NCL Breakaway Baltic Cruise Review July 13, 2018

The Cruisers:

Myself and my Husband (49 & 48) and my two teenage Daughters (16 & 13). We are seasoned cruisers (12 for my husband & myself....6 for our daughters). We have done Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda, Canada but this was our first time to Europe. I found doing a Europe trip involved alot more research and planning but was a lot of fun. I used Cruise Critic, Trip Advisor and Rick Steves to plan everything.

We booked this trip in October 2017 along with purchasing airfare and booking the hotel in Copenhagen.

This cruise boards in both Copenhagen and Warnemunde (Berlin) with most of the passengers boarding in Copenhagen.

Our Itinerary:

13Jul Copenhagen, Denmark Departure: 5:00 pm

14Jul Warnemunde (Berlin, Germany Arrive: 7:30 am Departure: 10:00 pm

15Jul At Sea

16Jul Tallinn, Estonia Arrive 9:00 am Departure: 4:30 pm

17Jul St. Petersburg, Russia Arrive: 7:00 am OVERNIGHT

18Jul St. Petersburg, Russia Departure: 7:00 pm

19Jul Helsinki, Finland Arrive: 7:00 am Departure: 4:00 pm

20Jul Nynashamn (Stockholm) Sweden Arrive: 7:00 am Departure: 7:00 pm

21Jul At Sea

22Jul Copenhagen, Denmark Arrive: 7:00 am

When we booked this trip they had us docking in Stockholm but later changed it to Nynashamn...because of this NCL did offer free transportation to Stockholm via bus to anyone who booked prior to the change. We had booked a tour so I can not comment on how well this transportation worked.

Our Flight to Copenhagen left at 9:30 pm on July 10 and arrived at 11:00 am on July 11 (45 min early due to favorable winds).

We flew Delta from New York's JFK Airport (we live about an hour north of NYC). We wanted to spend some time in Copenhagen before our cruise (in hindsight we wish we had one more day and left on Monday! Still much to see). In addition I wanted to be sure we had a "buffer" just in case there were delays or issues with our flight over. IMO you should NEVER fly in the day of the cruise, and even more so when it's an 8 hr flight to get there! We met a couple people who flew in the day of and were totally stressed with delays. In addition with such a big time change give yourself a few days to adjust!! Your body will thank you!

Taxing out at JFK.....

Before we had even taken off my 13 year old had lost her eye mask so I gave her mine only to find it shortly later on Pumpkin (who has also been on 6 cruises)........:'):'):'):)

We skipped the meal service and tried to get some sleep......soon we were almost there!

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Off the plane and making our way to Passport Control....No paperwork here in CPH....just need your passport and they ask you a few questions, stamp your passport and you are on your way!

Airport...

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Since we would be in Copenhagen for a couple of days I decided to purchase the 48 hr Copenhagen Card. The Copenhagen Card gives you entrance to lots of the attractions and covers all the public transportation (buses/metro/train).

I purchased the cards online prior to departure and picked them up at the CPH Airport. We had a little bit of trouble finding where to pick them up but we asked someone and was easily directed to where to go

I had my printed voucher and she got me the cards. She asked if we were using them right away (we were) so she dated and put the time on them. (If not we could "start' them later by doing this ourselves).

We then made our way over the M2 Metro line to take the Metro to our Hotel in Copenhagen.

The Airport is the beginning of the line for the M2 so just follow the signs to it (check out the Wonderful Copenhagen Thread on the Northern Europe Board for photos of how to get there from Danish Viking).

We took the Metro to the Kongens Nytrov Station which was just a couple blocks from our Hotel

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On our walk to hotel we passed the Nyvan Section that you see for every photo of Copenhagen...

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Regarding the Walk.....

Yes the hotel is not far maybe 10 minutes BUT it's all cobblestone streets. So plan your luggage accordingly. Pulling rolling luggage on a cobblestone street after an all nighter flight was no prize. :') We did it and I would do it again to save the $$ on a taxi BUT that may or may not be worth it to you. Just wanted to warn you especially if traveling with smaller children or someone who has mobility issues.

Our Hotel:

We booked a Wake Up Family Room at the Wake Up Copenhagen Borgergade.

Since we are a Family of Four pretty much every where in Europe involves getting two rooms. Which in Copenhagen is expensive.

With some research (again love these boards) we found the Wake Up Borgergade had exactly what we were looking for at a decent price.

Basically it's two rooms with a connecting door sold as a Family Suite.

The rooms are small but totally fine for what we needed at a great price!

Both rooms are exactly the same:

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Shower

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Rest of Bathroom

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To help keep is organized since there isn't a lot of room I used packing cubes and had two "just for copenhagen" to avoid having to unpack much of my suitcase.

Both rooms had AC but one side worked better then the other. Showers are small but water pressure was good. Room was extremely clean!

We found the hotel staff pleasant. We arrived early and while our room wasn't ready yet (we were there at 1 pm and rooms are ready at 3 pm) but we hung out in the lobby on the wifi after a quick trip to the 7/11 on the corner for snacks. I check again at 2 pm and our room was ready so we checked in and headed out to explore (and stay awake till a normal bedtime!)

I can think of NO better way to stay awake then to head to Tivoli and ride roller coasters (okay only the kids rode but still!).

I turned on my phone to use my $10 24 hr day pass from Verizon (found this to be cheaper then adding an international plan for the month).

Using the GPS we made our way to Tivoli which is about a 20/25 min walk from our hotel.

On the Walk:

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Made it!!

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My kids in line for OdinExpress: (Maroon and Yellow Shirts)

Oh and a disclaimer about the kids in my photos....they don't smile. It's like a badge of honor NOT to smile BUT they had an amazing time and loved every minute of it. So don't think the lack of smiling means they didn't enjoy themselves. They are just little pains in the butt! :')

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The copenhagen card included entrance to Tivoli but not the rides. There are machines inside the park where you can purchase tickets. You can buy an all day card or purchase individual tickets (each ride required different amounts of tickets...some are 2 or 3). Since it was late in the day we purchased individual tickets for the kids for each ride. I used my Visa card and I did need the PIN to complete the transactions (I know the PIN thing comes up a lot and I found only at automatic machines like this did I need the PIN all other purchases they had me sign for).

After some time at Tivoli including a pricey dinner and some delicious ice cream we headed back to the hotel.

We managed to stay awake until 9 pm then that was all she wrote....we were out!

I woke up around 7 and was in need of some coffee so I walked down the street a bit for a cup at a coffee shop. It was beautiful outside and the city was still quiet.

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Walking back to our Hotel

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Soon I raised the troops to get them started on our day! I had plans and we needed to get moving! :')

We headed out for a quick breakfast at a local bakery. Our hotel did have a breakfast you could purchase but we only needed a few things that could be had for less money elsewhere.

First Stop: Rosenberg Castle

Included in Copenhagen Card. The castle was a short walk from our hotel (10 min) and we walked thru the park grounds to get there.

Once inside the Castle Grounds we showed our CPH card and received tickets to return the museum We were there early and it had just opened. By the time we left it was getting quiet busy. We did have a messenger bag with us that had to be stored in a locker before going into the castle. We didn't have any DKK coins but they let you "borrow" one for the locker you just return it once you retrieve your bag.

The castle is pretty cool and worth a visit.

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By the time we finished here everyone was hungry for lunch so we decided to try this pizza place which was right near the hotel:

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The pizza was delicious and inexpensive! We got two pizza (they aren't super big) and 4 drinks and ate them standing up outside the place at tables on the street. It's a small hole in the wall type of place. Very friendly and our pizzas were made fresh and quickly. Looking at my CC it was about $31 USD

After lunch we walked down to Nyvan to do a Canal Tour:

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Upon arrive we were told that if you boarded here the Canal Tour was 50% off with the Copenhagen Card. However, if you went to their other location at Ved Stranden the tour was included.....he gave us a map and showed us where to go and off we went. It was only about a 10 min walk.

Not only was it free the boat was not full as well!

Look at all the seats! Going under one of the many bridges! Watch your head!

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Passing Nyvan from the water

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Back of the Little Mermaid

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More views from the water

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The canal tour was fun and I definitely recommend it.

Loving your review so far. We are doing the same Delta flight as you from JFK and will be 2 days pre-cruise in Copenhagen. When I call the credit card company to notify them of our trip I will have to get a pin just in case. Can't wait to read the rest of your review!

Love you review style! :'):')

You're giving out great info which will be very helpful to those planning the same cruise.

Between you and TheDougOut, y'all are making me want to do this cruise and a Baltic cruise has never even been on my radar. :D

Looking forward to the rest of your trip/cruise review.

Loving your review so far. We are doing the same Delta flight as you from JFK and will be 2 days pre-cruise in Copenhagen. When I call the credit card company to notify them of our trip I will have to get a pin just in case. Can't wait to read the rest of your review!

Thanks! You are going to have a great time! Make sure you give the CC company time to send you a PIN. Some of them have to mail it to you....others you can set up online (USAA did). Also make sure your CC doesn't have foreign transaction fees! Those add up fast!

Love you review style! :'):')

 

You're giving out great info which will be very helpful to those planning the same cruise.

 

Between you and TheDougOut, y'all are making me want to do this cruise and a Baltic cruise has never even been on my radar. :D

 

Looking forward to the rest of your trip/cruise review.

Thanks!! I never thought we'd be doing a Baltic cruise either but one thing led to another and here we are!

It's a wonderful cruise and a great way to hit some unusual cities! Especially Russia

After the Canal Tour and a quick stop in 7/11 for snacks and drinks (Beer for the husband who loved he could walk around town and drink beer at the same time!).....we headed to the nearby Christiansborg Palace.

Using GPS we made our way over again less then 10 min walk from the Canal Tour. The front is under major construction

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I will be honest we had one goal at this Palace and it involved Horses

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The Entrance price is included on the Copenhagen Card. But we were greeted with some sad news....NO HORSES! Apparently in the summer they are away grazing on grass for those months. Great for the horses sad for us thought! But we still made our way thru the stables and watched a short film on the horses lives there

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My youngest "feeding" treats to the horse. :')

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After checking out the stables I asked if anyone wanted to visit the actual Palace....but everyone was like No we want to go back to the hotel! Okay it's 4 pm and we have been out and about since 8 am. Back to the hotel we went and we got pizza again this time at Pizza Time which was near the hotel as well. Again good fresh made pizza at a good price. We brought it back to the hotel and ate outside at some tables/chairs that were right out in front.

I had planned three things to do today and we managed to complete them all BUT when we were on the Canal Tour they pointed out the Church of Our Saviour and my Husband REALLY wanted to climb it! He took it as a challenge with it's 400 steps the last 150 steps being outside:

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So looking on GSP it was a 25 walk OR we could walk 10 min to the Metro and take it to the Christainshavn Stop which was one stop from the one we boarded and then less then a 2 min walk to the Church. Needless to say we took the Metro since it was covered by the Copenhagen Card. Also entrance to climb the Church was also covered by the Copenhagen Card.

BTW just my husband and myself went.....the kids were DONE at this point and had shoes off and were hanging out on the bed relaxing. LOL Nice thing about traveling with teenagers I felt comfortable enough to allow them to stay at the hotel. Plus they had Wifi there and could text me via I messaging if needed.

So we made our way over then UP the tower.....the climb up was interesting? LOL Some of it was regular steps, spiral staircases and at some point steps that were borderline ladders. Oh and did I mention its HOT! Denmark (all the Baltic) was having a heat wave!

I'd like to be clear....I'm not trilled with heights. I knew there was no way I was climbing outside to the top but it had been so hot out I figured I'd at least GO outside for even a minute to cool off and maybe just take a selfie out there...

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Oh where is the selfie? Oh well, I lasted less then 30 seconds out there. :')

I told my husband to go ahead and keep going, I'm going back in and down and will see him when he comes back down.

So these are his photos!

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He said the steps got smaller and smaller as you went up! At the top there was just a small platform. No rails. Nothing. Just a small platform. Good grief! :o

We made our way back to the Hotel via the Metro and grab the kids to go out for some ice cream before hitting the bed!

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Good ice cream right by the hotel

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We loved our time in Copenhagen. It's wonderful town and very easy to walk around and visit the sites. I felt for what we did the Copenhagen Card was a good value (decide what you want to do and add it up to see if it pays!).

The people were very friendly. However watch out for bikes! They are everywhere and travel fast! Easy to get hit by one crossing the street! More so then a car IMO. :')

We used a Credit Card for everything and did not get or use any DKK. So local currency was not needed.

Almost everyone spoke English so that made things very easy as well. Plenty of sights to see, places to shop and plenty to eat!

IMO get as much time as you can here to visit either before or after the cruise. :)

Thanks so much for such a great review! We are going on the same trip next summer and our teens will be the same age as yours. I'm loving all the trip details you are including. I'm curious as to when you booked your flights? We can leave either from Newark or JFK and the possibilities seem endless.

Can't wait to read more about you adventures.

Great review following as I will be there in a few weeks

Thanks so much for such a great review! We are going on the same trip next summer and our teens will be the same age as yours. I'm loving all the trip details you are including. I'm curious as to when you booked your flights? We can leave either from Newark or JFK and the possibilities seem endless.

 

Can't wait to read more about you adventures.

Thanks! We booked our flights early in October shortly after we booked the cruise. I watched the prices for awhile afterwards and they went down a little maybe $200? But eventually went higher. Same with hotel rooms (which are easier to book early because you can cancel them and rebook if necessary!).

The kids are a great age! Both of mine said they had also just finished learning about the Cold War in History so the trip to Berlin was timely!

Lots of option on flights with both airports....but be careful with low cost carriers and ADD UP all the "extra" fees. Sometimes by the time you are done a regular carrier would have been cheaper!

Great review following as I will be there in a few weeks

You will have a wonderful time! :)

Great start. Love your pictures!

Finally it's Friday morning and time to head over to the Port to board the Ship: :)

First we head out for a nice breakfast at the Bistro Royal down the street from the Hotel

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After finishing packing up and heading down to the Lobby we drop off the keys and ask the front desk to call a taxi for us around 10 am.

A taxi arrives quickly and we are soon on our way to the port! The Taxi from our Hotel to Oceankaj was about 20 min or so and appx $26 US We paid by Credit Card.

There are two small terminals that are used to board the Breakaway...Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and which one you use depends on your deck number. Ours was Terminal 2 (it was listed on Edocs and there are signs at Terminal). Regardless of which terminal you use everyone boards the ship at the same place (Deck 4 Forward - Remember that since that's where you will get on and off the next 9 days! )

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So our taxi driver actually dropped us off at Terminal 1 but no biggie.....they had us leave the luggage there and walk down to Terminal 2 to sign in since that's where our boarding cards where being held.....a selfie and photo bomber for the walk down

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We entered the Terminal, filled out the health questionnaire, went thru security and checked in. 15 minute later we were walking on board! Seriously the easiest boarding EVER!

Stopped at Guest Services for a hole punch then wandered up to the Garden Cafe for a little lunch before the crowds started!

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After lunch we wandered around a bit while waiting for the rooms to be ready:

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I want to say the rooms were ready around 1? 1:30?

A little about our Cabin: We were original in a regular balcony on Deck 10 Aft. When we received an email to take part in the Upgrade Advantage Program I placed a Bid for a Mini Suite that was "just" into the Fair amount at $150 pp for a total of $300.

I figured no way I was getting it and our balcony was fine!

Fast forward: 6/1/18 I get an email from NCL saying my bid was accepted and I was now assigned Cabin 8728 a Mini Suite....and here is what surprised me....with an EXTENDED Balcony! Category M6 Wow, I was surprised not only did we get the Mini Suite but ended up with this extended balcony as well!

Our room was now on Deck 8 Forward. The location was great! As we got on and off the ship at Deck 4 forward. The location was quiet. You will notice a lot of crew members passing thru the hall from ALL different departments (there was a crew door at the far front of the ship). It was kinda fun to see all the crew members coming and going.

As one knows the main difference between the Mini Suite and Balcony is the Bathroom. It was nice but I don't know I would pay full price for the difference.

Photos of the Room:

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With the bunk down:

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