Just back from Emerald Baltic, any questions?

[desert traveler]

We are going to be on the Emerald in a little over 1 week. In my reviews, I had seen where people had to enter a 3 digit pin for their credit card purchase in Copenhagen. I am not sure if that is old info. Did you notice this perhaps?

Your information is great-especially about the weather as I am having trouble packing when it is 105 here today! 70 degrees sounds balmy!

[GlobalGypsy]

We are going to be on the Emerald in a little over 1 week. In my reviews, I had seen where people had to enter a 3 digit pin for their credit card purchase in Copenhagen. I am not sure if that is old info. Did you notice this perhaps?

Your information is great-especially about the weather as I am having trouble packing when it is 105 here today! 70 degrees sounds balmy!

 

I bought something at the airport in CPH and the cashier asked me to enter a pin. I told them I didn't have one, it was a credit card, no problem, they just rang it up another way.

[tintin25]

Good morning: Dobraye utro

Good afternoon: Dobriy den

Thank you: Spasibo

 

And for those on non-Princess tours, don't get worried if you get a notice 2 or 3 nights before St Pete which makes it sound like Princess won't let you off the ship without either their tour or a visa. The notice you get the night before has the correct info and as has been mentioned, your passport, tour tickets and landing card are what you need.

 

Thank you for the Russian "polite words" very much appreciated :-)

 

Re: the "Landing Card" (Immigration card). I keep having nightmares that Princess is going to tell me that they don't have enough for everyone and that the non princess tour guests won't get one. Does everyone get one in their stateroom or do you have to pick one up from a desk? What desk?

 

This is my first cruise and the "fuss - o - meter" is going way high. There are just so many things that are different than independent traveling.

 

We are leaving home tomorrow as we have a week planned in Europe with family first.

 

Thanks for all the information on this thread, it was so helpful.

 

Tintin

[Owlhelm]

We were on the first emerald baltic cruise in May. We went to the dining room with our group to wait to leave for our permission to debark (using SPB). We had no problems and were among the first to leave. I did notice one man who did not have a debark card (a card with a number on it) turned back by the Russian authorities (not Princess employees). He was told to go back to the dining room and get a card. He attempted to argue (not something I would have done) and also was holding up the people behind him. The lovely (not) Russian guard pulled him aside and we passed him and his wife.

 

:eek:

 

This is VERY important information. Exactly what is this 'debark card'? All information from all sources I have seen say that all that is required are your passport, a photocopy thereof, tour tickets and the immigration form filled in with your personal information.

 

 

So are you going to just head to the exit and not bother waiting in the Michelangelo Room (or wherever they tell us to wait?) I think I read that somewhere else. Other people just headed for the exit and went up the gangway to the immigration area. Yes?

 

Well, it was an option - and still is depending on the answers to the above question...but if the concensus is that the dining room process worked quickly enough, then I'll stick with that...until it becomes necessary to do otherwise. ;)

 

I asked Alla if there was a way we could meet as a group to disembark together and she said only if one person took the responsibility of organizing that. I wasn't willing to do that, but I know I will be up early, early and anxious to get off. Sounds like you will too!

 

Are you on the Complete 2 day Grand Tour with Alla or a customized tour? We are on the Complete 2 day Grand tour. Maybe we'll see you there?

 

Tintin.

 

Haha, I don't blame you for baulking on the responsibility of organizing it...I would too! I think room service will be busy with breakfasts that day! We're on the Complete 2 day Grand Tour too, but I think we're on different cruises...our leaves Copenhagen on 20 August...of course, this means you can give me the benfit of your experiences too!! :)

 

Martin

[katisdale]

The ship was giving out cards with numbers on them. If you want to get off as a group you go to the dining room at the same time and get the same number. They then announced "Number 1 or 2 or whatever, please debark now". I use a scooter and took a slightly different path to the debark area (no steps in my route) while the others went down the stairs. Just as we were leaving we ran into the guy having the "discussion" with the Russian guard. Again, we were off the ship very quickly and met our guide easily. After leaving the ship we had to stand in a line to get our passport checked and stamped.

[gkkapp]

tintin25-

 

This really isn't a problem. I'm assuming that you have "met" through your roll call and that you will meet in person at your meet and greet. All of you get together at the M&G and pick a place and time to met. For example "The International Cafe at 7:00am" or "In front of the dinning room at 7:30am". Once everyone is there all walk in together so you get the same number. We did this on our Baltic cruise last year, on our Panama cruise in November and this year on a Mediterranean cruise. Last year there were 19 of us in the group and we managed to all get off together and met our tour with Alla right on time.

 

<<<Karen>>>

[Owlhelm]

The ship was giving out cards with numbers on them. If you want to get off as a group you go to the dining room at the same time and get the same number. They then announced "Number 1 or 2 or whatever, please debark now". I use a scooter and took a slightly different path to the debark area (no steps in my route) while the others went down the stairs. Just as we were leaving we ran into the guy having the "discussion" with the Russian guard. Again, we were off the ship very quickly and met our guide easily. After leaving the ship we had to stand in a line to get our passport checked and stamped.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't fully understand. I read your original message as being that the guy was being sent back onboard the ship by the Russian immigration official, to obtain one of these cards that was required for him to disembark. Is this correct or not? If so, it is not in any SPD disembarkation process I have seen reported - anywhere. If not, could you please explain? :o

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[SJ27]

I think the poster was referring to the immigration (arrival/departure) cards. These Princess kindly fills out for you' leaves in your stateroom and you just need to sign them. Russian immigration do not care if you left the ship in what Princess thinks is the right order!! We didn't have any Princess debark cards with numbers.

[Infi]

Thank you VERY much for posting. I have a couple of questions on the SPB disembarkation too.

What sort of time did you disembark? We've been informed by Alla (our tour company) that they leave 40 mins after the ship docks, and I really wouldn't like to have to get arsey with any of the crew for not letting us off with enough time to get through customs.

May I ask your source for this? Was it Princess perchance?

 

Cheers :D

 

Martin

 

We disembarked the ship a little after 7:15am. We had to wait for about 10 minutes in the Michelangelo dr, but I think that was mainly to get a group large enough to send off. Most of the Princess tours appeared to have left by then. We had a private tour for just the two of us, so while I did want to disembark early, I didn't have to worry about a deadline. I think you will be fine. Princess handled the independent tours much better than I thought they would. The whole process was pretty painless.

As for my source on the Russian officials comment, it came from one of the assistant cruise directors that my daughter became friends with. They were in charge of the tender tickets-independent tours disembarkation, so I was pretty inclined to believe them.

 

Wow, thank you so much taking the time to answer.

Actually the instructions from Alla say they leave 45 min after the ship has been cleared, so I too am a little nervous about our group getting through immigration quickly enough. But, from what you describe, it is orderly and Princess now has a place (sounds like it will be Michelangelo room) for private tour companies to meet. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by Princess about all that.

 

Questions:

 

1.Do you think any groups took longer than the 45 min? What to do if we are getting late?

 

Thanks for the tip on the Rostock train station. I wasn't going to bring my German phrase book, but maybe I'll write a few things down.

 

2. Is the station in Warnemunde large? We were going to purchase a Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ticket for the day, but it can't be used until after 9 AM, so we need to purchase an individual tkt from Warnemunde to Rostock and then use the special tkt. It would be helpful to have an english speaking tkt seller, although I've used the machines before successfully. Hopefully we can find our way to the correct platform in Rostock to catch the train to Schwerin!

 

I'm glad we are using the Princess Tour in Stockholm after reading your info.

 

Thank you so much.

 

1. I understand your concern about the 45min deadline, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. We saw all of the major tour companies standing around waiting at 7:15 and even well after that. If you follow the instructions from Princess and go early, things should go fine. It was very orderly and I liked that they had the whole gangway area roped off and staffed so there was no cutting in line like there usually is when tendering. Princess has this debarkation down to a science, probably because of the strictness of the Russians.

If time is getting short, I would talk to one of the officers or staff while you're waiting on the ship and let them know. The waiting time in the terminal isn't a big deal because the number of people off the ship has already been limited.

 

2. The station in Warnemunde has a few different tracks, but it's not hard to find your way around. The woman working the machines didn't speak much english, but did understand that we wanted to get to Rostock. The Rostock station wasn't that bad honestly, just that all the signage was in German. All you have to do is just take one flight of stairs down from the platform, turn left, take another flight of stairs down, and catch the tram to Rostock.

 

Hope some of those answers help! You are all in for a wonderful cruise. Please don't worry too much about St. Petersburg, I was worried about debarking there too, but it wasn't half as bad as I imagined it would be. And what a beautiful city it was!

[Infi]

Nice thread. I will just sit back and read all the good information, cut and paste into a Word document and study it for next July.

 

Thank you! This is a great itinerary, you'll enjoy this cruise.

 

Thank you Infi. Now, I'll be ready, feet elevated and a glass of wine in hand, for one of those wonderful Infi reviews!!

 

Thanks, Pescado. You might have to wait a little while for that review, but I promise it will be written...just as soon as we're home and settled.

 

Thank you Infi. We join this cruise 29th July...al information much appreciated:)

 

You're welcome, and hope you have a great cruise. Make sure to pack layers and different types of clothes, as the weather changes often in the Baltic. An umbrella is another must!

[Infi]

We are going to be on the Emerald in a little over 1 week. In my reviews, I had seen where people had to enter a 3 digit pin for their credit card purchase in Copenhagen. I am not sure if that is old info. Did you notice this perhaps?

Your information is great-especially about the weather as I am having trouble packing when it is 105 here today! 70 degrees sounds balmy!

 

We didn't use our credit card in CPH (ATMs only) but a lot of people we spoke with did have issues with the pin. As long as you're in a place with an actual cashier (not a machine), they can just run your card if you don't have a pin.

 

:eek:

 

This is VERY important information. Exactly what is this 'debark card'? All information from all sources I have seen say that all that is required are your passport, a photocopy thereof, tour tickets and the immigration form filled in with your personal information.

 

The debark card, landing card, immigration card - I'm not sure what to call it, but it was a small card with all of your information (passport number, birthday, etc) automatically filled out by Princess. It was delivered to the cabin prior to arrival in St. Petersburg. All you had to do was sign it and bring it with you to immigration. Very simple. At the end of the day when you returned and went thru immigration again, they collected the landing cards and didn't give them back. They were not needed the next day. Hope that helps!

 

If anyone has any more questions, please post. I'm collecting some thoughts for a quick post later.

[STUR]

We leave home next Wednesday to start our Vacation

Starting in Kirkenes Norway (Above the Artic Circle) & Board the Hurtiguten MS Trollfjord (A Small Ship for 6 days Coastal Voyage of the Fjords of Norway To Bergen

 

We will than fly to Copenhagen for 3 Days b/4 we board The Emerald Princess Tuesday August 9th to Saturday August 20th

 

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO:)

[bakery]

Just wondering why you found Stockholm so rushed. It looks like we're in port for 9 hours (7 am to 4 pm). Are we docked a long way from the town?

[caribill]

Just wondering why you found Stockholm so rushed. It looks like we're in port for 9 hours (7 am to 4 pm). Are we docked a long way from the town?

 

When we were there, it was between 2 & 3 miles from city hall which is further than the palace.

[IECalCruiser]

Just wondering why you found Stockholm so rushed. It looks like we're in port for 9 hours (7 am to 4 pm). Are we docked a long way from the town?

The time in Stockholm varies by cruise. This year it might be 7:00 - 2:00, 7:00 - 4:00 or 10:00 - 5:00. Next year it is always 7:00 - 2:00. That doesn't give much time to see the sights.

[49er]

Infi,
My wife and I will be taking the same cruise in a few weeks and will be arriving at CPH early with a Princess xfer to the pier. I have read that the facilities at the pier are pretty sparse. Any info you could provide about the pier and boarding process would be appreciated,
Thanks in advance

49er

[LeeW]

[quote name='49er']Infi,
My wife and I will be taking the same cruise in a few weeks and will be arriving at CPH early with a Princess xfer to the pier. I have read that the facilities at the pier are pretty sparse. Any info you could provide about the pier and boarding process would be appreciated,
Thanks in advance

49er[/quote]


Sparse is an understatement. Like two event tents - I uploaded a photo from Emerald at:

[URL]http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showphoto.php?photo=21782[/URL]

Tents have a bunch of folding chairs, a few water dispensers and the checkin booths. This is the only terminal we have ever seen where we did not get our luggage at the terminal. We had transfers to the airport and got out luggage in a parking garage there.

All of this said, it is super-easy to get to the terminal. Either take the train to the Nordhavn stop and walk two blocks or take the bus. I believe it was bus 26 (runs on north side of Tivoli). This bus may be marked "cruise terminals" - if so may actually go to Langeline, which is adjacent to the Little Mermaid (the route splits at the north end). If you got on the wrong bus the driver will tell you where to get off (near Oesterport) and get on the next bus of the same number. They run about every 10 minutes. The correct stop is adjacent to the port entrance and is a stop beyond the car ferries. See this link:

[URL]http://www.copenhagenet.dk/CPH-Cruise.htm[/URL]

The bus stop is just off the lower right corner of the Freeport picture and you walk up the short street, turn left and follow the cruise passenger line on the pavement. The ship is easy to see.

In the Freeport picture the Langeline pier is to the right behind the ship leaving the port, maybe a 20 minute walk, so if you do get to the wrong pier and don't want to wait for the bus it is no big deal.

[LeeW]

[quote name='tintin25']
How rushed was Stockholm? We booked the Princess tour (only princess tour we booked) because we were worried about the short time in Stockholm and wanted to see City Hall as well as Vasa.

[/quote]

We didn't find Stockholm rushed. There are several harbor ferries just to the left as you get off the ship. They take credit cards in the booths or cash onboard. We bought Stockholm cards in advance (took about a week to get) and just walked onboard and took the boat directly to the Vasa. Lines are long there, but go quickly. Generally with the Stockholm card you go to the ticket office and they print you a ticket. From the Vasa we walked into Skansen and then down to the HOHO pier next to the amusement park. Took that over to Gamla Stan (second stop is next to the Palace). Saw a couple of the palace museums, changing of the guard and walked around the old city. Either take ferry or 20 minute walk back to the ship. The guard change ties up the main palace entrance but they will let you walk behind the crowd. Or go to the back side of the palace to the Three Crowns museum and it has a back entrance into the main Palace.

[STUR]

[B]We are Booked on the Emerald Princess Tuesday August 9th[/B]

[B]49er & Bakery If you are on the same cruise
Please post your First Mames and Home Towns and Suite # I have made DOOR SIGNS FOR EVERY ONE on OUR ROLL CALL

ALSO COME JOIN ALL OF US AT
KOBENHAVNER CAFEEN @ 7:00PM (19:00HR) FOR DINNER MONDAY NIGHT
BADSTUESTR 10
COPENHAGEN
33-32-80-81

ALSO JOIN US ON BOARD THE EMERALD TUESDAY AUGUST 9,2011 @ 3:30 TO 4:30 PM FOR A MEET AND GREET IN THE WHEEL HOUSE BAR B/4 WE SAIL

STUR2 DAYTON,OHIO [/B]

[49er]

Thanks LeeW. Like they say a picture is worth a 1000 words:-). It is a tent but looks like a "Sturdy" tent:-)

STUR.... We are a couple of weeks behind you (Aug 31 sailing). Our roll call looks like 1/2 the ship will be at our M&G:-) Have a great cruise and take care of the Emerald for us.

49er

[SJ27]

[quote name='bakery']Just wondering why you found Stockholm so rushed. It looks like we're in port for 9 hours (7 am to 4 pm). Are we docked a long way from the town?[/quote]

I was also wondering why it was rushed. We were in the further port also. The HOHO buses were waiting when we got there (as they were in all stops). The driver checked with everyone on board, and then with our consent ignored the usual route and took us straight to the Vasa, so we missed all the crowds. We found we had enough time to see a good deal and wander around Gamla Stan and the waterfront area between the Vasa and Gamla Stan. Just a warning if you take the HOHO bus back to the ship it seems to get very full and crowded later in the afternoon, best not to try plan it to get back "just in time".

[luvlife]

[quote name='Owlhelm']Thank you VERY much for posting. I have a couple of questions on the SPB disembarkation too.



What sort of time did you disembark? We've been informed by Alla (our tour company) that they leave 40 mins after the ship docks, and I really wouldn't like to have to get arsey with any of the crew for not letting us off with enough time to get through customs.



May I ask your source for this? Was it Princess perchance?

Cheers :D

Martin[/quote]

Perchance?? sorta, kinda like the "Visa" scare, huh? Cheers back at ya!
~ Karen~

[luvlife]

[quote name='Owlhelm']Thank you VERY much for posting. I have a couple of questions on the SPB disembarkation too.



What sort of time did you disembark? We've been informed by Alla (our tour company) that they leave 40 mins after the ship docks, and I really wouldn't like to have to get arsey with any of the crew for not letting us off with enough time to get through customs.



May I ask your source for this? Was it Princess perchance?

Cheers :D

Martin[/quote]

[quote name='STUR'][B]We are Booked on the Emerald Princess Tuesday August 9th[/B]

[B]49er & Bakery If you are on the same cruise [/B]
[B]Please post your First Mames and Home Towns and Suite # I have made DOOR SIGNS FOR EVERY ONE on OUR ROLL CALL[/B]

[B]ALSO COME JOIN ALL OF US AT[/B]
[B]KOBENHAVNER CAFEEN @ 7:00PM (19:00HR) FOR DINNER MONDAY NIGHT[/B]
[B]BADSTUESTR 10[/B]
[B]COPENHAGEN[/B]
[B]33-32-80-81[/B]

[B]ALSO JOIN US ON BOARD THE EMERALD TUESDAY AUGUST 9,2011 @ 3:30 TO 4:30 PM FOR A MEET AND GREET IN THE WHEEL HOUSE BAR B/4 WE SAIL[/B]

[B]STUR2 DAYTON,OHIO [/B][/quote]

Stur2 - do you have Duke & Karen Bledsoe on the Roll Call?? If not please add us, as we look forward to joining in the fun at the Wheel House with all you awesome people!

[IECalCruiser]

We will be rushed in Stockholm on our Baltic cruise on the Emerald next May. The Vasa Museum does not start Summer hours until June 1st. We will be in port on May 21 from 7:00 to 2:00. Both the Vasa and the shops in Gamla Stan do not open until 10:00. We will do the HOHO boat shortly after our arrival to get a water view of the city and then get to Gamla Stan about 10:00. We will do some shopping and make it back to the Emerald by 1:00. The Vasa Museum will need to wait for another trip.