Baltic or Norway

[Jess_S]

With 6 months until my next cruise, it's obviously the perfect time to start planning my OBB. My husband has decided he would like to go to Iceland. Since Icelandair does a deal where you can stop over in Reykjavik for several days on your way elsewhere in Europe, I'd like to combine Iceland with one of the cruises that departs from Copenhagen. I was initially thinking of doing Norway, but then I started reading Baltic trip reports and now I can't decide.

Some facts about us to help with recommendations. We are interested in both the outdoors and history. We also prefer to tour on our own where possible. Finally, we will be traveling with our son, who will be 5 at the time of the trip. He has a longer than average attention span, but I have no idea what his interests will be a year and a half from now.

 

[dragynally]

Try reading a trip report here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/cruise-planning/trip-reports/ Scott went on a Norway cruise and there seemed to be a lot of nice things to do

 

[Jess_S]

Thanks! I love reading trip reports. I've read some for Norway and some for the Baltic capitals and both sound great.

 

[linetbo]

We did the Baltic, LOVE St Petersburg, we did a private tour and it was awesome. Tallin excursion was good too. Stockholm it's beautiful bit our excursion wasn't that good. We are doing Norway next year can't wait.

 

[Dug720]

I voted Norway because I would LOVE to do it, but they are sailing that route before school is out for me.

Russia and that area has never held any interest for me, so I have ZERO desire to go on anything that goes there. Especially when you usually have to get a visa anyway even if you're not getting off the ship.

 

[Jess_S]

We did the Baltic, LOVE St Petersburg, we did a private tour and it was awesome. Tallin excursion was good too. Stockholm it's beautiful bit our excursion wasn't that good. We are doing Norway next year can't wait.

Thanks! I honestly would not have considered visiting Russia until I started reading about the DCL Baltic itinerary. Having seen photos, St. Peterburg looks like an interesting place to visit. (Though I am not without fear that we'll somehow wind up detained as spies).

 

[NancyIL]

I enjoyed both cruises. However, you need more than 1 day in St. Petersburg to do it justice. My June 2014 Baltic cruise was an 11-night from Copenhagen to Stockholm on Royal Caribbean, and it spent 3 days in St. Petersburg. I organized a group from my Cruise Critic roll call thread, and we spent days 1 and 3 in St. Petersburg and day 2 in Moscow. All were booked with Alla Tours: http://www.alla-tour.com/

 

[kiford]

Russia and that area has never held any interest for me, so I have ZERO desire to go on anything that goes there. Especially when you usually have to get a visa anyway even if you're not getting off the ship.

You do not require a visa for Russia if you are not getting off the ship. If you are going on an excursion with either a reputable tour company or through the cruise line, they have essentially a blanket visa for the group as long as you are with the tour group (i.e., you can't go off on your own or leave the group - you have to reboard the ship once the tour is over).

Going to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg was on my bucket list ever since I found out what it was when I was 16 and it was much more than I had imagined.I don't think I'd ever fly there and stay but on a cruise it was great, especially since we got two days there. I'd love to go back again but everyone has different tastes. We did 12 days but on a 7 day cruise each person has to pick which ports and excursions are of most interest to them in order to maximize their enjoyment over such a short time. Having done the Baltic one which I thought was fantastic, I now want to do one to Norway and/or Iceland. So I'm afraid I'm not much help to the OP as to which to choose. All I can suggest is to look at the ports, the sights to see and pick whichever most speaks to you.

 

[TACK]

My daughter and I did the Baltic with 2 days in Copenhagen before and 2 days after in Iceland using Icelandair stopover. It was wonderful. Loved the Baltic, lots of history and a good variety. We walked around Tallinn which was easy to do, used SPB tours for St. Petersburg doing 2 tours and was gone all day (they take care of the visas - absolutely no problems getting off the boat and returning). Did the Skansen zoo/museum ourselves using hop on and hop off in Sweden and walked around Helsinki. I would love to do Norway but if was a matter of the two, I would do the Baltic first.

 

[linetbo]

Our tour company was Anastasia Travel and she did a great job, 10 hours tour I saw everything I want to see and more. Can't say anything bad about them.

 

[Flossbolna]

I voted for Norway. I did the inaugural 7-night Norway cruise in 2015 and I have visited all the ports on the Baltic itinerary for land trips. My reasoning for choosing Norway is your son. I think even when you say that he has a longer than average attention span, city visits can be very tiring. And while I think that it is possible to do lovely things for a 5-year-old in all the Baltic ports, I think that you might feel like you scaled down a bit too much for your adult tastes. With the Norway ports it is much easier to combine the needs of a kid with the interests of an adult in my opinion. The towns are all smaller and it is great how you just walk off the ship and are nearly in the middle of the market square. Only Bergen is slightly larger, but still so easy to get around. We explored Stavanger, Geiranger and Bergen totally on our own, but had a port adventure in Alesund because we wanted to see more of the countryside, so we took the Trollvaeggen excursion.

 

[michellekcm]

I voted Norway, only because my children (then aged 2 and 6) preferred those ports over the Baltics. Having said that, they both really did like Stockholm n

 

[Geomom]

I voted Norway for you, thinking that the Baltic one would be better for older kids. I'm looking at both of these cruises as possibilities for 2018 (also wanting that stop to explore Iceland), but it partly depends when school gets out. DD16 would prefer Norway and I'd love to do the Baltic--I'd love to see the architecture in St. Petersburg. I think DD12 and DH would like either. We'll see what DCL offers for summer 2018...maybe we'll be picking something else!

 

[Jess_S]

The kids' perspectives are very helpful. Since my son is pretty amiable, I have a tendency to drag him along without giving it too much thought. But I definitely don't want to exhaust him with traveling to and from whatever we are going to see and wind up with no time to actually enjoy it.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

Another option are the Adventures by Disney River cruises. Not Iceland, Not Russia. But, ports/excursions every day. History, etc. This was the first year for those and I think some good trip reports on the ABD portion of the DISboards.

We did an ABD pre-cruise in Copenhagen with teen and 8yo. Great experience traveling ABD with kids. We did the 11-night Norway/Iceland/Scotland cruise after that, and there were plenty of touring or outdoor excursions to do in all locations. Of note, it takes awhile to see very many sights in Iceland -they are spread out. The classic Golden Circle tour (out of Reykjavik) is hours and hours of driving to see the sights. Very very beautiful, really great....but lots of driving. In Akureyri, we just went with a private horse farm to do 3 hours of riding Icelandic horses (they accepted riders as young as 6, btw). Ground covered while horseback riding was minimal, but the experience was not so touristy and much enjoyed.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[aggiedog]

I've not done Norway, but we did an Iceland stopover, then 3 days in Copenhagen, then the Baltic DCL cruise last year. It was one of the best vacations we've done as a family (kids ages 10-16.)

I've heard do Norway if you like nature and outdoor activities, do the Baltic if you like culture, cities, and history. I loved, loved the Baltic cities. If you go there, do private non-DCL tours. They are way better, less crowded, and much cheaper. We did a food walking tour in Tallinn, Estonia, which was a highlight for us. We did a private day in SPB, which was honestly my least favorite port, but interesting none the less and our guide was great. We did DCL tours for Helsinki (half did the speedboat - hair raising but fun, the other half reindeer feeding - so sweet!), and Stockholm (too crowded and rushed, enjoyed walking around town on our own much better.)

Iceland is amazing. You'll get your fill of nature there. We arrived one afternoon, had a full day, then left the next afternoon. Try to get 2 full days there at least. Do a south coast tour, as it's beautiful and less crowded than the Golden Circle.

Copenhagen is super easy to navigate, and great for kids.

 

[ldo]

I have done both, most recent this June on Magic/Norway with 15 yr old and Baltic in 2010 with 9 yr old. Norway was slower paced than Baltic, esp. given 10 hr St P tour. For 6.5 yrs old, I would choose Norway. Here is what we did that might be of interest to a 6.5 yr old. Stavanger: boat tour to fjords--will be a bit boring for a 6 yr old, but it's only 3 hrs long and an easy morning. Alesund: walked around town and then did the 418 step climb to the top of the mountain. Lots of 5 yr old doing it, great views, easy 1/2 day, Geiranger-we did the bus to top of Mt D and also kayaking, but there is a tourist bys to 2 look out points that would be fine for a 6 yr old and there is also a 1 hr boat tour. I would likely choose those and do something different in Stavanger (there are a few museums and the town is cute), if you do a boat tour in G. Bergen, go off boat and walked around (raining). We went to Hanseatic Museum and then took the included shuttle to the Fishing museum, which would be excellent for a 6 yr old. We also had tickets to take the funicular to the top of the mtn, but it was raining, so we skipped that.
We loved the Baltics, but even at 9, that was a bit young. St P is a LONG day, too long even for 9 yrs old. DS chose to stay in kids club in Tallin and Helsinki.
Copenhagen is a great city. Allow for an extra day or two--lots to see.

 

[anricat]

We are so torn on this, too. Come spring, we're going to book one or the other for summer 2018. I think for us it's going to come down to timing and price. We could literally go either way and I think whichever we choose, we're going to have a great time. I mean, I think you can't go wrong! DH and I tend to love history and culture, but DD (8) is a big nature freak (she had a great time in Alaska this past August).

 

[Jess_S]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and all the detailed port information. You guys have made lots of suggestions that my son would love (assuming he doesn't totally change his interests in the next year). I'm still undecided but leaning towards Norway based on everyone's thoughts on what my son would enjoy more. The good news is that I have months left to decide.

TrySomethingNew, you read my husband's mind. He has wanted to go on a European river cruise for years, but we haven't because other lines cater to ... let's say, more seasoned travelers. We were very excited when ABD added the option because the Disney brand will attract more families. I think we're going to wait until my son is within the recommended age range for the ABD river cruise before trying it. From the reports I've read, it seems like most of the families who go have tweens and teens.

 

[ldo]

for those with kids considering Balitcs, here is what we did in 2 Baltic ports with kids.
Stockholm: take the HO-HO that picks up right at the pier (get SEK for the Ho-Ho (Swedish $$) before you leave the US--they are not on the euro). Take the Ho-HO to downtown and walk around. You can go into the Palace, etc. but the BEST place was the Livrustkammaren. Founded in 1633, it is also Sweden's oldest museum. Set in the palace vaults, this armory isn't just about weapons but displays some of the world's most magnificent state coaches and coronation robes, even the costume worn by Gustav III at a fatal masked ball. (The king was assassinated at the 1792 ball, and the incident inspired Verdi to write his opera The Masked Ball.) They have a free kit that you can borrow for the kids--it is a box with a fake mouse and you find clues throughout the museum. My kids spent 2 hours doing this--super fun. They also have a good dress up place with princess/knights stuff, as well. We got the combo Ho-HO ticket and also took a boat tour. We did not have time to see the Viking ship (on the HO-HO bus/boat line). As an adult, I also really liked the above.
Tallin--easy to walk from pier to town and they have costumed persons selling nuts, sodas, etc.--very festive. Plus, you can do archery outside the fort with Red Riding Hood type costumed workers, fun to watch, even if you do no participate. Large square in center of town to get food, etc. Tallin looks like a storybook village from a fairy tale.
From an old DCL, I got the idea to make "secret agent" dossiers with 5 things to find/do in each port--like try ____ dessert (famous for ____), climb the _____ tower, count how many steps at the _______. At the end, they got a little prize.