LIVE - Royal Princess Transatlantic & Baltic day by day

[Sydney24]

Gwen your posts are fantastic! We have a week to go before we head to the airport to start our Baltic adventure and travelling along with you is providing some great information for us. I don't know how you find the time to write this all up but believe me it is greatly appreciated. Anne

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

Gwen your posts are fantastic! We have a week to go before we head to the airport to start our Baltic adventure and travelling along with you is providing some great information for us. I don't know how you find the time to write this all up but believe me it is greatly appreciated. Anne

 

 

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Agreed, having been there and done a similar tour (all the same places), I can see the imagery and know what you (Gwen) are writing about. It is so good to relive the memories. Thanks.:D

Edited May 20, 2014 by MicCanberra

[jcarlisle]

Gwen: Particularly loving your review of the Baltic portion of your trip. We are on the July 6th sailing!

 

Question about getting ashore in St. Petersburg. If you did not have a Princess excursion, were you required to go to the Vista Lounge for a ticket? Did Princess excursions have"priority"? Or were you able to just go to the gangway to disembark? How many gangways did they use?

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated. We have a group of ten doing a private tour with SPB tours.

 

Thanks.

Edited May 20, 2014 by jcarlisle

[WendyG]

Such a fabulous review. I did the Baltics four years ago and reading your posts makes it feel as if it were yesterday!

Thank you :D

 

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[Orangefan]

I would shop in the Hermitage museum gift shops only - high quality and low prices and benefits a non profit group that helps the church. I would ask the driver to get a bag lunch that you can eat on the road in the car to preserve precious time. I would not take away any of the stops we had - but if I HAD to give up one it would be the boat ride.

 

 

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Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. I have friends that are going on your ship for the new cruise. They left today from SF to make their way to Europe. I will be on the Regal b2b when she comes to the U.S. in the beg of Nov. Many of the things you are describing about the Royal should be similar on the Regal.

Thanks

Sali

[Mom33]

Wow! My feet hurt just reading your account of your St. Petersburg tour :D I am surprised to hear it was hot enough for shorts. It's good to know to pack for any possible weather. Thanks for your report.:D

[jean s]

We plan to do this cruise specifically because we want to visit St. Petersburgh so we are really enjoying your posts.

[IECalCruiser]

Your days sound amazing and exhausting! We are planning a private tour in SPB and I wonder if there is anything you did on your tour that you would remove given the choice? Thanks so much. Btw we canceled our Berlin day and signed on with Friends of Dave. Really looking forward to it. Thank you for the review.

 

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We did the SPb Deluxe 2-Day Tour last year and it was a great experience :) So we don't hijack Gwen's thread, you can contact me at IECalCruiser at 1694vsh dot com and I will give you my thoughts.

[cormike1]

Gwen....I loved reading your review so far. We did this cruise a couple of years ago. I laughed when I read about the boy running bridge to bridge as we had the same thing happen on our river cruise. It was really funny and by the end we were all waving to him. A lot of us also gave him money as we got off....he sure worked hard for it lol. Looking forward to reading the rest of your posts. Thanks.

[GweninTX]

Helsinki, Finland

 

Good morning! We got an hour back last night so enjoyed more sleep! We also do not have as early a start this morning with our Alla tour. We go to the HC along with the other 3K people and hunt for a table. Everyone seems to be on the same time table each morning so it is extremely crowded. We docked at 7:00 and were quickly cleared for people to get off, but no one left early.

 

It is a very industrial port and it is not picturesque once we are at the dock. It is warm again and there is no need for even a jacket. We walk off at 8:00 with Terry and Joyce and look thru the stalls with items for sale. Everything is very expensive! I found a nice wool shawl trimmed in fur - I figured maybe $100 - it was $1,000,00! I will not be buying much here. You could get a tanned reindeer hide for $140.00 and one couple did buy one to take home. We find our Alla tour guide and bus and leave early at 8:45. Our guide is Jenny and very pleasant.

 

If you want to do Helsinki on your own it is very doable. There is a HoHo bus right at the pier. There is also a shuttle to the downtown area. One man we talked to said he walked over to the train station which is also at the dock and spent 2 euro for a round trip ticket to down town. Very clean, modern city.

 

Our first stop was Sibelius park with its huge steel monument. Very modern looking. We also did some touring of residential areas and Jenny told us of life here in Helsinki. We next stopped near the Rock church. Jenny was confused and thought it opened at 9:30, but it does not open till 10:00. We took exterior pictures and we did a short walking tour and saw the Parliament bldg. we also had some nice shops open and were able to shop. At 10:00 there were hundreds of tours waiting for the door of the famous Rock church to open. We all poured in and took a quick tour. Not a lot to see, but interesting use of a slab of marble. It was built in 1968 and was very modern. From here we did a tour of the city and Jenny pointed out all the sites. We then stopped downtown and had free time to explore the market place. I had asked Jenny if there was a Starbucks or a a Pandora shop and she said yes, there were both! Score! Another couple were looking for a liquor store to buy a special liqueur that was only sold in Finland. She said it was on the way, so off our little group went. Several were interested in Starbucks mugs so we had about 12 in our walking group. It was about 6 blocks, but it was so pleasant we all enjoyed the walk. Starbucks was a large new store and we all got the mugs and coffee we wanted! She then took the couple to the liquor store and showed me the dept. store that had Pandora. I got a cute reindeer that will always remind me of our trip here. We then walked back to the bus as we were leaving at noon.

 

We loaded up and were back at the pier by 12:15. We walked right on the ship and ate lunch in the HC. Food was very good. If you like Mexican food, the horizon court bistro has had it every day. Fajita meat, ground taco meat, guacamole and all the fixings. They have also had gyro fixings there several days too. You can make a lovely chef salad there - they have every topping you could possibly want. The main HC buffet has had Asian every day, I think they are catering to the large Asian group on this cruise. There are so many choices it is hard to choose every day.

 

We both want a nap and so we lay down to read and quickly fall asleep. I slept about an hour and then went to the HC to write up my 2 days in St Petersburg. I was just too tired too do it each night as I have been doing. I also go to Brazilian line dancing at 3:15 and then come back to shower. Tonight is formal night, but we are eating in the Crown grill.

 

About 4:30 we set sail and Jerry and I watch from our balcony. We are not in any hurry and we will leisurely sail to Nyashamn, Sweden to see Stockholm tomorrow.

 

We eat in the Crown grill and have another superb meal. I so love seeing everyone all dressed up and the majority are following the rules. I had the lovely hot chocolate fudge cake for dessert, that is my favorite dessert on Princess, so decadent! We then go to the Princess theatre to hear Nik Page. He was great and I was so hoping for a new show - not! But he is a superb entertainer and we enjoyed it. I wish we had gone to the marriage match game show if we had known, but we can see it recorded on our lovely TV. Vista lounge had the Rick Kliburn quartet, not our cup of tea. At 10:30 they had ballroom dancing in the Vista lounge. Not a lot going on. They had the Captains Circle party for all the new cruisers last night from 5-6 in the Vista. Even though we had booked this as 2 cruises we only got one invitation, which was fine with us.

 

Tonight we get another hour back - I will probably be up at the crack of dawn confused. We have another Alla tour and it is a tender port. Will be interesting to see how the tendering goes. 3k people - 3 Princess tenders - sounds like a cluster you know what to me, but I will remain positive - stay tuned!

[Arya3]

THANKS so MUCH for your LIVE reports!! They are so detailed, well written, and fun to read:D You have helped me SO much with all your advice in advance of our June 25th Baltic cruise!

I admire your efficiency, appreciate all the time you have spent on this so far, and already anticipating your next recap!

Continue to enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Kennykat]

Hope so too - I am planning on line dancing the final sea day! Come join me - I am usually the only Caucasian woman in the group! LOL we have a lot of fun and is good exercise!

 

 

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Gwen, thanks for a fabulous account of your cruise in the Baltics. Have enjoyed reading all of your posts. In Copenhagen would you recommend a tour or can you see it on your own? Also in Waramunde (sp?) does Dave do a three hour tour as we won't be at the ship until about 1pm and wanted to do a tour before we set sail? Is that doable? Thanks again for your informative posts and enjoy your line dancing! When we were on the Royal we enjoyed the the Zumba classes! Claudia

[IECalCruiser]

Gwen, thanks for a fabulous account of your cruise in the Baltics. Have enjoyed reading all of your posts. In Copenhagen would you recommend a tour or can you see it on your own? Also in Waramunde (sp?) does Dave do a three hour tour as we won't be at the ship until about 1pm and wanted to do a tour before we set sail? Is that doable? Thanks again for your informative posts and enjoy your line dancing! When we were on the Royal we enjoyed the the Zumba classes! Claudia

Not Gwen and she may have other thoughts, but we did CPH on our own last year based upon info for a tour we had planned to take the year before. I can send you PDF's of the walking route and attractions if you e-mail me at IECalCruiser at 1694vsh dot com.

 

 

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[IECalCruiser]

Gwen, Sorry you will be missing sailing through the Stockholm Archipelago. I will be interested to see how the tendering and the trip from Nynashamn to Stockholm goes, Are you doing the Princess shuttle and does it drop you off right by the Royal Palace?

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

THANKS so MUCH for your LIVE reports!! They are so detailed, well written, and fun to read:D You have helped me SO much with all your advice in advance of our June 25th Baltic cruise!

I admire your efficiency, appreciate all the time you have spent on this so far, and already anticipating your next recap!

Continue to enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

Agreed, loving the updates.:D

[Fletch1]

Agreed, loving the updates.:D

 

Ditto...

[hubofhockey]

 

We had to get 2 couples then to a restaurant by 6:00 to meet the group that was staying in for evening entertainment. I was amazed that people were actually doing this. We were exhausted and all we wanted was a shower, food and a bed.

 

We are doing this with SPB Tours. However, they advised us to go back to the ship, shower, and relax and they would pick us up at 7:30. We have reservations at Teplo. That is basically our evening entertainment. They charge $90 for the livery service and we're splitting it with another couple and just considering that charge to be taxi fare. For the most part, I think these guided tours are great, but my fear is that the experiences are a bit sanitized. Going out to a restaurant makes it a little less so and probably relaxing.

 

I do think this is a rugged itinerary (nothing like your transatlantic voyage) and it's important to be somewhat fit for it. I'm not surprised that very few people got off early in Helsinki. Our Helsinki tour (we have a tram tour scheduled with Happy Tours) doesn't start until 11 am. We were going to first take a ferry over to Suomenlinna and then meeting our guide. Maybe that's being a bit too aggressive with our itinerary, but I always feel like we can rest at night. Thinking about booking the Enclave and that will be a good way to rest my weary bones on many evenings before or after dinner. Still trying to find out cost for Enclave for the 11-day voyage. If anyone knows, please post it.

[Grammyluvs]

Loved reading your tour of St. Petersburg; it brought back so many memories. We did our tour with SPB but saw all the same things. As for the food, we asked to see inside a grocery store. Very small. Each section was in a small separate room. The security guide followed me everywhere as I was making pictures. Our guide told us they import their fish....water is too contaminated around SPB. A very small object like a potato or tomato that is grown locally and is half rotten by the time it reaches the store cost over $1 each. Better quality is imported and very expensive. I think that is why the hot meal offerings are so sparse. We had the same sparse meals.Our second day even sparser than the first. After the great meal in Germany with Dave, it was quite the letdown.

You are so right about being in shape for the Baltics. I wouldn’t have missed anything we did for the world, but those cobblestone streets, the heat (which was a surprise) and all the walking will really do you in if you aren’t in shape and wearing good shoes; but so worth it.

[GweninTX]

Gwen, thanks for a fabulous account of your cruise in the Baltics. Have enjoyed reading all of your posts. In Copenhagen would you recommend a tour or can you see it on your own? Also in Waramunde (sp?) does Dave do a three hour tour as we won't be at the ship until about 1pm and wanted to do a tour before we set sail? Is that doable? Thanks again for your informative posts and enjoy your line dancing! When we were on the Royal we enjoyed the the Zumba classes! Claudia

You can easily see Copenhagen on your own. I do not think Dave does a shorter tour, but I believe he has another tour guide that does a shorter walking tour. Contact him on his website and tell him Gwen from TX said hello!

[GweninTX]

We are doing this with SPB Tours. However, they advised us to go back to the ship, shower, and relax and they would pick us up at 7:30. We have reservations at Teplo. That is basically our evening entertainment. They charge $90 for the livery service and we're splitting it with another couple and just considering that charge to be taxi fare. For the most part, I think these guided tours are great, but my fear is that the experiences are a bit sanitized. Going out to a restaurant makes it a little less so and probably relaxing.

 

I do think this is a rugged itinerary (nothing like your transatlantic voyage) and it's important to be somewhat fit for it. I'm not surprised that very few people got off early in Helsinki. Our Helsinki tour (we have a tram tour scheduled with Happy Tours) doesn't start until 11 am. We were going to first take a ferry over to Suomenlinna and then meeting our guide. Maybe that's being a bit too aggressive with our itinerary, but I always feel like we can rest at night. Thinking about booking the Enclave and that will be a good way to rest my weary bones on many evenings before or after dinner. Still trying to find out cost for Enclave for the 11-day voyage. If anyone knows, please post it.

The enclave is $40 per day person and would be a huge waste of money due to the daily ports in my opinion! Not a day to enjoy it!

[Oahucruiser]

Phenomenal postings about this fabulous trip. Don't know how you have the energy to write when you have had such long and busy days. Love your positive and upbeat attitude toward everything. Thank you. Will hate to see this end!!

[hubofhockey]

The enclave is $40 per day person and would be a huge waste of money due to the daily ports in my opinion! Not a day to enjoy it!

 

$440 per voyage. They were charging $199 per week this past season. That's $28 per day. Hard to believe they would increase that by $12 per day, but if you say so, that must be right. Too bad. I would use it to relax after long days and a lot on days at sea.

Edited May 21, 2014 by hubofhockey

[Baatman]

Loved reading your tour of St. Petersburg; it brought back so many memories. We did our tour with SPB but saw all the same things. As for the food, we asked to see inside a grocery store. Very small. Each section was in a small separate room. The security guide followed me everywhere as I was making pictures. Our guide told us they import their fish....water is too contaminated around SPB. A very small object like a potato or tomato that is grown locally and is half rotten by the time it reaches the store cost over $1 each. Better quality is imported and very expensive. I think that is why the hot meal offerings are so sparse. We had the same sparse meals.Our second day even sparser than the first. After the great meal in Germany with Dave, it was quite the letdown.

You are so right about being in shape for the Baltics. I wouldn’t have missed anything we did for the world, but those cobblestone streets, the heat (which was a surprise) and all the walking will really do you in if you aren’t in shape and wearing good shoes; but so worth it.

 

Same here!:):)

[aubieteach]

Gwen,

Look forward everyday to your latest Baltic experiences. Will be on Royal at the end of June..can't wait. I appreciate your tips on shopping etc. I am still a little concerned about the different currencies in all the different ports..How have you dealt with this...Any problem using US credit cards?

[FritzG]

$440 per voyage. They were charging $199 per week this past season. That's $28 per day. Hard to believe they would increase that by $12 per day, but if you say so, that must be right. Too bad. I would use it to relax after long days and a lot on days at sea.

 

In early spring there were lots of unhappy posters noting the big increase in the Sanctuary rates. For a Caribbean cruise with sea days and great weather it would be worth it, but for a ta or a port intensive itinerary I agree that it's a waste of money.