Baltic Getaway port cancelations...

I've booked a Baltic Breakaway for 2018 and it is the same as Getaway 2017. Reading tons of reviews here and on Trip Adv now and it looks like canceling Tallin due to bad weather and mandatory stop in Warnemunde and changing the port in Stockholm is a norm. How many sailings were affected?

I have only heard of problems with Warnemunde and Tallinn on one cruise. Having a quick look at the reviews they all seem to be referring to the same one, although maybe I'm missing something. I don't see that as being an ongoing problem.

Stockholm is a different matter. Personally, I wouldn't have been surprised if the Getaway/Breakaway never even tried to get up the archipelago, but I've been proved wrong already as I believe that it went there on the last cruise. So, they are doing better than I feared. However, one cruise was changed to Nynashamn late on, so the fears that there will be changes have also been realised.

As far as I am aware, only one cruise so far has been changed from Stockholm to Nynashamn. On some itineraries, Nynashamn is the stated port anyway, so just because the Getaway goes there doesn't mean it's a change.

It's too early really to say how the Stockholm/Nynashamn situation will go in the longer term. If your cruise has Stockholm listed then there seems to be a decent chance you will go there rather than Nynashamn, but the coming months will give a better idea.

For the June 30 - July 9 there were no cancellations for any port on this itinerary (which I believe was the forth one thus far).

I cannot say we had the greatest weather. It was unseasonably cooler than the annual average. However, the weather did not dampen our enjoyment of the ports or the cruise itself.

Besides the weather issues on the TA, and the missing of Tallinn due to weather issues in Germany, I do not believe I read of any other missed ports. [There was a mis-placeent of docking in Nyashamn vs. Stockholm, but it was not a missed port.]

This is an amazing itinerary, but it is a chance you will have to take with the weather.

Having taken this itinerary - the only other option I would advise is to look for a ship with a retractable roof. Although it would still not stop her from having to cancel any ports, it would at least allow for enjoyment of the top deck during the cold and rain.

I am on this same cruise next June. Keith and Travel are correct. I have been monitoring things closely. Only the first cruise cancelled Tallinn. Only 1 cruise so far has changed the port from Stockholm.

Just another point on Stockholm. There is never any guarantee on this port, even on smaller ships. We missed it last year on the Star, and it happens from time to time. Given the route into the port there is always a risk.

Just another point on Stockholm. There is never any guarantee on this port, even on smaller ships. We missed it last year on the Star, and it happens from time to time. Given the route into the port there is always a risk.

With everything that I have read, I agree that any guarantee of Stockholm is very iffy at best. That is why I am actually considering booking an NCL tour for Stockholm. It is the only one that I will probably book through NCL. I need to wait and see what they are offering for excursions though.

On Holland America's Zuiderdam June 10th sailing from Copenhagen due to extreme fog the ship sat stationary at the Stockholm pilot station for over three hours before the authorities allowed the ship to enter the channel. The captain announced the day before we would reach the pilot station at 3:30AM and start the approximately four hour trip to Stockholm. We didn't start moving until 6:30AM and reached Stockholm around 10:30AM. The channel is very narrow and the captain has to be very cautious when traveling there.

There have been two journeys with the change of the ports from Stockholm to Nynashamn.

The first was the tour from 05/16/17 – 05/25/17 and the other from 06/12/17 – 06/21/17 (our journey).

I’ve heard the reason was the problem with one Azipod during the Transatlantic Tour and that the Stockholm Port Authorities did not want them to use the Stockholm archipelago as a "test area", in case of a malfunction they would have major problems to get the ship out

(see post from HeinBloed http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=53411992&postcount=413).

After proving that it works the ship was allowed to sail the archipelago.

Missing Tallinn was a pity to us, but the lost day at Warnemuende was the only reason.

The problem at Warnemuende was the heavy wind, the entrance of the port is very narrow, and big ships aren’t allow to enter the port if there is a too strong west-wind.

On board of the ship people didn’t realize the heavy blasts, but we (waiting in Warnemuende for the ship) saw people surfing the waves (no windsurfing, really with only a surfboard) at the beach. The waves were very high.

There have been two journeys with the change of the ports from Stockholm to Nynashamn.

The first was the tour from 05/16/17 – 05/25/17 and the other from 06/12/17 – 06/21/17 (our journey).

I’ve heard the reason was the problem with one Azipod during the Transatlantic Tour and that the Stockholm Port Authorities did not want them to use the Stockholm archipelago as a "test area", in case of a malfunction they would have major problems to get the ship out

(see post from HeinBloed http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=53411992&postcount=413).

 

After proving that it works the ship was allowed to sail the archipelago.

Missing Tallinn was a pity to us, but the lost day at Warnemuende was the only reason.

The problem at Warnemuende was the heavy wind, the entrance of the port is very narrow, and big ships aren’t allow to enter the port if there is a too strong west-wind.

On board of the ship people didn’t realize the heavy blasts, but we (waiting in Warnemuende for the ship) saw people surfing the waves (no windsurfing, really with only a surfboard) at the beach. The waves were very high.

we will be doing this itinerary next year embarking in Warnemunde

were you left to your own devices waiting to embark or did NCL put you up in a hotel until the ship could dock the next day?

We stayed the night at a Five-Stars-Hotel in Warnemuende (http://www.hohe-duene.de), organized and paid by NCL. I never saw such a great breakfast buffet!

We're doing this next year and I'm wondering, what kind of weather are we talking about? Rain? Temperatures?

I missed Tallin last time and would be sad if we missed it again.

We had the whole journey very good weather, no rain, a lot of sunshine (except at Helsinki, cloudy but dry).

St. Petersburg has statistically 54 days a year with sunshine, we had two of them.

Temperature was 68 to 73 degree Fahrenheit, but nearly all the days a pretty hard wind.

We had the whole journey very good weather, no rain, a lot of sunshine (except at Helsinki, cloudy but dry).

St. Petersburg has statistically 54 days a year with sunshine, we had two of them.

Temperature was 68 to 73 degree Fahrenheit, but nearly all the days a pretty hard wind.

You got really lucky!

There have been two journeys with the change of the ports from Stockholm to Nynashamn.

The first was the tour from 05/16/17 – 05/25/17 and the other from 06/12/17 – 06/21/17 (our journey).

I’ve heard the reason was the problem with one Azipod during the Transatlantic Tour and that the Stockholm Port Authorities did not want them to use the Stockholm archipelago as a "test area", in case of a malfunction they would have major problems to get the ship out

(see post from HeinBloed http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=53411992&postcount=413).

Thank you very much for your prompt reply!

 

 

After proving that it works the ship was allowed to sail the archipelago.

Missing Tallinn was a pity to us, but the lost day at Warnemuende was the only reason.

The problem at Warnemuende was the heavy wind, the entrance of the port is very narrow, and big ships aren’t allow to enter the port if there is a too strong west-wind.

On board of the ship people didn’t realize the heavy blasts, but we (waiting in Warnemuende for the ship) saw people surfing the waves (no windsurfing, really with only a surfboard) at the beach. The waves were very high.

We had the whole journey very good weather, no rain, a lot of sunshine (except at Helsinki, cloudy but dry).

St. Petersburg has statistically 54 days a year with sunshine, we had two of them.

Temperature was 68 to 73 degree Fahrenheit, but nearly all the days a pretty hard wind.

I just got off a 12 day baltics cruise on holland America (July 4-16). No rain until I got off the cruise in Copenhagen on the 16th. It did also rain there the day before the cruise left. The weather was mostly in the 60s the whole trip with lots of sunshine. Take layers because I found it to be warmer than expected, and often ended up with long pants and short sleeves. The only time I wore my heavy sweatshirt was at 4am as we were entering Stockholm archipelago (which I highly recommend doing as it's not at all crowded unlike sailaway)

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The weather conditions at the Baltic Sea are very different, for example our guide at St. Petersburg told us that they had snowfall und June 1st. Ok, it didn’t stay lying down, but it is very contrary to our experience.

In Warnemuende we were told that this year they had a lot of days with stormy weather, more than usual. I made the experience before our cruise that the weather forecasts daily changed for our ports and we had a lot of luck that it took a turn to the better.

With everything that I have read, I agree that any guarantee of Stockholm is very iffy at best. That is why I am actually considering booking an NCL tour for Stockholm. It is the only one that I will probably book through NCL. I need to wait and see what they are offering for excursions though.

I wouldn't actually do that. I found out about the change from Stockholm to Nynashamn from Alla Tours, who I had my tour booked with, two weeks before the cruise - they were monitoring the port sites for ship berths. NCL weren't admitting the port had changed until a day into the cruise itself, even though I directly asked them several times.

Alla simply diverted their bus to Nynashamn instead. It was utterly seamless, so I wouldn't be scared into paying for a more costly ships tour just because of the risk of a change.

We're due to leave May 29 and I'm wondering, for St. Petersburg if I can find a tour that would be catered toward young people. I'm bringing my granddaughters 17 and 11 and would love to show them a different side of St. Petersburg. I've been there and have seen most of the major sites. Any suggestions?

We're due to leave May 29 and I'm wondering, for St. Petersburg if I can find a tour that would be catered toward young people. I'm bringing my granddaughters 17 and 11 and would love to show them a different side of St. Petersburg. I've been there and have seen most of the major sites. Any suggestions?

We used DenRus tours.

There were 14 of us in total.

We had my two daughters with us - ages 17 and 12

One family had daughters ages 13 and 18

A third family had one daughter, age 13.

Note that they deviated from their standard tour schedule based on our desires, including the booking of the Gold Room in the Hermitage.

However, many of the private tour groups will also probably work with you.

Also, I would suggest going onto your Roll Call and asking who else is travelling with teens and tweens and what tours they are planning in SPB.

We used DenRus tours.

 

There were 14 of us in total.

 

We had my two daughters with us - ages 17 and 12

One family had daughters ages 13 and 18

A third family had one daughter, age 13.

 

Note that they deviated from their standard tour schedule based on our desires, including the booking of the Gold Room in the Hermitage.

Do you have some kind of a link for your tour that I could see? I also used Den Rus in the past

Do you have some kind of a link for your tour that I could see? I also used Den Rus in the past

Better yet, below is the itinerary.

However, note that we did not have an inside visit to the Peter and Paul fortress (which was a snafu).

Day 1

08:00 Ship’s arrival

08:30 Highlights drive tour. Highlights drive tour with metro, walk by

the Nevsky Prospect

08:40-09:20 Canal Boat ride

09:40-11:10 Inside visit to the State Hermitage Museum (early entrance)

11:15-12:10 Inside visit to the Gold Room

12:40-13:40 Lunch

14:00-14:40 A guided tour of the Saint Isaac's Cathedral

15:00-16:00 Inside visit to Faberge Museum

16:30-17:00 Inside visit to SpiltBlood Cathedral

18:00 Back to ship with Matrioshka souvenir shop on route

Day 2

06:30 Breakfast – Garden Buffet

07:30 Start of the tour. Highlights drive tour, photo stop near Grand Choral

Synagogue

08:30-10:00 Drive to Pushkin

10:00-11:30 A guided tour of the Catherine Palace with Amber room. Inside visit to

the observation deck with vodka tasting

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-14:00 Drive to Peterhof – the Russian Versailles

14:00-15:30 Walk through Upper Park to Fountain park

15:30-16:00 Hydrofoil to St-Petersburg

16:20-16:40 Inside visit to Peter and Paul Fortress

17:00 Return to the ship

[Note: I had added the links myself]

For full disclosure, our tour guide tried to keep us moving, and tried to be very punctual, but I, personally, did not love her. However, besides the P&P Fortress (and the vodka Catherine's Palace), we saw everything else, and fast-tracked it past all of the lines for each of the various attractions (and some of them were very long). We had also added a stop at the Choral Synagogue, which is not on their standard tour.

FYI - the cost was $290 US per person (this includes the Gold Room plus two so-so lunches). However, there is a discount for children 12 and under.

I would highly recommend adding the Gold Room to whichever tour you choose. Also note the Hermitage and the Faberge Museum were the two highlights for my daughters. Some tours do not visit both.

Better yet, below is the itinerary.

 

However, note that we did not have an inside visit to the Peter and Paul fortress (which was a snafu).

 

Day 1

 

 

08:00 Ship’s arrival

08:30 Highlights drive tour. Highlights drive tour with metro, walk by

the Nevsky Prospect

08:40-09:20 Canal Boat ride

09:40-11:10 Inside visit to the State Hermitage Museum (early entrance)

11:15-12:10 Inside visit to the Gold Room

12:40-13:40 Lunch

14:00-14:40 A guided tour of the Saint Isaac's Cathedral

15:00-16:00 Inside visit to Faberge Museum

16:30-17:00 Inside visit to SpiltBlood Cathedral

18:00 Back to ship with Matrioshka souvenir shop on route

 

 

 

Day 2

06:30 Breakfast – Garden Buffet

07:30 Start of the tour. Highlights drive tour, photo stop near Grand Choral

Synagogue

08:30-10:00 Drive to Pushkin

10:00-11:30 A guided tour of the Catherine Palace with Amber room. Inside visit to

the observation deck with vodka tasting

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-14:00 Drive to Peterhof – the Russian Versailles

14:00-15:30 Walk through Upper Park to Fountain park

15:30-16:00 Hydrofoil to St-Petersburg

16:20-16:40 Inside visit to Peter and Paul Fortress

17:00 Return to the ship

 

[Note: I had added the links myself]

 

For full disclosure, our tour guide tried to keep us moving, and tried to be very punctual, but I, personally, did not love her. However, besides the P&P Fortress (and the vodka Catherine's Palace), we saw everything else, and fast-tracked it past all of the lines for each of the various attractions (and some of them were very long). We had also added a stop at the Choral Synagogue, which is not on their standard tour.

 

FYI - the cost was $290 US per person (this includes the Gold Room plus two so-so lunches). However, there is a discount for children 12 and under.

 

I would highly recommend adding the Gold Room to whichever tour you choose. Also note the Hermitage and the Faberge Museum were the two highlights for my daughters. Some tours do not visit both.

Thank you, I've not been to the Gold Room nor the Faberge Museum. I will look into all this. Janis