Hi jacketwatch:

You mentioned that when you went to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm that you used your Credit card via a machine as the "cashier there will not take Credits Card or Dollars."

What kind of a machine was this.?

Was this an ATM machine at the Vasa Museum!!?

Thanks Again

Percy

Actually Percy the Vasa museum take CC's like another other place. The reference was to paying for the ferry to Gamla Stan from the Vasa. NThere is a CC machine there if you don't have local currency. Its a bit cumbersome to use as you have to insert the card and process the transaction one at a time so if you have 5 people its 5 insertions, etc. Its easier there to use local currency. How many days now for you? Cheers, Larry :-) BTW I got my CC statement for those beers in Russia. $9.80 per and I didn't even like it that much. Oh well. :-)

Thanks jacketwatch

Since there are four of us and Oslo is our last port until we get back to Copenhagen...

I either will get local currency or one of us four will get enough for our group.

They say that many places in Oslo will accept euros ,well I will have some euros with me so by the time I arrive in Oslo I will know what I have to do.

The weather was almost 90 F here today and you are talking about Russian beer.......you sure know how to hurt a guy!!! I could use a beer abour now !!!!!

Gee $9.80 for a beer sounds a bit high for a bottle of beer...but I have to have a local beer in all the ports , I am nbot a big drinker it is just nice to say you have had a beer in Tallinn, Helsinki etc.

27 more days as we are leaving on August 16th.

Take Care
Thank you very much

Percy

Percy where are you located? FYI I do recall that the cab driver in Oslo refused dollars or Euros. Larry

Hi jacketwatch.

I am in Alberta Canada.

Gee the taxi fellow refused euros and US$. My goodness, he must be a rich taxi driver or else business is booming.!!!

I would prefer not to get Norwegian currency since it is the last port...but if we have to then we have to .
Thanks for the valueable tip about the Oslo Taxi.

Take Care
Percy

So how are the winters up there and are you near to Calgary or Edmonton? Cheers, Larry :-)

Hi jacketwatch

Well the winters are never great when you are not a skier which I am not.

I am not a cold weather person...so I should have been born in the tropics !!!

That is why I go to Cuba or Mexico or Costa Rica during the winter for a break.!!

I live in Edmonton. With all it's oil Alberta is the richest province in Canada.
We have lots of gas and oil and yet our gas is about $4.40 a gallon right now !!! go figure.

Your house prices seemed to have stabilized and even gone down...ours have not!!
Glad I do not have a mortgage .!!

Take Care
Percy

Well its certainly a buyers market now. What a struggle it must be having a warm soul in a cold climate. Reminds me of the scene from movie "Cool Runnings" when the Jamaican lads first arrived in Calgary. BRRRR! mon. :D BTW gas prices in Europe are in the %6.00 per gal. range. Here its around $3.25 but my car uses 93 octane so make that $3.45. Take care, Larry :-)

Jacketwatch, Percy,
have been reading this thread with much interest as we are going on this cruise on Aug 10....yes, 9 more days!!!! Percy, see you will be getting on as we get off....glad to meet you and give you our impression if you want.
Now to my questions....Jacketwatch, was the view like? Did you spend any time on deck as you were traveling? I understand that it remains light for most of the night and wondering if the view was anything to see. We have a balcony cabin (mainly because we are sharing cabin with 2 kids and we thought it would add appearance of space!!).
Thanks to all the great advice from both of you and others, I have a good idea of what we will do at each port and how to get there, etc. (we will use REd October for St. Petersburg).
My main question is regarding Stockholm...while the itinerary states Stockholm, somewhere on the paperwork sent to me it states Nyagasham(sp?) and all of the ship tours for this port are sold out, which makes me suspect that this is farther away from Stockholm than your port was as you stated that you could easily take a taxi. (none of the other ship tours are sold out, including Russia!) Do you know if the ship docks in different places on different voyages? Any ideas on this?
By the way, thanks for the WWII posts : my husband is an avid WWII and these will be good surprises!
Thanks!

Sorry, one other question...did you participate in the formal nights? Are they typically on nights when the ship is at sea? If you do not want to be formal, can you just go to other restaurants? Although I would not mind a formal night, I simply do not have formal clothes (plenty of work clothes, but once home I am a jeans girl!). I have been trying to buy something but since we are living in Geneva presently, far too cher'!!

Hello Swiss Miss. :-)
As this is a cruise with few sea days its not like you can hang out much on the deck and soak up the sights. For the most part its open ocean though you will be, at times w/i eyeing distance of shore. You will also see other ships passing of course. Yes it will be light. We went during the brightest 10 days of the yr. (June 10-21, the summer equinox) so at say 2330 the sun was still on the horizon. My son, who kept later hrs. than us :D said the sun set at 0200 and rose at 0400. Now for you the itme of yr. is different but I think you will have plenty of daylight. I am not sure about the Stockholm piers. You can call Princess to see exactly where the ships docks however. Yes it cold be there is a different pier. Also I would not be too concerned about doing a ships tour in Stockholm. The major sites are reachable by a water taxi which does regular routes in a cicuit. I would advise to do a litte research to see what you want to see the most and I am sure its easily done by the water taxi or by cab. No worries. as for the formal nights there are two and yes they happen during days at sea. No, you don't have to attend and some people really don't dress upuch anyway though most are around :D the suggested dress guidelines. A good alternative on those nights is to try the optional restaurants Sabbatinis and the Sterling Steak house. There is a $20.00 pp cover charge but its well worth it. If you choose this route make a reservation well in advance. You can also go to the buffet Horizon court or order room service too. If you have any other questions please ask and congratulations! The Baltic is a dream cruise as you will soon see. :-)

Hi Everyone:

I have been watching the temperatures and they have been between about 60 F to 75 F in the ports we are going to.!

I am going to bring a sweater and jacket. it has been in the 90F here soit is easy toget fooled that it is hot everywhere.!

I do not think I will go to the formal nights for dinner because I do not want to pack some fancy clotes so I will take jacketwatche's advice and either go to Sabbatinis or Sterling Steakhouse or the buffet..

I am easy to please when it comes to eating.

swissgirl:

I will be boarding about after 1 PM and you will have already disembarked in Copenhagen.
Don't see everything ...leave something for me please!!

<font color="red"> Thanks
<font color="blue"> Percy
<font color="green"> Percy quit showing off by using colors.
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Percy: Have you tried Sabbatinis on other ships B4? :-)

Hi jacketwatch

NoI have not tried Sabbatinis on other cruise ship.

It sounds like a nice place to go on dress-upnight!!

Take Care
Percy

Thanks!!! Good suggestion on water taxis. Re Sabatini's, sounds good. Actually, my son's bday is on one of the formal nights so Sabatini's or Sterlings would probably be our preference anyway...
Can't wait.

OMG! Guys you will luv Sabbatinis! Tghw way it works is you pick one entree and then you get a samll sampling of EVERYTHING else on the menu so you will try say 2-3 salads, several pastas, several antipastas, soups, breads, etc. I don't recall exactly but we samples at least 10-12 choices B4 the entree came. Then the five of us each ordered a different dessert and shared those. You are in for a wonderful treat. whatever you do be sure to go very hungry. :-)

Thanks again jacketwatch:

I will certainly ,mention Sabbatinis to the other three in our group.

Your making me hungry!!

Take Care
Percy

Hi Percy: I found a sample menu from sabatinis. Its old, from 2002 but if you look at the dinner menu you can get an idea of just how much you will be sampling. Bon appetit!
http://members.fortunecity.com/parna...ncess/id39.htm

jacketwatch

Bless your heart and Thank You yet again.

Percy

Hi jacketwatch:

Do you remember at what time your cruise ship docked in Stockholm Sweden.?

They have us coming into Stockholm at 10 AM and leaving at 5 PM.
Was this the time that you had also.?

Thanks Again
Percy