THE FJORDS & WATERFALLS vST PETERSBURG AND BALTIC EXPLORER

[spursdebs]

I am busy researching our next adventure after our TA next year, as I understand if you book while onboard you can get some really good OBC?

 

I have narrowed it down to the above destinations , I would love to see St Petersburg and my Mum has always wanted to see the Fjords, I would like to hear peoples experiences of the above cruises, the good and the bad, and how disabled friendly are the ports of call?

 

Thanks

[cruiseluvva]

Although St Petersburg is amazing, for me the scenery of the Fjords etc, ins every time. It's absolutely breath taking.

[KirkNC]

I am busy researching our next adventure after our TA next year, as I understand if you book while onboard you can get some really good OBC?

 

I have narrowed it down to the above destinations , I would love to see St Petersburg and my Mum has always wanted to see the Fjords, I would like to hear peoples experiences of the above cruises, the good and the bad, and how disabled friendly are the ports of call?

 

Thanks

 

We did a combination of the Baltics and Norway so you can see both on one cruise.

[Cruachan]

I am busy researching our next adventure after our TA next year, as I understand if you book while onboard you can get some really good OBC?

 

I have narrowed it down to the above destinations , I would love to see St Petersburg and my Mum has always wanted to see the Fjords, I would like to hear peoples experiences of the above cruises, the good and the bad, and how disabled friendly are the ports of call?

 

Thanks

 

It boils down to a matter of personal taste. Do you like really spectacular, mountainous landscape; or would you prefer really spectacular museums/churches/palaces. The two cruises are radically different in that respect. I haven't done "the fjords" yet but we did the Baltic cruise in 2008 and I still regard it as, by a country mile, the best itinerary of all the cruises we've done. I can thoroughly recommend it - particularly St P.

 

J

[simonpjd]

Russia is not very 'disabled friendly'. If you are not very mobile you will struggle to go to and appreciate many of the sites. However you will also be doing Osl, Copenhagen, Helsinki etc and these are excellent.

But previous msg is right.

Fjords is all about the natural world and Baltic is all cities. Pick what you prefer. I have done both and will be doing both again at some time.

Of course the Baltic is 2 weeks. The same length of time in Norway will take you right up to the top. Exciting places up there I think. We got as far as Spitzbergen wow. Hello Polar Bears.

[Oahucruiser]

Another consideration for your mother might be that the Baltic countries are quite close together so you are off the ship and sightseeing nearly every day with only an occasional sea day to catch your breath, do some washing and sit and watch the sea.

[spursdebs]

Thanks everyone for your replies, we have very different tastes, but normally manage to compromise, thank god! we both loved Alaska last year, just watching the scenery as you sail past was quite soothing, and as someone said if we did the longer cruise we could go all the way up, which was also recommended by our dentist receptionist this week ( I know she has cruised lots and her fav ship is the QM2,and I worked with her 35 years ago, now I feel ancient!).

 

"do some washing and sit and watch the sea"

 

really do some washing? its the ships/hotels laundry for me, I do enough washing at home, I refuse point black to do any when I am away, although I am very selective what I send, normally my traveling clothes which I have done so I can wear again; when I visited Hong Kong this year, I sent my clothes I had been traveling in to the hotel laundry, my traveling companion saw the items returned and decided to send his dirty stuff to be done, what he did not bother to read was the price list his bill £80 my bill £6, he nearly had a heart attack.

[dancer11]

Almost all the towns aren't much on the Norwegian Fjords cruise, but the scenery from the ship is a real WOW. We too found the Baltic to be our favorite cruise and are returning this year, but I would find it exhausting and difficult if I had mobility issues. There's a lot of walking in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm in order to see the main sites. St Petersburg is wonderful, but palaces are very large, as is the Hermitage.

By the way, we found dry cleaning charges more reasonable than in Dallas, so I hope to have all my formal and semi-formal wear dry cleaned while onboard. Avoiding the laundry on Cunard is a wise decision, too few machines for a large number of people.

[spursdebs]

Thanks Dancer11 that is exactly what we are thinking about the walking, yesterday we got a map of Scandinavia and had a look at all the ports of both cruises, I think we have decided to do the Fjords but go all the way to the top by the Arctic Circle, then at least if the walking is difficult we can see the scenery from the ship; its a lot of money to pay if you can't see the sites properly.

 

Have narrowed it down to 2 cruises 14 nights on the QV or 16 on the QM2, is there a chance we might see Polar Bears if we go June/July time? I loved seeing Whales and Dolphins etc in their natural habitat when we went to Alaska spent hours looking for them, this time I will take binoculars!

[simonpjd]

You are odds on to see polar bears in Spitzbergen - not on mainland Norway and I dont think Cunard go there.

I have said this before so apologies but if you are thinking of doing quite a long Norway cruise then think VERY SERIOUSLY about using Fred Olsen or Hurtigruten Yes the ships are not quite so splendid but if you want to really see the Norway coast then go with them. They go from Bergen to the North Cape all the way using the inside passage where you are never more than a stones throw from the coast - like Alaska but better.

Cunard and P&O stay outside so they miss the great views and can miss even more. When we were in Tromso on a Fred ship the Arcadia was due in but it was too rough and they didnt make it. It was like a duck pond inside all the way. This is the only destination in the world where I would recommend a specific cruise line but if you really want the sights then have a really think about it.

[thecatcher]

You are odds on to see polar bears in Spitzbergen - not on mainland Norway and I dont think Cunard go there.

I have said this before so apologies but if you are thinking of doing quite a long Norway cruise then think VERY SERIOUSLY about using Fred Olsen or Hurtigruten Yes the ships are not quite so splendid but if you want to really see the Norway coast then go with them. They go from Bergen to the North Cape all the way using the inside passage where you are never more than a stones throw from the coast - like Alaska but better.

Cunard and P&O stay outside so they miss the great views and can miss even more. When we were in Tromso on a Fred ship the Arcadia was due in but it was too rough and they didnt make it. It was like a duck pond inside all the way. This is the only destination in the world where I would recommend a specific cruise line but if you really want the sights then have a really think about it.

Good points, if scenery is your bag go Hurtigruten as there's little else to do on the ship. A downside for me was the limited amount of time at each stop leaving little time to explore. That is why we chose P&O Aurora to Spitzbergen which had a good mix of stops long enough to explore and seadays.

[simonpjd]

But with Fred we had a day in about 6 ports all the way up the coast before the crossing to Spitzbergen. So we rode with the huskies and went king crab fishing and drank in the ice bar etc etc. A fantastic trip - you see Fred's ships are smaller and they all have Norwegian captains who love to show off their country.

Having said that - you dont get the Cunard experience.

But worth thinking about depending on your priorities.