Scandinavia/Russia Cruise on the Reflection - June 2019

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!

If you like the ship and the itinerary, go for it. Those older folk will be there for the same reason. EM

We sailed a similar itinerary on Eclipse from Southampton (15 days, so slightly different), and it was wonderful. If you like the itinerary and know the ship, go for it. St Petersburg is awesome and we loved Stockholm with its Vasa museum. Check the ports of call section for ideas on tours.

My husband and I are also both early-thirties and foodies and we are traveling on this exact cruise in a few weeks! I'll update you on our thoughts. I had pretty much the exact hesitations you did but ended up booking for the awesome ports. We're also staying 3 nights in Amsterdam, so I might be able to recommend hotel, restaurants, and activities for you as well.

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

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My husband and I are also both early-thirties and foodies and we are traveling on this exact cruise in a few weeks! I'll update you on our thoughts. I had pretty much the exact hesitations you did but ended up booking for the awesome ports. We're also staying 3 nights in Amsterdam, so I might be able to recommend hotel, restaurants, and activities for you as well.

Yes please! Let me know! We also want to spend a few days in Amsterdam before heading onto the cruise.

Amsterdam is an amazing city. We were there last year mid June and we couldn't resist doing the canal cruise again. When we sailed past the vicinity where the Anne Frank museum is, the line up for tickets was down the block and around the corner. If you would like to see this, do yourself a favor and buy your tickets on-line before you go. Also, look out for the bicyclists there, they're crazy! Have a great time, you'll love Amsterdam.

We are in our late 30’s and love Celebrity. We just got off the Reflection, Mediterranean cruise. We were on the younger side, but had a blast. Met lots of great people.

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We did this itinerary last August on the Silhouette and had a great trip. The only organized tour we took was SPB in St Petersburg, excellent 2 long days, beautiful sights and awesome lunches provided by SPB! We took the train to Rostock, walked around and returned to Warnemunde where we did lots of walking, had a great German lunch from a street vendor there. In Tallin walked into the old city, it was chilly but they had a street market full of crafts & food. We took the bus from port to Stockholm old city area, walked around visited Vasa & city hall, watched the changing of the guard, took a local ferry from Vasa. Walked in to Copenhagen enjoying sights lots of photo ops, took local boat tour. In Helsinki we took bus into city had delicious fish lunch at the street market, took ferry over to the fort & walked around the island. We had great weather, wore shorts most days except Tallin & SPB, carried light rain jackets just in case. We spent a week in Amsterdam before the cruise, love that city!

Jo-Ann

We did the slightly longer Baltic cruise a few years ago on Eclipse. Fantastic ship, fantastic cruise

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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.

I would also highly recommend the Vasa Museum. We got off the ship and paid for one of the boats to take us, as it was their first stop. We were the second ones to enter and the ship was amazing.

Tallin, Estonia is very small and crowded, so either do a small tour or just walk off the ship early to beat the crowds. Also, you can walk aling the top of the wall for a different perspective. I enjoyed a yummy latte early in the morning while it was raining very lightly. Many onboard decided to wait until the rain stopped, so it wasn’t crowded at all and many of the shops were open.

Whatever you decide, it will be a very port intensive and wonderful experience...enjoy!

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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!

We did this cruise on the Eclipse out of Southampton last August and it was wonderful. We didn't stop in Helsinki and our Germany stop was Warnemunde (Berlin). BUT you might be interested to know that we did a B2B after Baltic Caps that was to Norway and THAT was amazing.

As for the ports in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Talinn we did HOHO buses in all three and they were fantastic. I purchased tix ahead of time from Viatour and they picked us up and returned us to the ship. Of the three cities Stockholm was my least favorite but the weather was bad...In Copenhagen be sure to stop at Tivoli Gardens....great place to have lunch in the pirate ship and it was one of our favorite places of all...and the Gelfion Fountain and Little Mermaid are close to each other. In Talinn be sure to go up to the top of Toompea Hill.....and after you've toured the church walk to your right for some fun shops,very old houses and beautiful lookout...then to the Old Town Square where we had a delicious lunch of boar burgers (yum) and carrot fries (not so much).

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.

 

I would also highly recommend the Vasa Museum. We got off the ship and paid for one of the boats to take us, as it was their first stop. We were the second ones to enter and the ship was amazing.

 

Tallin, Estonia is very small and crowded, so either do a small tour or just walk off the ship early to beat the crowds. Also, you can walk aling the top of the wall for a different perspective. I enjoyed a yummy latte early in the morning while it was raining very lightly. Many onboard decided to wait until the rain stopped, so it wasn’t crowded at all and many of the shops were open.

 

Whatever you decide, it will be a very port intensive and wonderful experience...enjoy!

 

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Thank you for your input! How much did you pay for the private tour in St. Petersburg? We were thinking about doing a tour just for us if we do book this sailing.

That is a great itinerary, we've done all but two of those ports on RCCL last summer and it was amazing. Instead of Stockholm and Germany, we did Oslo and Brussels (Bruges, which was one of our favorites). Agree with everyone, do an organized tour in SPB - we used Alla tours and they were amazing. The tour groups also arrange for your visas, but be forwarned, if not doing ship tour, you will go through Customs first day after the ship tours and it is very frustrating. We had a very large tour group divided into three smaller groups and they waited for us. Second day you will breeze through. We also did Copenhagen and Helsinki on our own - both have great public transportation systems. (Don't waste your time going to see The Little Mermail - huge disappointment and way too many tourists.) Tallin is very pretty, be sure to treat yourselves to at least two bottles or so of Vanna Tallin - a local rum based liquor, wonderful by itself on a little shaved ice and of course, you cannot purchase in the US. Be sure to take lightweight jackets, and rain gear. And totally agree with others - if planning on few days in Amsterdam, get your Anne Frank tickets as soon as you can get online, check website. There's also great free walking tours that leave from one of the town squares that gives you great idea of city layout. Again, public transportation is very easy and it's a very walkable city. Enjoy!!!

Thank you for your input! How much did you pay for the private tour in St. Petersburg? We were thinking about doing a tour just for us if we do book this sailing.

It was 1,200; 600 each day, but we knew we would most likely not return and both of us are in education... my DH thought I was crazy, but after the first hour, he was loving it! The tour had a driver; one of only a few female drivers and a guide. Our guide was amazing and our driver did not speak English very well, but she was excellent on the road and always ran around the car to open my door and provide a huge smile. Our guide was 6’4” tall, so we could always find him. He knew so many back ways if crowds were thick...we were able to see and do so much.

Out of our many tours, this is our favorite and most expensive, but in no way do we regret spending that much money.

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Two years again St Petersburg we did a private 2 day tour with Alla Tours. No hassle at all with customs. We had 2 couples in our group. Had a wonderful experience. Tour was made to our specifications and never waited in line as did the ship groups. We toured in an air conditioned Mercedes van with a guide and driver. Her English was perfect.

Our price was less than what the boat offered, and we saw much more than did our friends who stayed with boat excursions. Go to your roll call and find others who would like to hook up with you. The price will then be cheaper for each couple.

St Petersburg is a once in a lifetime trip. Do your research and it will be your best cruise ever!

As others have said, we did pretty much the same cruise on Eclipse last August and highly recommend the itinery. I would also second the recommendation for SPB Tours for your shore excursions. They are fantastic and we used them in every port (discount for multiple bookings).

I also second the Norway add on if that is on the cards. We just returned from a B2B on Eclipse sailing to Iceland and then Norway. Norway was the best.

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

As others have said, we did pretty much the same cruise on Eclipse last August and highly recommend the itinery. I would also second the recommendation for SPB Tours for your shore excursions. They are fantastic and we used them in every port (discount for multiple bookings).

 

I also second the Norway add on if that is on the cards. We just returned from a B2B on Eclipse sailing to Iceland and then Norway. Norway was the best.

Wish we could add Norway to the list! Don't think we'll have enough time off to add it if we want an extra day or two in Amsterdam as well along with this 12 day cruise. However, this just gives us an excuse to plan a Norway fjords cruise sometime in the future!

I did this itinerary last June with a friend and there was a real mix of ages on the ship. We spent 2 days prior in Amsterdam and one day after and stayed at the Ibis Central Amsterdam which was the best location for everything! I am attaching the link to my review.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=587874

We did a 15 night cruise from Southampton in 2015 on Eclipse and are going again on Silhouette in 17 days time.

I have read many reviews which people wrote last year and also have read the Northern European boards, as I was trying to find alternatives to excursions which we did in 2015. Both are very helpful as they are first hand impressions. It’s also useful if pictures are included.

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

Who was your tour operator? thank you

My review, with pictures, is here from our recent cruise.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2654022

You will note that we were denied entry into St Petersburg, but smaller ships were OK, the Silhouette was too big to turn in the narrow channel.

IF we were to go again, we would look at Azamara as we saw Journey in Stockholm and they got in on 2nd July.

We used SPB for our tours in 2015 and thought they were marvellous. However, I had booked tours with Celebrity this summer and was very glad that I had, as all monies paid were refunded to our account, the evening that we were denied entry.

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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!

We took this itinerary on the Eclipse this summer to and from Amsterdam and it was fantastic. We only took two organized private tours and did the rest on our own which was the right call. We went the end of June to avoid the crowds and it was smart to do so -White Nights is taking place in St Petersburg in June - get a balcony if you can - cruising the archipelago in Amsterdam and Copenhagen was so nice on our private balcony. We ordered room service breakfast and really enjoyed it! It is light out until 1AM - that takes some getting used to for sleeping.

We booked the two day "Best of the Best" tour with Best Tours in St Petersburg - highly recommend - they got us a great price in Berlin for the full day tour at a discount - totally worth it and it was so nice to have a small group and cut the lines at the Hermitage and Peterhof fountains-and take the subway! -- don't forget to take the Faberge Museum the first night - so great! Their price was less than others and we paid with a credit card the second day in St Petersburg - no deposit required or Russian VISA required.

Stockholm - take the ferry right from the pier to the VASA museum and get there early to avoid the crowds - then walk to the Royal Palace for changing of the guards at Noon - walk back to the ship - easy

Talinn- if you are a chocolate lover like myself find the Kalev outlet store a block or two from where the shuttle bus (pay when you board right at ship) and bring your own bag for the best price in town! I bought all my souvenirs here and am sorry I didn't buy more - then walk into old town for shopping - I got some fragrant Juniper trivets to take home at the market - so nice! You can take a chocolate/marzipan class at the Kalev location in town and learn how to make chocolates. Such a nice day.

Helsinki - take the shuttle into town and walk through the park and find the Uspenskin Katajonokka Cathedral - go inside - its free and breathtaking

Amsterdam - book your train ticket online and print ticket to/from the Airport - cheap and easy to take Book your Anne Frank tickets online and print at home - these sell out many days in advance - take a canal cruise -and go to the Rijksmuseum and walk around Rembrandt Square and the Red Light District - so many fun restaurants - our favorite was the reasonable Wok to Walk all over town

Copenhagen - take the shuttle from the ship and see the Royal Palace and pay to see the Crown Jewels and Rosenborg Palace - worth it! Its a beautiful area to enjoy the parks and Rose Gardens too!

Take this trip - you will not regret it.

We went in May of 2015. We were able to go to Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam which was an added bonus. in St P we arranged our tour with a gal from Tours By Locals...Irina K. She was wonderful, and she guided us through the busy crowds of Victory Day, another added bonus.