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Topic: Baltic Cruises?

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 06-30-1999 02:49 PM

Has anyone been on a Baltic Cruise? Any comments? Any advice?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

BeBo
Just Boarded
Member # 34

posted 07-08-1999 04:58 PM

Hi Malcolm - Have you looked into Bergan Line?
Believe HAL is doing a cruise in 2000 which crosses the Artic Circle - that might be interesting.

Posts: 9 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 07-08-1999 07:58 PM

Hi Malcolm & BeBo - the HAL cruise in 2000 to the Baltic does not cross the Article Circle. The one that does is the cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. The one to the Baltic is called Jewels of the Baltic Sea and visits the European capitals. Hear it is wonderful, but again, expensive. Right now the Rotterdam is doing this Baltic cruise.
Malcolm - told you how expensive European cruises are from Canada and how low our Canadian dollar is - worse than the pound. As someone else said you can get great prices from the UK, whereas we get no such deals in Canada. Price example from latest HAL brochure for an outside H cabin (for alumni) is $5,324, not including air. Big Canadian bucks.

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-09-1999 08:01 AM

...I've said this before: a Caribean Cruise which includes tha air-fare, flying from London to Miami, is cheaper than a European Cruise which sails to and from a British Port! Supply and Demand, I suppose?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-09-1999 02:00 PM

I've just got a copy of the NCL excursions for there Baltic cruises 1999.
I can't help thinking that cruise excursions (in my limited experience)tend to be a bit of rip off. For example one of the tours, a one day St.Petersberg excursion costs $240. Now I know that the standard of living in Russia is pretty low, so I can only assume that the high cost equals high profit?

Now to be fair, not all the excusions are that expensive. However, as you have upto 9 ports of call in 14 day, it could work out rather expensive if you took an excursion in each port.

Am I right or am I mean?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Bobby G
First Class Passenger
Member # 49

posted 07-09-1999 08:31 PM

Malcolm,
I corresponded with you a few months about this cruise. We took the NCL Dream 14 day cruise out of Dover on May 30, 99. This was our 8th cruise and by far the most enjoyable.
We were stationed in Germany (US Air Force) 30 years ago and Amsterdam was the only city that we had visited.

As for the tours, the two of us spent $750 total for a tour in every port. We took 3 in St. Petersburg in the $42 - $46 range and we don't reget taking any tour. The $750 was about one tenth the cost of our total air/cruise package but we figured we would probably not return to Scandinavia or the Baltic.

We have been on cruise/tours in Alaska, Panama Canal, Eastern-Western-and Southern Carribean and we will still rate our NCL Scandinavian Capitals the best.

[This message has been edited by Bobby G (edited 07-28-99).]

Posts: 36 | From: SC | Registered: Feb 99

Bobby G
First Class Passenger
Member # 49

posted 07-09-1999 08:34 PM

Correction to previous message. Our cruise was May 30 through June 13 1999. Bobby G

Posts: 36 | From: SC | Registered: Feb 99

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-10-1999 07:27 AM

Thanks for the info Bobby. I do not doubt that the Baltic is a good area to cruise. I have worked out the cost of the excursions that I like and the cost for both of us would be $1500 approx! That would be more like one fourth of fifth of the total cost. Maybe I just like the expensive excursions the best?

We will still probably go, in the summer 2000, maybe with NCL. What was the ship like? Which cabin grade did you have? Did the ship seem crowded...etc

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-10-1999 07:29 AM

Thanks BeBo...i'm the sort of guy that investigates all cruise lines and ships before I sign on the dotted line!

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-10-1999 07:31 AM

...Bobby G, I never know why the Carribean Cruises attract so many people? There are lots of other interesting parts of the planet? I can't personally draw comparisons, but you obviously can.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Bobby G
First Class Passenger
Member # 49

posted 07-10-1999 01:54 PM

Malcolm, as you probably know most cruises are what you make them. There is good and bad to be said about all of them. If you aim too high you might be disappointed. I usually expect average and it has been average plus. We booked this cruise about a year early, paid for a lower oceanview and was upgraded to category A, Atlantic deck. It had a queen bed, a great sitting room with a large low window that is easy to see out when you are sitting down.
The ship was full so there were a few events that got a little crowded, but we didn't have any problems. This time of the year in the Baltic there was always plenty of room on the top decks. The bar areas made a nice sitting area with a view during the day.
As for the Carribean, I live in South Carolina and can drive to Florida and not have to fly. I hope you enjoy the Baltic as much as we did.

Posts: 36 | From: SC | Registered: Feb 99

CB
First Class Passenger
Member # 58

posted 07-12-1999 11:59 PM

Malcolm, in reply to you question about why so many people go to the Caribbean, some of the reasons include:

Substantially lower airfare that flying to Europe, Australia, South Pacific....

Hot and sunny days which is especially attractive when it is snowing and freezing in the USA

Great beaches

Snorkeling and Scuba

Access to the Lido pools and sunning on deck daily

Posts: 109 | From: Arlington, TX, USA | Registered: Mar 99

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-13-1999 05:33 AM

CB..point taken!

However, I understand that the Caribbean is becoming saturated with Cruise ships and tourists? Someone told me that the ports of call are all similar?

Are these facts true?

(Although I live in London it is not much more expensive for me to Cruise the Caribbean than Europe!)

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

CB
First Class Passenger
Member # 58

posted 07-13-1999 07:56 AM

Yeah Malcolm:

There is a lot of similarity in the ports in the Caribbean. The attraction to this area of the world would be clear blue water, warm & sunny days all year long, and etc. You will not find a Hermitage or Greek architecture, etc. You can't compare the culture and history of Europe to that in the Caribbean.

Even though cruising is becoming more popular in Europe, the cruise lines still know where their bread and butter is. That is why you will find the newest ships in the Caribbean and the older ships on other itineraries.

The Caribbean and Alaska have been saturated for sometime now. But it is going to get worse in the Caribbean as the lines continue to build these floating theme parks(Grand Princess, Voyager of the Seas, the Destiny and their sisters). One advantage here should be for cruisers who may come into a lot of bargains.

Posts: 109 | From: Arlington, TX, USA | Registered: Mar 99

Scottylass
First Class Passenger
Member # 420

posted 07-15-1999 06:04 AM

To Malcom and all
I am due to go on a Baltic Cruise on Celebrity's Century on 31 July 99 so I can let you know what I thought of it. This will be my fifth cruise, 2 Caribbean, 1 Mediterranean and 1 Alaska, on RCCL and Princess. I have alway more or less done Ships tours, but the cost does add up, so this time, have only signed up for one in Poland and two in St. Petersburg, but have done quite a bit of research on all the other Ports, and intend to do my own thing, but know exactly what I want to see in each Port of Call which are: Amsterdam, Oslo, Sweden, Helsinki, St.Petersburg, Muuga for Gdansk, Warnemunde for Rostock and Berlin, Copenhagen, and Tallin in Estonia, so I am getting pretty excited now. Will give my opinion doing our own shore excrusions. The 3 excursions we did sign up for will be costing around 400 dollars around 266 pounds stg.

Posts: 648 | From: Stirlingshire, Scotland | Registered: Jul 99

Scottylass
First Class Passenger
Member # 420

posted 07-15-1999 09:44 AM

I hope you spotted my deliberate mistake in the Baltic Itinerary, it should be Muuga for Tallin in Estonia, and Gydnia for Gdansk in Poland. Oooops sorry......
The good thing about living in the UK and cruising in Europe is the short flight times, it only takes over an hour to go from Glasgow to Amsterdam, compared with many many hours to the Caribbean and Alaska, but what the heck... its worth it all is'nt it to be on a cruise ship. Happy cruising to all.....

Posts: 648 | From: Stirlingshire, Scotland | Registered: Jul 99

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-16-1999 06:01 AM

Thanks Scottylass, your feedback would be very very welcome. I've Cruised Alaska with Celebrity..they are good. I don't think that you will be disappointed.However, my wife and I must be the only people it the world that thinks their food is average rather than great!

We live in London so we can drive to Harwich or Dover and take a Baltic Cruise from there.

( I must say I've also looked into Baltic coach tours and they would probably be cheaper..but maybe I should not say that here!)

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago!

Willy Paul
First Class Passenger
Member # 473

posted 07-16-1999 04:01 PM

Malcom;

Went to the Baltic a few years ago. St. Petersburg was a gem. We spent two days and we were out morning, noon, and night the first day and morning and afternoon on the second day. Pushkin was okay. The Hermitage was spectacular and the the Czars residence on the Bay of Finland was spectacular. Do not miss it. The Water falls and garden were super. Make the best of it and don't worry about the cost. It was trip of a lifetime.

Posts: 151 | From: Auburn, Ma. | Registered: Jul 99

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