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You have two choices of cabins if you want a balcony.

You can book an aft cabin with the risk of soot.

You can book a cabin along the side with the extremely small balconies.

It's a shame. The ship is in all other respects very beautiful.

Personally, we are balcony people. We would choose an aft balcony with the risk that it might have soot issues instead of a side balcony which we know will be unusable because of it's size.

The other option is to book a midship balcony or minisuite with the angled balconies, which are larger. That's what we book on the Royal and Regal; we have the larger balcony we like and the midship location we prefer. Book on a lower deck if you're booking on the starboard side to avoid privacy issues from the seawalk or book port side under the seaview bar and avoid the privacy issue entirely.

Have stayed in mini-suites on Regal and Royal, and you will love the extra space especially if you have three people. The deluxe balcony is very nice, but will be much more crowded. The ability to use the curtains to separate the cabin into two spaces, is an added bonus for the mini-suites.

Couldn't agree with you more. Even the towels on the Regal and Royal are in rough shape--literally. When we were on the Royal this past June, we did get a mix of newer, fluffy towels and the old ones, which gave me hope that Princess may be starting to replace the old towels. We also had nice new robes that actually fit--a big improvement from my previous cruise on the Royal when the robes were thin and way too small. As much as towels and robes get used, Princess should have a more frequent replacement schedule.

I believe the price is $40 per person unless it's gone up. Much cheaper than the Chef's table.

Love fall transatlantic cruises on the southerly route. Have done two and both times we had beautiful warm, sunny weather. Enjoy!

Great place to have lunch but go early as it does fill up fast. Love the Sangria as well as the pizza and pasta. Usually very quiet.

I don't know if I have mentioned this before but the Vasa museum now sells tickets online but you still likely will have to queue though

even if the sometimes have priority queues for pre-paid tickets. http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/buy-ticket

Great--good to know as I need to maximize our time as much as possible.

Late to this party, but must add my thanks for a fabulous review--loved the pictures and very informative commentary along with your delightful sense of humor. I found your review on the Port of Call board as I am researching a Baltic cruise scheduled for June 2018 on Princess. I've taken so many notes that will be helpful and even better gotten a sense of all the ports from your beautiful pictures. You have a real gift for writing and photography. I'm an over-analytical planner too, so I really appreciated all the details and the helpful links to learn more. I've spent an entire Sunday afternoon reading your review and researching links when I should have been doing a thousand other things, but it was time well spent. What I've learned from your experience will really enhance our upcoming Baltic cruise. I also spent a few days in Berlin in September and really enjoyed your Berlin review as well. I agree that it is a great city and like you, one that I want to return to for more museum exploration. So much to see, so little time--but that just gives us an excuse for more travel. Again, many thanks for a great review.

We had SPB Tours for our 2-day Deluxe St. Petersburg tour. The sites were amazing. We shared experiences with our Roll Call mates and had similar impressions on other operators like Alla and TJ tours. A lot cheaper than the ship's with similar sites to visit.

We will be taking a Baltic tour round-trip Copenhagen in early June 2018. Thanks for all the helpful information. I have made notes of the various port recommendations and really looking forward to seeing this beautiful part of Euro

Loved the aft plunge pool on the Regal—great views over the wake and usually not crowded at all.

I emailed the operator of the HOHO boat, Stromma, about their schedule next June since their regular schedule is usually 10:00 to 5:00. We dock early and want to be st the Vasa Museum when they open at 8:30. The Stromma rep confirmed that they will offer an early schedule to take people from their Stadsgarden dock to Vasa if a big ship is in port. Very happy to hear that as our port time is limited in Stockholm.:D

I forgot to say that the 07.30 stop is only available during Monday - Friday and not during weekends.

Well, that's a problem as we will be arriving on a Sunday. Does the ferry have fewer departures on Sunday and is there a link you could provide for the ferry schedule for June 2018? Again, many thanks for all your help.

Also, loved seeing your pictures from Northern Ireland. We've traveled there on a land trip as well as from the port of Belfast on the Princess British Isles cruise, so your pictures brought back fond memories of both those trips. Looks like your weather luck continued into Ireland, where we were also blessed to have good weather. Sunny days make for wonderful sightseeing.

Thanks again, and I'll look forward to reading your SA review in February--another trip on my bucket list.

Many thanks for a fabulous review. We are doing the Baltic cruise on the Regal Princess leaving Copenhagen on June 1st, so I was particularly interested in your weather as I was concerned that it would be cold and rainy the entire cruise. You obviously had gorgeous weather particularly in St. Petersburg, so hoping we will be equally fortunate. Your review has given me hope that we might be lucky and have some warm, sunny days. I also loved your beautiful pictures, which really made your review come alive, and you provided so many helpful details about where you docked, things to see and transportation. Like you, we prefer walking and touring on our own and are planning that for all the ports except St. Petersburg and Warnemunde, where we are planning to take the Princess "Berlin on your own" excursion for the same reason that you chose to do that in Gdansk. Can't wait for our cruise next year and thanks again for the very helpful review.

This is a great cabin. I haven't stayed in E428 but we stayed in E421, which is on the starboard side but a similar position with no obstruction. You will have an unobstructed view midship looking out over the seating area outside of Crooners and a larger angled balcony which will be great on the transatlantic. It's a great location, particularly now that the mid-ship stairs have been installed. We loved this location so much that I have booked E425 for our Baltic cruise next June. I also found that I like being on Emerald Deck and closer to the water. The ride was very smooth since you're lower down and midship. Enjoy!

I also check regularly and have often got great reductions on cabin prices or upgraded to a better cabin for the same price. I recently have also had great luck booking with Princess EZ Air. On our upcoming Baltic cruise next summer, I've already gotten two reductions on our flexible fare departure flights (we're booking on points for our return flights), and saved $227 per person. It pays to check frequently and take advantage of reductions.

The ferry sounds perfect—many thanks to all of you. Now if the Regal will just dock at Stadsgarskajen!

Another option is the djurgarden ferry. It is only a short walk from the stadsgarden pier to the ferry (we took the ferry and arrived at the Vasa a little before opening time).

Many thanks/-I wondered about the ferry. That sounds like a good option.

We took a HOHO boat and it was great. If you are in stadsgarden 167 berth, the boats are a very short walk from the dock. But please double check their schedule closer to your sail date since I've recommended this to people in the past, and other forumites correctly pointed out that the boats were no longer running prior to 10 am. The last time I checked a few months ago, they were running but you should check in 2018 to confirm.

 

It is important to get to Vasa early, because they limit the number of visitors at one time to protect the ship. The museum is much more pleasant when it opens at 8:30 and is empty than it will be a little while later when it get crowded.

We dock at 7:00 and want to be at the Vasa when they open at 8:30. We’d like to take the HOHO boat, but the schedule I’m seeing on their website is that they don’t start running until 10:00am. Do you know how I could check to see if they start earlier? Otherwise, is the best option to take s taxi?

It is difficult to say but if it goes to Stockholm at all that day and not Nynäshamn I think it might

be a favour for Stadsgården over Frihamnen but there are no guarantees.

Many thanks—will hope for that since we want to take the HOHO bus to the Vasa Museum. We are definitely scheduled to Sail into Stockholm, which is one reason we chose this itinerary as I wanted to sail in through the archipelago. We want to be at the Vasa Museum when they open st 8:30. Do you know if they begin running prior to 10:00?

We will be in Stockholm on the Regal Princess on Sunday, June 10. We are the only cruise ship in port, and I’m trying to determine where we will be docked. Is it likely that we will be berthed at Stadsgarten?

Many thanks-- we are indeed docking in Stockholm and have a very short port day (7:00-2:00 pm). I particularly wanted to experience the sail in and out of the Stockholm arpeggio, but the trade off is the shorter time in port. Hope we have good weather and can actually get in as I understand that sometimes you cannot.

we have just finished a Baltic and Scandinavian cruise on the Regal Princess (August 2017).

this post is a collection of some general tips for future cruisers to the region....it is not intended as a trip report

* wear good shoes - not sandals...closed toe shoes like joggers - you'll appreciate it in the old town areas such as Tallinn and Gamla Stan (Stockholm)

* bring an umbrella and/or rain gear - we carried small umbrellas with us

* we paid for 99% of our purchases with a credit card (the card has no international transaction fees)....the only time we needed small change was for toilet access....yes, even as a customer at Burger King, you have to pay to use the toilet (this was in Stockholm), heard that there was a fee for the toilet at MacDonalds (at Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin)

* we were encouraged by the cruise ship to carry our passports with us on our port days due to extra security measures. we were never asked to show our passports in any of these ports

* be aware if ticket activation is needed for your transport ticket in each city - it is usually a once only activation that is needed

* the maximum daily temperatures for our cruise ranged from 13 -20 C (55.4 - 68 F) - to me, that's cold. it was not good weather for movies under the stars or for using the outdoor pools/spas

 

 

Copenhagen

- there are many ticket machines at the airport to purchase your 36 DKK ticket for transport to the port. fortunately, there are also many staff members around to help you with the use of these machines. we caught the train in to Norreport from the airport. at Norreport, we found the #25 bus stop at street level (near the bicycle parking area and the Netto supermarket)

- the baggage handlers at the cruise terminal have staplers to attach your luggage tags to your bag

- check in was easy

- Princess had nominated a 4.00 pm check in time for us but we checked in at 1.30 pm with no problem. once in our stateroom, there was a notice from Princess stating that they were providing early check in for the benefit of their guests.

Oslo

- we walked from the terminal to buy our day passes from the Narvesen convenience store .

- we took the westbound metroline 1 to Holmenkollen - the ski jump improved for the 1952 winter Olympics. note that the walk from the station to the ski jump is quite steep in places. the journey took us through some lovely neighbourhoods.

- we took the metro back down to Majorstuen and walked a few blocks to the Vigeland Sculpture Park.

- the Vigeland Sculpture Park was amazing and well worth a visit.

- we also visited the Oslo Opera House, the City Hall and the Akershus Fortress

Warnemunde

- we decided not to visit Berlin and instead spent the day visiting Rostock, Schwerin and Warnemunde

- we walked from the ship, went through the underpass and found the ticket office on the far side of the building

- we bought our MV day tickets at this office

- we caught the first train (after 9.00 am) to Rostock and spent some time wandering around Rostock before catching the 11:07 to Schwerin. note that tickets were inspected on the trips to/from Schwerin

- Schwerin was a delightful city. we enjoyed our time there even though the castle was closed (being a Monday). we enjoyed the picturesque castle and the gardens around it.

Tallinn

- we walked for about 15 minutes to get to Fat Margaret in the Old Town area

- Pikk Street has many large cobblestones - this is where you need good supportive footwear

- the stalls in the Market Square were interesting

St Petersburg

- we were told that SPB has only 55 dry days per year....yes, it was raining for most of the two days that we were in SPB

- the Hermitage was more than we had expected..... so huge, so beautiful and yes, crowded. we wonder what it is like in the peak season?

- we could only glimpse a very small portion of the treasures at the Hermitage....sigh! so much to see, so little time....

- those senior ladies in the cloak room are marvels...efficiently storing and retrieving hundreds of items per day!! - no mistake was made with our belongings!

Helsinki

- we were docked at West Pier 2.....not near the markets

- tram 7 will take you from this pier to the city centre

- you can purchase your transport tickets (cash) from the tram driver (unsure if the price is slightly higher compared with purchase from a machine using coins)

- we purchased our day pass from the tourist information centre (yellow corner building near Market Square)

- the town hall is a blue building with a small portico....it is near Market Square. it provides free toilets and free WiFi

- we did not think that the Rock Church was worth the entry fee we paid

Stockholm

- you can purchase a 24 hour SL pass and a local shuttle bus ticket (for transport to/from the train station and the port) at the shop at the pier

- we were not going to Vasa so only needed a local ticket that could only be purchased at the train station

- -we walked for about 20 minutes from the ship to the Nynashamn train station (following the blue line)

- the ticket machine does have some English instructions on the screen...however, when you start your credit card transaction, it is only in Swedish. after inserting your card and putting in your PIN, the machine will advise you 'ta kort' which means 'take the card'....it does not push the card back out to you at this stage

- we got off at Stockholm Central

- Gamla Stan was a lovely place to wander around for a few hours

Copenhagen

- back to our starting port, we purchased our bus tickets from the tourist information booth (using our credit card)

- the 25 bus stop is opposite the Unicef building. it would take us to Norreport station

- many passengers were buying their tickets from the patient bus driver...he was handling many different currencies from these passengers. do not think you can use your credit card at this point.

safe travels.

Thanks so much for this very helpful information. We will be on the Regal next June for this same itinerary. I've been trying to figure out the likely docks for each port especially Stockholm and Olso. I've been researching ports using TA and the Rick Steves Northern European Cruise Ports guidebook as we will likely do several ports on our own. Do you recall the actual docks/piers for the ports of Olso and Stockholm as apparently there are several options? We chose the cruise so that we could sail directly into Stockholm so hopefully the weather will cooperate so we can dock in Stockholm.

Need some help planning our very short port stop in Stockholm on Sunday, June 10th. We will be arriving on the Regal Princess, and one of the reasons we chose this cruise was so we would sail into Stockholm. I'm not sure which pier we will be docked at, but we do have a very short day from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Our priority is the Vasa Museum and perhaps walking through the Old Town and touring City Hall if it's open on Sunday. My question is what is the easiest way to get to the Vasa Museum? I believe it opens at 8:30 am, and I had hoped to take the HOHO boat to the museum, but from what I'm seeing, the HOHO boat doesn't start until 10:00 am, which would be much too late for us. We hope to go straight to the Vasa Museum and be there when it opens, and then go to the Old Town for a walking tour or just touring on our own. What do you recommend for as the best transportation to the museum. Will anything be open in Old Town--shops or City Hall for a tour on Sunday?

Many thanks for your help.

Fabulous pictures--you have a great eye. We did the British Isles cruise with Princess two years ago, and I have also traveled several times to Scotland and Ireland on land trips so I recognize many of the places from your photos. You really captured the images as well as the spirit of these special places. Thanks for sharing your trip and allowing me to relive some great memories.