Notes From Our Baltic Cruise

[pier]

We just got back from a two week Baltic cruise. I was able to get a lot of information before we left from others who posted on this website. I hope some of my notes will be of interest.

 

Bruges:

We didn't care for the time limits Oceania offered for their excursions to Bruges, so we emailed a Bruges taxi service several weeks before we arrived and made arrangements for them to pick us up at the dock. This worked out very well. They sent a van that comfortably sat 6 people and charged 45 euros each way. Taxis waiting at the dock wanted 50 euros. The email address is info@brugsetaxiservice.com.

 

Amsterdam:

 

Even if you're not interested in flowers, try to see the flower market. It's dazzling! Nearby there is a great place for lunch, a converted warehouse called V&D, that has two floors of good food. We bought all day passes for transportation, museums, etc. Although we didn't know it when we bought them, the passes enabled us to bypass long lines waiting to get into the museums (with the exception of the Anne Frank Museum).

 

Gdansk:

 

We docked in Gydnia instead of Gdansk. Apparently the taxi drivers got wind of the change and they were waiting for us. They all refused to simply drive into Gdansk and instead wanted to be hired for half-day tours for 125 euros. They were very well organized. When someone told a driver his price was too high, he got belligerent and shouted that he'd charge an extra 50 euros because it was Sunday! We were within a five-minute walk to the port authority building where there were lots of cabs waiting, but Oceania didn't inform us about this. We ended up hiring a driver for 100 euros. His English was poor, but he was a nice fellow and we ended up seeing Oliwa, Sopot, etc. He even watched out for us by warning us not to buy amber from street vendors because it was fake.

 

St. Petersburg:

 

We went on a private tour rather than taking the ship excursions and were glad that we did. I agree with many others--Yusupov Palace is not to be missed. Also, be sure to see the inside of the Spilled Blood Cathedral.

 

We found the Gold Room at the Hermitage disappointing, not worth the time or money.

 

Shopping:

 

Before we left, I read someone's post on Cruise Critic saying that she regretted waiting until she got to Tallinn to buy souveniers. She said she found the best selection and the best prices at the Northway store in St. Petersburg. I wish I had taken her advice. The Northway store does have the biggest selection and best prices by far for stacking dolls, eggs, amber, etc. (This may present a problem for people taking Red October tours because they are taken to the Red October store.)

 

Stockholm:

 

We bought the post-tour package from Oceania and were given a room at the Hilton Slussen that was as small as our cabin on the boat. The Sheraton has a better location.

 

Be sure to see City Hall and Vasa.

 

Wedholm Fisk--great fish restaurant but expensive.

[spearmint]

Thanks for the heads up...

Sounds like you would have been as well or better off taking a ship's tour in Gdansk. (Gdynia is our port on Constellation, too.)

I, too, read the note re: shopping in St. Petersburg vs elsewhere, and we will take that into account on our upcoming visit. Hope the Northway store is part of the DenRus tour. Originally, we had decided not to buy anything... ripped-off too many times, previously. But we have been thinking about Russian eggs or laquer boxes, and I might buy my wife some amber jewellery if it is good-looking (have never seen any).:)

[pier]

In the end, we felt we were better off with the taxi in Gdansk (Gydnia). We shared it with another couple and were taken around for nearly six hours. If we had taken a taxi straight to the old town, we would have been done in a few hours. The gardens and park outside the monastery in Oliwa are wonderful. We were surprised that they aren't mentioned often.

 

I forgot to mention this in my original post: Over 80% of the amber sold in the Baltics is plastic. After hearing that a number of times, I decided not to buy any. Some stores give certificates of authenticity, but it simply didn't seem worth it. Any store can have a certificate printed: they know you won't be back. I'd rather buy at home from a trusted source.

[windjamming]

We found the Gold Room at the Hermitage disappointing, not worth the time or money.

 

Hi pier, thanks for the information on the ports. Can you give more detail on the Gold Room and why it was a disappointment? The description of it sounds very interesting, and we are looking forward to going there.

[pier]

Gold Room

 

There was some jewelry, and there were cases filled with snuff boxes, but it wasn't impressive, not if you've been to the Smithsonian or the Tower of London. Most of the gold displayed was ancient Greek gold the Russians had dug up. Even the few things made by Faberge weren't as nice as the Faberge pieces you can see in US museums. The reaction of the people we were with was the same as ours: it was nothing special, a waste of time and money. You can see nicer jewels in the royal palace (the Treasury) in Sweden.

[windjamming]

Ugh...that's a bummer. Thanks for the candid review.

[shopgirl1964]

My mother and I just went last month on HAL Gems of the Baltic. We ended up enjoying the gold room a lot more than we thought we would (in fact, we only went because our tour mates wanted to). There is a separate gold room guide, and the one we had was so excited about the history and the workmanship of the various items it was almost contagious. As far as flashy jewels, it's not that, but there were some interesting things and I was glad we saw them. I probably wouldn't go again (assuming I get back to St. Petersburg), but I don't think you'll regret it. Due to the numbers of tour guests on the day we went, it was $15 additional, which seemed very reasonable.

Shopgirl1964

[Raphy]

We just got back from a two week Baltic cruise. I was able to get a lot of information before we left from others who posted on this website. I hope some of my notes will be of interest.

 

Bruges:

We didn't care for the time limits Oceania offered for their excursions to Bruges, so we emailed a Bruges taxi service several weeks before we arrived and made arrangements for them to pick us up at the dock. This worked out very well. They sent a van that comfortably sat 6 people and charged 45 euros each way. Taxis waiting at the dock wanted 50 euros. The email address is info@brugsetaxiservice.com.

 

Amsterdam:

 

Even if you're not interested in flowers, try to see the flower market. It's dazzling! Nearby there is a great place for lunch, a converted warehouse called V&D, that has two floors of good food. We bought all day passes for transportation, museums, etc. Although we didn't know it when we bought them, the passes enabled us to bypass long lines waiting to get into the museums (with the exception of the Anne Frank Museum).

 

Gdansk:

 

We docked in Gydnia instead of Gdansk. Apparently the taxi drivers got wind of the change and they were waiting for us. They all refused to simply drive into Gdansk and instead wanted to be hired for half-day tours for 125 euros. They were very well organized. When someone told a driver his price was too high, he got belligerent and shouted that he'd charge an extra 50 euros because it was Sunday! We were within a five-minute walk to the port authority building where there were lots of cabs waiting, but Oceania didn't inform us about this. We ended up hiring a driver for 100 euros. His English was poor, but he was a nice fellow and we ended up seeing Oliwa, Sopot, etc. He even watched out for us by warning us not to buy amber from street vendors because it was fake.

 

St. Petersburg:

 

We went on a private tour rather than taking the ship excursions and were glad that we did. I agree with many others--Yusupov Palace is not to be missed. Also, be sure to see the inside of the Spilled Blood Cathedral.

 

We found the Gold Room at the Hermitage disappointing, not worth the time or money.

 

Shopping:

 

Before we left, I read someone's post on Cruise Critic saying that she regretted waiting until she got to Tallinn to buy souveniers. She said she found the best selection and the best prices at the Northway store in St. Petersburg. I wish I had taken her advice. The Northway store does have the biggest selection and best prices by far for stacking dolls, eggs, amber, etc. (This may present a problem for people taking Red October tours because they are taken to the Red October store.)

 

Stockholm:

 

We bought the post-tour package from Oceania and were given a room at the Hilton Slussen that was as small as our cabin on the boat. The Sheraton has a better location.

 

Be sure to see City Hall and Vasa.

 

Wedholm Fisk--great fish restaurant but expensive.

 

Hi

We were probably on the same cruise.

Do you know if Northway store in St Petersburg has a website for "regrets shopping"?

If anyone out there has this info we'd surely appreciate it.

Thanks

Raphy