I am looking at taking a Baltic Cruise this June 18 on NCL's Norwegian Dream. It had the best dates and closest itinerary that I was looking for. Royal Caribbean has one on 6/9, that might be possible to take instead, but costs a bit more. I've never been on NCL. Is the Dream comparable to other cruise lines? Any recommendations on best value cruise lines in NE Europe or excursions in Russia/Denmark/Sweden/Finland/Estonia, would be greatly appreciated!

I'm sure you will get a variety of responses. That being said, I prefer NCL over RCCL. I've been on the Dream in Oct. 03 and had a wonderful time. So much so, that we are going on the Western Med. cruise leaving Rome on May 1, 2004. Soon and are very anxious. I definitely think that NCL is comparable to other lines, this is our 7th cruise, third on NCL. It will be interesting to note the nationalities of the passengers this time being in Europe. Last time we did the Fall Foliage out of Boston and went to Canada, it was a good 95% North American cruisers. Anyway, good luck with your decision regarding your cruise/vacation.

After taken an RCI cruise I would NEVER,, repeat NEVER cruise on their ships again.. But, I do have two friends who have sailed on the NCL Dream and absolutely loved it.. Wrote to somebody last year who asked the same question..he wrote back and said the Baltic cruise was inredible, he hoisted a few to me..lol You either love or hate them..lol

I was on the Dream in July '01 for the Baltic Cruise and have sailed on it several other times. I dislike large ships and the Dream is a very nice size. NCL doesn't have the best entertainment but since you will be in port almost everyday, this should not matter. Cabins and food are above average.

One advisory: if you plan on seeing St. Petersburg on your own, make sure you get your visa while in the US. Otherwise, you will be required to take the high priced tours. This may have changed in the past couple of years so you may want to check with NCL.

Thank you all very much for your replys! It's definitely helped to sway my decision! I've also been given some disocunted pricing on the Celebrity Constellation, but the NCL pricing definitely has everyone beat! Good to know people have had a good time on it.

I recently saw some killer deals on NLC ($399 for a 7 day cruise during the summer). I can't remember which ship, but it is clearly the cheapest thing that I have seen sailing this summer.

We did a Baltic cruise a couple of years ago that had a similar itinerary. In St. Petersburg, we recommend seeing the Hermitage, Peterhof, Church of the Spilt Blood (unbelievable mosaics) and, if given the opportunity, tea with a Russian family. We went on our own in Tallin and Helsinki (especially enjoyed the Rock Church, and since we were on our own, could wait for the quiet after the tour buses left) as well as Stockholm--took some of the tours in Copenhagen, but in the cities themselves enjoyed being on our own--for instance, saw a notice about an organ concert in Copenhagen at Our Lady church--outstanding. We were on HAL, but used NCL for another cruise and liked it very much--we prefer the open dining options available on most of the NCL ships.

Well I guess you have heard enough about "The Dream" and I can only say::It's a Dream.
Sailed your trip last June and it was wonderfull.
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