Constellation Baltics Trip Report and Lots of Pictures!

After the tour ended, we walked around and shopped for a while, but I think I'm the only one who was perfectly content to stay in town and explore...everybody else kept talking about the nice, warm, ship!

We decided we didn't want to wait two hours for our included transportation back to the pier, so we set out in search of a way back to the ship. Just outside Old Town we found a flea market and a bus stop!

Once we got back to the pier we still had the daunting task of getting to the ship...straight into the wind coming off the Baltic Sea!:eek: I can honestly say this was one of the longest walks to a ship we've ever had...and it wasn't that far!:p

We were all pretty tired after five straight days of touring. We napped and relaxed the rest of the day, then assumed our usual positions at the Martini Bar around 6:00. We had an excellent dinner in Tuscan Grill, and collapsed not long after dinner with visions of sunshine and warmth filling our dreams!:D

Oh my goodness, Cindy. I am trying to catch up with this review and having a hard time with all the beautiful photos and memories. :D Just wonderful!

The Amber Room was, as advertised, truly spectacular. I was going to follow directions and not take pictures, but when I saw everybody else doing it I decided not to be left out. These aren’t great because I at least tried to be discreet, but you get the idea.

I followed the rules and only got a really bad quick photo from outside the room. Would it be OK for me to copy one of your Amber room photos for my files? Also, to copy the photo that you found of the inside of St. Nicholas church. That was such a unique interior.;)

Gosh, those are some pretty scary photos of some people in the subway. That one guy looks dead! :eek: I mentioned to Vince during our visit that the trains reminded me of the movie Ghost when the bad guy would jump in and out of the cars. :D

We enjoyed our visit to Tallin, and it was probably my favorite city. We left very early and walked all the way from the ship. The walk in was rain free. It didn't start raining until we were about 15 minutes into our tour. We were able to take a coffee and hot chocolate break after our guide left. Then we did a little shopping. The walk back was not too bad, as I recall. We headed to a Sushi demonstration and then had a little spa time when we returned to the ship.

Keep up the great review!

Oh my goodness, Cindy. I am trying to catch up with this review and having a hard time with all the beautiful photos and memories. :D Just wonderful!

 

 

 

I followed the rules and only got a really bad quick photo from outside the room. Would it be OK for me to copy one of your Amber room photos for my files? Also, to copy the photo that you found of the inside of St. Nicholas church. That was such a unique interior.;)

 

Gosh, those are some pretty scary photos of some people in the subway. That one guy looks dead! :eek: I mentioned to Vince during our visit that the trains reminded me of the movie Ghost when the bad guy would jump in and out of the cars. :D

 

We enjoyed our visit to Tallin, and it was probably my favorite city. We left very early and walked all the way from the ship. The walk in was rain free. It didn't start raining until we were about 15 minutes into our tour. We were able to take a coffee and hot chocolate break after our guide left. Then we did a little shopping. The walk back was not too bad, as I recall. We headed to a Sushi demonstration and then had a little spa time when we returned to the ship.

 

Keep up the great review!

You're welcome to anything you see here! If there are other shots you think you might want or if you have a problem copying these, just send me an e-mail and I can send them to you directly. The website is still open and my address is on there if you need it.

I keep getting distracted from finishing this...hopefully I'll get through it soon!:o

That's very kind of you, thank you. :) I was pleasantly surprised that I did a pretty decent job with my photography this trip, even though I used my Iphone instead of my camera. It sure was easier! I especially enjoyed using the Panoramic feature. Got some great shots with that. However, they do not hold a candle to yours. ;)

BTW- Did you notice the latest cruise (booked yesterday) in my signature. :D We will see the ship before you. We will either hate it and be glad that we had a short time onboard, or will love it and wish we were sailing with you in November. I'll let you know when we return.:)

Thank you Cindy for a great review and photos!

 

BTW- Did you notice the latest cruise (booked yesterday) in my signature. :D We will see the ship before you. We will either hate it and be glad that we had a short time onboard, or will love it and wish we were sailing with you in November. I'll let you know when we return.:)

I saw that earlier this evening!

We're really looking forward to it...we're in a suite so we have CL access, we're doing 4 specialty restaurants including Chef's Table and 150 Central Park, and today I purchased the Ultimate beverage package! :) We're taking this one specifically for the ship.

I saw that earlier this evening!

 

We're really looking forward to it...we're in a suite so we have CL access, we're doing 4 specialty restaurants including Chef's Table and 150 Central Park, and today I purchased the Ultimate beverage package! :) We're taking this one specifically for the ship.

We booked a GTY Ocean View Balcony. For 2 nights, we can make do in whatever we receive. It would be nice to have a Suite, though. ;) We were looking for something to do for our birthday's and anniversary, that didn't involve DH having to take off any work days...since he has none left for this year, except the Friday after Thanksgiving. He wanted to drive to a beach resort and play golf. I didn't think that sounded like much fun for me :rolleyes:, so I checked out 2-3 day cruises over Labor Day weekend. Lo and behold...I hit the jackpot with the 2 Night Oasis! :D

Since we are Diamond, we will have the lounge and will also get 3 drink vouchers a night to use. We have decided to pay by the drink for any others and not do a package. We plan to go to 150 Central Park for my birthday celebration, and then try out the dining room on the other evening.

Friday, May 30 – At Sea

Sorry…life keeps getting in the way of me finishing this review!

Friday was a sea day, and I was looking forward to doing a whole lot of nothing, which I am very good at on a ship.:o The weather was still cold but the sun was finally shining, and there were even a few brave souls on the loungers out by the pool...with wool blankets!

We slept in and did some “cruise” stuff that we hadn’t found time for like trivia, and I did some more of my endless wandering around the ship with my camera.:)

The big event of the day was the Russian Bazaar Grand Opening, which there had been a countdown for since the day we boarded. This was Celebrity’s European version of the watch and cheap purse sale that all ships have near the end of a cruise, except with Russian tchotchkes instead of watch and pen gift sets, and complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Captain Tasos.

I don’t know why I was surprised, but it was packed, as if there were no shopping opportunities in St. Petersburg and nobody had seen a Matryoshka doll in any of our ports! Since I’m not big on crowds and it was looking very Hermitage-ish in the shopping area, I went down a few minutes after the ribbon cutting, took one look at the throngs of bargain hunters cramming into the tight space, and decided my shopping would be after lunch!

I did finally purchase a couple things, including a little “Faberge” egg to hang on my Pandora travel bracelet, and some magnets to use as stocking stuffers this Christmas, but it was pretty crowded down there most of the day and I decided there really wasn’t too much I needed!

The rest of the day was typical cruise. Jim and I napped, Mom got her hair done again, which gave us another opportunity to complain about the ridiculous Canyon Ranch prices, and Jess found something to do with a friend she met on the ship…one of the very few people her age!

Dinner (the third and final formal night) was excellent as usual, and we followed it up with the production show and then went to Name That Tune after the show. It was great! I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face. We weren’t even close to winning…some of those people are GOOD!

Right before midnight Captain Tasos announced we were about to pass under the Great Belt Bridge. (Disclaimer: I had too many martinis that night to remember what the bridge was called, but that appears to be correct according to pictures on Google.) Everybody headed out on deck to watch...

Once the bridge faded in the distance, I realized I was fading too, and decided it was time for bed. It was hard to believe that after the months of planning, preparation, and anticipation we were about to visit our last port before we received our eviction notice.

Cindy!!

Thank you so much for taking me back, it really was a wonderful trip.

And your pictures are beautiful!

Awesome photos and descriptions. We leave in a couple of weeks and I am using your wonderful information to help plan . I am getting really excited .

Cindy!!

 

Thank you so much for taking me back, it really was a wonderful trip.

 

And your pictures are beautiful!

Awesome photos and descriptions. We leave in a couple of weeks and I am using your wonderful information to help plan . I am getting really excited .

Thank you! I'll post Copenhagen in the morning...I finished up the pictures today.:)

I think Copenhagen was my favorite port. Can't wait to see your pictures.

Saturday, May 31 – Copenhagen, Denmark

Finally, another beautiful port day! When I first peeked outside as we were docking I wasn’t too impressed with the weather, but it ended up being a beautiful day.

Early morning arrival.

View from our balcony.

Could anything be more perfect than my husband's unintentional photo-bomb?

We had our second Celebrity excursion today, and although I was nervous that we were in for a repeat of the terrible tour in Stockholm, this one was very well done and our guide was outstanding!

Our tour was called The Hidden Gem Royal Café with Smushi & Sail. What's smushi? Read on to find out!

There were only about 20 of us. We started out on a bus and made a couple stops, first at the Little Mermaid and then near the Amalienborg complex (royal residences).

Our excellent guide, and Jim with another photo bomb!

Please excuse the interruption while I go off on a bit of a rant. It was a beautiful Saturday in Copenhagen, and we were one of four ships in port that day. Of course, just about everybody wants to see the Little Mermaid, and I don’t have a problem with that…I wanted to see it too! I have to wonder, though, why people think it’s necessary, or even OK, to climb on the statue and stay on there posing for dozens of pictures when there are hundreds of people waiting to take a picture of the statue without Joe Tourist featured in their shot! Rant over – thank you for your patience!

The little mermaid is much smaller than I expected...that's why it was so hard to get a picture without Joe Tourist in it!:rolleyes:

The Constellation had the closest berth to town.

Royal Caribbean, Costa, and MSC were also in Copenhagen with us.

Back on the bus after our photo stop at the Little Mermaid, it was a short ride to the Amalienborg complex where the royal residences are located. That was the end of the bus part of our tour. We had about 30 minutes to walk around the complex, admire the architecture, and people watch.

The area was filled with tourists and locals enjoying the beautiful day.

After leaving the royal complex, we began slowly walking towards our next destination. The nicest thing about this tour was it wasn't rushed...we had plenty of time to stop and admire things, and our guide was very patient with questions!

One of Hans Christian Andersen's homes in Copenhagen.

We reached Nyhavn, which is the beautifully restored 17th century waterfront and entertainment district. The brightly colored buildings are occupied by restaurants and bars with outdoor cafes along the sidewalk, and there are many beautiful sailboats lining the canal. This was another great people watching location!

Copenhagen was a great, great town for people watching!

While we were walking, our guide was busy pointing out places of interest and answering questions. One thing she talked about was the high cost of living…income taxes are 50% and VAT is 25%. Yikes! Salaries seem comparable to ours in the US…how do they live?

From Nyhavn, we walked into the center of town to The Royal Café on Amagertorv for a snack/light lunch. I thought the meal was strange, but it was unique to Denmark. The cafe is known for a hybrid of famous Danish smorrebrod and Japanese sushi called smushi, served on Royal Copenhagen porcelain (of course!). We had a little time after we ate to shop in the Royal Copenhagen flagship store connected to the café.

The Royal Cafe

The Royal Copenhagen Flagship Store

There were a LOT of people in the square just outside the café and Royal Copenhagen store!

You are an amazing photographer and storyteller! We are taking this cruise on August 25th and will be utilizing the services of SPB Tours for just about every port. I can only imagine how much more beautiful your photos would have been had the weather cooperated.

Can you tell me the make and model of your camera? Did you shoot most of your photos in automode or super automode? Did you use your flash in any particular scenes?

Don P.

You are an amazing photographer and storyteller! We are taking this cruise on August 25th and will be utilizing the services of SPB Tours for just about every port. I can only imagine how much more beautiful your photos would have been had the weather cooperated.

 

Can you tell me the make and model of your camera? Did you shoot most of your photos in automode or super automode? Did you use your flash in any particular scenes?

 

Don P.

Thanks, Don. Almost all of these were taken with a Canon T3i, with a few iPad shots and Sony NEX shots mixed in. The Canon shots were in either Aperture mode or Auto, with the flash off. I don't think I used a flash at all -- the external flash stayed home, and all the museums and churches prohibit flash photography.

Hi Cindy!

Your review was absolutely delightful; the photos were gorgeous and I so enjoyed reading and viewing everything.

It seems like the only way to see the Hermitage is a private tour. My DH and I did this in June and we were allowed to go different ways and cut through the crowds, entering some rooms alone! Unfortunately, the price is very high for this type of two day tour, but it was special for me because I taught World Cultures. I definitely saved a year in advance. My DH was fine with this expense and after the two days he said he got so much out of our tour, that it was so worth the cost. Plus, it is like you are VIP's, in your own car. I am mentioning this in case anyone reading this would like the same experience and feel the price is worth it.

Again, your review was awesome, Cindy!

I have a fairly decent camera and will take that on the cruise. When in Aperture mode what opening did you set for either indoor or outdoor?

Thanks, Don. Almost all of these were taken with a Canon T3i, with a few iPad shots and Sony NEX shots mixed in. The Canon shots were in either Aperture mode or Auto, with the flash off. I don't think I used a flash at all -- the external flash stayed home, and all the museums and churches prohibit flash photography.

Excellent review...great photos, items of interest and commentary...love your point of view!

Thanks for taking time to share with all of us!

Where are you cruising next?