Aug 14, Century, We're Back!

[Kathy & George]

We loved every minute! X transfers from the airport and we were transported in the light rain to the ship. Century was beautiful in her new clothes. We did miss the T-pool though. Right after the lifeboat drill our connections group had decided to meet un-officially at he Martini Bar, Sudi was the bar-tender, what a show! Great group of cruisers.

 

Aug. 15th At Sea...George put on his swim suit and headed for the pool to find the pool attendants snickering as he realized it was only 55 degrees out and not the Carribbean temps he is used to on our usual cruises. A quick change of clothes and down to Michael's club for our official CC party. Alan King joined us and we had a great time. That night Jack Walker, a fabulous singer, was in the theatre. Food and table mates were wonderful.

 

Aug. 16th Oslo. We did all the stops on our own except for St. Petersburg. The weather was overcast with an occasional light rain that did not stop us. Viglund Sculpture park via the #12 tram was worth seeing. City Hall, The Nobel Peace Center, Akershus Fortress, The Norwegian Resistance Museum were all wonderful. That night we went to Murano's...WOW! It is worth every penny to be so wonderfully treated.

 

Aug. 17th, At .Sea, we relaxed and rested for our upcomming tour days.

 

Aug. 18th, Stockholm. We got up early to see the sail in through the archipelago, it was beautiful and so serene. We took the public bus into the central station and walked to The Royal Palace to see the changing of the guard ceremony and then the palace Armory, Chapel, Hall of State and Apartments. It is a do not miss! Then we walked Gamla Stan and enjoyed icecream...the best I have ever had. The ferry from town was quick taking us to Vasa. It is amazing!

 

Aug. 19th, Helsinki. The #16 public bus to Kauppitori Market Square was great. We purchased an etching from a local vendor. Upenski Cathedral, Lutherine Cathedral, Senate Square with street entertainers, the University, the Esplandi with it's park-like atmosphere, Cafe Kapelli and the Train Station and the Rock Church! What a great place. We found Hotel Turni with a 14th floor cafe that had a 360 degree look at the city.

It was disco night on the ship in the Hemisphere Lounge .

 

Aug. 20 & 21, St. Petersburg. We decided on the DenRus two Day Super Value Tour. We had Ludmilla as our guide and Alexi as our driver. It was a candid and informative view of the city at a whirlwind pace. We loved every minute of it. There was a lot of air polution there though that did bother our eyes and throats. The food at the restaurants was fabulous that they took us to. The city is so full of the most beautiful architecture and art. I highly reccomend this tour group.

 

Aug. 22, Tallinn. We walked to town and wandered the mideval streets, shopping for amber and souvenirs. We had coffee in a quaint cafe and found the ice shot bar on Dunkri. Great times! Back to Murano's again to find it even better the second time around. Karen the harpist is wonderful.

 

Aug. 23, At Sea. A day to relax and regain some strength after the 5 day marathon. The Grand Buffet does not fail to amaze us again.

 

Aug. 24, Copenhagen. We took the X shuttle in to Kongen's Square and then walked to Tivoli, The City Hall, Hans Christian Anderson Statue and the pedestrian street Stroyet. We then headed to Nyhaven for a scrumptious smorbrod of smoked salmon, shrimp and caviar as we watched the jazz band street entertainers on the dock side. The next stop was Rosenborg Castle and Garden. "It is good to be King". We then headed to Amailenborg Castle where we were just in time to see Queen Margarethe exit the castle to an awaiting police escort. On to the Little Mermaid and the Resistance Museuum before shopping at the warehouses at the quay by the ship. We enjoyed the hot tub and laying by the pool wrapped in wool blankets for a nap before dinner.

 

Aug. 25 At Sea. Packing day! Done early and we enjoy the last hours aboard ship, exchanging addresses with our new friends and looking forward to our last hours tomorrow in Amsterdam.

 

Aug. 26, Amsterdam. Off the ship at 8:45 and onto Tram #25 to Central Station and then to Ann Frank House, Rembrandt Huis and a walk of the canals and streets before taking the train to the airport.

 

I left out a lot, but this is it in a nutshell. Hope you all have the opportunity to explore these wonderful places as we did. The trip of a lifetime. We booked a Carribbean cruise while onboard for the next adventure. It was wonderful meeting old friends and new. Many thanks are due to Rick Steve and his books. I'll try to answer any questions you may have.

[traveller123]

Kathy & George, thanks so much for your post. I'm in the process of planning a Baltic Sea cruise (June 2007) and much of this information will come in handy. I plan to just tour on my own in each port of call (except St. Petersburg), so this was great info. I'm also thinking of doing the DenRus tour that you mentioned.

 

Again, thanks very much!

[Kathy & George]

Your welcome traveller 123, I have more notes I can email you. Contact me at Negoshian at Comcast dot net and I can give you more info. The trip was really fun and very tiring as we tried to see it all! We did a pre cruise and post cruise in England visiting friends also. I didn't know I could make a trip with so little luggage. It was a first for us to go with only one bag each. Happy Planning!

[Katy P.]

Kathy & George, you had such a wonderful time on your trip. I too am planning a trip to the Baltics, similar to your itinerary. I'm also planning to see the city sights on our own. If I may ask ... What was your walking route from the port when you were in tallinn to see the sights? Where did you dock in Helsinki? Where did you dock in Stockholm? What was the walking route that you took to see the sights in Stockholm? Was there a long line up for tickets to the Royal Palace? Thank you so much for any info. :)

[Kathy & George]

Katy P., We used Rick Steve's Self Guided Walking Tours for all of the cities. We altered it a little as we went, stopping at each of the sites along the way. Wear good support shoes everywhere, the cobblestones and pathways are difficult to tread upon.

 

Tallin we walked along the street into town entering through Fat Margaret's Tower. You can't miss it. We traveled Pick street following the guide book to the main square.

 

In Helsinki we docked at Munkisari. It is quite a distance from the town center, but it can be walked if necessary. Bus #16 was easy to catch and there also was a shuttle from X that was available for $5 each way. The walk tour begins at Kauppitori across from the bus stop. The city is compact and easy to navigate. The 3T and 3B trams take you to most places, but it is a bit difficult to know which stops to get on and off at, so be sure to pick up the tourist guide available on the tram. Most everyone spoke English and was very helpful in guiding us through the city. The tourist info center at the corner of the Esplanadi and Kauppitori gets very busy in the day, go there early if you need to see them.

 

At Stockholm we docked at Stadsgarden pier. Outside of the gated area where you dock, there is a street opposite the gated area up on a hill. You have to climb the hill on a narrow dirt path, next to a gray building, to get up to the bus stop that takes you to the Slussen Station. Then follow the water side of the street to Slottsbacken the street that the palace is located at. The lines for the palace were short and easy to do. All of the entrances are on Slottsbacken for the castle. The parade of guards is in front of the castle around the corner. That is also where you start the walking tour. At the end of the tour you are near the Djurgarden ferry to Vasa. Vasa is the big Brown Building to the left a few blocks of the ferry stop. You walk along the waterfront to get there.

 

In order to see a lot of things we made our visits at each place very short. We got a quick taste of everything.

 

Things I learned:

Don't sweat the small stuff, enjoy what you do get to see and don't regret what you miss.

Pack a lot less clothes, color coordinate them all and have the ship clean them, no one cares what dress you have on or if your shoes match.

Take way more film, batteries, etc. than you think you will ever need.

Russia took US dollars.

Use a money belt, it helps to prevent theft and the possible loss of your documents.

Lastly, if you are having trouble locating the public transit, catch a cab, pay the fare and enjoy your time. Some stops are confusing when it is all new to you.

[Guest LetMeGo]

In Helsinki we docked at Munkisari. It is quite a distance from the town center, but it can be walked if necessary. Bus #16 was easy to catch and there also was a shuttle from X that was available for $5 each way.

 

Hi, I just wanted to be certain about this...

 

I know that according to some schedules the Celebrity ships were scheduled to dock inside a gated area at the shipyard outfitting pier in Munkkisaari, when in reality they would dock at the usual cruise ship pier at Hernesaari. I didn't see your particular ship, so I just wanted to be certain about this.

 

Here's a photo of the area... The usual docking point is in the lower right corner where you can just about see the aft section of the Star Princess, and Munkkisaari would be behind that ship-sized blue construction hall at the "corner" of the harbour.

[Kathy & George]

Yes Tero, we were at Munkkisaari, Berth B. but every ship has its' own berthing area and it often changes. I have heard that next year the schedules for many of the ports will be different. Each city offers a site at which you can check to see where your ship is scheduled to berth for your particular sailing.

[Guest LetMeGo]

Yes Tero, we were at Munkkisaari, Berth B. but every ship has its' own berthing area and it often changes. I have heard that next year the schedules for many of the ports will be different. Each city offers a site at which you can check to see where your ship is scheduled to berth for your particular sailing.

 

Ah now I see where my mistake was... The other berth in Hernesaari is actually called the Munkkisaari berth in the port of Helsinki website. :D

The thing that got me curious was that Century was originally scheduled to dock literally at the shipyard, where this Spirit-class ship is pictured on the foreground. :rolleyes: The usual cruise berths which are coded as LHB and LHC on the port website (L standing for berth and H for Hernesaari) are on this picture where the finished Spirit-class ship is waiting to depart in the background. Thanks for the information!

 

[Al_Frescoe]

 

At Stockholm we docked at Stadsgarden pier. Outside of the gated area where you dock, there is a street opposite the gated area up on a hill. You have to climb the hill on a narrow dirt path, next to a gray building, to get up to the bus stop that takes you to the Slussen Station.

:) LOL, I thought only the locals knew that shortcut up the hill and through the hole in the fence.

 

For those of you that don't want to climb the dirt path up the hill and through the fence, just walk past the Viking Terminal office and veer to the left (look for the traffic signal and the very busy boulevard) and continue left up the busy street. The buss stop is named "Londonviadukten" and it is quite busy and any bus that stops there will take you right to Slussen.

 

(NOTE: The directions stated above apply to ships docked at the far end of Stadsgården.)

 

Al

[Kathy & George]

Thanks Al Frescoe, I wish I had seen your post before we left, but we made it none the less. It was a security guard at the gate that told us about the path up the hill. I don't remember a fence, just an opening at the top where we could see the bus stop clearly on the right. Thanks for the clarification.

[Al_Frescoe]

Thanks Al Frescoe, I wish I had seen your post before we left, but we made it none the less. It was a security guard at the gate that told us about the path up the hill. I don't remember a fence, just an opening at the top where we could see the bus stop clearly on the right. Thanks for the clarification.

Glad you found the short cut, I always use it, well, I should say I always used to use it. Since 9-11 and the extra security I don't even go down to the docks anymore. My wife and I used to be able to ride our bikes right up to the gangway of any ship visiting Stockholm, but sadly, that is a thing of the past. However, we used that shortcut all the time back in the "good ole days" .... ahhh, the good ole days, any one remember them? :)

 

I suppose the reason I've never brought it up before (the bus stop short cut) is that, well, frankly, I would never use the bus from there to get to Slussen. It is a very nice walk, and I like walking, and Slussen is not very far away. So it did not occur to me to even think of trying to describe that shortcut to the bus stop. Thinking about it now, I can come up with several scenarios where using that bus stop would be a good idea, once again, glad you found it and thanks for telling the cruisers about it.

 

Gee, the 2006 season is almost over, it went really fast. We had some really good weather this year for the most part and I hope everyone that visited this beautiful city had a great time.

 

Skål

 

Al