Not so baltic in the Baltic - July 20 -August 1st Best of Scandinavia on the Apex

[Scottishclover]

If you are expecting the usual with lots of photos of food, cocktails and the ship then this review is not for you. Other posters have made a much better job of photographing and reviewing this than I ever could. 

However,  if you want to know about things that are not often covered in the forum like eating vegan and gluten free, activities on the ship, fitness classes, Celebrity for families, etc. then read on. And of course lots of details and photos of the gorgeous Baltic ports we visited on our 12 days cruise. 
 

So a little about us. We’re probably not your typical Celebrity cruisers - Scottish,   In our 40s and travelling with teens, not big drinkers ( but you’re Scottish, I hear you say 😂) , not foodies ( more on that later) and very independent travellers. Why on earth do we cruise then?

 

Well, purely for convenience. DH has coeliac disease and both DDs are vegan and so the easiest place to eat is on a cruise ship. Unless we go to airbnbs and cook ourselves ( and let’s face it, that’s not exactly a holiday),  it is nigh on impossible to find restaurants that cater for gluten free and vegan.  One or the other - yes, but rarely both.

 

We discovered cruising in 2016 and have done 3 cruises before, all with Disney,  to Norway, Caribbean and Alaska. While we had a fantastic time we knew we needed a change. Our girls who are 19 and 17 had grown up in the 3 years since our last cruise, the prices were eye watering for the Baltic and well, let’s face it there’s only so much Disney you can take. So after much research we decided Celebrity would be a good fit for us….. and how right we were. 
 

One last thing to know before I start this review proper is that DH is a bit cheap, ahem,  I actually meant to say he enjoys getting value for money 😉. He loves nothing better than a good moan about the cost of things.  Scandinavian prices - surely we’re on the wrong cruise??!!

 

Waiting to board the short 1 hour flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam. What we wouldn’t give to be back at this point in time.

[Ipeeinthepools]

I look forward to your review, enjoy your trip.

[Scottishclover]

Pre- Cruise Amsterdam

 

I’m going to include a bit of detail here as most people spend a bit of time in the city pre or post cruise. We spent 3 days pre- cruise in Amsterdam. Well we stayed in Haarlem to be exact. People, if you are ever in Amsterdam get yourself on the train for a 20 min ride to this mini Amsterdam. It was an inspired choice. Full of charm,  good restaurants, upscale shopping and has a more relaxed atmosphere( but just as many bikes 😱) as Amsterdam.

See what I mean about the bikes? My mission pre- cruise was not to get run over. Dutch cyclists take no prisoners.

De Grote Kerk in the main square. Worth a visit inside - we went in to avoid the heatwave and it was pretty impressive.

 

We stayed in the beautiful Malts Hotel B&B who did an amazing job of catering for our dietary needs. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Fresh flowers on every table in the breakfast room and spotless ( according to DD2 who considers herself an expert due to a housekeeping Saturday job!) It was located in a historic townhouse and had very steep stairs but nothing we couldn’t handle.

 

On Monday morning we did the obligatory covid test at a test centre in Haarlem. Spoedtest.nl have centres throughout the Netherlands and we were pleased with the service. Not going to lie - we had an anxious wait as DD1 had been at a big music festival the previous weekend and covid rates in Scotland were spiking again.

With a huge sense of relief and negative test results in hand, we headed into Amsterdam for a very long day. We planned to do as much as we could and hit the Van Gogh Museum, did a Canal Tour, ate Dutch Pancakes ( Pancakes Amsterdam do vegan AND gluten free) and went to the Anne Frank Huis. It was a roaster but that didn’t really hold us back. We really put in the miles, walking everywhere. I would have loved to have visited Rijksmuseum too but sadly no time. Next visit….

 

The canals and surroundings were so pretty.

The Rijksmuseum. I think we would need a full day to do it justice. 
 

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. It’s always a real privilege to see famous works of art in the flesh. But who knew we’ve been pronouncing Van Gogh wrong all these years? Basically it’s like Van Hoch ( as in rhymes with  the Scottish word ‘loch’ but cough up a week’s worth of phlegm as you’re saying it!!)

 

We had an amazing day in Amsterdam but let’s just say DH’s credit card was on fire! His assessment: canal tour too expensive for what it was but Anne Frank’s House worth every penny. We went late in the evening, which was a good move as I think it could be very crowded earlier in the day. Do not miss Anne Frank’s House. You cannot help but be deeply moved by it.

 

The day before we boarded the Apex was the heatwave day. We had planned to go to Volendam and Marken to cycle for the day but decided against it due to the extreme temperatures. Instead we spent a sweaty but enjoyable morning in Zanse Schaans in the morning and hid from the heat in shady cafes in Haarlem in the afternoon. 
 

Windmill central! 

Ok it was a wee bit kitschy but nice nonetheless. All your Dutch stereotypes were here: windmills, cheese, clogs.

In the evening I had a birthday dinner in an Indonesian Restaurant called De Laachende Javaan. Most people have the traditional rice table but of course it wasn’t suitable for us so instead we tried out a few of the gluten free and vegan dishes. The menu was marked with allergens which is always helpful. It was a lovely end to our time in Haarlem. FYI Haarlem is  a foodie’s heaven and at weekends you really need to book. Even on a Tuesday evening the restaurant was busy.

Next up, our impressions of the Apex.

[Scottishclover]

18 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I look forward to your review, enjoy your trip.

Thanks but just to be clear it’s not a live review. I admire everyone who does that but I didn’t have the time or good enough WiFi! Although I’m back home, I hope I can still give some good info to interested cruisers. As we were first time Celebrity cruisers , I gleaned such a lot of useful tips from this forum which helped make our cruise go smoothly so want to payback.

[Crazy planning mom]

Off to a great start with this review.

[Scottishclover]

4 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Off to a great start with this review.

Thank you so much . I plan to rattle through it the next few days rather than drip feed as I’m a teacher and school starts back very soon.

[Scottishclover]

The Apex

I’m the planner and researcher when it comes to holidays and I had watched enoughYoutube videos and read enough blogs to know what was coming. The other three though had no idea what to expect. They were absolutely blown away  with the ship’s decor and facilities. I know people think it’s a bit greige but honestly we loved almost everything about it.  As I mentioned before, I won’t post too many photos of the ship ( there’s some amazing photographers on this forum who have done that already) but we did have  a few favourite spots.

The Rooftop Garden. Nice place to relax but what is with the awful Red Bull extreme sports screen? 
 

The rainbow chairs in Eden. Our DD’s ultimate spot. We loved Eden as a space to relax and read but also as a venue.

Cafe al Bacio. When the server knows your order and room number by day 3, you know you have a caffeine problem!  We got our money’s worth out of the classic beverage package on tea and coffee alone.

 

Now to the nitty gritty. We had originally booked an inside ( we’re frugal Scots, remember?) but bid the lowest possible amount on an IV and got moved up and to a midship location to boot. I know there are naysayers but we loved the extra space in the IV when the bifold doors were open. We basically just used it as s bit of a dumping ground for sweaty gym gear and stinky trainers - you will be grateful there’s no photos 😂 - but it served it’s purpose. We never intended to use it as a balcony as we prefer to be out and about doing stuff. We’re not fans of air conditioning, just not used to it in Scotland as there’s no need for it, so we had the window down on the IV a lot instead.
 

I’m sure some of you will be gobsmacked at 4 in a cabin ( I did forewarn you DH is cheap!)  but it really was fine. Our girls are petit so no problem on sofa bed and trundle. However they nicknamed the sofa bed ‘the rock’  ( and not affectionately either). In fact, they took turns on it as neither of them could face sleeping on it two nights straight. For those who are interested, it’s difficult to get the drawers open when the trundle is out so we just pushed it in first thing in the morning ourselves to solve that problem.

 

In terms of demographics we were really surprised by the range of ages on board. Lots of teens and very young children - well more than we expected. As a teacher,  I don’t really want to be surrounded by lots of children on holiday but in general they were all  well behaved and I think there were only 2 occasions  in the 12 days when I said to DH that we would never have allowed our girls to behave like that. I think they livened the ship up a bit tbh. It was just the Goldilocks amount of children.   It was school holiday season but a server in Al Bacio told us that the cruise before last there were just 2 children on board. Moral of the story, if you want to avoid children, go in term time. FYI A few of the officer’s families were on board too as it was a quiet cruise.

 

The ship had 1100 passengers and I think capacity is 2800 so as you would expect the service was impeccable. Next cruise was going to have 2600 . Around half the passengers were American, the other half made up of mainly Mexicans , Brits, Germans and Dutch. I love people watching and found it really interesting to watch the behaviours of different nationalities. I’ll keep those thoughts to myself though😉

[Scottishclover]

Fitness

Something it’s very difficult to find out about on these forums for some reason. Now we are no gym bunnies by any stretch of the imagination but like to keep reasonably fit. Pro tip : go to fitness centre on the first day and pick up a schedule. Some classes are free, some have a fee e.g., Yoga,  Ryde and F45 training. Also on offer this cruise were dance classes and Zumba ( led by cruise director Shawna). 

 

Most  days DD1 and I got up for morning stretch at 7am. Some days it was active stretching ( otherwise known as morning burn) , some days it was passive stretching, kind of yoga stretches. The instructor was excellent. Corrected your positioning, knew when to push you and had the right amount of humour. I felt it set me up for the day. I normally walked for half an hour straight afterwards. Whoever came up with the idea of an incline on the walking/running track is a genius.

 

DD1 also went to mindset meditation a couple of times. She enjoyed this but it was poorly attended and she felt a bit awkward I think with just 3 in class. She also went to yoga a couple of times on sea days which had a fee. At 19$ DH was not happy about it but DD1 assured him that was the going rate for a class in a yoga studio in Edinburgh. She does a lot of yoga and was happy with the quality of the class.
 

On each of the sea days and on one day when we didn’t dock until lunch, cruise director Shawna did Zumba in the club. I normally do Zumba at home and went to every class. It was just the way Zumba should be - upbeat, sweaty and fun. There was quite a crowd. This class made my sea days and I really looked forward to it. I think it’s only offered by Shawna as she is a certified trainer so I was lucky she was on the ship.

 

DD1 also did this a few times:

The running track was never too busy.

 

While DD1 and I were trying lots of classes, DH and DD2 were doing this:

The table tennis table was the most in demand thing on the ship. Seriously, the only time it was free was before 8 am. It’s on deck 15 and went like a fair all day long. Pretty much our only complaint- get another one!
 

I will add that the gym was really well equipped and never that busy. I never felt the need to go as we were walking on average 10 to 15 miles when in port ( yep no shuttle busses for us!)

[Scottishclover]

Eating Vegan and Gluten Free

Ok, here’s what you need to know:

1) Fill out the special needs form before you go.

2) After you board, talk to the Maitre D.

3) Don’t be frightened to ask if particular dishes can be veganised or made gluten free.

4) Pre order for the next night.

5) Be flexible.

Normandie was a favourite MDR

 

We actually booked early dining so we would have the same server each night for ease, but  the ship was so quiet you could eat in any of the four MDRs at any time. We found that when we made a repeat visit to a restaurant we got the same servers, not sure if that was the same for everyone or just for us freaks LOL. I’m sure the staff must have been dreading seeing us walk through the door. On the whole the pre ordering between the different restaurants went smoothly.

 

We loved: 

- vegan corner at OV at lunch

- gf desserts at OV ( sometimes not to DH’s liking but nice to be offered)

- gf section at breakfast

- hummus and salad selection 

- that everything on the buffet is marked

- oat milk at Cafe al Bacio

- coconut macaroons, need I say more!  Well I will, tasty even if you’re not gf 

- the separate vegetarian menu at dinner, most things can be made vegan if you pre- order

 

What could be better:

- healthier breakfast options like nuts and seeds to put on granola

- soya yoghurt at breakfast 

- fresh berries ( we were in Scandinavia after all, there’s berries everywhere)

- better quality peanut butter

- more dishes with beans and lentils for protein

- gf bread

 

Overall, the ship made our particular eating situation easy. It wasn’t too bad off the ship either. Remind me to go back to Finland- we have travelled a lot and it had by far the best gf and vegan offerings anywhere.

The only food photo I have. Eating local in Denmark. This was my Smorrebrod - neither gluten free or vegan 😂 It’s not easy being the only ‘normal’ eater in the family. 
 

Now my non vegan, non gf take: We only  ate in the four MDRs. For obvious reasons the steakhouse was out but I would have liked to have gone to Eden. DH’s opinion was why pay extra for something you have already paid for. I had a few standout dishes - sea bass in Cyprus and the toasted Israeli Couscous cake. I’m a dessert girl and was a little disappointed in this area. One day I had a limoncello cheesecake and I’m pretty sure they passed the bottle over the mix without opening it. I thought the selection in the buffet at lunch was excellent, much better than on Disney. I would like to see more local food though.   Nobody should be eating Australian sea bass or Tilapia on a Baltic cruise. Where was the herring or cod? There was gravlax one day and a Danish buffet but to be considered sustainable, Celebrity needs to do more in this area. I know I mentioned it before but it needs done again - WHERE WERE ALL THE BERRIES?

Drinks

Just to add there is gf beer on board. It’s Daura Damm, DH asked for it one night in The Club and the bartender went to Craft Social to get it. That’s service for you.

 

For anyone reading this and looking for information on ports, I’m afraid you’ll need to wait until tomorrow. I promise it will be more photos and less words!!

 

 

[Scottishclover]

Ports General Info

First an explanation of the review title. Here in Scotland we use the word “baltic”  when it’s cold e.g it’s Baltic in here.” We were blessed with perfect weather on our cruise, so warm and pleasant for walking about. In fact the only place that was Baltic was the Grand Plaza and the theatre. What is it with the Arctic blast air conditioning?? Turn it down a notch please!

 

Most of the ports are a bit outside the city centres and there were shuttles everywhere apart from Copenhagen. Cost was either $10 /12 or $20 (Stockholm) . The Riga shuttle was complimentary and the only one we used as there was no other way to get out the port. We prefer walking anyway and for a family of 4 the shuttle costs would mount up.

 

Since returning home people have asked us about our favourite ports. In truth, it’s impossible to answer as each place had its own personality and charm. Some were more scenic than others, some had more atmosphere and authenticity. In fact, we all have a different favourite in our family.

 

Ronne, Bornholm 

Walk to town: 15-20 mins

 

Coffee Prices: excessive and don’t even ask about the Vegan magnums. It was a firm no from Dad! 

 

Our highlights:  Hammershus Castle

 

Our tip: Take the public bus - you get a good idea of the island’s landscape. Either buy ticket beforehand or with cash on bus. They don’t take card and we got caught out which meant we had less time at the castle.

The castle sits up on a rocky outcrop and  can be seen from quite a distance. It’s an impressive sight.

 

There was some paths we would have loved to hike in on the cliffs below but time wasn’t on our side. ☹️
 

Bornholm Final Thoughts: I think people on the cruise were a bit underwhelmed by this port. The town is quaint but small. We were glad we chose to giro the ruins.

 

Would we go back? Probably not, it’s similar to the south of Sweden and we’d rather go back there.

 

Helsinki

Walk to centre: 45 mins - 1 hour

 

Coffee prices : eye watering!! But the Finns love their coffee do we had one anyway.

 

Our highlights: Suomenlinna Fortress and Senate Square. The cool and quirky vibe. Food Hall at basement of Stockmanns - most gorgeous food store we have ever been in. 
 

Our tip: Walk  to the centre along the path by the sea. Lots of Finns enjoying the sunshine. Lots of boats, outdoor gyms, cafes, paddle courts and even a big sauna. Nice slice of local life. You can scooter back - they’re lying around  everywhere.

 

The walk from port takes you to the market at the harbour. Take the HSL public ferry to Suomenlinna - it’s cheaper than the other boats.

The island has lots of history, museums, walking trails and cafes. DD2 loves a cannon!

 

A rare photo of all of us. A couple from the ship kindly offered to take it at King’s Gate on the island.

 

We stayed on Suomenlinna island until lunchtime and then went back to Helsinki proper and visit the main sights. I was tour guide. The verdict- definitely no tips!!

 

Uppenski Orthodox Cathedral. Quite ornate inside with lots of icons. The Russian influence is easy to see In Helsinki.

 

Senate Square with the Lutheran Cathedral. Later on when we visited there was a weird performance happening on the steps.The Chapel of Silence. A place where anyone of any denomination can go for peace, quiet and support. DD1 loved this building.

 

Helsinki Final Thoughts: centre is easily walkable and it still felt local, not overrun by tourists. Helsinki is more about atmosphere than attractions. 

 

Would we go back? : Definitely!  The gf and vegan emphasis on menus alone is worth a second visit.

[Scottishclover]

Tallin

Walk to centre: 20 mins to old town

 

Coffee Prices: dirt cheap 🙌

 

Our Highlights : The Old Town ( I’ll let the photos below do the talking)

 

Our tip: Get there as early as possible . We were at the old town at 7:45am and had it to ourselves. I imagine with more cruise ships the narrow alleyways would be unbearable. 
 

I had downloaded a self guided tour for some history but actually Tallin is perfect for strolling, discovering and exploring.

Fat Margaret’s Tower - an impressive entrance to the old town.

 

3 sister’s building. Much of the architecture was similar to this.

 

One of the many churches.

 

Colourful buildings on the main square.

 

The Town Hall - you can see how quiet it was. Totally worth the early rise.

Tallin is famous for its Marzipan production. I bought some later on in a local supermarket.

 

We spotted support  for Ukraine 🇺🇦 

 

Kiek in de Kok tower

 

View of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

 

Coffee time just off the main square. Anywhere else in the world you would pay a fortune!

 

This time crew from the ship obliged 😀

 

St Catherine’s Passage

 

We walked part of the city walls and were rewarded with a view of the rooftops.

 

Viru gate - one of the main entrances to the town.

 

We were the only ship in port- I get the impression this is not usually the case. We just hit it lucky.

 

Tallin Final Thoughts: As you can see, Tallin is really picture postcard perfect. It’s been really well restored and every corner you turn is just wow! 
 

Would we go back? Probably not, feel like we’ve seen all there is to see. Maybe that’s a bit harsh but it’s all about the old town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Redking]

@Scottishcloverlove your thread title. As a Scot living in NZ it really caught my attention and made me laugh. The Baltic was also our first family cruise over ten years ago. We have a photo of our two sons melting in the heat in St Petersburg, even though they lived in Australia! They are now adults so your photos are bringing back wonderful memories. Thank you.

[Boatharbour]

This is a wonderful review and I’m really enjoying reading along - especially the tips. Love your writing style.
 

I’m newly diagnosed with a wheat allergy so the GF information is particularly helpful. It’s a whole new world for someone in their mid 60’s. 

 

We have booked the Baltic cruise in July next year but are reconsidering now that St Petersburg has been removed from the itinerary ( for good reason). 
 

Looking forward to reading more and thank you for sharing. 

[jwlane]

7 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

 

That's the russian embassy.

[Silent Penguin]

I'm enjoying your report and photos very much.  You are spot on about cruising being the easiest way to travel with a GF family member.  Getting decent GF  bread  for sandwiches and toast is the hardest part regardless of the cruiseline.   

[Scottishclover]

13 hours ago, Redking said:

@Scottishcloverlove your thread title. As a Scot living in NZ it really caught my attention and made me laugh. The Baltic was also our first family cruise over ten years ago. We have a photo of our two sons melting in the heat in St Petersburg, even though they lived in Australia! They are now adults so your photos are bringing back wonderful memories. Thank you.

Glad to have brought back some memories. I think the Baltic is a great place to cruise for families. Although our girls are young adults, Scandinavia is very family friendly with lots to do in the cities for younger children. In fact our first city break with them was to Copenhagen around 10 years ago. Have never been to NZ although my sister and her husband lived in Auckland for 5 years. We know a few folks who emigrated and live in the Bay of Plenty.

[Scottishclover]

11 hours ago, jwlane said:

That's the russian embassy.

I did wonder if that’s what it was. There were police standing watch outside and railings up to stop people entering the building.

[Scottishclover]

10 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

I'm enjoying your report and photos very much.  You are spot on about cruising being the easiest way to travel with a GF family member.  Getting decent GF  bread  for sandwiches and toast is the hardest part regardless of the cruiseline.   

I laughed when I read your point about the bread. My DH didn’t think much of the bread either. We have had many an argument on the street trying to find somewhere to eat that’s gf and vegan, so cruising just takes away the stress. I find Scandinavia in general to be way ahead of other countries when it comes to gf and gluten free choices.

[Scottishclover]

13 hours ago, Boatharbour said:

This is a wonderful review and I’m really enjoying reading along - especially the tips. Love your writing style.
 

I’m newly diagnosed with a wheat allergy so the GF information is particularly helpful. It’s a whole new world for someone in their mid 60’s. 

 

We have booked the Baltic cruise in July next year but are reconsidering now that St Petersburg has been removed from the itinerary ( for good reason). 
 

Looking forward to reading more and thank you for sharing. 

Thanks for your kind comments. My DH was diagnosed over 10 years ago with coeliac disease and we find it most challenging when travelling. Cruising gives us another option to self catering, which isn’t much of a holiday for me. If you do cruise the Baltic next year, you will find lots of gf options in the ports. We were astounded by the availability of dishes on menus, in Finland especially.

[Bill Miller]

Beautiful family and wonderful report. Thank You.

[Scottishclover]

Riga

Walk  to centre: We couldn’t 😢😢😢

 

Coffee Prices: Comparable to UK, although we did choose a cafe in the historic centre.

 

Highlights: The architecture. Loved the juxtaposition of old and new.

 

Our tip: Go to the central market to see the local grannies do their weekly shop.

 

So here’s the deal with Riga. We went in completely blind. No research, nichts, nada. Just woefully unprepared. Why? Well you can probably tell by now that we are DIYers in ports. I find the shore excursions offered by the cruise companies completely overpriced but I do understand that some cruisers enjoy the convenience they offer. I had actually booked an eco bog tour ( yes, that’s meant to say bog!!) with a local company to do a hike in a national park but unfortunately had to cancel. I discovered at the last minute we were docking at KS terminal,  couldn’t walk off the ship independently and would need to be shuttled to Riga. The last shuttle back was 3:30pm and that meant the timings were too tight.  So we were left with no option but to head into town with no idea what to do, as let’s face it we were getting nowhere fast googling with ship WiFi 😱. Anyone who has been on the Apex knows what I’m talking about.

 

We got off the shuttle and began to wander, my herd of sheep, oops I meant family, following on as usual, when DD1 piped  up, “someone on instagram says we should go to the top of St Peter’s Church.” Well, after weeks of trying to get some input about what she wanted to do, I was gobsmacked and so made a beeline for the church. So now we all know that Instagram is at least good for some things!!

Riga Rooftops. You could see for miles from the viewing platform of the church.

 

The other direction with the Daugava River. It was from here that we saw the 4 Zeppelin hangers of the Central Market and decided to visit.

 

Buildings behind the church. Riga had all the hallmarks of a Hanseatic City. I used to live in Rostock, Germany, and found the architecture in the old town quite similar .

You could see the Art Nouveau style everywhere.

 

Metzendorff House. German merchants established Riga as an important trading port.

House of the Blackheads.Beautiful buildings but not original. The building to the right is the Museum of the Occupation.

 

We were planning to visit the museum of the Occupation but in the adjacent square was an outdoor exhibition about Riga and the holocaust. We spent a lot of time here reading poignant, individual stories about the horrors that went on, and Riga’s War History. We felt a visit to the museum might just be too much after that. It was also getting pretty hot by this point so a drink was in order. 
A badly needed refreshment in the heat. 

 

The menu prompted a discussion about the Latvian language. DD1 studies German and Economics and I have a German degree but we could not make head nor tail of the Latvian or Estonian language. Normally you can make some connections to words in other languages but it was just bonkers!

Next, we went in search of the market. I had read reports that it was a bit sketchy inside - whoever thought that has obviously never been on a night out in Glasgow 😂. Honestly, the atmosphere did not feel threatening at all.

 

Latvian sweets in the central market.
 

With 2 vegans in tow we did not stop long enough in the meat or fish sections to take photos. LOL! I can tell you pork is the meat of choice in Latvia and they love their dairy. The fruit and veg selection outside was amazing. Local and very fresh. Lots of berries - Celebrity, I hope you’re reading this!! And the plants…… DDs sent pics to their green fingered papa so he could see how cheap they were.  €1 for a non- stop begonia. We have been reliably informed that they are at least £3.50 here.

 

After a wander round, we decided to head back to the shuttle bus outside Riga Castle. We did not want to be on the last one. I actually enjoyed the journey back to the ship, we drove past the National Library, through the suburbs with some shabby housing, obviously from socialist times. But that’s part of the city’s make-up and it made it feel authentic. 
 

Riga Final Thoughts: Loved everything about it. This was a replacement stop for St Petersburg and I’m so glad we got to see it. 
 

Would we go back? You bet!  I’ve already looked at flights from Edinburgh for a wee long weekend.  There’s so much more to see and we might even get to do our eco bog tour yet.

 

 

[Scottishclover]

2 hours ago, Bill Miller said:

Beautiful family and wonderful report. Thank You.

So lovely of you to comment. I appreciate it. We didn’t think our eldest daughter would still want to holiday with us after being away from home at university for a year. We were grateful to have the family time together.

[txtechmk]

We did this same cruise (with exception of one or two ports) in late May early June and had a wonderful time.  I enjoyed your pictures and you have a lovely family.  The Apex is a great ship indeed.  Thanks for sharing.

[calicakes]

10 hours ago, Scottishclover said:

I laughed when I read your point about the bread. My DH didn’t think much of the bread either. We have had many an argument on the street trying to find somewhere to eat that’s gf and vegan, so cruising just takes away the stress. I find Scandinavia in general to be way ahead of other countries when it comes to gf and gluten free choices.

Could you find good GF bread in the ports?  I would have bought a loaf and asked the waiter at the buffet or OV cafe to toast it.  I don't eat beef, so I tend to stick to the Indian food at the buffet.  

 

I consider myself "plant based" more than vegan( I do eat pasture raised eggs and pasture raised chicken).  We decided to try out Oceania after someone on one of my live blogs suggested it.  I was complaining about some of the food on Celebrity.   I think I'm going to request some special vegan/vegetarian meals on cruise next month. 

[calicakes]

Regarding Berries:  When we did a NCL cruise in June 2018, I never saw one berry on the buffet.  We were traveling with friends who were staying in a suite.  They had big bowls of berries served to them.  I think the cruise lines save the berries for the upper level suite guests.