7/18/2010 Mickey's Baltic Ballyhoo!! Part 5

[Andrew DEREK UK]

With our large family, we may go broke, but it will be worth it!!!

Cost is an ARM and TWO LEGS!!! -Second mortgage, and a 'floating charge'.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I am running with an option of (2) at each port,


1/
Price : $75.00
Norwegian Adventure
Port: Oslo, Norway
Duration: 3-3.5 hours

2/
Price : $69.00
Oslo Highlights
Port: Oslo, Norway
Duration: 3-3.5 hours
1/
Price : $99.00
Charming Copenhagen - Walk and Cruise
Port: Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: 4-4.5 hours
2/
Price : $79.00
City and Harbor Tour
Port: Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: 3-3.5 hour
1/
Price : N/A (Based on private vehicle)
Berlin Private Vehicles with Premium Train Service
Port: Warnemunde, Germany
Duration: 12.5-13 hours
2/
Price : $299.00
Berlin Discovery
Port: Warnemunde, Germany
Duration: 12.5-13 hours

Private tours-daytime.

Price : $99.00
A Night of Russian Ballet
Port: St. Petersburg, Russia
Duration: 3-3.5 hours
1/
Price : $115.00
Tallinn by Tram
Port: Tallinn, Estonia
Duration: 4-4.5 hour

2/
Price : $99.00
Best of Tallinn with Concert and Lunch
Port: Tallinn, Estonia
Duration: 6-6.5 hours

1/
Price : $119.00
Historical Stockholm and Sigtuna
Port: Stockholm, Sweden
Duration: 6-6.5 hours
2/
Price : $79.00
City Hall, Royal Palace and Old Town
Port: Stockholm, Sweden
Duration: 4-4.5 hours

 

[Madisonznana]

OMGDid you see the prices for the Princess Ball? $399 for adults!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are definitely gonna have to pass on this one.

 

[Madisonznana]

Has anyone looked into any private tours to Berlin? I am still not sure I even want to take a 3 hour drive each way with the girls. The Molli Steam engine tour is looking pretty good at this point.

 

[JetsMets]

The Disney Cruise site? If so some idea where?

thanks so much - I expect we will pick out one or two in total and then do a lot on our own.

My in laws are not that old, but they have both had knee issues, so some things are out of the question at least for them.

Prices for shore trips are up!!!!!!!




Now wait for all the new threads to come up!!!!!!!

 

[Madisonznana]

The Disney Cruise site? If so some idea where?

thanks so much - I expect we will pick out one or two in total and then do a lot on our own.

My in laws are not that old, but they have both had knee issues, so some things are out of the question at least for them.

go to the Disney cruise website and then to cruises and destinations. When you find the itineraries for our cruise just click on each city.

 

[MrsScooby]

Has anyone looked into any private tours to Berlin? I am still not sure I even want to take a 3 hour drive each way with the girls. The Molli Steam engine tour is looking pretty good at this point.

Karen I'm looking into a private tour for Berlin. I would have rather played it safe and gone with DCL, but their prices are just so much higher that we are willing to risk going with a private tour company. I have an email to the company and will report back when I get the info.
Prices will be cheaper if I can get someone to join us

 

[Madisonznana]

Well there are 7 of us, including 3 girls who might have "are we there yet" down pat!

 

[MrsScooby]

Well there are 7 of us, including 3 girls who might have "are we there yet" down pat!

No gameboys? That helped alot for us with long trips.

Not looking forward to the long drive, but staying in Warnemunde just didn't appeal.

 

[MI-MINI]

Thank you Andrew for announcing the prices are up!

Does anyone know when they put the times up? I'm trying to figure out scheduling to see how much I can fit in one day in St. Petersburg- I'm hoping there's time for one long or 2 shorter port adventures and still time to eat dinner and go back out for an evening jaunt somewhere....

Of all the stops I'm looking forward to Russia the most!

 

[jilljill]

Thank you Andrew for announcing the prices are up!

Does anyone know when they put the times up? I'm trying to figure out scheduling to see how much I can fit in one day in St. Petersburg- I'm hoping there's time for one long or 2 shorter port adventures and still time to eat dinner and go back out for an evening jaunt somewhere....

Of all the stops I'm looking forward to Russia the most!

You would be better off doing a private tour. DCL's excursions here are pretty bad in my opinion. They only have you going into 2 venues at the most and lots of driving and seeing things from a bus. We hit 6 venues in 1 day with our private tour and that was touring them, not just driving by them.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Has anyone looked into any private tours to Berlin? I am still not sure I even want to take a 3 hour drive each way with the girls. The Molli Steam engine tour is looking pretty good at this point.

BERLIN is an issue 2.75 hours each way by train is a killer but you can just miss it, and then the price as you travel, The Molli Steam train is what I would do if Berlin wasn't there, it looks very good.

Karen I'm looking into a private tour for Berlin. I would have rather played it safe and gone with DCL, but their prices are just so much higher that we are willing to risk going with a private tour company. I have an email to the company and will report back when I get the info.
Prices will be cheaper if I can get someone to join us

Well I do not know what people think but do we want to group up for Berlin or St Petes??? To save on costs.

I have had the DCL price on Berlin Private tour as yet, but maybe Monday as they didn't come back to me last night. Cars are only 3 people but then there are vans to 7 and maybe 12.

I will go with 4, if someone wants to join us PM me. Note we plan to say 'do the highlights' and not much time for food, just hit it, and we will eat /rest on the train. My kids are 14 and 11.

Thank you Andrew for announcing the prices are up!

Does anyone know when they put the times up? I'm trying to figure out scheduling to see how much I can fit in one day in St. Petersburg- I'm hoping there's time for one long or 2 shorter port adventures and still time to eat dinner and go back out for an evening jaunt somewhere....

Of all the stops I'm looking forward to Russia the most!

Times will not be up until the 'release' date ie I can tell you on 20th March when I book, but you can work out most, the long ones will go within 30 mins of port arrival. In fact Berlin you will be meeting up before port arrival.

Ballet will be 6pm ish.

The small ones will be the harder ones to work out, ie half days.

 

[MrsScooby]

Well I do not know what people think but do we want to group up for Berlin or St Petes??? To save on costs.

I have had the DCL price on Berlin Private tour as yet, but maybe Monday as they didn't come back to me last night. Cars are only 3 people but then there are vans to 7 and maybe 12.

I will go with 4, if someone wants to join us PM me. Note we plan to say 'do the highlights' and not much time for food, just hit it, and we will eat /rest on the train. My kids are 14 and 11.

Makes sense to group up (at least in small groups) as it does save a significant amount of money. I also want to hit the highlights of Berlin but want to take some time for lunch. We don't travel that much (this is the first trip to Europe for me and my dd), so sampling the local food is part of the experience for us. I can undertand why it would be less important for others especially those who travel more. I guess what we have to do is look over the port highlights, figure out what our "must sees" are and then link up with other like-minded families
Still waiting to hear back from the Berlin tour company I emailed. Their website looks good though
http://www.berlinwalks.de/
I contacted them last year and they responded pretty quickly each time so I should hear from them soon.

 

[MrsScooby]

ok, question for the women here...

I do need to go shopping for some new sneakers soon. Any recommendations for a brand that will hold up well during these tours?

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Makes sense to group up (at least in small groups) as it does save a significant amount of money. I also want to hit the highlights of Berlin but want to take some time for lunch. We don't travel that much (this is the first trip to Europe for me and my dd), so sampling the local food is part of the experience for us. I can understand why it would be less important for others especially those who travel more. I guess what we have to do is look over the port highlights, figure out what our "must sees" are and then link up with other like-minded families
Still waiting to hear back from the Berlin tour company I emailed. Their website looks good though
http://www.berlinwalks.de/
I contacted them last year and they responded pretty quickly each time so I should hear from them soon.

Yes people will have different tastes and priorities we were lucky in 2007 to link up with Sally and as my plans had already been booked they were happy to go along with us and it worked out well. In 2008 in Panama a family contacted me who had cruised with me before, and knew my posts over the years, and knew I was having a private tour in PV, Mexico and asked if they could join us, I said my plans were to combine two DCL tours, they agreed and it worked.

I am working on the principle of doing Berlin by ourselves, as I like to hit it fast and we will not relax for food etc we can eat anytime but have limited time in Berlin, if we want to eat we would stay on the cruise ship.

The other place I am going private is St Petersburge but leaving that to Anastasia.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

OK

First clues on the 'front runner' for 2011 for me, and my family.(Since DCL changed their Med Europe plans in 2011.


Drum-roll........



RCCL on wait-list for Suite in 2011, Late July early August.

Either out of Southampton to Western Med. Inc Portugal, Gibraltar, Ibiza, etc,

Or
Eastern Med, Venice>Greece>Egypt. Flights to Europe departure port.


I have nearly dropped Alaska, re Flight length...

 

[jilljill]

ok, question for the women here...

I do need to go shopping for some new sneakers soon. Any recommendations for a brand that will hold up well during these tours?

Sorry I can't help you here, I only wear sandals. I wore Clarks on the last cruise and had no issues with them.

 

[Caropooh]

aren't you people who are doing Berlin on your own afraid of not etting back on time and missing the ship?

 

[jilljill]

aren't you people who are doing Berlin on your own afraid of not etting back on time and missing the ship?

If they drink enough while in Berlin they won't care as much.
Seriously, I'd look at the track record of the tour companies to see if they've had any guests miss a ship.

There was a couple that missed the ship in Warnemunde and had to drive 5 hours to Munich, stay 2 nights in Germany before flying to the next port to meet up with the ship. They didn't go to Berlin, but rented a car on their own and on the drive back to the ship their rental car broke down and that's how they missed the ship.

 

[MrsScooby]

aren't you people who are doing Berlin on your own afraid of not etting back on time and missing the ship?

I was and thought going with DCL would assure that I would not be left behind...but if you look at their descriptions (especially those that involve a train transport) there really aren't any guarantees

We'll just have to be very vigilant and make sure we get back in time. The tour company I am looking at is experienced with cruisers and I'm hoping that helps