LIVE from Celebrity Apex: Best of Scandinavia May 25, 2023

[num1crewsfam]

We are doing this cruise in August…thanks for sharing! Loving all your pics!

[Ciaranaman]

15 hours ago, love2crews. said:

 

Jane, 

 

This makes me so happy!  You will love Consu and her tour.  We would love to hear about your experience after your sailing in July.

 

She answers emails very quickly and thoroughly.

 

I took me a while to find a good guide on the island.  Not a lot of options.  We are so grateful we found Consu!! ☺️

First-hand recommendations are everything!  I've bookmarked her website for this cruise next Spring!

Bernadette

[wendyam76]

Thank you for your amazing review! The market in Helsinki has some amazing snacks - I’m sure a lot are fish based but I remember some cinnamon buns (Korvapuusti) we loved and blueberry pie (Mustikkapiirakka). Oh and salty licorice - salmaiakki. As for mocktails I’d challenge the barmen in Retreat Lounge and Eden to make you something. If the martini bar isn’t busy they could probably do some too. 
Wendy

Edited May 29, 2023 by wendyam76

[Jim_Iain]

On 5/28/2023 at 12:23 PM, love2crews. said:

I'm not tech savvy at all.  I know there is a way to test wifi/internet speed.  I will happily do that if someone can instruct me how. 

You can either download app Speed Test by Ookla  or just google Speed Test on any browser and select Ookla

[love2crews.]

May 30: Helsinki Porvoo

 

We had a tour planned to start at 12pm with Ralf from Tours By Locals.  We had to set our clocks ahead last night.  This always messes with my head.  We set our alarms and also a timer, just to be safe.  Well, we were still an hour off.  Fortunately, we still had about an hour and a half to get ready and eat.  We only realized what time it was when my mom turned on the tv and it showed the local times.  Our phones did not automatically update...

 

A major glitch (in my opinion) is that the only food available on the ship on port days between 11-12 is room service.  And if you aren't in the Retreat, you have to pay delivery plus gratuity.  Even Oceanview is closed to get ready for breakfast.  

 

So we immediately called in room service once we realized what time it was.

 

 

We told Ralf we would be about 10-15 mins late.  He was waiting for us right as we got off the ship.  We headed directly to the Sibelius Monument to try and beat the crowds.  There were a couple tour buses there already, but it didn't feel too crowded.  We lucked out and saw lots of ducklings.  We also got some ice cream, raspberry licorice.

 

 

 

 

 

From there, we headed to Porvoo where we walked around and saw the church.  We also stopped for some "runebergin" at a cafe named "Hanna Maria."  We really enjoyed them.  I liked them better than our Swedish cinnamon buns yesterday.  We sampled some chocolate at Brunberg, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed back to Helsinki and stopped at the covered market where we tried reindeer sausage (like salami), reindeer gyro meat, and fried herring.  We loved all three things and bought some reindeer sausage to take home.  We saw some really cool foods, including the biggest meringue I've ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The open air market is right next to the covered market so we walked through quickly and picked up lots of lingonberry jam for friends/family at home.  It is made locally in Finland and we had a sample-quite tasty.

 

Ralf drove us around the city and showed us the major highlights.  We drove past the seaside on the way back to the pier and we were back on the ship around 5:40.

 

 

 

 

Tour Provider Info:

Tours By Locals

Ralf L.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by love2crews.

[love2crews.]

20 hours ago, wendyam76 said:

Thank you for your amazing review! The market in Helsinki has some amazing snacks - I’m sure a lot are fish based but I remember some cinnamon buns (Korvapuusti) we loved and blueberry pie (Mustikkapiirakka). Oh and salty licorice - salmaiakki. As for mocktails I’d challenge the barmen in Retreat Lounge and Eden to make you something. If the martini bar isn’t busy they could probably do some too. 
Wendy

 

Thank you, Wendy!

 

We did end up going to the market.  It was amazing!  Yes, lots of fresh fish, especially salmon.  It looked sooo fresh and delicious.

 

We tried some salty licorice in Visby and were very surprised!  It was like eating salt tablets, even Consu was shocked with how salty there were.  Maybe we got the wrong thing!

 

We will have to do that for our next mocktails.  I forget about the Retreat lounge, we'll have to stop in and ask for a surprise!

 

[love2crews.]

20 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

You can either download app Speed Test by Ookla  or just google Speed Test on any browser and select Ookla

 

Thank you!

 

[love2crews.]

42 minutes ago, love2crews. said:

Correction:

 

A major glitch (in my opinion) is that the only food available on the ship on port days between 11-12 is room service.  And if you aren't in the Retreat, you have to pay delivery plus gratuity.  Even Oceanview is closed to get ready for LUNCH.  (Not breakfast)

 

Sorry, I'm TIRED.  Will post dinner pics tomorrow in hopes of being more awake and my brain actually working, lol.

 

[love2crews.]

As soon as we boarded the ship from Helsinki, we stopped by Fine Cut to let them know we wanted to have dinner there.  It was about 5:45.  We were all exhausted so we asked if it'd be possible to order and have it brought up room service style.  They said absolutely, so we placed our order and headed up to the room.

 

We walked in to find our monogrammed pjs!  So fun!

 

 

Around 6:30pm, Eli rang the doorbell and had all our food.  He set everything up so nicely and everything was delicious.  Not as good as it would have been had we dined in the restaurant, but that's understandable.

 

 

 

We also had some virgin piña coladas after dinner.

 

 

We wanted to see the screen in use during a show, so we stopped by The Theater to watch Tree of Life for a bit.

 

 

Then Eli had a surprise for my sister as we are celebrating her finishing her AA in Liberal Arts and Elementary education.  He did a fantastic job with the decorations and brought us non-alcoholic wine.  So thoughtful.

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by love2crews.

[love2crews.]

May 31: Tallinn, Estonia

 

We started with room service as usual around 7:30am.  We all ordered the same thing today.  2 eggs over easy, hash browns, extra crispy bacon and toast.  It comes with sautéed mushrooms and herbed potatoes-both are excellent. Orange juice for everyone and iced lattes for my sister and I.  I think breakfast is my favorite room service meal.  The eggs are always cooked absolutely perfectly and are such a beautiful color.

 

 

We met our tour guide, Roman, at 9:00 right outside the turnstiles at the port.  We booked with Discover Estonia tours.

 

We started by visiting Kadriorg Park and Palace.  On our way there, we saw the White House (actually pink).  There were a couple tour buses which I thought were Celebrity shuttle buses, but Roman told us they were actually transporting the military.  A bunch of military men and women got out of the buses and starting walking towards the White House, where we were taking photos.  We weren't sure what was going on and neither did Roman, but we knew it was something special.  We finally figured out they were taking their official photos.  The military dogs were there too, as was the head of the Estonian military.  WOW!  Talk about being at the right place at the right time!  It was definitely something we will never forget.

 

 

A few minutes later, we were at Kadriorg Palace.  It was soooo pretty and it was like we had it to ourselves since we were there pretty early.  Highly recommend stopping here.

 

 

After that, we drove to see the Jägala waterfall, which is a must see hidden gem.  Again, we were pretty much the only ones here.  So peaceful and serene; like being in the middle of a fairytale scene.   Photos DO NOT do it justice!!

 

 

 

 

For lunch, we snacked in "Balti Jaama Turg" food hall.  We had some amazing meat soup, sauerkraut pastries, rye bread and crepes.  We tried some pickles from the produce vendors too.

 

 

 

Then to "Selver" grocery store to pick up some candy.  "Kalev" is very popular here.

 

 

We ended the day with a walking tour of Old Town.  We had the Marzipan Museum on our list and we picked up some beautifully painted marzipan.  We also stopped in "III Draakon" which was like walking into medieval times.  The food smelled wonderful and it looked like a fun experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our tour ended at 3pm and we walked back to the ship.  It's a new cruise terminal and very nice inside.

 

Roman was very knowledgable and told us he also offers food and "door" tours, so he was able to point out all the doors and explain the history behind them when we were walking around the Old Town.  Very fascinating!

 

 

Tour Provider Info:

Discover Estonia

Roman

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by love2crews.

[love2crews.]

For dinner, we went to Raw on 5, but not for sushi.  We went for Taj X, the Indian dinner we signed up for on embarkation day.  It started at 6pm (there was a second seating at 8pm) and we were given everything on the menu.  We were able to choose our dessert, but since there were 3 of us and 3 choices, we got one of each.

 

 

Everything was delicious!  They didn't have garlic naan or chicken tikka masala, which are two of our favorites, but we still enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The falooda, rose dessert, was so yummy!  It was my favorite out of the 3.

 

 

 

 

 

Our server told us this was the first Taj X on the Apex, or on an Edge class ship for that matter.  He said it's normally on the Solstice and Millennium classes.  When I asked him how people find out about it, he said they invite some of the customers who dine at Raw on 5.  Some of the servers in the main dining room invite their guests too.  If you enjoy Indian food, I recommend asking Raw on 5 about this on embarkation day.  The seating was very limited.

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by love2crews.

[librarylady19]

Wow that dinner sounds great. We were planning on trying Raw on 5 during our TA a it will inquire about the Indian dinner too. What was the cost? 

[Jim_Iain]

On 5/30/2023 at 10:35 AM, love2crews. said:

 

Thank you!

 

Looks consistent to what we experienced on Apex in the Caribbean, Trans-Atlantic and British Isles.

 

Looks like a pretty solid connection.

[Jim_Iain]

7 hours ago, love2crews. said:

Our server told us this was the first Taj X on the Apex, or on an Edge class ship for that matter.  He said it's normally on the Solstice and Millennium classes.  When I asked him how people find out about it, he said they invite some of the customers who dine at Raw on 5.  Some of the servers in the main dining room invite their guests too.  If you enjoy Indian food, I recommend asking Raw on 5 about this on embarkation day.  The seating was very limited.

 

 

Wondering if they were telling you that to hype the experience.   They offered it both on the TransAtlantic and the British Isle Cruise.   Lyle, the Retreat Host had told us about it and wanted to know if we were interested.   We are not big on Indian Food and declined.

 

 

[love2crews.]

6 hours ago, librarylady19 said:

Wow that dinner sounds great. We were planning on trying Raw on 5 during our TA a it will inquire about the Indian dinner too. What was the cost? 

It was $45 per person plus 18% gratuity

[love2crews.]

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Wondering if they were telling you that to hype the experience.   They offered it both on the TransAtlantic and the British Isle Cruise.   Lyle, the Retreat Host had told us about it and wanted to know if we were interested.   We are not big on Indian Food and declined.

 

 

Very possible.  I was surprised when our server said it was the first time, so I asked him again to make sure.

 

Perhaps it was a misunderstanding due to a language barrier.  Thanks for clarifying.

[love2crews.]

On 5/29/2023 at 2:14 AM, cqtiger said:

With the post cruise tours do they take your luggage on the bus

 

Yes.  I talked to the shore excursions desk today and confirmed they put your luggage on the bus with you.

 

[love2crews.]

Tomorrow we're taking the train from Warnemünde to Berlin.

 

Has anyone done this before?  Any insight?  Are there snacks/drinks, is it scenic, comfortable?  Any pics?

 

I'm a major planner/researcher and haven't had much luck finding any good info about it.

[thatavidreader]

I am looking at a similar itinerary later this year. I found this thread discussing the train trip to berlin that may be helpful @love2crews.

 

[love2crews.]

Just now, thatavidreader said:

I am looking at a similar itinerary later this year. I found this thread discussing the train trip to berlin that may be helpful @love2crews.

 

 

You are AMAZING!!!!  THANK YOU TONS!!!! 🤩

[Silkroad]

18 hours ago, love2crews. said:

For dinner, we went to Raw on 5, but not for sushi.  We went for Taj X, the Indian dinner we signed up for on embarkation day.  It started at 6pm (there was a second seating at 8pm) and we were given everything on the menu.  We were able to choose our dessert, but since there were 3 of us and 3 choices, we got one of each.

Thanks so much for posting your experience at the Taj X dinner. We loved our Taj X dinner on our Baltic cruise (aboard Silhouette). Our dinner was in 2018, so it’s lovely to see that Taj X has survived the cutbacks. We board Apex for a b2b in July, so I’ll look for information about the dinner. Though I recall feeling too full to try dessert, I will make it a point to try the falooda😋 

[love2crews.]

Just now, Silkroad said:

Thanks so much for posting your experience at the Taj X dinner. We loved our Taj X dinner on our Baltic cruise (aboard Silhouette). Our dinner was in 2018, so it’s lovely to see that Taj X has survived the cutbacks. We board Apex for a b2b in July, so I’ll look for information about the dinner. Though I recall feeling too full to try dessert, I will make it a point to try the falooda😋 

 

It's a pretty light dessert.  I hope you have room to try it! ☺️

[lostchild]

2 hours ago, love2crews. said:

Tomorrow we're taking the train from Warnemünde to Berlin.

 

Has anyone done this before?  Any insight?  Are there snacks/drinks, is it scenic, comfortable?  Any pics?

 

I'm a major planner/researcher and haven't had much luck finding any good info about it.

Heh I am waiting for your report LOL.   We didn't book that because I saw the train ride was 2 to 3 hours and I think each way?   That could be 5 to 6 hours roundtrip on train.. just seem like a lot of train for us.   We book the tour to the Duke castle because my wife loves Bridgerton especially the Duke in it LOL.   

 

BTW, the Discover Estonia tour you were on, was it a cruise tour or independent one you booked?   Thank you for all the posting and pictures.   They are amazing.  I love the food pictures since I am a foodie.   And all the information you posted are very valuable too from internet speed to no food at buffet between 11 to 12 on shore days.   

[love2crews.]

25 minutes ago, lostchild said:

Heh I am waiting for your report LOL.   We didn't book that because I saw the train ride was 2 to 3 hours and I think each way?   That could be 5 to 6 hours roundtrip on train.. just seem like a lot of train for us.   We book the tour to the Duke castle because my wife loves Bridgerton especially the Duke in it LOL.   

 

BTW, the Discover Estonia tour you were on, was it a cruise tour or independent one you booked?   Thank you for all the posting and pictures.   They are amazing.  I love the food pictures since I am a foodie.   And all the information you posted are very valuable too from internet speed to no food at buffet between 11 to 12 on shore days.   

 

I'll definitely be posting a detailed report, especially since information is so hard to come by for Berlin.

 

The Discover Estonia tour is an independent shore excursion.  The only tour we booked with the cruise line is Berlin and that's because I'm a worry wart and wouldn't be able to enjoy the tour knowing we'd have such a long journey back to the port on our own.  I want the assurance knowing the ship will wait for us.  Worth the peace of mind to me.

 

Have not see Bridgerton, but just looked up Duke's Castle and it is beautiful!  

 

It was definitely pricey.  I booked early when there was a sale and we are saving about $220 PER PERSON compared to if we were to book onboard.  That's a huge savings with the 3 of us.

 

I asked around on the ship today and it seems it's about a 2.5 hour train ride each way, so you are correct.  One person said snacks are onboard, another said they are not.  One person said it's scenic, the other said it's not.  We were also told there is no wi-fi or charging outlets.  I figured there wouldn't be, but couldn't hurt to ask.  Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised.  🤞  We are bringing some packaged trail mix and granola bars just in case.  

 

Something worth mentioning...  when you book the tour online in the cruise planner, it shows it's a 12 hour tour from 8am to 8pm.  However, when we looked at the printed shore excursion tickets, it says we need to be in The Theater at 7am...  I asked about the time difference and wasn't too happy with the answer, but oh well.  It is a 12 hour tour, but you have to be there an hour early.  I get it, but why not just say the tour starts at 7am?  Makes more sense to me, but I'm not in charge of shore excursions, lol.

[love2crews.]

Another thing we learned.  We had pre-purchased the unlimited photo package in the cruise planner.  When you are onboard, you have to go to the photo area and ACTIVATE the package.  It is not automatic so DO NOT assume the pictures will find their way to you.