Baltic Cruise Excursions Advice

I'm stressing about our shore excursions for our upcoming Baltic cruise on Celebrity Eclipse. My husband and I are both in our 30's. We're both teachers and certainly not made of money. We've been scrimping and saving for more than two years for this. This is our first European cruise and by far the most expensive vacation we have ever planned. I'm trying to balance making good financial decisions vs. making the most of this "once-in-a-lifetime" trip.

We're visiting Warnemunde, Helsinki, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Copenhagen. I booked Celebrity excursions based on our interests and on the price and got everything for under $1000.

Now, I've been reading about private tour companies and how fantastic they are and I'm second guessing everything. If I switch our bookings to a private company, we'll pay $200-300 more in total, but we'll get to see more and in smaller groups.

Experienced cruisers- what would you do? Stick with the less expensive tours or splurge....knowing we've already spent thousands to do this trip? Have you ever regretted taking the ship's excursions or are the differences minimal?

Thanks in advance!!!

If you look around the ports boards there are many discussions on this topic. Many people (including us) use private tours. The benefits are many, and well worth a small added charge, in most cases. We also use an occasional ship's tour.

Most importantly you should retain the option of doing a port on your own. Many can be done with public transit, taxis, walking, or a combo of those. All it takes is a bit of research, and it is a fantastic way to see the world. We do this frequently as well.

Don't be worried about the naysayers who will come on and say the ship will leave without you. They will make it sound like it happens everyday. To the contrary, it is almost unheard of. No company wants their rep ruined by causing a passenger to miss their ship, and an actual miss would be headline news here.

Thank you. I know there are many threads related to this, but most seem to be about specific ports or about comparing different tour companies. My question is more general and I'm specifically asking from the point of view of budgeting.

We are doing Tallinn and Amsterdam on our own, but are booking tours in most places for convenience and time management as we think it will be faster the figuring most things out on our own.

I would agree with the convenience of not figuring things out on your own in St. Petersburg. There’s so much to see in so little time that I’d hate to spend time there lost. So I’d strongly recommend a private tour in St. Petersburg. You should pick from one of the well established, longstanding companies - many people on this board have been happy with alla, spb , best guides and possibly more.

In the other ports, it’s honestly up to you - we visited with a 3 year old in tow, and found it very easy to navigate the excellent public transportation systems. You dock close to the city center (except in Germany for those going to berlin or ships docking nynashamn instead of Stockholm). I’d look at the tour itineraries and just duplicate whatever we want to do, plus make some changes based on our itinerary. We visited a bunch of museums in Stockholm for our child and just went to the help desk to ask how to get to the next one, and never had any problems. I wrote up a sheet with our itinerary and when we didn’t know what stop to take on the tram in helsinki I’d just point to the name of the tempoelaiukio church (since I couldn’t pronounce it clearly) and people on the tram told us where to exit. Everyone was helpful and spoke impressive English, so we were never lost for long. But some people prefer to tour with a tour guide, in which case you should pick a private tour so you will be with a smaller group and pay less. Your St. Petersburg tour company will probably offer tours in other cities. My signature line has a review explaining everything we did in port.

I’m a little confused about one point you’ve made - What private guides are charging more than celebrity? I haven’t sailed celebrity, but always saved a lot using private tours.

Also are you docking directly in Stockholm? If not, a tour in that city might be worth considering since it takes awhile to get there. Same thing for people going to Berlin. Both can still be toured independently, but it’s a little harder than other stops.

And there’s a cruise critic member called travelanni who can help you with warmeneude if you want to go there by yourself. You have a lot of time at that port and it’s a charming town to walk around. http://travelanni.webs.com/warnemnde.htm Also, you might want to consider visiting the Schwerin castle if you aren’t docking in a monday (its closed on Mondays). The German trains are really impressive and you dock close to the train station.

Ditch the cruise company tours and get on TripAdvisor to find good tour operators. You will quite likely pay less money. At the very least you will spend a comparable amount for a much better tour. If you do find you'll need to spend $200-300 extra, that's a drop in the bucket for the overall price of the cruise and would be well spent. We've found the smaller groups means more maneuverability in traffic, way less time spent standing around during "potty breaks", better use of port time (meaning you can leave right away and get back towards the end of the day), etc, etc.

Our first cruise, I was hesitant to arrange all our own tours, so we did half with the cruise and half on our own. My entire family, teens to grandparents, agreed the tours we arranged on our own were leagues better than the cruise sponsored tours, for the reason given above.

In point, my mom just told me yesterday when discussing our last trip "boy, those tours we do are so good, I'm so glad we don't do ship tours anymore."

As far as finding tours, contact companies you are interested in. I choose a company based on how well they communicate, how prompt, and how reasonable they are about possibly changing tours for our group. I'd look for companies that do small group tours and not a packed bus of 50 people, otherwise you're in the same boat as the cruise sponsored tours, no pun intended!

For sure do a non-cruise tour in SPB. There are several tour companies mentioned here that are well known and reliable. You do NOT need to use the cruise company. You will get a visa thru any reputable tour company, which can all be done via email and internet. Easy peasy.

I've found walking food tours are frequently very economical, and a fun way to get to know a culture.

Tallinn would be easy to do on your own (though that's where we did a really good food tour.) Stockholm is also easy to navigate on your own. Amsterdam is easy also, and even Copenhagen. Get the Moovit app. It's great for public transportation options in every European city I've been to so far.

As for budgeting, I'd spend more to get a good tour in SPB, as it would be harder to do it all DIY.

If you're really adventurous, you can get on the roll call here and look for folks to share a private tour with you. It doesn't take many people to hit the break even point between private and non-private tour.

And no matter what, don't stress. It's supposed to be fun, and the Baltic is amazing. It was my favorite cruise so far.

we always book private tours-my husband has walking difficulties so that works best

Having said that the only place we are doing private tour on our upcoming Baltic cruise is for St Peterburg-the other ports easy to DIY[We are spending a few days pre cruise in Berlin so no day trip required from Warnemunde

private tours for St Petersburg usually work out cheaper than via cruiseline because people get together on their roll call and get a group together usually in a minivan

However if you wanted to do a totally private tour for just 2 of you that would be more expensive but would be totally flexible for you

several private tour operators offer packaged tours including other Baltic ports but having looked at them still decided to DIY in them

St Petersburg is the one where a private tour really comes into its own. If you get a full minivan from your roll call, then it should work out better value than the comparable ship excursion.

The other ports you can do a number of things on your own, although you'll probably see less than with a tour. Mix and match tours and DIY based on what you can afford, and research the rest. You'll be able to get quite detailed advice from people here about the ports you decide to do on your own (if that's what you do decide).

I'm not sure how the Celebrity excursions compare, but I found I got a tour in every port with Alla for less than the cost of a single NCL tour in St Petersburg. I have on occasion spent more on tours than I was comfortable with, but I've never ever regretted it and they'll be life-long memories. But that's based on my situation, and only you know how much you can stretch to.

Try not to stress though - even the baseline of being on the ship in beautiful surroundings will be a fantastic experience.

We are onboard for 23 days in August through Baltics, Fjords and Northern Europe with around 16 ports, the only ones where we are going with the ship are for the Flam Railway and at La Coruna in Spain. The rest we will do ourselves using Rick Steve's Northern Cruise Ports book (walking and public transport) and local free & pay walking tours such as Sandemanns. In St Petersburg we are doing the Alla One Day Intro Tour as we don't like the 'sardine can' ship tour buses. Alla apparently give a discount if you book a package for more than 1 port.

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I keep coming back to your research saying non-Celebrity tours were going to be more expensive. Did you price out fully private tours only? That would definitely add up, but most companies offer small group tours and will just plug you into a group.

For our Baltic cruise, we paid less per person for TJ Tours for all day in SPB than DCL would have charged us for 3 hours. Crazy talk!

Cities like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn are easy to do on your own.

Celebrity also always berth in central Stockholm, either Stadsgårdskajen or Frihamnen.

On the contrary to what moderators claim, the information in the thread linked in my signature are still valid.

we did private and really liked the smaller group. Plus the minivans had wifi. :) We were on Princess but we did a bike tour in Berlin with some people from a different cruise line and they had a blast doing an electric bike tour in Talinn. We did Talinn on our own (we'd watched the movie) and the whole place was beautiful but "touristy". The bike tour sounded interesting. They were out in the country and got to swim in the ocean. If that is one of your celebrity tours, I'd keep it!

In 2015 we used SPB tours in St Petersburg and were very happy with the 2 day De Luxe tour.

However, this year we are using a ship’s tour. I read last year that the private vans were not allowed onto the port until the ship’s tour buses had left. Also, the ship’s tours provide a different itinerary from the one we did in 2015.

As an ex teacher myself, having arranged many school visits, in retirement I want someone else to do the organising. I couldn’t bear it if something went wrong with a tour I had organised. Why cancel already arranged and pre paid tours?

WOW, thanks for all of this input! I really appreciate it.

For those who are asking how the private tour companies are more expensive, here is what I mean. On Celebrity, we are booked to do Church of the Spilled Blood, a walking tour, a subway ride, and Kuznechny Market over 2 days for $100 a person. I've been looking at SPB Tours, and we can get a much more thorough tour with Hermitage, etc for $210-250. So the Celebrity vs. SPB aren't necessarily the same tour, but the Celebrity option I mentioned is much less expensive.

Based on the advice I've received, I am planning to cancel the ship tours in cities like Stockholm and perhaps Copenhagen and do things on our own. (We are already on our own in Tallinn) I have the Rick Steves book that was mentioned several times. Then, I'll use the money we save with that to book the SPB Tour in St. Petersburg in order to get a more thorough experience of the city.

Thanks again!

What is your tour doing in Warmeneude? It's a fairly small town, and if you're docking there and have all day I'm sure someone on this forum can explain exactly how to duplicate the ship's tour.

I really look at tours in 4 categories and find costs vary with each but some generalizations can be made:

1. On your own. This involves some planning but that is part of the fun and gives me background to where I am going. Costs may still include some forms of transportation as well as entry fees. In many European City you can also find “free” tour companies. These are walking tours that usually expect some form of tip at the end.

2. Private group tours. These can be through entities that you find online such as you are looking at in STP. You can also find and arrange them on your Roll Call. They are usually smaller, often more detailed and generally less expensive for comparable tours than the ships tour. Sometimes you are actually on the same tour but just paying less.

3. True private tours. These may cost more but allow you to personalize what you want to do. Sometimes you can find another couple to join you and share some of the cost

4. Ships tours. Often easier to arrange. Try to cover popular sites but generally larger and more costly.

Depending on where you are going a mixture of all of the above may come into play.

Have you found your roll call for your sailing? Many people may be looking to fill a van for a small group tour and you will get off far more cheaply that way.

What is your plan for Germany, are you going all the way to Berlin or are you plannig on doing Warnemunde/Schwerin/Rostock/Wismar? You can really save a ton of money staying locally and using public transport, for Schwerin I think you can get there for less than 20 Euros a person on the train.

On Celebrity, we are booked to do Church of the Spilled Blood, a walking tour, a subway ride, and Kuznechny Market over 2 days for $100 a person.

Over two days?!! That's crazy talk, too. That should be a half day tour at most. In our one day tour, we did early admission to the Hermitage, the big red pillar things, Church of the Spilled Blood, lunch at a blini chain, hydrofoil to Peterhof gardens, ice cream and coffee break, a bit of shopping and stroll at Nevsky Prospect, the Cat Museum, and then dinner out at a typical mom and pop type restaurant. It was a 12 hour day, and well worth it.

The thing to remember about SPB is you can not leave the ship unless on a tour (given you don't get your own tourist visa.) So a tour like you're currently scheduled for would leave you with a lot of down time on the ship. Good idea to cancel that and spend your money on something that uses your time in SPB wisely.

I'd actually consider picking one other port to do a tour you couldn't otherwise do on your own. No clue what that would be for you, but trips are for making memories. Most of my family did a speed boat tour while in Helsinki. It made for some great stories, and we still talk about it. That was something we would have never done otherwise, and will probably never do again. Find something you and dh can do that's a little out of the box for you.

I’m surprised the ship excusrsions would be less than private companies. We are going to the same places in July. For St Petersburg I booked a private tour with TJ, though certainly the small group tours would be cheaper than private.

For Tallinn I think we will go on our own, as with warnemude and Copenhagen (we’ll be ther a couple of days before the cruise). For Stockholm I booked with the ship bc we are docking in the far away port and it seemed easier. For Helsinki I am thinking of booking with TJ as well. They offer a discount if you have booked with them for SPB, so it’s $20 pp less than the ship. It seems all the top SPB companies have a similar deal

But it seems to me that the only really essential one to have a tour for is SPB and a private company will give you a smaller group.

WOW, thanks for all of this input! I really appreciate it.

 

For those who are asking how the private tour companies are more expensive, here is what I mean. On Celebrity, we are booked to do Church of the Spilled Blood, a walking tour, a subway ride, and Kuznechny Market over 2 days for $100 a person. I've been looking at SPB Tours, and we can get a much more thorough tour with Hermitage, etc for $210-250. So the Celebrity vs. SPB aren't necessarily the same tour, but the Celebrity option I mentioned is much less expensive.

 

Based on the advice I've received, I am planning to cancel the ship tours in cities like Stockholm and perhaps Copenhagen and do things on our own. (We are already on our own in Tallinn) I have the Rick Steves book that was mentioned several times. Then, I'll use the money we save with that to book the SPB Tour in St. Petersburg in order to get a more thorough experience of the city.

 

Thanks again!

Yes from what I understand there is a ton more you’ll want to do in SPB. We have 2 very busy days planned. I would consider doing a private company as you get more band for your buck

Thanks everyone. Many have asked what we're doing in Warnemunde. I have a Celebrity tour booked that is a tour of Rostock with a visit to a Microbrewery (husband is a beer lover).

This SPB tour for Warnemunde and Rostock also looked appealing:

Warnemünde is a quaint seaside town near the harbor entrance to Rostock, one of the city-states of the medieval Hanseatic League. Once a fishing village, it has now become a Northern European destination for travelers and locals alike. On this walking tour, you will begin at the pier and proceed down the beach promenade, visit the fish market and get great views of the historic gabled houses and the Old Stream boulevard.

A short train ride away, your guided tour will include the town hall, the city's main boulevards, and Rostock University, one of the oldest universities in the world (founded in 1419). You will see the Convent of the Holy Cross, as well as the remnants of the medieval wall and gates that used to defend the city. There will be inside visits to St. Marien Church, which is home to the famous astronomical clock and baroque organ.

On your lunch break you will taste a hearty German specialty and have the option to order one of Germany's world-famous beers.

Anyone have thoughts on this tour vs. going it on our own? The cost is $79pp and includes lunch, admission fees and transportation.

Based on advice I've heard here, we are canceling our tours in Stockholm, Helsinki, and Copenhagen and opting to do thing on our own with the Rick Steves book. I'm going to book a 2 day tour with SPB for St. Petersburg. Also, many have mentioned going on the Roll Call to get an even better deal. I've looked into this and it's not less money to do it this way. You can book directly with SPB for the Cruise Critic discount and get the same prices.

I'm going to book a 2 day tour with SPB for St. Petersburg. Also, many have mentioned going on the Roll Call to get an even better deal. I've looked into this and it's not less money to do it this way. You can book directly with SPB for the Cruise Critic discount and get the same prices.

you can do it either way

find out how large the group they will put you on

some guides have groups of 8 - 16

Some CC members will form a group of 8 or 10 so just depends on the number in the group

Doing the private tour is better in SPB as you move faster than 30-40 people on a bus ..there always seems to be some stragglers that hold up the bus so time is cut short near the end of the tour day

Also, many have mentioned going on the Roll Call to get an even better deal. I've looked into this and it's not less money to do it this way. You can book directly with SPB for the Cruise Critic discount.

Well, I hope your Roll Call is more active than ours is!

Thanks everyone. Many have asked what we're doing in Warnemunde. I have a Celebrity tour booked that is a tour of Rostock with a visit to a Microbrewery (husband is a beer lover).

 

This SPB tour for Warnemunde and Rostock also looked appealing:

Warnemünde is a quaint seaside town near the harbor entrance to Rostock, one of the city-states of the medieval Hanseatic League. Once a fishing village, it has now become a Northern European destination for travelers and locals alike. On this walking tour, you will begin at the pier and proceed down the beach promenade, visit the fish market and get great views of the historic gabled houses and the Old Stream boulevard.

A short train ride away, your guided tour will include the town hall, the city's main boulevards, and Rostock University, one of the oldest universities in the world (founded in 1419). You will see the Convent of the Holy Cross, as well as the remnants of the medieval wall and gates that used to defend the city. There will be inside visits to St. Marien Church, which is home to the famous astronomical clock and baroque organ.

On your lunch break you will taste a hearty German specialty and have the option to order one of Germany's world-famous beers.

Anyone have thoughts on this tour vs. going it on our own? The cost is $79pp and includes lunch, admission fees and transportation.

Based on advice I've heard here, we are canceling our tours in Stockholm, Helsinki, and Copenhagen and opting to do thing on our own with the Rick Steves book. I'm going to book a 2 day tour with SPB for St. Petersburg. Also, many have mentioned going on the Roll Call to get an even better deal. I've looked into this and it's not less money to do it this way. You can book directly with SPB for the Cruise Critic discount and get the same prices.

I’ve heard warnemude is very easy to get around in on your own. Those sound like things you could easily manage on your own. The only thing I’d book for is if you wanted to do an excursion to Berlin.

We also travel on a budget. It has been ten years since our Baltic Cruise and the only port where we took a private tour was St. Petersburg for two days with Alla. (Well worth the splurge!)

In Warnemonde we caught the train (practically next to the dock) to Bad Doberan where we caught the Molli steam engine train which traveled past a number of lovely beach towns. You could hop off at any, but we elected to stay on in order to have enough time afterwards to return and explore Rostock on our own.

In Helsinki and Stockholm, we walked from bus shuttle to visitor ctr and took their morning bus tour. Afterwards, in Helsinki on our own we walked to the dock, ate a lunch outdoors at a fried herring place and caught a ferry to Suomenlinna, a lovely island off the coast with rocky overlooks of the sea. Returning to the dock, there was still time to visit the Uspenski Cathedral as well as the Lutheren Cathedra before catching the shuttle back to the ship. In Stockholm, after our bus tour we walked to the wonderful Vasa Museum and also had lunch at their cafeteria. In Denmark we walked from the shuttle to the visitor center and took their walking tour. Afterwards our guide told us what bus to take to visit the NY Carlsberg musuem, which we loved! The little mermaid statue was our last stop of the day, a short walk along the shore from the ship.

In Talin we walked from the ship to their visitor center which sold us a day pass which (at least back then) included admission to the local museums as well as a bus/walking tour. The bus took us along the coast and we stopped at Kadriorg Park and the Song Festival grounds. After the guided walking tour, we spent time in the Estonian History museum and climbed the tower of Olafs Church.

Not sure if all of these are spelled correctly, but assume these tours are still possible.

Since you (wisely) have decided to tour Copenhagen and Stockholm on your own, I highly recommend doing a “free walking tour” in each city. It’s a great, low-cost way to get an overview of the city. I believe Rick Steves gives contact info in his book or just Google it. Rick also has some good self-guided walking tours for those cities and we did them in addition to our free walking tours.

Warnemünde and Rostock are easy to do on your own. We rented bikes in the morning in Warnemünde and did a scenic ride on the coastal bike trail. In the afternoon, we took the S-bahn to Rostock and toured the free Stasi museum and then walked through the pedestrian zone in town.