Just home off Marina/Baltic > review

[CarMof]

We’re just home from 10-day Baltic cruise on Marina. As experienced and seriously independent travellers this was our first cruise other than a Rhine River trip. Here are my thoughts based on a lot of questions I see on this board:

 

- The ship is fabulous. At 1200 pax it was just the right size.

 

- We took an upgrade to a PH suite with a butler and that was a real treat. Canapes delivered each afternoon, dinner reservations made for us, a kind and friendly guy. Nice.

 

- The food it outrageous in terms of quality and quantity. Wow! The buffet in the Terrace is mind-boggling.

 

- Fellow travellers were interesting and fun. You have to be prepared to just introduce yourself to people. If you don't gel, find someone else after dinner.

 

- We went carry-on. You DON’T need two giant suitcases that guarantee a different outfit for every day; it’s not that dressy unless you want to pretend you’re at the Oscars. No one cares if you already wore that top/shirt/blazer. I’m happy to share my packing list.

 

- At 48, hubby and I were among the youngest on board but business and travel interests span all ages so it didn't matter one bit except at the disco or karaoke nights where the lounge was almost empty and the (very funny) DJ was struggling to get involvement. However, when you've walked cobblestone streets for 5 hours, eaten canapes and then a wonderful meal along with a few of those glasses of wine, bed looks pretty good around 10 pm!

 

- Go on, take a chance with a Share Table at dinner - you can meet some really neat people with whom you don't have to become new best friends.

 

- The service is wonderful although there were staff everywhere which seemed kind of overkill. At the Terrace buffet the staff was literally bumping into each other behind the counters.

 

- There’s a ton to do and the Cruise Director was Willie Aames, the curly-headed kid from Eight is Enough (I thought he was a bit of a snob).

 

- Beware: you gotta go early to get a seat and a team for the 5pm Trivia at Martini's Bar > now that was really fun!

 

- Every morning and every night you receive in your room the little "What's On" pamphlet about today's town, weather, on-ship activities, when the freebies are :) , etc. There’s no excuse for getting lost, missing an event or anything. Everything's politely laid out for you.

 

- If you like a drink, TAKE THE PACKAGE. A glass of wine is either $8 or $10 so even if you have a beer/wine at lunch and a couple of glasses over dinner, you're ahead with the $30 package. Be advised, though, when you buy the package you MUST buy it for the entire cruise, not a day here and a day there. So before we even got to our suite we paid $500 for booze we hadn't yet consumed. Still, it's the better deal unless you're a wine aficionado and want to order bottles off the list. The package only allows you to buy "by the glass" but the list is pretty good, about five choices of each of red and white.

 

- A couple of the restaurants seemed a little slow with the wine service and we wondered that they were slow on purpose in order to pour less (and pay less for) once they realize you're going to drink more than one glass.

 

- Still on the liquor package, remember that you probably won’t be on the ship for lunch…

 

- Take a cooking class - fun, fun, fun and yummy! If you don’t book one ahead you’ll likely find space on the day everyone else has gone to Berlin.

 

- The specialty restaurants were great. Jacques was the best, in our opinion, and we ate there 3x. Try 'em all if you can. Don't be afraid of Red Ginger; the decor is amazing and the food was excellent.

 

- On the day that everyone else attends night theatre in St. Petersburg or takes the 12-hour trip to Berlin, it's easy to get a specialty restaurant reservation! Even if you've already used up your allotted number of specialty rezzies, go and ask; odds are you'll get something.

 

- For those obsessive planners who don't do shore-ex, there will be a map of the town you're visiting at Destination Services each morning and in some towns, local tourism reps were on board with proper maps and lots of terrific advice.

 

- Plan your own trip in St. Petersburg. We used SPB and with just us two and the guide we paid a ton less and got in front of all the line-ups of the masses off the busses. The driver dropped us off in front of everything then went off to wherever while we toured and then he appeared at the front door and off we went - while all the bus people lined up and waited. And a car can take you through some back streets a bus can't manage.

 

- Don’t be afraid to book your own excursion through these boards. It’s easy and reliable. There are only so many things you can do in these towns so it’s not like you’ll make the wrong choice of company or itinerary.

 

- Unless you want to know the entire economic, socio-political and cultural history of any of these places, skip the shore-ex and just go walkabout. It's safe, easy and you won't have to stick to someone else’s itinerary or line up with 46 other people on the bus (ugh!).

 

- Everyone speaks English.

 

- In Poland, the old town is a bit of a drive but you can easily hire a cab. You don’t need a guide unless you want the history lesson. Just secure the price before you get in. This isn't the dog-eat-dog rip-off scenario most people imagine, and are afraid of. It's all very civilized.

 

- Using info from these forums, I booked a 10-person trip to the Stutthof Concentration Camp and Gdansk and while it was worth it, the guide DID NOT STOP TALKING for the entire 8 hours. :eek: Yikes.

 

- :mad: MY ONLY COMPLAINT is that the on-board internet service is terrible and outrageously expensive . Use your iPhone as a hotspot and get a good package if all you're going do is email or text the kids to say you're alive. There's a $3.95 activation fee. Prices range from 0.95/minute a la carte to $150 for 200 minutes. The signal is so bad in some places that you’re eating up minutes trying to stay connected. The website and our Oceania rep gave me the confidence to believe I could easily keep in touch with business issues but I ended up spending $300 on internet services. Once you’re on board, they “gotcha”. I fully get that satellite service is sketchy in some countries but this was terrible. Be warned!

 

- A massage was $182 … but the spa is wonderful. Remember that “single sex” sauna means separate Men’s and Women’s so you don’t end up naked with your husband in the MEN’S sauna when another man walks in … (now THAT was funny!)

 

- :) Bottom line: wonderful ship, staff, service, food, atmosphere :)

 

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[durante]

We enjoyed your review, and are now considering a Baltic cruise for 2013.

[Paulchili]

An excellent, "down-to-earth" review - thank you.

I am glad you enjoyed the cruise so much.

[YoHoHo]

Great review. Good items, stated well. One reason I have not yet posted a review (though still very tempted from the last cruise) is I have trouble not being too wordy, too detailed and trivial. Yours gets the essence across nicely. Thanks

[Boreus]

I appreciate your review, particularly since I just booked the Marina in the Baltic in June 2013. About St. Petersburg, I have traveled there independently (no guide) when on a Nautica cruise and we docked at the English Embankment in the historic section of St. Petersburg. I would like to travel equally independently in June, but Marina will be in the commercial port which is far from town. From what you could observe, was it hard or easy to get out of the commercial port, and how easy would it be to get from there to a metro station or the historic section? Thank you.

[CarMof]

Boreus, there is no "historic section". The things you'll likely want to see are all over the place. Peterhof is definitely worth doing and the hydrofoil is the way to go but it's a 40-minute ride. Then to get to Catherine's Palace is another long drive.

You could do Hermitage, Spilled Blood, and Peter and Paul Fortress by taxi in one day.

There was strict passport control at the wharf (for goodness sake don't take any photos!) and to be honest I can't recall if there were taxis available to just pick up. English is an issue there, as are pickpockets. And with a cryllic alphabet, trying to read the signs is impossible unless you speak/read Russian.

We're experienced travellers who have found our way out of more than one dark alley but I wouldn't recommend trying to get around SPB without a driver/guide over the two days. The city is too big and the sites are too spread out.

Even with our driver & guide we put in two very full days and were exhausted. I wouldn't have wanted to try to navigate any of it by myself.

However, others might have a different opinion...

[LuAnn]

refreshing review!! Thank you!! LuAnn

[findacruise]

Thoroughly enjoyed your review and the added note about the sauna gave me a chuckle. Thanks.

[traveler916]

Having been on one O cruise, and now having booked 3 more, i TOTALLY AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU WROTE.

 

If you share a table, you meet some wonderful people....and we did

 

One thing - we used our iPhones for downloading newspapers to our iPads, and wound up getting warning messages from AT&T that we were spending a fortune on Internet, and we were. We bought the 800 MB plan in advance for $200, but if you go over 800 MB - the maximum - it's $19.97 PER MB!!! Talk about highway robbery. What type of plan did you get and do you use AT&T for your iPhones?

 

Gary

[CarMof]

Traveler916/Gary,

We use Rogers for cell service (Canadian). We didn't check for any plans beyond the standard European package because of the alleged "ease of use" on board.

Maybe the cell isn't the way to go but the on board internet is robbery.

[Gail in California]

Great review!

We are booked for next July 2013 Marina Baltic so were happy to see your comments.

Did you go to the ballet in St. Petersburg & how did you do Berlin?

Thanks for your help.

[globevest]

Thank you for your review. We loved our Baltic Cruise on Marina in July last year. Now we are looking forward to a Riviera TA next April.

[CarMof]

Gail, we didn't do ballet in SPB and we just couldn't imagine a 3-hour bus ride, each way, to Berlin. Those whom I know attended either were thrilled.

[kimanjo]

I thoroughly enjoyed your review!

 

I am 49 and DH is 51, and LOVE the demographics of these ships. We fit right in! When DD and I went on Azamara in 2006 when she was 18, she also fit in...

 

As for the INternet service, I am one of the FEW I suspect who doesn't do Facebook, Blog, Skype, Twitter etc. Heck, I dont even own a smartphone, just a clamshell fliptype phone. If I called my kids ONCE to tell them we were still alive it would be plenty.

 

Excited to hear how good Terrace cafe is..

 

We do Med in June, but plan the Baltics next on the list.

 

Thanks for all the info.

[ffnole]

We were on the Marina Baltics cruise Aug 21. Very thorough and accurate review...well done. Last October we were on Marina and the internet service and cost was terrible. They have upgraded it substantially and we had no trouble connecting in our P3 stateroom throughout the cruise. Bought the unlimited package that covered ten days for $200. Used both the provided laptop and our IPAD with equal success. That way if it gets hung up...you don't have to worry about wasting minutes.

 

The food is really outstanding no matter where you dine. Talked to cruise director Willie Ames a couple of times and he was cordial....guy has an interesting Hollywood child actor story from homeless to cruise director. Only in America. We love the Marina....would like to try the Riviera next.

[roothy123]

I got off the Marina in the Baltic on August 21, as another poster did. I think your comments are very spot-on, although maybe a little harsh about Willie Aames. He is not totally bubbly like some cruise directors, but I didn't find him snobbish at all - just professional! I really didn't want bubbly, to be honest!) Also, I spent $80 on internet minutes and didn't find the connection very slow any time I used it. Of course, I suppose it's partly what you're used to, and my internet here at home isn't all that fast, so what do I know??! In any case, the internet connection on Marina seemed better than the internet connection in China on our river cruise last year - now THAT was frustrating! At least it was included in the price of the cruise so I wasn't worried about spending a lot of money just to send an email or two!

 

Glad you liked the Terrace. Many people don't ever make it up there, but it's my husband's favorite place other than the specialty restaurants, and I love it too. My husband and I were probably the only people on the Aug. 9 - 21 cruise who did not eat in the Grand Dining Room at all. The only time I saw it was for the safety drill!

 

I thought this was my favorite cruise ever, although the fact that there were NO at sea days meant it was a bit exhausting, and I also didn't see much of the ship and its activities other than stuffing my face an awful lot and falling into a very comfy bed! I may have been the only person on the ship who didn't go to a single show! Oops! But that was my choice, and I loved the Baltic. I'm glad Oceania paid the port of Visby their $30K in port fees, and that they called on Ronne, too - great places that other cruise lines bypass. While I still like Oceania's smaller ships better, Marina is great. I am still in awe over the wonderful things I saw on this cruise. (My photos are at http://www.pbase.com/roothy123)

[raerom]

I got off the Marina in the Baltic on August 21, as another poster did. I think your comments are very spot-on, although maybe a little harsh about Willie Aames. He is not totally bubbly like some cruise directors, but I didn't find him snobbish at all - just professional! I really didn't want bubbly, to be honest!) Also, I spent $80 on internet minutes and didn't find the connection very slow any time I used it. Of course, I suppose it's partly what you're used to, and my internet here at home isn't all that fast, so what do I know??! In any case, the internet connection on Marina seemed better than the internet connection in China on our river cruise last year - now THAT was frustrating! At least it was included in the price of the cruise so I wasn't worried about spending a lot of money just to send an email or two!

 

Glad you liked the Terrace. Many people don't ever make it up there, but it's my husband's favorite place other than the specialty restaurants, and I love it too. My husband and I were probably the only people on the Aug. 9 - 21 cruise who did not eat in the Grand Dining Room at all. The only time I saw it was for the safety drill!

 

I thought this was my favorite cruise ever, although the fact that there were NO at sea days meant it was a bit exhausting, and I also didn't see much of the ship and its activities other than stuffing my face an awful lot and falling into a very comfy bed! I may have been the only person on the ship who didn't go to a single show! Oops! But that was my choice, and I loved the Baltic. I'm glad Oceania paid the port of Visby their $30K in port fees, and that they called on Ronne, too - great places that other cruise lines bypass. While I still like Oceania's smaller ships better, Marina is great. I am still in awe over the wonderful things I saw on this cruise. (My photos are at http://www.pbase.com/roothy123)

 

 

Beautiful photos...thanks for sharing!

[geekybiker]

From what you could observe, was it hard or easy to get out of the commercial port, and how easy would it be to get from there to a metro station or the historic section? Thank you.

 

I docked in the commercial port with another line. Its a long hike out. Its also not in an area with a lot of transport available. I would suggest its highly advisable to arrange a transfer out of the port at least. Maybe oceania will be running shuttles to the gate, but me the line I was on was telling people they couldn't get off without a ship excursion. (not true, but they made no accommodation for independents.)

 

There is also the issue that an independent visa is reasonably expensive, but a tour with a licensed guide you don't need a visa. If you're looking to save money over a private guide, this will eat a large amount of your savings.

[Tansy Mews]

We were a group (via CC!) of 10 or so and yes, we definitely customized. Before the tour, the organizer cruiser tweaked the itinerary. Then we made some other changes - we decided we wanted to visit another couple of orthodox churches. With a small group this all works. Also we went on the subway for a ride and walked on Nevsky Prospect. Our guide Alex was personable and knowledgeable with impeccable English and our driver competent. He would rendez-vous with us after a walk or visit and bring us to the next spot.

[no fuss travel]

Thanks for the info on that,TansyMews. We are interested in customizing our tours there too. Did you go inside the Grand Palace at Peterhof? So many of the set tours seem to bypass that palace & just go to the Fountain Park below so we wondered if this was due to lack of time or if it wasn't worth the visit?

 

Was there anything you would not do if you had to plan it again? What were you must see/do places in SPB?

 

BTW, I see we are both from the same area, eh?!

 

Most tours do not do the inside as it takes quite a while to see the fountains and they are incredible. We were told by our guide that after being at Catherine's Palace, the inside rooms at Peterhof were nothing. As I have not been inside, I don't know if that was just an excuse or actual fact.

[Paulchili]

Most tours do not do the inside as it takes quite a while to see the fountains and they are incredible. We were told by our guide that after being at Catherine's Palace, the inside rooms at Peterhof were nothing. As I have not been inside, I don't know if that was just an excuse or actual fact.

 

Yes and no.

If you must choose then Catherine's Palace is the one to pick; but to say that Peterhof is not worth seeing is simply not true.

It is magnificient inside & out.

[Tansy Mews]

We saw the fountain gardens only Even that took quite awhile. We did the trip there by water and back by van. With just two days and so much to see, you have to make tough choices! Yep, I am in Toronto.

[Paulchili]

With just two days and so much to see, you have to make tough choices!

 

 

I agree.

That is why it is so nice (and ideal) when you have 3 days in SPB, as we did.

[LHT28]

We will have 3 days there so I wonder about doing Peterhof Palace & Fountain Park one day & then doing Catherine's Palace & gardens the next day. Presumably then there would be time at the end of the day to do some other place or activity that didn't take up as much time, like a stop by one of the cathedrals in town or a wander along the Nevsky Prospekt. If this sounds feasible then we could spend the other day with a good visit to the Hermitage & the Peter&Paul Fortress.

the best thing to do is ask the guide they know how long it takes to explore the places & driving time between Catherine's Palace & other places when arranging the custom tour

the traffic in SPB can sometimes be a nightmare

 

Just think of Toronto with numerous bridges to cross & one streets sort of like the DVP in rush hour ;)

 

 

lyn

[Paulchili]

We will have 3 days there so I wonder about doing Peterhof Palace & Fountain Park one day & then doing Catherine's Palace & gardens the next day. Presumably then there would be time at the end of the day to do some other place or activity that didn't take up as much time, like a stop by one of the cathedrals in town or a wander along the Nevsky Prospekt. If this sounds feasible then we could spend the other day with a good visit to the Hermitage & the Peter&Paul Fortress.

 

We did a 3 day tour with Alla in 2006 (?) and covered ALL the sites you mentioned and then some :

Day One

 

As soon as the ship is cleared - The city orientation drive (city highlights) starts.

0830-0930 drive South-West of St Petersburg to visit one of summer residences of Russian Tsars in Peterhof – the Russian Versailles

0930-1030 a guided tour round the Grand Palace of Peterhof

1040-1230 walk round the world famous fountain park to enjoy Fountains playing (for lunch – snacks in “Orangerie” café in the Lower Garden, not included to the tour Package price)

1230-1300 Hydrofoil back to the city

13.15-16.30 Continuation of the city tour, including the visits to Peter-and-Paul Fortress, Synagogue (per desire), St Nicholas Church, photo stop at Theatre Square

16.30-17.00 Inside visit to the famous St Isaac’s cathedral

17.30 Back to the ship

 

Day Two

 

0830 start of the tour

0830-0930 drive 30 km south of St Petersburg to the imperial summer residence – the Catherine Palace at Pushkin

1000-1050 a guided tour of the Palace

1050-1115 Walk through a marvelous park near the Palace.

11.15-12.15 Drive to the city,

12.15-13.15 Lunch time.

1315-1730 inside visit to the Hermitage (a guided tour of the best collections).

18.00 – back to ship

 

Day Three

 

0900 start of the tour

0920-0950 metro ride to see the most beautiful stations.

0950-1020 visiting Kuznechny Food Market

1040-1230 visit to the Spilled Blood Cathedral. Shopping at the famous Flea market and with other street vendours in the city centre

1300-1400 Lunch time.

1430-1600 Visit to the Yusupovs’ Palace

1630 Back to the ship

 

 

On a different visit we did the canal boat tour, which you may substitute for one of the other activities (like the flea market) if you wish (it is best combines with a visit to Yusupov's palace). You can also add an evening performance to this, if you wish (ballet of folklore).

So, yes, it is possible to do in 3 busy days - enjoy!

Caveat - some sites are closed on certain days - check that out and adjust your schedule as needed ahead of time.