If yoiu're planning on the HOHO buses...

[SJ27]

Just got back from a Baltic cruise. It was awesome :)

I thought about posting a review here but really there is already so much that has been said about all the ports. Not sure I can really add a lot that hasn't been said.

 

But there is something that hasn't been said (or much from what I can recall) so I just wanted to say:

 

HOHO buses in this area are generally GREAT! In Stockholm, Helsinki, Aarhus and Oslo, there they were waiting right next to the ship when we docked. (In Helsinki, they kept on arriving :D) In Tallinn they are just past the craft market area in the port. I can't speak for Copenhagen as we embarked there, but we did do the HOHO bus on one day and it goes past the one cruise terminal but I am not sure about the other one. In Helsinki for example there is a cruise terminal not on the regular route but they do it if there is a ship there.

 

They are Scandinavian prices so not the cheapest but we felt in general they were good value. In Copenhagen, Helsinki and (it seemed) Oslo, they put the buses on more frequently than the advertised 30mins when there are cruise ships in town.

 

However there are a couple of things to note/hints we thought worth sharing:

 

Some of the ports have more than one company operating. You may want to find out in advance which one to use. I am not sure that the well known "city sightseeing" ones (the global franchise) are always the best ones (we used the other one in Oslo and it was great). Be aware that if you do use buses from the same company in different ports, keep your ticket as you can usually get a 10% discount at the next one.

 

Be aware of the last time they run! Mostly at 4pm. So be very careful when you plan to get back to the ship.

 

Check what you are actually buying a ticket for if the bus has more than one route. And if there is more than cruise terminal stop on the route, be sure you know which one you need to get back to!!

 

Stockholm had good and bad points. (We docked at Nyhamn which is the more out of town port.) The good: the bus took us directly to the Vasa rather than following the usual route (after checking everyone on board was happy with this) and we missed the massive queues that had built up by the time we left. The bad: the buses seem to get incredibly crowded with people trying to get back to the cruise ships in the afternoon and if the bus is full, it's full, no matter how long you have been standing waiting there is no room!!. We did see the driver on our bus radioing HQ to get them to send more buses out. It was the only city we saw them this full on the way back.

 

In Oslo, if your ship arrives early as ours did keep on the bus to Vigeland Park which is open 24 hours. See the Viking and/or Fram museums next if you want/have time. Then catch the bus back to town - leave the town sights for last, and walk back to the ship from there (short walk). If you are not doing Vigeland you don't really need a HOHO as you can catch a ferry to the Viking/Fram museum from town. But, you must do Vigeland!!:D

 

Helsinki ...can't seem to remember anything specific, other than it is one of the ones with an extra route that only does a cruise terminal on specific days so if you need to go there best to make sure the driver knows when you get on the bus.

 

Tallinn has a HOHO that goes around the outside of the town. The guy was very sweet, the day we were there there were parades and some streets closed and he said to us "it's not really worth you paying the ticket because there is only one stop you can really use"!! Anyway, Tallinn really is an easy walk.

 

We used the HOHO in Aarhus to get a feel for where everything was, then got off in the centre and walked (including back to the ship). It's probably not really necessary to use the HOHO here.

 

I do think almost without exception, HOHO and a decent guide book (or internet research) is a far, far better deal than any ship tours!!!

[Yggdrasil98]

Thanks for all this info, it will be very useful fo r me :)

[eh2zed]

Thanks for the summary. Will bookmark it.

[SJ27]

One thing to emphasize: no matter what time the HOHO buses are advertised as usually starting (eg: 10am in Oslo), they will be there when your ship docks, even if it is 7am!

[janina]

Just a note. We found that the trams in Oslo and Helsinki were so much less expensive than the Ho Ho Bus and real easy to use. The tram 12 in Oslo is right in front of where the ship docks and goes right to Vigeland. In Helsinki we took a whole tour on the the trams.:)

[alexandra cruiser]

plus,can go more places and see whole town,and not get lost...knowing you ll get back to ship and not be left at dock..we really enjoy sitting on open top deck and getting whole overview,,first,,then go back round and visit what looks and sounds interesting...for $35 all day,how can you go wrong,,we use them wherever possible...:)

[SJ27]

Agree there are cheaper ways to get around but I also like the convenience, choice of lovely views from the top deck or aircon inside the bottom (it was pretty hot most ports while we were there) - plus, I also really like the info you get via headphones which is almost as good as having a real travel guide telling you about the stuff you are passing.

 

And to be honest... family of 4 plus airtickets from South Africa, the whole cruise was so expensive it didn't seem worth trying to save a bit!! (fyi for those with kids - under 5s are free on all the HOHOs. Children reduced fares. Our 10Y old usually had to pay but in Helsinki she wasn't charged for. One or two have a "family ticket" option which is usually about the same as 2 adults + 1 child so a saving if you have more than 1 child.)

[melissasimon]

Thanks for posting such useful information. Our cruise is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I was planning to buy the Copenhagen card and the Oslo card which both include public transportation and entrance fees. Your post has me re-thinking that because using the HOHOs would mean that I don't have to worry with maps and directions. With such a short time in each port, the HOHOs provide an easy solution. I agree that the cost savings aren't a big deal. I can see advantages of both approaches.

[nannylynn]

Agree there are cheaper ways to get around but I also like the convenience, choice of lovely views from the top deck or aircon inside the bottom (it was pretty hot most ports while we were there) - plus, I also really like the info you get via headphones which is almost as good as having a real travel guide telling you about the stuff you are passing.

 

And to be honest... family of 4 plus airtickets from South Africa, the whole cruise was so expensive it didn't seem worth trying to save a bit!! (fyi for those with kids - under 5s are free on all the HOHOs. Children reduced fares. Our 10Y old usually had to pay but in Helsinki she wasn't charged for. One or two have a "family ticket" option which is usually about the same as 2 adults + 1 child so a saving if you have more than 1 child.)

I assume you like in Africa, but do you know if they take CC or USA Dollars?. Do we have to convert our money.thanks Lynn

[Montanabound]

Thanks for the info. How did you pay for the HOHO tickets? Did you pay the driver or pay at a booth or office?

[SJ27]

I can't recall with 100% certainty if this was true for everywhere, but IF you got on the buses at the ports, I think most of them accepted USD or EUR as well as local currency. I do recall seeing credit card machines for some of the buses but can't remember if that was at all ports. At the ports there was usually an 'officer' or two from the company around to pay, in front of the buses. I don't recall having to pay the driver directly anywhere except Copenhagen, but we did not board the bus at the port there.