Baltic cruise thoughts

[2littlestitches]

Hi everyone.

I am fresh off the 3rd Baltic cruise and just so tired! I'm not one to write long, detailed trip reports, but I thought I'd post some thoughts/impressions of the cruise for you. A little background......this was my 5th Disney cruise and I previously sailed on Disney's cruise to the Mediterranean in 2007. I traveled with a group of extended family, including my husband and two school-aged boys.

London.........was just awesome! We stayed at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, which was perfectly located. We chose to do 2 days of private touring with Luxury Vacations UK, which was a great decision for our group. We saw all the major sights of London, such as changing of the guard, Tower of London, Abbey Rd, Westminster Abbey, and on another day toured Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. It was so great. We had another day on our own, where we did the Natural History museum, Harrods, and the London Eye. Our time in London was perfect! What a great city to explore!

Oslo.....was such a surprise! We loved being there, probably because for years we've joked about it when going on the Maelstrom ride at Epcot. Never thought I'd actually visit Norway! Well, I'll never skip the movie again, because it was seriously a beautiful country! We did the Viking Heritage tour, and especially liked seeing the Viking ships and visiting the open air museum.

Berlin.....loved it. The train ride there was very long and very hot both ways. We really lucked out with a FANTASTIC tour guide for our Sights and Sounds of Berlin tour. We saw so much and loved it all. The lunch Disney set up was great with beer, sausages, and apple struedel. It was a long, long day, but totally worth it for all we saw. I would not miss Berlin! It was one of the highlights for us.

St. Petersburg......was HOT HOT HOT with no air conditioning or cold water in sight for 2 days. LOL. I was really excited to see Russia, and could not believe I was actually there. Our tours were : Day 1: Walking Tour of St. Petersburg and then Evening Canal Boat ride. Day 2: Catherine's Palace and the Hermitage then Russian Forkloric Show. The Walking tour and Catherine's Palace/Hermitage tours were very rushed. We dashed from place to crowded place very quickly and wished there had been more time. I'm really glad I got to see Catherine's Palace and the Hermitage, because they were must sees. The Evening Canal boat ride was nice, and we all enjoyed the Russian Forkloric show. I started having regrets that I didn't see the ballet, though, because I saw plenty of Forkloric dancing on the boat ride, at lunch, and one night on the Disney ship. Had I known that, I may have picked the ballet instead. Russia was a neat place to see. Am I dying to visit there again? Not so sure. But I'm really glad I saw it. Were it not for Disney, I probably never would have gone there. So thanks, Disney, for opening my horizons! I bought way too many Russian souveniers, that is for sure! I fell in love with the nesting dolls, and just thought everyone should have one. LOL.

Helsinki...we did the Porvoo and Helsinki highlights tour, and had a sweet older lady as our guide. She was great! Porvoo was a beautiful little town, and I'm glad we went there. Helsinki is a beautiful place.......lakes, trees, flowers, beautiful views.

Stockholm......wow, talk about beauty! Gorgeous city, just gorgeous. We did the Stockholm and Sigtuna tour and lucked out again with a great tour guide. I especially loved the beauty of Old town in Stockholm. Our lunch was great, too, and we tried our kids' Swedish meatballs. I would not hesitate to visit Stockholm again. It was so nice.

The last 2 days at sea got a little long for us. Probably because it was just postponing the inevitable......that our trip was over and we had to go home.

I'm taking away such wonderful memories of our time in the Baltic. I really was skeptical that this cruise could even compete with the fun we had on our Med cruise, but I was wrong. It was just as great, but in a different way. I am so glad I got to see these places, and I really hope Disney continues to venture out and try new locations. I really have my fingers crossed for an Asian cruise sometime in the future! HOPE HOPE HOPE!

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them. It was a really great experience for our whole family!

 

[Cliffside]

Hi everyone.

I am fresh off the 3rd Baltic cruise and just so tired! I'm not one to write long, detailed trip reports, but I thought I'd post some thoughts/impressions of the cruise for you. A little background......this was my 5th Disney cruise and I previously sailed on Disney's cruise to the Mediterranean in 2007. I traveled with a group of extended family, including my husband and two school-aged boys.

London.........was just awesome! We stayed at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, which was perfectly located. We chose to do 2 days of private touring with Luxury Vacations UK, which was a great decision for our group. We saw all the major sights of London, such as changing of the guard, Tower of London, Abbey Rd, Westminster Abbey, and on another day toured Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. It was so great. We had another day on our own, where we did the Natural History museum, Harrods, and the London Eye. Our time in London was perfect! What a great city to explore!

Oslo.....was such a surprise! We loved being there, probably because for years we've joked about it when going on the Maelstrom ride at Epcot. Never thought I'd actually visit Norway! Well, I'll never skip the movie again, because it was seriously a beautiful country! We did the Viking Heritage tour, and especially liked seeing the Viking ships and visiting the open air museum.

Berlin.....loved it. The train ride there was very long and very hot both ways. We really lucked out with a FANTASTIC tour guide for our Sights and Sounds of Berlin tour. We saw so much and loved it all. The lunch Disney set up was great with beer, sausages, and apple struedel. It was a long, long day, but totally worth it for all we saw. I would not miss Berlin! It was one of the highlights for us.

St. Petersburg......was HOT HOT HOT with no air conditioning or cold water in sight for 2 days. LOL. I was really excited to see Russia, and could not believe I was actually there. Our tours were : Day 1: Walking Tour of St. Petersburg and then Evening Canal Boat ride. Day 2: Catherine's Palace and the Hermitage then Russian Forkloric Show. The Walking tour and Catherine's Palace/Hermitage tours were very rushed. We dashed from place to crowded place very quickly and wished there had been more time. I'm really glad I got to see Catherine's Palace and the Hermitage, because they were must sees. The Evening Canal boat ride was nice, and we all enjoyed the Russian Forkloric show. I started having regrets that I didn't see the ballet, though, because I saw plenty of Forkloric dancing on the boat ride, at lunch, and one night on the Disney ship. Had I known that, I may have picked the ballet instead. Russia was a neat place to see. Am I dying to visit there again? Not so sure. But I'm really glad I saw it. Were it not for Disney, I probably never would have gone there. So thanks, Disney, for opening my horizons! I bought way too many Russian souveniers, that is for sure! I fell in love with the nesting dolls, and just thought everyone should have one. LOL.

Helsinki...we did the Porvoo and Helsinki highlights tour, and had a sweet older lady as our guide. She was great! Porvoo was a beautiful little town, and I'm glad we went there. Helsinki is a beautiful place.......lakes, trees, flowers, beautiful views.

Stockholm......wow, talk about beauty! Gorgeous city, just gorgeous. We did the Stockholm and Sigtuna tour and lucked out again with a great tour guide. I especially loved the beauty of Old town in Stockholm. Our lunch was great, too, and we tried our kids' Swedish meatballs. I would not hesitate to visit Stockholm again. It was so nice.

The last 2 days at sea got a little long for us. Probably because it was just postponing the inevitable......that our trip was over and we had to go home.

I'm taking away such wonderful memories of our time in the Baltic. I really was skeptical that this cruise could even compete with the fun we had on our Med cruise, but I was wrong. It was just as great, but in a different way. I am so glad I got to see these places, and I really hope Disney continues to venture out and try new locations. I really have my fingers crossed for an Asian cruise sometime in the future! HOPE HOPE HOPE!

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them. It was a really great experience for our whole family!

Thanks for your thoughts and observations. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. We are booked on the 8/18 med since DH has been wanting to get to Italy for the longest time.....However it sounds like the Baltics would be another good choice when he is able to get that much time off from work again and DIsney goes back.

 

[2littlestitches]

Thanks for your thoughts and observations. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. We are booked on the 8/18 med since DH has been wanting to get to Italy for the longest time.....However it sounds like the Baltics would be another good choice when he is able to get that much time off from work again and DIsney goes back.

You are going to have a wonderful time on the Med cruise! It has been, honestly, one of the highlights of my life to see the Mediterranean aboard the Disney magic.. You are in for a big treat!!!!!!!

 

[Cliffside]

You are going to have a wonderful time on the Med cruise! It has been, honestly, one of the highlights of my life to see the Mediterranean aboard the Disney magic.. You are in for a big treat!!!!!!!

thx...we are very excited. I booked close to two years ago The first day you could.

 

[cindy18]

Just wondering about your thoughts on Copenhagen, which was one of our favorite ports. So glad you had a great time!!!! Agree that it's wonderful, and we too are hoping for more new ports (ideally for us, an Eastern Med) in the future!

 

[2littlestitches]

Just wondering about your thoughts on Copenhagen, which was one of our favorite ports. So glad you had a great time!!!! Agree that it's wonderful, and we too are hoping for more new ports (ideally for us, an Eastern Med) in the future!

How did I forget Copenhagen? I'll blame it on the jet lag, LOL!

We did the Tivoli Gardens and Harbour tour, and it was a great choice for us! My two boys liked doing the rides and I enjoyed just being there. My kids are theme park lovers, just like their mom! For us, the harbor tour was okay, but we started wondering if we should have done a full day at Tivoli instead. We were spoiled in the morning by being able to just walk on all the rides. It looked like a lot of people were waiting to get in, though, so maybe it's good that we left when we did. What did you guys do in Copenhagen?

 

[cindy18]

We did Copenhagen on our own. We were tempted by Tivoli, but we were afraid that if we went in, we'd spend the entire day there and not see any other part of the city. We started with a walking tour from Rick Steves' book on Scandinavia, so we saw the entrance to Tivoli and Hans Christian Anderson's statue, and then we walked around and through old Copenhagen, past the University and lots of churches and some beautiful squares, winding up at Nyhavn where we stopped for a snack and then took a harbor tour. After the tour, we kept walking, through Amalianbourg Square and to the Museum of Danish Resistance at the foot of the park that leads back to the ship. So we felt like we saw a fair bit in the time we had. The weather was glorious and the city felt very charming and livable -- definitely interested in a return visit.

 

[tfc3rid]

We were on your 7/6 cruise as well... We loved Copenhagen and Berlin and Stockholm and would totally want to return there... Oslo and St. PEtersburg would go in the next tier... Although I will say that St. Petersburg is beautiful, I would not jump through the Visa hoops to go there... WAY too polluted. Helsinki was nice but there wasn't the 'WOW Factor' in places like Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Yes, it was VERY hot. That part of Europe has never seen temps like they are now and since these are cold weather climates, most places and buses and trains do NOT have A/C. Too many travelers with us on DCL excursions complained constantly that 'Disney couldn't even get us good Air Conditioning'. Europe does not use a lot of A/C like we do. A little unfair. This is how life is over there. This was frustrating to folks in our group as to how some of our fellow travelers acted like the steroetypes that some Europeans see Americans as...

All in all, the Baltic cruises were amazing and I hope DCL does it again...

 

[2littlestitches]

We were on your 7/6 cruise as well... We loved Copenhagen and Berlin and Stockholm and would totally want to return there... Oslo and St. PEtersburg would go in the next tier... Although I will say that St. Petersburg is beautiful, I would not jump through the Visa hoops to go there... WAY too polluted. Helsinki was nice but there wasn't the 'WOW Factor' in places like Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Yes, it was VERY hot. That part of Europe has never seen temps like they are now and since these are cold weather climates, most places and buses and trains do NOT have A/C. Too many travelers with us on DCL excursions complained constantly that 'Disney couldn't even get us good Air Conditioning'. Europe does not use a lot of A/C like we do. A little unfair. This is how life is over there. This was frustrating to folks in our group as to how some of our fellow travelers acted like the steroetypes that some Europeans see Americans as...

All in all, the Baltic cruises were amazing and I hope DCL does it again...

I agree......so many crabby people complaining! For us, we figured this is just how it is! Nothing you can do about it, so you may as well try to enjoy it. We know it was unusally hot temps...Disney can't control the weather! So many complaining people everywhere though! I hate that. I mean, you are on vacation, so be happy! Is that so crazy? Maybe try to be a little Disney-like ourselves, since I assume we are all Disney fans. Yes, we all paid a lot for this trip, yes we are spoiled and used to A/C, but when you travel abroad, you can't expect everything to be just as it is in the U.S. That's the beauty of traveling....seeing new places and having new experiences. And maybe actually appreciating the amenities we do enjoy here in the States. I certainly do appreciate the luxuries of A/C and ice cold water now that I'm home. LOL. But if the worst thing I have to deal with is being a little overheated and drinking lukewarm water, I'll take it. It's a small price to pay for seeing the world!

The trip was awesome! Russia was not my favorite place I've ever been, but some things there were just so beautiful. I think it's just so great that I got to go there, and I wouldn't change it for anything!

 

[WilliamK99]

I agree......so many crabby people complaining! For us, we figured this is just how it is! Nothing you can do about it, so you may as well try to enjoy it. We know it was unusally hot temps...Disney can't control the weather! So many complaining people everywhere though! I hate that. I mean, you are on vacation, so be happy! Is that so crazy? Maybe try to be a little Disney-like ourselves, since I assume we are all Disney fans. Yes, we all paid a lot for this trip, yes we are spoiled and used to A/C, but when you travel abroad, you can't expect everything to be just as it is in the U.S. That's the beauty of traveling....seeing new places and having new experiences. And maybe actually appreciating the amenities we do enjoy here in the States. I certainly do appreciate the luxuries of A/C and ice cold water now that I'm home. LOL. But if the worst thing I have to deal with is being a little overheated and drinking lukewarm water, I'll take it. It's a small price to pay for seeing the world!

The trip was awesome! Russia was not my favorite place I've ever been, but some things there were just so beautiful. I think it's just so great that I got to go there, and I wouldn't change it for anything!

Funny you say that, when not deployed, I am stationed in Germany, and A/C is considered a luxury 90% of Europeans do not have. I have lived in Europe for 5 years now, and I am still getting used to it...

There is no need to complain about things you cannot change, just enjoy what you have...