Scandinavia/Russia Cruise on the Reflection - June 2019

If you can swing the $$$, take a private two day tour...just the two of you in Russia. You will be treated like royalty and skip all the lines and crowds. We used SPB Tours for ours and it was just awesome, as you get to see and do so much more than shared groups. We even ate lunch in a private restaurant.

 

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We also did a private tour with SPB Tours, just the two of us plus the driver and the tour guide. It was wonderful and you can pick and choose what you want to do and see so much more than a group tour as you will not be slowed down by others. Ours was in 2010 so the prices would not be comparable to today but it was pricey. You can communicate with SPB by e-mail and they will provide a price and discuss any details or questions you may have. They are very accommodating and I am sure the other major tour services in St. Petersburg are as well.

We are booked on that June 26 Reflection sailing.

I wish I had seen this thread when first posted, but, if the OP is still here, let me address them:

This will be our fourth Baltic cruise. We took our first one 17 years ago on Princess...and, yes, the demographics were skewed to the extreme. We took our kids--who told us about a day in that there were only less than 20 kids on the entire ship--out of over 2,000 passengers...and we started noticing that almost everyone on board was elderly. They played one of those "Newlywed Game" things one night--and all four couples--even the newlyweds--were octogenarians! I think that used to be the norm on not only Baltic cruise, but Alaska cruises as well. The common thought was that the older folks liked to avoid hot weather, exotic foods and third world cultures...and that these northern cruises were far more to their liking...while a lot of younger folks cruised for beaches, water sports and the like--things you didn't find in the Baltics.

But, what we've noticed on ensuing cruises is that the demographics have clearly changed. We've found people of all ages on these cruises. Many, like us, are cruising to experience history and culture...and though we still prefer the Mediterranean, we cruise so often that we like to mix it up...So, a Baltic cruise every few years works well. The length of the cruise is not a big deal. My wife works for the school district--so late June to the beginning of August is her one big vacation window...and, if we are investing the time, effort and money to go all the way to Europe, we want to make the most of the opportunity--hence longer cruises.

The only disappointment with this one so far is how quiet the Roll Call is. We are hoping more people join--especially those still capable of aggressively touring--nothing against elderly folks--we just want to do some nice private small group tours in some of the ports--especially St. Petersburg, where we like to fit in a lot of sights in the time allotted--and need to find others who would like to join in.

The first time we visited St. Petersburg, we did our tours through the Princess Shore Excursions--and it was painful. 10 minute photo stops turned into nearly an hour as dozens of older women unloaded from the bus and lined up for the small restroom. Our Hermitage visit bogged down when one elderly woman started complaining about the ONE story staircase she was asked to ascend. We said never again. So the next two cruises, we booked private 8-person tours with Red October, then with SPB. We will likely book with SPB again--if we can find three other couples to join us. Last time, we did a customized two-day tour that hit most of the sights and included a subway ride and a hydrofoil return from Peterhof...and we threw in the night-time canal boat ride and Vodka tasting with walk on Nevsky Prospekt...A full and fun two days...and at a reasonable cost.

As to the itinerary on this one, it's pretty simple...I would not be too upset about not going to Norway.

Oslo is not as interesting as the other Scandinavian capitals...and Norway is better saved for another cruise--because the better ports in Norway are on the coast--the fjords like Geiranger...and the town of Bergen. What is missing on this particular itinerary is Gdansk--which is a very picturesque port. But that's okay, you can't get every port you'd want every time. Stockholm and Copenhagen are great cities. Tallinn is enchanting. Helsinki is okay, IMHO--we're going to need to find something different to do there this time. Last visit to Warnemunde, we went to Berlin, but we won't repeat that...This time we'll stay more local in Warnemunde/Rostock...or maybe Schweirin...And we're heading into Amsterdam two days prior.

We did a Baltic Cruise on the Silhouette almost exactly a year ago. I agree with BruinSteve - the demographics have changed over the years. We had such a cross section of ages that it really didn't matter. We are 68 and 71 and I found the shore excursions (booked through SPB) challenging but not impossible. I wish I'd paid more attention to getting myself in better shape before the cruise! We've cruised a lot over the years and this one ranks at the top of our list. And please do plan on spending some time in Amsterdam - it's just a wonderful city. My advice is just to go for it!

The 2 day deluxe tour with SPB in St Petersburg cost us $540 US for two of us.

This sounds about right. We had driver and tour guide and just the two of us with Red October. Spent about $300 pp and was worth every penny. We were given a general itinerary, prior to the cruise, and could make any additions or subtractions we wanted. During the 2 days of touring our guide also suggested other things to see and do which made it even more interesting. By all means go with a private tour in SPB or join another SMALL group on a private tour.

Hi everyone! My husband and I are in our early thirties and we are planning a big overseas trip/cruise for next year. We came across the 12 night Scandinavia/Russia cruise on the Reflection that starts on June 26th. Our first cruise was on the Reflection and we loved the ship so we have experience there but we've never done this type of cruise before (take a look at my signature for our past cruises to see what we've done). I'm looking for thoughts from folks whom have done a similar cruise. What did you enjoy, what did you not enjoy? I know the crowd will skew older as this is a longer cruise. Should we perhaps consider a different cruise line? We're both foodies and I personally like having activities to do while my husband likes relaxing on the ship. I liked this sailing since it has stops at almost all of the countries that are on my bucket list to see (only one missing is Norway).

 

Here are the stops:

Starts in Amsterdam

Rostock, Germany

Helsinki, Finland

St. Petersburg, Russia (overnight)

Talinn, Estonia

Stockholm, Sweden

Copenhagen, Denmark

Back to Amsterdam

 

Any thoughts and/or reviews are appreciated!

Hi,

My husband and I did this cruise last August on the Eclipse. It was a slightly different itinerary as we left from Southampton and did not stop in Helsinki. It was marvelous and I have no doubt you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

I would highly recommend looking at SPB Tours for excursions in St. Petersburg, Estonia, Stockholm and Rostock (Berlin). The company was wonderful to work with and provided excellent tours in each of the countries. Their prices were very competitive and tours well organized. They provided “bundled” tours at reduced prices. Be sure to mention that you are a Cruise Critic member as they provided a discount for that as well. As you may or may not be aware, you will need a visa to even get off the ship in St. Petersburg. This can be very costly. If you tour with a company registered with the government, the tour company meets the visa requirement needed for you. Even though it is a bit of a drive from Rostock, if you have never been to Berlin I would definitely suggest going. And don’t miss the Vasa Museum in Stockholm!!

Have a wonderful time. It’s a great itinerary.

Peg

Were in our fifties and are doing this cruise next July. Will be interested in tips on Amsterdam! Great itinerary.

 

 

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we are doing this cruise next July as well with 10 others (so far) we range from our 15 year old to late 60's should be lots of fun. The ports are what got us as well.

We will be on this cruise next August 1! Very excited. Thanks for all the information and ideas!

We are also on this 6/26/19 cruise Itinerary traveling with our 12 yr old daughter as well as the in-laws. Appreciate the tips.

If you are foodies, you will enjoy Celebrity's food.

Itinerary and perceived quality of food drives my choices. Celebrity is great and your itinerary is fine. My only suggestion would be to look for a cruise that has 3 nights in StP rather than only 2. We did the 2-nights and enjoyed it, but it was very intense. If you can afford it, consider the Oceania Marina 12-night departing June 2nd with 3 nights in StP plus 2 ports in Norway.

Hi!!! 

We are going on the same cruise...but I think we are going to Warnemunde (Berlin) is that Celebrity Reflection June 26th 2019 from Amsterdam? If so it's great!!! I'm 38 years old and my husband is 42 years old, we go with our small son . he's 6 years old. We are so excited!!!! have you already plan for the shore excursions?

I thought I would chime in. 

My wife and I (late 50's) are on this cruise too.  In fact we are doing the two days in ST Pete with Bruin Steve.  Its going to be a fantastic cruise.

Don’t think it will necessarily be an older crowd as it’s a longer cruise. This is usually the case in the Caribbean where the majority of the passengers are from the US and don’t get paid holiday leave. In Europe where just about everyone is entitled ,bylaw, to paid holiday leave people tend to take a couple of weeks off for a vacation whatever their age. 

Tallinn - very hilly so get a taxi to the top of the town for the views then enjoy the town as you stroll down. 

Copenhagen - take a canal boat tour (the netto boats are half the price of the others) and you will see the little mermaid and decide if you want to come back for a closer look. 

If if you have an outside or balcony cabin close your curtains, sunrise is about 3.30! 

Hi all, OP here. We decided to go on the Norway fjords cruise via Reflection in May instead since the dates for this Scandinavia cruise didn't work since we have a local wedding to attend during this sailing date. Thank you for all of the tips though! One day we'll do a Scandinavia/Russia sailing.

On 9/22/2018 at 6:33 PM, new2cruisin1844 said:

We are also on this 6/26/19 cruise Itinerary traveling with our 12 yr old daughter as well as the in-laws. Appreciate the tips.

We are on this 6/26/19 cruise to Scandinavia and Russia cruise on celebrity reflection

On 8/24/2018 at 4:20 PM, tuft said:

 

Hi,

 

My husband and I did this cruise last August on the Eclipse. It was a slightly different itinerary as we left from Southampton and did not stop in Helsinki. It was marvelous and I have no doubt you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

 

I would highly recommend looking at SPB Tours for excursions in St. Petersburg, Estonia, Stockholm and Rostock (Berlin). The company was wonderful to work with and provided excellent tours in each of the countries. Their prices were very competitive and tours well organized. They provided “bundled” tours at reduced prices. Be sure to mention that you are a Cruise Critic member as they provided a discount for that as well. As you may or may not be aware, you will need a visa to even get off the ship in St. Petersburg. This can be very costly. If you tour with a company registered with the government, the tour company meets the visa requirement needed for you. Even though it is a bit of a drive from Rostock, if you have never been to Berlin I would definitely suggest going. And don’t miss the Vasa Museum in Stockholm!!

Have a wonderful time. It’s a great itinerary.

 

Peg

I'll add my name to those recommending SPB tours in St Petersburg and other cities.  We also used them in Stockholm and Warnemunde.  They often offer a discount if you mention cruise critic or they will match prices from other vendors that might be lower.  I would use SPB again in a heartbeat.  The groups are often much smaller than those with the ships tours and they often find ways to get cuts to the front of the line with much reduced waiting in line.  The 2 day tour in St Petersburg was plenty for the 2-day stop.  As nice as St Petersburg may also be at night with White Nights or other dance activities, we need the time to rest.

6 hours ago, natorious said:

We are on this 6/26/19 cruise to Scandinavia and Russia cruise on celebrity reflection

Natorious,

You need to come over to THIS thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2504675-june-26-2019-baltic/page/12/

...it is the specific Roll Call thread for this specific sailing.  Lots of discussion about this sailing in particular...posts about ports, tours, info on how to get an invite to the “Meet&Greet”, etc.