Just Returned From Baltic

[WilCruise]

Well, it has ended all so soon. Our 6/14 cruise was great. The weather was perfect, the Star was beautiful and all that one could wish for or expect on a cruise was ours. Many of my questions prior to our cruise has been answered "real time". I now have a better understanting of the cruise and the ports but far from being an expert. However, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you future cruisers may have about the Baltic cruise. If I cannot help, I am sure my cruise mates will spot this post and will jump in to help.

 

It is good to be home though! :) :) :)

[DonahCBrown]

As we have this cruise upcoming in Sept., I'd be really interested in which excursions/tours you took and what your impressions were of each.

[dog]

Thanks for your offer re: questions. I am just starting to plan for this cruise. I'm interested in hotels for pre and post cruise, port information re: any tips you might think of that maybe you didn't know about before your trip, weather....anyone using pool, sitting out, was it windy? Thanks, J.

[WilCruise]

As we have this cruise upcoming in Sept., I'd be really interested in which excursions/tours you took and what your impressions were of each.

 

We took mostly the Princess tours. We had 30 people in our group at various age levels. Everybody enjoyed their particular excursion. It did seem that the ones that took tours that included boats (canals) really enjoyed them the most. You really can't go wrong with any of the ship's tours since most of the problem is just getting to the town center (all ports). For St. Petersburg, the 2 day tour seemed to be the best value and everybody enjoyed it. Those taking the private Red October tour for about the same price really enjoyed that as well. One change I would make is I would do the Old Town Tallin on my own. You can walk it from the ship and you would have more time to enjoy. We did not have to get any money exchanged anywhere. We were able to use U.S. dollars all of the time.

[WilCruise]

Thanks for your offer re: questions. I am just starting to plan for this cruise. I'm interested in hotels for pre and post cruise, port information re: any tips you might think of that maybe you didn't know about before your trip, weathe r....anyone using pool, sitting out, was it windy? Thanks, J.

 

We had to stay at the Airport Hilton in-bound due to the Rotary convention in Copenhagen. It was excellent and a quick train ride into downtown (Tivoli). Outbound we stayed at the First Hotel right in the center of town. We really liked it there since it was close to everything, just minutes walk to the Tivoli. The weather was perfect for us, in the 70's. We were able to use both pools on the ship except for the last sea day. Coming out of Norway was a little rough and cool. It poured rain on us for awhile in Gdansk but that was it. I would do Tallin on my own the next time. Take tours that include canal tours, they get you close and personal to some of the sites and it avoids any crowds. Go to the recommended museums/attractions for each port. If no main attractions, just take a simple tour that gets you to the center of town and most of them gave you plenty of time on your own. St. Petersburg was a disappointment to some of us. It seems to be in a state of decay. Overall, we would highly recommend this cruise and the Star-----Had a great time! I wouldn't do this trip any earlier than mid-june. Europeans start jamming things up by mid July and August.

 

Hope this helps a little.:) :) :)

[LindaMae]

Thanks for all your information. We are doing this on the 11th of June next year. I agree about all the people plus airfare changes after July.

 

You said everyone enjoyed the canal trips. Good news about Tallin . What did you do in Gnask? Did you go into Stockholm? Or any of the other cities?

 

Thanks-100% Swedish -LindaMae - we will be visiting family when we are there too!!:)

[xcountry]

Another thank you for your willingness to give others feedback on the trip. We are planning on the July 1 trip next year. I would be interested in finding out about your airfare to Copenhagen -- did you book it with the cruise or did you book it on your own? If you booked it on your own, how far in advance did you purchase your tickets? There aren't any cheap fares to CPH right now but am wondering if the fares will come down towards the end of the year or early next year (I realize that fares may come down in light of recent events...). Also, did you talk to anyone who took the train into Stockholm and did it work out okay for them?