Skangen Open Air History Museum and Pippi Longstocking Museum/Park ....fantastic day!!!

 

Tallin: Walked around Old City , had lunch in the square , so lovely

 

St.Petersburg- We took a 2 day private tour with Anastasia Tours , visiting Peterhof , Hermitage , Yusopov´s Palace (kids loved the Rasputin story), Battleship Aurora ( our boys loved this) , canal ride and Church of the Spilled Blood

 

Copenhagen: We had 2 days , so we rented a car , drove to the Kronborg and Fredriksborg Castles , had a picnic , visited Tivoli at night , went on a walking tour (alone) of Copenhagen the second day.....loved Denmark!!!!!

 

We also did 4 days in Paris before the cruise and 3 days in London after , really nice.

 

The Constellation was perfect for all , the kids made lots of friends.

 

Here is a more complete review , with lots of details which may be of interest.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1024750&highlight=constellation+baltic+review

 

Have a great trip!

Kim

[caribgirl40]

Thanks for the reassurance about the 14 day cruise. It sounds like you all struck a nice balance between sightseeing and less intense days. Certainly key when we travel as a family! Thank you for all the wonderful recommendations too. I'm looking forward to researching and planning and you've provided a fantastic start. My husband 's father and his wife live in Paris, so we were thinking of flying into Paris and out of London. Any strategies for obtaining reasonable airfare in one city and out the other? Did you stay someplace in London you would recommend?

 

Thanks again for all the incredibly useful information!

[brazilgirl]

We actually got reasonably priced airfare...we flew into Paris , stayed there 4 days , took the Eurostar to London ( the kids loved it) , then stayed the night at a wonderful inn near Harwich called the Mistley Thorn ( in the town of Mistley). Believe it or not , Mistley has been proclaimed one of the neatest places in the world by our family and our middle son wants to move there.

 

We stayed at the Park Lane Hilton , right in front of Hyde Park. I gor an AMAZING deal on it , allowing for this luxury. Great location , beautiful rooms. We stayed at Club level , which made it even nicer. We flew out of Heathrow. Our airfare was based in Brazil ( even worse than the USA , believe me!) so wouldn´t be of much help.

 

Good planning.

Kim

[rwr235]

We actually got reasonably priced airfare...we flew into Paris , stayed there 4 days , took the Eurostar to London ( the kids loved it) , then stayed the night at a wonderful inn near Harwich called the Mistley Thorn ( in the town of Mistley). Believe it or not , Mistley has been proclaimed one of the neatest places in the world by our family and our middle son wants to move there.

 

We stayed at the Park Lane Hilton , right in front of Hyde Park. I gor an AMAZING deal on it , allowing for this luxury. Great location , beautiful rooms. We stayed at Club level , which made it even nicer. We flew out of Heathrow. Our airfare was based in Brazil ( even worse than the USA , believe me!) so wouldn´t be of much help.

 

Good planning.

Kim

 

Kim,

 

Thanks for the info. We are doing the Baltic cruise in July on the Eclipse...and are incredibly excited !! So much to see and do...so your reviews will come in handy. We are staying in London 3 days pre-cruise, and are taking Eurostar to Paris for 1 quick day of sightseeing. I know that's not nearly enough time to see Paris, but it's all the time we have, and who knows when we'll be back again !!

Happy Cruising

Woody

[Browser495]

We also took the 14 day Celebrity Constellation Baltics cruise in 2009 and had a fabulous time. We took the ship's tours which were great. It made everything totally seamless and effortless for us....all we had to do was show up! Some highlights were the Amsterdam canal cruise, the trip into the countryside in Finland, the Vasa Ship museum and visit to a working horse farm in Sweden, the day trip to the Peterhof....many, many great memories. You'll love it!!!

[brazilgirl]

Thought I´d share some of our memories:

 

Skansen - Open Air Museum (shows how Sweden was in the "olden days")

 

 

Lubeck:

 

Puppet Museum

 

Stockholm Archipelago:

 

 

Copenhagen:

 

 

Sunset in the Baltics:

 

[Bridge Maven]

I don't know if anyone on this thread is Jewish, but we are and took a Jewish Heritage Tour in Stockholm, Sweden that was excellent. It included The Great Synagogue, built in 1870, which is one of the few Jewish temples in Europe that was not destroyed during World War II.

[onecrazymomof2]

I have been following this thread- we are taking the Baltic cruise on Constellation in June, and I cannot wait! My boys are 8 and 12 and I think (hope!) they will have a fantastic time. We have booked a tour in St Petersburg, and I'm still researching other ports.

 

Brazilgirl- if you happen to see this- THANKS for the added info on each port! I would love any other ideas/info you may have since you did this trip before :)

 

Counting down the days....

[mace1942]

We're trying to narrow down our options for a 2012 Baltic cruise with our 10 and 12 year old boys. They loved our Celebrity Alaska cruise two years ago, so wondering if we should stick with tried and true. We loved it too, but interested in other opinions. Many thanks!

Hi

We did the Baltic last year - absolutely fantastic. Agree with others take a private tour in St Petersburg you will see so much more. Tallin lovely don't think you need private tour we did our own thing. The old town is lovely and the ship docks fairly near.