Any regrets?

[Peregrina651]

The posts in this forum are all wonderful and full of very helpful information. You can feel the excitement in every post and you just know from reading that everyone who has been has loved the time they have spent in all of the cities and ports.

 

One thing I have noticed is how little people focus on the negatives of their trips or their regrets. So, I'm asking:

In retrospect, is there anything that you would have done differently?

Is there something that you are sorry that you missed? Is there something that you feel you should have planned differently? Is there something that you wanted to buy, but didn't (or vice versa)? Something that you really should have packed but didn't?

 

Won't you tell us what and just as importantly, why.

I'm sure that 'getting off the ship at the end of the cruise' is your first answer and 'not enough time in the ports' is your second, but is there anything else that will help us in our planning?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Keith1010]

One thing I learned from one of our cruises a few years back that we applied to our cruise of this part of the world which worked out very well. And that is to be prepared for all sorts of weather. When we were in Iceland a few years ago we were not prepared for the wind and rain that we had most of the day. So, for our cruise from Copenhagen to London we each brought fold up rain jackets, regular jacket, water proof pants and fold up umbrellas and it turned out to be a great decision. Some days were sunny, other day windy and rainy while other days were overcast and we were prepared for this which just added to the enjoyment of the ports that we visited.

 

Keith

[BrnBrok]

I really have no regrets about the major touring that we did on the 6/11 Star Princess. The ports were great, though Oslo was rushed. Not being in the best of shape I would have taken the ship shuttle in Stockholm and then caught the ferry to the Vaasa Ship Musem. That would have saved some walking. Took the regular bus in Helsinki and would recommend a day pass so you could take tram 3T/3B to get around to the sights. Did a value tour with Denrus in St. Petersburg which was great. And took ship tours in Gdansk, and Oslo that ranged from ok to very good. I guess it depends on the guide. Most people in the cities we visited spoke english and this was particularly true in the Scandanavian countries.

[alcorjd]

Prepare thoroughly for each port if you plan to go on your own. I thought we were prepared, but in retrospect, more prep would have helped. Always take the ship's shuttle to town, if you are going that route. Find an ATM first thing. And get off the ship as soon as it clears--there is never enough time to see everything.

[Moose Tracks]

Our only regret was taking a cruise that ended with 2 sea days, in the Baltic, on a ship (Century) that doesn't have a roof over the pool. After the excitement of seeing so many beautiful ports, the final 2 days were a letdown. Couldn't sit around the pool...even though the temperature wasn't too bad, the wind was wicked. The lounges were full of people "hanging out". We've sailed quite a lot and now find sea days boring. When we originally booked, we were supposed to end with sea day, Copenhagen, sea day, but the schedule changed leaving us with 2 days at the end. Never again.

Lynn

[TENNISBUFF]

Wonderful trip but in retrospect here's what I would change:

 

Bring a rain coat (I had to buy a rain coat in Oslo)

 

Go on the Porvoo ship tour in Helsinki, as well as spend more time in the esplanade area of Helsinki (wasn't expecting to enjoy Helsinki like I did)

 

Skip buying last minute chocolate bars on the dock in Talinn, Estonia to use up our Estonian Kroner (when we unwrapped our chocolate bars there was balsa wood inside - a little scam, but we got a good laugh)

 

Consider eating a lot less

 

Other than that, the trip was wonderful!

[wandb]

Things we missed that we wish we'd seen:

 

The Folkmuseum with Stave Church in Oslo (It rained all day and just took us longer to see everything than we thought it would. Ran out of time:( and although the Folkmuseum in Arhus was wonderful (don't miss it!) the Stave Church there was very different than the one in Oslo that I'd wanted to see.

 

The painted subway stations in Stockholm---The underground stations in St. Petersburg were fantastic (who would ever believe that was all down there?), but I wish we'd had time to see the artistic works and murals of the Stockholm stations.

 

Loved the cruise, but it was very port intensive. Wish we'd had a couple of more sea days. We never even had time to sit on a deck chair and read a book, or just look out at the beautiful sea.

[JanfrWA]

Our only regret was taking a cruise that ended with 2 sea days, in the Baltic, on a ship (Century) that doesn't have a roof over the pool. After the excitement of seeing so many beautiful ports, the final 2 days were a letdown. Couldn't sit around the pool...even though the temperature wasn't too bad, the wind was wicked. The lounges were full of people "hanging out". We've sailed quite a lot and now find sea days boring. When we originally booked, we were supposed to end with sea day, Copenhagen, sea day, but the schedule changed leaving us with 2 days at the end. Never again.

Lynn

 

Moose Tracks ~ that's my favorite ice cream!!

 

We, however, differ with the final two sea days. We just finished the Carnival Freedom Grand Med 12 day cruise that was very port intensive with only 3 sea days ~ and the final few days were port days. We would have loved to have had a day or two to relax with our friends, enjoy the activities on board, sit on the balcony and casually pack before disembarking.

 

We are doing the Carnival Splendor's maiden voyage next July and are glad to have 2 sea days scheduled before the final port, Amsterdam ~ where we will disembark and stay for two days before flying home.

 

Another one of those things that is a personal choice and not a right or wrong answer. When we first started cruising, we looked for port intensive cruises with as few sea days as possible and were always so tired at the end, that we now look for a few more sea days. Depends on what you like to do and if you get involved in the many activities on the ship ~ or if you have an aft balcony and just want to relax! Only on the Europe cruises ~ then we go back inside!!

 

We packed dollar store rain ponchos and used them as it rained in Rome the 2nd day of our 4 pre-cruise days. They aren't as good as true rain gear but take very little room packing and you can throw them away!

 

We also packed one umbrella and needed two ~ however in Rome they are sold on every corner for 5 euro if you don't want to pack one. Were they abundant in the Baltic ports??

 

Janet

[ollienbertsmum]

It sounded to me that Moose tracks problem was maybe not so much that there were sea days, but that the ship was not really suitable for enjoying the pool in the cooler weather. i never thought about it when chosing this cruise, but I might pay more attention another time.

 

good tip

[amanda blake]

the last time I was honest about some of the shortcomings in ST. Petersbourg I got called negative...that in itself is not a problem but I think it has sunk a thread that had been wonderful untill that time....in fact it sunk it to such an extent that we are 6 weeks away and still do not have 25 for the cruise critic party....

 

this is the first time in all of our 24 cruises that we have not hooked up with anyone to share any tours ...or even make arrangements to meet on the ship...

 

so I have really been burned for telling the truth as I saw it...

 

but have nothing to lose here...so here goes..

 

my regret in St. Petersbourg is seeing so many museums , churches and palaces that after two intensive days I learned NOTHING about Russia today.....untill while watching sailaway we saw hundreds of people fishing in the murky waters of the port...carrying pails and bags away for what seemed like miles...some even had tents in which they lived...

 

it is wonderful to see the past glories now falsely restored but this time I will walk the streets, go into stores...markets...talk to people if I can...unfortunatately the day the metro is offered we are on a different tour...but would have loved to see the subway..it is supposed to be magnificent but of course I am also curious how it compares to the London tubes...

 

anyway...for what it is worth...museums are the past..it is great when you get a good combination of past and present in any given port...

 

thanks for the opportunity to express an opinion...

 

great thread...

[JodyB]

Amanda,

I appreciate your comments on St. Petersburg. I am going there next year and in planning want to make sure I don't spend so much time seeing the big things that I miss the little things of life there and therefore miss out on the culture. Thanks for reminding me of that again.

 

I agree that the things I remember most about my trip last year to the Med. was the little things like going through an outdoor food market in Rome and taking a hike on a mountain in France with my daughter and especially the adventures on our own like taking trains and buses and trying to speak a few words even in Croatia. I am not saying don't do the big things but save some time to just wander and get a flavor of the wonderful different cultures. That is what I love best

 

I also like sea days especially at the end of the cruise and am glad that we will be on the Carnival Splendor next year that has a covered (can be uncovered too) pool so that even on the yucky days we can hopefully be outside. I am also hoping to utilize that aft balcony that so many tell me is wonderful.

 

My regret from Last year's Liberty trip in the Med. was listening to hotel advice on when to have our driver come pick us up for the airport in Rome. He was a little late, we had a little worse traffic, the airport was crazy. Needless to say we were too late to get to the front of the line for check-in and had to spend a VERY expensive extra night at in Rome airport and hope to get out the next day. Go very early (3 hours is a good min. for Rome airport). I will certainly leave more time next year.

[Peregrina651]

my regret in St. Petersbourg is seeing so many museums , churches and palaces that after two intensive days I learned NOTHING about Russia today.....

 

 

Amanda, I wonder how much of that is intentional. I haven't been yet, but I've read comments that it is hard to get the guides to talk about current politics, etc. We need visas to get into the country and if we go with a tour, the guides are afraid to take their eyes off of us. Our ship docks in the heart of a commercial terminal with no accommodations for the independent travelers. One gets the impression that the country has not yet shaken off the paranoia of the past. Dare I say it? That is regretful.

 

No, I don't think sharing a regret is being negative. We all have regrets--something that we didn't get to do, a choice that we made that turned out to be wrong, for whatever reason. For each of us it is different but I think that there is something for us to learn from the regrets/mistakes of others. That is why I asked if people would share their regrets. I'm not looking for complaints. That is something different and I'm hoping that, as the thread develops, we will continue to stick to regrets.

 

And thank you, TENNISBUFF, for the heads up on the dockside chocolate.

[hotmike98]

Because we spent a week in Paris after disembarking in Stockholm (Regent Voyager: Copenhagen, Visby, Talin, St. Petersburg, Stockholm) and needed every moment of that week to really show Paris to our friends who had never been, we only got a late afternoon in Stockholm. Wish we had arranged one full day, but just didn't have the time. In St. Petersburg, I don't regret doing the Gold Room at the Hermitage, but it impinged on the time we had to view some the glorious paintings. If I went again, I would skip the Gold Room. What I don't regret at all is booking a 3 day tour with Alla. With just two couples, a guide and driver, we didn't get bogged down in lines, traffic, etc., and had the undivided attention of our guide, so we could ask about local life and customs in addition to the talks on the standard tourist attractions.

[amanda blake]

Amanda, I wonder how much of that is intentional. I haven't been yet, but I've read comments that it is hard to get the guides to talk about current politics, etc. We need visas to get into the country and if we go with a tour, the guides are afraid to take their eyes off of us. Our ship docks in the heart of a commercial terminal with no accommodations for the independent travelers. One gets the impression that the country has not yet shaken off the paranoia of the past. Dare I say it? That is regretful.

 

no the choice to museum ourselves to death was ours...Red oct would have organized any kind of tour we wanted...this time we are doing it differently...we are with one other couple so it is much easier to custom tailor a tour than with a van load all wanting to do something different...this time we are getting to walk on the main street...to go into the big department stores...to go to the big markets..sit in a cafe with the locals...ride the canals to get a panoramic view....yes the guide is with us at all times...we did not have the courage to do St. P. on our own...maybe the third time around...lol...

[Moose Tracks]

Janet...That's where the user name came from. I spent 5 days in Halifax with my DH who was on business. I spent the days touring the city and found a great ice cream shop on the harbour boardwalk (Scoops) and discovered Moose Tracks flavour ice cream. I went in every day and got my daily fix. Sadly, the shop has closed leaving only a distant memory of the taste!

Amanda...I certainly agree with you about St. Petersburg. Although we had a marvellous time, I know what you mean about all the inside visits to museums/churches. It would have been great just to wander the streets. I really prefer to do outside touring. We walked about 2 blocks from the restaurant to the Hermitage and I thought that was great. That's why I enjoyed the other ports more because we walked everywhere. I'll be honest and say that I wouldn't have minded skipping the Hermitage, but the tour went there so that's that. I'm not interested in artwork, just architecture. I'd have been happy with a 30 walk through to look at the building itself, instead of 2 1/2 hours. I was disappointed we didn't have the time to see the subway.

Lynn

[amanda blake]

Im with you Lynn...but got so burned for saying the same thing on the thread I started in Roll call...so burned that there is no one we have really connected with...it is really everyones loss...first time that has happened..it only takes one person to make a nasty comment for everyone else to just back off..I understand it...but not much I can do at this point..of course having started the thread I feel responsible...oh well...

[travelgirlie]

Hi Amanda! i am going to St P in the fall and i often get board with the churches and museums. Is it possible for you to email me you WELCOMED opinion? I would love to hear your advice for a more well rounded visit. It is a shame that some do not know the definition of OPINION :) Any info you are able to give would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance

veronica12318@msn.com:cool:

[detroitwingsfan]

the last time I was honest about some of the shortcomings in ST. Petersbourg I got called negative...that in itself is not a problem but I think it has sunk a thread that had been wonderful untill that time....in fact it sunk it to such an extent that we are 6 weeks away and still do not have 25 for the cruise critic party....

 

this is the first time in all of our 24 cruises that we have not hooked up with anyone to share any tours ...or even make arrangements to meet on the ship...

 

so I have really been burned for telling the truth as I saw it...

 

but have nothing to lose here...so here goes..

 

my regret in St. Petersbourg is seeing so many museums , churches and palaces that after two intensive days I learned NOTHING about Russia today.....untill while watching sailaway we saw hundreds of people fishing in the murky waters of the port...carrying pails and bags away for what seemed like miles...some even had tents in which they lived...

 

it is wonderful to see the past glories now falsely restored but this time I will walk the streets, go into stores...markets...talk to people if I can...unfortunatately the day the metro is offered we are on a different tour...but would have loved to see the subway..it is supposed to be magnificent but of course I am also curious how it compares to the London tubes...

 

anyway...for what it is worth...museums are the past..it is great when you get a good combination of past and present in any given port...

 

thanks for the opportunity to express an opinion...

 

great thread...

 

I agree. I feel like I can't be honest with my opinions (or just have a chance to vent) because you get bashed as being negative. I love cruising and would recommend it for everyone, but there is always some "room for improvement". I feel like this community should be a place where people can share HONEST experiences and not get railroaded.

[2irisheyes]

Amanda Blake, Moose Tracks

I have the same feelings about museums, palaces, churches. I like to see the buildings and generally find the exterior more impressive than the inside although with a few exceptions. It is possible to see paintings by famous artists in museums in UK and other European cities so we didn't want to spend too long in the Hermitage. We told our guide the maximum time we wanted there and after an hour and a half I'd had enough. I was relieved to see your comments as it seems to be expected that people should rave about the Hermitage but everyone is different. Peterhof gardens with fountains were great. Although I'm not a museum fan, the Vasa museum in Stockholm was very interesting and the ferry from Gamla Stan to get there was enjoyable. We returned to the city by local bus. We saw the subway stations in SPB with the chandeliers. The London underground stations do not compare but in London there are escalators as opposed to steps. We came across the Resistance museum on our walk back to the ship in Copenhagen which was very interesting and free. The Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, just near the waterfront, was a bit different.