Baltic Port Review - July 1st - 15th (Very Long)

[spuds]

Ship - Celebrity Constellation.

 

Weather was fabulous for the whole cruise – could not ask for anything better! Seas were calm until the last day and even then they were not bad…. I have experienced far worse in the Caribbean in April.

 

Dover – Arrived in Dover by private driver (Red Hat Travel). Very good, driver was there when we got through Customs/Luggage in an 8 passenger van (for the 2 of us). We were hungry so he stopped at a road stop along the way for a bite to eat. He would have stopped at a small town pub also – but we were tired and just wanted to get Dover. We got to our B&B (Number One Guest House) and found the Hostess very accommodating. She showed us to our room, we then decided to head up to the Dover Castle (around 4:00) as it was a beautiful day and we wanted to stay awake until later. Our Hostess gave us 2 for 1 coupons so we took the Dover War Time Tunnel tour – which we made just in time. I thought this was quite interesting and worth seeing. We then walked around the grounds and headed for dinner. Had an early dinner and then early to bed. In the morning we had time so we walked to Dover’s main market street and walked around. Found a grocery store and bought some water/beer/wine for the cruise. Our Hostess had phoned and pre-arranged a taxi for us at 11:30 so we were on the ship by noon and in our room by 12:30 (no problems).

 

Stockholm (Frihammen port) – had ordered Stockholm Card from Internet (prior to cruise). Walked approx 10 minutes to street and waited for Bus # 76 which brought us very close to the Royal Palace and where the Celebrity Shuttle drops you off (as we saw people getting off when we got there). Bus # 1 also stops at Frihammen but will not bring you as close to the Royal Palace and Old Town. I believe Bus # 76 goes about every 20 minutes (they have a schedule in the bus shack).

 

We decided to make the most of our Stockholm Card so we would took the Historical Canal Tour offered by Stockholm Sightseeing (free with Stockholm Card)…. Don’t do it! It is 50 minutes of our lives that we will never get back… very boring and really nothing to see. Since the Tour started and ended close to City Hall we decided to got to City Hall Tower so we could get a panoramic view of Stockholm… we enjoyed this but we generally like to climb or go to the tall structures to see the views. We were behind a long line so we did have to wait about 30-40 minutes to go up (they only allow 30 people at a time – I think).

 

After that we were hungry but did not have any Swedish money… we saw one ATM in old town but it was out of order. Luckily, I brought a couple of croissants and bananas from the ship so we had that to keep us going.

 

We walked around old town a bit – very nice and then decided to take the ferry over to the Vasa Museum. I have to say we did enjoy the Vasa Museum – this was a surprise as I did not think we would. After that we walked over the bridge to Strandvagen and had lunch at a restaurant (that took Visa) on the water (very nice). Our bus (#76) stopped right in front of the restaurant so we caught that and were back at the Ship’s stop in about 10 minutes.

 

Was the Stockholm Card worth it? Yes, I think so… just so we did not have to worry about small local currency to take public transport.

 

Sail-away to and from Stockholm was very nice!

 

Helsinki – Once again we had purchased the Helsinki Card from the Internet. We took Bus # 16 (very close to the ship) to the Main Area of Helsinki (close to the Market Square); I believe the name of the street was Esplanade. Once again, there was a free Audio Bus Tour (with the Helsinki Card) that I was reluctant to do but we decided to try it and I actually found it quite enjoyable. They drove us around the major sites of Helsinki and made short stops at the Temppeliaukio (Rock) Church and the Sibelius Monument. The tour was around 1 ½ hours long – and it seemed to go by very fast. It dropped us off at the main area again and we walked over to the Lutheran Church and then had a rest (and a cup of coffee). We then decided to take the boat over to Suomenlinna Island and went to see the Submarine Vesikko… we found this interesting. Stopped for a beer at a local micro brewery and headed back to Helsinki. One of our Cruise Critic travellers had pre-arranged a visit at the Ice Bar in Helsinki which was fun… we enjoyed it. After that we caught our Bus #16 back to the ship for sail away. Once again – all transport and admittance to the Submarine was included in the Helsinki Card. We loved Helsinki… I know you do not hear that much… but we really did!

 

Was the Helsinki Card worth it? Once again yes only if you intend on taking the free Audio Tour, I think you can also buy a transit only card for A LOT less.

 

St Petersburg (Day One):

 

Arranged a private day with DenRus with just Jeff and myself (in an non-air-conditioned car which I was starting to regret as I did not realize the weather would be so hot – but it was not bad… we did not spend a lot of time in the car). Celebrity did do a wonderful job of organizing the people off of the ship. They asked a few days prior who had private tours and what time and they let us off based on that information. We had Independent Visas as we were doing the 2nd day on our own and I noticed they took a few extra minutes with us at the immigration booth. Our Driver (Valeri) and Guide (Kate) met us outside the booth and away we went!

 

1st stop – a small Russian Orthodox Church were a service was being held, it was just beautiful.

 

2nd stop – drive around St Petersburg and stopped at one of the major bridges for some photo op’s.

 

3rd stop – they took us to a souvenir place for what they said a cup of coffee and a washroom break. I think the guide was hoping we would buy something (they must get some kind of cut), but we are not really into souvenirs.

 

4th stop – On our way out to Peterhof we stopped at one of the Metro stations and took the underground Metro – WOW what a site… I think this is something to definitely see.

 

5th stop – Driver picked us up at the next Metro station and we drove out to Peterhof. Traffic was quite bad (due to a road closure because of the upcoming G8 summit) so it took longer then anticipated. Once at Peterhof we walked around the garden/fountains and toured the Bath House. Peterhof and the fountains were wonderful, the Bath House was OK.

 

6th stop – We virtually had to run to catch our noon Hydrofoil back to the City. This was a nice relaxing way to return (no traffic). However, our poor driver was stuck in the traffic on the way back and we actually got back to St Petersburg before him. Therefore, we walked around (a few more photo op’s at The Bronze Horseman Statue).

 

7th stop – Our driver arrived and we were to go to the Hermitage and have a quick bite and then tour. Our guide said that there are just burgers and hot dogs at the Hermitage so she suggested a restaurant close by that made ethnic Russian pies – we went there and they were very good. We did not yet have any Rubles so she paid and advised we could pay her back.

 

8th stop – Hermitage, luckily it was not crowded and we had a wonderful tour of the Hermitage. We enjoyed it much more than we thought we would. We spent a couple of hours there.

 

9th stop – St Isaac’s Cathedral

 

10th stop – drove around some more and stopped at a couple of parks

 

11th stop – stopped at another souvenir shop for coffee/washroom break. We ended up buying a couple of things there, very nice store. Also ATM close by so we could get some Rubles.

 

12th stop – Church of our Saviour (Spilled Blood).

 

13th (and final) stop - Mariinsky Theatre where we had 6:00 pm tickets to see the Symphony. I also really enjoyed this experience – it was a wonderful venue to enjoy the Symphony.

 

We left our guide and driver at the Theatre. I have to admit I was a bit nervous of how we were going to get back to ship as it would be evening and still not comfortable with the process and the horror stories of being on your own. I think our driver sensed this and advised us to look for him when we got out of the Theatre, he could not promise he would be there but would try. Sure enough when we got out he was there! He drove us straight back to the port… very thoughtful of him.

 

We were to have dinner in St Petersburg after the theatre but had cancelled the reservations while at the Hermitage as I was just starting to come down with a cold! Can’t believe it as I had not been sick for over a year and a half! Another reason I was a bit nervous on getting back to the ship as my head was very foggy.

 

St Petersburg (2nd day) – OK we are now on our own! Went up for breakfast to the buffet and sat were I could watch what was going on at the port… I wanted to see that shuttle bus with my own eyes. Sure enough there was a green/yellow bus that stopped at a shack just outside the immigration office and picked up people. I timed it and it seemed to come every 15-20 minutes. We then asked our Steward how he gets into town and he said he takes the Shuttle to the Port Gates and then a taxi into town – very easy…. And so it was. We got through the Immigration Check again and then waited for the shuttle, got on (no problems) and it dropped us off at the port gate. Went through Security at the port gate (again no problems) and were officially in St Petersburg on our own. There were a few unmarked taxis at the gate and asked how much to the City – he said $20 US… we said $15? He said No $20. We said OK – but take us to Peter Paul Fortress (which is on the other side of the City (over the bridge))…. He agreed. Very nice driver (I think his name was Balari). While driving he asked when we would be coming back. I did not want to stay much longer than 4:00 pm (to ensure we got back in time) and he said he would meet us at Kazan Cathedral at 4:00 pm…. We said OK. He was cute… he had a bunch of postcards with the majors sites so you knew where he was talking about.

 

Peter/Paul Fortress – this was nice…. We bought tickets to see the Cathedral and other buildings. After we bought our tickets a big tour group just arrived and there was a long line up so we decided to go for a walk around the grounds and walked along the riverside of the fortress. After our walk the line-up to the Cathedral was gone so we went inside. We timed it nicely as some Russian Priests were holding a small concert (singing) for a tour group and it was just beautiful.

 

After Peter/Paul Fortress we were going to go to the Artillery Museum but they closed one of the entrances to the fortress just before we got there (a lot of construction going on) so we had to walk all the way to the other entrance. We decided to make the walk back over the bridge to the Dvortsavaya pl. We enjoyed people watching a bit there and then decided to have lunch at a restaurant I had chosen from the Lonely Planet book. The name in Lonely Planet is Pogreba Monakha (the name had changed) but the address is Million**** ul 22. Very good food! I had the Smoked Salmon Bliney and Borscht and Jeff had a wonderful Pork dish with fresh vegetables… and of course we both had a Russian Beer.

 

After Lunch we just walked and walked and walked along the canals, in the parks, along Nevskly Prospekt… all over. We got to the Kazan Cathedral around 3:30 and there was an outdoor Beer Garden so decided to quench our thirst once again. I then spotted our taxi driver (who also spotted me). We had not ordered our beers yet but he told us to order enjoy, and he would be waiting for us in the car. So at 4:00 we were on our way back to the ship. I did not think he could get inside the port gates but when we got to the port gates he told us to get out go through security and he would meet us on the other side. Sure enough he was there and drove us right back to our ship. We had a few extra Rubles so went to the Souvenir shop close to the ship and spent them there.

 

I know we probably did not see as much as we would if we had the guide for both days but I wanted part of my time in Russia to be an experience of exploring on our own and I do not regret it for a minute! I now know that we can go to this great country and really have nothing to fear! It’s just like any other city – we were not afraid at all and found that everyone that we dealt with (including waitresses) spoke enough English to get by.

 

I think we could have done the public transport (Bus #22 – I saw them often) – but due to my cold I was not at the top of my game so the taxis were more convenient.

 

Note – I have a picture of the port and where the shuttle bus stops compared to the immigration office. If you would like to see the picture e-mail me at ileanep@hotmail.com.

 

Tallinn – We slept in a bit and then headed into Tallinn as all I wanted to do was walk around the town and then go for lunch somewhere. Stopped at the ATM in the small mall were we got some local currency. We found a church were you could climb the tower (258 steps to the top) for once again a panoramic view of the old town. Very pretty/Medieval town. We then walked around and stopped at the Hanna House for lunch… I was not that hungry but Jeff had a large feast of Sauerkraut and Meat and Berries… best Sauerkraut we have ever tasted (very sweet). Beer was very good also – served in Goblets. The Waitresses were also dressed up for the medieval times. I went to the washroom at the restaurant and could hardly see (very dark – only a small candle lighting it) and it smelled like an outhouse. We were on an outdoor patio and we had our Camera sitting on the outside of the table – the waitress advised us to move it as it could get stolen. Also, I noticed a guy sitting alone at a table, at first I thought he was casing people, but then I saw him get up and tell a peddler that was walking by us to go away so I guess he was kind of like a bouncer. Well, back to the ship to rest up for the next day.

 

Klaipeda – Well, this was one of our disappointing ports. I did not know what to do here so we arranged our one and only ship excursion to the Soviet Nuclear Site. It was a long drive (over an hour) to the site. It was interesting – but I have to say I am not sure how safe…. In fact I am kind of surprised Celebrity allows the excursion. It was Rusty and smelly with I am sure with some old Asbestos on the walls. We had to climb into the silo (which was not easy to do and I am a small person) and saw water (bluish/green color below… hmmm I wonder what’s in there?) Then the guide tells us below our feet we drop 27 metres to the ground (in approx 10 metres of water)… we are all standing on these grates that are rusty… I start to feel a bit panicked and just wanted to get out.

 

We then drove to see one of their lakes… “ho hum”.

 

The highlight was the restaurant pub they took us to experience their local cuisine of potatoes… the food was VERY GOOD and we also had a nice cold beer that was welcoming! The pub was packed with people and very hot!

 

The town itself is nice – I think the local people are trying to make it a good port to visit (putting on small concerts in the square) and I do hope it stays on the itinerary as its good for these places to get some tourism dollars into their economy.

 

Gdansk/Poland – we were on a private tour with Tours of Poland to see the Stutthof Concentration Camp and a small tour of Gdansk. We really enjoyed our day here and wish that the time in the port was longer. The drive to Stuttfhof was nice (seeing the country side) and although I cannot say that seeing Stutthof itself was ‘enjoyable’ it is something that I think everyone should see once in their lifetime so we remember how horrible hate can be. What the people on these concentration camps must have lived through is truly un-imaginable. Prior to the cruise I read the book ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel on his experience in Auschwitz and it really helped my visualize what his life must have been like. Our guide was wonderful in her descriptions of life in the camp.

 

After the Camp we drove back to the charming old town Gdansk… just a beautiful place. They did a fabulous job of restoring it. We walked down this street of vendors/stores selling jewellery and if I had more time I would have definitely gone crazy. From what I could see it was some of the nicest jewellery we saw on the trip. We visited the St Mary’s Church and then had about an hour on our own. We were hungry so had lunch and of course Polish Beer at an outdoor café next to St Mary’s Church. I had the mushroom/sauerkraut perogies and Jeff had Wiener schnitzel… both very good.

 

Our Tour van did have some mechanical problems but managed to get us back to the ship in time. Joanna (our guide) was great!

 

Loved Poland! And definitely see us coming back (maybe on a driving holiday)!

 

Germany – We rented a car from Hertz (via Internet) and the car was waiting for us at the port. We got there around 7:45 and the man said the car would be ready by 8:00/8:15. He was right and we were on the road by 8:15. We rented a Mercedes (got an Audi) as another couple from Cruise Critic joined us and we wanted to ensure we were comfortable. We got to Berlin in about 2 ½ hours with one stop at a Rest stop… it amazes me how clean the Rest stops are in Europe. No problems navigating around Berlin we headed toward the Zoo where I had arranged a Private Walking tour with New Berlin Tours. I thought our guide was very good. He was from New York and had been living in Berlin for a year or two. We took the train to the Brandenburg Gate and started our tour. He was a wealth of information and “shoot from the hip” commentaries… We walked and walked and walked…. This was OK, as I saw some of the traffic and I think we got places faster by walking. Highlights: Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall, Museum Area. The drive back to the ship was uneventful (until the end) when we got a little lost and were running low on gas and could not find a gas station. All went well though as we stopped asked for directions and were back on track. We got back to the ship around 8:00ish so there was plenty of time. Sail away from Warnemunde was very nice as all the locals come to the shore to send us off. A lot of people just stayed around Warnemunde and said it was a delightful town. We have absolutely no regrets about driving to Berlin as we now know it’s a place we want to come back to.

 

Copenhagen – Loved this place… the architecture and the sites are beautiful. I had purchased the Copenhagen Card over the internet as I was unsure how far the ship docked from the main sites. It turns out it is a nice walk into the Nyhaven area (where all the canal tours go from). Therefore, we walked there and took a Canal Tour ride (discount with Card). Enjoyed this very much as the weather was superb. We then walked over to the Round Tower so we could get another panoramic view of the city, we then walked around the Rosenburg grounds, there was a jazz festival going on so lots of people and music.... I had made reservations for dinner at a Restaurant in Christianhaven (Kanalen), so we took the Metro (2 stops) to get to our restaurant. It was very good but very expensive!!! 3 course dinner with approx 2 glasses of wine each set us back $300 Cdn (ouch)… but then I think everything in Copenhagen is pricey. After dinner we took a bus over to the Tivoli Gardens and walked around there until dusk to see the lights come on. Tivoli is nice to see once but I do not think I would go back. We then took a bus back close to where the ship docked (approx 10/15 minute walk)… we could have taken a bus that would get us closer but we wanted to get some pictures of a fountain lit up at night…. But the lights were not on when we got there…. So we just had a nice walk back. Would not recommend getting the Copenhagen card – did not get much use out of it except for the free transport which is convenient if nothing else.

 

Oslo – Although Oslo has a very pretty port area we were not thrilled with the port itself. We walked around the main area for awhile. Finally found out where to by tram tickets (at a 7-11 store) and took the Tram (#12) to Vigeland Park (note you validate your ticket ON the tram… we were unsure of this also). This was very nice and probably the highlight of our Oslo visit. The weather was great so it was really nice to walk around. We spent sometime there and then headed back to the main port area (with Tram #12). We had some Norwegian Kroones to get rid of so we found a place to have a ‘cheap’ beer and when I say ‘cheap’ – I mean $10 Cdn each. We just had enough Kroones to pay for it.

 

Highlights: Berlin, St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Gdansk

Pleasantly Surprised: Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn

Disappointed: Klaipeda, Oslo. Dover

 

 

Sorry for the lengthy post – if anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Travel Safe!

 

Ileane

[Danish viking]

Im glad that you had an wonderful time in Copenhagen.

 

Maybe it was cheaper for you to buy the 24 hour ticket (valid for Train, S-train, metro, busses and the waterbus in the greater Copenhagen area)

 

That restaurant was not the cheapest in Copenhagen. ;-), but there is nice in Christianshavn.

[freddiebud]

Im glad that you had an wonderful time in Copenhagen.

 

Maybe it was cheaper for you to buy the 24 hour ticket (valid for Train, S-train, metro, busses and the waterbus in the greater Copenhagen area)

 

That restaurant was not the cheapest in Copenhagen. ;-), but there is nice in Christianshavn.

 

Can you tell me more about the 24 hr ticket? Where to get it? Cost? We will be spending a few days in Copenhagen next week and can't wait to see EVERYTHING!

[Boo's Mom]

Hello Ileane !

Enjoyed your review !!!!

I love seeing a trip described, through the eyes of someone else !:)

 

We also had pierogies in Poland ! We had meat in our pierogies, though.

They had pierogies on the menu....that were filled with fruit.

Will try those next time !

 

I agree completely about Klaipeda.

And, as I researched thoroughly beforehand...and could not find a place we wanted to actually see.... I now know why.

There isn't much there.

 

But, the Lithuanian people were very precious. I wish them well.

They need to put on their thinking caps and come up with some creative tours.

I would love to work for Celebrity. I could work with the locals and come up with a few tours. :o

 

A great trip it was....

and a great cruise, via Celebrity.

[spearmint]

Hello Ileane !

Enjoyed your review !!!!

I love seeing a trip described' date=' through the eyes of someone else[/b'] !:)

 

Me, too. Thanks a lot. Boo's Mom also gave a good description of the Baltic experience. We do not go until late Aug., and every review we read gives us more insights, including do's and don't's. We have signed up for the Value Excursion from DenRus, but no other ports so far. (Lithuania is not on our itinerary.) We had been looking at ship's excursions for most (all?) of the other ports as we want to be taken to the notable sights and to be told what we are looking at. Otherwise we often wander all over the place and miss some of the most interesting spots. However, we may change our minds on this, as the total cost in Canadian Dollars is around $1000 or more. (We definitely will not pay $300 for dinner! :) ) We are still not positive about local tour companies other than DenRus, so all information from other posters on this topic is valuable to us.

[Danish viking]

You can get the 24 Hour ticket at all train stations and some supermarkets and kiosks.

 

In the airport its just right beside the stairs to the trains.

[gbphipps]

We go on the Constellation leaving Dover August 12. In Lithuania, we are thinking about going to the Palanga Amber Museum and wondered if it was feasible/practical to get a taxi in town to take us rather than spend $200 for the 4 of us to take the ship's tour. Has anyone used local taxis in Klaipeda?

You mentioned that you were disappointed in Klaipeda. Is that because of what you did or was the town disappointing as well? Thanks for any info. As others have mentioned there is not a lot of info out there on this port.

[Guest LetMeGo]

Helsinki – Once again we had purchased the Helsinki Card from the Internet. We took Bus # 16 (very close to the ship) to the Main Area of Helsinki (close to the Market Square); I believe the name of the street was Esplanade. Once again, there was a free Audio Bus Tour (with the Helsinki Card) that I was reluctant to do but we decided to try it and I actually found it quite enjoyable. They drove us around the major sites of Helsinki and made short stops at the Temppeliaukio (Rock) Church and the Sibelius Monument. The tour was around 1 ½ hours long – and it seemed to go by very fast. It dropped us off at the main area again and we walked over to the Lutheran Church and then had a rest (and a cup of coffee). We then decided to take the boat over to Suomenlinna Island and went to see the Submarine Vesikko… we found this interesting. Stopped for a beer at a local micro brewery and headed back to Helsinki. One of our Cruise Critic travellers had pre-arranged a visit at the Ice Bar in Helsinki which was fun… we enjoyed it. After that we caught our Bus #16 back to the ship for sail away. Once again – all transport and admittance to the Submarine was included in the Helsinki Card. We loved Helsinki… I know you do not hear that much… but we really did!

 

Was the Helsinki Card worth it? Once again yes only if you intend on taking the free Audio Tour, I think you can also buy a transit only card for A LOT less.

Hi

It's nice to hear somebody enjoying the city... I've lived in Helsinki all my life, and only like it for a few weeks every year.

I think it's a lot better if you only visit it for one day at a time. :D

 

I just wanted to comment that you can indeed buy a 24h bus/tram/Suomenlinna ferry pass straight from the (bus) driver, and it will cost 6€ per person (3€ for 7-16 year olds). I think there is also a family ticket for 1-2 adults and x children...

[kenokids]

Spuds...we are on the Connie 8/26 and want to rent a min-van while we are in Rostock. When we talk to Hertz, though, they say they don't know if we could be met at the ship, are very unhelpful.

 

How did you secure this? Or can anyone advise us?

 

Chase in NH

[Louise1]

Thanks for the great posting. We were in the Baltics in May and it brought back many memories. We were particularly delighted to read about your success in doing some of your touring on your own within St. Petersburg. We too did S.P. completely on our own, managed very well, found the locals very helpful, visited many historical and cultural sites, used public transportation, and had a truly extraordinary experience. We're actually surprised at how few cruisers apparently attempt it on their own. Given that air travel to S.P. from Europe is no longer neither unusual nor expensive, re-visiting the city at a later time is also a real possibility for those concerned about "missing" some of the region's gems. Admittedly, one does need to prepare for independent travel there and many people understandably prefer to be escorted by knowledgable locals, but the thrill of being free to explore on one's own is a real plus in our view.

[3beauvid]

Ship - Celebrity Constellation.

 

Weather was fabulous for the whole cruise – could not ask for anything better! Seas were calm until the last day and even then they were not bad…. I have experienced far worse in the Caribbean in April.

 

Dover – Arrived in Dover by private driver (Red Hat Travel). Very good, driver was there when we got through Customs/Luggage in an 8 passenger van (for the 2 of us). We were hungry so he stopped at a road stop along the way for a bite to eat. He would have stopped at a small town pub also – but we were tired and just wanted to get Dover. We got to our B&B (Number One Guest House) and found the Hostess very accommodating. She showed us to our room, we then decided to head up to the Dover Castle (around 4:00) as it was a beautiful day and we wanted to stay awake until later. Our Hostess gave us 2 for 1 coupons so we took the Dover War Time Tunnel tour – which we made just in time. I thought this was quite interesting and worth seeing. We then walked around the grounds and headed for dinner. Had an early dinner and then early to bed. In the morning we had time so we walked to Dover’s main market street and walked around. Found a grocery store and bought some water/beer/wine for the cruise. Our Hostess had phoned and pre-arranged a taxi for us at 11:30 so we were on the ship by noon and in our room by 12:30 (no problems).

 

Stockholm (Frihammen port) – had ordered Stockholm Card from Internet (prior to cruise). Walked approx 10 minutes to street and waited for Bus # 76 which brought us very close to the Royal Palace and where the Celebrity Shuttle drops you off (as we saw people getting off when we got there). Bus # 1 also stops at Frihammen but will not bring you as close to the Royal Palace and Old Town. I believe Bus # 76 goes about every 20 minutes (they have a schedule in the bus shack).

 

We decided to make the most of our Stockholm Card so we would took the Historical Canal Tour offered by Stockholm Sightseeing (free with Stockholm Card)…. Don’t do it! It is 50 minutes of our lives that we will never get back… very boring and really nothing to see. Since the Tour started and ended close to City Hall we decided to got to City Hall Tower so we could get a panoramic view of Stockholm… we enjoyed this but we generally like to climb or go to the tall structures to see the views. We were behind a long line so we did have to wait about 30-40 minutes to go up (they only allow 30 people at a time – I think).

 

After that we were hungry but did not have any Swedish money… we saw one ATM in old town but it was out of order. Luckily, I brought a couple of croissants and bananas from the ship so we had that to keep us going.

 

We walked around old town a bit – very nice and then decided to take the ferry over to the Vasa Museum. I have to say we did enjoy the Vasa Museum – this was a surprise as I did not think we would. After that we walked over the bridge to Strandvagen and had lunch at a restaurant (that took Visa) on the water (very nice). Our bus (#76) stopped right in front of the restaurant so we caught that and were back at the Ship’s stop in about 10 minutes.

 

Was the Stockholm Card worth it? Yes, I think so… just so we did not have to worry about small local currency to take public transport.

 

Sail-away to and from Stockholm was very nice!

 

Helsinki – Once again we had purchased the Helsinki Card from the Internet. We took Bus # 16 (very close to the ship) to the Main Area of Helsinki (close to the Market Square); I believe the name of the street was Esplanade. Once again, there was a free Audio Bus Tour (with the Helsinki Card) that I was reluctant to do but we decided to try it and I actually found it quite enjoyable. They drove us around the major sites of Helsinki and made short stops at the Temppeliaukio (Rock) Church and the Sibelius Monument. The tour was around 1 ½ hours long – and it seemed to go by very fast. It dropped us off at the main area again and we walked over to the Lutheran Church and then had a rest (and a cup of coffee). We then decided to take the boat over to Suomenlinna Island and went to see the Submarine Vesikko… we found this interesting. Stopped for a beer at a local micro brewery and headed back to Helsinki. One of our Cruise Critic travellers had pre-arranged a visit at the Ice Bar in Helsinki which was fun… we enjoyed it. After that we caught our Bus #16 back to the ship for sail away. Once again – all transport and admittance to the Submarine was included in the Helsinki Card. We loved Helsinki… I know you do not hear that much… but we really did!

 

Was the Helsinki Card worth it? Once again yes only if you intend on taking the free Audio Tour, I think you can also buy a transit only card for A LOT less.

 

St Petersburg (Day One):

 

Arranged a private day with DenRus with just Jeff and myself (in an non-air-conditioned car which I was starting to regret as I did not realize the weather would be so hot – but it was not bad… we did not spend a lot of time in the car). Celebrity did do a wonderful job of organizing the people off of the ship. They asked a few days prior who had private tours and what time and they let us off based on that information. We had Independent Visas as we were doing the 2nd day on our own and I noticed they took a few extra minutes with us at the immigration booth. Our Driver (Valeri) and Guide (Kate) met us outside the booth and away we went!

 

1st stop – a small Russian Orthodox Church were a service was being held, it was just beautiful.

 

2nd stop – drive around St Petersburg and stopped at one of the major bridges for some photo op’s.

 

3rd stop – they took us to a souvenir place for what they said a cup of coffee and a washroom break. I think the guide was hoping we would buy something (they must get some kind of cut), but we are not really into souvenirs.

 

4th stop – On our way out to Peterhof we stopped at one of the Metro stations and took the underground Metro – WOW what a site… I think this is something to definitely see.

 

5th stop – Driver picked us up at the next Metro station and we drove out to Peterhof. Traffic was quite bad (due to a road closure because of the upcoming G8 summit) so it took longer then anticipated. Once at Peterhof we walked around the garden/fountains and toured the Bath House. Peterhof and the fountains were wonderful, the Bath House was OK.

 

6th stop – We virtually had to run to catch our noon Hydrofoil back to the City. This was a nice relaxing way to return (no traffic). However, our poor driver was stuck in the traffic on the way back and we actually got back to St Petersburg before him. Therefore, we walked around (a few more photo op’s at The Bronze Horseman Statue).

 

7th stop – Our driver arrived and we were to go to the Hermitage and have a quick bite and then tour. Our guide said that there are just burgers and hot dogs at the Hermitage so she suggested a restaurant close by that made ethnic Russian pies – we went there and they were very good. We did not yet have any Rubles so she paid and advised we could pay her back.

 

8th stop – Hermitage, luckily it was not crowded and we had a wonderful tour of the Hermitage. We enjoyed it much more than we thought we would. We spent a couple of hours there.

 

9th stop – St Isaac’s Cathedral

 

10th stop – drove around some more and stopped at a couple of parks

 

11th stop – stopped at another souvenir shop for coffee/washroom break. We ended up buying a couple of things there, very nice store. Also ATM close by so we could get some Rubles.

 

12th stop – Church of our Saviour (Spilled Blood).

 

13th (and final) stop - Mariinsky Theatre where we had 6:00 pm tickets to see the Symphony. I also really enjoyed this experience – it was a wonderful venue to enjoy the Symphony.

 

We left our guide and driver at the Theatre. I have to admit I was a bit nervous of how we were going to get back to ship as it would be evening and still not comfortable with the process and the horror stories of being on your own. I think our driver sensed this and advised us to look for him when we got out of the Theatre, he could not promise he would be there but would try. Sure enough when we got out he was there! He drove us straight back to the port… very thoughtful of him.

 

We were to have dinner in St Petersburg after the theatre but had cancelled the reservations while at the Hermitage as I was just starting to come down with a cold! Can’t believe it as I had not been sick for over a year and a half! Another reason I was a bit nervous on getting back to the ship as my head was very foggy.

 

St Petersburg (2nd day) – OK we are now on our own! Went up for breakfast to the buffet and sat were I could watch what was going on at the port… I wanted to see that shuttle bus with my own eyes. Sure enough there was a green/yellow bus that stopped at a shack just outside the immigration office and picked up people. I timed it and it seemed to come every 15-20 minutes. We then asked our Steward how he gets into town and he said he takes the Shuttle to the Port Gates and then a taxi into town – very easy…. And so it was. We got through the Immigration Check again and then waited for the shuttle, got on (no problems) and it dropped us off at the port gate. Went through Security at the port gate (again no problems) and were officially in St Petersburg on our own. There were a few unmarked taxis at the gate and asked how much to the City – he said $20 US… we said $15? He said No $20. We said OK – but take us to Peter Paul Fortress (which is on the other side of the City (over the bridge))…. He agreed. Very nice driver (I think his name was Balari). While driving he asked when we would be coming back. I did not want to stay much longer than 4:00 pm (to ensure we got back in time) and he said he would meet us at Kazan Cathedral at 4:00 pm…. We said OK. He was cute… he had a bunch of postcards with the majors sites so you knew where he was talking about.

 

Peter/Paul Fortress – this was nice…. We bought tickets to see the Cathedral and other buildings. After we bought our tickets a big tour group just arrived and there was a long line up so we decided to go for a walk around the grounds and walked along the riverside of the fortress. After our walk the line-up to the Cathedral was gone so we went inside. We timed it nicely as some Russian Priests were holding a small concert (singing) for a tour group and it was just beautiful.

 

After Peter/Paul Fortress we were going to go to the Artillery Museum but they closed one of the entrances to the fortress just before we got there (a lot of construction going on) so we had to walk all the way to the other entrance. We decided to make the walk back over the bridge to the Dvortsavaya pl. We enjoyed people watching a bit there and then decided to have lunch at a restaurant I had chosen from the Lonely Planet book. The name in Lonely Planet is Pogreba Monakha (the name had changed) but the address is Million**** ul 22. Very good food! I had the Smoked Salmon Bliney and Borscht and Jeff had a wonderful Pork dish with fresh vegetables… and of course we both had a Russian Beer.

 

After Lunch we just walked and walked and walked along the canals, in the parks, along Nevskly Prospekt… all over. We got to the Kazan Cathedral around 3:30 and there was an outdoor Beer Garden so decided to quench our thirst once again. I then spotted our taxi driver (who also spotted me). We had not ordered our beers yet but he told us to order enjoy, and he would be waiting for us in the car. So at 4:00 we were on our way back to the ship. I did not think he could get inside the port gates but when we got to the port gates he told us to get out go through security and he would meet us on the other side. Sure enough he was there and drove us right back to our ship. We had a few extra Rubles so went to the Souvenir shop close to the ship and spent them there.

 

I know we probably did not see as much as we would if we had the guide for both days but I wanted part of my time in Russia to be an experience of exploring on our own and I do not regret it for a minute! I now know that we can go to this great country and really have nothing to fear! It’s just like any other city – we were not afraid at all and found that everyone that we dealt with (including waitresses) spoke enough English to get by.

 

I think we could have done the public transport (Bus #22 – I saw them often) – but due to my cold I was not at the top of my game so the taxis were more convenient.

 

Note – I have a picture of the port and where the shuttle bus stops compared to the immigration office. If you would like to see the picture e-mail me at ileanep@hotmail.com.

 

Tallinn – We slept in a bit and then headed into Tallinn as all I wanted to do was walk around the town and then go for lunch somewhere. Stopped at the ATM in the small mall were we got some local currency. We found a church were you could climb the tower (258 steps to the top) for once again a panoramic view of the old town. Very pretty/Medieval town. We then walked around and stopped at the Hanna House for lunch… I was not that hungry but Jeff had a large feast of Sauerkraut and Meat and Berries… best Sauerkraut we have ever tasted (very sweet). Beer was very good also – served in Goblets. The Waitresses were also dressed up for the medieval times. I went to the washroom at the restaurant and could hardly see (very dark – only a small candle lighting it) and it smelled like an outhouse. We were on an outdoor patio and we had our Camera sitting on the outside of the table – the waitress advised us to move it as it could get stolen. Also, I noticed a guy sitting alone at a table, at first I thought he was casing people, but then I saw him get up and tell a peddler that was walking by us to go away so I guess he was kind of like a bouncer. Well, back to the ship to rest up for the next day.

 

Klaipeda – Well, this was one of our disappointing ports. I did not know what to do here so we arranged our one and only ship excursion to the Soviet Nuclear Site. It was a long drive (over an hour) to the site. It was interesting – but I have to say I am not sure how safe…. In fact I am kind of surprised Celebrity allows the excursion. It was Rusty and smelly with I am sure with some old Asbestos on the walls. We had to climb into the silo (which was not easy to do and I am a small person) and saw water (bluish/green color below… hmmm I wonder what’s in there?) Then the guide tells us below our feet we drop 27 metres to the ground (in approx 10 metres of water)… we are all standing on these grates that are rusty… I start to feel a bit panicked and just wanted to get out.

 

We then drove to see one of their lakes… “ho hum”.

 

The highlight was the restaurant pub they took us to experience their local cuisine of potatoes… the food was VERY GOOD and we also had a nice cold beer that was welcoming! The pub was packed with people and very hot!

 

The town itself is nice – I think the local people are trying to make it a good port to visit (putting on small concerts in the square) and I do hope it stays on the itinerary as its good for these places to get some tourism dollars into their economy.

 

Gdansk/Poland – we were on a private tour with Tours of Poland to see the Stutthof Concentration Camp and a small tour of Gdansk. We really enjoyed our day here and wish that the time in the port was longer. The drive to Stuttfhof was nice (seeing the country side) and although I cannot say that seeing Stutthof itself was ‘enjoyable’ it is something that I think everyone should see once in their lifetime so we remember how horrible hate can be. What the people on these concentration camps must have lived through is truly un-imaginable. Prior to the cruise I read the book ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel on his experience in Auschwitz and it really helped my visualize what his life must have been like. Our guide was wonderful in her descriptions of life in the camp.

 

After the Camp we drove back to the charming old town Gdansk… just a beautiful place. They did a fabulous job of restoring it. We walked down this street of vendors/stores selling jewellery and if I had more time I would have definitely gone crazy. From what I could see it was some of the nicest jewellery we saw on the trip. We visited the St Mary’s Church and then had about an hour on our own. We were hungry so had lunch and of course Polish Beer at an outdoor café next to St Mary’s Church. I had the mushroom/sauerkraut perogies and Jeff had Wiener schnitzel… both very good.

 

Our Tour van did have some mechanical problems but managed to get us back to the ship in time. Joanna (our guide) was great!

 

Loved Poland! And definitely see us coming back (maybe on a driving holiday)!

 

Germany – We rented a car from Hertz (via Internet) and the car was waiting for us at the port. We got there around 7:45 and the man said the car would be ready by 8:00/8:15. He was right and we were on the road by 8:15. We rented a Mercedes (got an Audi) as another couple from Cruise Critic joined us and we wanted to ensure we were comfortable. We got to Berlin in about 2 ½ hours with one stop at a Rest stop… it amazes me how clean the Rest stops are in Europe. No problems navigating around Berlin we headed toward the Zoo where I had arranged a Private Walking tour with New Berlin Tours. I thought our guide was very good. He was from New York and had been living in Berlin for a year or two. We took the train to the Brandenburg Gate and started our tour. He was a wealth of information and “shoot from the hip” commentaries… We walked and walked and walked…. This was OK, as I saw some of the traffic and I think we got places faster by walking. Highlights: Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall, Museum Area. The drive back to the ship was uneventful (until the end) when we got a little lost and were running low on gas and could not find a gas station. All went well though as we stopped asked for directions and were back on track. We got back to the ship around 8:00ish so there was plenty of time. Sail away from Warnemunde was very nice as all the locals come to the shore to send us off. A lot of people just stayed around Warnemunde and said it was a delightful town. We have absolutely no regrets about driving to Berlin as we now know it’s a place we want to come back to.

 

Copenhagen – Loved this place… the architecture and the sites are beautiful. I had purchased the Copenhagen Card over the internet as I was unsure how far the ship docked from the main sites. It turns out it is a nice walk into the Nyhaven area (where all the canal tours go from). Therefore, we walked there and took a Canal Tour ride (discount with Card). Enjoyed this very much as the weather was superb. We then walked over to the Round Tower so we could get another panoramic view of the city, we then walked around the Rosenburg grounds, there was a jazz festival going on so lots of people and music.... I had made reservations for dinner at a Restaurant in Christianhaven (Kanalen), so we took the Metro (2 stops) to get to our restaurant. It was very good but very expensive!!! 3 course dinner with approx 2 glasses of wine each set us back $300 Cdn (ouch)… but then I think everything in Copenhagen is pricey. After dinner we took a bus over to the Tivoli Gardens and walked around there until dusk to see the lights come on. Tivoli is nice to see once but I do not think I would go back. We then took a bus back close to where the ship docked (approx 10/15 minute walk)… we could have taken a bus that would get us closer but we wanted to get some pictures of a fountain lit up at night…. But the lights were not on when we got there…. So we just had a nice walk back. Would not recommend getting the Copenhagen card – did not get much use out of it except for the free transport which is convenient if nothing else.

 

Oslo – Although Oslo has a very pretty port area we were not thrilled with the port itself. We walked around the main area for awhile. Finally found out where to by tram tickets (at a 7-11 store) and took the Tram (#12) to Vigeland Park (note you validate your ticket ON the tram… we were unsure of this also). This was very nice and probably the highlight of our Oslo visit. The weather was great so it was really nice to walk around. We spent sometime there and then headed back to the main port area (with Tram #12). We had some Norwegian Kroones to get rid of so we found a place to have a ‘cheap’ beer and when I say ‘cheap’ – I mean $10 Cdn each. We just had enough Kroones to pay for it.

 

Highlights: Berlin, St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Gdansk

Pleasantly Surprised: Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn

Disappointed: Klaipeda, Oslo. Dover

 

 

Sorry for the lengthy post – if anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Travel Safe!

 

Ileane

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

I have a question about Vigeland Park. I am limited in how far and steep I can walk. Aare there a lot of steps there?

[RC_BC]

I just wanted to comment that you can indeed buy a 24h bus/tram/Suomenlinna ferry pass straight from the (bus) driver, and it will cost 6€ per person (3€ for 7-16 year olds). I think there is also a family ticket for 1-2 adults and x children...

 

It might be true about getting it from the bus driver but when we asked for it when we got on the bus at the port, he seemed to not understand 2 of us who asked for all day passes and only gave us tickets valid for 1 hour. We ended up getting the all day pass when we went to get the ferry. Since there were 3 of us in our group, this cost us just over 6 euros for this mistake.

[Guest LetMeGo]

It might be true about getting it from the bus driver but when we asked for it when we got on the bus at the port, he seemed to not understand 2 of us who asked for all day passes and only gave us tickets valid for 1 hour. We ended up getting the all day pass when we went to get the ferry. Since there were 3 of us in our group, this cost us just over 6 euros for this mistake.

 

I'm sorry to hear that... There are always people who make mistakes. I know I've made several of them on my professional career.

 

I'm sure the driver would understand if you would repeat the same things several times. E.g. say "one day 24h tourist ticket for a whole day, which costs 6€" :D

 

I'm sure the driver would have replaced the tickets, if you had noticed the mistake on time. Do you happen to remember if the ticket had English text on it as well? There should be a line that says "valid until" in Finnish and Swedish, so passengers can check it's correct.

[RC_BC]

I'm sorry to hear that... There are always people who make mistakes. I know I've made several of them on my professional career.

 

I'm sure the driver would understand if you would repeat the same things several times. E.g. say "one day 24h tourist ticket for a whole day, which costs 6€" :D

 

I'm sure the driver would have replaced the tickets, if you had noticed the mistake on time. Do you happen to remember if the ticket had English text on it as well? There should be a line that says "valid until" in Finnish and Swedish, so passengers can check it's correct.

 

At the time we realized the mistake (from the "valid until" time printed on the tickets) while talking to the other group on the bus, I figured that since the bus driver had given both of us the wrong kind of ticket, that it might be more trouble than it was worth to try to correct the situation with the driver. We just made sure to get the right kind of ticket the second time. Don't worry, we understand that mistakes happen, and it didn't affect our enjoyment of Helsinki. :D

[Guest LetMeGo]

At the time we realized the mistake (from the "valid until" time printed on the tickets) while talking to the other group on the bus, I figured that since the bus driver had given both of us the wrong kind of ticket, that it might be more trouble than it was worth to try to correct the situation with the driver. We just made sure to get the right kind of ticket the second time. Don't worry, we understand that mistakes happen, and it didn't affect our enjoyment of Helsinki. :D

 

I'm glad it didn't affect your day otherwise. :cool:

 

Just a few days ago I witnessed two young Finnish men buying a ticket from a tram driver... One of them asked for the ticket with a slang word, and the Finnish driver thought they were foreign... So they ended up talking in English, when both thought the other one didn't understand Finnish. :eek::D

[spuds]

Hello,

 

Kenokids - we had no problem picking up the car at the port. I used the Hertz office that says for Luxury Cruise Liners (Miera Kraftfahrzeuge) and phoned a couple of weeks prior to confirm it would be at the port. Our port was Warnemunde - but cannot see that making a difference.

 

3beauvid - it is quite a long walk in the park and there are quite a few stairs to reach the highlight which is that monolith statue.

 

Please let me know if you need anything else - Thanks