July 2015 Baltic on Eclipse - Photos

First time Celebrity cruiser on 14-night Baltic cruise with extended family. To read about our 5-night pre-cruise stay in London, please see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2241340

Let me first introduce the family:

JoAnn (me) -- 50 something; Paul (dh) also 50 something. Our daughters Rachel (15) and Stephanie (18) from Waco, Texas.

David (FIL) and Norene (MIL), mid-70s, and their son, Brian (47), from San Jose, CA; Norene's brother Dale from Idaho.

Be sure to read about our trip from London to Southampton on the Britain Port of Call board. As I stated there, the Texas group and the California-Idaho group arrived separately at the cruise terminal but met up once inside. We arrived about 2:30 as the National Express bus was late due to traffic, but we made it. Then we waited in line to check in. The clerk took our passports and gave us a receipt for them. She said we would get them back after Belgium.

Once inside the ship we quickly found our cabin 7293 and went to D1 (Blu) for our muster drill. The demographics definitely seemed to lean toward the elderly side of things at this point. After the drill, the crowd moved ever so S-L-O-W-L-Y back to the elevators.

Rachel wanted to go find the teen club and we did but it was closed until 8. She took off to explore on her own. I walked around a bit, tried out my brand new Classic Drink package by ordering a screwdriver at the completely empty Sunset bar and then went to our cabin to put my things away and organize a bit.

Here's the view from our balcony:

At first I wasn't took happy that the blue roof of the specialty restaurants was so visible, but I do have a little bit of fear of heights, so knowing the roof was right there below me was sort of comforting. (Yes, I know you can't fall over the rail but still....)

Four people in a veranda room is somewhat of a challenge. The girls had three drawers each and kept the rest of their clothes in their suitcases. Paul and I took one of the bins over the bed each. The packing cubes came in handy as we kept our clothes in them and stacked them.

We were assigned 245 but it was a table for 6 instead of 8. It got sorted out and we moved to a table between the stairs and the kitchen. Not too scenic but quieter. Our waiter is Adriana from Romania and Devon from Jamaica. Our wine steward was Marijon from Croatia.

Dinner for the first night:

Shrimp cocktail

Onion soup

Prime rib

Dulce de Leche (creme brûlée)

Paul and I had the Classic Alcohol package and had wine or champagne every night, and usually a latte with our dessert.

After dinner walked around then got Venetian coffee at Cafe al Bacio -- frangelico, brandy and coffee.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Joann. Excellent photos.

Now I'll go and catch up with your time spent in London, my former home.

Looking forward to more.

Norris

Also,

Here is a link to our Baltic pictures from last month on Silhouette.

https://msknortherneurope.shutterfly.com/pictures

Sunday, July 12

Belgium

Today we docked in Belgium. We had breakfast at Ocean View Cafe with Paul and both girls. My stomach was rebelling a little fro last's night's rich food and the effects of not sleeping until Rachel came in after 1 am after the teen club closed.

I had researched all the options for getting to Brugge. $50 per person via the ship's shuttle to the city center was out of the question. I had read Rick Steve's book, and other Cruise Critic posts and I knew the most economical way to go was the port shuttle (free) to the gate, then walk to to the tram across from the church and take it to the train station at Brandenburg, then a nice walk from the train station in Brugge to the market square. I had fully intended to do that. I even had downloaded Rick Steve's book on my phone and printed instructions for getting to Brugge.

But feeling kind of crummy, we decided to spring for the €12 cash shuttle bus instead of using the free port shuttle and tram even though the cost was higher. It took us directly to the train station in Brandenburg.

In Brandenburg we followed the crowd to the train station and got tickets at the window but had to pay in cash.

After a brief ride in which we met Doreen and her daughters we arrived at the station in Brugges and took a bus to the market square. Doreen and girls had taken the tram and their tickets included the bus but we had to pay €3 each one way, again, cash.

So the lesson here: if you can take the port shuttle and the tram and get an all-day ticket, you will save a lot of money. Next time I would definitely do that.

Brugge is very quaint, as promised, and we walked around the square, the shops and looked at the canals. It was overcast and raining a bit.

We sampled chocolates, macarons and very wonderful Belgium waffles which are thicker and sweeter than normal waffles.

Since our ship sailed at 3 p.m., we remained very aware of the time. We met up with Doreen and girls for the 11:24 bus back to the train station. We stayed under the porch of a nearby building, standing out of the rain, but the bus passed us by before we could get out. We had to wait another half hour for the next bus (another €3) and another hour for the train.

We met up with fellow cruisers Gary and June at the train station. They were staying just a few doors down from our state room and had stopped me earlier in the morning to let me know they had seen us at the National Express bus station (if you haven't read about that SNAFU, I suggest you see my port review in the Britain ports of call section). They had borrowed a wheelchair from the ship and enjoyed the walk to and from the market square. I wished we had walked it instead of waiting for the bus.

When we arrived back at the Blankenburg station, there was a band playing in the band stand and a merry-go-round at the park across the street.

Back at the ship, we walked up a steep gangway to the 6th deck and then hit the buffet for a late lunch. Really steep!

Brugge gets a mixed review for me. Interesting buildings and shops but not enough time in port. You either spend too much time worrying about timetables and waiting or you spend $50 person for the ship's "on your own" transportation. As everything is easy once you know how to do it, I could do the port shuttle - tram - train - bus next time but it's kind of daunting when you don't know exactly what you're doing and there really isn't any time for making a mistake.

Day Two continued

We were back on the ship before the scheduled 3 p.m. sailing and had a late lunch. I took my Kindle after lunch to the Skyview Lounge along with a glass of wine to read and watch as we sailed away. The DJ began a 70s disco music trivia game but I only got about half, which is sad as I was in high school and college during that time.

Back to the cabin to attempt a nap then dinner:

Shrimp cocktail

Chilled pear and honey soup

Rack of lamb

Phyllo tulip with fruit

Our wine steward was Marijan. Paul and I had the Classic Package and just told Marijon what we planned to have for an entree and he recommended a wine for it.

Our waiter was Adriana, who was very meticulous about getting everything exactly right. If you didn't like something, it really concerned her and she tried to find you something else. Her assistant was Devon. He had a ready smile every night.

Our head waiter was Vladimir from Croatia.

Because my BIL has gluten allergies, a basket of fresh hot gluten-free bread was brought to our table each night.

Stephanie and I went to the Eclipse Theater for the captains toast and singing and dancing "Edge" production. The performers were very high energy and sang well but the songs were what I'd say we're "edgy" 30 and 40 years ago and now sung kind of smaltzy. This was my least favorite production.

Afterwards Paul, Stephanie and I went to Cafe al Bacio -- I had Aspen coffee with Baileys, Frangelico, brandy and coffee and a piece of coconut cake. I really enjoyed Cafe al Bacio -- great coffee drinks, wonderful desserts, comfortable seating and very fast service.

Really enjoying your review so far! Can't wait to read more.

Really enjoying your review so far! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks! And you don't sound crabby at all!!!!

JoAnn

You are bringing back so many memories from the summer of 2015. Sorry for your weather in Brugge; it is so gorgeous when the sun is shinning...but I know you didn't let that bother you at all. I want to hear more...thank you!

Thanks for the great review, looking forward to reading more.

You are bringing back so many memories from the summer of 2015. Sorry for your weather in Brugge; it is so gorgeous when the sun is shinning...but I know you didn't let that bother you at all. I want to hear more...thank you!

Heck no.... came back to 100+ temps in Texas. I'm happy for a cool rain anytime.

JoAnn

Day 3, Sea Day

We were thankful for a sea day after 5 full days in London, embarkation in Southampton, then Belgium. Time to relax and use that Class Drink Package to the fullest!

After breakfast, Stephanie and I went to the Cruise Critic Roll Call Meet up. I specifically wanted to meet Dianne, who had organized our SPB tour in St. Petersberg. I did find her and her husband Lawrence, and a couple others. Also attending was cruise director Sue Denning, the capitan and several other officers. Sue talked about how important CC is to them, how they do take our opinions into consideration, but suggested Cruise Critic might take the "critic" part just a bit too seriously.

As the cruise went on, I really developed an admiration for Sue. She was there everytime people left the ship for shore, often there when we returned, introduced the evening's entertainment and could be seen all over. She sang at one of the performances -- fabulous voice -- and had a show of her own but it was at 11:30 (too late for me). I did enjoy her Q&A one morning.

Plus she looks fabulous all the time.

At 10:45, we met in the MDR for for the galley tour. The head food manager (last name Paul, from Ireland) did some Q&A and then we split into groups for a very quick tour and some sampling of the specialty restaurants.

Unbelievably, we were hungry and Paul, Stephanie and I ate at the Mast Grill then ice cream at the Oceanview Cafe. It was pretty chilly on deck, so that the only time we ever ate at the Mast Grill.

Day 3, at Sea, continued

After lunch, Steph and I went to the hot tub and then got lemon sorbet. We found Paul who was drinking Irish coffee and reading at the Oceanview bar. Great choice for a slightly chilly afternoon.

At 3:00 we went to the hot glass show. I've read about the hot glass show on this board and wondered why people watch this over and over. It was a nice demonstration but nothing I would want to watch time and again.

But if you do go, get there early to grab a seat up front so you can see all the details.

They went to the Spa and I stopped by the bar, got a glass of wine, and headed for the Solarium pool to read.

Thanks for the review! I'm enjoying sailing along with you. About the Hot Glass Show (different strokes dept): I went with the same notion as you, but loved it so much that DW and I ended up seeing almost all of them between us! Even bid on a couple of the items at the end (but prices went way beyond my pay grade!).

Brugge gets a mixed review for me. Interesting buildings and shops but not enough time in port. You either spend too much time worrying about timetables and waiting or you spend $50 person for the ship's "on your own" transportation. As everything is easy once you know how to do it, I could do the port shuttle - tram - train - bus next time but it's kind of daunting when you don't know exactly what you're doing and there really isn't any time for making a mistake.

Was on this cruise and am enjoying your review

For me the best way to get to Bruges is to organise a taxi - takes 8, costs 50 euros each way, and takes you direct to the marker square. They pick you up at the same spot. Took the worry out of it and maximised the time in Bruges itslef

Was on this cruise and am enjoying your review

 

 

 

For me the best way to get to Bruges is to organise a taxi - takes 8, costs 50 euros each way, and takes you direct to the marker square. They pick you up at the same spot. Took the worry out of it and maximised the time in Bruges itslef

I agree about the taxi, however, by the time I realized this, there were no more taxis available. I put this in the category of "everything's easy once you know how to do it." If we ever go again, I'll definitely go that route. So many lessons learned on this trip!

Day 4

Tuesday, July 14

Warnemünde, Germany

What I really enjoy about having a balcony is watching the ship come into dock. In Germany, the port was very busy with ferry boats going back and forth. After a quick breakfast, we exited the ship, and literally walked across the street to the lot where Europcar was waiting with our 9-person Mercedes Van.

We had prepaid online but still had to sort out some insurance issues. The attendant set the GPS for Schwerin. We asked specifically about Schwerin Castle but he told us we couldn't miss the castle.

We zipped along the highway (the Autobahn?) but others still drove much faster than we did. In Schwerin, we had some trouble finding the castle (it was NOT readily visible despite what the attendant told us) but eventually we did and Paul dropped us off and went to find a parking place.

We bought our tickets (€6 plus €3 for taking photos) and walked up the spiral stairs.

Inside are various rooms with beautiful wood paneling, inlaid floors, paintings and antiques. And, of course, a throne room.

There is still a lot of restoration going on. The rooms that are open to the public seem pretty limited when you look at the castle from the outside. I know some of the rooms are actually used for the region's government.

After we left the interior, we walked in the gardens.

en we got back, the gps wouldn't work at all so I navigated with a map and signs. We took 106/105 back through beautiful fields of wheat and corn and wildflowers.

We stopped briefly in Rostock and then walked thru warnemünde after dinner. We had dinner in the ocean view cafe since we had already told Adriana we probably would not be back for dinner. It was a nice stroll past shops and boats.

... It was a nice demonstration but nothing I would want to watch time and again.

I am also enjoying your report and especially your photos. I hear you on the Hot Glass Show. Once was enough for me back in 2010 and normally don't go near it any more. Personally I like how they replaced on the builds after Eclipse with the Lawn Club Grill. Just my opinion!

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Loving your pictures. We were not given the chance to see inside Schwerin. Wow, we missed a lot. Loved our tour though.

We were on the 15 day sailing May 29 and never went to the hot glass show. We are just not fans of this.

This cruise was one of our very best in many cruises. I would love to do it again. The weather was fabulous and added to our enjoyment of every port we visited.

I am also enjoying your report and especially your photos. I hear you on the Hot Glass Show. Once was enough for me back in 2010 and normally don't go near it any more. Personally I like how they replaced on the builds after Eclipse with the Lawn Club Grill. Just my opinion!

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

Thanks, Kevin.

I think I would have liked the Lawn Club Grill. We never really went near the lawn other than the one time at the Hot Glass Show. I'm a big fan of al fresco dining... but then, it was kinda cool out there in the Baltics.

JoAnn

Loving your pictures. We were not given the chance to see inside Schwerin. Wow, we missed a lot. Loved our tour though.

 

We were on the 15 day sailing May 29 and never went to the hot glass show. We are just not fans of this.

 

This cruise was one of our very best in many cruises. I would love to do it again. The weather was fabulous and added to our enjoyment of every port we visited.

Thanks for stopping by. Schwerin Castle was nice, but I'm glad we saw it before St. Peterburg since those palaces are so over the top it would have really paled by comparison.

We had a real mixture of weather -- some really warm days in London, coupled with rain, and cloudy others. It's so darned hot now in Texas, I'd love a little cloud, fog and rain!

More to come....

JoAnn

Day 4, Germany, continued

After leaving Schwerin castle, we fired up the GPS to find our way back to Warnemunde. Nothing. Blank screen.

Normally, I am Ms. Prepared, but I have grown accustomed to going paperless as far as maps are concerned. Quickly, I rummaged through the glove compartment and found a map. I knew we could go north to Wismar, then west to Rostock and Warnemunde.

We saw a sign that directed us to Wismar, and we followed it. Instead of the super highway, we found ourselves on a two-lane road, through villages and next to wheatfields. It was a very nice drive.

We were on the lookout for somewhere to have lunch. In Wismar, we stopped in a shopping center at a deli kind of place. The woman behind the counter spoke no English, we spoke no German. We pointed to sandwiches and handed her a bunch of money which she picked through for the right amount.

Back on the road, we headed toward Rostock. We quickly walked through the shopping area, because all we could find was a 30 minute parking spot.