Itinerary advice needed...

[abelthi]

Hello all !!

 

We are in the planning stages of a Baltic cruise for Spring 2013. We are looking for your advice between 2 itineraries:

 

1. 12 days with stops in Olso (NOR), Aarhus (DEN), Berlin (GER), Tallinn (Estonia), St-Petersburg (Russia) Overnight, Helsinki (FI), Stockholm (SWE), leaving and arriving in Copenhagen.

 

or

 

2. 14 days with stops in Copenhagen, Klaipeda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia), St-Petersburg (Russia) Overnight, Helsinki (FI), Stockholm (SWE), Kiel Canal (GER), Amsterdam (NED), leaving and arriving in Dover (ENG)

 

Any advice from Baltic veterans ?

 

 

Thank you in advance !

 

Thierry

[TLCOhio]

Hello all!! We are in the planning stages of a Baltic cruise for Spring 2013. We are looking for your advice between 2 itineraries:

1. 12 days with stops in Olso (NOR), Aarhus (DEN), Berlin (GER), Tallinn (Estonia), St-Petersburg (Russia) Overnight, Helsinki (FI), Stockholm (SWE), leaving and arriving in Copenhagen. or

2. 14 days with stops in Copenhagen, Klaipeda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia), St-Petersburg (Russia) Overnight, Helsinki (FI), Stockholm (SWE), Kiel Canal (GER), Amsterdam (NED), leaving and arriving in Dover (ENG)

Any advice from Baltic veterans? Thank you in advance! Thierry

 

On quick glance, there are some pro/con factors to consider with both options. Assuming the prices and cruise line qualities are about the same, here are my reactions.

 

For #1, it is super that you would leave and depart from Copenhagen. That saves a decent chunk of somewhat wasted sailing time from Dover, not having to connect from Heathrow to the port, etc. Copenhagen is a great, wonderful and charming city, allowing added time there before and/or after your cruise. This option also gives you Berlin, plus Oslo. From what I hear, Aarhus is kind of only, so-so.

 

For #2, you get to stops in Lithuania and Latvia, plus Amsterdam, but no Berlin or Oslo. Getting air connections into Heathrow might be a little easier and cheaper, but there is the hassle and distance getting from that massive and at times confusing airport to Dover. On our 2008 Baltics trip, we departed from Dover. It worked well for us as we did five days in the southern England/Kent prior to departing on our cruise.

 

I would probably lean towards number one, but both could work well. Below are a few of my preview pictures to get you excited about both great options.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 61,072 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 57,553 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Dancers marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate:

 

 

 

Here is a wider shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac.:

 

 

 

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

 

 

 

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard:

 

 

 

Fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg:

 

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya, we are viewing one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such painting by this artist existing in the world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place AND museum. It is both!:

 

[Giantfan13]

Thierry

 

Hi and welcome to the Baltic boards of Cruise Critic.

As Terry has so wonderfully said, the Baltics are just grand and you will love whichever itinerary you choose.

 

Depending upon several things, it might make your decision a bit easier. Have you ever been to London, or have the desire to see it and explore London and the surrounding area?? If so, I would recommend the Dover departure. Yes you do have sea days to get to where you have to go, but you also have a couple of extra days to compensate for that. We left from Dover also, and we spent 2 pre crusie days in London and 5 post crusie days there. We also did day trips to Bath and Stonehenge and another to Paris via the EuroStar. You simply cannot go wrong in spending time in London, plus the airfare will be much cheaper and hotels, et al, are also much cheaper. Dover itself has a wonderful castle and seeing the White Cliffs of Dover are also great.

Copenhagen is a wonderful city also, but it is very expensive. Many book the Marriott hotel as that seems to one of the few with Air Conditioning, and has some reasonable rates, but everything else, including food, tends to be a lot more than normal here. So if price is at all a concern, I would do the latter cruise.

 

Terry has already put up some wonderful pixs of the area to peak your interest, here are a few more to sort of help you along.

 

One of the nicest areas in Copenhagen is the Nyhavn section. An array of colorful buildings shops and restaurants, and the place to begin the very nice Canal cruise

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster248.jpg

 

Tallinn is a jewel in this crusie. A wonderful city where you work your way to the top of the hill to get a magnificent view over the rooftops, out towards the harbor where your ship is docked

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe543.jpg

 

In St Petersberg, you will be visiting Peterhoff. From the Palace you will look out towards the Sea of Finland

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe721.jpg

 

Of of the main attractions is the Hermitage, where you will view just magnificent room after room, filled with some of the worlds greatest art pieces

Here is Leonardo Da Vinci's Madonna with Child

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster944.jpg

 

In Helsinki, everything starts at Market Square, an area of tents, booths et al, selling Finnish wares, great Finnish food and so much else. Plan on spending some time here

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1150.jpg

 

For us, we thought Stockholm was the best port of all. We just loved the Gamla Stan (the Old Town) section, an area of narrow, winding, cobblestone streets, jsut made for exploring.

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1265.jpg

 

Hope you enjoy

 

Cheers

 

Len

[abelthi]

Len, Terry... Thank you so much for all your precious advice/comments.

 

Len, if we were to take the cruise #1 from Copenhagen, we were planning to arrive a week early and tour some of England (mainly Bath and Stonehenge area) - great minds think alike ;).

 

As Terry is suggesting, it's basically a choice between stops in Oslo, Berlin and Aarhus vs Lithuania, Latvia and Amsterdam.

 

Our first reaction is that Oslo and Aarhus don't seem appealing. Lithuania and Latvia are unknown... I guess they might be similar to Tallinn, which everyone seems to be praising.

 

Berlin vs Amsterdam are equal while totally different. Berlin appears to be a very big city that has more to offer than just a few hours tour. Plus, there is a 3 hour drive from the port and another 3hr back. Amsterdam appears more appropriate for a "cruise stop" visit. At the same time, I'm sure it'll be only a sampler, and we'll probably tempted to return.

 

Thanks again guys for your help on this thread and also on all the other threads you are actively participating. Your input is always great.

 

 

Thierry

[TLCOhio]

Len, Terry... Thank you so much for all your precious advice/comments. Len, if we were to take the cruise #1 from Copenhagen, we were planning to arrive a week early and tour some of England (mainly Bath and Stonehenge area) - great minds think alike. As Terry is suggesting, it's basically a choice between stops in Oslo, Berlin and Aarhus vs Lithuania, Latvia and Amsterdam. Our first reaction is that Oslo and Aarhus don't seem appealing. Lithuania and Latvia are unknown... I guess they might be similar to Tallinn, which everyone seems to be praising. Berlin vs Amsterdam are equal while totally different. Berlin appears to be a very big city that has more to offer than just a few hours tour. Plus, there is a 3 hour drive from the port and another 3hr back. Amsterdam appears more appropriate for a "cruise stop" visit. At the same time, I'm sure it'll be only a sampler, and we'll probably tempted to return. Thanks again guys for your help on this thread and also on all the other threads you are actively participating. Your input is always great. Thierry

 

Appreciate the added info and your nice comments for Len and me. We plead guilty for our efforts to help and share info/pictures!!

 

Since you want to spend added time in England, that might tip the scales towards doing your sailing out of Dover. Although Oslo is not as unique and historic as Copenhagen and Stockholm (or Bergen), we did enjoy our visit there. Below are some of my visual samples of the Norway capital. If you like more contemporary art, there's lots there to see. Doing Amsterdam is certainly more handy than the time it takes to get to Berlin . . . and back . . . all in one quick day.

 

Lots of factors to consider for what best fits your needs. Let us know any other questions.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 61,072 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

This picture shows the main, historic fortress next to where many cruise ships dock in Oslo. The fortress construction started around the late 1290’s. The very interesting Norwegian Resistance museum can be visited there. Norwegian Royalty have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle. A portion of this fortress was replicated at the Norway pavilion at Disney’s Epcot Center.:

 

 

 

Oslo’s City Hall exterior. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded here annually in early December.:

 

 

 

At the National Museum in Oslo, there is Munch art, including one of his two famed Scream painting that are in this Norway capital.:

 

 

 

Vigeland Park has a wide variety of outdoor sculptures in a super, wonderful setting that is a highlight for Oslo. Its admission is free and the views and art are "priceless".:

 

 

 

 

 

Sailing out from Oslo with the red brick City Hall in the background and the surrounding areas and “hills” showing.:

 

[Giantfan13]

Thierry

 

Like Terry said, we thank you for you nice words.

 

Are you planning on flying into Heathrow?? Are you looking to rent a car and see some of the lovely English countryside, or are you planning on staying in or around London and then flying into Copenhagen to do that cruise if you select that one??

Sorry for all the questions, but we can try and give some better advice if we knew the circumstances.

 

Our one day trip out of London, we did the 3 stop tour, in Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge. Stonehenge was always on our 'Bucket List'. To some it is just a pile of stones, to us, it was a dream come true to be there.

Bath was a wonderful city and Windsor Castle was amazing. Here are a few pix of this day outing.

 

Windsor Castle was lovely to tour

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2164.jpg

 

We got to see the Changing of the Guard at the Castle, a great show

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2185.jpg

 

Our next stop was Bath. We had time to visit the Roman Baths and time to just wander about this wonderful city

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2215.jpg

 

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2235.jpg

 

and lastly Stonehenge. You cannot touch the stones anymore, but they are still very impressive

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2251.jpg

 

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europept2260.jpg

 

Any further questions, please, just ask away

 

Cheers

 

Len

[abelthi]

Hi Len,

 

Are you planning on flying into Heathrow?? Are you looking to rent a car and see some of the lovely English countryside, or are you planning on staying in or around London and then flying into Copenhagen to do that cruise if you select that one??

 

Indeed that was our plan. My DW has a friend who lives in Bath, so I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get the grand tour of the area. Our plan is, as you said, to fly to Heathrow, get a car and rent a studio in Bath and take around 5-7 days to visit the area.

 

Then we were to drive back to Heathrow and catch a flight to CPH.

 

Now with the second itinerary, we could still do this, but spare the flight to CPH and drive to Dover and leave the car there.

 

Right now, I'm starting to lean towards DOOR #2 :D...

 

Thanks again for your advice and wonderful pictures.

 

Thierry

[TLCOhio]

Hi Len, Indeed that was our plan. My DW has a friend who lives in Bath, so I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get the grand tour of the area. Our plan is, as you said, to fly to Heathrow, get a car and rent a studio in Bath and take around 5-7 days to visit the area. Then we were to drive back to Heathrow and catch a flight to CPH. Now with the second itinerary, we could still do this, but spare the flight to CPH and drive to Dover and leave the car there. Right now, I'm starting to lean towards DOOR #2. Thanks again for your advice and wonderful pictures. Thierry

 

Lots of great options in southern England, including the Cotswolds, Windsor, etc., etc. Below are some of my visuals from a few that we did before our Baltics cruise that departed Dover.

 

You could see some of these as you would travel from Bath to Dover. Right on the way!! Plus, many, many options to see.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 61,408 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Southern England’s Bodiam Castle before departing from Dover:

 

 

 

At the Great Dixter House & Garden, looking out the leaded-glass window:

 

 

 

From the historic town of Rye that overlooks the English Channel, this is their stone gate that was a part of the protection for this walled city:

 

 

 

Outside view of Churchill’s country home at Chartwell:

 

 

 

Inside Hever Castle, this is the sitting room that was re-done by the famed and wealthy Astors in the early 1900's. Hever is where Anne Boylen grew up and was courted by Henry the VIII:

 

 

 

Sissinghurst Gardens & Castle:

 

[hubofhockey]

We want to do a Baltic cruise/vacation two years out and were focusing on a couple of itineraries. OP's first choice looks like a Princess one we are considering as it begins in Copenhagen. The other we are considering is a Celebrity itinerary that begins and ends in Amsterdam. We think the beginning and ending ports are most important because we like to spend 3-4 days at that port and those days trump additional sea days you get from the England original port cruises. For now, it looks like the Celebrity itinerary for us because we really want multiple days in Amsterdam and Princess doesn't even call on that port. Also, we have taken a few on Princess and look forward to trying something different.

[TLCOhio]

We want to do a Baltic cruise/vacation two years out and were focusing on a couple of itineraries. OP's first choice looks like a Princess one we are considering as it begins in Copenhagen. The other we are considering is a Celebrity itinerary that begins and ends in Amsterdam. We think the beginning and ending ports are most important because we like to spend 3-4 days at that port and those days trump additional sea days you get from the England original port cruises. For now, it looks like the Celebrity itinerary for us because we really want multiple days in Amsterdam and Princess doesn't even call on that port. Also, we have taken a few on Princess and look forward to trying something different.

 

Both Amsterdam and Copenhagen are super wonderful with many great options in these interesting cities and nearby. If you haven't tried Celebrity, check out my blow postings from our first sailing with them on the Solstice. Starting in England works well, too. Hard to go wrong with any of these choices.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 62,025 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 57,553 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[hubofhockey]

Thanks Terry. We are on our third Princess cruise this summer in four years. We will probably do Alaska with them and Celebrity will be a good change of pace for us and the chance to spend three per-cruise days in Amsterdam has me leaning that way. Hard to believe that Princess doesn't include Amsterdam. Usually, with us, they seem to win out on itinerary. Two years is still a long way off though.

[TLCOhio]

Thanks Terry. We are on our third Princess cruise this summer in four years. We will probably do Alaska with them and Celebrity will be a good change of pace for us and the chance to spend three per-cruise days in Amsterdam has me leaning that way. Hard to believe that Princess doesn't include Amsterdam. Usually, with us, they seem to win out on itinerary. Two years is still a long way off though.

 

A sister part of the Carnival empire that owns Princess is Holland America (HAL) and they have a large share of their Europe cruises going out of Holland. I think that the Carnival folks like to "spread" things around, having multiple offerings that don't compete too much with each other, etc. Good luck in your planning for sailing on Celebrity. Let us know any questions.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 62,025 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474