QV review/Baltic May 2009

[GrimWheel]

This was a fantastic cruise. Only three sea days in 2 weeks, with very interesting ports including of course St. Petersburg. The only excursions we did were the Ballet (Swan Lake) - which was simply wonderful, the Peterhof Palace, and the Yusupov Palace. Yusupov is fascinating and stunning - and all beautifully presented to western standards including waxworks of Rasputin and the story around his murder.

 

The ship ? - truthfully as you all know a thinly disguised cruise ship. QV has to distinguish herself by the personal qualities of her crew and the service they provide, and this is I am delighted to say is absolutely in keeping with the standards we found on our previous QE2 trips.

 

The forward facing lounge/piano bar is one of the best rooms on the ship. Beautiful, understated, panoramic view. We were joined for much of the cruise by the Ventura, and sailing out of St. Petersburg with the Ventura ahead, sun setting beyond, is a wonderful memory, among too many to list.

 

the Britannia restaurant is also a classy room. We were lucky enough to be seated in the "double height" part of the room on the lower deck, near the music and the "globe" feature. The overall room design works extremely well and is very interesting and appealing to the eye from where we were sat. It looks fine quality rather than the plastic pastiche which I feared it might be. In truth some of this is evident elsewhere (the printed decks !).

 

The Todd English we visited three times, and honestly we had three of the best meals and best service (absolutely correct, attentive, not pushy) we have ever had anywhere in the world. I recall the QM2's TE being good but this is better. The TE bar on the QV has to be the least known room on the ship - perhaps like the QE2's champagne bar - which we failed to discover completely on our first trip ! The TE is amazing value.

 

Shuffleboard was possible, unlike the QM2 which precludes sliding by virtue of the elevated caulk - or at least did so when we were there. But regrettably doesn't permit the subtlety of play that the teak did on QE2. And there was no scoreboard.

 

Hemispheres is good but too small. The Abba night (out of Stockholm) was a great laugh.

 

The midnight buffet in the Lido was a sad token effort. Shame really, a little more effort would make it worthwhile. QE2's midnight buffet it is NOT. We had trouble finding cutlery let alone anything to eat ! I think its probably a management problem in that particular part of the ship. Maybe easy to fix. I think most people stayed away - "no demand for QE2 style facility ?" - a circular argument I think since its mostly the same clientèle. The most disappointing part of the trip by far.

 

The public rooms on the upper decks feel remote and disconnected from the main public decks 8 decks down.

 

The Spa prices are really excessive. We went expecting something like the QE2's spa but found an oversized bath instead, at about £30 each. We declined the offer, as did everyone else - I never saw anybody in it. Obviously this is a concession-run thing.

 

On an upward note - I did have a $250 win on the slots - which started clanking out of the machine literally as I was saying "these machines are really stingy even when you do line up the reels". The only reason we were on the slots not the roulette was the $1 minimum on the tables. I did see a guy with around $3000 of chips on one roulette table. Well out of our league !

 

OK, some gripes, but they stand out alongside the overall excellence of the whole experience - thats the way of it I guess. We will certainly go QV again.

[severna]

Thank you for the description of the ship; my husband and I are leaving on the Aug 3 Baltic sailing. I am hoping that you can share some of your experiences in the ports, excluding St. Petersburg, as we have already booked our tours.

 

At the other ports, we would like to tour on our own. Are there shuttle buses to and from the ship? Was it is easy to tour with a city map? Was it easy to exchnage money?

I have researched using the Rick Steves' books, but the lesser known stops: Kritisansand, Norway and Gothenborg, Sweden, I am unable to locate info on what is there to see and do.

 

Also, in Bremerhaven, did you do a tour on your own? Any insights you can share will be greatly appreciated.

[Cruachan]

This was a fantastic cruise.

 

Many thanks for your interesting and balanced review. This accords very well with our own experience on the same cruise in 2008. We have travelled twice on QV now and, although we fully intend that next year we will travel on QM2, it will only be with the greatest reluctance that we tear ourselves away from QV which is now become our favourite ship. And that has as much to do with the staff as with anything else.

 

J

[glum]

I have researched using the Rick Steves' books, but the lesser known stops: Kritisansand, Norway and Gothenborg, Sweden, I am unable to locate info on what is there to see and do.

 

when researching ports, as well as using CC, we tend to use tripAdvisor quite a bit too.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g190492-Activities-Kristiansand_Vest_Agder_South_Coast.html

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g189894-Activities-Gothenburg_Vastergotland_Swedish_Lakeland.html

[GrimWheel]

Thank you for the description of the ship; my husband and I are leaving on the Aug 3 Baltic sailing. I am hoping that you can share some of your experiences in the ports, excluding St. Petersburg, as we have already booked our tours.

 

At the other ports, we would like to tour on our own. Are there shuttle buses to and from the ship? Was it is easy to tour with a city map? Was it easy to exchnage money?

I have researched using the Rick Steves' books, but the lesser known stops: Kritisansand, Norway and Gothenborg, Sweden, I am unable to locate info on what is there to see and do.

 

Also, in Bremerhaven, did you do a tour on your own? Any insights you can share will be greatly appreciated.

 

I will do exactly that, given a little time !

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

Eventually I may post a link to a few flickr pics of this trip.

 

All the best

[GrimWheel]

Port of Zeebrugge – and Bruges.

 

We took the option of the “Bruges on your own” excursion which is a 30 minute bus ride from the port. Bruges is medieval of course, and very interesting and a lovely little town, but honestly it’s overshadowed by some of the other stops on this cruise (Tallin most obviously). The town square is large and imposing, nearby is the church of the Holy Blood, with a reliquary containing a vial of Jesus’s blood, if you go for that sort of thing, but even if you don’t its very beautiful and fascinating. Coffee and croissant in the square is a good use of an hour.

 

 

 

Bremerhaven

 

A small modern town. A large indoor mall right next to the (transfer) bus stop, as is the Maritime Museum, probably the most interesting thing to do. A small but interesting section in the museum about German liners, a recreated room from the era of the German 4 stackers, some relics from the Bremen and Europa. Great if you like this stuff. Some lovely paintings of liners and detailed ship models. Don’t miss the tug boat or the submarine (a **** sub from 1945 – looks like it was built by my granny !). We could’t find the emigration museum.

 

 

 

Kristiansand

 

A typical small modern Scandinavian town. You can easily walk from the port. Grid plan streets, modern shops, nice area by the waterfront, several cafes.

 

 

 

Copenhagen

 

You will need the transfer bus. We’ve been before so headed straight for Tivoli. Disneyland hang your head in shame this place is heaven for adults and kids, and very manageably sized. Fantastic restaurants, quality drinking facilities, gardens/flowers, some very hair-raising rides. The Start Flyer will take your breath away just to watch it ! – I couldn’t believe 21st century H+S regs would allow such a thing – yet there it is. Enjoy – we did.

 

The Nyhavn is a lovely place to stop for an hour’s coffee. The little mermaid can be walked from the along the riverbank about 30 minutes strolling from Nyhavn.

 

On the way back DO NOT miss the Oresund Link bridge. We went under at 1-2am and it wasn’t announced but its one of the trip highlights no doubt. Read about it before you go. On the way out we went over the tunnel part so missed the bridge, but you can still see it.

 

 

 

Stockholm

 

Go to the old town on the “island”. Just over the bridge from the Opera transfer bus stop. Walk right through and you’ll find an old coffee shop – very nice. Interesting shops interspaced with tourist stuff. Don’t bother with the new town unless you like department stores and 60s concrete. Its OK and very Scandinavian – if that’s to your taste. Having said that the shops are good. Good department stores off Sergelstorg.

 

On the way in and out its worth enjoying the myriad little islands, many inhabited (1-2 homes).

 

 

 

Helsinki

 

A highlight. Old and Grand, reminded me of Paris on a smaller scale. You begin to see evidence in some of the severe 20th c buildings of communist influence. The railway station is a good example. Don’t miss the cathedral on the hillside near the port, or the adjacent main boulevard. Again, a good place to have a rest. There’s a very popular Belle Epoch style café on the central part of the boulevard.

 

 

 

St Petersburg

 

Its very difficult to do this on your own. The port is a huge closed off area, its a mile to the dock - gates on the edge of town. You cannot walk it, and there is no taxi rank at the shipside. On trips you have your “group” visa and the hassle is minimal/none-existent. If you're determined and experienced no doubt it can be done however. Russians mean well but are very officious. Go and see some of the palaces. These are worth seeing even if they are heaving with tourists. The guides are good. We thought Yusupov best, but again it’s a matter of taste. The Rasputin angle is an added bonus if you’re a philistine as we are.

 

A riverboat trip is also nice, but we didn’t see a lot as it rained and the windows steamed up. Some of our fellow travellers wanted them shut as it was cold. A bit of a battle ensued. You get the picture. Some missed out on their “champagne” – but this was because we took advantage of being first onto the boat. It was inferior stuff anyway so we saved then the trouble of complaining about that at least.

 

If you can, get to the Ballet. I went for my other half really but it was a fabulous evening. It was the full 3 hr piece. We expected “excerpts”. Really great.

 

Resist the trinkets on sale (mostly “Faberge” eggs). Massively overpriced, some of it “made in china”. Unless you really know what you’re buying you’ll be paying well over the odds. Much of it is available in Tallin at half the price and even then too much.

 

Its worth going overboard on the excurions for St. P. Otherwise you’ll not see much of it. We did 3 in 2 days.

 

Tallin

 

A medium sized medieval town. Estonia has rapidly modernised and feels more west European than east. Good facilities, bars, restaurants, lovely architecture. Several little churches worth a look into. I found the old KGB HQ interesting and just a little chilling. Its not open to the public, but you can look under the gate and let your imagination go to work.

 

Gothenburg

 

The only place where the transfer buses let us down. We waited an hour on the dockside. DO NOT be temped to walk it into town. You will get lost and it will take an hour at least, though it looks nearer. We did get the bus but saw others forlornly walking the motorway. The town is mostly modern and nondescript. No doubt you can find some highlights but we just did a bit of shopping.

 

As regards tours, unless you actually want to positively see the tour destination (like a palace, a war grave), don’t bother (except St. P). All the transfer buses (exc. Gothenburg) worked very well indeed and all the towns are eminently walkable.

 

 

I’ll do a link to some pics when I’ve got them uploaded.

[scrozuk]

This was a fantastic cruise. Only three sea days in 2 weeks, with very interesting ports including of course St. Petersburg. The only excursions we did were the Ballet (Swan Lake) - which was simply wonderful, the Peterhof Palace, and the Yusupov Palace. Yusupov is fascinating and stunning - and all beautifully presented to western standards including waxworks of Rasputin and the story around his murder.

 

The ship ? - truthfully as you all know a thinly disguised cruise ship. QV has to distinguish herself by the personal qualities of her crew and the service they provide, and this is I am delighted to say is absolutely in keeping with the standards we found on our previous QE2 trips.

 

The forward facing lounge/piano bar is one of the best rooms on the ship. Beautiful, understated, panoramic view. We were joined for much of the cruise by the Ventura, and sailing out of St. Petersburg with the Ventura ahead, sun setting beyond, is a wonderful memory, among too many to list.

 

the Britannia restaurant is also a classy room. We were lucky enough to be seated in the "double height" part of the room on the lower deck, near the music and the "globe" feature. The overall room design works extremely well and is very interesting and appealing to the eye from where we were sat. It looks fine quality rather than the plastic pastiche which I feared it might be. In truth some of this is evident elsewhere (the printed decks !).

 

The Todd English we visited three times, and honestly we had three of the best meals and best service (absolutely correct, attentive, not pushy) we have ever had anywhere in the world. I recall the QM2's TE being good but this is better. The TE bar on the QV has to be the least known room on the ship - perhaps like the QE2's champagne bar - which we failed to discover completely on our first trip ! The TE is amazing value.

 

Shuffleboard was possible, unlike the QM2 which precludes sliding by virtue of the elevated caulk - or at least did so when we were there. But regrettably doesn't permit the subtlety of play that the teak did on QE2. And there was no scoreboard.

 

Hemispheres is good but too small. The Abba night (out of Stockholm) was a great laugh.

 

The midnight buffet in the Lido was a sad token effort. Shame really, a little more effort would make it worthwhile. QE2's midnight buffet it is NOT. We had trouble finding cutlery let alone anything to eat ! I think its probably a management problem in that particular part of the ship. Maybe easy to fix. I think most people stayed away - "no demand for QE2 style facility ?" - a circular argument I think since its mostly the same clientèle. The most disappointing part of the trip by far.

 

The public rooms on the upper decks feel remote and disconnected from the main public decks 8 decks down.

 

The Spa prices are really excessive. We went expecting something like the QE2's spa but found an oversized bath instead, at about £30 each. We declined the offer, as did everyone else - I never saw anybody in it. Obviously this is a concession-run thing.

 

On an upward note - I did have a $250 win on the slots - which started clanking out of the machine literally as I was saying "these machines are really stingy even when you do line up the reels". The only reason we were on the slots not the roulette was the $1 minimum on the tables. I did see a guy with around $3000 of chips on one roulette table. Well out of our league !

 

OK, some gripes, but they stand out alongside the overall excellence of the whole experience - thats the way of it I guess. We will certainly go QV again.

 

Hi,

 

From someone who was on the Ventura during your cruise, was good to see the QV around. Was a bit gutted when leaving Copenhagen that you guys turned right, and we had to go left and go the long way round.

 

Would agree on all the ports reviews here, Tallinn definitely a highlight for us, such an underrated location.

 

Hope sometime in the future to go on the QV, seen a tempting offer for the New Year, West Transatlantic. Not sure what it would be like at that time. Wife has been on QM2 and loved it on an East Transaltlantic (Tandem with QE2 last October).

 

If I could do the cruise again, would defo look at doing it on a Cunard.

 

Scrozuk

[Cruachan]

Would agree on all the ports reviews here, Tallinn definitely a highlight for us, such an underrated location.

 

Totally agree about Tallinn. St Petersburg was fantastic but very hard work, with two, day-long, shore excursions. Tallinn was perfect.

 

I've got a few holiday snaps of some of the destinations on this site if anyone is interested:

 

http://photos-by-maureen.fotopic.net/

 

J

[cunard candy]

I would like to say that I was on this QV cruise to the Baltic and we took the "Hidden scenes" trip that they offered. It really was excellent. We went on 2 trains in the metro and visited a market and then went to a typical Russian cafe where we had tea and they bought us out three cakes. One was a sort of bun - stuffed with onions (not that keen), the next one was a huge bun (like a Chelsea bun) it was lovely, and then the girl bought us this cake like an apple turnover which was sooooooo good!!

I can recommend this trip:)

[capnpugwash]

Isn't life funny, we were on this Baltic jaunt on QV and I was horrified that there were only 3 sea days, I thought the first three ports were a waste of time, Helsinki has little to offer (per our cab driver) Stockholm was great leaving through the islands and I would have liked to have done a canal/river hoho trip. Loved Tallinn, you can have my tickets to St Petersburg. Takes all sorts to make this old world go round. Did like the QV though.

[guernseyguy]

Isn't life funny, we were on this Baltic jaunt on QV and I was horrified that there were only 3 sea days,

 

That was exactly my reaction! when I read

This was a fantastic cruise. Only three sea days in 2 weeks

my heart sank!

 

I guess thats one of Cunard's advantages - product for passengers who enjoy port intensive itineraries, and those who prefer sea days!

 

Thanks for a great review (even if mine would have started 'This was a great cruise. Only 3 port days in 2 weeks'!) ;)

[severna]

Thank you so much!!! You are a cruiser-lifesaver!!! This is exactly the information we needed.