14 Day Baltic Heritage Cruise, June 2019

[rcarrosq]

We have decided it's time to explore Europe and came across the above mentioned cruise sailing on the Sapphire Princess on 1 June out of Southampton. The itinerary looks fantastic and I was wondering if anyone here has done this itinerary before. We would like to spend a few days touring London either before or after the cruise and I'd like to know if anyone has an opinion if it would be better before or after? We do have a travel agent who will arrange the airfare and hotels.

 

 

 

I'd really like to hear from folks who have done a european cruise and stayed a few extra days in London. Is it more cost effective to book your own airfare and hotels or let our TA do it?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any and all input.

[Essiesmom]

I've done that basic itinerary, long ago from Amsterdam. What I want to address is London. You need to research hotels, start with TripAdvisor. See what they are costing. The first time we stayed in London it was in a cruise line package at the Millennium Mayfair. Wicked expensive. Beware: Hotels in Europe often charge PER PERSON, not per room. The second time, I booked myself and paid using HHonors points. I booked that hotel close to Victoria Coach Station because we would be taking the cruise line shuttle from there to Southampton. Visit the Ports of Call board here and see what folks are recommending. See what you can find, and see what your TA can find. Same goes for airfare. EM

[Micahs Grandad]

We did this last year. Stayed two nights in London before cruise and booked hotel via priceline.

 

Day before cruise took train to Southampton and booked train and hotel ourselves.

 

Worked out well for us

[skynight]

All of these are really nice ports. Been to every one except Gdansk. Look up SBP tours to get an idea of available tours. They operate really nice 2 day tours in St. Petersburg, plus have tours in other Baltic ports.

I don't know where you are coming from, but if it is North America then I would suggest flying in one or two days early and transferring directly to Southampton. Southampton is a nice walkable town, and you can do some pre-cruise shopping for supplies easily. We do not like to get off the ship and fly home the same day. We get way too tired. If would suggest staying in London after the cruise and then booking a morning flight home. Of course, if you are from Down Under, Europe or elsewhere your flight times would be different.

[satxdiver]

We will be on the cruise with the OP. Last time sailing out of Southampton, we arrived in London 4 days early and stayed at a hotel near Victoria Station that we booked ourselves. We were very tired after flying across the pond and first stop was to take a nice long nap. We had been to London on a one week land tour before so we arranged our own self guided tours. There is so much to see in London. We booked our transfer to Southampton on the train and took a cab from the train station to our hotel the day before we boarded the ship. I agree that Southampton is indeed a walkable center city area. A short cab ride to the ship where we boarded fairly quickly. The airline was booked through EZair which now has become our primary way to get to the port city. We checked the price of EZair against what we could find on the internet and found EZair to be the best offer by quite a bit.

Edited June 9, 2018 by satxdiver

[satxdiver]

The June 1, 2019 cruise on the Sapphire has the beginnings of a roll call: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2625693

[Anthillers]

Just come off the 2018 Sapphire 14 day Baltic Cruise. First of all it is one of the best Cruises you will do. Cities are amazing and depending on your level of fitness you can do them on your own or with a tour company. However best to do St Petersburg with a reputable tour company , it is a tiring two days .

I agree with others take a couple of days before and after your cruise especially travelling to and from the USA. Do London if you have never visited it otherwise go down to Southampton,

Plenty to see and do around the area

 

 

 

 

 

 

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