Baltic comparison assistance please

[caribbeansun]

I've been comparing two 14 day cruises for the Baltic - the itineraries are essentially identical with one exception - the first stops in Gdansk, Poland whereas the second skips Gdansk and instead overnights in Stockholm at the conclusion of the cruise.

 

Never having been to either location I'm not sure what we give up by skipping Gdansk. I've done a bit of research on the city but reading articles on the internet is a poor substitute for hearing from those that have been to both cities.

 

If anyone would like to share their thoughts I greatly appreciate it.

[Mura]

My Baltic cruise didn't include Gdansk so I don't have experience there, but Stockholm is such a marvelous city that I'd always vote for that one. When we did our Baltic cruise we overnighted in Stockholm before leaving the ship and then spent another two days there.

 

Not enough!

 

I'm sure Gdansk is worth a visit, but my preference would be more Stockholm.

[tropicalkerry2002]

We have booked a Baltic Cruise for Sept /12. We leave from Stockholm, no overnight there. We will take the hotel credit, and spend 2 nights in Stockholm. Hope the day we land we can do a HOHO, and maybe walk through the old city and the second day go to see the things we want to see, before getting on the ship. Nothing is set in stone, and who knows...we may opt for a 3rd night in Stockholm!

I have a guide already booked for Gdansk, we will tour a concentration camp and old Gdansk. I'm not saying I would miss Gdansk if it wasn't on our itinerary, the timing is just better for us to take this particular cruise.

If you end up on the same cruise as us (Sept 16,2012), I look forward to meeting you!

Marian

[bbwex]

We had Gdansk on our Baltic trip in 2009. We took the tour to Stutthof -- a concentration camp -- and then went back to town and walked around in the old town section. The concentration camp was certainly a depressing tour, but if you are interested in that, it was good. Gdansk itself was OK, not much more. If I had to pick skipping it and doing some extra time in Stockholm, I think I would do the latter now. If you are pulling in to Stockholm and leaving that day, you don't have time to do justice to a city with much more to offer. Gdansk isn't bad, I am not knocking it, but with the choices you have, I would be fine skipping Gdansk and doing more in Stockholm.

[wripro]

I would also recommend the extra time in Stockholm. It's a beautiful city with wonderful people.

[findacruise]

We had Gdansk on our Baltic trip in 2009. We took the tour to Stutthof -- a concentration camp -- and then went back to town and walked around in the old town section. The concentration camp was certainly a depressing tour, but if you are interested in that, it was good. Gdansk itself was OK, not much more. If I had to pick skipping it and doing some extra time in Stockholm, I think I would do the latter now. If you are pulling in to Stockholm and leaving that day, you don't have time to do justice to a city with much more to offer. Gdansk isn't bad, I am not knocking it, but with the choices you have, I would be fine skipping Gdansk and doing more in Stockholm.

 

We did the Baltic in 2009 also and toured the camp. While it was depressing, we found it most interesting and worth our time. As is true w/most things, everyone has own opinions. We enjoyed our time in Gdansk and were glad to visit the city. We had a good guide, which as we all know can make a huge difference. Fortunately, we got into Stockholm the day before the cruise started so we had that afternoon/evening and also time the next day to do a half day tour before going to the ship. It is a lovely city w/much to see. Perhaps you could deviate and spend some time after the end of the cruise, if that's an option for you?

[Mura]

While not exactly Gdansk (!), when we were in Prague we toured Terezin, another well known **** prison camp, and found it most interesting. An additional plus was that our guide, Susan, was a survivor of the camp and so she could tell us very personal stories about life in the camp.

 

About how her sister worked in the vegetable gardens and was able to steal food for Susan ... a death penalty offense if discovered.

 

About how Terezin wasn't a death camp the way others were, but they made sure that disease and starvation were rampant. There were a few crematoria there but it wasn't because of mass killing ... more as a way of disposing of the bodies that died in the course of poor treatment.

 

And the art exhibit of drawings made by children, most of whom ultimately died.

 

Not a "fun" time, far from it, but it doesn't hurt to remember what happened.

[findacruise]

While not exactly Gdansk (!), when we were in Prague we toured Terezin, another well known **** prison camp, and found it most interesting. An additional plus was that our guide, Susan, was a survivor of the camp and so she could tell us very personal stories about life in the camp.

 

About how her sister worked in the vegetable gardens and was able to steal food for Susan ... a death penalty offense if discovered.

 

About how Terezin wasn't a death camp the way others were, but they made sure that disease and starvation were rampant. There were a few crematoria there but it wasn't because of mass killing ... more as a way of disposing of the bodies that died in the course of poor treatment.

 

And the art exhibit of drawings made by children, most of whom ultimately died.

 

Not a "fun" time, far from it, but it doesn't hurt to remember what happened.

 

My memory is foggy today. We were there in 2008 and also Mura's

comment jogged my memory - our guide had a grandparent who was spared because of sewing ability. I had forgotten that. It was very moving at the time - terrible that I forgot. It was difficult for her to tell this story but she felt people needed to know it. You are so right about not "fun" but it doesn't hurt to remember. I can still see perfectly the piles of shoes that serve as a lasting memorial to those who lost their lives. Not nearly all the shoes but an enormous number.

[LAexNY]

It's hard to compare the two.

Stockholm is a wonderful large city and you could easily spend several days there.

Our Baltic cruise started there and we enjoyed it.

But Gdansk [formerly Danzig] was also quite worthwhile. We also had a guide and visited Stutthof then toured the old city and the shipyards where Lech Walesa led Solidarity. The old city is quite charming and is definitely worth seeing.

[caribbeansun]

Hmmm...seems that most that have stopped at Gdansk have gone to see Stutthof. While I agree that it is important to remember what happened I've already visited Mauthausen in Austria.

 

In fact I had a very surreal/moving moment while there. I had toured the camp and had read many of the memorials and I was standing on the edge of the quarry looking at the "stairway of death" where many people had perished. There wasn't a sound other than the birds chirping, there was virtually no wind and as I looked across the quarry I saw a female deer with a fawn on the far side caught in the late day sun. I can't adequately describe the impact that witnessing this had on me in such a setting. Certainly one of the most moving moments of my life.

 

Thanks for the input so far.

[Paulchili]

It is a difficult choice in some ways.

There is no question that Stockholm is a beautiful city (one of my favorites) and requires several days to do it justice.

Gdansk is remarkable in a different way. Walking through its beautiful medieval old town you would be hard pressed to believe that after the war there wasn't a single building standing there (there are pictures to show that). The town was reconstructed with remarkable accuracy from old pictures, painting, memories, etc and looks "old" and authentic - a remarkable story in itself. Not unlike that of Catherine's Palace in SPB.

In some ways it may be more difficult to return to Gdansk than Stockholm, where more cruises/land tours go - if that is a consideration.

On a different note - to really see a concentration camp, one should visit Auschwitz.

[ebobh]

Having been to both places, it might depend on which aspects of history you may want to explore. Stockholm is a great City, and you can dig deeply into Scandinavian history, Norse history, visit the Vasa Museum and the Nobel Museum. the Gamla Stan is very walkable, and an enjoyable afternoon's pursuit.

 

Gdansk, on the other hand, is where the first shot of WW2 was fired, and also the home to Solidarity, which was the first step in the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The old town in Gdansk has a great feel (unlike much of the rest of the city, which has that neo-modernist Soviet architecture look), and the countryside is pleasant, but unremarkable. Stuffhof is very well preserved, and can be toured in an afternoon for those wishing to know more about that atrocity. Interestingly, emigration to Palestine largely started in Gdansk, also. Finally, it might be the best place in the Baltic to buy genuine amber.

 

if it were my choice, I'd visit Gdansk, and then extend by a day or two in Stockholm to see enough to make it worthwhile (one day doesn't do it justice IMHO).

 

Thanks, Bob H

[hrprof]

I agree with Bob H. - do both. We've done two Baltic trips - one on the Regent Voyager several years back and again last fall on Lindblad's National Geographic Explorer. We pre-cruised in Stockholm with Regent and stopped at both Stockholm and Gdansk on the Explorer. Exploring Gdansk was wonderful, but the highlight was the evening we spent with Lech Walesa when he came on board, poured himself a drink and spoke with us for a couple of hours. Michael Gorbachev had also met with us a few days earlier in StP. Two Nobel Peace Prize winners in the same week! Maybe you might take a look at Lindblad's Baltic itins - they do 2 a year. We did a pre-cruise in Moscow which added a great deal to the trip.