timandnancy Posted June 25, 2011 #1 Share Posted June 25, 2011 We are set to go July 2nd, 2012, on the Marina. I believe this is the same itinerary that was just completed on the 6/11 sailing. Any tips or not-to miss things regarding the ports? I'll stay 2 days on each end in Copenhagen and Stockholm, favorite hotels or restaurants?? Thanks for any help! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine_Grrl Posted June 26, 2011 #2 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Tim (and others): Just got back from the 6.11 cruise in the Baltics; fantastic ports! Things that I'd consider a "must-see" from the ports we visited would include the Vasamuseet in Stockholm, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Suomenlinna in Helsinki, & visiting Peterhof and the Hermitage in SPB. There's lots of ports that were great for just walking around--especially Tallinn and Stockholm. Gdansk was a pleasant surprise for that, too. Just be prepared for tremendous sticker-shock (compared to US prices) for dining out and shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutitout Posted June 26, 2011 #3 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Just got off same cruise. Agree with Vasa Museum, Rosenburg palace with crown jewels is a must see in Copenhagen. Gdansk, Riga and Tallin are great walking areas. Local tourist info and maps are all you need in these areas. In Gdansk take a taxi to town. Walk out of the fenced in port area and you will find taxis. It may cost you 40 Euros one way but if you pair with another couple it is much cheaper than the cruise tours. Hire a private guide for group of 2-4 in St. Pete. We did this with DENRUS and skipped in front of the line of Oceania tours several times. You see much more and see what you want and don't. We had no problems with DENRUS and getting off ship was not too bad as long as you followed all instructions. Def see Peterhof, Hermitage, and Spilled Blood. We didn't see Gold Room at hermitage but after talking with other wish we had We stayed at Hotel Strand in Copenhagen with great location near harbor. In Stockholm check out Esplandade on destination Stockholm. We used the a-la carte card for tram, museum, and canal tour. Old hotel but great breakfast and wi-fi. No a/c didn't need it. You will have a great trip. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timandnancy Posted June 26, 2011 Author #4 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Can I assume Riga and Tallin are right off the boat, but you need a 40 Euro taxi ride to get into Gdansk, or was that 40 Euros for a tour?? Thanks Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine_Grrl Posted June 27, 2011 #5 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Yes, Tallinn & Riga are pretty much right off the ship; it's about a 15 minute walk into town. (Although we did take the shuttle back to the ship from Tallinn to make it to our cooking class on time.) We actually took the train to Gdansk--it was about a 15-20 minute walk to the train station from where the shuttle drops you in Gdynia, but it was only a couple of bucks each roundtrip (10 zloty) on the SKM train. Then, it's only about 5 minutes to the old town area. As for St. Petersburg, we went with SPB tours, who we also used in Berlin. They were fantastic for both cities! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timandnancy Posted June 28, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Looked around online for info on the SKM train. Their site is not in English. Do most people speak English on the way to and at the train station?? How 'bout in Gdansk? I took the train from Livorno to Florence, and it seemed the further away you got from the port, the less people spoke English. Is there anything to do in Gdynia if you just stay there?? Thanks for the help! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted June 28, 2011 #7 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Looked around online for info on the SKM train. Their site is not in English. Do most people speak English on the way to and at the train station?? How 'bout in Gdansk? I took the train from Livorno to Florence, and it seemed the further away you got from the port, the less people spoke English. Is there anything to do in Gdynia if you just stay there??Thanks for the help! Tim I don't know about Gdynia but please, do not miss Gdansk. Not only because it is one of the most important (and richest=nicest) cities of the old Hanseatic league but also because it has risen from the ashes. It was leveled to the ground by the Germans and subsequently painstakingly rebuilt to the smallest details. In fact, if you were not told about this fact, you would have assumed that it survived WWII virtually unscathed. I visited Gdansk in the early 60's and just recently and I could not believe my eyes. It's a charming city (the old part) and well worth visiting; a good guide will make your visit that much more enjoyable. JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DOJO466 Posted June 28, 2011 #8 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Looked around online for info on the SKM train. Their site is not in English. Do most people speak English on the way to and at the train station?? How 'bout in Gdansk? I took the train from Livorno to Florence, and it seemed the further away you got from the port, the less people spoke English. Is there anything to do in Gdynia if you just stay there??Thanks for the help! Tim Nothing to do in Gdynia. Train was easy but please watch your pockets, there are pickers out there. Some folks speak English, most do not. We speakers of English are so selfish that we think everybody needs to speak our language. You are in their country, they do not require that you speak Polish, why should you think they should speak English? They usually try their best to communicate but I personally think we have one of the hardest languages to understand with all our idioms, slang, etc.. Students do have "English as a second language" studies and they love to try their English with you. Get off the ship, take the train to Gdansk and enjoy a lovely city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 28, 2011 #9 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Looked around online for info on the SKM train. Their site is not in English. Tim You could use google to translate http://www.google.co.in/language_tools?hl=en http://www.skm.pkp.pl/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted June 28, 2011 #10 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Looked around online for info on the SKM train. Their site is not in English. Tim Looking at that site and putting in GDYNIA GLOWNA (Gdynia main station) for "FROM" to Gdansk Glowny (Gdansk main station) for "TO", it shows trains roughly every 15 minutes in AM - probably commuter trains. Use the tab that says "ROZKLAD" (not MAPA) and put in 8 or 9 (AM) for trip in and 16 (4 PM) for return. It should not be difficult and it is likely that someone will speak enough English to help you. However, you would need local currency to buy tickets (as well as things in town); not sure about taxis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findacruise Posted June 28, 2011 #11 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I don't know about Gdynia but please, do not miss Gdansk. Not only because it is one of the most important (and richest=nicest) cities of the old Hanseatic league but also because it has risen from the ashes.It was leveled to the ground by the Germans and subsequently painstakingly rebuilt to the smallest details. In fact, if you were not told about this fact, you would have assumed that it survived WWII virtually unscathed. I visited Gdansk in the early 60's and just recently and I could not believe my eyes. It's a charming city (the old part) and well worth visiting; a good guide will make your visit that much more enjoyable. JMO. Would echo Paul's comments about Gdanks. I did not see it in the 60s but was very impressed with it 3 years ago on our Baltic cruise. We were short on time there as we had done a full morning excursion, so I left wanting to spend more time in the old part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted June 29, 2011 #12 Share Posted June 29, 2011 We took a private tour to Berlin from Warnemunde with 14 others from our roll call, using SPB-Tours, a wonderful day. We also used SPB for our two days in St. Petersburg with Wolverine_Grrl and her spouse. To me, a canal boat cruise, Peter and Paul's Fortress, the Hermitage, Peterhof gardens and Catherine's Palace are the do not miss sights there, and, with SPB, we never waited a minute in any lines. Vasa, Gamla Stan and Skansen are the must sees in Stockholm; the Historical Museum (if you like Vikings and prehistory), Tivoli, a canal boat cruise from Nyhavn and the Rosenborg Palace are the must-sees in Copenhagen. The Gdynia-Gdansk SKM commuter trains indeed run every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day and it was a 10-minute walk from where the ship's shuttle bus dropped you off in Gdynia, with RT tix costing just a few dollars. We stopped at an ATM and got some zlotys to use for the day. Old Town Gdansk was a lovely surprise. We spent all our Helsinki time on a beautiful day at the Suomelinna fortress. The walled old city Tallinn is fantastic, and the ship docked just 10 minutes from Old Town Riga. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtamchay Posted June 30, 2011 #13 Share Posted June 30, 2011 good ideas and thanks for filling us in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timandnancy Posted July 3, 2011 Author #14 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I appreciate all the responses. Thanks for all your time and effort. Anyone just off the 6/21 sailing have any comments?? I believe it was the same itinerary. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timandnancy Posted July 18, 2011 Author #15 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Guess no one's checkin' in after the 6/21 sailing. Any info from anyone else hitting any of these baltic ports is greatly appreciated! Thanks Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgmoran Posted July 19, 2011 #16 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I would echo all the kudos for Gdansk - it was my favorite port. we negotiated a $100 round trip taxi fare to Gdansk from the port for 4 people, We told the driver when we would be returning and he was there waiting for us (we didn't have to pay anything till we got back to the ship!) Definitely visit Grycan ice cream "palace" for some heavenly treats. The Poles seem to adore ice cram and I certainly prefer it to cabbage dishes. It is on the main pedestrian area in the Old Town. We stayed in the Diplomat Hotel in Stockholm - right on the water with a lovely outdoor cafe/bar. In Copenhagen we stayed one night at First Hotel Vesterbro, about two blocks from Tivoli.(Don't miss Tivoli - especially at night when it is lit up) Both hotels were very nice although the First Hotel had a lot of Tour Groups which made check in and check out a little hectic. we enjoyed lunch at Kapelli on the Esplanadi in Helsinki. Visby is a cute little port town but Ronne Denmark is a good substitute or a sea day (of which there are none on this itinerary) Some friends took the local bus 4 for a tour of the island which they said was pleasant but otherwise there really is no good reason to get off the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 19, 2011 #17 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Where did the Marina dock in St. Petersburg? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 20, 2011 #18 Share Posted July 20, 2011 It docked at the new cruise ship port about a 15-minute ride from the central St. Petersburg sights. Lots of immigration booths, so perhaps a 20-minute wait the first morning and five the second. Here's the excerpt from cruisecritic ports of call regarding this facility: "Things are looking pretty good for cruise ships these days in St. Petersburg. The main cruise ship dock, which used to be located at a huge commercial port about 25 minutes outside of the city center, has been relocated. The new Sea Facade terminals, which are more conveniently situated, are very user friendly -- the two terminals (there's a third one being built) have a taxi stand with set prices (600 rubels one-way to the Hermitage), a tourist info booth, four ATM's, and 28 and 36 passport booths, respectively. With all those passport booths, debarkation is much less of a hassle than in used to be. By 2011, the port will be able to handle seven mega-liners (up to Solstice-class size) simultaneously." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 20, 2011 #19 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Thanks, Pam. I was wondering if she were too large for the English Embankment. I guess so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 20, 2011 #20 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Thanks, Pam. I was wondering if she were too large for the English Embankment. I guess so. That would have been very sweet indeed, especially for enjoying the White Nights events in the evening. Spouse never would have lasted until the bridge raisings in the wee hours, but I certainly would have tried. First thing our second morning, as we were driving into the central area and stopped at a light, a car pulled up next to us with three men sitting in the front taking turns drinking from a large glass bottle. We saw many young people staggering home that morning from their all night parties. Guess I should mention that our first day was a Saturday and the Night of the Red Sails in St. Petersburg. Being there on a weekend really saved us a lot of traffic issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 21, 2011 #21 Share Posted July 21, 2011 That's true, Pam. Weekends always save traffic time. though I thinking drinking from a bottle in a paper bag is a national pastime in Russia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 21, 2011 #22 Share Posted July 21, 2011 That's true, Pam. Weekends always save traffic time. though I thinking drinking from a bottle in a paper bag is a national pastime in Russia. Unfortunately true; alcoholism is the reason the average life expectancy is much shorter in Russia than here. When I visited St. Petersburg four years ago, I was shocked at the enormous number of glass bottles littering the streets around the Nevsky Prospeckt; finally realized there are no open container laws there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 22, 2011 #23 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I think they might stop you for carrying a closed bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 22, 2011 #24 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I think they might stop you for carrying a closed bottle. Touche!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timandnancy Posted July 29, 2011 Author #25 Share Posted July 29, 2011 CintiPam: Thanks for shedding some light for us. I had seen your review on your cruise (I think our exact itineary). Full of great info. Thanks for taken the time to write! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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