Regal Princess Review - Baltic 6/14 - 6/25

[FraudBroad]

Both entertaining and informative. Already picked up a couple of ideas and things to avoid for our upcoming voyage on the Regal Princess.

 

The trip is simply amazing. I'd love to one day go back...with my luggage...and fully enjoy the entire trip. Besides, I have an entire day in Copenhagen to make up for!

 

In a nutshell here would be my advice: If you don't book a tour in each city use public transportation, it's super easy. All of the big tour operators out of SPB offer tours in the other cities. People on our ship that used those tours in other town (Helsinki, Tallinn, Oslo) saw and learned a LOT more than we did.

 

Guess I'll have to go back and do it again to make up for my mistakes! I hope you have an amazing journey!

[FraudBroad]

Berlin Day

 

Berlin is the whole reason for this itinerary. My oldest was graduating from high school and I told her I wanted to take her on a cruise, destination of her choice. And she chose this itinerary…well, not really, she wanted Australia and I told her that was out of the question because it was too much money. I suggested the Mediterranean (you know, with the nice, warm, sunny weather) and she asked if she could see a concentration camp there. The kids’ pretty smart, has always been interested in WWII and the Holocaust, but evidently needs to take a Geography class so she can figure out they don’t have concentration camps in the Med. That’s how we landed on the Baltic itinerary.

 

Anyway, back to my saga. The highlight of this entire trip for her was going to be Berlin and our time at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. After much research on Cruise Critic I booked a private tour with Heidi Layton. We’d have a driver meet us at the ship and Heidi would join us once we got to Sachsenhausen.

 

****DISCLAIMER****

 

I did a LOT of research for this trip and I understand that some do not feel that Sachsenhausen is a “good” concentration camp. Don’t gasp, I’ve actually had people say that to me. Sachsenhausen was not a death camp but a work camp. They didn’t immediately kill people, they worked them to death over a matter of weeks or on the rare occasion months. I understand that people feel that other camps make more of an impact, but this is what we could see by cruise ship. I’m just not brave enough to traipse through Europe on my own with two teenagers in tow. The end…

 

Our driver was there exactly when he was supposed to be and we hopped into a nice VW van, more than enough room for the six of us, the driver and Heidi when she joined us. Sachsenhausen was an approximately 2 hour drive from the port. The drive was uneventful and the scenery reminded me of southern Wisconsin.

 

We picked up Heidi at the train station and as soon as she entered the van she started giving us the background on the camp and pointed out the prisoners were made to run this same route from the train station to the camp. My daughter was surprised to see the camp was literally in the middle of a neighborhood. Heidi told us the town looked much the same when the camp opened in 1936. She said there are stories of townspeople lining the root and yelling and throwing objects at the prisoners as they marched/walked/ran to the camp.

 

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was constructed as the first purpose-built camp of its kind. It housed the Inspector General, making it the administrative center of the entire concentration camp system. Amongst other things the Forensic Institute there researched killing process efficiency, and on-site SS training included perfecting methods for subjugation and terror. In the camp itself more than 200,000 inmates were imprisoned, tens of thousands of whom did not survive.

 

The camp is located in former East Berlin thus was under Soviet rule after the war. Much has been dismantled, but a few barracks still stand and where the remainder stood they are outlined and filled with gravel. Heidi explained that the Soviets felt that if it didn’t exist, it never happened. We started out at one of the barracks that was a living quarters. Over 500 people lived in each barrack, sleeping three to a bunk. It was almost impossible to imagine that many people living under such a small roof let alone sleeping three to each small bunk.

 

As we walked throughout the camp the rain continued to fall and the temperature continued to drop. There was something so appropriate about walking through the camp cold and wet.

 

We then entered another barracks that had been turned into a museum. It was here that we saw devices they used to haul away bodies, a device they made that would shield the guards from actually seeing the people they were shooting to death, the crude beginnings of what they used to test a gas chamber at Sachsenhausen as well as actual uniforms the prisoners wore. At the end of World War II the prisoners were liberated, but for five years the camp lived on as an internment camp in the Soviet occupied sector under the new name of Special Camp No. 7. A further 12,000 people lost their lives during this post war period.

 

The time at the camp was full of history, horrible history, it was draining, it was exhausting and it was something that I think every single human being on earth should have to see. In fact, all German students between the ages of 12 and 14 are required to visit a concentration camp. I can tell you that of all of the sites we saw over our 14 days in Europe, none, rightfully so, made an impact on all of us the way Sachsenhausen did. We headed back to the van, cold and wet, for our one hour drive into Berlin.

 

Because it was raining so much, we ended up pretty much “driving by” almost all of the sites in Berlin. We started off driving by the UNESCO World Heritage site Museum Island – a relic of great Prussia, housing; the Berliner Dom, the Altes Museum, the Pergamon Museum, the Neues Museum, the National Art Gallery. We saw Angela Merkel’s residence (she’s the FIRST Woman PM and the first PM born in East Germany and the German’s call her Mamma Merkel) and as we drove along saw the famous TV Tower.

 

Then we saw Babel Platz the site of the famous **** book-burning, a square that started out with enlightened purpose; the Royal Library 1785, Stadt Opera House (1742), St Hedwick Cathedral (1940) and the crowning glory - Humboldt University (1801) - where Einstein lectured and Karl Marx was expelled for his anti-monarchical politics.

 

It was getting close to noon so we stopped to eat at an “authentic” German restaurant. Problem was, we were 15 minutes early and it wasn’t opened yet. Did I mention it was raining? We walked a bit and stopped at a café. My parents split a beer while my youngest and I had milkshakes that weren’t by our standards milkshakes. It was hot chocolate with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and can I just say it was fabulous!!!

 

We walked back to the restaurant which was finally open. And boy did Heidi pick the right place to eat. We ate a full-on authentic German meal including fabulous rye bread and delicious beer! We didn’t stop for too long as there was much more to see.

 

After lunch we headed to Unter den Linden a Royal Boulevard with the Princes Palace and the Princesses wing, the former Royal Arsenal, now the German History Museum with I.M. Pie's extension and a former Guard House and then the Memorial to the Victims of War and Tyranny. We were able to get out at the memorial and were moved by the beautiful sculpture.

 

As you drive through Berlin you cannot discern between what was once West Berlin vs what was once East Berlin. I guess I thought you still could. What’s most disconcerting as we drove through the streets is the number of building that you see with the facades still riddled with bullet holes. We stopped and viewed a parking lot which beneath lies the Führer bunker, on top of the very room where Hitler finally ended his life. The site is marked by a sign, but Heidi explained that a private group put the sign up, the German people did not in any way want to mark that spot. We then drove down the street to experience Peter Eisenman’s iconic ‘Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe’.

 

We then drove by the Reichstag, Parliament Library, Chancellery, Paul Löbe Haus, Swiss Embassy and Memorial to the Murdered Members of the Reichstag. We saw post-war commercial modernization of iconic architecture at Potsdamer Platz and the euphoria of the 1990's. We saw the famous Sony Center, and a hidden Guard tower. Heidi explained to us the guards could not know each other and they must have family. The guards always walked with their backs towards each other never seeing each other’s faces and forbidden from speaking to each other. They took every precaution against any type of collusion.

 

We stopped at a remaining piece of the Berlin wall and were able to see both sides. I guess I didn’t know or never remembered the space in between the wall. If you made it over, you still had a distance to go to get over another wall before you were truly free.

 

We drove by Check Point Charlie and Heidi did offer for us to stop. But it’s seriously in the middle of a busy street. And did I mention it was raining? We settle for pictures through the window!

 

We stopped and wandered through the Holocaust Memorial while Heidi asked us why we thought the cement blocks were at varying heights, why were they in perfectly straight rows? Did that signify soldiers marching? Jews marching into concentration camps? She asked us questions to make us think about what we were seeing, simply priceless.

 

We stopped at Europe’s largest department store, KaDaWe, in order to pick up some chocolates to bring home. My oh my… is that place HUGE. Puts Macy’s in NYC to shame FOR SURE….Of course it gave time for ANOTHER potty stop….

 

We drove by the bombed out Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the center of town that will always be a reminder of what happened here so many years ago. We should never forget.

 

The traffic throughout Berlin was pretty heavy. Heidi explained that due to the European Cup they had what they refer to as the “football” mile blocked off. This is mile stretch of road behind (or in front of depending on how you look at it) the Brandenburg Gate. They have a jumbotron set up to watch the games as well as rides, vendors, etc…But not everyone was listening….

 

When we finally made it to our last stop, the Brandenburg gate, my Dad got out of the van and said “Are you freaking kidding me? What do they have set up behind there? How ridiculous is that?”

 

Shaking my head folks…just shaking my head….

 

Right next to the Brandenburg gate is the American Embassy. Our day in Berlin was only 5 days after the Orlando attacks. In front of the Embassy were flowers, candles, notes of condolences, flags…it was both heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. It was a beautiful to see how much the German people think of Americans and how they too were grieving.

 

We then got back into the van and headed to drop Heidi off at the train stations. We said our good-byes and began out 3+ hour drive back to the port. As a note, Heidi doesn’t have a set rate for her tours. She tells you to pay her 55 to 95 Euros per hour based on your satisfaction. That is a per hour rate, not a per person rate. The cost for the driver was 480 Euros and we tipped him another 50. We paid Heidi 665 Euros for the day as she was downright amazing. I wouldn’t tour Berlin with anyone else!

 

The drive back to the port was LONG…bad traffic getting out of Berlin and construction once we were outside of the city. Of COURSE we made a potty stop of the way back to the ship and finally arrived at 8:00. Well ahead of the 8:30 All Aboard time!

 

Once back we learned that the second train into Berlin that day was delayed so the people onboard that train would be delayed coming back. We would later learn that one of the passengers from our ship had a medical emergency on that train and later passed away. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the passenger and his family.

 

After having sat for 3+ hours in the car none of us were looking forward to the dining room that night so we all did our own thing for dinner. Some ate at Alfredos, some the IC and others the buffet. Rest assured NONE of us went to be hungry!

 

At 9:15 my girls, my Dad and I made our way to the Vista Lounge for “Sherlock Homes Musical Murder Mystery.” I hadn’t seen this one before so I had to give it a try. Before they started Corey asked for a volunteer and I (much to the appall and chagrin of my children) gleefully volunteered by raising my hand. As I rose to walk to the stage I could here behind me….”She’s going to embarrass us…what is she thinking???” God how I do love my children…and how I do love to make an arse out of myself in front of them.

 

Corey took me backstage and handed me the script and informed me that I’d be doing the “sound effects” for the show. Seriously? Are you kidding me? Me? Sound effects? This outta be interesting….

 

The show was a scripted murder mystery and the cruise staff members all read from the script and occasionally I’d make some odd sound…some odder than others….a clock ticking, footsteps walking, footsteps running, easy stuff…and then it happened….they wanted me to make the sound of a seagull squawking…so not in my bag of tricks…I mean really so not in my normal sound effects repertoire (like I do this for a living or something). But I tried….I think I sounded my like a sick cat, but I tried….all the while watching my darling children covering their heads with their arms trying to become inconspicuous and hoping nobody knew we were related.

 

And then….in the script…seriously…in the script…I was asked to not speak, but YELL a…a….a….BAD WORD…oh my…who would I offend? Would any of the little old ladies in the audience run screaming? Report me to guest services for inappropriate and offensive behavior? Would they make me walk the plank? I gave Corey the look of “Dude, you’ve got to be kidding me….” He just looked at me, nodded yes, and stood there and laughed while I yelled “OH SHIP”…or something very similar ending with a different letter.

 

Believe it or not people actually laughed at me, I survived the entire ordeal without being slapped in the face, got a free bottle of champagne and found that my kids had left before the end of my performance. They are just both so freaking supportive. Of course, I’d find them at the bar afterwards…

 

I shook hands with my adoring public before making my way out of the Vista Lounge and to the casino for my nightly deposit. I didn’t deposit much because after the long grueling day in Berlin it was time to call it a night.

 

Final thought on Berlin

 

Every human on earth should be made to tour Berlin, see the bombed out cathedral in the middle of town, buildings with facades still bullet ridden and visit a concentration camp. May then the world would be a nicer place.

 

Up next…another sea day….Tallinn and the crown jewel of the Baltic…St Petersburg

[californiagirl]

I rarely post as you can see from my join date and number of posts. I usually lurk. However, I had to tell you I LOVE your review. You missed your calling in life, you should write! I was seriously laughing out loud about the visit to the "penis" gallery.

 

Having toured with seniors and teens I can completely relate to your experience.

 

Eagerly awaiting your next installment.

[andreaahlers]

I love it so far!!! When we flew to Tallinn from O'Hare last year we had a similar issue with the carry on weight limit. My carry on bag is 5 pounds empty, so not much fit in. One outfit. I am a woman of a certain curvature and I was terrified of being without clothes in Tallinn. We checked our toiletries and extra clothes, carried on medications and cameras and as much clothing as we could, and I wore 3 outfits on the flight. I had a shorter skirt, covered by a longer skirt, covered by the longest skirt. Same with blouses. And I wore my rain jacket. I rolled it up and stuck it under the seat on the flight. It was miserable travel, but it worked, and I didn't have to worry too much about lost luggage. I HAD 4 outfits on me (some literally). I'll check the carryon weight limit before I book an international flight from now on! I even added a tag to the outside and inside of my bag with my info, final destination airport code, hotel name & number, itinerary, etc. I take no chances!

 

I'm booked on Regal for the Caribbean this winter, but now I want to take a Baltic cruise! And learn from you! Look forward to the rest!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[FraudBroad]

I rarely post as you can see from my join date and number of posts. I usually lurk. However, I had to tell you I LOVE your review. You missed your calling in life, you should write! I was seriously laughing out loud about the visit to the "penis" gallery.

 

Having toured with seniors and teens I can completely relate to your experience.

 

Eagerly awaiting your next installment.

 

You are so sweet! Thanks so much for your kind words! More penises to come!!!

 

I love it so far!!! When we flew to Tallinn from O'Hare last year we had a similar issue with the carry on weight limit. My carry on bag is 5 pounds empty, so not much fit in. One outfit. I am a woman of a certain curvature and I was terrified of being without clothes in Tallinn. We checked our toiletries and extra clothes, carried on medications and cameras and as much clothing as we could, and I wore 3 outfits on the flight. I had a shorter skirt, covered by a longer skirt, covered by the longest skirt. Same with blouses. And I wore my rain jacket. I rolled it up and stuck it under the seat on the flight. It was miserable travel, but it worked, and I didn't have to worry too much about lost luggage. I HAD 4 outfits on me (some literally). I'll check the carryon weight limit before I book an international flight from now on! I even added a tag to the outside and inside of my bag with my info, final destination airport code, hotel name & number, itinerary, etc. I take no chances!

 

I'm booked on Regal for the Caribbean this winter, but now I want to take a Baltic cruise! And learn from you! Look forward to the rest!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

OMG...LMAO...I can't imagine how uncomfortable that flight was for you! I'd purchases an ultra light carry-on but 18 pounds ain't much. And I did so much switching around before we left I had such a potpourri in that case! Trust me...next time will be much different!

 

Do the Baltic...it's a can't miss...everything is just AMAZING!!!! I spent a lot of money and planned for a very long time...and it was worth every stinking penny!

[red4lisa]

Truly enjoying your review. Amusing and touching at the same time!

 

Lisa

[FraudBroad]

Sea Day

 

The sea day was, if I remember correctly, fun yet uneventful.

 

I started the day with my sweet mamma at morning trivia. I don’t recall if this was the session that my team won or not. I ended the cruise with two bottles of Champagne (yes/no game show and sound effects person) and a pen so I know at some point I won some type of trivia I just haven’t a clue which one.

 

I checked out the on-board shopping, spent some time in the casino, lunch in Alfredo’s then it was time for afternoon trivia. After which I stopped by the Princess Live Bar to check up on the kiddos (it’s great when they’re being looked after well by the bartenders) and before I knew it it was time to get ready for our daily cocktail hour in Club Six.

 

Tonight was formal night (the first of two, second is Helsinki night) and after cocktails I had made reservations for the Crab Shack for me and the kiddos. It was an immense amount of food. They start by bringing you Manhattan clam chowder and a huge bowl of hush puppies and fried shrimp. The shrimp is HUMUNGOUS…and super yummy…I just love fried shrimp. We all chose the crab boil with the King Crab Legs and were not disappointed.

 

I’ll be honest and say it was a bit salty, but we were all stuffed and had a lovely dinner. Surprisingly, both girls were kind and loving towards me and towards each other during dinner. Guess I need to mark that one down on the calendar. It’s amazing how they will act to get free crab. Should try it more often.

 

After dinner I headed to the casino for a bit to make my daily deposit before attending the Liar’s Club at 10:15. This is the first time ever I’ve seen a Food and Beverage Director from the ship be one of the panelists. He was hysterically funny, as were two members of the cruise director’s staff.

 

It was time for bed as the next day we were in Tallinn. The girls and I had already decided that for our own sanity we’d do Tallinn just the three of us and give the walking tour to the old folks to navigate. My Dad was a Navigator in the Air Force so I felt pretty good that they’d be able to find their way to town and back again without me leading the way. I also knew the walk would difficult for them and they’d probably prefer the shuttle.

 

Although the ship arrived at 8:00 we opted to wait until 9:00 to disembark. This mainly because I had two overly tired and very crabby teens and wanted to somehow attempt to appease them and make them happy. Seriously…what was I thinking? You can’t ever make teens happy.

 

As luck would have it, it was once again raining. As we left the ship I realized that the zipper on my brand new Princess Jacket that I’d purchased the first night had gotten smashed (the door of the van in Berlin closed on it) and I wasn’t able to zip it closed. Just what I needed in cold rainy weather…a coat that wouldn’t close…just my life…you can’t make this stuff up.

 

Because I’d done all of my homework (I’m such a smarty pants) I knew the shuttle into Old Town was 5 Euros per person and that the cabs would cost 15 Euros to take you to old town. I’d read that if you walked outside of the port you could catch a cab for 5 Euros. Being so smart, and so thrifty, we made our way out of the port, in the rain. Did I mention it was raining again?

 

And guess what? Not one stinking freaking cab to be found. Nada, nothing, zero, zilch. So if you’re a smarty pants like me and think you can find a cheaper ride you, like I was, are totally screwed.

 

So we walked, all of the way to the upper part of Old Town Tallinn. And just for reference, maybe it’s because I’m short and I walk slow…I read several places that it was a 10 minute walk. Biggest lie I’ve ever read. Took us almost 35 minutes to get there from the port. All uphill (no, I’m not one of those moms that says every time I walked to school it was uphill) it was REALLY UPHILL…and did I mention it was raining…and that my jacket wouldn’t zip shut and it was cobblestone???

 

We saw the huge church and walked in to take in the breathtaking interior and all we saw were people’s backs, shoulders, backs of heads. In all seriousness it was freaking WALL TO WALL PEOPLE. A mass of humanity had descended upon the church at the same time…while a service was going on. I tried to find out how to get a candle that I could light but no luck….And I’d love to tell you that it’s a lovely church but I have honestly no freaking idea what the place looks like.

 

No worries, we will just walk around town….in the rain, on cobblestone streets. BRING GOOD SHOES PEOPLE!!! I cannot stress to you enough that Tallinn is TOUGH to walk around. You’ll be in poor shape if you don’t have a good pair of shoes covering those little piggy’s.

 

Now, I would have personally loved to learn about the history of Tallinn and all about the years of Soviet occupation but let’s be serious, I’m traveling with teens and Berlin was about as much history as their little brains could take for a few days. So in Tallinn we were there to see the old buildings and visit as many flipping souvenir stores as we could within the time available.

 

Around lunch time we were in the center square area of lower old town and walking through the maze of vendors when my Mom texted me and said they were sitting down at lunch did we want to join them. I dragged the kids away from their shopping and we joined the old folks at an outdoor restaurant. And of course, we were sitting outside…in the rain…under an umbrella, with the heat lamps facing the other direction….in the cold. Lovely...

 

I have honestly no idea how much lunch cost as dear old Dad paid the bill before I could have a chance to even see it. But I know from the prices the burgers were almost $20 each. And they weren’t anything to write home about. I’d written down the name of a restaurant in Tallinn that had been recommended on Cruise Critic but alas, they old folks were already seated and ready to eat. Here’s a tip, stay out of the main square area for lunch and you’ll find better, more reasonably priced restaurants on the side streets.

 

The old folks wanted to shop and walk back to the ship with us and we agreed. Within sheer seconds of consenting we heard the words: "I have to go pee." A look of terror crossed the faces of both of my children followed by sadness and I do think a small tear. We'd make it all day long without a potty stop. A personal record for this trip.

 

After lunch we continued to shop. I picked up a beautiful sweater wrap, a fur hat (no judgement please) and some juniper trivets and the kids picked up shot glasses. I really need them to get stop hanging out at bars. We shopped our way out of Old Town Tallinn and were thankful to get a cab back to the port.

 

As Tallinn day was also Father’s Day I’d made reservations for all of us to enjoy the Crown Grill that evening. Our reservation was at 6:00 and 4 of the six of us showed up on time. The teenagers eventually made it but they’d yet to be on time for dinner.

 

Our meal was good, not great. My overall opinion on the food on this sailing was good, not great. I think the beef in the US is better than what’s available in Europe…which is my own personal opinion so please don’t blast me :eek:

 

After dinner we headed to the Vista Lounge for the 8:00 Multi Media Trivia: Name that Musical. Now, I will tell you, sweet mamma went with the expectation they’d play a song and you’d write the name down. That isn’t how it was done and she was MORE THAN HAPPY to let EVERYONE IN THE ROOM know how displeased she was. It started off with posters (you had to ID the Musical) then went to questions that you had to answer (all about musicals) and finally ended with actually playing music that you had to name that tune. The game would have been wonderful if sweet, adorable mamma hadn’t been complaining after every FREAKING QUESTIONS THAT SHE DIDN’T LIKE HOW THE GAME WAS PLAYED. Just shaking my head….

 

At 9:00 we headed to Princess Live (said hello to the kiddos at the bar) and played “I’ll take Trivia for 100.” Ended up on a team with folks from our Cruise Critic Roll Call and we had a great time.

 

I was done for the day at that point and tomorrow morning we were headed into St. Petersburg. Never in my life did I think I’d go to Russia…and now I was going to be there in just a few hours.

 

Final thoughts on Tallinn

 

You will think your brand new jacket will keep you warm and dry...and then you will realize you should have tried to zip it up BEFORE leaving your cabin...

 

You think you're smarter than everyone else that's paying 15 Euros to get into town partially dry only to find out you're a schmuck...and your kids will be more than happy to whine about it all of the way there...

 

You will walk all of the way uphill from the port to the top of old town, expecting amazing views...only to have everything shrouded in cloud cover...and you're soaking wet from the walk...and cold...nothing new there...

 

You'll be excited to see the inside of the cathedral only to be almost crushed to death by tourists all jockeying for position...

 

While the cobblestone streets are quaint and lovely to look at they'll kill your feet...

 

By the third day of walking in the rain you REALLY regret not bringing that travel umbrella...especially when you coat doesn't zip up...

 

And finally...all you will hear from your kids is...."When can we find some decent American food...you know...like tacos?"

 

Coming up….Two amazing, beautiful, exhausting and overwhelming days seeing EVERYTHING in St Petersburg

[Eppe4]

Thanks so much...just wish my kids would find me funny!!!!

 

 

 

I seriously stalked the weather for two months before the trip...up until an hour before we left for the airport. It was SUPPOSED to be 70 and sunny everywhere we went.....bring layers, a waterproof jackets and waterproof shoes.

That way you'll be sure to have 75 and sunny everywhere you go!

 

Oh wait, that's just MY luck with the weather....

 

Hi FraudBroad, I'm NOW planning on plenty of rain and will brings lots of cheap small umbrellas along with my NEW hooded raincoat, all I'll need will be ducks to follow behind me.

 

In Oslo, we're doing a 4 hr SPB tour, part walking (guess that's the Penis Park) and some bus tour. Then a group of us are taking a 2 hr. canal boat ride that we booked through Viator.

 

You're an amazing asset to this forum, enjoy every day and God Bless!

Edited June 30, 2016 by Eppe4

[Eppe4]

Sea Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will think your brand new jacket will keep you warm and dry...and then you will realize you should have tried to zip it up BEFORE leaving your cabin...

 

You think you're smarter than everyone else that's paying 15 Euros to get into town partially dry only to find out you're a schmuck...and your kids will be more than happy to whine about it all of the way there...

 

You will walk all of the way uphill from the port to the top of old town, expecting amazing views...only to have everything shrouded in cloud cover...and you're soaking wet from the walk...and cold...nothing new there...

 

You'll be excited to see the inside of the cathedral only to be almost crushed to death by tourists all jockeying for position...

 

While the cobblestone streets are quaint and lovely to look at they'll kill your feet...

 

By the third day of walking in the rain you REALLY regret not bringing that travel umbrella...especially when you coat doesn't zip up...

 

And finally...all you will hear from your kids is...."When can we find some decent American food...you know...like tacos?"

 

Coming up….Two amazing, beautiful, exhausting and overwhelming days seeing EVERYTHING in St Petersburg

 

I'm beginning to think that this will be a BAD HAIR cruise for the ladies, I really don't like Bad Hair Days and Hat Hair IS THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kitkat343]

Thanks - this is a great review. I feel like I am traveling along with you!

 

We also made the same mistake of trying to find a cab outside the port, and were also unsuccessful and needed to return to obtain a cab. So I'd agree with your recommendation to take any cab you can find in the port. Tallinn is usually the stop before St. Petersburg, so travelers may not want to push themselves physically here, since you will have one or two very packed days ahead of you.

 

Tallinn was one of our favorite stops, and we really loved exploring its spectacularly preserved medieval center. Please note that this lovely city may be challenging for travelers with disabilities or families that use prams, since cars are not allowed in parts of the medieval center, and the cobblestones will make a stroller or wheelchair use difficult. Because my 3 year old son has limited mobility without a stroller, our plan had been to take a pedicab around the city. There were some pedicabs at the port when we returned to the ship in the afternoon; however, the pedicabs were not yet available at 9 am when we left the ship (we visited Tallinn on their independence day holiday so on normal business days there may be pedicabs available directly in the port).

 

Instead, we took a cab from the port to the top of Toompea Hill (this is where the lovely Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is located) and then walked down. Our son was able to climb the city walls (although the passage is very narrow and steep), and there were gorgeous views. In the main square, we found a pedicab, and we were able to take a very enjoyable 15 minute pedicab tour through the charming city. They are also available for hire for longer tours to all the major tourist stops. Since our son loves trains, we also rode on a tourist train that departs from Kullassepa street whenever it is full and makes a 20 minute loop around the city. We were fortunate to sit in the very back, since we had a great spot to take photographs from the back of the train.

 

We ate a delicious lunch at Gloria ( http://www.gloria.ee) , a charming historic restaurant with excellent duck and fish.

[FraudBroad]

St Petersburg

 

We were up early today as we’d arrived at the crown jewel of the Baltic….St Petersburg.

 

And there was the really funny looking big, huge orange ball in the sky…foreign looking to everyone…then somebody remember it was called the SUN. YES…here we were in the jewel of the Baltic on a SUNNY day!

 

We’d arranged to meet our tour group (my six then 5 others from Cruise Critic) in the IC at 7:15. We’d reserved a private tour with TJ’s and were anxious to get going. As soon as we stood up to leave we heard those words…again…

 

“I’ve got to pee.”

 

Shockingly enough, it wasn’t either my mother or aunt. This time it was every single, solitary, man in the group. All over 55 years of age, all have prostates, all have to pee as soon as they stand up.

 

We walked into the terminal and stood in line for 10 minutes before we were called up to Passport Control. The review your passport, make you look straight again at them to get a good look, type something on their computer and then you’re free to go. From the time we left the ship until the time all 11 of us were through immigration it took less than 15 minutes. We were finally, OFFICIALLY, in RUSSIA!!!

 

A representative from TJ’s was waiting inside the terminal and directed us to walk outside to the left, across the street. There we were greeted by our guide for the next two days, Inna. Our driver would be Oleg and somehow it seemed appropriate to spend our time in Russia with Inna and Oleg.

 

Inna let us all know that the bus was equipped with free wifi. The giddiness that crossed the faces of my kids was unmistakable. Who cares if we are in Russia Mom…we’ve got free wifi!!! WOO HOO!!!!

 

We made our way into downtown St Petersburg and I was snapping pictures like crazy…of everything, of like really nothing at all…I think I was a little over excited. I mean seriously, I grew up during the cold war and never in my life did I imagine I’d step foot on Russian soil, yet here I was…with my darling baby girls, who could really care less and weren’t so impressed that they were in Russia.

 

I finally put the phone away and listed as Inna began to read the itinerary for the day. With the beautiful weather out I could hardly contain myself. The itinerary TJ’s had said pre-cruise stated that day one we’d be going to Catherine’s Palace and Peterhof. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the beauty of Peterhof with the shining sun…it was going to be spectacular!!!

 

Off in my own world daydreaming, thinking of what was to come…somewhere in my subconscious I heard Inna say “special opening of the Hermitage this afternoon….”

 

Huh? What? Hermitage? That’s inside…it’s sunny…it’s beautiful…today we are to go to Peterhof….

 

And my hopes and dreams were dashed and stepped on and crushed into tiny, million, billion, and gazillion pieces. We wouldn’t go to Peterhof until tomorrow…when you guessed it, it was going to rain!!!!!!!

 

It was a Monday, the Hermitage was supposed to be closed, but due to the large number of ships in port they were doing a special opening for tour groups. Now I know there are a LOT of art lovers out there…and some of you may not want to hear this (cover you ears) but I am not one of them. I’ve never understood art, been interested in art, learned to appreciate art. We all have our weird little quirks and this is just mine.

 

I will say it loud and proud…I AM NOT AN ART LOVER

 

There, I’m done, speech over…peace out.

 

Needless to say when I learned that we would NOT be going to Peterhof on this simply gorgeous, beautiful, PERFECT day…the first one of its kind on this trip….my hopes, dreams and all desires for the future were crushed. Again, crushed…into a million, billion, gazillion tiny pieces…just crushed.

 

We drove through St Petersburg as Inna pointed out the sights; the Hermitage, the Winter Palace, St Isaac’s Cathedral, Church of the Spilt Blood, the Bronze Horseman, General Staff Building, Rostral Column, Neva River and Peter and Paul Fortress. We all looked at and picked out every Subway, Burger King, McDonald’s and Starbucks we could see. We stopped briefly by the Neva River for a quick photo op before heading back into the van for our drive to Catherine’s Palace. The drive would take almost an hour.

 

Once we arrived Inna had us wait while she went and got the tickets. A band was playing as we walked towards the palace, and even played the National Anthem. To which my sweet mamma stopped in the street, put her hand over her heart and stood at attention until the band was done playing. Keep in mind, we are still in Russia.

 

We waited 15 minutes for Inna to secure our tickets and then we stood in line…in the bright sun…crushed together with a mass of humanity…and waited…and waited…and waited…and I got a sun burn…and we waited…and waited…After almost an hour we were finally cleared/approved/blessed to enter the grounds of Catherine’s Palace.

 

To say the Palace is magnificent would be a complete understatement. Maybe ostentatious, flashy, showy, brazen, flamboyant, grandiose? Take your pick. The place is freaking unbelievable. We spent over an hour walking through the various rooms admiring not only the artwork and furnishing, but moldings in solid gold that went on forever, doors that looked to be 20 feet tall and hardwood flooring inlayed with 16 different kinds of wood. It wasn’t hard to imagine why the Russian people finally overthrew the Czars. While the palace was lovely, and amazing, and I’m thrilled that we visited, I can see how the Russian’s felt the way the Czars lived was pretentious as best.

 

And then, I head these words…

 

“Look mom, there’s a penis!”

 

I know…they’re monsters…total monsters….

 

We wandered the grounds for a bit before getting back in the van. Inna told us that instead of going to a restaurant for lunch we’d pick something up and eat at a park. Well, between the wait to get into the palace and the wait for the food we ended up just eating in the van as we made our way back to the city.

 

Lunch consisted of a salad, steamed veggies, fried potatoes and rubbery chicken. I mean like REALLY rubbery chicken. If I’d thrown it on the ground it would have bounced back at me!

 

After about an hour we arrived at the Hermitage. Art lovers rejoiced at the site of the magnificent edifice. Again, we waited as Inna picked up our tickets and then we were able to head through the turn styles and begin our Hermitage adventure.

 

We started by seeing several rooms of the winter palace…oh hey wait a minute…I forgot the most important part…

 

There was no line.

 

I mean THERE WAS NO LINE.

 

We were the ONLY group there.

 

I mean the ONLY GROUP THERE.

 

Nobody but us.

 

Seriously, nobody but us.

 

It was almost weird. I’d read so much about the Hermitage being so crowded that a fitbit wouldn’t pick up any steps because you would shuffle your way through the entire visit. Not this time…It was just US.

 

The architecture, moldings, wall covering and sculptures throughout the Hermitage are amazing. Oh, and they da Vinci, Renoir and Rembrandt as well. My aunt drooled over Rembrandt’s “Prodigal Son.” Everyone seemed so excited…my kids looked like they were ready for bed.

 

Once we were done exploring the Hermitage (I think we were there a little over 2 hours) we were off to see Church of the Spilt Blood. The church got its name because it was built on the site where Alexander II died after being attacked by terrorist. Inside the church they even have the stones on which he laid before his death.

 

Before getting out of the van Inna warned us to leave any purses on the van. This site is known to be teaming with pick pockets and nobody wanted to take a chance on that. We did as we said and left everything in the van.

 

We entered the church quickly, only had to wait a few moments for Inna to pick up the tickets. For myself, I will say this church was one of the highlights. The mosaics inside the church as downright amazing. The artistry is second to none…we were all in awe. Except for my kids...who've now threatened me within a in of my life if I EVER take them ANYWHERE to see mosaics EVER again...ever...

 

It’s interesting to note this is a working church and they have services once a week. And there are no pews. You heard me…no pews…no place to sit, cop a squat, or relax. You stand through the entire service.

 

Once finished with the church we headed over to the Faberge Museum. This was the highlight for my sweet mamma. That lady REALLY wanted to see Imperial Eggs, and she wasn’t disappointed. The Faberge Museum is only a few years old. It was opened when a wealthy Russian purchased all of the eggs from the family of Malcom Forbes. There are a total of 9 Imperial eggs in the museum in St Petersburg while others are housed in the Armory in Moscow. They don’t know how many others are in hands of private collectors. All in all, 50 eggs were made by Faberge for the royal family.

 

In addition to eggs, the museum's collection contains more than 4,000 works of decorative applied and fine arts, including gold and silver items, paintings, porcelain and bronze. We looked through several rooms before entering the room with all of the eggs.

 

I particularly liked the Bay Tree eggs with its intricate leaves made of jade. But I’ve got to say all of the eggs were impressive! Except to my kids...who actually told me they thought the eggs were "stupid." Seriously...the said stupid...I'm still shaking my head...

 

We spent over an hour in the museum and it was pushing 6:00. It was time to leave and meet up with our evening guide because 10 hours of St Petersburg isn’t enough, there’s much more to see. My parents cried “Uncle” and fled back to the ship while my aunt, kids and another couple from the group stayed for the evening portion. We’d booked the “Russian Experience” that consisted of walking along Nevsky Prospect and tasting some vodka.

 

TJ’s, the tour company, had told me up front that we wouldn’t have time to return to the ship, that we’d have to go straight to the evening tour. They assured me that we could have dinner in town prior to starting the tour.

 

We met up with our evening guide, Steve, who was raring to go. As we started to walk and Steve started giving us more lectures on Russian history and I came to a stop. I looked at Steve and said “Dude, you need to give us a break. Everyone is overwhelmed, tired and hungry. We were told we could have dinner prior to starting the evening portion. Pretty please can you find us someplace to have a beer?”

 

And with that I hijacked Steve’s evening “Russian Experience” Tour. In reality, Steve was super nice. We explained to him that we just needed a rest and then we’d be good to go. He was more than willing to just chill for a bit.

 

We found an outside café and ordered a round of beer (coke for the kiddos), cheese plates, garlic bread and fried mushrooms. We had a great conversation with Steve who was more than willing to share with us about life in St Petersburg. He told us he lived outside the city as still over 30% of apartment buildings in downtown St Petersburg were communal; they shared both a kitchen and a bath.

 

Once finished with our break Steve was kind enough to take us to a souvenir shop. There wouldn’t be time the next day to shop and I had it on my list to get some Matryoshka dolls. They had them on the ship but they started at $300 and went up from there…too rich for my blood.

 

We spent almost 30 minutes in the shop. I found my dolls, my kids found shot glasses and once again all was right with the world. We continued out walk down Nevsky Prospect with Steven spewing gobs of Russian History and pointing out important buildings.

 

Around 8:00 we arrived at out last stop, a small restaurant that was prepared with snacks and a vodka tasting. The “snacks” consisted of open sandwiches with either salmon, caviar or cucumber and salami. I don’t think any of us touched the caviar…just not our cup of tea.

 

We tasted 4 different Russian vodka’s in all. That means we did for shots of Russian Vodka. Remember the rubbery chicken for lunch? I don’t think anyone ate much of that….and the cheese platter and garlic bread didn’t go far. The 6 of us each did 4 shots of vodka on virtually empty stomachs.

 

I wish I could tell you more about the evening but I just don’t remember.

 

The van brought us back to the ship, we waited about 5 minutes to get through the immigration line and while we were headed back to the ship my oldest threw up. At least I know she’s prepared for college.

 

It was a bit after 10 when we got back on-board, all tired and downright exhausted from our first day in St Petersburg. We had another 8 hours to look forward to the next day.

 

Coming up…St Petersburg day 2

[cbreit]

This review, by far, is one of the best I've ever read! Keep it coming..

[sonia2509]

Love love your review [emoji7]we are doing the Baltic but different cruise line in August and I am the same age as you and love modern history, the Czars, WW 1 and 2 and Cold War. The excitement you had arriving in Berlin and St Petersburg is what I am feeling right now and I cannot wait until I am walking off the ship and stepping onto Russian soil. Keep this fantastic review going it is the best I have ever read and you should publish it on the Ports thread as well and maybe even the Celebrity thread [emoji6]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited July 2, 2016 by sonia2509

[DubbyLee]

I am dying to buy the dolls in Russia. Do you mind sharing an approximate cost?

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[JC168]

One of the most entertaining review I've ever read on cruise critics. Our family will be on the NCL Northern Baltic cruise with very similar iterinary as the Princess in June of next year. Just wondering about your thoughts on TJ travel. I plan to use them for all 5 Northern Baltic port. I just can't decide between Alla tour, SPB tour or TJ tour. Thanks.

 

 

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[caber]

You should put this in a book. It is brilliant. Keep going.

[caber]

Was the ship warm enough in the evening to wear short sleeves? I am only used to hot weather cruises.

[lstone19]

Was the ship warm enough in the evening to wear short sleeves? I am only used to hot weather cruises.

 

I was on this cruise as well (and doing a lot of things with FraudBroad). One of my "mistakes" was bringing too many long-sleeve shirts and not enough short-sleeve. Inside the ship, temperatures will be typical of any indoor environment.

[lstone19]

One of the most entertaining review I've ever read on cruise critics. Our family will be on the NCL Northern Baltic cruise with very similar iterinary as the Princess in June of next year. Just wondering about your thoughts on TJ travel. I plan to use them for all 5 Northern Baltic port. I just can't decide between Alla tour, SPB tour or TJ tour. Thanks.

 

I believe all of them only actually provide the tour service in St. Petersburg. For the other ports, they're contracting with local providers. I heard nothing seriously negative about any of them. That said, there were some warts although FraudBroad and I (she and her family and we were together on the St. Petersburg and Stockholm tours) both attribute some of it to translation issues.

 

At St. Petersburg, I had inherited a private tour that someone else who subsequently cancelled had initially setup. Despite what we though was an agreement that there would be no more than 12 on the tour, all of a sudden a few weeks before they gave us a list of 15. We pushed back and they agreed to move four to a second section of the tour and we were very specific that we had our core group of 11 and we wanted just that 11 on our tour with no one else. Yet that first morning in St. Petersburg, we found that they had 13 in our group (and only 10 in the second section). But they quickly moved the two we weren't expecting to the other group so all was fine. Lest you think what difference does it make, a small group moves faster than a larger group. A larger group will spend more time waiting for the stragglers, more time getting on and off buses, etc., all of which comes out of your limited touring time.

 

Wart #2 was at Helsinki (did not involve FraudBroad) where we all showed up at the meeting spot at 7:30 as indicated on our confirmations only to find no tour guide (in addition to those with TJ's confirmations were a few confirmed threw another company (not SPB or Alla) which again indicates that they contract out to other companies). Turned out after a few calls that the tour company changed it to 9:00 but the word did not get back to TJ's. I really wanted the extra 90 minutes of sleep. To their credit, TJ's refunded 50% of the tour cost.

 

Through all this, we realized that at least TJ's probably has no automation behind their reservations system. We think it's all manual, probably working out of someone's apartment (when you go to pay TJ's, they take you to a local store where they have a desk they use to process payments but no other presence - other than that, there is no TJ's office you can walk into to arrange things). So when a change is made like happened to us in Helsinki, they need to find all the affected people and manually update them. And there's nothing to enforce a tour size limit other than a person not putting too many people on it.

 

So in other words, no matter who you work with, particularly if you do any sort of customized tour, it never hurts to verify that they have things right.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Excellent review! We did our second Baltic cruise last year, loved and appreciated it every bit as much if not more than the first!

Edited July 2, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[vino100]

I am loving your review. We have been lucky enough to have taken two Baltic cruises. After reading about your cruise maybe I need to go one more time. The second cruise we escorted my in laws and two other older couples. I really can appreciate all the situations with taking ones parents. Potty breaks were plentiful indeed. Cant wait to read more about your trip. Memories to last a life time.

[mafig]

Don't know why I clicked on your review. But I'm so glad I did. It's wonderful!:)

[FraudBroad]

This review, by far, is one of the best I've ever read! Keep it coming..

 

Oh my gosh...thanks so much...hope I can live up to your expectation! Thanks for following along!

 

Love love your review [emoji7]we are doing the Baltic but different cruise line in August and I am the same age as you and love modern history, the Czars, WW 1 and 2 and Cold War. The excitement you had arriving in Berlin and St Petersburg is what I am feeling right now and I cannot wait until I am walking off the ship and stepping onto Russian soil. Keep this fantastic review going it is the best I have ever read and you should publish it on the Ports thread as well and maybe even the Celebrity thread [emoji6]

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

You are so kind! And yes, we have a lot in common! Same as you...Stepping onto Russian soil, for me, was just amazing. Never in my life did I think I'd do that!

 

You learn SO MUCH history throughout the Baltic that I need a vacation from my vacation to give my brain a rest...total overload and worth every stinking minute!!!

[FraudBroad]

I am dying to buy the dolls in Russia. Do you mind sharing an approximate cost?

 

I paid $135 for my set. The sets on the ship ranged from $300 to in the thousands. It really depends on how eleborate the doll is, how many pieces there are etc...My set breaks down to 15 dolls. I actually took it apart yesterday for a friend, the entire time terrified I'd drop the last doll on my dark hardwood floors and never find her again...the get SUPER tiny at the end. We really only had the one store to shop in but they had a great selection. I was very pleased with mine. If I can figure out how to post a picture I will!

Thanks for following along!

 

 

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Thanks for the review.

 

Thank you for reading along!