My wife and I are scheduled on a late spring cruise on the Norwegian Dream and wonder if we should sign up for excursions offered by NCL or do them "on our own." How accessible are places of interest from the ports in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo? (We plan to stick with NCL tours in Tallinn and St. Petersbourg.) Suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

We went on the same cruise 2 year ago and had a great time. All the Capitals with the exception of St. Pete can be done on your own including Tallin. Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen have hop-on, hop-off buses that pick you up right by the ship. In Tallinn at the Hotel Viru (easycab ride or walk and a money exchange) they offer a 2.5 hr bus and walking tour of Tallinn(which was outstanding) for around $10pp (150kr) Tours are in english at 9:30, 12:00 and 2:30. Bought tickets at reception if I remember right. In Helsinki the TI offers a 2 hr Orientation Bus Tour(approx $15) that leaves near Market Square hourly between 11 and 3. <BR> What made this Cruise most conveient was that in each Port(except St Pete) there was a temporary TI set up on the Pier to assist you with planning your day, with maps and bus schedules. If you do &quot;on your own&quot; visits like we do then get a good Travel guide to assist. We used Rick Steves' guide book to Scandinavia and it helped out wonderfully.<BR>Happy Travels. CB

The only thing I would add is Don't Miss the Folklore show in St. Petersburg. It was such a fun night out and ended up being one of our favorite excursions. Amazing Talent!

In S. Petersburg - don't miss &quot;Peter the Great's Summer Palace&quot; - may also called Peterhoff or something similiar. The grounds/water fountains are exceptional here - It was so beautiful - my favorite part of my Baltic trip. Definitely do the ship tour here.

What date are you sailing? We're sailing on the Dream on 6/15. Let us know if you'd like to share a private tour of St. Pete. [email protected]