Scandanavian and Russian Eclipse cruise

[Mynki]

Hi all

 

Thinking of doing the 14 day Scandanavian and Russian cruise sailing from Southampton next july.

 

To those who already have, what were the highlights of your trip? Would you recommend it? Do you have any tips or pearls of wisdom you'd care to share? :)

 

Thanks in advance.

[cruisestitch]

Start by looking at the many cruise reviews here on Cruise Critic --

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/celebrity-eclipse-baltics-cruises/rs/

 

And then take a look at the many threads on this topic starting here --

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2244023

Edited August 30, 2015 by cruisestitch

[NewWestwardbound]

I absolutely recommend it. My "top tips" having done it are:

 

Pace yourself - it is port intensive, especially around the St Petersburg stop;

Don't always book ships tours; there are many opportunities to DIY;

Do the kitchen tour; very revealing;

Give the MDR a miss on Top Chef night;

Book Speciality restaurants early if you want to eat in them; and

Visit the buffet on sailaway from Warnemunde - the Chefs went into town and bought German sausage (many varieties) and cooked them on board.

[SWORRUB1]

Hi all

 

Thinking of doing the 14 day Scandanavian and Russian cruise sailing from Southampton next july.

 

To those who already have, what were the highlights of your trip? Would you recommend it? Do you have any tips or pearls of wisdom you'd care to share? :)

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Try this

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2082721

[lydnsyd]

We did this cruise August last year.

It is very port intensive it can be tiring as there is so much to do & see.

Take clothes for all types of weather as it can be very variable - even in August we were in sweaters most of the time.

BRUGES - the easiest way to get into Bruges is to pre book a Taxi /Van - they hold 8 people & costs 50 Euro's each journey (set fare) If you join a Roll Call this form of transport gets filled up really quickly - in the end I ordered 2 but in reality I could have filled many more. We used Rony's Taxis, there is also Taxi Snel + a few others recommended in reviews. The late joiners to the Roll Call found that all the taxi/vans were fully booked. The Bruges Canal boat trips open up at 10am & can get really busy so get there as soon as they open to avoid the crowds.

STOCKHOLM - The Vasa Museum was amazing but can get very busy with long lines so once again get there as early as possible. We were one of the 1st passengers off the ship and went straight to catch the 1st boat (shuttle) of the morning to take us to the Vasa. The boats were right by where we moored so we were lucky! Normally Vasa is the 3rd of 4th stop but if you get on the 1st boat it will take you straight there. If I remember correctly there are 3 boat/shuttle companies to choose from.

ST PETERSBURG - We went on a Privately Organised 2 day Tour - ALLA & SPB Tours seemed to be the most popular although there are many to choose from.

This was the highlight of the cruise and I think we saw all there was to see - it was well worth the money.

As you will have gather I would highly recommend this Itinerary but it is very tiring!!

Edited August 30, 2015 by lydnsyd

[grayjay]

Definitely go for it - it's a great cruise.

The highlights in my opinion are Stockholm - such a wonderful city to stroll through, St. Petersburg - take a private 2 day tour! and Tallinn which is a quaint city and very manageable on your own. Just take the shuttle bus to the city centre or walk over.

Warnemuende is a nice little seaside resort - if it's very hot just go the white sand beaches to relax. Or use the S-Bahn (commuter train) to go to nearby Rostock town.

Copenhagen is a bit more difficult to manage because the ships nowadays mostly dock in the middle of nowhere and there's almost no public transport. But there's a HoHo bus waiting at the pier.

And don't miss the arrival/ departure out of Stockholm: you sometimes get the impression you can shake hands with people on the small islands you'll pass with your cruise ship...

The Roll calls as well as the Ports of Call boards have excellent advice on what to do and how to do it.

[We're The Groupnors]

We did that cruise in 2011, and it was our best cruise to date!

 

We would recommend getting to Southampton a day or two ahead of the cruise, or you could also stay in Winchester, which would be about a 1/2 hour taxi ride away from Southampton. We stayed at the historical Mercure Dolphin on the High Street in Southampton and it was great. Dined on Oxford Street, where there are lots of dining options.

 

In Bruges we took the Celebrity transfer, then did a self-guided tour, which was simple.

 

In Warnemunde we walked the town in the morning, then took the train to Rosktock in the afternoon. Once again, very simple to do a self-tour.

 

In Helsinki we took the ship shuttle into town, then did a walking tour we got from a Baltic Cruising guide we bought in Southampton. It was perfect until the rain came, then we high-tailed it back to the shuttle!

 

In St. Petersburg we did a private tour with Anastasia. We has actually booked their basic group tour, but no one else from our ship had signed up for that particular tour, so we got a private tour with just us, a guide and a driver for the price of a group tour. The basic tour was plenty busy for us and I'm glad we did not try to cram more in.

 

Tallinn was another DIY day using an excellent walking tour we got off the internet. We had lunch at the Bierhaus, which was recommended to us by our Russian guide the prior day. It was an excellent choice, and a great day overall.

 

In Stockholm we did the HOHO bus, and as we were on the first bus to leave the port we got to the Vasa museum, did our tour, and we're back on the HOHO again into the city just as the first Celebrity tour was arriving. And the sail into and out of the Stockholm archipelago is breathtaking!

 

For Copenhagen we again used a walking tour we got from our Baltic Cruising guide, and had a fabulous day, then visited Tivoli Gardens in the evening. Don't miss the sail under the bridge where there's less than 20 feet clearance for the ship. It happens in the middle of the night, but it was worth setting the alarm and going out onto the balcony to experience it.

 

If you're interested in any of the walking tours we did let me know and I can email them to you.

Edited August 30, 2015 by We're The Groupnors

[bremenkat]

We came back from this cruise just over a week ago. Had a great time.

For Brugges we booked a taxi for 8 of us from the roll call. Just had to get the free port shuttle to the gates and the taxi wax there waiting for us. Took us right to the main square and then brought us back to the ship. Worked out to be really good value.

Germany - we stayed locally and loved it. Apparently 1000 people from the ship did the tours to Berlin. Very long day. We also spoke to some who did a local sightseeing tour on the bus through the ship and were very disappointed. Said they spent most of it on the bus.

Tallinn we got the little train to the main square- also took us on a quick tour of the main sights. Don't bother with the hoho bus as they can't go into the main areas at all. We walked back to the ship as if wasn't far.

St Petersburg we did a private tour with others from our roll call. Long days but it worked out really well. Must admit personally I was disappointed with St Petersburg and preferred other places. But lots of people loved it.

Helsinki we got the tram into the centre. Did the local trams to see the main sights and then husband and daughter did a kayaking sightseeing tour of the centre whilst I went and took photos. The trams were great for seeing the sights and so cheap. We really liked Helsinki and will go back again,

Stockholm we were out at Fridhalm so couldn't get the hoho bus. We have been to the Vasa before so prebooked a taxi to the Abba museum which was a great laugh, the prebooked taxi worked out to be really good value and a lot cheaper than the ones at the port. We hot the boat over to the Old town after the museum and then walked back to the ship as did a lot of others.

Copenhagen we walked it - took about 10 mins to the little mermaid and then about 15 mins into the centre. We had been sent a suggested walking tour by the Copenhagen tourist board which we followed with a few detours and did a few hours at Tivoli.

The ship was very good at providing maps of all the city centres and suggestions of local places and ideas- including the public transport available.

We were lucky in that we had good weather which meant walking around was easy and it is easy to do most ports without an organised tour.

Would definitely recommend the cruise.

[TomMMD]

Hi all

 

 

 

Thinking of doing the 14 day Scandanavian and Russian cruise sailing from Southampton next july.

 

 

 

To those who already have, what were the highlights of your trip? Would you recommend it? Do you have any tips or pearls of wisdom you'd care to share? :)

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Three suggestions

 

1. We did a 5-city private tour via Alla. Check their website and they will hook you up with a group from your ship.

 

2. We skipped the long trek to Berlin and did a walking/tram tour of Wernermunde & Rostok with an incredible guide. (She had lived half her life under the Communists & the second part under freedom. Interesting perspectives,

 

3. This tour is so tour intensive we did not think a drink package was necessary.

 

BTW, our trip was before the current chill with Putin. Don't know whether that changes anything.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[texasgirl29]

Start by looking at the many cruise reviews here on Cruise Critic --

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/celebrity-eclipse-baltics-cruises/rs/

 

And then take a look at the many threads on this topic starting here --

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2244023

 

Thanks for recommending my photo review!

 

Questions for the OP:

Do you like history?

Are you physically up to lots of walking?

 

Tips:

Research a lot first and plan to DIY if you want to save money.

Be flexible -- some things just don't go according to plan.

Join your roll call and partner up with some of them -- save time and money.

Get Rick Steves videos (you can see a lot of them on Netflix or Amazon Prime, or from your local library).

 

JoAnn

[Redtravel]

I did a 2 week Baltic cruise on Celebrity many years ago. It was a great cruise. I would take it again. However, I will not go to Russia due to the political unrest. I would like it if Celebrity would cruise without a stop in St. petersburg. Other cruise lines are doing Baltic cruises without a stop in Russia.

[nekzaadvakil]

Just returned from a 12N Scandinavia and Russia cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette. My detailed review along with lots of pictures of the ship and the ports along with tips are included below in my signature.

 

As many others have correctly stated, it is a wonderful itinerary, very port intensive and you will be able to see quite alot in these 2 weeks. We also found this cruise to be one of our favorites and Celebrity's S class ships are the best.

[Mynki]

Thanks for all the feedback. We've just booked, so will start planning our trips etc.

[pjs678]

I did a 2 week Baltic cruise on Celebrity many years ago. It was a great cruise. I would take it again. However, I will not go to Russia due to the political unrest. I would like it if Celebrity would cruise without a stop in St. petersburg. Other cruise lines are doing Baltic cruises without a stop in Russia.

 

Political unrest? There's more political unrest in the Republican primary than in St. Petersburg.

[debtel007]

It is a fantastic cruise, we did it in 2014 and it was brilliant. Hermitage in St Petersburg was a highlight for us. One off our bucket list!

 

Take some walking shoes!! :)

[Lastdance]

If you can possibly do a private cruise, not with a small group, but private, you will be able to see so much more and not wait in line. There will be times when you are in rooms alone and for photos it will be wonderful, Yes, it is expensive, yet worth every penny!!! We had two full days and were always driven to every entrance and treated like royalty, seeing everything we wanted to see without being so tired. We went in 2014!!!

Edited August 31, 2015 by Lastdance

[Katgoesonholiday]

If you can possibly do a private cruise, not with a small group, but private, you will be able to see so much more and not wait in line. There will be times when you are in rooms alone and for photos it will be wonderful, Yes, it is expensive, yet worth every penny!!! We had two full days and were always driven to every entrance and treated like royalty, seeing everything we wanted to see without being so tired. We went in 2014!!!

 

Which company did you do it with? We have booked a private 2 day deluxe tour with SPB.

[TLCOhio]

Thinking of doing the 14 day Scandanavian and Russian cruise sailing from Southampton next july. To those who already have, what were the highlights of your trip? Would you recommend it? Do you have any tips or pearls of wisdom you'd care to share?

 

Appreciate your great questions and the wonderful opportunities to explore these amazing areas. As others have noted, this is a very "port-intensive" area. Lots to see and do. So much history, architecture, culture, etc., would be possible. Be "rested and ready to go" when you are doing this cruise.

 

With stops for Zeebrugge/Bruges, Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Warnemunde and Copenhagen, this Celebrity cruise offers much. This includes, best of all, three days in St. Petersburg. If interested, considering to do a one-day trip to Moscow and back, as this might be very much worth it. That is what we did and it worked so well. You can do a search on the Northern Europe board and see lots more details on Moscow, etc.

 

Tell us more on your interests and what you like most to see and do. How much for wildlife, history, culture, food, music, shopping, architecture, nature, etc.??

 

Below are a few of my visuals for certain top "stars" that we loved so much during visits in these charming areas with so much character and interest.

 

This posting gives you more ideas and lots of visuals for much of what you can experience on these Solstice-class ships with many visuals highlights shared!”. Check it out at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 184,879 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

The historic and scenic main town square in Bruges is super scenic and has lots outdoor dining options, activity, etc. When Bruges was at its peak, it was considered the top commercial city in the world! Like Amsterdam, Bruges is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the North". Bruges was already included in the circuit of the Flemish cloth fairs at the beginning of the 13th century. The city's entrepreneurs reached out to make economic colonies of England and Scotland's wool-producing districts. The statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, the leaders of the uprising against the French in 1302, can be seen on the central market square. Starting around 1500, the ship channel, which had given the city its prosperity, started silting. The city soon fell behind Antwerp as the economic flagship of the Low Countries. Its power and wealth faded after that point until tourism came to revive and bring back its past glories. The historic center of Bruges has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.:

 

 

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many different and great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility. Even without the art items, these five palaces are so spectacular! This room is adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th-18th centuries, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.:

 

 

 

Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or “new” Harbor is actually old and charming. This waterfront entertainment district is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbor", the canal also has many historical wooden ships. Lots of people and fun activity!!:

 

 

 

Helsinki’s Church of Rock, or Temppeliaukion Kirkko, is carved out of solid stone with a unique contemporary design. This Lutheran church was opened in September 1969. For economic reasons, its suggested plan was scaled back and the interior space reduced to about one-quarter of the original, pre-WWII plan. The interior was excavated and built directly out of solid rock and is bathed in natural light which enters through the glazed dome. The church is used frequently as a concert venue with its excellent acoustics. The acoustic quality is created by the rough, virtually unworked rock surfaces. The Temppeliaukio church is one of the most popular tourist attractions in this city with half a million people visiting annually. :

 

 

 

Dancers marching in Tallinn’s festival parade near the stone towers of the famous Viru Gate. So much charm, character and history in this somewhat hidden treasure of a town!! Tallinn's Old Town is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its history goes back to the 1100's and it was an important port for trade between Russia and Scandinavia. In 1285, the city became the northern-most member of the Hanseatic League, a famed trading and military alliance of German-dominated cities.:

 

 

 

At Stockholm’s Royal Palace, the changing of the guard is one of the key highlights and is handy, close to the next-door historic old town area. And it’s free! No charge or tickets required.:

 

[elena7seas]

Thanks for all the feedback. We've just booked, so will start planning our trips etc.

 

We did an 11-night cruise from June 17 to June 28th this summer on RCI Serenade of the Seas (I felt that the Eclipse pricing was out of line for the Baltic this summer). There were 17 of us in our group and we would ALL tell you that it was an AMAZING trip. I am so, so glad we went.

 

I cannot recommend SPB-Tours highly enough.We had them provide tours for us in 6 cities, and they arranged for two of our group to go to Moscow on one of the three days that we were in St. Petersburg. The tour guides were brilliant, the arrangements were flawless, the pre-cruise communications were superb and the pricing could not be beat.

 

We had Alexander as our tour guide in St. Petersburg, and if you are lucky enough to get him, you will have a beyond-amazing tour. From what I could tell from others that toured with SPB, all of their tour guides were terrific. Even their drivers were spectacular, both in terms of their driving abilities, and in terms of their kind and helpful service to us. (We spoke to many people who had toured with SPB, and I never heard one complaint from any of the their clients.)

 

I asked for quotes from the five top agencies providing tours in Russia and Scandinavia, and SPB-Tours were far-and-away the best in terms of their response to my initial queries. From the beginning to the end, SPB was amazing in terms of communicating with us, being responsive to our needs, and being flexible with any changes we requested. They even added the 17th person to our tour less than two weeks before we cruised. We asked to have an authentic Russian dinner in a restaurant before our cultural evening at the Nicolaevski Palace, and they made all the arrangements and provided additional transportation. We had an unforgettable night, and owe it all to SPB-Tours.

 

Do NOT be worried about the Russian Visa situation. This will be arranged by SPB-Tours and is provided as part of your ticket. SPB-Tours is licenced by the Russian government to do this. Everything was arranged with no difficulty before we left, and we sailed through Russian customs with no problems whatsoever and found Viktoria (owner of SPB) and her team waiting for us just outside the doors of the terminal as promised. If you have any questions about this part of the arrangements, I would be happy to provide any details that I can.

 

A few points:

 

• I walk with a cane at times, and SPB made sure that I was well taken care of, even finding elevators for me that are not usually available.
  

 

• At first we were not going to take the bus trip to Berlin because of the length of the bus ride, but changed our minds and it was WELL, WELL WORTH IT. The bus ride was very comfortable, there was a lot to see en route, and the tour in Berlin with Forrest of SPB was just excellent. We saw way more than we expected, and are planning a trip back to Berlin someday soon.
  

 

• Although you could do some of the smaller port stops on your own, you will learn much, much more if you have one of the excellent tour guides provide the historical background and current context to what you are seeing.
  

 

• We felt safe everywhere we went, including Russia. All the Russian people we met were very kind and friendly, and were helpful everywhere. We employed the same types of safety precautions we use when travelling anywhere.
  

 

• My husband took 6500 photos. I didn't count how many I took. We look back at them now and can't believe how amazing that trip was.
   
  

[elena7seas]

Which company did you do it with? We have booked a private 2 day deluxe tour with SPB.

 

You are in great hands! I could not speak more highly of them.

[Desertbelle]

We did this itinerary last year on a Royal Caribbean ship and we loved it! One of our 3 best cruises, ever!

 

One thing not many have mentioned is the Moscow excursion that will be offered through the Celebrity. I highly recommend this excursion and spending a day in Moscow.

 

It's a true adventure and granted, it was a very long, and not always enjoyable day (the wait at the airport to fly there and the bus from the airport into Moscow kind of sucked....I napped), but, it was one of the most amazing and interesting things we have ever done, period. I will never forget it.

 

I loved all the ports but St. Petersburg and Moscow were the best of them all!! Chances are we will never return to Russia again, and I love that we got to go there once in our lives.

[TLCOhio]

Although you could do some of the smaller port stops on your own, you will learn much, much more if you have one of the excellent tour guides provide the historical background and current context to what you are seeing.

 

While we did not use the specific firm you suggested, I wanted to give a strong shout-out for the importance, especially in St. Petersburg, to having excellent tour guides who can give you that historic background/context. If you just "walk around" in some ports and do not understand what you are seeing, then you are missing so much. Personally, I like having a "conversation" with our guide. Being able to ask questions and learn more than just a boring memorized script is vital.

 

The honest truth is that there are a number of very good to excellent private firms in St. Petersburg. Most people liked their tour and will beat the drums and say theirs are the "best". Of course, they have only tried one and do not have much real sense of "comparison". It is my suggestion to write to four or five of the top firms, tell them exactly what you want, seek and love. (And before doing this step, you might have to do some of your own advance research to determine those priorities.) See what you get back and which one is the "best fit" for your specific personal needs and travel style. Some people are very happy and satisfied with the basic, standard "formula" tour that is offered up. I am NOT a big fan, however, of "one size fits all". Personal choice!!

 

Others, like us, want things to be a little more custom. In our "planning process", I asked lots of questions (after doing some advance reading and research) and got back many good replies (quickly) from Anastasia that helped me get my arms around the many options in St. Petersburg. Getting your trip "flow" and "pacing" is very important for St. Petersburg. We were super happy with how it all worked in having a great mix for what we saw and how it fit together. Another key factor is their "flexibility". Once in Russia and doing the first day, we asked about a couple of "schedule adjustments" and they got things done in a smooth and excellent manner. One item was a request to stop at a shop to buy a Russian-style military hat and I asked about getting an early admission at the Hermitage to avoid some of the bus/mass crowds at the regular hour. Making things custom and personal was very important to us. Some firms are flexible and very responsive. Others are not that way, nor interested or caring. That degree of custom/personal versus standard/more mass is part of the "choice" process. You need to determine what you want and need.

 

Clearly, a private, smaller tour is much better than being "forced marched" in a mass of 30-45 people through the Hermitage as the guide barks out the canned script for the various art works you are passing quickly past. We saw those types of ship tours while there and would hate to suffer under that type of less-than-desirable situation.

 

Just like there are many different sizes, styles and types of shoes, the same is true with private tour companies. We don't all wear and have same types of shoes for all needs, occasions and purposes. Below are a few of my visual samples to get folks prepared for the great glories that are there in St. Petersburg.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 117,841 views for this posting.

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing and learning more about one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such paintings by this artist existing in the whole world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, lessening the crowd battles and adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place/set of five palaces AND museum. It is both! This Madonna and Child was probably painted in Milan, where the artist moved in 1482. The Madonna's tender gaze as she looks at her son, and the tranquillity of the distant mountainous landscape, reflect humanist dreams of Ideal Man and a Harmonious Life. Experts says the painting reveals great beauty in its coloring and composition. The painting came to the Czar's collection and museum in 1865 from the collection of Count Antonio Litta in Milan.:

 

[Desertbelle]

Because we went to Moscow on day one, we were unable to book a second day/one day St. Petersburg private tour (none of the recommended tour guides wanted to take only one day tours). So we booked a private car and tour guide through the cruise line for the second day in St. Petersburg. There were three of us and it was rather pricey (I think it was $200 pp) but the driver and the guide were excellent and we could customize the tour completely. Because we had complete say we got to see everything we wanted, and stay as long as we wanted. It was great having a driver and a tour guide because the driver could drive around and meet us wherever we were, so we didn't have to walk back to where we started to continue on, saving a lot of time. We justified the extra cost because we wanted to see everything we could since it was unlikely we will ever return to Russia.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TLCOhio]

Because we went to Moscow on day one, we were unable to book a second day/one day St. Petersburg private tour (none of the recommended tour guides wanted to take only one day tours). So we booked a private car and tour guide through the cruise line for the second day in St. Petersburg. There were three of us and it was rather pricey (I think it was $200 pp) but the driver and the guide were excellent and we could customize the tour completely. Because we had complete say we got to see everything we wanted, and stay as long as we wanted. It was great having a driver and a tour guide because the driver could drive around and meet us wherever we were, so we didn't have to walk back to where we started to continue on, saving a lot of time. We justified the extra cost because we wanted to see everything we could since it was unlikely we will ever return to Russia.

 

YES!! Very smart and justified in spending the extra money to do a custom, private tour to fit exactly your interests and needs. We were fortunate with our cruise to have three days in St. Petersburg. That allowed BOTH the time to do the Moscow trip, plus two full days in StP to experience most all of the key options in and around this great town. Doing a cruise that allow three days there provides so much more in being able to see and do more . . . in a better manner.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 203,621 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Lady Chew]

haven't even been home for 24 hours yet!

 

We did this as a b2b with the 8-day Norwegian fjords as the second leg, and then spent another 5 days in London.

 

We are exhausted, but it was so worth it!! For us, the highlights were St. Petersburg & Copenhagen.

 

Some quick impressions:

 

Lots & lots of walking on uneven surfaces, many steps ...

 

We had unseasonably warm weather almost the entire time and only a few cool days. We did not bring any cold-weather gear, just things we could layer.

 

We did a mix of private tours and walk-offs. We only did two ship tours. We did go all the way to Berlin, we had a great guide and the bus ride was very enjoyable. I don't know if we would do that again, but since we had the chance to see Berlin, we took it. But because of the length, we took the ship tour.

 

You need to have good city maps; the ones provided by Celebrity were not very detailed, although the port highlights, including hours & admissions for various sites were very helpful.

 

Make sure you have some small change in the correct money for whatever country you're in ... bathrooms aren't always free.

 

We really liked the Eclipse ... although we were very disappointed with the storage in our room. It would be enough for 7 days or so in the Caribbean, but not for a month-long trip. We had our steward remove several items we did not need, and we asked for extra hangers. We wrote a note to the Hotel Manager, telling him our observations and got a very nice letter back from him, telling us he would pass our concerns on to Head Office.

 

We used the laundry service several times, they were very fast & very good.

 

Food was excellent, The buffet was so good we only ate once in the MDR.

 

We didn't care very much for the Cruise Director & her staff. Sue Denning (?)... I think she was okay, just not our cup of tea. One of the assistants was pretty bad ... and they always seemed to rush rush rush through activities, takes some of the enjoyment away. But, there was always a lot to do on board, there were always plenty of pool towels, and the bar service was excellent!

 

The Guest Relations staff was very good, very courteous & very helpful. We did have a few issues that popped up and they were dealt with very promptly and without excuses.

 

The captains did an excellent job with their briefings (we had a few staff changes for the second cruise) ... this was a very well-run ship.