NCL Sun - Balticss Cruise- First time cruisers/Honeymooners - All advice welcome!

[oldmiller]

We are first time cruisers taking the NCL Sun on the Baltic cruise in July. We would be delighted if you could give us any advice regarding what to look out for regarding drinks, excursions, dining options, tipping etc.

 

Thanks in advance we really appreaciate any advice given!:) Apologies for incorrect spelling of Baltics - can't edit it!

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Join your Roll Call. There you can meet others sailing with you. Some may be planning private tours that are of interest to you.To join, Click Boards at the top of this page, Scroll down to Roll Calls, click on your cruise line, Click on your ship. Find the thread for your sailing.

 

Also, checkout the Ports of Call section for info on your ports.

[CruiserBruce]

I would go to the NCL board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

 

Where you can learn tons about NCL.

 

Here is the European Ports boards:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

Here is the Sun's roll calls:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=356

 

Select your sailing date and join in.

[soccerref]

We loved our Baltic cruise on Norwegian Dream in 2006.

 

Below is part of the review I did. Obviously things will have changed somewhat but there may be some useful info.

 

Norwegian Dream 12day Baltic Capitals 3rd August 06

 

We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The positives far outweighed the negatives and I will try to write a constructive review. I imagine that it will be quite long.

 

There are some key tips as well;

1. Pre-register on the NCL web site (home page -'already booked' box) http://www.uk.ncl.com - it saves a lot of time at the ship.

2. You can also book ship's excursions on the web site - just click on 'excursions' on the home page but make sure you get confirmation otherwise they are not booked.

3. Try getting your TA to ring NCL about 3 weeks before you go to see if there are any 'upsells'. Last year we got one from low deck inside cabin to a high deck window cabin for $11!!!!!

4. Take a 4 gang extension cable and 1 plug converter. The plug sockets are for US plugs.

5. You can ask for feather pillows which are fab.

 

 

Ports and excursions:

We did NCL excursions as we have this paranoia about not making it back to the ship on time! They are expensive and we could probably have done exactly the same itineraries for half the price but, for me, the peace of mind is priceless.

We had no real idea what any of the ports would be like even though I had done some research before we left. We were thrilled with all the places that we went.

 

Warmeműnder – Northern Germany (7a.m-9p.m)

About 800 people went on the Berlin trips from here but we decided to stay in port and do an NCL afternoon trip through the local area.

Warmeműnder itself is a very attractive seaside town with loads of cafes, a quaint old town, a long sandy beach, a market and a river with boat trips.

TIP: The attractions are within easy walking distance of dock.

In the afternoon our trip took us to a monastery, on the ‘Moli’ steam train and then to a couple of seaside resorts. I’m glad we did it as we now know that the former East Germany is not a grey and faceless place but a beautiful and vibrant area with fabulous beaches.

 

Tallinn – Estonia (8a.m-5p.m)

WOW what a place! The old town is straight out of a fairy tale. There are prettily painted houses, narrow cobbled streets, churches, castle walls, fabulous views and cafes.

We walked to the old town from the ship which is about a mile and spent the day exploring independently. The highlight was sitting at a café in the main square and watching the world go by. I wish we had had enough time to go into the modern town.

TIP: there were open topped tour buses immediately outside the port exit.

 

St. Petersburg - Russia (2 full days)

This is huge city and the ship docks in the middle of the industrial area which is 3 miles from the centre. The immigration procedure is very strict and time consuming so I wouldn’t recommend doing anything independently.

Day 1: Our NCL excursion took us to ‘Catherine Palace’’, a large palace, in the morning, lunch at a restaurant and then the ‘Hermitage’ Museum in the afternoon. We were lucky that ‘Catherine Palace’’ had been specially opened for the cruise ships that were in port so it wasn’t so crowded (only 1,000 of us instead of the usual 12,000 daily visitors). The Hermitage was fabulous but a nightmare with the crowds. We were only able to see a small part of this huge building and its collections.

Some passengers went out to events in the evening but I’m glad we hadn’t booked anything as we were exhausted.

Day 2: We did an afternoon river cruise along the River Neva through the heart of the city and this gave us an overview of the beautiful buildings and the history of the area. I wish now that we had done a morning trip too as there was so much to see.

TIP: We didn’t need a visa as we did NCL trips but, if you choose to do independent tours apply for your Visa well in advance as it can take a long time to come through.

 

Helsinki – Finland (8a.m.-4.30p.m.)

We did an NCL tour to the fortress in the bay. It was interesting but I wouldn’t bother as the town itself is lovely and the market on the waterfront in the city centre is fantastic – the best I have ever been to!!

TIP: The ship docked quite a way out of town but there were open topped tour buses available from the dock exit.

There are plenty of bay cruises available from the town centre

The tram system does a figure of 8 loop around the town and you get an hour ‘hop on and off’ for 2 euros.

 

Stockholm – Sweden (8a.m.-4.30p.m.)

We did a ½ day NCL tour of the waterways which, again, was interesting but we could have done exactly the same for a fraction of the cost from the city centre. We then caught the bus into the centre and explored the old town which had some lovely shops and narrow cobbled streets.

TIP: The no. 76 bus goes from the dock exit to the centre.

The sail through the islands as you depart from Stockholm is spectacular and best watched from deck 8 aft so you get the panoramic view.

 

Copenhagen – Denmark (7p.m - 0vernight - 12 noon)

We arrived in the early evening and did an NCL waterways trip followed by a visit to the Tivoli gardens. NCL then provided a continuous shuttle bus from the gardens back to the ship. We were disappointed with the Tivoli gardens but we are not ‘amusement rides’ people and there wasn’t much else see so we sat in a café and watched the world go by.

The following morning we walked along the harbour front, saw ‘the little mermaid’ statue and found a couple of tourist shops that were open (it was Sunday)

TIP: There were buses from very close to the ship which took you into the centre.

 

 

Overall:

As you can probably work out, we had a wonderful holiday. The great thing about this trip was the good balance between port days and sea time so we got the chance to recover. We were extremely lucky with the weather for most of the time. It was cold, rough and wet both times through the North Sea and it rained in the morning of our time in Copenhagen but the rest of the days were hot and sunny.

The ship was fine and we still enjoy the freestyle concept. Yes, there are a few issues – expensive excursions, some waiting at peak times and expensive drinks but, for us, the plusses are the lack of hassle with tipping, the freedom to dine when and where we want and the more casual approach to dress.

This is an older ship but the itinerary was outstanding and any niggles were minor in comparison with the overall experience.

[fabnfortysomething]

agree check out your roll call and ports of call for advice on excursions

 

when there you will quickly realise that the cruiselines give misleading info re excursions in St Petersberg

 

you will need a visa if you step ashore independently HOWEVER if you are on a tour either ships or through one of the recommended independent tour companies you are covered by a "blanket visa"

 

the independent tours are much smaller groups than the ships and if you gather enough people can work out cheaper[this is one of the functions of the roll calls ]

 

if you still decide to go with a ships tour for various reasons that is your choice however just be aware there is a 3rd choice between going with the ships tours or getting a tourist visa

 

happy researching

 

Lyn

[paul929207]

You can not do too much in St. Petersberg. No matter how much you see you will still miss fabulous stuff. I would recommend learning a little of the history of St. Petersberg (if you don't already know it) before the cruise.

 

Some of the sights include:

Catherine's Palace

Hermitage

Fortess of Peter and Paul

St. Isaacs

Peterhof

Yusopov's Palace

[Vol fan]

You can not do too much in St. Petersberg. No matter how much you see you will still miss fabulous stuff. I would recommend learning a little of the history of St. Petersberg (if you don't already know it) before the cruise.

 

Some of the sights include:

Catherine's Palace

Hermitage

Fortess of Peter and Paul

St. Isaacs

Peterhof

Yusopov's Palace

 

St. Petersburg is a fabulous city and it is worthwhile to read of it's history before you go. The Sun is a lovely ship and not too large, so it's easy to get around on. Have a great trip.

[oldmiller]

Thank you so much to those who have taken time to reply. We really appreciate all of your helpful tips and advice. I am doing a lot of research into the cities we are visiting and hopefully we will navigate around the ship and all that goes with it when we are honeymooning!

 

I suppose we are nervous that we will fall into the trap of being very green first time cruisers and end up paying lots of extra money for items/excursions/drinks etc as we wont be " in the know" with regards to the daily goings on of ship life.

 

I have posted in the roll calls and so far we have not had a reply... either we are going to be on our own on the ship or not many passengers are investigating as we are!

lol

 

Thank you again - as all advice is going into the journal of preparation! :)

[oldmiller]

A gentle bump as this cruise is getting closer and I know that any advice which can be given to us now will be of great help! Thanks in advance!!

[Laughing Angel]

Don't forget to check out the daily newsletter delivered to your cabin. Lots of good ideas and fun things to do.

 

Nothing more to say other than to congratulate you on your (upcoming?) Wedding/Honeymoon, and remind you to keep an open mind and have fun!

[oldmiller]

Thank you again for all advice. We are really looking forward to this cruise- quick question regarding power outlets on board the Sun- are they US or European and what's the voltage? Afraid I will blow up something as much advice given related to bring own hair dryer etc. thank you

[Sauer-kraut]

Thank you again for all advice. We are really looking forward to this cruise- quick question regarding power outlets on board the Sun- are they US or European and what's the voltage? Afraid I will blow up something as much advice given related to bring own hair dryer etc. thank you

 

There is one of each I believe. It might not be a UK type but rather a Euro 2 round pin type. I can't really remember, but the US one is definately there!