Jump to content

Anyone back from a Baltic Cruise??


maryland

Recommended Posts

We will be on the Noordam in August on their Gems of the Baltic cruise. Anyone have any tips, suggestions, etc.
Overall impression of Baltic cruise (any HAL ship)
How was embarkation & disembarkation?
Any comments on shore excursions?
Did anyone use RO & if so was there any problem getting off the ship for their tours?
How was the Noordam?
Anyone stay in Copenhagen pre or post cruise & if so where?
Lots of questions so would appreciate any info people can give. Thanks so much-
Maryland
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We sailed the Baltic last year. It was an amazing trip. Very port intensive, but worth it for all the history. We stayed pre/post at the Airport Hilton in Copenhagen. Mainly because I got one of the nights free with points. But it was so convenient since we had a very early morning flight out and all we had to do was walk across the street (underground) to get into the terminal.

You should have no problems getting off for your tour with Red October. Someone will be there to meet you once you arrive in St. Petersburg.

We did Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm on our own. There is a city tour in Helsinki that you catch near the tourist information center on the Esplanade. It takes you to the Temple Rock Church and the Sibelius Monument. You can then easily walk to the Uspenski Cathedral overlooking the harbor. The church in Senate Square will be on the way.

We purchased a Stockholm Card that gives you public transportation and most museums for an entire day. We walked and rode the bus around to the Vasa Museum, then walked up the road to the open air museum. Very interesting.

Every port will have something unique. The only problem is choosing just what you want to do in the limited time you have available.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just returned this week from the Gems cruise on Noordam. It was a great cruise, very port intensive, maybe not as much deck time as some would like. I took the ship's tours at every port and thought they were fine. St Petersburg is a madhouse with all the crowds, but was definitely the hightlight of the trip. Maybe RO tours can minimize some of the lines for you if you choose to use them. The people who took the ship's day tour to Moscow seemed to like it very much. I just don't think one day is enough for St. Pete. If nothing else, make sure to go to the Hermitage at the Winter Palace. A MUST SEE. One complaint I heard--on the ship's tours, some people didn't feel they had enough time to do serious shopping. The weather was very cool and it rained all but two days. Nobody could wear their shorts. Maybe warmer in August? Noordam is smaller than most cruise ships nowadays. Most of the public areas are on just two decks. Easy to get around. Dining room was fine, and I thought the Lido was great. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and made to order sandwiches out on the deck were good too. Great service by Filipino and Indonesian staff. I arrived a day early at Copenhagen and stayed an extra day at the end at the First Hotel Vesterbrogade. It is pretty new and air conditioned with a restaurant that I did not try. I found it on Hotels.com. It is an easy walk to Tivoli and the square where the city bus tours start. The square is also where the very busy main shopping street, the Stroget, starts. I found out the hard way that the best way to pay for the cab to and from the airport is with your credit card. When you pay with dollars, the cab really hammers you on the exchange. And get ready, the dollar is really weak. It will make you want to do most of your eating and drinking on the ship. Hope this helps
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rambler,
Thanks so much for your input. How was the food, temperature, vibration, overall condition of the Noordam. My parents (who are also going) just played bridge w/another couple who had been on the Noordam this past spring (2 week Caribbean) and said it was the worst cruise that they had been on (and supposedly they have been on 20+ cruises, several w/HAL on other ships)- cold food, no AC, poor service, terrible shows/lounge (the list goes on & on). My mother is now very anxious to say the least. As a very recent cruiser, what did you think? Thanks again - Maryland
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='maryland']Rambler,
Thanks so much for your input. How was the food, temperature, vibration, overall condition of the Noordam. My parents (who are also going) just played bridge w/another couple who had been on the Noordam this past spring (2 week Caribbean) and said it was the worst cruise that they had been on (and supposedly they have been on 20+ cruises, several w/HAL on other ships)- cold food, no AC, poor service, terrible shows/lounge (the list goes on & on). My mother is now very anxious to say the least. As a very recent cruiser, what did you think? Thanks again - Maryland[/QUOTE]
maryland-

The thing about the Noordam is you either love her or hate her - we love her, but we like the fact that she's a bit smaller than many other HAL vessels. We found the A/C to be a bit problematic - the dining room seemed a bit warm, we were at second seating - those who had first seating didn't seem to have any problems - also one day we came back to our cabin to find the heat blasting away. A trip to the front desk solved the problem quickly. The elevators on the Noordam are S-L-O-W... we found it easier to take the stairs. Most things are within walking distance.

We thought the food on our recent Maasdam cruise was better, but it was some of the best food we've had on a HAL ship in a long time. We did not think the food on the Noordam was lacking at all.

We (early-mid 40's) were one of the youngest couples on board, we had delightful tablemates, all retired, who we enjoyed immensely.

We enjoyed all the ports - we obtained visas and did St. Petersburg on our own - however, I would not recommend this to everyone. The traffic is crazy - the crime runs a close second. I almost fell for the gypsy children, til one of them tried to grab my purse (they were pretty persistent - chased me around the Church on Spilled Blood). We got back to the ship so late the second day - we thought we might miss it - but found there were a few tours stranded in town - HAL was sending some officers in to go get the pax and bring them back to the ship.

We've had several different category cabins and are booked on her final voyage, if you have any other questions, let me know, I'll try & help.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Maryland. We're sailing Noordam August 1 and are booked with Red October. They guarantee no more than 10 people per tour, and last we heard, we are the only ones currently scheduled. If you're scheduled for the August 1 sailing, we'd love to have you join us with RO, as the price per person is reduced with each addition (plus, we'd love to meet you....lol!) RO has told us that they are able to bypass the lines at the Hermitage which we have read on several posts can be a problem with the ship tours.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on the Oosterdam last August for the Baltic in the heat wave. Except for Red October in St. Pete and the ship excursion to Berlin, I did everything on my own. I'm 64, female, and out of shape. Every port has wonderful tourist offices to help with maps, currency exchange and information. No problem finding people who speak English. I took a city bus in Arhus, Denmark to get to the museum (GREAT!) and people were helpful on the street when they saw me with my map looking lost. Only felt uncomfortable once, when I got lost in Tallinn, but I got where I wanted to go in a roundabout fashion. Most Baltic ports we visited were small enough so walking was feasible. I especially enjoyed Visby, Gotland as they were having a medieval festival with dancing, plays, jousts, etc. And Warnemund had a tall ships sea festival I would have enjoyed had it not been for the Berlin trip taking so long. The Baltic has become one of my favorite destinations and I am anxious to return. Can't give RO prices, since I wanted a solo tour. But the guide and driver supplied were terrific! Enjoy!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We decided to give up our train tickets to Berlin the morning of the excursion and we were glad we did - when we were in the Baltic, it was unseasonably warm and we heard the train ride into Berlin was long and very uncomfortable for many pax.

We stayed in Warnemund and had a fantastic time! It is a beautiful city with much to offfer - they didn't even mind my rusty German!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Maryland--In response to your questions:

I thought the food on Noordam was good--typical cruise line fare. I guess the only thing missing would be the specialty restaurants on larger, newer ships where you get to spend more money!

Vibration--Sometimes I was aware of some, most of the time I wasn't. I guess it just depended on where you were on the ship.

I thought the overall condition of the ship was good. Just keep in mind that she is 20 years old, and is not going to be as glitzy as the Westerdam. The air conditioning was fine. Maybe it was because the weather was so cool and rainy on the trip. I never touched the control in my cabin.

I guess my tastes aren't very discerning, but I thought the shows and the lounge musicians were great. I thought the song and dance production cast was very energetic and that they were all good singers and dancers. I think the major drawback on the ship was the main show theater. It was not tiered theater seating like on newer ships. It was just a floor with a very gentle slope and there were support poles to try to see around. Unless you got your seats up at the front very early, your sight lines could be poor.

I thought the service was just fine. Most of the staff tried very hard to please.

All in all, I thought the trip was a great bargain. I could have paid a whole lot more on a newer ship, but for me, the highlight was the ports, and the ship was fine. I think you will have a great time. By the way, you are likely to be pretty pooped every day when you get back to the ship because of all the walking that is required on the tours. St Petersburg will wear you out!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='trecker']Hi,

We are on a later cruise also but we are wondering what the RO rates are. Can you share them with us.

Thanks, jim[/QUOTE]
The price for RO depends on how many in your party. They guarantee no more than 10 but will do a tour for as few as two people. Day 1 for 2ppl: $241pp; for 4ppl: $158pp; for 6ppl: $124pp; for 8ppl: $115pp; for 10ppl: $103pp. Day 2 is slightly less expensive (it ends sooner since the ship pulls out that day).

Each tour has a driver and an English-speaking guide.

The RO folks have been very accommodating and responsive to our many questions via email.

Good luck with your decision, Jim! :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the Oosterdam Maiden Voyage to the Baltics last August. It was fabulous. We used Red October in St. Petersburg and they were fabulous. No lines to wait in. Our guide, Helen, was delightful and added immensely to the enjoyment of our tours with all her knowledge of St. Petersburg history and culture. We stayed overnight in Copenhagen at the Scandic Hotel located in walking distance of Tivoli Gardens and the Stroget (Pedestrian mall). Scandic is part of the Hilton chain, and the rooms were lovely. We originally had booked the Copenhagen Hilton near the airport, but were glad we changed as we wanted to be close to the tourist attractions. You will have a wonderful time on this cruise. Please let me know if I can give you any further information.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's lots of Baltic info under "Ports of Call" too.

We were on the Noordam in February and loved it, but then we've never been on a cruise we didn't like. We knew it's an older, smaller ship with an older clientele. The only problem we had was getting early seating, the maitre'd made a big deal out of it and didn't let us have early seating til we asked him twice on the second day. On the plus side - great desserts in the buffet restaurant with wonderful icecream. No extra charge as on so many ships. Right outside the buffet is a nice deck with a lunch grill, sail-away band, bar, etc.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...