Baltic Cruise Information

[Proper Lady]

We have an upcoming cruise commencing l4 August 2008 for the Baltic and fjords. Never having been to this part of the world - would appreciate any information on highlights of this trip and in particular what type of weather we may expect. Ladies: what have you packed for this three week trip keeping the climate in mind? Many thanks to any seasoned past travellers who may pass on any knowledge on this routing. Rene'

[wripro]

The most important advice I can give you is regarding St. Petersburg where you will probably spend three days and two nights docked at the English Pier right in the center of the city. Do not take ship's excursions. Instead book a private tour company like Red October or Denrus for the entire three days. They will pick you up at the dock with a Mercedes, driver and guide. You will not need to get Russian visas as they vouch for you and send you a ticket before departure which you show to get through immigration. You can design your own itinerary, do everything at your own pace, go to the head of the line at every sight and not have to deal with busloads of other people. The guides are extremely knowledgeable. And it will wind up costing about the same or perhaps even less than if you see the equivalent things through ship tours.

[seapenarth]

We have an upcoming cruise commencing l4 August 2008 for the Baltic and fjords. Never having been to this part of the world - would appreciate any information on highlights of this trip and in particular what type of weather we may expect. Ladies: what have you packed for this three week trip keeping the climate in mind? Many thanks to any seasoned past travellers who may pass on any knowledge on this routing. Rene'

 

You should have no problem with weather in August. Warm, even hot and sunny. St. Petersberg is the highlight. Fascinating city.

[ldove123]

Of all the trips we've done, I think our Baltic cruise (on Regent) was my very favorite. We also were there in August. Warm, dry, clear weather. Just delightful.

 

The ships dock right in the center of the Scandanavian capitals -- we did not take any ship excursions but stepped off the boats and did our own thing. With the exception of St Petersberg. We also hired a private guide and car and it was so worth it. We hired a graduate student in history who spoke beautiful English. As a result because we were not connected with one of the companies, we did need a Russian visa, which was very easy to obtain here in the US.

 

This gave us freedom to venture off on our own one evening when we didn't have one of the company guides. The private guide also was able to "sneak" us into the very, very crowded museums. A party of 3 is much more flexible than 20 or so.

 

Enjoy!

[Proper Lady]

Thank you very much Wripro and ldove123 for the invaluable input re: perhaps using outside guides for the St. Petersburg portion of our cruise. Am now reading about this option. Rene'

[PeaSea8ch]

René,

The Baltic was the second-best port-intensive cruise I have ever taken. In '95 I was on the Royal Viking Sun and we sailed from Copenhagen to Helsinki, St. Petersburg (3 full days there), Stockholm (overnighted there as well), Warnemunde, Gdansk, Poland, Kiel and the Keil Canal, Amsterdam and finally disembarking at Tilbury (London).

 

Every port was special but the standouts were: spending the better part of a day at the Hermitage (I was horrified while touring the museum they had the windows and drapes open with sunlight and the smog in the air directly impinging on Rembrandts that were hunderds of years old :eek: :mad: ), a special evening ballet performance at the Hermitage Theater.

 

While in Stockholm, saw The Water Festival (an ecology conference) fireworks display at the conclusion of the event where, the country sponsoring the fireworks, floated a barge to the middle of the harbor and electronically shot off about 1 million 1995 dollars of fireworks (we had a front row seat) for an awesome display! Riding the train into East Berlin and seeing the Brandenburg Gate, where "The Wall" and Checkpoint Charlie (Checkpoint Charlie had already been purchased by an American and delivered to him) used to be. Seeing the smiling faces in Gdansk where I was able to purchase some good amber stones. Sailing through the Kiel Canal where cars would stop and the people would get out and also school children along the way waving to us and saying "Halo, Halo."

 

While in Amsterdam thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Rijksmuseum and in stark contrast to what I witnessed at The Hermitage, you could definitely tell by walking through the different areas, I could detect changes in temperature and relative humidity based on what was being displayed in each room (textiles versus paintings).

 

IMHO, you will have a grand time on your Baltic cruise! :) :D

[Proper Lady]

Paul, Thank you so much for sharing the overview of your '95 Baltic cruise. We are visiting some but not all of the ports your mentioned but plan on bussing the 3 hours to see Berlin when we are in that particular port also. If this was your second fondest cruise, may I ask what was the first? Thanks again - Rene'

[PeaSea8ch]

If this was your second fondest cruise, may I ask what was the first?

René,

My favorite port-intensive cruise was a 14 day Holy Land / Cradle of Civilization sailing on the Vistafjord in ’98. We sailed form Venice to Itea, Kusadasi, Limassol, Hifa, Antalya, Rhodes, Heraklion before disembarking in Athens.

 

Just about the whole cruise was a highlight. With shore excursions to Delphi, Ephesus (oh the Library at Celsus with her sponsor Sophia gazing down at you), the Minoan City, Jerusalem and Nazareth (the evening we overnighted in Haifa, they showed he movie “Titanic” onboard :eek:), sailed by Santorini and later that evening Stromboli (no volcano eruptions) and remember going to places like Lindos, Perge and Aspendos and having a ball climbing all over the ruins and hiking up to each Acropolis and reveling in the breathtaking views!

 

After disembarking, I stayed on for 2 days in Athens and did a half-day city tour an all-day excursion to Mycenae, Epidarius and the Corinth Canal. It was interesting to see the changes in Athens since visiting there on my first cruise 19 years before. It took FOREVER to get through Athens to go to the surrounding areas. While standing at the midpoint of the bridge over the Corinth Canal and gazing down to the water below, I said to myself that someday I must try Seabourn and come back and make the transit. Visited one of the greatest sites of classical Greece, Mycenae, where the famous Lion Gate and the Cyclopean Walls continue to be testimonies of a glorious past. Finally, the most famous and well-preserved ancient theaters in Greece the Epidaurus Theatre were our guide stood on the opposite end of the stage and ruffled a piece of paper and we could hear it clear as a bell.

 

After reviewing your OP, I see you are also going to the Fjords. My third favorite cruise was a 14-day North Cape cruise on the Royal Viking Sky in ’86. Sailed RT form Copenhagen and called on Geirangerfjord, Honingsvag, Tromso, Molde, Flan, Gudvangen, Bergen, and Oslo.

 

Highlights were: disembarked in shirt sleeves at sea level in Geirangerfjord and after taking the tour up the mountain for breathtaking views we stopped at the village Dalsniba on top where snow and ice were within walking distance. “Top of the World” at the North Cape where looking to the east you can see Sweden and Russia and manage to get nice and cold in the summer. The sweeping bridges in Tromso and the church there whose roof is so highly sloped (looks like a steeple) to prevent the snow from accumulating and cave in the roof. The all-wooden Stave Church in Bergen with not a termite in sight (too cold there). In Oslo, the Viking Boat and Kon Tiki Museums along with Frogner Park with Norwegian Sculptor Vigland’s work scattered throughout. I probably misspelled some of the names as it was so long ago when I was there.

 

Bon Voyage! :)

[Proper Lady]

Paul, Thank you for sharing that! You write so vividly, I could feel the breeze on my face. Rene'

[Seabourn-nail]

A very good description of all of the ports of call Paul as usual! I doubt if you made any mistakes at all.

Talking about temperatures: At the moment it is -15 C. in Greece and Athens has up to 50 cm. of snow!

While in summer it can be very hot in Norway. As a matter of fact one we were in Oslo and we had to run from one cover to another to stay out of the sun!

Marja

[PeaSea8ch]

Marja: you are definitely right about it being very hot in northern Europe in the summer. I experienced both extremes the two times I visited Copenhagen, Denmark. My first visit in ‘86 it was cold during the day and bitterly cold after dark. It was so cold at night that I was physically uncomfortable while outside. I vowed never to let that ever happen again; so, when I returned in ’95, I packed like an Eskimo. Well, King Neptune’s cousin twice removed Apollo had other ideas and arranged for a heat wave with temperatures in the mid to high 80’s (29 to 32ºC) while normal maximum temperatures are 68ºF (20ºC) and I was not prepared for that.

 

René: the moral of the story above is to pack and dress in layers. There will probably be temperatrue extremes on your voyage requiring creative packing. Consider wool slacks, cashmere or heavy wool sweaters, a light jacket or windbreaker with zippered liner and somewhat warmer weather clothes. I remember it was cold in St. Petersburg during the day but at night I needed my overcoat over my suit and tie and my fur lined gloves for the evening ballet performance at the Hermitage. If you like to go out on the town while the ship overnights, then you will have to decide if you are willing to sacrifice volume and added weight to your luggage and pack an overcoat (or wear on the plane). Perhaps other sailors can provide clothing suggestions.

 

I must confess that I have been yearning to go back to this part of the world for some time now. My earliest window of opportunity will be summer 2010 on the Spirit for the B2B Baltic / North Cape sailing. What I loved about my Royal Viking sailings is that most of the officers and crew were Scandinavian and in virtually every port there were family and friends of the crew and officers waiting on the dock when the ship arrived. Of course, the officers and crew were all happy because they were going home; when the officers and crew are happy on my cruise ship, Paul is happy too. It will be the same on Seabourn.

 

Skoal! :D

[Proper Lady]

Paul, we will be prepared for all weather possibilities for sure, hoping it will be a bit of "this and that" and that there will be more than l formal night, not that it matters - since most people will do their own thing, it just makes for a more festive atmosphere. If you read the other posts, you will see that people have advised about perhaps using outside tour agencies for the St. Petersburg visit. Funny, but for some reason I admit to being apprehensive about this new territory and feel safe using Seabourn, but still my husband thinks we should check it out. We actually live in Italy part of the year, but have never been to any of the Northern areas of Europe having stopped as far as the Nederlands, so we view this with a lot of excitment and thank you and everyone once more about your information. Rene'

[JaneBP]

Funny, but for some reason I admit to being apprehensive about this new territory and feel safe using Seabourn, but still my husband thinks we should check it out. Rene'

 

I have just been discussing the Baltic/St Petersburg ports with Carol Frey, and she assures me that she can also arrange private tour services and that each day/trip can be organized however you want it to be. Also, the Seabourn drivers/guides are insured as well. I think either of the Seabourn options (private or group) would suit your needs, and you can mix and match. Apparently the Seabourn complimentary experience is not to be missed, an evening at Catherine's Palace. The place all to Seabourn sailors.

 

For most of the SA ports, she arranged private cars and guides and they were absolutely the best!

[JaneBP]

Sorry

[JaneBP]

Funny, but for some reason I admit to being apprehensive about this new territory and feel safe using Seabourn, but still my husband thinks we should check it out. Rene'

 

I have just been discussing the Baltic/St Petersburg ports with Carol Frey, and she assures me that she can also arrange private tour services and that each day/trip can be organized however you want it to be. Also, the Seabourn drivers/guides are insured as well. I think either of the Seabourn options (private or group) would suit your needs, and you can mix and match. Apparently the Seabourn complimentary experience is not to be missed, an evening at Catherine's Palace. The place all to Seabourn sailors.

 

For most of the SA ports, she arranged private cars and guides and they were absolutely the best!