Baltic Cruise - which line is best? which to avoid?

Ah, three more tidbits to add to the Baltic cruise options spreadsheet --

1. number of days in SP

2. number of passengers on board

3. docking location for Stockholm

(And I guess if I wanted to keep Costa and MSC in the running, I ought to add the arrival/departure times for each port stop.)

Thanks, CC braintrust!

Azamara docks right in the centre of St Petersburg. Because they’re smaller ships they can often dock close on. Where they can’t they usually provide free shuttles into town. Not cheap but prices include gratuities and inclusive drinks (spirits/cocktails, wine & beer).

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To optimize you time in the Baltic, booking a cruise that doesn't start and end in the same port, for example Copenhagen-Stockholm.

This way you can add a day or two pre- and post cruise to get extra days in two ports rather then one.

I can also highly recommend Alla Tours - having toured with her several times, the tours (both group and private) are excellent.

Off the subject some, but we have a tour booked with Alla in August (2 days). Did you need rubles in the end on your tour there? Also, did you tip Alla guide in rubles or euros? thanks

I never got Rubles, because I knew it wasn't necessary. We never were asked for Rubles. We used our credit card, Euros & US cash. We tipped the Alla people in Euros.

Off the subject some, but we have a tour booked with Alla in August (2 days). Did you need rubles in the end on your tour there? Also, did you tip Alla guide in rubles or euros? thanks

See Three4rd's post - got some roubles but spent hardly any of them & gave most as a tip for Alla's guide.

We basically did the same.

Other than the Caribbean, we like to have at least a little of local currency wherever we go, so we bought enough roubles for the guide's tip, so that if we didn't use them they'd not be wasted.

It's a pound to a penny that Three4rd did the same as us - used some to buy drinks with their lunch. Lunches were included in Alla's tour price, but if you wanted better than table water to wash it down you bought from the restaurant - neither restaurant accepted plastic or foreign currencies, roubles only. So we dipped into the guide's tip for beers, and at the end of the tour made up the shortfall with euros (I'm sure USD would be equally acceptable).

Worked out fine for everyone :)

JB :)

Off the subject some, but we have a tour booked with Alla in August (2 days). Did you need rubles in the end on your tour there? Also, did you tip Alla guide in rubles or euros? thanks

Alla's guides will happily accept tips in USD, GPB and Euros.