The 2010 Baltic Thread--Cruise Tips and Planning

[TammyAlphabet]

They have released the kids sail free for a while on the June 12 and June 24 Baltic cruises. Now they have a Cat. 12 for 1599 plus tax per person. Combine this with the kids sail free and this is quite a bargain for a family. Just thought I would share this news. My TA is rebooking me now and I am having to pay the cancellation fees but I will still save a significant amount of money. I guess this will fill the ship finally.

 

[poohmomof5]

Thanks for your additional info on Oslo. I was worried how we were going to get around. I have a couple of guidebooks but haven't had a chance to look them over as of yet.
We also found Copenhagen easy to walk, once we got our bearrings after getting lost and stumbling across the US embassy. I still have the guidebook with map they gave us.
We also really liked Tallin and the feel of a 'medievil' town. So different than any other place we've been and very friendly too. We used McD's for a bathroom stop and they didn't charge for its use, tho there was a line that seemed to be local school kids.
Tallin, along with Warnemunde, were our favorite ports followed by StP.

When you were in Warnemunde, did you go to Berlin, or just hang around locally? The boys in the family are going to Berlin, and the girls and I are going to wander around. Any ideas for us?

 

[xangav]

They have released the kids sail free for a while on the June 12 and June 24 Baltic cruises. Now they have a Cat. 12 for 1599 plus tax per person. Combine this with the kids sail free and this is quite a bargain for a family. Just thought I would share this news. My TA is rebooking me now and I am having to pay the cancellation fees but I will still save a significant amount of money. I guess this will fill the ship finally.

When I tried this online the Kids free offer is still only for cat 8-11. However just booking the Cat 12 is a much greater savings and with a family of four you will get upgraded, so a better deal.

Just wondering, how are you able to combine them? Is it because you are booking through a TA? If so, good for you!

 

[MickeyWatch]

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I have a general question about the Berlin tours. I did have a bit of sticker shock - I was planning on the premium train service with private vehicle (3 persons). I saw the price and also the email about how you have to establish your own itinerary. We don't have any itinerary in mind. What are the suggestions for Berlin - should we do one of the DCL guided tours, or "splurge" on the private vehicle tour?

Thanks

I debated this same question for a long time. I e-mailed DCL shore excursions about this same issue: With the private vehicle/driver only, do we have to tell the driver where we want to go, kind of like a cab driver? I was advised that the driver would have recommendations about what to see and we could add our own stops as well. So, I booked the premium train with private vehicle for our family of 3. I am reading several guide books about Berlin and know what I want to see. I also hope the driver has some suggestions too, like maybe a good local lunch spot. We will likely never return to Berlin so I wanted to maxamize our time there with the private vehicle that can drive us around to various sites faster than the tour buses which take some time to load and unload passengers.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

When I tried this online the Kids free offer is still only for cat 8-11. However just booking the Cat 12 is a much greater savings and with a family of four you will get upgraded, so a better deal.

Just wondering, how are you able to combine them? Is it because you are booking through a TA? If so, good for you!

I didn't combine them. I was mistaken about that part. They did allow this when the KFO was offered for the 5/26 cruise. I only have two people going on the Baltic. Thanks for correcting this. I let my imagination run away with me.

 

[sbell111]

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I have a general question about the Berlin tours. I did have a bit of sticker shock - I was planning on the premium train service with private vehicle (3 persons). I saw the price and also the email about how you have to establish your own itinerary. We don't have any itinerary in mind. What are the suggestions for Berlin - should we do one of the DCL guided tours, or "splurge" on the private vehicle tour?

Thanks

We chose 'neither', sorta.

We are taking the 'Berlin on your own' excursion which is basically just a ride on the Disney train to and from Berlin. Once in Berlin, we are going to HoHo our way around the city.

We decided to take the Disney train rather than to go it on our own both because we wanted to minimize our chances of missing the boat and because we will be making the journey with our 6 mo daughter. The train will be much easier for her than a bus or car rental.

We actually have tentatively planned to HoHo in every port except for St Pete, where we are joining another family on a two-day private tour (for only $265 each).

Has anyone had any problems reserving Flounders for the Baltic ?
Didn't know how booked up they are. My dil will be calling on May 4 ( this is their 1st Disney cruise ) and I'm hoping she'll be able to reserve some time.

There weren't very many slots available when I checked a while back.

 

[TDC Nala]

Also doing the Berlin's Turbulent History tour on the 6/24 cruise. Since I am going alone (my roommate wants a different tour) it was best to book with a DCL tour.

 

[xangav]

I didn't combine them. I was mistaken about that part. They did allow this when the KFO was offered for the 5/26 cruise. I only have two people going on the Baltic. Thanks for correcting this. I let my imagination run away with me.

Thank you for clearing it up. That would have been a great deal though. I knew they would do this after I committed to other plans, (sigh). Oh well, another time...Have a great time on your cruise!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Thank you for clearing it up. That would have been a great deal though. I knew they would do this after I committed to other plans, (sigh). Oh well, another time...Have a great time on your cruise!

I am getting a refund of 2365 on the cruise. It would have been 3565, but they had to charge me the cancellation penalty.

 

[Deb T.]

I am getting a refund of 2365 on the cruise. It would have been 3565, but they had to charge me the cancellation penalty.

Wow! That's fantastic!

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Wow! That's fantastic!

Of course, I am not happy about the 1200 cancellation fee. But I am glad to save money of course.

 

[kaseyC]

I am getting a refund of 2365 on the cruise. It would have been 3565, but they had to charge me the cancellation penalty.

That is an awesome savings even with the cancellation penalty. The rates are great. $5340.88 for a family of 4 in a Cat. 12 compared to $10,460.88 for a Cat.11. If I wasn't already locked into plans, I would jump all over that.

 

[Rogillio]

When you were in Warnemunde, did you go to Berlin, or just hang around locally? The boys in the family are going to Berlin, and the girls and I are going to wander around. Any ideas for us?

We are getting a rental car in Rostock and then plan to drive around and see what we can see. I booked thru Avis....the car was right at $100 for the day. Best I can tell, the Avis place is about 3 or 4 miles from the port but they don't have a shuttle....so I will take a taxi (or walk), get the car and go back and pick up the rest of the family.

~Mike

 

[Rogillio]

That is an awesome savings even with the cancellation penalty. The rates are great. $5340.88 for a family of 4 in a Cat. 12 compared to $10,460.88 for a Cat.11. If I wasn't already locked into plans, I would jump all over that.

After reading about this, I priced 2 inside staterooms (Cat 12) for 3A/1C and it came to: $6,740.88. We paid $15,510.88 for 1 Cat 4 room.

Geesh, are we nuts? $8,700 more for a verandah room on deck 8 than 2 rooms in the bowels of the ship?

Based on the cancellation policy, it looks like we'd only forfeit our deposit....of $1,200....so the $6,700 cost would go to $7,900...and then we'd lose our $400 DCL OBC...and maybe even our $500 DU OBC.....taking it to $8,800

So....we can stay in one Cat 4 Verandah room on Deck 8...or we can give up the verandah, get more sqft total, move down beside the engine room and pocket about $6,500.

We decided to stay put. We like the idea of the verandah....especially while we're cruising the Norwegian fjord and into Stockholm and the other ports. We really love the verandah. This thing is what, 12 days? So what is that about $500 a day for the verrandah? Yikes, I wish I had not just done that.....

Oh well, it will be fun.

~Mike

 

[jilljill]

When you were in Warnemunde, did you go to Berlin, or just hang around locally? The boys in the family are going to Berlin, and the girls and I are going to wander around. Any ideas for us?

We just stayed around town. Wandered around the back streets, sat along the beach for a while, stopped at a couple of cafes, wandered in/out of shops. We also did laundry that morning before we got off the ship and had lunch before taking the long 5 minute walk into town.

 

[dietcokefan]

Thanks for your additional info on Oslo. I was worried how we were going to get around. I have a couple of guidebooks but haven't had a chance to look them over as of yet.
We also found Copenhagen easy to walk, once we got our bearrings after getting lost and stumbling across the US embassy. I still have the guidebook with map they gave us.
We also really liked Tallin and the feel of a 'medievil' town. So different than any other place we've been and very friendly too. We used McD's for a bathroom stop and they didn't charge for its use, tho there was a line that seemed to be local school kids.
Tallin, along with Warnemunde, were our favorite ports followed by StP.

Oh, your post just brought an entirely new question to mind...do they charge for using restrooms in these countries? We will be traveling with 3 kids, so I suppose we'd best be prepared and know how to handle these "emergencies"!

TIA

 

[MrsScooby]

When is your cruise ?
Oslo, Copenhagen, Sweden and Tallin are very easy to do own your own
We were on a Princess Baltic cruise 2 yrs ago.
If you're planning to see alot of the museums in Oslo get an Oslo Card. We will be docked next to the TI and very close to where you get the ferry ( included w/ card ) that takes you to the Viking, Fram, and Kon Tiki Museum as well as the outdoor museum. If you take that same ferry back, eat lunch on the ship cause you're right there , then see the Vigeland and /or shop.
Just IMHO
In Copenhagen either the HOHO or the local bus can get you around.
Sweden, I didn't think the card was worth the money so we're getting just the transportation card. We plan to see the VASA, Old Town where we want to see the church and the Royal Armory.Last time we got a hotdog in the Old Town Square. It was a footlong in a small loaf of warm french bread. Cheap and yummy !
IMHO, I would suggest for Tallin...take a taxi (cheap and they take dollars or euros ) to the top of the hill at old town . Do this to save time ! Then leisurely walk down and stop in the church, the shops , see the beautiful views. If you stop along the way to see things and shop, it'll take a couple of hours. When you get to the bottom there are alot of outdoor cafes, the incredible Sweater Wall ( WARNING... have cash, Euros ) and if after a long cruise the kids are begging for a hamburger the golden arches is right there.Easily walk back to the ship on a nice day. But you could hail a cab.
Tallin , next to St P was my favorite port. So medieval ! So unlike any place I've ever been.
Rick Steves has a great walking tour of Tallin.

One of those hot dogs has my daughter's name on it
She loves hot dogs, sausage, anything in that family.

Trying to figure out the logistics of Stockholm.
Definitely want to stop at the Vasa museum in the morning, but also want to visit the open air folk museum and the royal armory and fit in the Viking tour if we can as well. The Viking tour is at 11:30 if we book direct with the company.

Now if we manage to get off the ship at 7:30, how much can we fit in before the Viking tour at 11:30?

Getting that hot dog lunch will save us time so we can go back and fit in the rest I hope.

 

[rolyjp]

We will be attempting to do Copenhagen on our own and would love to see Kronborg Castle, Fredensborg Palace and Frederiksborg Castle. Would that be too ambitious to do it without a tour guide? I know that DCL has a tour for 2 of those castles, but I was wondering if would be feasible to do it on our own. The train schedule and routes look fine to me, but it's hard to know unless you have done it before. If anyone has any thoughts on the matter, please share. Thanks.

 

[carolmb]

After reading about this, I priced 2 inside staterooms (Cat 12) for 3A/1C and it came to: $6,740.88. We paid $15,510.88 for 1 Cat 4 room.

Geesh, are we nuts? $8,700 more for a verandah room on deck 8 than 2 rooms in the bowels of the ship?

Based on the cancellation policy, it looks like we'd only forfeit our deposit....of $1,200....so the $6,700 cost would go to $7,900...and then we'd lose our $400 DCL OBC...and maybe even our $500 DU OBC.....taking it to $8,800

So....we can stay in one Cat 4 Verandah room on Deck 8...or we can give up the verandah, get more sqft total, move down beside the engine room and pocket about $6,500.

We decided to stay put. We like the idea of the verandah....especially while we're cruising the Norwegian fjord and into Stockholm and the other ports. We really love the verandah. This thing is what, 12 days? So what is that about $500 a day for the verrandah? Yikes, I wish I had not just done that.....

Oh well, it will be fun.

~Mike

We are also in a Cat 4 so thanks for pointing that out. Just kidding...I do not want to give up the verandah either. You know what they say it is only money.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

After reading about this, I priced 2 inside staterooms (Cat 12) for 3A/1C and it came to: $6,740.88. We paid $15,510.88 for 1 Cat 4 room.

Geesh, are we nuts? $8,700 more for a verandah room on deck 8 than 2 rooms in the bowels of the ship?

Based on the cancellation policy, it looks like we'd only forfeit our deposit....of $1,200....so the $6,700 cost would go to $7,900...and then we'd lose our $400 DCL OBC...and maybe even our $500 DU OBC.....taking it to $8,800

So....we can stay in one Cat 4 Verandah room on Deck 8...or we can give up the verandah, get more sqft total, move down beside the engine room and pocket about $6,500.

We decided to stay put. We like the idea of the verandah....especially while we're cruising the Norwegian fjord and into Stockholm and the other ports. We really love the verandah. This thing is what, 12 days? So what is that about $500 a day for the verrandah? Yikes, I wish I had not just done that.....

Oh well, it will be fun.

~Mike

It was much easier decision for me. I was in a category 11. So I was paying double for nothing at all except perhaps location on the ship. Which I really could care less about. Plus I am doing the 10 night med, 7 night repo, then the 12 night Baltic and then Castles and Kings with Tauck Bridges. So I am spending SO much money so anywhere I can cut is absolutely necessary in my mind. I am always all about how to get the best deal and it increases my enjoyment of my trip. I am also able to bring my BFF along for part of the trip with the money I am saving. Win-Win for me.