first time Baltic

[siren]

we are planning our first Baltic cruise. Can anyone give me their input on whether we should get a balcony room? When we went to Alaska it was a must have. Not sure on the Baltic. We are looking at a 12 day.

[cruzgryphon]

I did a seven day Baltic cruise last year with a Balcony and it was well worth it. I'm not sure it is quite up to par with Alaska, but I still think it's worth it.

For example, if you're going to Stockholm - the cruise through the archipelago is amazing - with a balcony you don't have to fight for space on the upper decks. You'll find the Baltics weather wise to be similar to Alaska in case that factors into your decision.

[TSC]

Whether or not to get a balcony is very subjective, but for the European cruises, we found that we don't depend as much time in the cabin as when in Caribbean. You dock in the Baltic port early in the morning, spend the day in the city, and then sail away is near dinner time. Your focus is more on the places you stop and not so much on the scenery as you sail (not that it isn't sometimes spectacular). I see an earlier poster mentioned Stockholm and that was fabulous, but we actually watched it from a lounge at the front of the ship with friends since it was an hour or two passage.

[kevinyork]

I did a seven day Baltic cruise last year with a Balcony and it was well worth it. I'm not sure it is quite up to par with Alaska, but I still think it's worth it.

For example, if you're going to Stockholm - the cruise through the archipelago is amazing - with a balcony you don't have to fight for space on the upper decks. You'll find the Baltics weather wise to be similar to Alaska in case that factors into your decision.

 

 

 

Having done it twice I wouldn't say it's a fight for space. Many don't know about the delights of the archipelago or do t want to get up so early to see it. It's about the only must see on a Baltics whilst cruising and can easily be enjoyed from the upper decks without the need to pay more for a balcony.

 

 

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[PeaceOfCake]

I live in Stockholm, the archipelago is beatuiful, lots of small and bigger islands, lots of nice houses to watch. Some parts are mostly covered with trees (as most of Sweden is) and some parts are cliffs/rocks.

Even if you stay in Port of Stockholm for the whole day, you can still see the view in the evening, in the summer Sweden has daylight almost around the clock, especially late june (midsummer) when the sunrise is 03:30 AM and sunset is 10:00 PM

 

 

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[Grillfish]

We had a balcony on the Celebrity Silhouette last May on our 12 night cruise. I loved it. Now the weather was higher than average and believe it or not, no rain the entire 12 days.

 

We sat on the deck as we left Amsterdam, when we were back on board early in Estonia and loved looking at the old city up on the hill. St. Petersburg was great cruising into port and then the overnight stay. Like others said, the cruise through the archipelago of Stockholm was awesome. For me, spending all that money for a trip of a lifetime, was worth it to upgrade to a balcony. Don't forget your binoculars.

[khank]

Which side of the ship do you recommend? Port or starboard?

[Tatka]

On European cruises we invest more into shorex, than accommodations, as they are much more ports extensive.

[Nado44]

We had a balcony on our Brilliance sailing of the Baltics a few years ago. We'd choose a balcony again but only if it meant paying just a couple hundred dollars more than an interior/outside.

 

The archipelago views are stunning. You also get more hours of daylight given the geographic proximity. However, cooler weather may prevent you from fully enjoying the balcony. Also, from what I recall, many of the actual ports are largely industrial and not scenic.