Emerald Princess Baltic Cruise - 7/6/13 - 7/17/13 (Blog, Patters, Dining Room Food)

We are a family of four from Burbank, California and we decided to go on this cruise as a graduation present for my daughter (and also for us) who graduated from UCLA this past June. Since she will be starting a new job at Google in Mountain View, California this coming August, this may be our last cruise together so I figured I'd document as much of the cruise as I could. I thought I'd share our experiences on this cruise for those planning on going on similar cruises. For those that have gone on the same cruise and ports of call, maybe it will relive some of the same experiences you've had.

Some of the blog entries and the dining room photo descriptions are not complete yet but I will be updating them in the next few days.

Day 1: Copenhagen, Denmark; Embarkation

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-1-in-transit-copenhagen-embarkation.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9320735151/in/set-72157634710699334

Day 2: Oslo, Norway

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-2-oslo-norway.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9320776137/in/set-72157634704236577

Day 3: Aarhus, Denmark

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-3-aarhus-denmark.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9320775747/in/set-72157634710882640

Day 4: Warnemünde/Berlin, Germany

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-4-warnemundeberlin-germany.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9320775391/in/set-72157634710900704

Day 5: At Sea

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-5-at-sea.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323568104/in/set-72157634704375615

Day 6: Tallinn, Estonia

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-6-tallinn-estonia.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9320774707/in/set-72157634704391381

Day 7: St. Petersburg, Russia

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-7-st-petersburg-russia.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323567372/in/set-72157634704399121

Day 8: St. Petersburg, Russia

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-8-st-petersburg-russia.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323567000/in/set-72157634710966920

Day 9: Helsinki, Finland

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-9-helsinki-finland.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323574096/in/set-72157634704410385

Day 10: Stockholm, Sweden

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-10-stockholm-sweden.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9320773149/in/set-72157634710976948

Day 11: At Sea; Disembarkation

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-11-at-sea-disembarkation.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323565822/in/set-72157634704418413

Log of the Cruise: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323565398/in/set-72157634710986550

Dining Room Food: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323929258/in/set-72157634711540744

Thank you for sharing. :)

Bob and I are staying at the Ascot Hotel in Copenhagen for one night before the Cruise. It's at 61 Studiestraede. Can anyone tell me about the modes of transportation to come in from the Airport, and then go out to the Pier the next day? I don't have a clue. Thanks.

And thanks for the currency information.

I enjoyed reading your blog. My husband and I will be taking the same cruise at the end of August. Thanks for sharing lots of useful info!

Great review jellybungsters! Thanks for sharing your cruise.

It's interesting the differences between the same cruise itineraries depending on the time - for example, on the Emerald Princess at the end of May we docked at the dock near Akershus in Oslo, the one you were expecting to be at. I wonder why the change on your cruise? But I'm glad you were able to go and see what you wanted without too many difficulties despite docking at the cargo terminal.

It was also interesting to read the bit about the Vasa museum having two lines. I think that yours is the first review I've read that mentioned the right one is for group excursions and the left one for individuals.

Great review! It brought back wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing. :)

Thank you for sharing. It was an enjoyable read. :)

Thank u for sharing your cruise memories and impressions. I'm awed you rented a car and drove on the autobahn to Berlin!

Good to know about the credit card situation. Did you find you needed local currency in Russia or did Euro and cc served you well?

Much thanks again.

Good to know about the credit card situation. Did you find you needed local currency in Russia or did Euro and cc served you well?

Much thanks again.

I withdrew 2,000 Rubles from the ATM in the cruise terminal but probably didn't need them. The restaurant we had lunch and the Troyka souvenir shop where most of the tour groups stop both took credit cards without PINs. There is also a duty-free souvenir shop in the port (between the ship's gangway and passport control) that took credit cards as well.

The only place where we had to use the Rubles was at the refreshment stand outside the Hermitage. We couldn't bring water bottles inside the Hermitage and left them at the tour bus so after three hours of walking we were really thirsty and couldn't wait for our tour bus. We just gave whatever Rubles we had left to the tour guide and driver as tips.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write the reviews and post the photos! We leave on the Emerald Princess on August 30, and can't wait to see all these great ports. We also booked a two-day tour with TJ Travel in St. Petersburg. It appears you liked the company and thought it was a good value. Any additional insider tips that might make our tour go smoothly? Did you do an evening program? Thanks again for all the assistance!

Thank you so much for taking the time to write the reviews and post the photos! We leave on the Emerald Princess on August 30, and can't wait to see all these great ports. We also booked a two-day tour with TJ Travel in St. Petersburg. It appears you liked the company and thought it was a good value. Any additional insider tips that might make our tour go smoothly? Did you do an evening program? Thanks again for all the assistance!

Give yourself plenty of time disembarking on the first day at St. Petersburg. Like I said, we went down at 7:20am and didn't clear passport control until 8:10am. We didn't do an evening program. That first day was really tiring, between Peterhof and Catherine Palance, and we didn't have the energy to go out. The Russian folk show on board the ship wasn't bad.

Thank you so very much for your Blog. I copied and pasted them, and reading each one with care. They are great! So kind of you to share!

Thank you! I appreciate that you spent the time writing your review. It definitely helps those of us in the planning phase!

Thanks again!

Melissa

Hi, thanks for your blog!!

We have been on the same cruise from Jul 09 - Jul 20 - we enjoyed it and look forward to Ruby Princess next year! :)

Thank you for sharing your blog and photos! We were docked next to you in Tallinn, aboard Carnival Legend. Tallinn is really a gem - we loved sitting at a cafe in the main square, enjoying Baltic herring and local beer.:cool:

Thank you for sharing your blog and photos! We were docked next to you in Tallinn, aboard Carnival Legend. Tallinn is really a gem - we loved sitting at a cafe in the main square, enjoying Baltic herring and local beer.:cool:

You're welcome. Here are our ships docked next to each other:

We were on the same cruise and wondered why were were always at the cargo dock in many of the ports. - Never got a response from Princess....

I will add for those who wish to use public transportation in Copenhagen when coming from the airport. You can purchase a zone pass for 3 zones which covers the airport and the cruise port. We were docked at the Frihavn terminal and you can use either the train or the #26 Bus. But, caution with the bus - make sure you are getting on the right one! We walked a long, long way! Post cruise, we stayed an extra night in Copenhagen and took the train back to the city and wished we had gotten the 24 hour pass to make travel the airport the next morning easier.

I copied this from the http://www.cruisecopenhagen.com/ website

One comment on the credit card PIN. We never had a problem with this... I'm not sure we could have used a PIN with our credit card since the ones in Europe have a chip in them that works with a PIN. We just told folks we didn't have a PIN and they just scanned it through differently.

Thanks for sharing your blog! We enjoyed our trip - the weather was awesome!

Hi Jean & Gene. We actually played trivia with you on the last day. I was the one wearing the Facebook shirt.

Yes, the bus #26 in Copenhagen does not go to Frihavn on weekends. We had to take a taxi from our hotel to the port. And yes, the weather was fabulous (although Berlin was a little on the warm side) the entire cruise.

Ah, yes! I remember you and your son! :)

We did the cruise last minute and didn't have a chance to research the ports very well ahead of time, so we did tours in five of the cities - it worked out okay. Not perfect, but for last minute it worked. In Oslo, we did do the Hop On- Hop Off and was disappointed. It was over booked that day and we paid way too much for what we got. Wish we had known about the local busses.

Again, thanks for playing trivia with us! Glad you had a good trip and thanks for sharing your blog! Loved your pictures!

You're welcome. Here are our ships docked next to each other:

Enjoyed your information. Will be taking same trip in a week. Did you happen to notice whether any men were not wearing jackets or ties at dinner on formal nights? Don't like to pack things I don't want to wear.

Thanks

Did you happen to notice whether any men were not wearing jackets or ties at dinner on formal nights? Don't like to pack things I don't want to wear.

 

Thanks

Sorry, I couldn't tell for sure whether some men are NOT wearing dinner jackets on formal nights. I wasn't paying particular attention to what other people are wearing and there are 3 main dining rooms. So it's quite possible that some men may not be wearing jackets.

Thanks anyways.

We are a family of four from Burbank, California and we decided to go on this cruise as a graduation present for my daughter (and also for us) who graduated from UCLA this past June. Since she will be starting a new job at Google in Mountain View, California this coming August, this may be our last cruise together so I figured I'd document as much of the cruise as I could. I thought I'd share our experiences on this cruise for those planning on going on similar cruises. For those that have gone on the same cruise and ports of call, maybe it will relive some of the same experiences you've had.

 

Some of the blog entries and the dining room photo descriptions are not complete yet but I will be updating them in the next few days.

 

Day 1: Copenhagen, Denmark; Embarkation

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-1-in-transit-copenhagen-embarkation.html

Patter:

 

Day 2: Oslo, Norway

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-2-oslo-norway.html

Patter:

 

Day 3: Aarhus, Denmark

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-3-aarhus-denmark.html

Patter:

 

Day 4: Warnemünde/Berlin, Germany

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-4-warnemundeberlin-germany.html

Patter:

 

Day 5: At Sea

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-5-at-sea.html

Patter:

 

Day 6: Tallinn, Estonia

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-6-tallinn-estonia.html

Patter:

 

Day 7: St. Petersburg, Russia

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-7-st-petersburg-russia.html

Patter:

 

Day 8: St. Petersburg, Russia

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-8-st-petersburg-russia.html

Patter:

 

Day 9: Helsinki, Finland

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-9-helsinki-finland.html

Patter:

 

Day 10: Stockholm, Sweden

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-10-stockholm-sweden.html

Patter:

 

Day 11: At Sea; Disembarkation

Blog: http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-11-at-sea-disembarkation.html

Patter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323565822/in/set-72157634704418413

 

Log of the Cruise: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323565398/in/set-72157634710986550

 

Dining Room Food: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24689424@N02/9323929258/in/set-72157634711540744

Thank you so much for posting your blog. I was on the same cruise and it did bring back so many memories and I loved the pictures too. Unfortunately, I did the shore excursions to Berlin and St. Petersburg with Princess and WOULD DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND THIS. Future cruisers, take note. They were overpriced, had large numbers and the tour guides left much to be desired. In Berlin we had Tobias as our guide and he rushed us from place to place (7 minutes in the Allied Museum and the bus was parked a 3 minute walk each way)!!! He was a West Berliner (per him) and tended to give us his views as opposed to the actual history. We had to constantly look for him as often he was way ahead of the group, was short in stature, wore beige and needed to carry some sort of sign in order to have made it easier. The train ride was not as bad as I had anticipated. In St. Petersburg, we had the guide from "?ell". Her name was Alexandra. She was rude and impatient. We got on the bus around 7:30 am (keep in mind how early we had to wake up in order to meet at the designated spot on the ship, go through the most unfriendly and unnecessarily long Immigration process). She spouted out all kinds of information very fast and when one of the tour members asked her a question - she replied in a hostile tone "I already told you that - were you sleeping". She also told 3 older ladies not to get off the bus at a certain stop as they were too slow. When I asked her for my entrance stubs to the St. Isaac Cathedral and the Church of the Spilled Blood so I could have them as souvenirs - she said (again rudely) that she had to turn these into her Manager and if I wanted souvenirs, I should just buy them!!! and on and on.....It was so disappointing as St. Petersburg was on my bucket list and all I can remember is being rudely rushed around!! Princess promotes these tours, take your money for them and when you get your ticket - there is a big disclaimer that they are not responsible for the tours as they are operated by independent tour operators - (some kind of joke?)!!! SO FUTURE CRUISERS PLEASE BEWARE AND DO YOUR RESEARCH as jellybungsters did and use private tour operators. Thank you jellybungsters and I am so glad you enjoyed your experiences.