kathieandrichard Posted August 28, 2013 #1 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Our budget is limited so we are thinking of booking an inside cabin. However, we don't know if most of this cruise is in open water or might we miss a lot of scenery. We can go on deck or to an enclosed viewing site when approaching the cities this cruise visits, but if there are unexpected things to see should we try to book a balcony? Thank you for considering our dilemma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted August 28, 2013 #2 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Our budget is limited so we are thinking of booking an inside cabin. However, we don't know if most of this cruise is in open water or might we miss a lot of scenery. We can go on deck or to an enclosed viewing site when approaching the cities this cruise visits, but if there are unexpected things to see should we try to book a balcony? Thank you for considering our dilemma.Except for approaching/leaving ports, there is not a lot of scenery to view. I assume you are planning for next year. Sailing in/out of the Oslo Fjord is quite scenic and lasts about 90 minutes or so. This year the Emerald sailed the Stockholm Archipelago and there is great scenery during the 4-5 hour transit. Next year the Royal will not sail up the Archipelago to Stockholm but anchor 50 miles away so you won't see that on the Royal. There are some interesting, but not necessarily scenic, sights entering/leaving St. Petersburg including Kronstadt Island and the St. Petersburg Flood Barrier. You also pass under the Great Belt Bridge twice several hours after leaving and before approaching Copenhagen. Most other ports are near the sea and you could go up on deck as you entered/left port. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsleep Posted August 28, 2013 #3 Share Posted August 28, 2013 If you are sailing on the Emerald Princess out of Copenhagen, a balcony is a must! The sail into the Oslofjord was spectacular and we had John Lawrence narrating the trip over the PA as well as the in room TV. Likewise, the sail through the Stockholm archipelago as we left Stockcholm was even more breathtakingly beautiful. Apparently next year I think the Royal Princess is docking a LONG way from Stockholm at Nysnham-have no idea if its as beautiful a sail in/sail out as it was from Stockholm on the Emerald as we docked fairly close to the Gamla Stan area-we could see our ship from there on a tour. Daylight hours are quite long in the summer there so if you do book an inside cabin-if you can commit to getting up and out REALLY early that would work for you. If you do book a balcony and its the Emerald, I highly recommend a starboard side cabin. Views are much better when in port in both Oslo and Stockholm. We used SPB-Tours and saved a lot of money on shore excursions. They have a great package deal for Berlin,Tallin,Stockholm,Helsinki and St. Petersburg so that may free up more cash for a balcony cabin. Scandinavia is sooo expensive that a cruise really is the most economical way to see that part of the world. Good luck with your plans. That was my favorite cruise ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted August 28, 2013 #4 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Nynashamn is on the coast. I doubt the views on the Royal will be anything like sailing up the Stockholm Archipelago b the Emerald :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avalon35 Posted August 28, 2013 #5 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have cHecked the website of SPB tours. How did it work out? And where else can I check for reviews? It sounds like a great option. Did you find the tour groups smaller than the cruise lines? Or was it basically the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy2004 Posted August 28, 2013 #6 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have checked the website of SPB tours. How did it work out? And where else can I check for reviews? It sounds like a great option. Did you find the tour groups smaller than the cruise lines? Or was it basically the same? Go to trip adviser to check out SPB tours. We used them for a 6 person private tour in St Petersburg. Our tour guide was very good. We could understand her clearly. We were to take another tour with them in Tallin but they changed the time on us from 9:30am to 7:30am so we cancelled as we were too tired after Russia. If you would like the name of our tour guide let me know. We just did this cruise Aug 8/13 we all very much enjoyed it but way to many ships in port at the same time. I know it was going to be busy but some times it was wall to wall people. I am glad when we went to the Vasa museum we went by ourselves and got there before the tours came in so we could get some good pictures. Do lots of reading before you go. Tours groups are smaller than ship tours. Plus cost less. And you can do them private which we did as there was 6 of us. Don't forget to go on the roll call for your ship when you book. We have joined other peoples tours to make up numbers on other cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted August 28, 2013 #7 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have cHecked the website of SPB tours. How did it work out? And where else can I check for reviews? It sounds like a great option. Did you find the tour groups smaller than the cruise lines? Or was it basically the same?We used SPB just for St. Petersburg. You don't need to form a group now. You can sign up for the $300/person 2-day Deluxe tour and they will assign you to a group. Less expensive than the cruise ship and you see more. I would highly recommend SPb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avalon35 Posted August 28, 2013 #8 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Thanks for SPB info. I thought you had to form your own group. This is exactly what we are looking for. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathieandrichard Posted August 28, 2013 Author #9 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Thanks so much! Your descriptions helped a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathieandrichard Posted August 28, 2013 Author #10 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Nynashamn is on the coast. I doubt the views on the Royal will be anything like sailing up the Stockholm Archipelago b the Emerald :( Thank you for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathieandrichard Posted August 28, 2013 Author #11 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Except for approaching/leaving ports, there is not a lot of scenery to view. I assume you are planning for next year. Sailing in/out of the Oslo Fjord is quite scenic and lasts about 90 minutes or so. This year the Emerald sailed the Stockholm Archipelago and there is great scenery during the 4-5 hour transit. Next year the Royal will not sail up the Archipelago to Stockholm but anchor 50 miles away so you won't see that on the Royal. There are some interesting, but not necessarily scenic, sights entering/leaving St. Petersburg including Kronstadt Island and the St. Petersburg Flood Barrier. You also pass under the Great Belt Bridge twice several hours after leaving and before approaching Copenhagen. Most other ports are near the sea and you could go up on deck as you entered/left port. Hope this helps. Your descriptions helped a lot! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathieandrichard Posted August 28, 2013 Author #12 Share Posted August 28, 2013 If you are sailing on the Emerald Princess out of Copenhagen, a balcony is a must! The sail into the Oslofjord was spectacular and we had John Lawrence narrating the trip over the PA as well as the in room TV.Likewise, the sail through the Stockholm archipelago as we left Stockcholm was even more breathtakingly beautiful. Apparently next year I think the Royal Princess is docking a LONG way from Stockholm at Nysnham-have no idea if its as beautiful a sail in/sail out as it was from Stockholm on the Emerald as we docked fairly close to the Gamla Stan area-we could see our ship from there on a tour. Daylight hours are quite long in the summer there so if you do book an inside cabin-if you can commit to getting up and out REALLY early that would work for you. If you do book a balcony and its the Emerald, I highly recommend a starboard side cabin. Views are much better when in port in both Oslo and Stockholm. We used SPB-Tours and saved a lot of money on shore excursions. They have a great package deal for Berlin,Tallin,Stockholm,Helsinki and St. Petersburg so that may free up more cash for a balcony cabin. Scandinavia is sooo expensive that a cruise really is the most economical way to see that part of the world. Good luck with your plans. That was my favorite cruise ever. Thank you for many good things to consider. We appreciate your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katisdale Posted August 28, 2013 #13 Share Posted August 28, 2013 We took the Imperial Cities land tour before this cruise. We did not think a balcony was required for the cruise. We went in late May and it was still cold. We preferred to watch the scenery (which as everyone has noted was wonderful) from the inside lounges, protected from the rain and cold. It also allowed us to move from one side of the ship to the other without the trouble of leaving our room and going to a public area to get a view that would be restricted to one side of the ship. I would also highly recommend SPB tours. We found their tour to be outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted August 28, 2013 #14 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I have cHecked the website of SPB tours. How did it work out? And where else can I check for reviews? It sounds like a great option. Did you find the tour groups smaller than the cruise lines? Or was it basically the same?Terrific tour and well-run organization. We used them for St. Petersburg and Berlin several years ago and thought they were the best tours we'd had. They handled the Russian visa and all entrance tickets. You can book multiple ports with them and only have to contact one person. I highly recommend them. I've also never seen anything other than an excellent review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadarocks Posted August 28, 2013 #15 Share Posted August 28, 2013 We had an inside cabin for our Northern Europe cruise and loved it! Our little "cave" was a wonderfully dark and quiet place to get great sleep. We were off the ship so much that a balcony wasn't needed and the money we saved was well spent on shore excursions! Including 3 separate ones with SPB Tours in St Petersburg, Tallinn, and Helsinki... which were amazing! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted August 28, 2013 #16 Share Posted August 28, 2013 If it is a difference between excursions and a balcony, I would go with an inside and spend money on excursions! You can always be outside at times on deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunsetbeachgal Posted August 28, 2013 #17 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Nynashamn is on the coast. I doubt the views on the Royal will be anything like sailing up the Stockholm Archipelago b the Emerald :( We have decided to do Baltic in 2014 (we did it years ago on Holland America)...and up until this point we were considering either the Royal out of Copenhagen or the Emerald out of Southampton (which had a sight edge anyhow as we love London for pre or post cruise)...one of my favorite memories from the Baltic cruise years ago was the spectacular scenery from the sail away from Stockholm. Think you just helped us make up our mind...thanks!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dietemann Posted August 29, 2013 #18 Share Posted August 29, 2013 We took the Imperial Cities land tour before this cruise. We did not think a balcony was required for the cruise. We went in late May and it was still cold. We preferred to watch the scenery (which as everyone has noted was wonderful) from the inside lounges, protected from the rain and cold. It also allowed us to move from one side of the ship to the other without the trouble of leaving our room and going to a public area to get a view that would be restricted to one side of the ship.I would also highly recommend SPB tours. We found their tour to be outstanding. We are thinking about the Imperial Cities cruise tour next year. How did you like the land portion and service by the provider? I think next year the land portion will be by Globus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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