Baltic 2009 - Opinions please

[cr1]

We're going to cruise the Baltic in July 2009 and are deciding between HAL (Eurodam) and RCCL (Jewel of the Seas). On either ship we would be in a Suite.

We enjoyed our past cruise to Alaska on RCCL, but have never cruised on HAL before (and never been to Europe before), but I would like to give HAL a try. We'll have 15, 18 and 21 year old sons with us.

The big differences are: RCCL sails out of Harwich, England (Crossing the North Sea) and includes a stop in Oslo (no stop in Germany). HAL sails out of Copenhagen and doesn't include Oslo but includes two stops in Germany. RCCL is 12 days, HAL is 10 days.

I'd appreciate any opinions from people who have done the Baltic Cruise in the past, and if you've also sailed on RCCL, that's even better!

[jjeffjb]

Consider Oceania for the Baltics. I was on the Regatta last summer and it was the best ship I've been on to date. I've crusied most mass market lines and Regent. The big advantage is the small ship size and 3 days in St. Petersburg. The Oceania Regatta is a beautiful ship with some of the best food and service in the business. It may cost a bit more but I'd even downsize to a balcony room rather than opt for a suite on either HAL or RCCL. Whatever ship you decide on, it's a wonderful trip. Be sure to book a private guide in St. Petersburg. We used Alla Tours and they were terrific. There are a few others that come recommeded on these boards as well.

[cr1]

Thanks for the recommendation. My parents sailed Oceania Nautica through the Greek Isles this past year and absolutely loved it. They said the service was outstanding and the food was better than anything they'd had on land anywhere!

But for us, I think I'll wait until we are traveling without our kids to sail on one of the smaller luxury lines. At this point we have it narrowed down to the either HAL or RCCL.

[knitter]

I'd go by the itinerary- you want as much time in St. Petersburg as possible. If your Germany stop is Warnemunde/Rostack, the big sight is Berlin, but it is 2-3 hours travel each way (we opted to take the train to a lovely town in the lake district but the main sight there, a castle, was closed the day we went!). Arhus (Denmark) is a college town to which they have moved a village's worth of historic buildings, but wouldn't make my highlight list.

[gooselace]

HAL is always my first choice, but when it came to the Baltic last year, I didn't want to miss Oslo - and am glad I didn't - so we went with Princess out of Copenhagen. It also included two days in St. Petersburg. I figured I can get to Berlin on a land European trip or as an extension of a Rhine River trip.

IMHO this really is a trip where the itinerary should be the determining factor. Unless you expect to visit Oslo on a Norwegian coastal trip I wouldn't skip it on a Baltic cruise.

[cr1]

Thanks to all of you for giving me lots of things to think about.

On the HAL itinerary there are two stops in Germany, the first is in Warnemunde and the second is in Kiel. Knowing that we would not take the 3 hour trip into Berlin, I'm not too concerned with that stop, but I thought that Kiel might be very interesting.

gooselace, I'd be interested to hear how you spent your time in Oslo.

Both itineraries are exactly the same in St. Petersburg....7 am one morning until 6 pm the next day.

[jtl513]

I'd take HAL over RCCL on any itinerary, and a new ship over an older one if the itineraries are similar. Two pluses for the Eurodam, IMO.

[Druke I]

We've done the Baltic twice, and loved it.

For us, an important item is taking a ship small enough to transit the Kiel Canal, which cuts through a very pretty part of Germany.

Oceania's Regatta and HAL's Prinsendam both transit the Kiel.

[cr1]

At one point, I glanced at that itinerary on the Prinsendam. I wasn't sure of a couple things...I have a little trouble with motion, so I'm not sure if I'd be ok on the smaller ship. I manage on the large ships, but cannot sail on tenders, etc. The other thing is that I thought my teens would find more to do on the large ship. If it were just my DH and I, I might try the smaller ship.

Actually, I just glanced again while writing this and saw that the Prinsendam doesn't do the Kiel Canal in July 2009, which is the month we need to travel in. But I still wonder about the ship size for future travels.

If we don't do the Kiel Canal, but still have a stop in Kiel (on Eurodam), is it still a worthy port? Will we still see any of that Beauty? Does anyone know what Kiel is like?

[Willsot]

When it comes to cruising, I say longer is better. That being said, we do prefer HAL over RCCL. We sailed the Baltic on the Westerdam in 2005 (10 days) and would have loved to have two more days, especially an extra sea day. Our good friends sailed 12 days the next summer on the Rotterdam and the itinerary seemed more desirable. Baltic cruises are usually very port-intensive and our schedule was rather exhausting, especially considering everything we did in our two-day St. Petersburg visit and a full day to Berlin. We sailed round trip out of Copenhagen and did enjoy staying two nights/three days prior to the cruise in that city.

[Harry1954]

First two side notes: a) 12 days better than 10 always IMHO because of logistics investment in getting there/returning; b) Copenhagen is a beautiful city and we did a pre-cruise stay the first time we left from there - after that, we just enjoyed the city for the day we arrived then boarded the ship.

The main issue I believe regarding the main element of the Baltic trip - St Petersburg - is that if your ship is smaller, they will have a significantly better dock site - outside of the industrial area. You avoid about 30-45 minutes of hassle getting in/out of that area then. Now, they are working on new site for cruise ships which may be ready by the time you get there, in which case this point becomes moot.

harry

[altosax]

We're going to cruise the Baltic in July 2009 and are deciding between HAL (Eurodam) and RCCL (Jewel of the Seas). On either ship we would be in a Suite.

We enjoyed our past cruise to Alaska on RCCL, but have never cruised on HAL before (and never been to Europe before), but I would like to give HAL a try. We'll have 15, 18 and 21 year old sons with us.

The big differences are: RCCL sails out of Harwich, England (Crossing the North Sea) and includes a stop in Oslo (no stop in Germany). HAL sails out of Copenhagen and doesn't include Oslo but includes two stops in Germany. RCCL is 12 days, HAL is 10 days.

I'd appreciate any opinions from people who have done the Baltic Cruise in the past, and if you've also sailed on RCCL, that's even better!

For me, the stop in Oslo would determine. I think the Vigeland Sculpture Park http://members.cox.net/c.kau/Vigeland/
is one of the wonders of the world.

If this man's life work interests you not, then you can take Oslo out of the equation.

[O2B@C]

Haven't done these cruises, or sailed on RCCL, but I do have two comments. First, Copenhagen is a wonderful city - more interesting, I think, than Oslo - and certainly more so than Harwich! Second, the North Sea has a reputation for being VERY rough, so if you are concerned about ship motion, that's also an argument for leaving out of Copenhagen. Just a couple of thoughts to factor into the equation. Enjoy your trip, whatever you choose!

[dakrewser]

The main issue I believe regarding the main element of the Baltic trip - St Petersburg - is that if your ship is smaller, they will have a significantly better dock site - outside of the industrial area. You avoid about 30-45 minutes of hassle getting in/out of that area then. Now, they are working on new site for cruise ships which may be ready by the time you get there, in which case this point becomes moot.
AFAIK all ships dock in the industrial area. We certainly did on Prinsendam, and there aren't many smaller cruise ships! :)

[dakrewser]

For me, the stop in Oslo would determine. I think the Vigeland Sculpture Park http://members.cox.net/c.kau/Vigeland/
is one of the wonders of the world.

If this man's life work interests you not, then you can take Oslo out of the equation.

Don't dismiss the rest of Oslo so quickly. We had no interest in the sculptures, but found the Kon-Tiki museum, the Fram museum and the Viking Ships museum fascinating places to visit. Our pictures (http://dkearns.googlepages.com/oslo) can show you what I mean.

[cr1]

I'm enjoying hearing about everyone's past experiences. And, dakrewser, I enjoyed seeing your photos.

I'm still having a difficult time deciding though. I'm hoping someone who has experience with Kiel, Germany will join in the conversation. I can't seem to find any excursion information about it on either the HAL or RCCL websites.

[altosax]

Don't dismiss the rest of Oslo so quickly. We had no interest in the sculptures, but found the Kon-Tiki museum, the Fram museum and the Viking Ships museum fascinating places to visit. Our pictures (http://dkearns.googlepages.com/oslo) can show you what I mean.

Right you are. My neglect. The point is how important it is to research the ports when cruising as much as researching the ships.

Here is what I found on Kiel in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiel

[cr1]

altosax, your link really helped me out. I read the article on Kiel and also used the site to look up Warnemunde and Oslo. It appears that there are more activities and sites of interest in Oslo. So I guess that would make the Jewel of the Seas a better itinerary for my family.

Thank you to everyone for all your input. Next summer seems to be a long way off, but I'll have plenty to do during that time by researching all the ports we'll be stopping at to determine what activities we'll be doing in each one.

All the planning is half the fun!:D

[jtl513]

I've found another good site to research ports is CLICK HERE (http://www.expedia.com/daily/cruise/geo/world/default.asp). Unfortunately, Kiel is not one of the ones covered.