First 2007 Review, Jewel ,May 25th

[Bobby400]

First thanks to all the cruise critics who helped me make this cruise so memorable. This was our seventh cruise - My wife and I are in our 50's and our daughter is 18. This was by far the oldest cruise I've ever been on but I suspect as schools let out- the average age will drop. Most of the guests were from England taking advantage of our weak dollar. We won the revolution but that and a dollar won't buy you a cup of coffee in London. As a matter of fact that and a pound ( worth two dollars ) won't buy you a cup of coffee in London.

 

Two London tips- One is London walks- http://www.walks.com which provides excellent walking tours for 6 pounds. The walks are about two hours and you could lose a pound on the walk. We did 3 and especially liked the Thurs.-Sherlock Holmes walk. Two- The Globe theater is a replica of where Shakespeare's plays were originally presented. The seats are reasonable and can be purchased in advance on the internet. If the seats are still out of your budget- you can stand for 5 pounds right in front of the stage ( what we call orchestra seats ) and 700 of those standing room places are sold the day of the show. We saw Orthello- and were mesmerized.

 

The boat leaves from a god forsaken place named Harwich- which has a silent W- as for the rest of the place-it shouldn't be mentioned. The easiest,cheapest and best way to go is to take the train from Liverpool Street Station. At 12:05 they run an express train just for the cruise but the regular cummuter train runs every hour at 18 after. It take 80 minutes and costs 22 pounds. Once you get off the ship is RIGHT THERE and I've never been on a boat quicker. I heard several horror stories from people who took the RCI bus from the airport.

 

BOBS PACKING TIP- Every cruise I have to drag a garment bag just for my formal night suit. NOW- I pack a dirty suit and shove it in my bag. Then I give it to my cabin person to have drycleaned. It's cheaper than land and I wear it three times then shove it back. No more garment bag. Also take half of what you need and let the boat do your laundry- You'll thank me.

 

OSLO: We did it on our own. As soon as you get off the boat there is a tourist affice in the hangar like buiding. You can buy an OSLO PASS good for all transportation and admissions. It is 20% off there . It works out to 28 dollars and they take credit cards. As soon as you get your card walk towards town- In three minutes you'll come to tracks-turn rt and there's the station. Take the 12 Tram to the best attraction- the Viegeland sculpture garden. After at least an hour there come back to the entrance and walk a quarter of a mile in the same direction the Tram that dropped you off continued. When you come to the big intersection go into the Burger King - (it's really the subway entrance ) and take the 1 train to the ski jump It takes about 15 minutes and it's a long name that starts with an H..almost everyone gets off there. Follow the signs to the ski museum. YOU MUST GO TO THE TOP of the jump. The views are great and you will start to question the sanity of Norwegians who thought going off this thing on 5 inch wide skis is a good idea. Retrace your steps and take the 1 train back to the National Theater stop. Walk towards the water and at pier three -take the ferry to the museum island.

We had time for three museums-the Viking Ship, The Kon Tiki Raft and the Flam. We walked from the boat to the Viking Ship then took the bus to the other two. The Flam museum is adjacent to the second ferry stop which then returns to town. It is here you realize that Norwegians are crazy because it's genetic. There is no other explanation for getting on these flimsy boats and going to the New World (Viking Ship), Peru ( kon tiki raft ) and the North Pole ( the Flam ). There are other museums on the Island but I missed them rather than miss the boat. I also missed city hall and the Nobel Peace Center.

 

COPENHAGEN: We wanted to take the Hans Christian Anderson walk but the gentlemen who does it does not begin untill June. So we walked up the pedestrian street Stuget and took a very touristy but beautiful-canal boat ride. It takes 50 minutes and costs about 12 dollars.

 

Our next stop was one of our highlights- a 3 hour bike tour with http://www.citysafari.dk - I know right now you're saying-" this guy doesn't know me- I can't do a three hour bike tour " . Well I don't know you but you don't know my wife and if she can do it- you can and should. The roads are flatter than a pancake and there are many bike lanes. Our guide Jon was sensational and I assure you- we saw more of Copenhagen than any other guest on the Jewel of the Seas. We took a cab back to the boat. The tour was about 45 dollars each and the cab was 18 dollars. I did not go to Tivoli because I was there once before and I feel it is better visited at night.

 

STOCKHOLM: I broke my golden rule of never booking a ship tour but I did this time because the boat had reserved The ICE BAR for the entire day and my daughter wanted to go. The tour included a short tour of the old city. As for the ICE BAR-it's a tourist trap, it could just have easily been in Phoenix BUT the three of us loved it and have lots of pictures to show for it. It is literally and figuratively cool. After that we took another canal boat tour- even more touristy than Copenhagen but another view of beautiful Stockholm. After that we walked around the old town and then caught the shuttle back to the boat.

 

HELSINKI: The boat parks in an area that makes Harwich look scenic. You must use the shuttle. The highlight was the market by the harbor. There are two churches that everyone goes to- the Russian Orthodox above the market and the Lutheran in Senate Square. Both are worthwhile but after you go to St.Petersberg you'll never remember them. We took the poor mans hop on -hop off the 3T tram which makes a figure 8 around the city and allows you to meet some real Finns and see the entire city. It costs 2 euros and goes everywhere. One place you can't miss is the ROCK church which is stop 7. What can I say of the 6 ports Helsinki is rated 6th but that only tells you how wonderful the itinerary is.

 

ST.PETERSBERG: Everything you dreamt of and more. If you are a cruise critic and don't use one of the three government companies-shame on you. We partnered with 8 other critics and used DenRUS- I'm sure the other two were great but they could not have been better. Our guide Valentine was aces and Peterhoff, The Hermitage ,The Church of Spilled Blood and ST,Issaccs are beyond the animation in the movie "Anastasia". Valentine knows more than Google and we all were overwhelmed. I did not do an evening program. GO TO YOUR ROLL CALL NOW AND FIND PARTNERS. We did a Gold room in the Hermitage and it was spectacular but no more so than any other room in the place.It's that good. Of course another joy is passing other cruisers who are paying more, seeing less and struggling to see and hear their guide becuse their group is so big. Priceless.

 

TALLIN: Last and not least. You can do it youself but you shouldn't. What you should do is stop reading this and book Ahti at ahti@tours.ee. Best 35 euros you'll ever spent and I found him from others recommendations. You MUST do his van and walking tour. Most cruisers only see the fantastic Epcot like old city ( so clean you can't believe it's not a movie set ) but you miss half the story. The other half is the booming country of Estonia. Ahti takes you from the middle ages through Soviet rule to thriving independent country. Estonia is gorgeous and growing and if you stay within the walls of the old city- you only have seen the past.

 

OHH No,back in Harwich and in twelve days,it looks just as lousey. Last tip: If you want to make an effort to rent a car (there are no rental places in Harwich- they have to bring you a car from Ipswich and it's not cheap ) but you will be rewarded. A leisurely trip to Heathrow stopping in Deadham and Colchester will show you the English country side and two towns more than worth your attention.

 

I'd love to write more but I've got to plan next year's cruise.

[I&MsMom]

Thanks for the review! I'm in the process of planning a Baltic cruise in 2008 - only 437 days, so I'd better get busy!! :p

 

You had me chuckling with your comments regarding the ship's tours vs. private ones. Priceless indeed!

[nlt46]

We leave today for London. I enjoyed reading your report. Thanks so much. Nancy

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Thanks for all the good information. We're going in August 2008 and I've been busy planning. Our Roll Call is kind of quiet so am hoping more CC folks book this great cruise as we'd like to do private tours like you did.

[teets]

Thanks so much for the informative report. It sounds like you had a fabulous time.

[Carmic]

Thanks so much for your review. We are on the Jewel in September departing in Harwich and thinking of renting a car for the 3 days we will spend in England before coming home. Can you tell me the name of the place where you rented the car and were you able to drop it off at the airport.

 

Also, was it hard to drive on the left side?

 

Thanks,

Carol

[Al_Frescoe]

Excellent review, I enjoyed reading about your trip.

 

Have fun planning the next one.

 

Al

[JodyB]

Thank you so much for the review. I have been very anxious to read some from reviews from this year. We will be going on the new Carnival Splendor ship that is coming out next year and the sailings are selling very well. We have an active roll call which will be great for grouping together for tours. I am really glad now that we are starting in Dover where there seems to be some sightseeing to be nearby.

Is there a website that you used to find your info. on Tallin? That tour sounded really interesting. Also, what other walks in London did you do? Those sound good too. Thanks again.

[cefh]

Thank you for such an informative and witty review!

 

We are doing 'your' cruise in August and I'm pleased to say that we have already booked DenRus, however I have a couple of questions about other ports...

 

I was wondering, bearing in mind the artistic/cultural merit of Helsinki, whether to break my golden rule too, and do the ship's tour to Porvoo. Did you hear anything about it from other cruisers? If we don't do that I'm thinking of doing the Hop-on-Hop-off bus. Any views on that?

 

I was also planning HOHO in Tallinn as it seems to tie in well with the ship's arrival ands seems pretty comprehensive. Do you think your guy would be worth the extra cost to us (a family of five)?

 

One more thing - how was the ship? Service? Cabin? Entertainment?

 

Thanks so much for any advice.

[Peregrina651]

 

I was also planning HOHO in Tallinn as it seems to tie in well with the ship's arrival ands seems pretty comprehensive. Do you think your guy would be worth the extra cost to us (a family of five)?

 

I believe that the private guides charge a flat fee for their services (someone correct me if I am wrong), therefore, it might be cheaper for you to hire a guide than it would be to buy five Tallinn cards.

 

I got one quote for a walking tour of 90 euros for a 2-3 hour tour + all the museum entrance fees.

 

I checked out prices on the Tallinn tourist info site and saw a price of 455 EEK per hour with a 1 and a half hour minimum for a guide. Don' know what it includes or how it works. http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/explore/guide This website is terrific. You can even download color brochures and maps.

 

The Tallinn card (info also available on the Tallinn website) is 350 EEK per adult and half that for children under 14 -- that is for the 24 hour card which includes free use of the HOHO buses and (I think) free audioguides.

 

BTW, Ahti's website is the last part of his address, the part after the @. I've seen some his posts on CC and was very impressed by his answers to some complicated social/economic/politcal questions.

 

Hope this all helps.

 

 

[LKN-NC]

Cefh, we did the ship's tour to Porvoo and the steam train ride and really enjoyed it. DH is a train lover, so we had to do it:)

 

Porvoo is lovely, you can easily get the feel for what life was like hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately the old church had a devastating fire just weeks before we came and it was already undergoing renovations. On the way back from Porvoo, we saw the highlights of Helsinki.

 

Since this was a tour you cannot do yourself (train ride is private for the cruise only) it iswell worth considering.

 

Jewel is a lovely ship, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute on her.

 

JodyB, we did the Stonehenge/Salisbury London Walks (all day) with Richard. Highly recommended. That is an all day trip on Tuesdays and includes a private coach to Stonehenge on Richard's "secret" route thru the countryside. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

[teets]

Hi all,

 

We are on the August 2nd Century. I have booked a private tour in Tallinn for 10 people. We are to be picked up at the ship when we dock and have a 4 hour walking and driving tour. The details are below. If you would like more info you can e-mail me directly at tetelman@hotmail.com. Hope this helps.

 

• The Upper Town of Tallinn - Toompea Castle, Tall Herman, Alexander

Nevsky Cathedral, Cathedral School, Cathedral of Saint Mary the

Virgin, Estonian Nobility House, Town Mansions of the Nobility, Von

Stenbock Residence, Viewing Platforms, Long Leg, Danish King's Garden,

Kiek-in-de-Kök, Short Leg

 

• The Lower Town - Town Hall, Town Hall Square, Town Hall Pharmacy,

Guild Buildings, Church of the Holy Spirit, St. Nicholas's Church,

Town Wall and Its Towers, St. Olaf's Church, Dominican Monastery,

Great Coast Gate, Fat Margaret

 

• The Fringes of the Old Town - Vabaduse Väljak, Viru Väljak, the

Rotermann Quarter

 

• The Eastern Outskirts of Tallinn - Kadriorg Park, Pirita

 

P.S. the cost is $30 per person US which includes all transportation and entrance fees. I also have booked a private tour in Klaipeda to Palanga the Amber Museum

 

Terry

[cdfev]

My family was on this ship with Bobby's family and our views were similar to his opinions.

 

Random thoughts:

 

1. After 7 other cruises (one prior Baltic cruise with Princess), this was the best overall experience that we have ever had. We have never done RCI before this but found that everything met or exceeded our expectations. The entertainment on the Jewel was hands down the best that we have ever experienced. This ship and staff are excellent. The only thing that may have been better on the Star Princess was the food (but not by any significant margin). The seas were extremely calm and the weather was good to acceptable throughout the 12 day cruise (except for a couple of sea days where it was overcast, cold, windy and rainy).

 

2. Private tours in Saint Petersburg are mandatory. We used Red October in 2005 and Alla on this trip and have been completely satisfied with the experience. Part of our family did the strenuous Alla tour on June 1 and 2 ( my Mom is in her upper 70's); they raved about their experience for the next 5 days. We used Alla (our guide was Natalia) this time and saw local markets, the Russian museums and other lesser known sites (no palces this time). We ate in local restaurants saw parts of Saint Petersburg that we did not see in 2005. These private tours are worth every penny. I cannot imagine doing a night time tour in Saint Petersburg after a full day of touring...the ship's folkloric show was excellent and I would recommend that you stay on the ship rather than go back into Saint Petersburg at night.

 

3. My family was so tired by Tallinn that there was no way that I could convince them to take an organized tour. Walking in the old town is very fun and entertaining for 4 to 5 hours.

 

4. The train is very efficient and comfortable to Harwich and cost my family of four (3 adults and one 13 year old) a total of 50 pounds (100 dollars) ROUND TRIP(works out to $25 per person). The experience of taking the tube from Heathrow to Liverpool Street Station for the train is a little taxing (with luggage) but was not overwhelming in spite of the jet lag. The one way cost for an adult on the tube to Liverpool Street from Heathrow (zone 6) is about 5 pounds (we used a preloaded Oyster Card so I am not exactly sure how much this came out).

 

5. It takes no time at all to get off the ship on the morning of departure and the cruise train is setting right there (30 yards away from the exit to the terminal). It left at 9:20 AM and we arrived at Liverpool Street about 10:45. There were lots of people on the train but the train was not excessively crowded....plenty of room for luggage and everyone had a seat (at least in the cars that I saw).

 

6. All of the ports (other than Saint Petersburg) are doable on your own...we used public transportation (including purchasing an all day pass from the local bus at the dock in Helsinki for 6 Euros) to get around these other cities. If you are in reasonably good health and condition, you can walk from the ship to the center of town in Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Tallinn...save yourself the $10 that RCI charges for these shuttles.

 

7. I cannot say that I agree with RCI's policy of no wine purchases to be brought onto the ship...the cost of the wine in these European cities is much less than the charges on board. I felt "gouged" by the prices on the wines purchased on board and did not feel that they should be able to force me to pay four times what I can pay for a comparable bottle purchased in port. My wife and I enjoy wine with our meals....we are not cheapskates but at an average price of around 30 to 35 dollars per bottle on board, this is one of the expenses that can be controlled with wine purchases from the local ports.

[ollienbertsmum]

cdfev and OP

 

I love reading your thoughts. I wonder if you could answer the only question that is bothering my 14 year old who is thinking about her wardrobe.

 

How many formal nights were there on the cruise? do you by any chance have the list of dress codes in sequence for each night, I know that the ship advises you each day, but she is already planning the sequence in which she will wear her clothes. She is finding it hard to take in the advice of having repeating outfits, but she does want to do a big clothes shop when we get to our last 'port of call', Nottingham prior to flying home. Suitcase has to get on the plane home.

 

Any information would be gratefully received.

[cdfev]

There are 3 formal nights on the 12 night Jewel Baltic Cruise. (These are always sea days and occur on nights 2, 5 and 11).

 

My teenage daughters brought 3 separate outfits (one for each formal night) but could have gotten away with 2 (so says their father). These were not long formal dresses but cute upper scale dresses.

 

The remainder of the nights were "casual" and included just about everything except raggedy jeans...they wore "dressy" jeans on 2 of these nights.

 

Men/ boys were dressed in Tuxedos (I'd say about 40 %) or dark suits for formal nights. Lots of Scottish kilts on our cruise.

[ollienbertsmum]

Thanks for the information.

 

DD says that 3 formal outfits are a must but it means that we still have a few shopping trips to do before our cruise to find 'the perfect dress'. Thank goodness that the men only need one suit.

 

I will be using the ship laundry this cruise.

[Bobby400]

To Carmic- the company is auto-europe in America they call themselves euro-car in Europe. The number is -888-223-5555. Three days is much better because they charge you a minimum- if you can drive a standard- it will be cheaper- When you get on the boat YOU MUST call the office in Ipsitch to confirm they will meet you at the Jewel 12 days later- This costs 35 lbs or 70 bucks. IN 10 minutes you'll be used to the other side- Just don't hit anything in the first 10 minutes. With 3 days you have the world open to you- two grt nearby towns are Colchester ( see the castle ) and Deadham ( see the church)-

 

TO Cefh- Definitly worth it to use Ahti- if you come to New York City- you can thank me- if you don't come to New York,you'll at least think of me fondly.

 

SOmeone asked me about the boat and the service- That's a given- excellent. There are three formal nights on the 12 day cruise.

[Peregrina651]

 

How many formal nights were there on the cruise? do you by any chance have the list of dress codes in sequence for each night, [snip] she is already planning the sequence in which she will wear her clothes.

 

Mum --

 

Go to the ship's website where it will tell you how many formal, how many informal and how many casual nights. Then, instead of making her plan first night at sea, second night at sea, etc. She can make her plan first formal night, second formal night, etc., first informal night, second informal night, etc., first casual night, etc. It doesn't matter the actual order of casual, informal, formal; she only needs to know how many of each.

 

[ollienbertsmum]

Thanks Peregrina, but the website seems to conflict with what actually happened on board

 

the website says

 

10- to 13-night cruises: two formal nights, two smart casual and the remainder of nights casual

 

cdfev said

 

There are 3 formal nights on the 12 night Jewel Baltic Cruise.

 

Which is why I wanted to check. we will go with the '3 formal' advice

[cefh]

Bobby400,

 

I booked Ahti today! We were lucky as Jewel arrives in Tallinn on the one day in August that he is free. (Or maybe he says that to everyone!)

 

Anyway, thank you, and I'll think of you when we are there. :)

[Peregrina651]

Thanks Peregrina, but the website seems to conflict with what actually happened on board

 

I hate when they do that! :( I guess I better be double checking my cruise as well.

[crzn4fun]

Thanks Peregrina, but the website seems to conflict with what actually happened on board

 

the website says

 

10- to 13-night cruises: two formal nights, two smart casual and the remainder of nights casual

 

cdfev said

 

There are 3 formal nights on the 12 night Jewel Baltic Cruise.

 

Which is why I wanted to check. we will go with the '3 formal' advice

 

I wondered the same thing and I don't know if our's will be the same because our route is a little different from the OP's. We sail from Harwich directly to Talinn, then to St. Pete, Helsinki, Stockholm, Visby, Berlin and Copenhagen. We have 3 nights at sea before our first port, then we don't have another day at sea until the day before we arrive back in Harwich. I am hoping for only 2 formal nights.

[Peregrina651]

Great review. Thank you so much.

 

I liked it so much that I posted a link to it on our roll call. Then I went and booked a tour with Ahti. I was going to do the audioguide on the Tallinn card but your glowing review (and Ahti's own posts on other threads) sent me scurrying in the opposite direction.

 

 

[RenieRaider]

WOW! Thank you for sharing your cruise experience with us!

Your Copenhagan and Oslo input were very helpful......

Oh! And thanks for giving us a heads up on the pricing... in Dollars. ;-)

[Megg]

Thanks for the informative review. Just one ? Can you tell me what time the ship arrived back in Harwich at the end of your cruise and what time they started letting people off?

 

Thanks, Meg