The 2010 Baltic Thread--Cruise Tips and Planning

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I hear you on the family debate if the plans aren't set, but I'm prepared to manage that, especially if DH and I work together to set the itinerary. And I think it's the cost of the DCL trips combined with the ease of doing it on your own that is making me think seriously that we can explore 4 of the 6 ports without Disney. Also makes me feel more relaxed about the $$ being spent in Berlin and St. Pete.

Yes, StP and Berlin are the tow ones that it is important to organise, there isnt a real alternative, other than DCL or Private. Others DIY is quite plausible.

Apart from StP and Berlin my shore trips are circa $2.5k, at the moment so quite a commitment.

It is the family debate, what to do, my legs hut, I want a lie in, Vs, its all booked you have to do it.

The issue is we only have a few hours in each place, and so I would like to see as much as possible.

 

[carolmb]

I hear you on the family debate if the plans aren't set, but I'm prepared to manage that, especially if DH and I work together to set the itinerary. And I think it's the cost of the DCL trips combined with the ease of doing it on your own that is making me think seriously that we can explore 4 of the 6 ports without Disney. Also makes me feel more relaxed about the $$ being spent in Berlin and St. Pete.

My family of 4 will be doing all of the port on our own except St. Petersburg and Berlin. Our kids will be 9 and almost 12 at the time of cruise and I think with some careful planning on my part we can make the most of the days. I am waiting for Rick Steve's 2010 Scandanavia (sp?) book to come out next week so I can figure out what we want so see in each port. Happy planning everyone.

 

[cindy18]

My family of 4 will be doing all of the port on our own except St. Petersburg and Berlin. Our kids will be 9 and almost 12 at the time of cruise and I think with some careful planning on my part we can make the most of the days. I am waiting for Rick Steve's 2010 Scandanavia (sp?) book to come out next week so I can figure out what we want so see in each port. Happy planning everyone.

Carol:

Good idea about the Rick Steve's book. We just got a Baltic Cruise travel planning book from Thomas Cook, but it wasn't great. We've also been told to get our hands on John Lawrence's DVD on the Baltics, but every time I go to his website and try to buy it, it kicks me to a Paypal page that doesn't have anything to do with him, which is very frustrating.

Can I ask what you're thinking about for Berlin?

 

[jilljill]

What restaurant did you choose again? We will most likely be doing this as well

We chose Porter's Pub in Covent Garden. The food was very good and the trifle for dessert was to die for. We booked the 14 year old's as kids tickets for the Eye and the restaurant let them order off the kids or adult menu. The meal consisted of a beverage (alcoholic for the adults, non for the kids), starter or dessert and the main course. We all chose to go with dessert. I did make a reservation at the restaurant since we had 8 in our group and our table was waiting for us when we arrived.

Our friends that were with us are English and one has worked in the restaurant industry in the past and they were very impressed with the restaurant as well.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

We chose Porter's Pub in Covent Garden. The food was very good and the trifle for dessert was to die for. We booked the 14 year old's as kids tickets for the Eye and the restaurant let them order off the kids or adult menu. The meal consisted of a beverage (alcoholic for the adults, non for the kids), starter or dessert and the main course. We all chose to go with dessert. I did make a reservation at the restaurant since we had 8 in our group and our table was waiting for us when we arrived.

Porters pies?????


Also up the road in Holborn is 'My old Dutch' the largest flat pancakes you can get and choose anything, in or on them even Chocolate. You just have to try it.

 

[jilljill]

I've just found out my friend want to go to Tivoli Gardens. Now I need to research that for info. Didn't go there last and hadn't planned on going this time either, but since they are letting me take the lead on our StP tour I told them I'd look into this and see how doable it will be for the time we have in port.

 

[TDC Nala]

book a DCL Oslo highlights tour am, have lunch, then go by the boat, same dock to the Viking museum

Exactly the plan I have for Oslo. AM walking tour and then visit the Kon Tiki and Viking museums.

My friend and I are looking at Tivoli, so we're considering the DCL tour that gets you in early (not the signature one, the one with the harbor cruise also)

 

[Monstro]

I've just found out my friend want to go to Tivoli Gardens. Now I need to research that for info. Didn't go there last and hadn't planned on going this time either, but since they are letting me take the lead on our StP tour I told them I'd look into this and see how doable it will be for the time we have in port.

Tivoli Gardens is in Copenhagen so ... no worries about the time in StP

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Exactly the plan I have for Oslo. AM walking tour and then visit the Kon Tiki and Viking museums.

My friend and I are looking at Tivoli, so we're considering the DCL tour that gets you in early (not the signature one, the one with a boat tour also)

If I do go DIY, that's what I will do, Viking museum is said to be very easy with a boat next to the Magic dock, and the Castle next to us, so lunch at Lumieries!

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm considering eating in port just to try some food in-country, but if it's easy to get back to the ship it will of course save a little to eat on board.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I'm considering eating in port just to try some food in-country, but if it's easy to get back to the ship it will of course save a little to eat on board.

With Oslo there are issues for us and food, I do not eat seafood or fish, their food is a high percentage of that, my DS is fussy what he eats, and Oslo is expensive, so Magic for lunch with everything local is logical, but might bite the bullet on the Hadeland glass and starve the kids.

 

[jilljill]

Tivoli Gardens is in Copenhagen so ... no worries about the time in StP

I know that, we've been to both cities before. I'm concerned about visiting Tivoli with the time we are docked in Copenhagen. I've heard Tivoli is much nicer at night which is not an option for us on the cruise.

 

[jilljill]

Porters pies?????


Also up the road in Holborn is 'My old Dutch' the largest flat pancakes you can get and choose anything, in or on them even Chocolate. You just have to try it.

ARe flat pancakes like a crepe? Never heard of this so it will definately have to be on our list of places to look into.

 

[MrsScooby]

We chose Porter's Pub in Covent Garden. The food was very good and the trifle for dessert was to die for. We booked the 14 year old's as kids tickets for the Eye and the restaurant let them order off the kids or adult menu. The meal consisted of a beverage (alcoholic for the adults, non for the kids), starter or dessert and the main course. We all chose to go with dessert. I did make a reservation at the restaurant since we had 8 in our group and our table was waiting for us when we arrived.

Our friends that were with us are English and one has worked in the restaurant industry in the past and they were very impressed with the restaurant as well.

Thanks

Porters pies?????


Also up the road in Holborn is 'My old Dutch' the largest flat pancakes you can get and choose anything, in or on them even Chocolate. You just have to try it.

Sounds like a place we have in Maryland called the "Pancake House". Huge menu and huge pancakes
Have not been in quite a while though as we are in Virginia.
Thnaks for the info

I'm considering eating in port just to try some food in-country, but if it's easy to get back to the ship it will of course save a little to eat on board.

Yup, we like the idea of sampling the local food too
My DS16 will try just about anything
My DD12 is a bit more timid about food like I used to be (and still am sometimes).

Either way what worked well for us in the past was starting with a big breakfast on DCL. Nice to have the option of going back to the ship to eat for lunch depending on what we find.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Are flat pancakes like a crepe? Never heard of this so it will definately have to be on our list of places to look into.

That thickness, yes try to describe them to you guys as yours are more thick, these are very thin, and served in an extra large plate, and I do mean extra large, its different, its very nice.

 

[mardonna]

Various reasons, actually the first is to keep my options 'open', you can book any of the 'normal' shore trips (not signature) and cancel anytime up to 72 hours before hand. So If I book, I have an option to cancel, but if I do not book they might sell out.

Next, we have various local currencies, on this trip, so prepaying in one and spending on a credit card, will reduce the leftover currency, and you loose on that.

Next, If I am organised, my family will follow me, if we haven't booked I am sure 1 of 4 will have a debate, on the morning saying, cant we do this? or cant we stay onboard. This happened when my Eastern cruise swapped to a Western in August 2009.

We had plans booked, but as we changed, and had been to Cozumel before, we thought we would do it on our own. We ended up off ship for about 60 minutes shopping and stayed on ship.

But, and a big but, these DCL trips are expensive and you can do it yourself far cheaper, everywhere bar St Petes, and Berlin.

So when I post I post to the many readers, but what I do, is tailored to my family, Oslo is likely to be DIY, I have changed my plans so many times already on that one, all the others seem quite set.

Wont do Trivoli as we want to see the sgihts and we are theme park maxed out, DD is in DLP as we speak..

Andrew

I agree.....I feel that with the ages of my kids....it is just better to say.this is what we are doing and the guide will lead the way.....but your right if you do 2 DCL a day they get expensive for a family of 6.

I feel comfortable doing buses and such.....but my worry is time....have no idea how much to allot at each spot and keep on schedule....in Barcelona we were there 3 days before cruise....and it was nice because we spend 2 days doing ho ho bus and stopped at each place as long as we wanted and were never worried about time......if someone handed me a scheduled sheet that said.....what time to be at each stop and what we should see there.....I would do it.....I use insight guides which is what we used in Barcelona and they gave us what we needed to know but again no time pressures. I just ordered the insight guides ....but they don't have one for Oslo....

Tivioli gardens....I feel like I need to do with Disney because of early admission and because this is where replica of little mermaid will be.....those our a must....not ssure what I will do after that trip or id there is time for anything else.....I really wish Disney would have done full day tours at each stop.....not sure why they didn't

 

[jilljill]

That thickness, yes try to describe them to you guys as yours are more thick, these are very thin, and served in an extra large plate, and I do mean extra large, its different, its very nice.

I like crepes but do not like the pancakes we have here which is why I asked. Then they would be something I owuld like to try.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Andrew

I agree.....I feel that with the ages of my kids....it is just better to say.this is what we are doing and the guide will lead the way.....but your right if you do 2 DCL a day they get expensive for a family of 6.

I feel comfortable doing buses and such.....but my worry is time....have no idea how much to allot at each spot and keep on schedule....in Barcelona we were there 3 days before cruise....and it was nice because we spend 2 days doing ho ho bus and stopped at each place as long as we wanted and were never worried about time......if someone handed me a scheduled sheet that said.....what time to be at each stop and what we should see there.....I would do it.....I use insight guides which is what we used in Barcelona and they gave us what we needed to know but again no time pressures. I just ordered the insight guides ....but they don't have one for Oslo....

Tivioli gardens....I feel like I need to do with Disney because of early admission and because this is where replica of little mermaid will be.....those our a must....not ssure what I will do after that trip or id there is time for anything else.....I really wish Disney would have done full day tours at each stop.....not sure why they didn't

Yes, my family say I am over organised, but when I leave it to them, is get back on ship and watch a movie or DVD in our room, with a suite its hard ot get them out at any time.

I worry, if I do not book DCL trips, they will do a Cozumel, with our third visit there in 2009, we had done Dolphins (Cozumel and Discover cove), done Tulum, and decided to walk about, back on ship in the hour, but hey had a reasonably empty pool. Was told however that at 12 noon, 1,200 people had *not* got off the ship. Maybe because we changed from Eastern to Western that was a fluke, but the restaurants were primed with loads of servers for a high take up at lunch.

Oslo is a place you can go DIY ,so easy, we are so local, but also remember the 90 mins in and out of port up/down Oslofjord, is the actual scenic bit, and a do not miss.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I like crepes but do not like the pancakes we have here which is why I asked. Then they would be something I owuld like to try.

If in London try it, maybe share a first course one, then share a dessert one, and its cheap!!!

 

[ktkspider]

Reading about Tivoli, the park opens at one time but may of the rides don't open until much later.. With the park opening early for the Disney ex. do you think the rides will also open early or just the park. As I understand there is more than just rides in Tivoli.. What are your thoughts? I would hate to go with Disney only to find out that the park opens ... but not the rides. I would hope the rides would be open for us.. but is that just an assuption?