Review: First time cruiser, Emerald, Baltics

[SJ27]

We sailed on the Emerald Baltic cruise 26 June-7 July. This was our first cruise ever. I won’t spend time on port descriptions and activities, will post those to the Northern Europe board, but will focus on the ship. (This has ended up being quite long anyway...) Some of our experience seems to back up what others on this board say, while other things seem to go against conventional Cruise Critic wisdom!

 

First, I have to say that the service was, almost without exception, outstanding. Our stateroom steward Piotr was excellent – friendly, quick response to requests, room was always done after the service card was put out even if we were not gone for very long, and room was spotless. We had a towel animal on our first evening which delighted the children, and they got cookies every evening.

 

The waiters were fantastic, whether we were in MDR, buffet or out on deck. In both the latter, for example, if one of us was about to fetch coffee a waiter would offer to fetch it for us rather. One morning in breakfast in the buffet my 2-year old asked for pineapple juice and although I told her they only had orange and apple, the waiter said “I’ll go find her some” and he did. The waiters were especially great with the kids (they are both charming and well-behaved which probably helps); we did feel a little sad for one who told us he had a son the same age back home in the Phillipines L.

 

We divided meals probably pretty evenly between the buffet and the MDR (most days were port days and we usually had lunch off the ship). The food generally was of a pretty high standard, certainly higher than I had expected, especially at the buffet where I had not held out high hopes. However, I did sometimes find a tendency to over-salt certain dishes. On most port days we ordered room service breakfast for ease, and it was always bang on time at the earliest time indicated on the blocks, as well as the days we needed it even earlier than that. Any special requests written in were met. And we loved being able to order fresh fruit bowls for the stateroom. A couple of times we ordered room service meals and all was fine, with one exception when they sent the wrong sandwich. The correct one was brought not by a waiter but by someone directly from the kitchen with profuse apologies in about 5 minutes! So a mistake but well dealt with.

 

The only food place we were not very impressed with was the Trident Grill. The pizza bar was pretty decent, though we don’t eat ham and almost all the daily specials seemed to feature it. The ice-cream bar was a pleasant surprise too, with ‘real’ ice-cream and not the stuff that passes for soft serve so often these days.

 

We were expecting to get a coffee card after all the warnings here, but heeded the advice of one person to try the normal coffee first. Not the best coffee we had ever tasted, but certainly drinkable. We got brewed coffee from IC to see the difference, and could barely discern one. So we didn’t end up bothering with a coffee card (though we did usually have a latte or two while we were in port). We did get UKP and made a lot of use of it – I love mocktails – though I have to note that there does not seem to be much standardisation and the ‘same’ mocktail could be quite different depending on which bartender mixed it! Sizes were also different depending where you got them from, but as we were on UKP we didn’t really mind as we could always get more if we had ended up with a small one J

 

The kids clubs were very impressive – facilities which put any hotel/resort kids club we have seen to date well to shame. Our older daughter was in Shockwaves and really enjoyed the activities they put on. Our younger daughter was too young to be left in Pelicans but they were happy to have her there with a parent around, and always offered her the choice of joining in the group activities. She loved it too. And we liked the cookies and milk trolley out on the deck in the afternoons J

 

The stateroom: we were in a minisuite, forward, on Dolphin deck. Yes despite all the warnings!!! The minisuite was more spacious than we had expected and the tub was a plus for bathing the little one. We loved the open balcony – we had sunshine most of the cruise. We also loved the quiet location. I guess it helped that the Baltic was like glass most of the time so seasickness was never an issue. I would have HATED an aft cabin, for 2 reasons: firstly there always seemed to be an incredible amount of foot traffic in that area due to proximity to the buffets and kids clubs, and second every time we were aft – buffet, kids clubs etc – there seemed to be a constant vibration. Our cabin was perfectly well located for easy access to midship and the extra few steps to get aft if we needed were really not a problem! (So cabin choice and coffee card were the two contra views to majority opinions here.)

 

We didn’t really use any of the bars except to grab a drink and take it somewhere else, or the art gallery (to be honest I thought almost every item was hideous), or the casino except to walk through, or skywalkers or club fusion (I do hope we don’t sound too boring J ). The prices in the duty free shops were better than I had expected. The entertainers in the Piazza, when we caught them, were good.

 

I used the spa for a pedicure (very good) and was impressed with the gym equipment.

 

Oh, we had the dreaded Lee Childs as cruise director. I’m not sure what the issue with the guy is. He seemed a bit cheesy in his morning show, but that was kind of what we expected from a cruise director. The Patter was always out in the evening with plenty of time to plan for the next day, and there seemed to be more than enough activities and stuff organised.

 

We were very impressed with the info given on the ports on the TV channel the prior evening – exceptionally informative, with one exception – there was always just a scant passing mention of the HOHO buses. I guess this is because they are such a good and cheap alternative to the ship tours?! In every port, HOHO buses were waiting for us on arrival and except for the easily walkable ports we used them and were very happy with them (exceptions Warnemunde where we took a Princess excursion to Schwerin and Rostock – excellent – and St Petersburg where we had a private tour).

 

Exceptionally impressed with disembarkation – never a queue to get off (occasionally a short queue to get back on because of the security screening). And especially disembarkation on the last day – when you consider the amount of organisation involved, this is a very slick operation indeed.

 

Now, there were a couple of things that left a sour taste in my mouth, mostly to do with what I see as Princess mis-represenation on some items. The first one is to do with the St Petersburg tours. The Princess website as well as a notification a couple of days before we arrived in St Petersburg stated that unless you were on a Princess tour or had a Russian visa you could not disembark. (This is not true – any tour with an authorised company gets you a visa waiver if you are on a cruise ship in St Pete.) The night before we arrived there was a correct statement (bring Princess or independent company tour tickets) but I can imagine some people who may have been unsure were ‘tricked’ into using Princess tours this way. The second one was re info on taxis in Copenhagen disembarking where there were scare stories about long queues and taxis taking on average 2 passengers! Now, I had read on CC about there being long queues sometimes, so I will forgive Princess the fact that were no queues and ample taxis when we arrived. But having taken taxis in Copenhagen before, we were well aware that 3-4 passengers was the norm, and that many/most were station wagons with a lot of luggage space. The third aspect was the way they tried to get you to buy all your souvenirs on the ship – that’s fine, but not the way they did it – for example in Tallinn we were warned not to buy amber in tourist stalls, or souvenir shops, or jewelry shops, and the only safe way was to buy it on the ship... now I understand there is fake amber around, but to imply that the entire Tallinn city is dodgy is not only in my opinion insulting but also undermines local merchants in their business. There was a similar story with matryoshka (Russian dolls) in St Pete, where their warnings about mass production were clearly way out (though I note the dolls on the ship seemed remarkably uniform for supposedly handpainted ones!!)

 

Finally, I have to note that (one very obese and rude woman with plate piled high at the buffet aside) none of the cruise stereotypes seemed to be there on the ship. Yes there were plenty of seniors, and a few walking sticks and one scooter that we saw but none of it seemed to be in anyone else’s way. None of the people who write nasty things about children seemed to be on the cruise either, and in fact we had a number of people being really friendly to our kids. And people were as patient with our 2 year old’s little steps as they were with an equally slow sweet older lady with a cane. We had friendly chats to people in all age groups and nationalities, everywhere from the elevators to the Laundromat to walking back to the ship.

 

All in all we were very impressed, except as noted above on misrepresentation on some things.

 

If any of you have made it this far, thanks for reading the review J

[grandmaa]

Thanks for your review. Glad you had a wonderful cruise and your good comments outweigh the bad. How wonderful for your children to share in your adventure.

[gertz]

I thought you did a very nice job.:)

[srpilo]

It's so refreshing to see a first-time cruiser who took responsiblity for doing the pre-cruise research required for a realistic 1st cruise experience..

 

 

 

Bravo for you and your well balanced and informed review.

Srpilo

[truckmaker]

Good review Thanks!

[WeBeGone]

Very nice review. We took this itinerary a couple of years ago and loved it. Thank you for your time and effort.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for the review. Just a couple of comments. One is that there are a surprising number of intelligent people who assume that they can just walk off the ship in St. Petersburg and "explore the city" on their own. I agree that Princess should be accurate when informing passengers that they can disembark on an independent tour. I've seen people throw raging fits when they discover they can't go off on their own so to a certain extent, I can understand the strong warnings. Relatively simple research or a good TA can set people straight but there are always a few with an "I know everything" or "You can't tell me what I can do" attitude.

 

My other comment has to do with the UKC that you purchased. You referred to how nice it was that "we" had bought one and I assume you really mean that you bought it and were the only one to use it for yourself, not your kids. Or did you buy more than one?

[lovevacadays]

Thanks for the review. Happy to hear you had such a wonderful first cruise experience:)

[SJ27]

Hi Pam

I understand your point re St Pete but the Princess website states Princess tour or visa, no other options, which is not accurate and I just feel they should have the proper information.

We bought 2 ukp. The youngest doesn't drink soft drinks and yes my husband occasionally got a coke on mine!

[IECalCruiser]

Thanks for the well written review. Makes us wish our Baltic cruise on the Emerald wasn't until next year.

[Owlhelm]

Thanks for your review...excellent stuff. We're off on the same cruise in just over a month!!!! :D

 

I'm getting a bit nervous about St Petersburg - not the place, the logistics of the first morning. Perhaps you could allay or confirm my fears?

 

Ok, as I understand it, there is a +1hr time difference between Tallinn and SPB. The ship docks approx 06:30 (local time). The tours say to be off as soon as the ship docks. Soooooo....we (a family of 4) have to be up, showered, dressed and breakfasted by what will be, based on the previous day's time zone, 05:30 (so, get up quite a bit before that), and then have a hard day's tour. Correct or not? :eek: I'm expecting a "yes, that's right" response, but hearing it from someone who experienced it will at least mentally prepare me! ;)

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[Genessa]

Thanks so much for the review!

 

we are doing this cruise SOON! We're staying a couple of days ahead in Copenhagen, so we're leaving Friday...just beginning to not believe it is almost here!

 

 

I agree with you on the coffee. I have never bought a coffee card - the coffee is drinkable. In fact, it was only on our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess that I thought about buying a card after having 2 almost undrinkable cups in a row, but as that was followed by a really good one...

 

Glad to hear the lines weren't bad and that that the buffet was good.

 

We've decided to lighten our suitcases and skip formal night -

make room for the amber and Russian dolls, lol

 

thanks again!

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for a well written and balanced review. The first cruise is always the most special. Thanks for sharing!

[SJ27]

Hi,

Those who are yet to do this, you will love it

 

Re St Pete disembarkation. We were due to meet our guide at 9am on first day. Had also been instructed to get off ship ASAP. Decided to enjoy breakfast, got off ship just after 8, were through immigration 10 mins later and had a very long wait!!!! I had heard bad stories about the queues but they opened a LOT of booths - just watch the officials directing you because there are plenty more booths to the sides yet most people join first queue they see! Try to learn a couple of basic words in Russian (hello, thank you) and you will even get a smile out of the immigration officials.

The cruise terminal we docked at is brand new. Many shops not yet inhabited. The coffee bar there is the most expensive coffee in St pete I think! Ignore the confusing 'money exchange' ATM and look for the green Sberbank one at the other end of the hall if you want rubles - it gives you options in English so no problem.

[SJ27]

Oh, one more kudos to Princess now that I think of it - you have to fill out entry/exit forms for Russia...except you don't,because princess has filled them all in via computer and all you have to do is sign! They leave these in your room a night or two before you get there. A small detail but a nice one.

[WeBeGone]

Thanks for your review...excellent stuff. We're off on the same cruise in just over a month!!!! :D

I'm getting a bit nervous about St Petersburg - not the place, the logistics of the first morning. Perhaps you could allay or confirm my fears?

Ok, as I understand it, there is a +1hr time difference between Tallinn and SPB. The ship docks approx 06:30 (local time). The tours say to be off as soon as the ship docks. Soooooo....we (a family of 4) have to be up, showered, dressed and breakfasted by what will be, based on the previous day's time zone, 05:30 (so, get up quite a bit before that), and then have a hard day's tour. Correct or not? :eek: I'm expecting a "yes, that's right" response, but hearing it from someone who experienced it will at least mentally prepare me! ;) Cheers Martin

 

The private tours usually meet at 8:00 so if you're off the ship at 6:30 you'll have a long wait with nothing to do. If you've booked a Princess tour, you'll be notified in writing as to the time and place to meet. I'd suggest you verify with your tour conductor the meeting time and then modify your plans accordingly.

[rpnickel]

We were on the May 24th Baltic Cruise on the Emerald Princess. We took a private group tour in St Petersburg with SPB Tours. They obtain a Group Visa for the people on the tour. This allows you to get off the ship but you are not supposed to leave the tour. The tour started a 7:00 AM

 

If you want to get an individual Visa to go off on your own this can be done but they are expensive with a lot of red tape involved.

[caribill]

The private tours usually meet at 8:00 so if you're off the ship at 6:30 you'll have a long wait with nothing to do. If you've booked a Princess tour, you'll be notified in writing as to the time and place to meet. I'd suggest you verify with your tour conductor the meeting time and then modify your plans accordingly.

 

Not true about all private tours. The information from our private tour:

 

The Complete St Petersburg begins immediately after your ship has been cleared by the St. Petersburg Port of Authority and Immigration. The last bus is scheduled to depart not later than 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) after the official scheduled arrival time. For instance: If your ship’s official arrival time is 06:30 AM, the first passenger report usually around 06: 50, our first tour bus departs with the first 25 passengers around 07:00AM. The last one is scheduled to depart at 07:45. That is 75 minutes after the official arrival time.

[caribill]

Hi,

got off ship just after 8, were through immigration 10 mins later and had a very long wait!!!! I had heard bad stories about the queues but they opened a LOT of booths - just watch the officials directing you because there are plenty more booths to the sides yet most people join first queue they see!

 

Any pay no attention if there are signs leading to immigration that indicate lines for Princess tours or non-Princess tours. Princess puts those signs up. The Russian agents do not care what tour you are on as long as you have the proper paperwork. Just go for the shortest line.

[OhioDogLover]

We did this cruise a few years ago. I agree that the Princess literature on the Russia visa situation is confusing, to say the least. We also took a private tour, which was fabulous. Having not been to Russia before, and being responsible for our group, I worried the entire time that I did not have the visa situation taken care of. The literature distributed on the ship did nothing to allay that fear, but everything was fine. Since that time, DS has travelled to Russia for school a couple of times. The visa process is arduous, to say the least.

It is a wonderful cruise itinerary, though. AND, you get to see the Hermitage, which is worth it, all by itself.

Ohiodoglover

[caribill]

Interestingly, if you are on an itinerary that stops in Vladivostok, you do not need a visa, ship provided or otherwise.

 

Far away from Moscow, they have their own rules. Just need to carry your passport with you when you leave the ship. No immigratioon agent to line up for on the shore.

[janina]

Any pay no attention if there are signs leading to immigration that indicate lines for Princess tours or non-Princess tours. Princess puts those signs up. The Russian agents do not care what tour you are on as long as you have the proper paperwork. Just go for the shortest line.

Thank you for your post. We were on the same cruise. I didn't see any of these signs. Our private tour in St Petersburg was to begin at 9am. Went at 8:30am because I heard about the lines. We were through in 5 minutes, and had to wait for our guide. I too was worried about the notices Princess put out. I re-read the info that our guide sent. It stated that if you are in St Petersburg from a cruise ship and stay less than 72 hours hours, you do not need a visa if you are with a licensed tour guide. And than she had her license number there. Also we had given her our passport info ahead. When I went to the purseur desk, (we are elite), showed him our tour ticket from our private guide, he said no problems with getting off. Not sure why they worry us!!

 

I also agree with walking at most of the ports. We did take the Ho Ho in Stockholm, and it seemed a waste of money. Due to traffic it just took too long to get around. We didn't make that mistake again. This cruise did have all age groups, which made it nice. I really wish there was another cruise Director but Lee, just not that great. Also I felt there were a lack of shows in the evening. Did anyone else notice this? Usually we have to choose between two shows, on this ship the crew even did a corny Love Boat skit one night to fill in entertainment gaps. Is Princess trying to save some money??

[Woobstr112G]

Great review:). Thanks for taking the time to post it.....:):):)

 

Bob

[sashas_mom]

Any pay no attention if there are signs leading to immigration that indicate lines for Princess tours or non-Princess tours. Princess puts those signs up. The Russian agents do not care what tour you are on as long as you have the proper paperwork. Just go for the shortest line.

 

Boy is that the truth. I read many stories about Princess scaring passengers into choosing their tours by making false claims in St. Petersburg, but I experienced first hand how they dealt with those who chose private tours there. We were told by our tour operator to leave the ship as soon as it cleared. Our group mt at the IC and disembarked together. We were herded into a long line for private tours and the Princess employees would not let us near the exits saying Princess passengers must go through first. We waited a long time and we were concerned about making a fuss since we were in Russia and didn't want to make waves. Finally we decided to just go for it when it became ridiculous and asked the agents if they cared that we were on a private tour (we showed them a letter from the Russian tour group). As stated, they didn't care at all. We all felt like it was Princess' way of punishing us for not taking their tour. I've never experienced anything like that anywhere else.

[Karieem]

We are also on this Cruise on 20th August departure and enjoyed reading the review. We have booked the St Petersburg ballet evening trip but nothing else so far. A bit disappointed not to get 2nd sitting dining and have been allocated anytime but hope to change onboard.