Eurodam Review: Baltic and North Seas (first of the season--May 22/June 3 sailings

[Spinner2]

(Blushing madly here) Thanks, but putting the Meet/Greet together was easy with the help I got from the whole group. A special shout-out to David (cruise2rejuv) who handled the collection of cabin numbers for the June 3 group and helped organize the M/G, and to nncruiser (Nick) who organized the roll call list for the May 22 group.

 

Since I was already aboard the ship and with problems getting into CC as well David and Tom (Protseq) both transferred information that I wanted to get to the June 3 group onto the CC board. And thanks to Chemmy who originated that roll call for her help in greeting all of the 90+ people who came to the June 4 M/G!

 

I'll head over now to look at Protseq's wise words; we all have our own experiences on a cruise and I look forward to learning more about his.

 

We got so much valuable information before the cruise and I'm happy to return a bit of the favor to those who still will take this incredible trip.

[swn4]

Marnie,

Thank you for organising th M&G! It helped make the cruise into a fabulous first cruise for us.

Ps: I posted a much less detailed review in the review section.

[Divi]

Marney,

Thank you for your well written review.

We were on the Eurodam, Barcelona to Dover, and sadly disembarked on May 22nd. We enjoyed the ship very much and thought the food was the best on any of our HAL cruises.

We thought Ian Page did a great job and would be happy to have him again.

I do wonder about Dominic, the Cruise Director, though. He said that he and his wife were expecting their first baby in August so I hope his was a planned leave and not an emergency. Does anyone know?

[schoolinmy3]

Thanks for the awesome review of your cruise. :D We are booking a Gems of the Baltic cruise for next year aboard the Eurodam roundtrip Copenhagen. I was wondering what your opinions are on the choice of either the cruise departing June 14 or June 24. The difference is the June 14 cruise has an overnight stay in the Warnemunde port for Berlin instead of continuing on to Kiel (Hamburg). Since you mentioned the difficulty in seeing everything in Berlin with enough time to make it back to the ship, do you think staying overnight would be an advantage? We are taking my BIL and SIL on their first cruise so I will be spending a lot of time planning so they have a fabulous cruise. :D Thanks!

Diane

[Spinner2]

Divi, I don't know about Dominic. You're right about the baby; it's due in August. I could have misunderstood him but when we discussed the Meet/Greet on Embarkation Afternoon he told me what a fan of CC he is, assured me he'd be there if a little late (Captain's announcement at the same time as the M///g; he has to add stuff at the end) and that he looked forward to both M/G's (May 22 and June 3). We joked about as big as the May 22 one would be, that the June 3 would be even bigger and he said he knew we could cope. Then I learned on his morning show the day before disembarkation that he'd be disembarking on June 3; Ian would be CD and the Travel Guide.

 

I didn't have but a brief moment to talk to him later that afternoon; he said that he'd not been scheduled even for the May 22 cruise but they needed him but he thought his wife would be a bit upset with him if he didn't come home by June 3; let's talk later today. I didn't see him later in the day for more details, so that's all I know. And I wouldn't post this on a public internet forum if I thought any of that was a secret.

 

So, like you, I hope it was routine and that his wife/baby are fine. He's a great CD and especially nice to work with for Cruise Critic events.

[Spinner2]

Schoolinmy3, that's an interesting possibility--overnighting in Warnemunde or adding another German port. That's not an option we had. Give me some time this evening to go look at both itineraries and see if I can add any details that might help you with your decision. Can't do it right now, but I didn't want to be seeming to neglect you.

[schoolinmy3]

Thanks Marney! Not an immediate rush, but I am leaning towards the cruise on the 14th - our anniversary is the 18th (24th) so we'd be able to celebrate on the cruise.:D

Diane

[Bippie]

Still working on my review of the Baltic cruise (returned with a sinus infection unfortunately) but one pre-cruise recommendation. If you're a Netflix subscriber, order "The Singing Revolution". This will give you a good background for Tallin and Estonia. I saw it after I returned and wished I had seen it before. Very good documentary and it made me realize how lucky we were to see this city before it becomes too touristy. Estonia hasn't been open to the rest of the world for too many years and this was one of the most unspoiled cities I ever visited. Rick Steve's walking tour is good but our cruise gathered enough folks to book an inexpensive (20 euros) walking tour with a native Estonian throubh SBP. Very nice and she even waited for payment from some of the tour members until they could get to an ATM for Euros.

 

More later in my review but the Baltic cruise was close to perfect. Marney's opinions are close to my own.

[canadarocks]

Estonia hasn't been open to the rest of the world for too many years and this was one of the most unspoiled cities I ever visited. Rick Steve's walking tour is good but our cruise gathered enough folks to book an inexpensive (20 euros) walking tour with a native Estonian throubh SBP. Very nice and she even waited for payment from some of the tour members until they could get to an ATM for Euros.

 

More later in my review but the Baltic cruise was close to perfect. Marney's opinions are close to my own.

 

We are doing the same walking tour with SPB Tours in July, and yours is the first review I've read. Thanks! :)

[NJCruiser_family]

Thanks for all of the kind words. I do think we picked up a lot of good information and tips that are of interest to those who will be doing the Baltic/Northern Seas this summer; for Americans this is an expensive cruise because of the air fare so it makes sense to get as much out of it as you can.

 

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

 

First, I'd recommend planning, planning, planning before you go. The planning that my DH (mostly!) did before we left was priceless. He made a set of Google-based maps filled with links that can be useful to you and the best part is that because these are other people's mostly commercial links they'll be constantly updated. You'll find tons of information; this is the link for the set. Of course the dates will be wrong for you but the information links are the ones below the date that will show up on the map pop-up when you click the city link on the left. Let me know if you need help in using the maps.

 

Next, if you don't have St. Petersburg plans yet I can highly, highly recommend Anna Artyushina's "I love (the heart symbol) St. Petersburg" aka "I Travel St. Petersburg" (e-mail is contrast@stpetersburgguide.com) for wonderful tour services. We used Anna Glushkov with her; a guide beyond belief for what she knows and how quickly she can move you through the crowds, but I believe anyone this agency sends will be excellent. Anna G. explained that these smaller agencies are preferred by the most experienced of the guides and we certainly found her to be such and the cost was in line with what the larger ones were charging. We hired them for a private (just the 2 of us) tour but they could do as well for 8, maybe 10, people. We even went to tea at the home of a local family which was very interesting indeed! You tailor your own agenda with these folks; get some ideas from their website linked above.

 

3. There is free port internet wi fi in Copenhagen (instructions were on the wall by the security officer who looks at your ship card as you come back to the ship; copy down the details) and especially wonderful in Tallinn; their free source will show up in your wi fi possibilities where you normally see what wi fi is available; it's automatic.

 

4. You may want a bit of local money unless you're just doing a HAL tour; some little places won't take dollars or euros. It'll cost you a bit but since you just need a little money, getting it at the ship's Front Office is probably easiest; we got pounds and euros through a bank ATM. But you may need carfare to go to town to get it!

 

5. Transfer from London (or Heathrow) to Dover: can't beat the price of the National Express bus and I can provide instructions on how you can probably get the driver to drop you right in front of the HAL baggage service instead of at the Priory Station. Let me know; I've given this out in many places on CC so you may already know this.

 

6. We love Rick Steves' guidebooks and website; many of his walking tours you can do right out of the books. If the suggested tour guide in his book is a "no reservations, just show up" type check the website before you go to make sure the service is still operating as the print copy can't update such changes.

 

7. Get out there and look for unexpected opportunities! We call this "our serendipity" and we try to find it in every port. The secret is to eavesdrop a bit on the locals, don't be afraid to ask questions, be willing to try something new (as long as it's safe!) and to have a bit of local money so you can do it. I'm going to start a separate thread for this as I think it would be wonderful if others contributed their own moments of serendipity. We find that these moments are often the ones that end up being the most memorable. "Serendipity" as we define it is accidental; you just come across it; it's not a planned tour or anything.

 

I'm working really hard on the blog for this trip; lots more tips/tricks will be there. It's only the photos that are not done; we have so many to go through!

Thanks for your review. I am interested your experience in requesting the driver to drop you off at the Dover cruise terminal rather than the depot.

[swin26]

Thanks for the awesome review of your cruise. :D We are booking a Gems of the Baltic cruise for next year aboard the Eurodam roundtrip Copenhagen. I was wondering what your opinions are on the choice of either the cruise departing June 14 or June 24. The difference is the June 14 cruise has an overnight stay in the Warnemunde port for Berlin instead of continuing on to Kiel (Hamburg). Since you mentioned the difficulty in seeing everything in Berlin with enough time to make it back to the ship, do you think staying overnight would be an advantage? We are taking my BIL and SIL on their first cruise so I will be spending a lot of time planning so they have a fabulous cruise. :D Thanks!

Diane

 

Diane, we also debated these dates, but chose the 24th for a few reasons. One, it allowed us to miss less work (important consideration for us). The cruise on the 24th leaves on a Sunday and ends on July 4th. Also, because of the time it takes to get back and forth from Berlin, the only way to enjoy more time in Berlin would be to stay in a hotel in Berlin overnight, which we didn't want to do. Last, if we want to go to Lubeck, which we are debating, it is a shorter trip (we would do it on our own) from Kiel. The one advantage we saw to Warnemunde, is that on the second day, there seems to be more to do in port than in Kiel. Either way, it should be a great trip.

[melissasimon]

Marney,

 

Anticipating our upcoming trip, it is great fun to read your review. Thanks so very much for posting such detailed information. It's an invaluable help to those of us who are going on the same itinerary. Among other things, I'd never have thought to pack a clip for the curtains! ;)

 

We are signed up in Bergen for the excursion "Hardanger: Queen of the Fjords" and I'm now having second thoughts. My motivation for taking this tour is a determination to see at least one dramatic fjord while in Norway, and I wasn't certain that would happen without this excursion. I'd love to hear your opinion and details of your experience. If you prefer to e-mail a response, you may send it to businessmailbox@bellsouth.net.

 

Thanks again for all your help!

Melissa

[Protseq]

My wife and I took this excursion while on the June 3rd Fjords and Highland cruise. I was disappointed to say the least. We were on the second tour that was added because of demand. I remember spending the majority of our time riding in the coach, seeing scenery around this fjord. What I was looking forward to was the ferry ride, and actually sailing on the water. What we got was a short 15 minute car ferry ride on our return to Bergen. Don't get my wrong, it was an educational tour, the lunch stop was decent yet I was disappointed of not seeing a dramatic fjord while on the water. This is just my opinion of course. Your experience maybe different. Tom

[schoolinmy3]

Diane, we also debated these dates, but chose the 24th for a few reasons. One, it allowed us to miss less work (important consideration for us). The cruise on the 24th leaves on a Sunday and ends on July 4th. Also, because of the time it takes to get back and forth from Berlin, the only way to enjoy more time in Berlin would be to stay in a hotel in Berlin overnight, which we didn't want to do. Last, if we want to go to Lubeck, which we are debating, it is a shorter trip (we would do it on our own) from Kiel. The one advantage we saw to Warnemunde, is that on the second day, there seems to be more to do in port than in Kiel. Either way, it should be a great trip.

 

Thank you for your feedback. :) I can see your point with missing work days. That may be a factor for my husband. His brother who is travelling with us is a retired state police trooper so not a factor for him. We are combining this cruise with a car trip to Normandy. My husband and his brother have always planned to visit the D-day landings. It is a trek, but we have family in Belgium to break up the trip. So we would be staying for another five days most likely after the cruise and flying home from out of a different airport.

[Spinner2]

Protseq, we fully agree with your comment about how the description "cross the fjord" turned out to be a 12-minute (I timed it!) ride in a bus across a narrow part of a small fjord where the only way to see anything was to climb an interior metal staircase on the car ferry and look out, making sure you were back in your seat before the ferry reaches the opposite shore. I know, as do you, that all the description said was that participants would "cross a fjord" but honestly--would anyone have thought that meant to cross it quickly while sitting on a bus or standing on a metal staircase to see out?

 

I'm glad to see that we weren't the only ones that assumed a decent ride on a boat of some sort! I certainly complained about this to Shore Excursions when we returned; she asked me how I thought it might be rewritten to make it more clear. I nicely suggested they'd surely think of something.

 

I sent this information to schoolinmy3--along with a couple of other comments about this tour!

[Spinner2]

Thoughts on Baltic 2012: Overnight Warnemunde or an extra stop in Germany?

 

I think by the time I got back to this that swin26 answered it really well. The HAL tours use a train that comes right to the pier; we just left the ship, crossed a parking lot, and boarded the train. If you decide to do it on your own because you have the extra day in Germany and want to go into Berlin by train I think you'll have to get yourself to the Warnemunde station; the ship's chartered train went past it so it's not far, but I don't know how you'd get there. The biggest advantage would be that if you used the regular trains and yours ran late that day, the ship would still be in port, assuming you went on the first day. Whether or not you need 2 days to see Berlin (staying in town someplace, I guess) I don't know--it would vary according to a person's interests, I'd think.

 

That's really about all I can add since we didn't have this exact itinerary. Interesting that the cruise begins/ends in Copenhagen; this is where HAL loads most of its food supplies, even when the trip begins in England. A lot of produce, dairy, etc. was loaded in Copenhagen!

[Spinner2]

NJ Cruiser, actually it's quite easy we found (and others had similar experiences), because actually the bus driver will probably hope that you'll want to do this. He/she just can't say so because their only incentive is because you would of course tip the driver for the extra service--and the drivers aren't allowed to ask for money. It's a public bus! Who tips on a public bus!

 

So, here's what you do. You'll board at the Victoria Coach Station (which is easy by the way; it's all on one level; transfer from an incoming bus from Heathrow by walking across the alley to the departures building or having your cab driver take you to the Departures at the Victoria Coach Station (which is different from Victoria Station) and look at the big board that lists the gate numbers. Match your departure number on your ticket (buy online ahead or buy at the station) with the board numbers and go to that gate. They'll open the door when it's time to board.

 

Walk with your luggage out to the bus; the driver will be waiting to load your bags. Tell him/her with a smile that you'd really like to be dropped at the Cruise Terminal in Dover; that you'd rather pay him something than give it to a cab driver. Words that are something like that signal to the driver that you're expecting to pay for the service. He'll probably say something noncommital but that's ok at this point.

 

I guess it varies from driver to driver but what ours did was to stand up at the stop in Canterbury and say that one person has asked about going to the cruise terminal instead of the Priory station. It's a risk to him, making this extra stop, but perhaps others on the bus think it could be worth his effort to do it and he'll leave the bus while you discuss it.

 

What s/he means is that someone will collect a tip from each person who wants to do this and give it to the driver now, at this intermediate stop. But s/he can't say this; one of the passengers has to take care of the collecting. Knowing that the cab fare is going to be about 10 pounds per couple, people should "tip" accordingly and whoever collects it gives it to the bus driver upon his/her return to the bus. And before the bus goes to the Priory Station in Dover there will be a stop at the cruise terminal where the HAL folks will come over and start directing you where to take your luggage--it's just across the driveway. Very easy; worked for us and at least 2 other groups on later busses that I know of. The conversation each time was similar.

 

Leaving the cruise, it won't work; there's no way to have the driver show up for you. You'll have to take a cab (there are plenty but there's going to be a line) to the Priory Station and wait for the bus. Get reservations ahead of time; the bus may be full and can't take you otherwise. And the stop is outside--it's just a regular bus stop with a roof, but there's a building across the street with restrooms, coffee/cocoa, etc. Keep out a coat or raingear if the weather's bad.

 

All this worked out great (and cheap!) for us. When the National Express takes you back to Heathrow after the cruise you'll change busses back at Victoria Coach Station again and the the Heathrow bus ends at a bus terminal right on the Heathrow property. It's a short walk across the street to one of the terminals and from there you can get to a hotel, another terminal, etc.

[Protseq]

We did the London Victoria Coach to Dover option using National Express. Spinner2 (Marney) gave our roll call an excellent description of what to expect with the driver. I approached the driver before Canterbury to make sure the 'wheels were in motion' as to making the cruise port stop. Since there were a bunch of us going to the ship on the coach, a head count was made before Dover (only one lady was leaving in Dover proper). "There is your ship!" the driver says. Me thinks, he has done this before. ;) We tipped driver five pounds. On our post-cruise return, we took HA's transfer to Heathrow although we had tickets from the ferry port to Victoria Coach using National Express. It was just easier. (Review is still coming on the Eurodam board. Getting back to reality still. :)) Tom

[Bippie]

Thoughts on Baltic 2012: Overnight Warnemunde or an extra stop in Germany?

 

If you decide to do it on your own because you have the extra day in Germany and want to go into Berlin by train I think you'll have to get yourself to the Warnemunde station;

 

This is actually quite easy. Because of the train tracks, there is really only one path into Warnemunde and you'll go right past the train station. This cannot be more than a 5 minute walk if you don't stop to see the sights along the way (sand sculptures, etc.). Very, very easy but you will go down and up stairs as you pass under the train tracks. When you come up the stairs, the train station is right there.

 

Since I had an incredible week in Berlin a few years ago, I didn't want to do a rushed day to Berlin. Instead, took a train to Romstock to look around and then returned to Warnemunde for a stroll (very enjoyable). Had dinner on the ship then took another stroll through Warnemunde. What a difference - during the day it was bustling but in the evening it was a quiet beach town.

 

One more hint for Warnemunde - you might catch some free WiFi at various places (look for a swarm of cruise ship employees with laptops) but T-Mobile offers 60 minutes for about 5 euros. You'll see pay phones along the way with a pink light at the top. These are pay phones and WiFi hot spots. There is even one right outside of the cruise ship terminal in Warnemunde and I could get the signal on my balcony. Much faster and cheaper than HAL's wifi. I could even use Skype for phone calls when I was close to a hot spot.

 

OK - one more hint. Try to avoid returning to the ship when the HAL chartered train arrives. There are a lot (2,000?) people on the train trying to get through security at the same time and the lines are long. To HAL's credit, they opened every available security line in two separate entrances. Still better to avoid this if possible.

[Spinner2]

Bippie, that's wonderful information about getting to the Warnemunde station and all of the amenities around it! Since this was our first time in the area, we did it "the HAL way" which left us no time for exploring the area. Overnighters can sure use what you've provided here!

[schoolinmy3]

Thank you Bippie and Spinner2 for the detailed information. That will surely help us make the decision between the June 14 or June 24 itinerary. I am not sure what exactly my BIL and SIL are most interested in seeing. Since there will be 5 of us (our daughter age 12 will be coming along) we would be seeing all the ports on our own except for St. Petersburg of course. The cost to book HAL tours would just be more than we would be willing to pay. I have nothing against HAL tours by the way as my son and I just returned from Greece, Turkey and Italy and we booked all HAL tours and they were wonderful. Thanks for the info on the hotspots. My husband will be glad there are so many wifi hotspots available. In Bermuda he was trying to deal with an issue that came up at home just when we had to leave town and it was difficult to find a wifi signal that worked.

Diane

[melissasimon]

Marney and Protseq --

 

Thanks very much for your comments on the "Hardanger: Queen of the Fjords" excursion. The three of us are signed up for this expensive tour and I'm re-thinking our options.

 

Did you see beautiful, dramatic fjords anywhere else on this trip? We are renting a car in Alesund and will attempt to make it to the Geiranger fjord and back, but that will have to go like clockwork in order to happen. I booked the Hardanger excursion thinking it would at least guarantee us a fjord experience while we were in Norway.

 

You guys are great to be so helpful! Nothing beats talking to someone who has actually been there.

[NJCruiser_family]

NJ Cruiser, actually it's quite easy we found (and others had similar experiences), because actually the bus driver will probably hope that you'll want to do this. He/she just can't say so because their only incentive is because you would of course tip the driver for the extra service--and the drivers aren't allowed to ask for money. It's a public bus! Who tips on a public bus!

 

So, here's what you do. You'll board at the Victoria Coach Station (which is easy by the way; it's all on one level; transfer from an incoming bus from Heathrow by walking across the alley to the departures building or having your cab driver take you to the Departures at the Victoria Coach Station (which is different from Victoria Station) and look at the big board that lists the gate numbers. Match your departure number on your ticket (buy online ahead or buy at the station) with the board numbers and go to that gate. They'll open the door when it's time to board.

 

Walk with your luggage out to the bus; the driver will be waiting to load your bags. Tell him/her with a smile that you'd really like to be dropped at the Cruise Terminal in Dover; that you'd rather pay him something than give it to a cab driver. Words that are something like that signal to the driver that you're expecting to pay for the service. He'll probably say something noncommital but that's ok at this point.

 

I guess it varies from driver to driver but what ours did was to stand up at the stop in Canterbury and say that one person has asked about going to the cruise terminal instead of the Priory station. It's a risk to him, making this extra stop, but perhaps others on the bus think it could be worth his effort to do it and he'll leave the bus while you discuss it.

 

What s/he means is that someone will collect a tip from each person who wants to do this and give it to the driver now, at this intermediate stop. But s/he can't say this; one of the passengers has to take care of the collecting. Knowing that the cab fare is going to be about 10 pounds per couple, people should "tip" accordingly and whoever collects it gives it to the bus driver upon his/her return to the bus. And before the bus goes to the Priory Station in Dover there will be a stop at the cruise terminal where the HAL folks will come over and start directing you where to take your luggage--it's just across the driveway. Very easy; worked for us and at least 2 other groups on later busses that I know of. The conversation each time was similar.

 

Leaving the cruise, it won't work; there's no way to have the driver show up for you. You'll have to take a cab (there are plenty but there's going to be a line) to the Priory Station and wait for the bus. Get reservations ahead of time; the bus may be full and can't take you otherwise. And the stop is outside--it's just a regular bus stop with a roof, but there's a building across the street with restrooms, coffee/cocoa, etc. Keep out a coat or raingear if the weather's bad.

 

All this worked out great (and cheap!) for us. When the National Express takes you back to Heathrow after the cruise you'll change busses back at Victoria Coach Station again and the the Heathrow bus ends at a bus terminal right on the Heathrow property. It's a short walk across the street to one of the terminals and from there you can get to a hotel, another terminal, etc.

Spinner2 and Protseq - Thank you very much for sharing your experiences regarding requesting National Express bus to cruise terminal.

 

I have read messages on CC about people making the request to the driver before boarding the bus, but I always assume that each party will have to "tip" the driver individually after the drop-off. I never thought it has to be so formal as to have someone actually takes a head-count and collects the "tip" to give to the driver. Good to know this beforehand and not be surprised by it.

[Spinner2]

Ehh, NJcruiser, it may just be me, but my guess is that the drivers aren't willing to go to this extra trouble/risk? (if there really is one), etc. without knowing there's adequate compensation. I'm sure there's some issue they deal with re the cab companies who lose out on the fare from the Priory Station to the cruise terminal and maybe those headed for the Priory resent being delayed a bit to detour by the cruise terminal, I don't know. But I do think they want to see the cash up front. It was amazing on our trip; the driver actually came back after we passengers discussed it and decided that of course we'd want to pay a bit to get a direct drop and the driver returned; we told him. He asked who collected the tips and made it clear we should have done that; he disappeared again for a couple of minutes and my DH went up the aisle to collect. The driver seemed pleased/at least OK with the "collection" but it wasn't all that simple. Somebody asked what the cab would cost them, several said their research showed about ten pounds but even with that information there were 2 couples who loudly said that's ridiculous; the bus driver shouldn't get more than a pound--at the most 2. And on another trip I heard that a couple or two actually freeloaded--paid nothing but got off at the cruise terminal anyway.

 

So my guess is that the driver doesn't want to risk being caught short in this because he/she sure can't ask for anything, can't demand any payment at all. They want to know it's "worth their while" (whatever that means!) before doing it at all.

 

And if it's too much of a hassle for them I think they'll quit doing it. For sure, I would rather be dropped at the cruise and unload luggage once rather than unloading luggage at Priory, tugging it all to the curb until a cab came (probably have to call one too; don't know if they wait around) and then haul everything to the cab and get it all out again 10 minutes later at the cruise terminal. We should try to keep these drivers on our side!

[canadarocks]

HAL has just added the Lillesand tour option to our day in Kristiansand and based on your (and others) recommendations, I've booked it! :cool:

 

Would you recommend also taking the tender into Kristiansand that morning as you did? Or was Kristiansand itself not that memorable? I've thinking a sleep in day might be needed at that point! ;)