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“Live" from the Baltic...9 Days.. 7-16 May..2013

aussie cruzer
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aussie cruzer

aussie cruzer

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Had a nice visit to Helsinki today ,we caught the bus 14 right next to the cruise port into town,we had too change to the tram....we purchased the all day city pass for 8 Euro p/p.

 

This pass gives you free entry on the Suomenlinna sea fortress ferry...we visited the fortress for one hour,the fortress is the Gibraltar of the north....it has massive fortifications and nice gardens and stands guard over the harbour entrance.

 

We took the 3 T tram from market square to the church of the rock....the church was magnificent,it was made from digging into solid granite and a copper roof put on.

 

The tram and bus stop nearest the church is called Kamppi.....next door to the tram stop is McDonalds,this has free wifi and you can walk from here up to the church.

 

We walked back to McDonalds and caught the bus 14 back to the cruise port ( Hernesaari)

 

Tomorrow we visit Stockholm,Sweden.

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wittyfellow

wittyfellow

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The forward cabins are on deck 9,10,11,12....none on thirteen.

 

Arnie is butler on 10 forward...I saw him yesterday,my Aussie mates are lucky and have him as there butler.

 

I'm on 11 forward and Romel is the butler.

 

David is the concierge and Richard is cruise director.....he seems a little different than Sean .

 

Thanks so much for the response.. We're in 12512, my mistake on the deck.

Looks like you guys are having such a great time.. I'm so jealous you're getting nice weather too... :-)

 

Have a great second sea day and enjoy your time in Stockholm... We'll be tracking the weather prior to our flight tomorrow... Safe travels home!

--alex

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HawaiiUK

HawaiiUK

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Yes, I was thinking we wouldn't rush to get up for Helsinki, and just take the HOHO bus about 10.30am, I think it is. I'd like to see the Rock Church ... and that's about it, really! Or have I underestimated the place, and the Suomenlinna Fortress?

 

Have you eaten in any of the speciality restaurants?

 

I know you're doing Stockholm tomorrow, but that's the day (or one of the days) I was thinking would be good for breakfast in our suite, on the balcony, watching the view. Good plan / bad plan?

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jellygirl

jellygirl

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LOVING all your reviews and your pictures. Thanks for taking us on the journey, it makes it so much easier to plan ours. I cannot wait to go on June 3.

 

Question for you: Was lobster on the first night (embark day) or was it on "dress up or not" night?

 

Also: What camera/lens are you shooting with? Or are you using a smart phone for most pictures?

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aussie cruzer

aussie cruzer

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Day 8

 

Stockholm,Sweden

 

Arrive 8.00 am

 

All aboard 3.30 pm

 

Forecast

Partly cloudy

16C / 64 F

 

The Star is cruising thru the Archipelago on it’s way to the port of Stockholm......we will be arriving in three hours,the weather looks great today.

 

Todays Plans

 

Visit the Vasa museum and hop on hop off boat trip and visit the old town.....today we will use the vip perks available too us and we will be one of the first off the ship....it’s a short day today,so we will have room service and get ready for early exit.

 

The Vasa museum will be the highlight of today,it’s the worlds most visited maritime museum....the Vasa sunk in Stockholm harbour hundreds of years ago and was raised from the sea bed.

 

Stockholm with Rick Steves

 

 

Stockholm Harbour with Rick Steves

 

 

Vasa Museum

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aussie cruzer

aussie cruzer

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Duncan, Does the VIP Departure include mini suites? Have really looked forward to your informative reports, thank you!

 

No it doesn't include mini suites...but if one of your group is in a suite,you can ask.....lots of people took friends with them....be nice to your butler:)

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aussie cruzer

aussie cruzer

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Answers to questions

 

The hop on bus fee does not include entry to the fort,you will have to pay another 7 Euro extra......32 Euro and we paid 8 Euro and had free time on our own.

 

If the weather is good,the ferry ride is a great way to see the harbour,the trip over to the fort is around 20 mins.

 

If you only want to do the church of the rock,then take the bus 14 at the port and follow directions posted yesterday....the market square area is nice and worth a visit and on the square is the boat over to the fort.....very easy to do,boats leave every 30 mins.

 

We took our time and were back at 3.00...our friends missed the church and had lunch onboard.....they missed the highlight of the day....also free wifi at Mcdonalds was great and jump on the bus 14 back to the port.

 

Ncl were charging $75 for the fort tour and $109 for similar tour we did.

 

Dining on your balcony is a great idea,we have seen hundreds of islands on our way to the port.....make use of the vip exit and get straight off the ship.

 

We have only dined in Le Bistro twice,the food is nice and service great.....We are platinium and get two free meals there.

 

Lobster night not sure...it is normally first night,I’ll find out.

 

I’m using my Galaxy 3 to take photos and also my Sony Cybershot...I use photobucket to post photos,but on this ship,the internet is slow for posting photos and I changed to Galaxy phone too take photos because I can post direct to Cruise Critic thru the Tapatalk app......I signed up to unlimited photos thru Tapatalk and if I can get wifi,I can post for free.

 

The ships internet is $100 for 250 mins.

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aussie cruzer

aussie cruzer

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Free wifi in the cruise terminal

 

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5uhu8e3e.jpg

 

Follow the blue line from cruise terminal too bus 76 too Vasa or bus 1 into town.

 

Tickets are sold in the terminsl....20 Sek one way for over 65 or 36 Sek for adults.

 

We took the bus too the Vasa,then walk across the street to Vasa.

 

Vasa was great,it is a must see when in Stockholm....we then took the hop on boat,next to Vasa and did a short tour.

 

We saw the changing of the guard and did some shopping in town.

 

Caught bus 1 back to cruise port...takes 20 mins.

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

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auducky2

auducky2

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So the bus from the cruise terminal in Stockholm goes to a stop very close to the Vasa? When I was trying to use the Journey Planning website, it said something about having to change to the metro. Also, did you already have SEK, or were you able to purchase the bus tickets via credit card?

 

Also, in Helsinki, where did you buy the all day transportation pass?

 

Thank you! Very much enjoying your review! We leave next Saturday!

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mfeenker

mfeenker

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No it doesn't include mini suites...but if one of your group is in a suite,you can ask.....lots of people took friends with them....be nice to your butler:)

Thank you Duncan, changed from a mini suite 11522 to a family suite 12526.

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