Baltic with Teenagers

[FraudBroad]

Hi All,

I'm in the midst of planning a Baltic cruise for next year (NCL Star). We'll be celebrating my daughter's graduation from high school. My youngest (16) will also be joining us.

 

My question for you all is what highlights do you feel would be most interesting for teens?

 

My future graduate chose this itinerary because she's fascinated with WWII and the Holocaust and wants to see Berlin in particular as well as a Concentration Camp.

 

Any feedback you could provide would be most welcome.

 

Many thanks!

[BigB0882]

Be prepared that the stop in Germany requires quite a bus ride into Berlin. You spend most of your time on the bus. Make sure to plan very carefully and it may be best to go with a very respected tour company who is used to getting people there and back in time while seeing as much as possible.

[Kryssa]

I would do a private tour in Belin with Heidi Leyton and share with her your graduate's interests. We had a wonderful general Berlin & Jewish history tour with her while we were there last month. Make sure you get to see the Otto Weidt brush factory - what a story!

 

My understanding that the time you'd give up in Berlin to got to Sachsenhausen concentration camp isn't usually worth it (there is just so much to see in Berlin!) but maybe it would be for you. Just be sure to do you research and understand that visiting this site is not like visiting Auschwitz.

 

Also, if Amsterdam isn't on your itinerary, I would plan a pre- or post- cruise 3 days there and make sure you take the WWII walking tour with Ben de Jong and reserve your Ann Frank House tickets online early. The Dutch Resistance Museum is also wonderful to see for WWII history buffs and it is quiet enough that you don't need to pre-plan when you'll be there.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Kryssa

[Sauer-kraut]

Spend some pre or post cruise in Amsterdam and go to Anne Frank house.

Visit the Heiniken brewery and do the tour, its a lot of fun. That way you get the WWII history in as well as a light hearted jaunt.

 

For the other Baltic ports just read these boards, there is a TON of information, as well as a PDF walking tour of Tallinn of the old town.

[Desdichado62]

In Stockholm, you could stop by Raoul Wallenbergs torg on the way from the Vasa ship to the Old Town (those two things are a must when you are in Stockholm).

 

It is a memorial sqaure of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg who made great efforts during WW2 to save Jewish citizens in Hungary.

It is estimated that he saved the lives of over 10'000 Hungarian Jews.

 

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Wallenbergs_torg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Wallenberg

 

https://www.google.se/maps/dir/Vasamuseet,+Gal%C3%A4rvarvsv%C3%A4gen+14,+115+21+Stockholm,+Sverige/59.3321713,18.0753397/Stortorgsk%C3%A4llaren,+Stortorget+7,+111+29+Stockholm/@59.329105,18.0783447,16z/data=!4m15!4m14!1m5!1m1!1s0x465f9d546d8329af:0xcff09af1b4c13241!2m2!1d18.091396!2d59.328023!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x465f77e28a3de913:0x5058a387776a27d5!2m2!1d18.070816!2d59.324854!3e2

 

From Vasa you can get there by bus, tram or boat.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Desdichado62

[FraudBroad]

I would do a private tour in Belin with Heidi Leyton and share with her your graduate's interests. We had a wonderful general Berlin & Jewish history tour with her while we were there last month. Make sure you get to see the Otto Weidt brush factory - what a story!

 

My understanding that the time you'd give up in Berlin to got to Sachsenhausen concentration camp isn't usually worth it (there is just so much to see in Berlin!) but maybe it would be for you. Just be sure to do you research and understand that visiting this site is not like visiting Auschwitz.

 

Also, if Amsterdam isn't on your itinerary, I would plan a pre- or post- cruise 3 days there and make sure you take the WWII walking tour with Ben de Jong and reserve your Ann Frank House tickets online early. The Dutch Resistance Museum is also wonderful to see for WWII history buffs and it is quiet enough that you don't need to pre-plan when you'll be there.

 

Thanks so much for the information...I do have a question.

 

I've seen several people say that Sachsenhausen isn't worth it or isn't a "good" concentration camp (seriously, is there such a thing?). As We've never been to Europe and visited any of these sites, I'm wondering why that is? I guess I'm confused...thanks for the help!

[dogs4fun]

Thanks so much for the information...I do have a question.

 

I've seen several people say that Sachsenhausen isn't worth it or isn't a "good" concentration camp (seriously, is there such a thing?). As We've never been to Europe and visited any of these sites, I'm wondering why that is? I guess I'm confused...thanks for the help!

 

I'm with you in that I don't believe that there is any such animal as a "good" concentration camp. Visiting a camp is a very sobering experience which leaves you feeling pretty "raw".

The camps in Germany were not primarily extermination camps - these camps were in the east (Poland). Perhaps visitors who make comments such as the one you referenced are expecting a death camp? I really have no idea.

Regarding the east ... the most chilling camp I have ever visited was, surprisingly, not Auschwitz/Birkenau ... it was Majdanek, which left me with nightmares for weeks after my visit.

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to participate in the March of the Living - there will be another held in 2016:http://motl.org/

This tour is designed primarily to educate teens about the history of the Holocaust, examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hate and concludes with a visit to Israel. It is truly a moving experience.

Personally, I would never visit Sachenhausen on a short cruise port visit to Berlin - there simply is not enough time to adequately visit both Berlin and the camp. One really needs a minimum of a half day in the camp to fully understand the magnitude of the atrocities committed here. Berlin deserves, at a minimum, a full day. JMHO

 

Here is a link to some info on Sachenhausen:

http://www.stiftung-bg.de/gums/en/

 

A wonderful guide to Jewish Berlin & the Holocaust is Jeremy Minsberg. He is an American expat living in Berlin and offers fabulous tours of Berlin and Sachenhausen. Still, you need the time to adequately visit both.

http://www.theberlinexpert.com/

Edited July 8, 2015 by dogs4fun

[kitkat343]

Please note that the museum of Danish Resistance was destroyed in a fire, and is not scheduled to reopen until 2018. You can check their website to see if this date changes:

 

http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-museum-of-danish-resistance-1940-1945/

[Kryssa]

Please note that the museum of Danish Resistance was destroyed in a fire, and is not scheduled to reopen until 2018. You can check their website to see if this date changes:

 

 

 

http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-museum-of-danish-resistance-1940-1945/

 

 

Yes, the Museum of Danish Resistance had a fire, but not the Dutch Resistance Museum, which was the one I referenced ;)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ljandgb]

We just returned from this cruise. My 15 yo's enjoyed the ports quite a bit. No WWII buffs but they did just finish AP World History, so several topics came up that they had just studied like the Hanseatic League.

 

We did a private walking food tour in Tallinn since my family likes to try new foods. In Helsinki they did the speedboat tour. They had a blast. They enjoyed SPB simply for the size and scope of the city and it's main buildings. We had a private tour there also and our guide was very knowledgeable in Russian history, which helped put things in perspective for them.

 

So I can't give you specific WWII info, but that might get excessive if your entire cruise was based on that? Or maybe not, if your dd is seriously into that period of time.

[DTZSCruise]

Hi. We are doing the cruise next week with a 14 and 16 year old. Any other port recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks

[ljandgb]

My kids love to try new foods. We did a food walking tour in Tallinn - 5 courses spread out over the old city. In Stockholm we went to the Ostermahallen (sp?) market and tried different items. The counter clerks there were some of the most helpful I've ever interacted with. We ended up with local berries, meatballs, pastries, desserts, coffee, and some sort of meat wrapped in dough and served with lignonberry jam. It was wonderful!

 

We stayed pre-cruise in Copenhagen, so had plenty of time to poke around. The older kids like the free walking tour, walking down the Stroget and doing a bit of shopping, and Tivoli. We also enjoyed sampling food cart vendors - hot dogs, crepes, and coffee/pastry shops.

 

Helsinki we did ship excursions. Some of us went to see reindeer. The teens went with dh on a speedboat ride. They had a blast, in a "OMG, snot flying everywhere, I hope I don't fling off the boat" sort of way.

[hubofhockey]

The concentration camps they bring you to are the ones for political prisoners and not the awful Polish ones used in the Holocaust. I would recommend more time in Berlin and the SPB tour is excellent.

 

I agree on the Vasa in Stockholm. A typical St Petersburg tour is great for anyone. Fabulous city for tourists. The ski jump in Oslo would be great for kids.

[pompeii]

I would do a private tour in Belin with Heidi Leyton and share with her your graduate's interests. We had a wonderful general Berlin & Jewish history tour with her while we were there last month. Make sure you get to see the Otto Weidt brush factory - what a story!

 

 

Kryssa, how expensive was your tour with Heidi? I could email her for a quote, but if it's way beyond what we want to pay I don't want to waste her time. We will be in Berlin for 3 days before boarding in Warnemunde so we could spend an afternoon on a tour. Thanks!

[Kryssa]

Kryssa, how expensive was your tour with Heidi? I could email her for a quote, but if it's way beyond what we want to pay I don't want to waste her time. We will be in Berlin for 3 days before boarding in Warnemunde so we could spend an afternoon on a tour. Thanks!

 

Heidi wrote to us that she doesn't have a set rate. Here is what she sent us - "I prefer not to set fees for my private tours, but ask you to set a fee based on how well I meet your expectations, namely how much you learn and much fun we have I ask for 50-90 euros per hour (per guide, not per person), but it really is up to you."

[Pluto_fan]

When we took our Baltic cruise three years ago, our kids were 14, 12, and 4, and our niece who came with us was 16. It was a fabulous trip and everyone enjoyed it. Well in advance, I had each of the three older kids pick a port in which to be our tour guide. They got to plan what we would see, how we would get around, etc. (I also did a bit of my own research to be sure that we would get to do what I wanted to do ;)) They chose Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki, and did a good job.

 

Some highlights and specific ideas:

• In Copenhagen, we spent the evening before we embarked at Tivoli.
  
• Tallinn was very pleasant for just strolling around. I highly recommend, before you go, watching the documentary "The Singing Revolution"...I think Netflix has it, or your local library.
  
• For Berlin, we took the train on our own into the city; very easy. We had been there before so just revisited a few highlights. The Museum at Checkpoint Charlie was interesting, with exhibits of ways people had escaped East Berlin.
  
• We had a two-day tour of St. Petersburg with SPB with a group from our roll call. Very interesting all around.
  
• In Helsinki, we spent quite a while at Soumenlinna Fortress.
  
• In Stockholm, the highlight was definitely the Vasa Museum. My kids tend to groan when they hear the word "museum", but this was enjoyed by everyone and probably a favorite museum anywhere.
  

Happy cruising! :)

[Tiggertastic]

My son was 16 when he did the baltics with us. In Estonia just by the Russian Orthodox Church was archery which he loved. We d it on ncl and the teen club he said was awesome. We did a 2 day Russia tour and he was really interested in the stories of Rasputin ( play them the song of the same title by boney m before they go). In Stockholm he loved the vasa museum and tivoli fun fair which was the next stop on the hoho water bus. He loved warnemunde but that's because we hired a car and on the autobahn there is no speed limit and we had a Mercedes that moved very quickly and between my DH and him they had me frightened so I wouldn't recommend that to the faint hearted.

[FraudBroad]

My son was 16 when he did the baltics with us. In Estonia just by the Russian Orthodox Church was archery which he loved. We d it on ncl and the teen club he said was awesome. We did a 2 day Russia tour and he was really interested in the stories of Rasputin ( play them the song of the same title by boney m before they go). In Stockholm he loved the vasa museum and tivoli fun fair which was the next stop on the hoho water bus. He loved warnemunde but that's because we hired a car and on the autobahn there is no speed limit and we had a Mercedes that moved very quickly and between my DH and him they had me frightened so I wouldn't recommend that to the faint hearted.

 

I'd die...my teenagers would probably LOVE it!!!

[tetleytea]

Stockholm has a Tivoli, too. And it happens to be next to the Abba museum, which I think teens would like once they are able to get past the obviously retro feel. And right across the street is the skansen open air museum+aquarium+zoo. Just outside Stockholm's Tivoli entrance is this really cool, affordable restaurant "Del Mar", which has these uniquely Swedish seafood pizzas. 2 days' worth of stuff, right off of one metro stop. Two metro stops away is the main city square, which has the original H&M outlet. Some teens may like that.

[FraudBroad]

Kryssa, how expensive was your tour with Heidi? I could email her for a quote, but if it's way beyond what we want to pay I don't want to waste her time. We will be in Berlin for 3 days before boarding in Warnemunde so we could spend an afternoon on a tour. Thanks!

 

I actually emailed Heidi today. The van to take you back in forth to the port is 450 Euros. On top of that is her charge for the tour of 55-95 Euro per hour based on your satisfaction. For the five of us (if my parents decide to go) that would be around $1000. Considering it's an 11 hour tour and we don't have to take an non-air conditioned train I thinks it's okay.

[Kryssa]

I actually emailed Heidi today. The van to take you back in forth to the port is 450 Euros. On top of that is her charge for the tour of 55-95 Euro per hour based on your satisfaction. For the five of us (if my parents decide to go) that would be around $1000. Considering it's an 11 hour tour and we don't have to take an non-air conditioned train I thinks it's okay.

 

Plus don't forget Heidi will not be with you to/from Berlin so we only paid Heidi for the time we were actually in Berlin - about 7 hours.

[FraudBroad]

Plus don't forget Heidi will not be with you to/from Berlin so we only paid Heidi for the time we were actually in Berlin - about 7 hours.

 

Good point Kryssa!!! I didn't even think of that! Thank you SO much!!!

[heidikay]

I'm travelling to the baltics with my teenagers this summer and this thread is very helpful. Thanks for all the great tips.

[Pet Nit Noy]

I would do a private tour in Belin with Heidi Leyton and share with her your graduate's interests. We had a wonderful general Berlin & Jewish history tour with her while we were there last month. Make sure you get to see the Otto Weidt brush factory - what a story!

 

My understanding that the time you'd give up in Berlin to got to Sachsenhausen concentration camp isn't usually worth it (there is just so much to see in Berlin!) but maybe it would be for you. Just be sure to do you research and understand that visiting this site is not like visiting Auschwitz.

 

Also, if Amsterdam isn't on your itinerary, I would plan a pre- or post- cruise 3 days there and make sure you take the WWII walking tour with Ben de Jong and reserve your Ann Frank House tickets online early. The Dutch Resistance Museum is also wonderful to see for WWII history buffs and it is quiet enough that you don't need to pre-plan when you'll be there.

 

 

I've lost track of who is asking about Amsterdam, but you don't mention whether or not you'll be visiting Copenhagen. This is another city strongly associated with the Holocaust. Unfortunately, the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen will continue to be closed for some time in the aftermath of a major fire. Supposedly the contents were evacuated and are waiting in storage for the museum to be rebuilt, but visitors arriving now are out of luck. There is a military museum called The Royal Arsenal which is a weak substitute for the Resistance Museum. The museum itself is well ranked on Trip Advisor, including positive comments from people who expected to be bored before they arrived, but the focus is on the history of the Danish people at war rather than on the specifics of the resistance.

 

That disappointment aside, I strongly recommend you get in touch with the company Jewish Copenhagen. (Email: http://www.jewish-copenhagen.dk/ )

 

We had a wonderful, moving experience with our guide Mette Miriam. Her family survived the Holocaust. (I won't tell you how because there's a modern surprise to this story.) And her family's history also extends into the contemporary history of Copenhagen's Jews with the infamous 2015 terrorist attack.

 

If Mette Miriam isn't available, the history of Copenhagen and its Jews is so compelling that I'm confident any of the guides at Jewish Copenhagen will create a great day.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Pet Nit Noy