Just Returned - Baltics and JOS

[maxcat500]

Hello everyone - This board was so helpful when I was reaserching for our trip, I wanted to return the favor to those of you who are in the process of preparing for your cruise. We sailed on the JOS from Harwich July 1 to July 13, 2006.

 

Ship: The Jewel is a beautiful ship; the crew was fabulous; Chops was wonderful; the Windjammer was very good; and the Tides was disappointing in service and food. Of exceptional note; our cabin steward Marlon Aft #7174 (LOVED the Aft cabin; talk about views), Freddie in the Champagne Bar, and Kristina and Marko in Chops!!

 

We chose to do most of the ports on our own (using Rick Steves Scandinavian guide book)and found the ship's shuttle service to be perfect!

Oslo: We were very fortunate and had an old family friend living in Oslo who was our tour guide for the day. Beautiful city and country!

Copenhagen: Thanks to our friends, they told us of an area off the tourist track with wonderful little cafe's and bistros. Coincidentally, Rick Steve's book also recommended this area and lunch was very nice. The locals were all to happy too help with recommendations and we provided great conversation as well. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the area, but let me know if you're interested and I'll get it for you. Took a canal cruise in the afternoon; nice.

Stockholm: Did the hop on-hop off bus. Again, a great way to see the sights. Got off at the Vasa museum and absolutely loved it. An incredible feat in raising and restoring the ship. Lunch - loved those street vendor "hot dogs" - seriously.

Helsinki: This was our only ship's tour. Within a couple of hours we were reminded why we dislike ships tours -- has something to do with a herd of cattle. Small but interesting harbor-side, open air market; beautiful countryside. Lunch was at a horse ranch (Dressage) and fair warning for "grandmother's special dish". Loved experiencing true Finnish culture, however, grandma's special dish was more like "surprise". The ranch and the animals were absolutely beautiful and the family was very kind. However, wish we'd found a street vendor before hand. Didn't eat until after 3pm.

St. Petersburg: As most of you have read, St. Petersburg is THE highlight of the cruise. I made tour arrangements with DenRus for 15 of us. Olga Tarasova was my tour organizer and Nadya Alkekseeyeva was our INCREDIBLE guide. Although I'm sure that all the private tour companies in St. P are very good - I cannot say enough good things about DenRus, Olga T. and Nadya!!! Our first day, I became sick at Peterhof and she literally argued with the "gate keeper" at the entrance to let me in to use the restroom. Ah -- success!! Whew! I do not want to violate any of the rules for postings for tour companies and guides so, you are more than welcome to email me directly for more detailed information (not about me getting sick but rather about DenRus and/or Nadya). Flexible, professional, very knowledgeable, fun, funny, reliable and boy -- did they make things happen. Real quick. Our group had 7 guys that were dying to hit the clubs on Saturday night. First thing Saturday morning we asked Nadya if it would be possible to arrange a guide. Late in the day, another guide Olga agreed to take our guys out and Micha (our driver) also agreed to drive that night as well. Both Olga and Micha had worked a full day with tours on Saturday and both had early morning tours for Sunday, yet they were more than willing to help make our time in St. P that much more memorable. Now that's customer service!!! Some highlights of our 2-days consisted of yes, favorite places, Peterhof, Hermitage, Peter/Paul Fortress but also, lunch in a very good Russian restaurant, a hydrofoil trip back from Peterhof to St. P., a ride on the Metro (I know, a subway - but WHAT a subway), a 2 hr canal cruise with lunch, and a very interesting trip to a very local market. No tourists there folks. Again - if you want more detailed info - email me at my email address below in signature. I'd love to share more with you!!

Tallin: What a wonderful, town. Loved it! The main town square is bustling with shops and cafe's and the people, oh my gosh, friendly as friendly can be.

 

Currencies: We used our credit card whenever possible which was most of the time. However, we did exchange about $50 USD for local currency, "just in case". Sometimes we used it all and other times we didn't. But not to worry, the ship will buy it back from you, bills that is; not coin. However, Russia and Estonia do not allow the ship to distribute their currency but again, that was not an issue for us.

 

Shopping: ALL of the countries were expensive. In St. P., some shops allowed you to pay the same price in USD as was listed for Euros. Example, 547 rubles; or 42 Euro, or $42 USD CASH. Credit card was charged at the ruble rate plus whatever credit card company fee. By far, Tallin seemed to be the most pocket-book friendly.

 

Tipping:

Ship: Put the recommended tips on our Sea Pass Card, and used the envelopes for those we wanted to tip more.

Helsinki guide/driver: 10 Euro per person (guide) 5 Euro per person (driver)

DenRus Guide/Driver: We were all (15 of us) were SO impressed and pleased with our experience, we tipped 15% (USD) of the overall cost; 70% Nadya and 30% Micha (driver).

 

Weather: Hmmm, funny - I thought we were supposed to be in the Baltics - but could've sworn we were in the Med. Not 1 day below 80 degrees. Many days were in the mid-upper 80's and 1 or 2 even in the low 90s. This includes from the moment we landed in London to when we left London.

 

Ok questions? Did I leave something out or not enough info? Although the above is just my experience, if I've stated something incorrectly please feel free to correct. Hey, I've got a question for you ... ever seen a bridge out in the middle of the sea? You will!!

 

May all your vacations and cruises be incredible!!

 

~~Debbie

dnelson@sharis.com

[Deloresgardella]

Thanks maxcat 500 for your review. Even though we are going on an different ship (Star Princess) your suggestions are really helpful. If possible could you tell me where you ate in Copenhagen. We will be there for three days and would love some authentic food to try.

Delores

[maxcat500]

Hi Delores,

 

The name of the neighborhood is Grabordretorv (Grey Friars' Square). It's located a short walk off of the main tourist street, Stroget. Approximately in the middle of Stroget, you'll find the cross street Valkendorfsgade. Rick Steves' directions are: "Walk down Valkendorfsgade and through a passage under a rust-colored building, into the leafy and caffeine-stained Grabordretorv." You truly do walk through a passageway in a rust colored building and you emerge in a wonderful little neighborhood with 4-5 sidewalk cafes/bistros. We ate at Restaurante Phillippe. The butterfish salad was very, very good as was the potatoe omlette. Loved it!

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your visit to Copenhagen.

 

~~Debbie

[spearmint]

Thanks for your write-up maxcat 500. Nicely done. :)

 

Tallin: What a wonderful, town. Loved it! The main town square is bustling with shops and cafe's and the people, oh my gosh, friendly as friendly can be.

 

Did you do Tallinn on your own or take a tour? (When you do a place on your own, how do you decide where to go and what you are seeing? Research? Audio tapes? etc.) Also, when you said that Tallinn was the most pocketbook friendly, did you mean that it had the best buys?

 

 

Currencies: We used our credit card whenever possible which was most of the time. However, we did exchange about $50 USD for local currency, "just in case".

 

We plan to do the same. Did you exchange for local currency before you left home, on the ship or at each port at ATM's?

[maxcat500]

Hi Spearmint,

 

Yes, we did Tallin on our own. It's a very easy town to do on your own and at your own pace. Lots of windy cobblestone roads with nice shops and pubs/cafes. Tallin definitely had better prices for their restaurants and the shops. Best buys? For us it was.

 

Most of my research was done by reading many of the reviews and posts on this Board and finding that many cruisers found that touring the various ports on their own was fairly simple. In addition, I used Rick Steves' Scandinavian Guidebook extensively. The guidebook was perfect in helping us decide where we wanted to spend our time, especially since the time in the ports is so limited to begin with. If you're thinking of touring on your own, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Rick's book. Very thorough infomation and easy to follow and understand.

 

We did exchange for local currency on the ship. You could most likely exchange in port or use any of the many ATMs that are prevelant thoughout the cities, but for us it was pretty convenient to just exchange on the ship.

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

 

~~Debbie

[Danish viking]

The name is Gråbrødretorv.

 

It is the Blue curl on the map.

 

http://www.krak.dk/GRIDS/MAINPAGES/map.asp?mapnavfac=&mapnav=&mappixwidth=500&ResultName=&ResultAdr=&tlf=&redZoom=true&redExtent=&mapx=&mapy=&job=&POSTNR_BY=1154+K%F8benhavn+K&Adresse=Gr%E5br%F8dretorv&Tagning=4.Kort_Fors%2FKN_Sog&mfpt=&mfpl=&cspt=&cspl=&mfpstate=1&cspstate=1&mfpsize=&cspsize=&mapschange=0&x=&y=&vnr=49380&hnr=&stepinout=&scrolltop=0&maptype=1&zoomlevel=3&mapserial=kortld.krak.dk%7C617797689%7C617525689%7C72357556%7C72697556%7C641300000%7C603300000%7C42750000%7C90250000%7C500%7C400%7C50000%7C100000%7C72527556%7C617661689%7C0%7C%7C%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C1%7Cff0000%7C49380%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7Ckortkundeld.krak.dk%7C1

[DJOF]

Debbie,

Hi, We are going on JOS, Aug 6. Your post was great. The only tour we are doing is St P. It is good that all different currency is being accepted.

Thanks

Another Debbie

[Katy P.]

maxcat 500, Glad you had a wonderful time. Hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions? Where did the ship dock in Stockholm? Was the bus for the HOHO tour right near the port? Where did the ship dock in Tallinn? How far was the walk into the city center? Did you use any USD at all in St. Petersburg? Did they take any euros as well? With regards to the USD, were they only taking crisp USD bills? Did you use any rubles in Russia? Thanks for any info. :) :) :)

[maxcat500]

maxcat 500, Glad you had a wonderful time. Hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions? Where did the ship dock in Stockholm? Was the bus for the HOHO tour right near the port? Where did the ship dock in Tallinn? How far was the walk into the city center? Did you use any USD at all in St. Petersburg? Did they take any euros as well? With regards to the USD, were they only taking crisp USD bills? Did you use any rubles in Russia? Thanks for any info. :) :) :)

 

Hi Katy,

 

I'm not sure of the actual ports' names where the ship docked in Stockholm or Tallin. In both cities, there were some people who chose to walk to town but we used the shuttle. The shuttle was perfect. Got to see a lot on the way from the ship into town and it did look like quite a walk. Both Stockholm and Tallin probably would have been 20-30 minute walk versus a 10 minute drive.

 

Yes, the HOHO bus in Stockholm was pretty much at the drop off point for the ship's shuttle. The shuttle dropped us off in the middle of a small side-street next to the harbor. The HOHO bus was was located at the major intersection (behind us) where we had turned off of onto the side street. There were 2 HOHO bus companies in Stockholm. The one we used took both USD and Swedish kroner; no credit cards. I don't know about the other company.

 

In St. Petersburg we did us USD at the souvinir shops. The shops we were at took credit cards, USD, Euros, and Rubles. We did not use, or need any rubles however, and it did not matter at all what kind of condition our USD were in. Our dollars were even accepted when having to pay for the toilets. We even tipped our waiters at the restaurant we had lunch in in USD as well as our guide and driver in USD too. No problems.

 

Hope this helps! Have a great trip!!

 

~~Debbie

[maxcat500]

maxcat 500, Glad you had a wonderful time. Hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions? Where did the ship dock in Stockholm? Was the bus for the HOHO tour right near the port? Where did the ship dock in Tallinn? How far was the walk into the city center? Did you use any USD at all in St. Petersburg? Did they take any euros as well? With regards to the USD, were they only taking crisp USD bills? Did you use any rubles in Russia? Thanks for any info. :) :) :)

 

Hi Katy,

 

I'm not sure of the actual ports' names where the ship docked in Stockholm or Tallin. In both cities, there were some people who chose to walk to town but we used the shuttle. The shuttle was perfect. Got to see a lot on the way from the ship into town and it did look like quite a walk. Both Stockholm and Tallin probably would have been 20-30 minute walk versus a 10 minute drive.

 

Yes, the HOHO bus in Stockholm was pretty much at the drop off point for the ship's shuttle. The shuttle dropped us off in the middle of a small side-street next to the harbor. The HOHO bus was was located at the major intersection (behind us) where we had turned off of onto the side street. There were 2 HOHO bus companies in Stockholm. The one we used took both USD and Swedish kroner; no credit cards. I don't know about the other company.

 

In St. Petersburg we did us USD at the souvinir shops. The shops we were at took credit cards, USD, Euros, and Rubles. We did not use, or need any rubles however, and it did not matter at all what kind of condition our USD were in. Our dollars were even accepted when having to pay for the toilets. We even tipped our waiters at the restaurant we had lunch in in USD as well as our guide and driver in USD too. No problems.

 

Hope this helps! Have a great trip!!

 

~~Debbie

[White Sox]

Debbie,

We're taking 3 teenagers to the Baltics next week, and need some dress code advice. Since we're probably visiting at least one church or synagogue in every port, would it be a problem for our kids to wear shorts? I understand they need to wear long pants in the ship dining rooms. Actually, my husband would like to wear shorts on the land tours, too....

Thanks for your observations!

Ann

[maxcat500]

Debbie,

We're taking 3 teenagers to the Baltics next week, and need some dress code advice. Since we're probably visiting at least one church or synagogue in every port, would it be a problem for our kids to wear shorts? I understand they need to wear long pants in the ship dining rooms. Actually, my husband would like to wear shorts on the land tours, too....

Thanks for your observations!

Ann

 

Hi Ann,

When we were on our trip the weather was really hot and all of us in our group (28) wore shorts everyday in/out of port. The only time it may became an issue of shorts vs pants is if you're planning on going to a church/synagogue that is still practicing/holding services, rather than one that has now become more of a museum. However, a good way around this is to bring a pair of pants and slip them on/off as you arrive at the church/synagogue. That way you can remain as comfortable as possible during the rest of your day in port.

 

Dining room: Although the "official dress code" does request no shorts in the dining room, there were numerous people, male and female, of all ages who wore shorts on the casual nights. No one made an issue of anyone wearing shorts; they were all tasteful as was the shirts (guys) or summer-type tops worn by the gals. I don't recall seeing shorts in the dining room on any other nights other than casual, certainly not the formal nights.

 

Hope this helps!! Have a GREAT time!!

 

~~Debbie

[sandyruth]

a good tip when wearing shorts is to take a couple of beach sarongs which you can put in your bag and take out at the right time,also the zip on and off pants for men just zip on the bottom half when you need to,we are going in 31 days, cant wait