Just Back! Baltic Ports with Jewel of the Seas

[Redrufus]

Some small points which may be of use.

1. Weather was cool but dry except for showers in Copenhagen and Stockholm. Very sunny but breezy in St. Petersburg. Coming from the East Coast of England it suited me well for touring but several Americans thought it was cold.

2. Weather has settled down well over Scandinavia and western Europe with a large anticyclone there - London, Stockholm etc. in the 70s and 80s.

3. The North Sea and Baltic were very kind - I doubt if the ship wobbled an inch over the whole period.

4. Copenhagen - Hans Christian Anderson Tour did not run. Apparently he was of sick - the Information Girl was not very helpful.

5. St Petersburg port was closed overnight as we approached due to strong winds. When opened the Oriana had to come out 2 hours+ before we could start to go in so we arrived at Midday instead of early morning. The Jewel Staff did a tremendous job re-organising 1700 Tours - and any that were cut short were given a percentage refund.

6. Talking to many other passengers we were pleased to have done our own thing in all ports except St. Petersburg. Organised groups felt they were rushed around to get everything in.

 

Hope these points may be helpful - will come back if I think of others.

[sumguy1]

Thanks for sharing the information. We are sailing in few weeks and I thought weather will be good, but now I have to be ready for showers and cold. Are you going to post a full review? We are going to do all ports on our own too and I needed some information like where the ship docks, how far it is from town, what to take to town (shuttle or public transport)... Also, what did you do when it was raining in Copenhagen and Stockholm? I think I have to come up with alterantive plans when weather is bad.. Did you go with DenRus/RO in St Petersburg, or with the RCI's excursion ? Thanks

[spearmint]

Some small points which may be of use.

.

5. St Petersburg port was closed overnight as we approached due to strong winds. When opened the Oriana had to come out 2 hours+ before we could start to go in so we arrived at Midday instead of early morning. The Jewel Staff did a tremendous job re-organising 1700 Tours - and any that were cut short were given a percentage refund.

 

Has anyone else had his/her ship arrive so late in St. Petersburg? It sounds like the refund mentioned here refers to tours arranged onboard. I am wondering what happens if passengers have arranged tours with Denrus, in such a situation, especially if the tours have been prepaid. Also, should I assume that Denrus would know that the ship is late, and be prepared to meet it at the later hour? This is a situation that I had not considered at all.

[Danish viking]

Hello Redrufus.

 

This Monday i was driving over the storebælt bridge(the big bridge between Sealand and Funen in Denmark) when Jewel was sailing right under us.

 

I was in Jutland to see 2 soccer games, first Kolding FC against my team Køge BK (we won 1-3) an then we saw Vejle BK against BK Skjold.

Vejle had to loose if Køge wants to move up in the Danish Premier league, but Vejle won 4-1.

 

And it was on the way home i saw Jewel of the Seas.

[swdke]

Hello Redrufus.

 

This Monday i was driving over the storebælt bridge(the big bridge between Sealand and Funen in Denmark) when Jewel was sailing right under us.

 

I was in Jutland to see 2 soccer games, first Kolding FC against my team Køge BK (we won 1-3) an then we saw Vejle BK against BK Skjold.

Vejle had to loose if Køge wants to move up in the Danish Premier league, but Vejle won 4-1.

 

And it was on the way home i saw Jewel of the Seas.

 

 

Hej Danish Viking,

 

Hvor dan gar det? I was courious as to why do the ships sailing to the Baltics from Copenhagen go around Fyn? Why don't they just sail south of Copenhagen, under the Oresund bridge, and on to Sweden and beyond. Is the water shallow? When I sailed the Star Princess last July, I was totally surprised we were going the "long" way around. What's the deal?

 

Og, and it sounds like you enjoyed the football match. Will you be going to the World Cup in Berlin?

 

Med venlig hilsen,

Steve

[Juliadlf]

Has anyone else had his/her ship arrive so late in St. Petersburg? It sounds like the refund mentioned here refers to tours arranged onboard. I am wondering what happens if passengers have arranged tours with Denrus, in such a situation, especially if the tours have been prepaid. Also, should I assume that Denrus would know that the ship is late, and be prepared to meet it at the later hour? This is a situation that I had not considered at all.

 

You should have purchased trip insurance which covers not only your cruise but also any tours you are obligated to pay for if you miss a port., ie not booked through the cruiseline. Some tour companies do not charge you but there are those that do.

Check with the company you purchased cruise insurance with to see what they do/don't cover.

 

Julia

[Pugdog007]

Can you tell me if JOS docks next to Akerhaus Castle in Oslo?

[JodiBB]

Pugdog...when we were on the Jewel last summer, we docked right next to Akerhaus Castle.

 

Redrufus...sorry to hear how the weather didn't cooperate in some ports, but it sounds like you had a great attitude and didn't let it ruin your vacation.

[Redrufus]

This is not a full report but I will try to answer the questions raised.

1. Don't worry about the temperatures from now on - the area should be quite warm after early June.

2. I would recommend buying the Cruise Ship's Shuttle Tokens (4$ single) as you can always get a refund if not used. (Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallin).

They are not needed at Oslo as the ship docks near Akerhaus Castle).

At Helsinki tickets are purchased at the pier.

3. Copenhagen is walkable but we used the Shuttle as it was showery.

Stockholm was not really walkable.

Helsinki too far in the time available.

St Petersburg - not possible even if you are going independent.

Tallin - quite walkable, but the shuttle saves a little time.

4. All shuttle were efficient - as one fills up and goes the next is there ready.

5. If it rains in Copenhagen ( or if it doesn't!) go for a canal trip. Just walk up to the Nyhaven Dock and pay. But if it's raining make sure you choose a boat with a a perspex cover - some of our passengers didn't and they got soaked! The route and commentary is very good.

6. I did wave to you, Danish Viking! The reason we went the long way round is because the bridge joining Denmark to Sweden has a channel of only 5.5 metres and Jewel has a draught of 6.5 metres.

7. I don't know anything about arrangements made by Denrus or Red October for late arrival - but apparently closing the port is a very rare occurence. (There was a 35 mph wind from the west - St. Petersburg was breezy but very sunny - temp was around 17C but did reach 24C out of the wind.)

8. In Stockholm it was dry in the morning (but we visited the Vasa museum) but it rained for a time in the afternoon when we walked the Old Town.

Take a ferry to the Museum site but note it doesn't run from all locations except at the weekend.

 

Some further thoughts - there is a boat trip at Helsinki operating from the Market Place. It goes out around the islands and bays - not inland. Lasts about 90 minutes. Covered and open seats, refreshments available.

 

In Oslo taking the Ferry to the Museum 'Island' is fast and efficient. Viking, Kon Tiki, Fram, etc. museums.

 

Maps - those provided by the Jewel are good (but no scale) and together with those from the local tourist office (very good) are all you need. I wasted much time downloading town maps from the internet and didn't really use them.

 

Bye for now!.

[spearmint]

Thank you for the information, redrufus. Good thread. It was very helpful.

Juliadlf, I had forgotten about the cancellation insurance; I got it for the trip some months ago, and although I had mentioned it to my TA, I do not believe that excursions are included, and I had planned to purchase it if/when I booked the Denus tour. Your advice was a timely reminder.:)

[sumguy1]

Redrufus

Thanks for sharing the information with us. It is very helpful

- Since we have the Copenhagen card and Stockholm card, I was hoping I could use them for public transport from/to the port. Do you recall seeing any buses close to the ports area in Copenhagen and Stockholm? (other than the Hop On Hop Off buses)

- In Copenhagen canal tour, was it like one boat every half hour, or more than one boat every half hour so that you can choose a one with roof? Were they run by DFDS?

Thanks

[Pugdog007]

So where do you go to purchase shuttle tokens on the ship? So the ship offers a shuttle from the pier to city center in every port? Sorry I'm not sure I understand.

[Danish viking]

@ swdke.

 

The Øresund Bridge between Sweden and the small islands of Saltholm and Peberholm is too low (about 55 m.) for the big cruise ships and the Channel "drogden" between the airport and Saltholm and peberholm is to shallow.

 

But the Port of Copenhagen are planing a new Cruise terminal and they also going to dig the Drugden Channel deeper. so the ships can enter the baltic sea by that route.

But they can´t dig too deep because of the Road/Rail tunnel going under so there are a possibility of digging until 10 meters deep.

 

All off todays cruise ship (exluded QM2) will be able to sail in the Channel, Freedom of the seas for example will have a clearance of only 1,4 meters to the bottom of the channel and QM2´s draft is 10 meters and she will not be able to sail through.

 

@ sumguy1

 

Bus number 26 is going to Østerport train station, Kongens Nytorv, Town hall square, Central station and further out to Ålholm Plads from Færgehavn Nord and Langeliniekaj.

 

Number 26 also stops at Sundkrogsgade on the Way to Færgehavn Nord and Sundkrogsgade are close to the cruise terminal at Orientkaj and Kronløbsbassinet.

This is the docks that Star Princess, Costa Magica, MSC Lirica, Amsterdam and others are using.

 

Look at the blue line on this map, Kronløbsbassinet is just under Orientkaj.

 

[Danish viking]

@ swdke.

 

No i am not going because Denmark became 3th in our qualification group and only number 1 is going to the world cup and number 2 are in the playoffs.

Ukraine became first and Tyrkey lost to Switzerland in the playoff.

 

But im happy today because our arch rivals Sweden only get a draw agains tiny Trinidad & Tobaco.

 

Another reason is that the tickets for the Final in Berlin is sky high and also sold out, but just to watch a game in any of the 12 host cities will be a experience for a lifetime.

But it was at nightmare just to get the tickets.

 

So all cruisers heading for Hamburg and Berlin (Rostock and Warnemunde) under the world cup have a good time and join the party.

[Redrufus]

Hi Pugdog007.

The Shuttle Tokens for Copenhagen, Stockholm and Tallin are purchased from Guest Relations on Deck 4. Those for Helsinki are purchased on the Pier after leaving the ship. All buses take you to the Town Centres. The Drop Off/Pick up points are marked on the maps provided by the ship. Talks for each town are also given on the ship. The directions are useful, the sales talk less so.

Hi Sumguy1.

DFDS does run canal trips but I believe there are other companies too. The shuttle drop off point is not far from the Harbour - if you go there first you can plan your day accordingly. Can't help you with the buses - there were too many around the ship to notice specifically (most were there to pick up the ship's tours).

[juliedawg]

Am leaving next week for Baltic cruise. Will you be more specific about your experiences in Helsinki? I am on the Marco Polo and will only be in port for a few hours. Will not be doing any ship tours. Thanks.

[JodiBB]

Redrufus

- Since we have the Copenhagen card and Stockholm card, I was hoping I could use them for public transport from/to the port. Do you recall seeing any buses close to the ports area in Copenhagen and Stockholm? (other than the Hop On Hop Off buses)

Thanks

We purchased the Stockholm card too...I believe we still purchased the shuttle tix to get into town and then used the busses from there...I seem to remember that there was a tram that dropped you off close to the port, but I don't remember the line number....with the booklet you received with your Stockholm card, you'll probably be able to find out which line it is.

[sumguy1]

Havent received the Stockholm card yet; still in mail. But will need to know the port name, does anyone know?

For Copenhagen, I think I read somewhere that Jewel docks in Langelinie, and if so, then Bus 26 goes there as Viking said above.

[Danish viking]

Yes Jewel of the seas and next year also Navigator of the seas will dock at langeliniekaj.

[allcuu]

Hi Thank you for your comments. What did you think of the ship? were the staff friendly, facilities good etc. ??:)

 

 

 

 

 

Some small points which may be of use.

1. Weather was cool but dry except for showers in Copenhagen and Stockholm. Very sunny but breezy in St. Petersburg. Coming from the East Coast of England it suited me well for touring but several Americans thought it was cold.

2. Weather has settled down well over Scandinavia and western Europe with a large anticyclone there - London, Stockholm etc. in the 70s and 80s.

3. The North Sea and Baltic were very kind - I doubt if the ship wobbled an inch over the whole period.

4. Copenhagen - Hans Christian Anderson Tour did not run. Apparently he was of sick - the Information Girl was not very helpful.

5. St Petersburg port was closed overnight as we approached due to strong winds. When opened the Oriana had to come out 2 hours+ before we could start to go in so we arrived at Midday instead of early morning. The Jewel Staff did a tremendous job re-organising 1700 Tours - and any that were cut short were given a percentage refund.

6. Talking to many other passengers we were pleased to have done our own thing in all ports except St. Petersburg. Organised groups felt they were rushed around to get everything in.

 

Hope these points may be helpful - will come back if I think of others.

[Redrufus]

Hi, Allcuu.

The Staff were very good and attentive. I rated the facilities, talks, etc as excellent. I would go again on the Jewel.

... but remember you will always meet the 'Moaners' though we met very few of them on this trip!

 

Hi, Julidawg.

The last Shuttle left at 4pm so our time was limited but we did manage to visit the very large department store (Stockmans) which is next to the Shuttle Drop-off point, the Market Square (very interesting), a boat trip (several boats go from here - about every half hour), the Uspenski Cathedral (Ortodox) and the Lutheran Cathedral. All within walking distance.

There is a Tour Bus which runs around Helsinki but we did not look into this.

 

Weather Update - this week's trip is getting a lot of sun and with temperatures often above 20C/70F.

[eyes]

Your informationhas been so helpful we are the Jewel departing July 1. Can you give me any information on ship shuttles from the port to town in Stockholm, Helsinki and Talinn? We are planning on doing these prots on our own and I am trying to plan the best way into the centre of town. thanks.

[Redrufus]

Sorry for the delay, Eyes, but my comments of June 10th should answer your question. To clarify it - buy shuttles tickets on the ship (4$ each) for Stockholm and Tallinn (refundable if you don't use them) and on the Pier at Helsinki. When you get off the ship the Shuttle buses will be waiting - they run continuously as they fill up and take you to the 'Pick-up' point marked on the ship's maps you will be given.

If you are not on a tour this is by far the best way to get into the town centres.

If it's a nice day Tallinn is quite walkable.

[mcca2]

Just returned from The June 7 sailing Jewel OTS to the Baltics. We had fantastic weather, DH got sunburned in Oslo, and the ship, facilities and crew were wonderful. Can't praise her too highly. Wonderful ship and a great cruise. Will be doing a review shortly.