First time crusiers - P&O Baltic

[missdaxo]

Hi,

 

I am looking for some advice if anyone can help? Me and my partner are looking at going on our first ever cruise (we're so excited!). We're looking at doing the P&O 14 night Baltic cruise and was wondering if anyone had any advice or tips for onboard the ship, with it being our first time. Also, with excursions and things, what are the best things to do/see and are we best to book them with the ship or beforehand? If beforehand who should we book them with?

 

Any advice or guidance would be much appreciated!! 😀

[davemorton]

Welcome, sure you will both love it.  If you list the ports you are stopping at, and also the ship, I am sure people will be able to help. 

Best advice - Enjoy it. 

[BrianI]

In St Petersburg you need to take an organised tour with either a ships tour or with one of the land based tour companies all of which are visa exempt. You cannot go ashore on your own without a visa which costs circa £100 each so its a no brainer to take a tour. 
Brian

[missdaxo]

Hi,

 

Thank you hopefully we will enjoy it, i'm already excited!

 

The ports we are stopping at are -

Warnemunde, Germany

Helsinki, Finland

ST. Petersburg, Russia

Tallinn, Estonia

Stockholm, Sweden

Copenhagen, Denmark

 

And the ship is the P&O Azura.

 

 

[missdaxo]

 

3 minutes ago, BrianI said:

In St Petersburg you need to take an organised tour with either a ships tour or with one of the land based tour companies all of which are visa exempt. You cannot go ashore on your own without a visa which costs circa £100 each so its a no brainer to take a tour. 
Brian

Thank you Brian, I did wonder this from looking at other post on here but I wasn't too sure, so thank you for clarifing that! I'll get looking into it.

[Hols4]

Hols4

Warnemude port is near To stick which an interesting town to explore,we did a vintage tram ride around the town and was taken back to the ship on a boat with snacks onboard.

Tallin is one of our favorites, you can take the shuttle bus to town and wander around the maze of small streets with plenty of cafes and shops it is lovely.

Stockholm is also nice, we took the shuttle bus to town and headed across the river to the Palace and old town again loads of small shops & cafes to explore.

You will enjoy it also the sail up the Baltic sea is very interesting with old fortresses left over from the war.

 

[Jennizor]

Hi Missdaxo,

 

we are on Azura from 14-28 June doing these ports. Not our first cruise but first time to the Baltic.

We have already decided to book the two day P&O excursions in St. Petersburg. Are awaiting details of the rest but will probably do mainly on our own.

 

This will be our 4th cruise on Azura and she is our favourite ship. I would suggest you book either Freedom or fixed dining at 8.30. The early sitting of 6.30 is too early when going out for full day excursions. 
 

We are very excited about this cruise and will be watching for helpful responses to your

query

 

Regards

Jennizor

[kruzseeka]

St P has Visa requirements as other posters have explained.  Since you need to go with organised tours, perhaps as this is your first cruise, it may be more reassuring to go with the ship's excursions.  I'd recommend Catherine Palace for a first visit (spectacular) then a mix of other sites which appeal to you - Church of the Spilled Blood, Hermitage, a river cruise, even the evening ballet provide a good variety of experiences to choose from.  Peterhof is great too but I'd choose between either Catherine Palace or Peterhof as unless you especially want to see both, they have a similar appeal. Perhaps better to get a mix of experiences.

 

The other ports are all interesting and possible to DiY.  Make sure you pick up a local map, often available at a tourist stall or office dockside or make for the main one in town, and plan what you want to see.  Some research of ports before you go is helpful as well as exciting as you look forward to your holiday and helps make the most of your time on shore.

 

Warnemunde is delightful and you just walk off the ship into town.  It has a pretty riverside with bars, cafes, wide beach and interesting old town.  Rostock is close by and accessible by train - the station is adjacent to the berth.  It's a bigger town but Warnemunde will probably provide enough interest for a first visit.  There are also boat trips into Rostock available on the waterfront. It's quite possible to plan for a half day at each.

 

We love Tallinn and always just walk around the cobbled streets and up to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral , where you get great views over the city.  Absolutley no need to go anywhere else.

 

Helsinki we love - from the centre, near the Tourist office where you can buy tram tickets and get instructions (and map!) we usually catch the Tourist tram to the nearest stop to the Sibelius Park from where we walk to the Regatta Cafe.  Google it - not the best coffee we've ever had but the location and quirkiness is worth a visit.  We then walk back to Senate Square via the Rock Church (beautiful in its simplicity).  The harbour is interesting and the Uspenski Orthodox Church overlooking the Harbour also worth a visit.  We also enjoy looking round the market on the Harbour side.

 

Stockholm - again easy DiY.  Main sites are the Old Town, Gamla Stan, and the Vasa Museum which made a real impression on me , although i didn't expect it to.  You can get a water bus to the island where the museum is located, or walk around the waterfront and over the bridge.  Again a  map is useful.  All doable on your own.  There are boat trips around the islands from the city centre too - but not the best use of time imo as you are low down and most of the islands are tree covered so you don't see much. More importantly and a must-see  is the 3 hour sail-away through the Archipelago.  The best excursion for free!  Spectacular especially if there's a sunset over the stern of the ship.  Unforgettable.

 

Copenhagen again is easy to walk around yourself - perhaps take a canal boat ride from the colourful wharf side buildings, the Nyhavn.  Depending on where you berth, you might be able to walk in, otherwise get the ship's shuttle into the centre then DiY. 

 

Great itinerary for a first timer.  So interesting.  It's so exciting planning your first cruise - and can be a bit daunting but don't worry, once you check- in everything soon falls into place, people are happy to help if you're not sure about anything and there is a daily ship's newspaper delivered to your cabin each night which will give you lots of info and a timetable of what's going on the next day.

 

Best advice I can give is enjoy your planning (it adds to the anticipation), ask for advice if you need it and above all have a wonderful trip. 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by kruzseeka

[Thejuggler]

Having done 5 or 6 cruises the Baltics is second only to our Iceland and Fjords trip.

 

However we didn't do Baltics until we had a really good idea what a cruise holiday entails because it is two holidays in one.  Everything the ship offers and everything the ports offer.

 

Baltics is particularly port heavy, so having knowledge of cruising was a bonus as we didn't need to spend the very few sea days finding out all about the ship side of the holiday, which is just as enjoyable once you you get your head around what is actually going on!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2020 by Thejuggler