I can’t believe we are booking a Scandinavia-Russia cruise. I’m so excited, but Help!

[sky0000547]

Beware that Harwich is nowhere near London.

 

I have previously done Scandinavian cruise on Jewel out of Harwich but travelling in August it will be Med cruise every time for me.

[lilybob]

I will propose the opposite opinion of most and vote for Amsterdam. You will be close to the cruise terminal from the city center and won't have the extra commuting time once you arrive. There is a Movenpick hotel that is close to the port. The Rijksmuseum will have re-opened after an extensive renovation, the Van Gogh Museum is also nice, a ride along the canals, a visit to the Anne Frank House, the flower market and a gander around Dam Square and the shopping district will easily fill a few pre-cruise days.

 

I would stay and enjoy Warnemunde and also take the train to Rostock which is nearby. Berlin is a long trip to only scratch the surface of a large city.

 

We also really liked Tallin! We did Helsinki and Copenhagen on our own and enjoyed both. In St Petersburg we used DenRus Tours for both days and enjoyed touring with the same guide in a small group of ten. They arranged for the visa ahead of time. We visited many of the sites previously mentioned, rode on the subway, and also did a river boat ride. One of our favorites was Peterhof.

 

http://www.denrus.ru/

 

We sailed with Celebrity in the Baltics but recently sailed on Brilliance and enjoyed both. I believe Brilliance is in drydock now so she will be like new.

Decisions, Decisions.....but planning is half of the fun:)

[razerbackmom]

We also enjoyed sailing into Stockholm. The old part of the city is compact and interesting, and don't miss the Vasa museum. We used the bus system with no problems. It was easy to find the bus stop from the cruise ship--follow the blue lines on the pavement! We took the bus to the stop closest to the Vasa, then walked to the ferry from the Vasa into Old Town and the bus back to the ship. You can find the bus routes on line. One of the best lunches we had on the trip was in Stockhom at a cafe run by a homeless shelter in Old Town. It is in Rick Steves book.

 

Linda

[Kevin's girl]

I will propose the opposite opinion of most and vote for Amsterdam. You will be close to the cruise terminal from the city center and won't have the extra commuting time once you arrive. There is a Movenpick hotel that is close to the port. The Rijksmuseum will have re-opened after an extensive renovation, the Van Gogh Museum is also nice, a ride along the canals, a visit to the Anne Frank House, the flower market and a gander around Dam Square and the shopping district will easily fill a few pre-cruise days.

 

I would stay and enjoy Warnemunde and also take the train to Rostock which is nearby. Berlin is a long trip to only scratch the surface of a large city.

 

We also really liked Tallin! We did Helsinki and Copenhagen on our own and enjoyed both. In St Petersburg we used DenRus Tours for both days and enjoyed touring with the same guide in a small group of ten. They arranged for the visa ahead of time. We visited many of the sites previously mentioned, rode on the subway, and also did a river boat ride. One of our favorites was Peterhof.

 

http://www.denrus.ru/

 

We sailed with Celebrity in the Baltics but recently sailed on Brilliance and enjoyed both. I believe Brilliance is in drydock now so she will be like new.

Decisions, Decisions.....but planning is half of the fun:)

So tough to decide. You are right that planning is half the fun. My books from Amazon came today so I can be in major research mode. The Conni and the Brilliance are both in Dry dock this week, so both will be fresh for next year. Just so much to think about.

[Kevin's girl]

We also enjoyed sailing into Stockholm. The old part of the city is compact and interesting, and don't miss the Vasa museum. We used the bus system with no problems. It was easy to find the bus stop from the cruise ship--follow the blue lines on the pavement! We took the bus to the stop closest to the Vasa, then walked to the ferry from the Vasa into Old Town and the bus back to the ship. You can find the bus routes on line. One of the best lunches we had on the trip was in Stockhom at a cafe run by a homeless shelter in Old Town. It is in Rick Steves book.

 

Linda

Linda, the Vasa is definitely on my must see list. It's great that you were able to see it on your own. That encourages me to be less dependent on cruise line excursions.

[Kevin's girl]

We love London. Compared to NYC, the tube is super easy to navigate, no need to pay for taxis at all. Depending on how often you think you will be on and off, you can buy a one week unlimited tube pass that might be cheaper than paying per route. Also, look into the London Pass for attractions.

 

We like to stay in the Kensington area, the Rydges (Australian chain) is a nice option, inexpensive relative to London prices and you can see the tube stop from the hotel door.

 

We are eyeing the British Isles cruise on the Infinity next year, but the price is a little out of reach right now. We'll see.

Funny to think about the Tube. We have lived just 20 minutes from downtown Chicago all of our lives (50 some years) and I only just last December road the subway for the first time. I knew they had the El, but never even considered there was an actual subway. Our son and I took a trip to France which included Paris (a high school trip)and we road the subway there a few times. This would be a totally new experience for my husband. That's rather exciting.

 

I have read about the Travel Pass for London and remember seeing it on a couple travel shows. I think it sounds like a good idea.

[Kevin's girl]

Sailed the Baltics on Jewel in 2010. We stayed in London a few days prior at City Inn Westminster on John Islip St. Very reasonably priced and close to lots of stuff! We got to Harwich using a private taxi service, picked us up at the hotel. We shared the cost with another couple we found on the Roll Call. Best part about the car service is that it was run by brothers who lived in Harwich, so friendly and helpful. They also took us back to the airport when we returned. If you wish I can look up their website and post it here.

In st Petersburg we again used a private company, smaller than Alla and less expensive. We shared this with the same couple and thus had a tour guide and a driver for just the four of us. Being in a small group,seemed to speed things up!

 

If you have any questions please ask!!

Diane, if it wouldn't be too much trouble I would love to have the brothers from Harwich's website. Thank you so much.

[stazerd]

Diane' date=' if it wouldn't be too much trouble I would love to have the brothers from Harwich's website. Thank you so much.[/quote']

 

Hi! I'm not sure that posting of the email address of the company I used is allowed. Is it permissible?

They were so wonderful I would love to share their email address but they do not seem to have a website. They are A2B cabs in Harwich.

[Kevin's girl]

Hi! I'm not sure that posting of the email address of the company I used is allowed. Is it permissible?

They were so wonderful I would love to share their email address but they do not seem to have a website. They are A2B cabs in Harwich.

Diane, I just did a Google search and I did find a website. I can't imagine there would be more than one A2B taxi companies in Harwich.I have seen other email addresses here, but I'm always leery of posting one. The email address listed on the website is a yahoo.com address. Would that be the same one you have?

[stazerd]

Diane' date=' I just did a Google search and I did find a website. I can't imagine there would be more than one A2B taxi companies in Harwich.I have seen other email addresses here, but I'm always leery of posting one. The email address listed on the website is a yahoo.com address. Would that be the same one you have?[/quote']

 

Well here is what the guidelines as:

 

We welcome the legitimate review or recommendation of tour operators, guides, property & business owners in ports of call. You must post your recommendation in response to a request for that specific information or your post will be removed without notice.

 

So I guess it is okay to recommend this company A2B cabs. The email address is marcaida@btinternet.com

And his name is Tony.

[Kevin's girl]

Great! Thank you.