Cruising the Baltics with a Teen and Tween on the Getaway; A Review

[Travel R]

Teens and Tweens on a Baltic Cruise

 

The Baltics, In General

 

Initially,this would not appear as the ideal place for a teenager and tween to want to cruise and/or vacation. However, after performing some research before providing them with this option, it became a place that they did want to travel to, especially when I added Iceland into the offering. My initial research was not thorough, and really only listed off a bunch of highlights which I though they may enjoy:

• A 9 Day Cruise (my daughters love cruising - for my children, the longer the cruise the better. Going on a cruise is the main selling point – where it sails is secondary.)
  
• We will be travelling to Seven different countries (they like to travel – and want to check off as many countries on their “been to” list as possible)
  
• Iceland – Cool landscape, waterfalls, snow capped mountains, glaciers
  
• Palaces and Castles – there are many to see in most of the ports we visit (my DD12 is enamored by all that royalty/princess stuff)
  
• History – my DD17 is very much into history, and these ports provide her with history and more too boot
  
• International pizza and McDonalds – Having pizza in different countries (and US states) has become a family tradition. Going to McDonalds in different places is something my DD12 enjoys (not the rest of us, but we do go with her).
  
• Zoos and aquariums – these are places of interest for my family
  
• Amusement parks – the fact that Copenhagen has the 3rd oldest roller coaster was a big plus in selling this to my DD17
  
• Copenhagen is where the stories of Hans Christian Andersen were inspired (not a huge selling point)
  
• Russia is where some of our ancestors came from – which did interest them somewhat (knowing of one’s roots is something everyone, even kids, are interest in).
  
• Many different cultures to experience – they like to see and do new things, especially if it is different than what normally occurs in the US
  

When reading through the list, a number of these items listed could pertain to a large number of itineraries – not just the Baltics. However there are a few that are specific, such as the items for Copenhagen, Russia, and Iceland.

 

 

Just a note that their first choice for a cruise location was Australia. Not because they knew a lot about that country, but because (IMO) they watch (or watched) a number of Disney/Cartoon Network TV shows that starred Aussies or were filmed in Australia (H20, Dance Academy, etc.)

[Travel R]

Teens and Tweens on a Baltic Cruise

 

A Country-by-Country Rundown of Likes and Dislikes

 

Reykjavik

• Food – We only had one meal in Reykjavik, and although it was very expensive, it was very good (see my review of Iceland above). The food in the airport, however, was horrible. Fast Fact: There are no McDonald's "restaurant's" in Iceland.
  
• Golden Circle – We visited Iceland pre-cruise, and landed at 6 AM off of a red eye from the US. We immediately went to rent a car and travel a number of hours looking at natural attractions. My daughters, at first enjoyed the ride, but got bored of “seeing the same thing.” They had slept for a lot of the driving. The attractions themselves, they did enjoy – especially climbing down to the bottom of the volcano (Crater Lake), the water fall, and to a lesser extent the geyser. If I skipped the continental divide, it would not have mattered to them. They also enjoyed seeing a glacier in the middle of summer. The Icelandic ponies on the sides of the road were also a nice distraction.
  
• City of Reykjavik – It was a long day, and we had a very nice meal that everyone enjoyed – and we all got to taste whale. We only did minimal touring of the city itself, I could not really comment on whether they enjoyed the city or not.
  
• What would I change – I am not sure if I would change anything, although it would have been nice to have an extra day to go on the glacier excursion, or many see the Viking museum, which my DDs would have enjoyed.
  

Copenhagen

• Food – they enjoyed some of the food they had eaten, although most of it was not domestic-type dishes. They enjoyed the fresh pastries from a bakery near our hotel. The pizza place we visited, according to them, had very good pizza (Nyhaven Pizza), and the sweets and ice cream were also good. They did have a local chocolate milk being sold that my DD12 really enjoyed.
  
• The Sites – Tivoli Gardens is a must if you have a teen or tween. Besides the grounds being very nice to stroll around in, there are plenty of rides and games for them, not to mention the many food places that sold junk food (ice cream, churros, etc.). We toured the city itself via a mostly walking tour. To make it interesting to my whole family, I created it so that we would both see the major sites, but also kept it with a Hans Christian Andersen theme. This way it was just not about showing them some old buildings and museums – my whole family really enjoyed it. How many people go around Copenhagen actually reciting passages from HCA’s fairy tales. From an adult perspective, the Little Mermaid Statue is not much to see, but for a DD12 (even DD17), it was cool for them to visit. The stop at the pizza place (mentioned above) was one of the highlights of the walk, however, they did (from time to time) enjoy the architecture and the coloring of the buildings, as well as some of my historical stories about some of these places. I refrained from going into many actual museums, except for the Rosenborg, which was another highlight of the day. They enjoyed seeing all of the gold, the nicely (or gaudily) decorated rooms, and especially the crowned jewels – the changing of the guard was an added plus. Ice cream on Stroget was also a highlight, since it was also a nice place for us to stop and relax after the long walk.
  
• What would I change – I have to say I think we used our time right. It would have been nice to have one more day to visit the aquarium or zoo (which my DDs enjoy), and to have experienced some of the local Danish restaurants.
  

 

 

Warnemunde/Rostock

• The Sites – Unfortunately, my DD17 was feeling sick during this day’s port adventure, which we also were going to do on our own. I had hoped to spend the day doing a walking tour of Rostock loosely based on the one in Rick Steve’s book. To tell you the truth, there is not a lot there, so any walking tour would be similar to his tour. The highlight for my DD12 was a quick bite to eat at a McDonalds in Rostock and going into a Claire’s retail store. The highlight for my DD17 was our visit to the Stasi Document Center Museum (she enjoys 20th century history). I do remember my DD12 mentioning, upon walking in the middle of the main square, that this reminds her a little bit of Harry Potter.
  
• Why Not Berlin? – On our Med cruise a few years earlier, my DDs hated any excursion which included a tour on a bus. Although it was a necessary evil in SPB and Stockholm, three hours to Berlin and three hours back would have been in their words “torture.” DD17 had been to Germany before, so this country was not as much of a drawer for her – and due to her interest in history, she intends to be back again. As an adult, I am sure myself and my DW would have taken a tour to Berlin, but it is a family trip, and I did not want to have my kids thinking I was torturing them on vacation. By not going to Berlin we were also able to have a late relaxing morning/breakfast together and also got back to the ship before any of the crowds.
  
• What would I change – I do not know. I probably would need to do some additional research – into these options, or some of the other tours (e.g., to one of the castles). In hindsight, I am not sure if this was the best option for my DDs – especially when one was feeling ill. I had also made some plans with a person from the Max-Samuel Haus to open up the museum for us, but due to miscommunication (we did not have Internet access to receive his email that he would be late) we missed each other – maybe that would have set a different tone for the day. Also due to the rain, I could not use a lot of my research material for the walk, if we would have wanted to walk around – so I would have changed the weather to no rain, if given the chance.
  

 

 

Tallinn

• The Sites – My DDs enjoyed this port, but did not love it (in opposition to myself). We took one of the free tours, which was about two hour, which was the perfect amount of time. My DD17 did enjoy some of the history, but I think she started to get bored at some points. My DD12 looked bored for most of it. However, when I asked my DD12 to list the top 5 things she enjoyed overall about the vacation “Estonia” was one of the 5 top attractions, because “it was small, pretty, and not as touristy.”
  
• What would I change – I would have done some research on a place to eat for lunch, and added that to our day.
  

 

 

Saint Petersburg

• The Sites – We took a two day tour through a private company. My DD12 really enjoyed Saint Petersburg because it was “pretty.” She really enjoyed the amazing architecture and elaborate decorations within some of the palaces that we visited – in addition to the many of the jewels and precious gems and minerals that were on display. My DD17 also enjoyed SPB for many of the same reasons, but her favorite place was the Faberge museum.
  
• The Food – My DDs did not enjoy the food provided on the tour (2 days). We also brought snacks with us – which provided energy throughout the day.
  
• Tour Mates – There were 14 of us on this tour, including two other 13yos and an 18 yo (all girls). Although they did not always talk, it was good that there were others in their age group so that they did talk/communicate throughout the two days – which I believe made the long days more bearable for all of them.
  
• What would I change – For our two days in SPB, I think we did the best that we could with providing all of the major highlights of the city into two days, including some extraordinary palaces, works of art, canal ride, hydrofoil ride, visit to the Metro, etc. Maybe I should have added on the ballet in the city for the evening (although I am not sure if any of us would have been awake for it).
  

 

 

Helsinki

• Lapland - Our time in Finland was everyone’s most enjoyable day. We did not take any tours – ship, private, or DIY. We simply took a taxi to the Winterworld / Lapland – which is an old ice skating rink that they converted to a winter amusement park. The highlight of the place is their husky (sled) rides. The ride was great, the other activities were okay, but fun (igloo hotel, ice slide, and cross country skiing – and drinking at an ice bar in cups made of ice was a nice experience (most “ice bars” are adults only). We were only there for less than 2 hours (including waiting for a taxi), and the place is a cold-weather tourist trap, but we all just enjoyed ourselves. The people running the place were very friendly (they even called a taxi for us when we wanted to leave) – and the place also provides a warm ski-suit/jacket, gloves, and boots [there are free lockers for you to put your things in.]
  
• The Sites – Looking over the options for this town, I was not sure how many other things my daughters would have enjoyed. In the town center there is a market and some charges, but most would have been more of the same (and would have been disappointing after SPB). However, we lucked out with a really nice taxi driver that provided us with a “tour” of the town by commenting on all of the buildings and statues we were passing (in his broken English). So we did get to see these sites as we passed by, but just did not go in. He also gave us his card and we (Lapland) called him to take us back to the ship. [Note: The facility is located north of the city and not on the HoHo.] He took a different road home, and passed by the Church of the Stone (Temppeliaukio Church), where he allowed us to leave the cab to explore the church for about 10 minutes. The church is very unique, and my kids were impressed with it. [Note: The ship does have a tour that comes here, but it is a lot more than doing it yourself. Taxi cost was 40 Euro going and 50 Euro returning to the ship (the pricing goes up later in the day). Plus I gave him a 10 Euro tip. The cost of Lapland cost 203 Euro for all four of us.]
  
• What would I change – Nothing!
  

 

 

Stockholm

• The Sites – Since our ship docked in Nynashamn, which is almost an hour’s drive from Stockholm, we decided to go with a tour from the ship. We chose Stockholm with Vasa and Leisure Time. This was our last port and we were all exhausted. Everyone (including the kids) were amazed at seeing the ship, but we all got weary of it fairly quickly. When we got into the town itself, the guide let us off near the Nobel museum, which was where we headed to (and in time to make the English language tour). My daughters were a little bit interested, but the tour guide was too detailed, and went on for too long, and they were tired. The museum itself was not as impressive and we had hoped, so we exited to the street. We happen to have come out when they were changing the guard and tried to watch it (it was very crowded and the girls did not get a great view). Afterwards we walked to the main pedestrian strip for some food. We found a pizzeria (Michelangelo's) that was pretty good. They had pizza and I had some pasta. [Note: The tour guide told us that there were not many sit-down restaurants. On this strip, two blocks from where we were left off, there were many sit-downs, including this one.] Since we were toured-out, we decided not to see any more churches, palaces, etc. – we just found an empty bench in the shade (it was actually a nice day) by a water fountain and just sat there relaxing (for about an hour and a half). If we were not as tired, I guess we may have enjoyed the city more – or maybe should have done something different, but Stockholm was not the highlight port for my daughters.
  
• What would I change – Maybe take the shorter tour (no leisure time) [note: when I had asked about which tour, both DDs had voted for the longer one we did select], or gone into the town via the shuttle and made our own way around the city center and visit ABBA Museum, etc.
  

Generally,we tried to select things/tours to do in each city that were of interest to the entire family. For the most part the things we did were enjoyed by both my teen and tween. Both enjoyed the cruise/vacation and are happy we went. They had some amazing experiences that many of their peers will never have themselves,and the learned something about other people and cultures that will hopefully allow them to keep an open mind to others throughout their lives. As a family bonding experience, this itinerary was priceless.

 

 

[Note: The photos in this post are random samplings of our entire vacation and may not reflect the country they are positioned within.]

 

Next Up: Teens and Tweens on the Getaway

Edited July 20, 2017 by Travel R

[bookreader2017]

Travel R, I am loving your review! For those of us who are sailing on this cruise very soon, you are giving us an amazing insight! Thank you!

What sort of foreign currency did you bring on the trip? Is it necessary to have Danish kroner, Swedish kronor, euros and rubles? Thank you.

[Travel R]

Travel R, I am loving your review! For those of us who are sailing on this cruise very soon, you are giving us an amazing insight! Thank you!

What sort of foreign currency did you bring on the trip? Is it necessary to have Danish kroner, Swedish kronor, euros and rubles? Thank you.

 

Excellent question.

 

My answer is below . . .

[Travel R]

CURRENCY EXCHANGE (OR NOT)

 

I had thought I discussed this on this thread, but realized I had answered this question on another. Below is how we handled the currency exchange for our journey.

 

We had exchanged our money thrice during our adventure, from the US Dollar to:Iceland (Icelandic Krona), Copenhagen (Danish Krone), and on the ship itself (for Euros).

 

Iceland

 

We did not know what to expect and would be travelling through some very small towns, so I did not want to take anything for chance. At the airport we exchanged $50 US for Icelandic Krona at a bank outlet they had on site. I used their currency only a few times (Crater Lake, gas station (for pastries)), but could have probably stayed in Iceland without exchanging any currency.

 

We used our Credit Cards for all other purchases in Iceland. NOTE, however, that the PIN # for the credit card was required for almost every transaction.

 

I got rid of most of the remaining Krone when making purchases in the Reykjavik airport on the way home (they will take part in Krone, then charge the remainder due to your credit card).

 

If you do not have a Pin Number, it can be set up with an easy call to your credit card company - and knock out two birds at the same time and also let them know that you will be travelling out of your country. You may also want to check if there are any fees for international charges as well.

 

Although I do not think exchanging any currency was needed, I felt "safer" having it while travelling around the countryside. Except - some of the sites along the Golden Circle (e.g., the Continental Divided) had pay toilets - you needed local coin to use them.

 

Copenhagen

 

We had exchanged $50 US when we arrived at Copenhagen as well. We used one of the exchange storefronts near our hotel. The exchange rate was okay - although we saw a better rate at a bank only a few doors down (after we made the exchange).

 

Since were were in Copenhagen for a few days, it wound up being a good idea to have some Danish Krone in our pocket. It was mostly used for small purchases and tips. Having the local currency in hand did come in very handy on one occasion when taking a taxi and my credit card did not work in their system -- so I paid in DKK.

 

[This is something I had forgotten to include in my review/story above - it was the taxi ride from the Little Mermaid to the Rosenborg Castle.]

 

For most purchases, I used my credit card. I think there was only one or two times I had been asked for my PIN # while in Copenhagen (one was at a small souvenir shop) - in most other instances, the PIN # was not needed.

 

If I were to return to Copenhagen for less than a day I would probably not exchange any currency, or maybe only $20 US worth, just to have something in my pocket. Also note, you may receive a better exchange rate from taking money out using your own bank card.

 

All Other Countries on Itinerary (Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden)

 

Our cruise would take us to five other countries where three different currencies would be used (Swedish krona, Russian Rubles, and Euros for the remainder). Although we did feel comfortable with travelling in these countries without only a credit card in hand, we were taking on two of them DIY, which both used Euros. So, after going back-and-forth on this issue, we decided to play it safe and exchange money on the ship the evening before arriving in Warnemunde. The exchange rate is horrendous (we received 30 Euros for $40 US). However, it left us with some peace of mind and we would not have to look around for a place to exchange when in any port.

 

We did not need to use any of the local currencies in any of the countries we visited, and could have been fine with only our credit card.

 

Use of Euros - In all of the countries we visited that did not officially use Euros, many stores had dual price tags for many items in both the local currency and the other in Euros. Note, however, if you paid in Euros you would receive your change back in the local currency (krona, ruble, etc.).

 

Credit Card Snafus - My credit card did not work on two occasions during this entire adventure of almost two weeks. The first time was explained above (a taxi in Copenhagen), and the second time was at the train ticket kiosks in Germany. In the first instance I was able to use local currency. In the second, I had to wait on a line to make my purchase at an actual ticket booth.

 

Summary

 

What I would suggest, if your own currency is not the Euro:

 

• If taking tours in each of these ports - no need to exchange currency. Make sure you have a credit card that has been cleared to be used internationally.
  
• If DIY in at least some of these ports - exchange a small amount of currency, just to be on the safe side ($20 US equivalent) - "just in case."
  
• If spending a few days in any countries pre/post cruise - exchange a minimal amount $40-$50 (US equivalent), just in case.
  

Quick note about SPB - FYI, I saw a number of the street vendors will take almost any currency, including US dollars. There were rumors about needing local coins for pay toilets while in the city. Except for one occasion, there are an ample number of free bathrooms in most locations you visit. HOWEVER, a number of people (including myself) needed to use the WC while near the Metro. Our tour guide paid in Rubles, and we took up a collection paid her back in Euros.

 

This is an issue that many people will have a different opinion. I may be on the cautious side of the argument. Others may suggest that credit cards are all you need - which I do agree with, but that is not within our comfort zone.

 

By the end of the vacation I had gotten rid of (spent) most of my international currency, although I still have a few coins which I will keep as memories.

[bookreader2017]

Thanks for your tip about foreign currencies. That is one less thing I need to do before we leave. Getting a good exchange rate isn't a big deal if we're only exchanging a few dollars, so I'm okay with getting it from a local bank. Our bank here charges us for shipping anyway if we exchange less than $1000.

I'm very intrigued by your visit to Lapland --- we have a 20 year old daughter and it sounds like something she would love. I will definitely look into this! Tourist traps are fine if it makes the kids happy... :D

[Travel R]

TEENS AND TWEENS ON THE GETAWAY

 

Our Rules

 

Although we do feel somewhat safe on a cruise ship, and believe that our children will be safe, we are no fools. While the ship may be safer than many places, it is, in effect, a small city and dangers can lurk around every corner. However, we are not paranoid, and provide a few basic rules for our daughters to follow when they are not with us.

 

1) Wash your hands as much as possible –This is a general rule to follow whether they are with us or not. Even following my own advice, I still managed to get sick.

 

2) Tell us where you are, when you will be there, and who you are with –just as when we are home, our daughters need to inform us of these three very important pieces of information. We trust them to go where they want (for the most part), but keep us informed as to where, when, and with whom. We keep yellow stickys and pens in the room so that they can continue to notify us of their whereabouts. They could also call us and leave a message on the phone (if we are not in the cabin) – but for some reason, they would rather come all the way back to our cabin to tell us, or write the note.

 

3) Get a new soda any time you take your eyes off of your own for more than a moment – This really applies to my older DD, but we told her that if she ever puts her drink down and is not certain that anyone could have put anything in it, to just order a new drink. We purchased the soda package for the family, so there should be no reason not to do this.

 

4) Be nice and show respect to everyone, including the crew. This goes without saying.

 

5) Be wary of what how much you spend on your room card. We allowed them to use their cards to make purchases, especially to play in the arcade. We gave them a verbal $10/day limit – but they needed to watch over how much they spend, since it is linked to our credit card and is basically unlimited.

 

 

6) Time to be return to the cabin. We will have worked out a predetermined time for our daughters to return to the cabin. If for whatever reason they will not be able to return before our agreed upon time, they must contact us (e.g., cabin phone).

 

We did not provide the rule that they had to stay within the limits of their respective clubs (as long as we knew that they were going elsewhere).

 

Not a rule, but we always tell them to be aware of their surroundings.

 

I will now share a quick story about being aware - My DD, is 17. However, because her and her friends do roam to other places on the ship. Usually they hang out at various food venues, but sometimes to other places. They did meet various other kids that are 18 and over and not allowed in the Entourage (teen club). The teen club admits kids from 13 to 17 (I'll go into this further in an upcoming post). In one instance a pair of 21/22 year olds were hanging out with some of them. Two girls that my DD said looked 19, but were only 14, were being brought (alcoholic) drinks by these older guys. At some point these two (possibly drunk) girls were offered to go back to the boy's room. My daughter overhead the solicitation, so my daughter and her friend made an excuse to get the drunk girls out of the area. The girls were brought back to their rooms and they basically put them to bed [from what I was told, both girls did not get in trouble for drinking - one was rooming with her sister, and the other's parents were still out].

 

If we have kids, we know them better than anyone else, so each of our rules will most likely be different - especially according to their respective ages. Lay whatever ground rules you think fit for your kids, and everything should be fine.

 

 

A cruise vacation is a chance to let our children fly free . . . .

 

Edited July 21, 2017 by Travel R

[Travel R]

For those of you voyeurs that enjoy the picture show, do not fear . . . only a few more posts pertaining to the children, then more port reviews, along with many accompanying photographs.

 

Where I wish I were right now . . . . .

 

[bluesea777]

 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE your review!!! LOVE LOVE you and your family!!

 

But sweet sweet please can you tell us where the above photo is.

[bluesea777]

 

 

 

And also these two photos. Particularly the one with 4 ships in port! :cool:

[Rooster05]

Thanks for all the hints & info.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Travel R]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your review!!! LOVE LOVE you and your family!!

 

But sweet sweet please can you tell us where the above photo is.

 

Thank you.

 

The first photo is the side of a movie theater I found during my morning walk (Palads Teatret Nordisk Film Biografer Palads (Axeltorv 9, 1609 København V, Denmark)

[Travel R]

And also these two photos. Particularly the one with 4 ships in port! :cool:

 

This McDonalds was in Helsinki (Mannerheimintie 16, 00100 Helsinki, Finland), taken while at a stop light in our taxi. If we did not eat in a McDonalds in each port, my DD12 made me at least take a picture of on. [My DW and I are not big fans of the Golden Arches, so you know that we must love our daughter by taking her there - and luckily we were took more pics than had eaten their burgers during this trip.]

There was one in SPB across from the Metro we had visited (it would have been interesting to go into one of the icons of capitalism within a Russian city):

 

 

Interestingly, the two McDonalds we had visited (Copenhagen and Rostock) were not so much different than the ones in the US. [The coolest one we had ever gone to was in Rome (at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. For those of you that cannot travel to Europe to see a unique McDonalds, there is a pretty cool one in New Hyde Park, NY]

The last photo was taken returning to the port was in Tallinn. As you can see, there were three other large cruise ships in port with us on that day. Tallinn is a small town, so there were plenty of my fellow tourists in the streets.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Thanks for all the hints & info.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You are welcome - glad you are finding it of use.

[EllieinNJ]

First, thanks for the info about pre and post cruise places to go. Very helpful.

 

About Hotel Nebo, if you had to do it again, would you still book this hotel? I was looking at it on different booking websites and found it to be a little shabby. For $100 more for two nights, I can book a nicer looking hotel and for about $150 I can book the Scandic with transportation to the pier. BTW I was looking at the price for a private, not shared, bathroom for just two of us.

 

If you want to e-mail me with any info my e-mail is: ehshansky@yahoo.com.

[Travel R]

First, thanks for the info about pre and post cruise places to go. Very helpful.

 

About Hotel Nebo, if you had to do it again, would you still book this hotel? I was looking at it on different booking websites and found it to be a little shabby. For $100 more for two nights, I can book a nicer looking hotel and for about $150 I can book the Scandic with transportation to the pier. BTW I was looking at the price for a private, not shared, bathroom for just two of us.

 

If you want to e-mail me with any info my e-mail is:ehshansky@yahoo.com.

 

After considering your question, I do believe that we would stay there again. Although the hotel did not contain all of the creature comforts of some of the multi-star hotels I have lodged, it had enough to appease my family for the two night stay. But, in many ways we are minimalists and enjoyed the quaint little nuances of the hotel (and the room itself). When I used to travel for business, I would frequent San Francisco on a quarterly basis. Although the list of “accepted” hotels that we could stay for business was fairly long, and included most of the big name hotels, I had always opted for the Triton hotel, which apart from not having the trimmings of these named hotels, was also further from the office than most of the rest. The hotel has small rooms and minimal (or odd/unique) accommodations and decor, but there was a special charm to it that a “Hotel Brand X” could not come close to matching. The reason why I bring this up is that taste in hotels (like taste in food) is subjective – most of my colleagues travelling to SF would usually stay at a Brand X hotel, but my taste being slightly different, had almost always selected the more unique Triton.

 

Back to the Nebo . . . . . it was not a bad hotel. Going in, I knew I had booked a lower-budget European hotel, but believe I had received a little more. It had some of its own unique character, very friendly help, but most notably, what I felt was a great location for what we had intended for our Danish adventure. It was literally right next to Central Station, with Tivoli Gardens on the polar side. The area was fairly quiet, and I was favorably positioned for my morning run around the lakes. A nearby pastry shop, 7-11, polse stand, and multiple food store-fronts within Central Station provided for an ample assortment of foods and snacks (at most hours of the day or night), as well as many bars and restaurants available for larger meals. Our fifth floor room, allowing us to witness the fireworks above the Copenhagen rooftops was the icing on the cake.

 

The one down-side, which did not bother us as much as I had thought, was the shared bathroom.

 

Finding alternative lodging for four (in a recommended hotel), for that price, in that location, was not available at the time I had booked. It was not a bad hotel for the price we paid. In comparison to others available, the next comparable rate (for 4 guests, similar location) was listed at almost $75 (US) more each night at the time – and although I do not remember if they had a bus shuttle or not, I am not sure if that would have affected my decision. In some ways, partaking in the use of public transportation is part of the journey.

 

 

In sum (not that I could really write anything in a few words), is that I would not hesitate to stay at the Nebo Hotel again, if my circumstances were the same – a short (2 day) stay with my family prior to a cruise.

 

 

However, if it was only myself and my beautiful DW, I would be more persuaded to pay the extra $ for the additional conveniences.

 

 

Sorry, I do not know if my answer will help you, or confuse you even more.

[Seminole1975]

Looking forward to the rest of your review! I am still in the planning stages. Diane

[bearette]

Enjoying your review, I have two young kids so it's nice to get the family perspective.

[Travel R]

A big sorry for the delay. As mentioned, it has been a busy week. I finished my article on French cooking during the Colonial Era (or the lack thereof in the colonies) and some of the little-known heroes of the American Revolution; leading a group to cook dinner at a homeless shelter this evening (influenced by Russian cuisine - and my recent cruise); a number of family-oriented activities; and training for a half-century bike ride on Saturday, and a mud run the following week - not to mention it getting busy at work; etc.

 

I know that no excuses are needed, but it is also to be used as a comparison for my daily life vs. the amount of activities we had packed into this cruise vacation. After going into detail about the kids clubs, then describing each of the ports and the ship, and all of the things we had done - with a bunch of pictures, some foreshadowing as to how the cruise ended (for me) -- the non-stop adventuring, lack of sleep, time differentials, and exhaustion, had caught up to me.

 

Although we mainly cruise for the itinerary, cruises can also be a wonderful way to have a relaxing vacation. I am a very active person, so I scheduled myself to do just about everything (including keeping up with my exercise regimen) - but as I had discovered the hard way, the Baltic itinerary, and a ship with so many options, such as the Getaway, I would most likely pace myself a little better (a lot better) if I were to ever do it again. Let this be a warning to those of you that like me, and want to do it all - maybe treat this more like a vacation than a journey to the center of the earth.

 

Looks like rain on Saturday, so I may sit out the bike ride (riding 50 miles on wet roads in damp clothing is not very fun), after I get back from the gym (you can't expect me to not exercise), I should have time to finish up the info about the kid's clubs and continue with this review.

[Travel R]

Looking forward to the rest of your review! I am still in the planning stages. Diane

 

Continue to ask questions, and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. [And I'll try to keep the answers short and succinct - not that I have been able to do that yet.]

Edited July 27, 2017 by Travel R

[Travel R]

Enjoying your review, I have two young kids so it's nice to get the family perspective.

 

Thank you.

 

A few years ago when we took our kids with us for the first time on a cruise (and in hindsight, we should have begun cruising with them much earlier) - I was able to find a lot of reviews and information about the cruises and ports, but very little as it pertained to families and children (especially on a Mediterranean cruise). When I wrote the review for that cruise I received a lot of positive feedback for including the kid/parent point of view, so I wanted to do so again.

 

On our Med cruise, there were very few children. On this Baltic itinerary, there seem to be a great number of children (of all ages) and families [i do think that the Away ships have a lot to do with it]. So a review with this perspective should be of even greater assistance.

 

In hindsight, I should have taken a few of the schedules for the age groups younger than my children, however, I really could really comment upon

their activities. , Hopefully someone else will provide those, or maybe a review with a focus on younger children on the Baltic (or they are welcome to add any such information to this thread).

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away.

[Seminole1975]

Sounds like you have an interesting life! No pressure to finish! I identify with being busy and trying to do it all. I have been thinking a lot about how to pace myself on this cruise, as I have not read as many reviews where folks say that they are tired-even the teens and tweens get tired! We are traveling with another couple and my friend suffers from what we call FOMO syndrome-Fear of Missing Out! Plus we will have jet lag to contend with, plus a ship that is like being in Las Vegas. We will just have to accept that we cannot "do it all". I always end up getting sick after a big trip too, something I hope to avoid. I digress. Again, thank you for your wonderful review. Diane from Alabama (btw-Food and Wine Magazine is moving to Birmingham! Everyone is very excited! Again I digress).

[Travel R]

Sounds like you have an interesting life! No pressure to finish! I identify with being busy and trying to do it all. I have been thinking a lot about how to pace myself on this cruise, as I have not read as many reviews where folks say that they are tired-even the teens and tweens get tired! We are traveling with another couple and my friend suffers from what we call FOMO syndrome-Fear of Missing Out! Plus we will have jet lag to contend with, plus a ship that is like being in Las Vegas. We will just have to accept that we cannot "do it all". I always end up getting sick after a big trip too, something I hope to avoid. I digress. Again, thank you for your wonderful review. Diane from Alabama (btw-Food and Wine Magazine is moving to Birmingham! Everyone is very excited! Again I digress).

 

Thanks - I think you have correctly diagnosed my condition - I'm a FOMO.

 

[Let's all continue to keep the letters in the correct order. :halo:]

 

I am guilty of digressing several (dozen) times on this thread myself - makes it more enjoyable to read and write.

 

Food and Wine is an excellent magazine. They will hopefully sponsor some good events that you can attend.

[Travel R]

TEENS AND TWEENS ON THE GETAWAY: Part 1

 

“Kids” Clubs: An Introduction

 

It is hard not to notice that the word “kids” has been placed in quotations in the title. Before I even delve any deeper into this post, I want you (the reader) to think about what the word “kids”means to you. What image is evoked by this four letter word? Do you think of a little 6 or 7 year old, or does the entire spectrum of children from ages three to seventeen come to mind? Just take a second to think about that. Got it? Good. Now, let’s move on.

 

Norwegian brands it’s programming for those ages 6 months to 17 as “Youth Programs.” [see: NCLYouth Programs FAQ]. This 16 ½ year age group is broken up into three separate programs:

• Guppies Program for ages 6 months to under 3 years of age. There are three separate programs for this age group. Sorry, I do not have any experience with this program, so I will not go any further into it – I do not want to provide any misinformation. But anyone else is welcome to provide any info they have.
  
• Splash Academy for ages 3 to 12. This group is also broken up into three groups, also divided by age:
  
  • Turtles – ages 3 to 5
    
  • Seals – ages 6 to 9
    
  • Dolphins – ages 10 to 12
    

Since this was our first NCL cruise, I will also refrain from discussing the Turtle and Seals, and will contain my discussion to the Dolphins, which my DD12 had attended. This will be further discussed in detail below.

• Entourage for ages 13 to 17. Just like the Splash Academy, this group of older kids is further divided into separate age . . . . . . . . WAIT . . . . HOLD THE PRESSES . . . . CORRECTION . . . . unlike the Splash Academy, this group is not further divided into separate age groups. You can probably see where I am going with this, but the Entourage group will be further discussed in detail below.
  

There is one more “unofficial” group that is not part of their “youth program,” but does have some limited programming each evening – the forgotten 18 to 20 year-olds. Every evening there is an “18-21 Get Together.” There were a number of these young adults aboard our cruise ship. I had heard and read varying accounts of what individuals in this age group did during the cruise. Once again, I did not have any experience with a child in this age group, so I will not comment.However, I will add that when we had originally planned this vacation we were going to go somewhere via land next year. Once we had changed it to a cruise vacation, we decided to sail this year, before my DD17 turned into a DD18. The reason being is that she wanted to be a part of the teen club experience one final time before she aged out. She has been in clubs on RCI, Carnival, and now NCL, and she has enjoyed them all.

 

Please note that this section on Youth Programming, just like this entire review, is based on our experiences on the Getaway for our particular itinerary and cruise. The experiences of myself and/or my children might differ from others on the same ship and most definitely may differ for the same programs/activities on different ships in the NCL fleet.

 

 

If I do not answer any of the questions or concerns of you, the reader, please do not hesitate to ask and I will try to answer to the best of my ability.

[Travel R]

TEENS AND TWEENS ON THE GETAWAY: Part 2

 

“Kids” Clubs: In General

 

Getaway was Chosen because of Youth Programming

 

As mentioned so many thousands of words ago, is that after selecting the basic itinerary/geographic location (Northern Europe/Baltics), we then needed to chose which cruise line/vessel to sail upon. Due to the fact that we have had a number of friends and family that have sailed on the Breakaway (sister ship of Getaway), including a friend of my DD17, that had sailed her a few times, the Getaway became a quick contended for the number one spot. With additional research that also defined her as having one of the best and biggest youth programs on the seven seas, the Getaway on the Baltic Capitals itinerary eventually out-paced its competition, and as history had shown, it was upon her mighty hull that we journeyed.

Both of my daughters enjoyed themselves immensely on our vacation. Of course, their favorite times were spent with their loving parents – but they really enjoyed not being with us as well,which is both a compliment to NCL and their programming as well as to my daughters and their social skills. There were many times that my daughters hurried through dinner (and even skipping desert) so that they could run and go to their respective clubs/meet up with their friends.

 

Although it was a “family vacation” – it is okay to experience some time apart as well. First, we are lucky enough to spend time with our children during the year.Some weeks may be busier than others, but we do take time out to make sure we spend time together. Secondly, we had spent 3 ½ days together before the cruise had even started (flying, touring, riding, sleeping) – so it is not like we did not spend any time together. Add to this the time we spent together in each port, during (some) meals, and a few entertainment venues – it was, in our opinion, a wonderful family vacation.

 

Club Usage / Frequency

 

Although the clubs usually had afternoon hours, because we were out on tour during port days, my daughters rarely used them during the day (with the exception of sea days). However, they attended their respective clubs each evening (or at least for parts of each evening). The only time my DD12 protested to going was when “free time” was scheduled and she did not know if her new-found friends would be there (discussed below).

 

From our prior experience with my older daughter, we knew that after the teen club (Entourage) had shut its doors, we should not be expecting her to come straight back to the cabin. There is a 1 AM curfew for teens on this ship (if not accompanied by an adult), and most of the Entourage programming was over between 12 and 1. Many times the Entourage Club was the meeting place for my DD17 and her friends. Depending upon the activity of the evening, the music being played, or the overall age group of those in attendance for a particular evening. [Quickly now, remember how you defined the word “kid.” Good.You can stop. Don’t forget it yet, we will be coming back to this again.] If you are wondering where they would go – they would gather mostly in the various food venues, but more on this below.

 

The curtain goes down for the Dolphins (all of Splash Academy) each evening at 10:30, although parents can pay for an after hours stay. This was one of the tell-tale signs that my DD12 was getting older. I believe it was the third night of the cruise, after she had established relations with a group of girls, we were asked if she could hang out with her friends when the Splash Academy had closed. We had come to pick her up, and so did the parents of her friend, and we agreed - if they stayed together, and followed the other rules we had outlined to her previously (let us know where she will be, etc. [see prior post - but also add to this - "stay together with your friends"]). Some may argue that she is too young, but we(as parents) have to know our children and if/when they are ready to be handed any freedom.

 

Sometimes the hardest part about being a parent is not all the work, sweat, and tears,that goes into trying to nurture and mold them into what you think will the making of a great person, but the simple act of setting them free and hope that they remember everything you had taught them. It reminds me of a quote written by a child herself that had to grow up too quickly, whose life had ended to quickly:

 

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” [Anne Frank]

 

 

Where was I going with this . . . . ah yes, I remember, Kids, especially those that are tweens and teens should be offered additional freedoms beyond the four walls of their clubs, if you think that they are ready. There are other opportunities for them to enjoy themselves on the ship and be kids (this too will be discussed further below).