Scottishclover

So excited for your live review. We are new to Celebrity ( 2 cruises booked) and your info/tips have really helped with planning. I love reading your posts at breakfast before heading out for the day. You will enjoy Norway - we cruised there in 2016 with Disney and it was amazing.

A couple of tips: if you can, try and get out on the water on the fjords. I think the scale gets more impressive when you are at water level . We did a rib tour but kayaking would work too. Also,  make sure you have a waterproof packed. Bergen completely lived up to its reputation of Europe’s rainiest city when we were there 😂 But we didn’t let it stop our fun. It’ll get you used to the wet stuff before you hit Glasgow😜

As a wee aside, I grew up living across the road from great neighbours, both called  “Iain” but with different spellings. They were known as “father Ian” and “son Iain”.

Have a fantastic cruise!

You will definitely have enough time. We were docked  between 8 and 4.We got the very first ferry to Tau at 8am. We were queued up ready to disembark asap and power walked/jogged to the ferry dock. We weren’t the only ones doing this 😂.  If I remember rightly we were back at the ship     at 2.30 pm and that was even with a wait for the ferry to come back to Stavanger. We were way ahead of our planned schedule. You do need to check your timetables. I have read that there is now a tunnel between Stavanger and Tau so you can actually bus it all the way to the trailhead. That would be a quicker option - 45 mins drive. Suggested time up and down with time at the top is 5 hours. We did it in an easy 3 hours and spent around 20 mins at the top as it was extremely windy. So you can see you would easily make it, if you are docked 9 to 6, especially as you are reasonably fit and used to the outdoors.  Just make sure you do your homework. With the advent of the tunnel, I’m sure there will be lots of options to get there and it actually sounds less hassle than when we did it in 2016. 

We enjoy hiking and nature and are thinking about going on a tour to Kemeri  when our ship docks in Riga. We are in Tallin the day before and I’m worried that Riga might be very similar, so looking for something different to do in Riga. Has anyone experience of Kemeri National Park? 

Be aware that often the way down takes longer as you are constantly stepping aside to let those climbing up, pass. It is a very highly trafficked trail. I agree with other posters though, if you have the chance, definitely go for it. Amazing experience.  As an aside OP, if you are into hiking and your cruise goes to Alesund, you should try Sukkertoppen ( Sugarloaf Mountain) It’s an easy morning hike and the 360 degree views at the top were incredible. We hiked in every Norwegian port and Sukkertoppen was my favourite.

I would do the train. They leave very regularly and you get off at Central Station right in the heart of Glasgow. Check scotrail.com  for schedules. My daughter goes to Glasgow University and the surrounding area around the main building is pretty and well worth a visit.

We hiked Pulpit Rock in July 2016. We love hiking  so this was a bucket list hike at the time. We travelled with our 2 daughters, one of whom was 11 and so we couldn’t join the ship excursion due to insurance age restrictions. We decided to DIY it and saved hundreds of dollars in the process. It is actually very easy to hike it independently. We bought a combined ferry and bus ticket before boarding the first ferry of the day from Stavanger to Tau. On arrival at Tau, the bus was waiting and after a short journey, dropped us off at the trail head. Originally, we had worries about timings and being back in time for the ship leaving but we needn’t have worried. We completed the hike in much less than the recommended time and we were back in Stavanger with lots of time to spare. It is good to have a back up plan though, like a local taxi number to get you to the ferry at Tau if you miss the bus. 

I’m not sure how beneficial going in a group would be. The hike is straightforward with a path all the way up so no way you can get lost. it is pretty much single file a lot of the way so would be difficult to chat to a tour leader. I would recommend going as early as possible as the trail was very busy when we were making our way down. In fact, we passed our ship’s excursion as they were just going up. Hiking boots are also a must - the rocks are slippery when wet. We enjoyed this hike and just got some lovely views from the top as the weather closed in. I would only do this hike in clear weather. Hope this helps.

On 3/20/2022 at 10:13 PM, Jim_Iain said:

We no longer bring our Kilt's and accessories.    With airline weight limits and kilts weighing in at about 20 pounds each they have been moved to the back of the closet.  We now just save them for Weddings and Funerals.

Shame… nothing nicer than seeing a man in a kilt. My dad has also stopped taking his on cruises. I know what you mean about the weight -  we got married in the Bahamas and I remember my husband’s kilt took up a whole case. The trick would be to wear it with a T-shirt and travel in it. That would raise some eyebrows at the airport😂

3 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

 

As for taxis versus public transportation, we're used to public transportation but I find buses in large unfamiliar cities a bit fraught especially with the language problem.  No problem with subways (metro), but my husband has difficulties walking especially with stairs.  Just want him to be able to get around easily.  It's not that he can't walk at all, just not much. 

There will be no language problem in Stockholm. The majority of Swedes speak near perfect English. Same goes for residents of the other Scandinavian countries.

Agree about a good quality rain jacket! The weather in Norway lived up to its reputation when we did our cruise at the beginning of July. I have never seen rain like it, the day we were in Bergen ( that’s saying something as we’re from Scotland) but we didn’t let it spoil our fun. Saying that, we had beautiful weather in Alesund , which was my favourite port. We did a hike and most of the locals were in shorts. I’d say it was in low 60’s. Temperature is relative - if you normally live somewhere quite hot, you won’t need shorts in Norway. While we thought the temperatures were pleasant and similar to our Scottish summer, there were Americans on our cruise in winter coats and woolly hats. To summarise weather is unpredictable from day to day but waterproof shoes, rain jacket and quick dry trousers are essential. Enjoy your cruise, Norway is amazing.

The first time we went we did a free walking tour, which was brilliant. It left from just by the Brandenburg gate and was pretty comprehensive covering the main sights in the centre. I would also recommend visiting the Jewish quarter - again not too far from the centre.

Ok here’s my take. I’ll give you some context, I spent a year living in Rostock in the 90s and have been back many times to visit friends. Have also spent a couple of long weekends in Berlin in the last 5 years and one of these times we got the train up to Rostock from hbf.

Personally I wouldn’t go to Berlin. The views from the train are obscured a lot by trees and you will only scrape the surface of Berlin in 6 hours. The thing is, Berlin is one of Europe’s great cities but it’s not the prettiest to walk around in. It’s all about the city’s role in different periods of modern history and to get the most of a visit, you need to spend time in museums/ different areas to absorb it all. The reason we visited two years in a row is that there was still so much we did not get to see first time round. While a lot of the sights are in Mitte, Berlin is actually quite spread out. Using the UBahn is the way to go. German public transport is cheap and efficient. You should never need to rely on taxis or Uber in Berlin. if you think this is the only opportunity you will ever have to visit Berlin then fair enough but IMHO it merits at least 5 days and shouldn’t be rushed in half a day. It’s our family’s favourite European city. 
You can easily spend a lovely day in Rostock and Warnemunde and it would be much more relaxing. Rostock centre has lots of different architectural styles and is very pretty. You can walk around the old town walls - a guide from the tourist info on university square will help with the route. The town also has a big maritime heritage. Warnemunde is a great place to stroll and soak up the seaside atmosphere and of course there’s the beach with its wide promenade and lighthouse. 

I hope this helps with your decision and enjoy your cruise. 

These are all good points regarding liability but if a connecting door is left open, which it will be between our  two connecting cabins, I see no reason why the our girls can’t be in one of the rooms and my husband and myself can sleep in the other. 

I had just this problem when booking a Japan cruise this week . When we travel or girls will be 18 and 20 - in fact the eldest turns 21 on the cruise. I was booking 2 connecting insides online and after I had booked, I realised that only one deposit had gone through. Then  I noticed an alert telling me that you had to be 21 or over to be in a cabin. Of course coming from the UK this had never occurred to me  as 18 is the age you are considered an adult. I also found it odd as when you book the number of guests through celebrity you have the option of adult or child (under 17). The fact that I was booking connecting rooms made this even more bizarre. To cut a long story short my husband spent an hour and a half on the phone trying to sort out the issue and now we have the additional room booked. I am in one and my husband in the other but of course we were charged for the privilege of changing names. Seems ridiculous that when my daughter lives away from home, can drink alcohol,  vote, get married, that she can’t be in a room on her own in a cruise ship. I know that people connect being a minor to the legal drinking age but checked that too, and it’s 20 in Japan.

I am vegetarian, my 2 daughters are vegan and my husband has a gluten intolerance. That’s one of the reasons we cruise as it’s more convenient than having to find a restaurant with a gluten free and vegan menu every night. I plan to ask for the vegetarian menu when we are on Apex on the summer and we phoned Celebrity so it is now noted on our reservation. You can actually see the veggie offerings on the app if you scroll down on the menus in main dining  (  they are underneath the children’s menu). I think flexibility is the key when you are plant based. 

I just wanted to thank you so much for your  comments about the way Celebrity handled your gluten intolerance. Up until now, we have only cruised with Disney,  as things always worked out so well for my husband who has coeliac disease. This summer we are sailing on Apex and posts like yours help to reassure that he will be adequately catered for. Our 2 daughters are vegan too which doesn’t help matters. Finding restaurants that offer a selection of gluten free and vegan food isn’t that easy so we have started cruising for convenience. 

If you hike at all, definitely go to  pulpit rock. It’s doable on your own with a ferry then bus to get you to the trailhead. It was a bucket list hike for us and the views from the top we’re spectacular. Of course, a 3 hour hike is not everyone’s idea of fun.

Loving all the positive comments about the buffet. Life would be boring if we all had similar food preferences. It will be our first time sailing with Celebrity in the summer on Apex. Have looked at the MDR menus and not much choice if you don’t eat red meat so nice to know OVC is a viable optionn( there is one vegetarian and 2 vegans in our party.) Definitely planning on having dinner in OVC on the night  we sail through the Stockholm Archipelago on our Baltic cruise. Wouldn’t have thought to do that if hadn’t been for this thread. Thanks 😀

We stayed at Tivoli Hotel once for a long weekend and enjoyed it. Walkable to almost everything and we got a special package so we could visit Tivoli Gardens. When we returned a couple of years later before a cruise, we decided to stay in a Scandic  Hotel in Malmo. Much cheaper than Copenhagen hotel prices and we used public transport to explore Southern Sweden. Direct train links over the bridge to Copenhagen in around half an hour. It might seem a bit left field to some but we loved staying there. It’s a good idea if you have already been to Copenhagen before.

I know smoothies and juices from Spa Cafe aren’t included in the classic package (can’t get my head round that when they cost less than $9) but what about all these mocktails mentioned in this thread? Would they be covered in the classic package? We cruise in July and some of these drinks would be right up my daughter’s street.

Here is our recent experience with a similar  situation. We are booked on a Baltic cruise in the summer on Apex. At the time of booking,  ( we got a big discount in the promotion), our 19 year old daughter showed no interest in coming on holiday with us and our younger daughter. She has since changed her mind and we were concerned how much it was going to cost to add her as a 4th person to the reservation,  as prices have increased significantly from when we booked. Should add here that we are Scottish and live up to the national stereotype of being a bit tight when it comes to money. Much to my husband’s delight,  Celebrity charged the same rate as we got for our other daughter on the original booking. Tbh, I find Celebrity’s pricing quite confusing. My husband was actually really impressed by the customer service from the advisor. I hope you get some joy with the price and enjoy your cruise.

Wow! Fantastic photos. We are going on our first  Celebrity cruise on the Apex in July and our 19 year old is on the fence about coming. I’m pretty sure your posts will persuade her.  Looking forward to the rest. Enjoy your cruise. 😎

Thanks everyone for all the reassurance. I think we will book traditional dining so we are with the same servers each night. 

In the past we have cruised Disney but are looking to try  Celebrity  now our girls are grown up. For those people who have cruised Celebrity with allergies, is it better to choose traditional dining over anytime so that you have the same serving team each night? We would like to try the 4 different MDRs on Apex but not sure if organising anytime dining will just be too much hassle. One coeliac requiring gluten free and 1 vegan in our party.