Any independent travelers done a Baltic Cruise (or any cruise)?
 

Specifically posting this here and not on the Cruise Forum because I am trying to find out if anybody who is generally an independent traveler (as we are) has done the Baltic Cruise and if so what they thought about it, which cruise line, etc.

We have always been independent travelers but are considering doing a Baltic Cruise in Aug/Sept 2017. We thought this might be a good way to see St Petersburg and several other places however, now we are both concerned that we may just not like the entire cruise experience. Looking at smaller ships (Silversea and Regent Seven Seas, etc). Interested in hearing from usual independent travelers who have done a cruise.

No, but are scheduled for one next June. So will be looking for responses as well. Our tour includes places that we probably would NEVER visit on our own: Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, and a stop that would include a short stop in Berlin.

Certainly a full itinerary, but 3 sea days to relax, do laundry, etc.

Yep - I did one with Royal Caribbean this July. It was my first cruise ever, so I don't have any comparison as far as that goes.

With the perspective of a "snapshot/highlights" tour, vs a "see the real _____" trip, I really enjoyed it. Our trip began and ended in Stockholm, and we had half a day on each end to explore there; we stopped in Helsinki, SPB, Tallinn, and Riga as well.

We never took a cruise excursion, unless you count the shuttle bus to and from the Riga port (if you go with a smaller ship, you may be able to dock within walking distance of the city center; our big ship had to dock quite a ways out). We did do a bike tour in Helsinki (happyguidehelsinki.com) and a DenRus tour in SPB (denrus.ru); Tallinn, Riga and Stockholm were on our own. You'll see people here who have done St Petersburg on their own, and certainly it's possible if you're not on a cruise; personally, I was very glad that we took a tour (which means you don't need to get a visa) and had someone else making the arrangements. And with just two days, there's no way we could have seen a quarter of what we did on our own.

The cruise experience was really fun as well. I don't think I'd do a cruise where the main goal was to have fun on the ship, but if another itinerary of interest presented itself, I'd do another cruise of the very active sort.

Basically: I really enjoyed it. I probably wouldn't do a cruise of places that I feel like are very easy to do on my own, but for this trip it was a good choice for us, and gave me some great ideas of where I'd like to go back to on my own.

Yes, I have and my greatest concern is your comment:
" now we are both concerned that we may just not like the entire cruise experience."

Your cruise line choice is going to make a HUGE difference so perhaps you'd be willing to tell us why you are looking at the two you've chosen.

I am going to assume because they are "smaller ships" have some sort of "upscale" reputation
be perhaps more likely to have fewer of a certain sort of passenger aboard.

Am I close?

Let's face it: those Baltic ports and what is in them are NOT going to change regardless of the boat you pick.

I've taken only one cruise, to Greece and Turkey, with a few other stops. I normally wouldn't take a cruise, but, as others have said, these were places I probably wouldn't have got to on my own. We skipped many of the tours and struck off on our own. Unfortunately, the time in port was usually less than I would have wanted for the destinations. I've never been tempted, so far, to take another cruise.

I've thought, though, that a Baltic cruise might be something we'd enjoy, I saw one that had three nights in St. Petersburg, which would let us see a bit more of the city. When we're getting old and decrepit, cruises might be the way to travel.

Yes, we took a Celebrity Baltic cruise several years ago. We are also independent travelers and had been to several of the countries on our own, but I have to say that, dollar for dollar, the Baltic cruise was a fantastic deal. You sail at night and wake up each day at a new port, so you're not spending any time trying to find trains, hotels, restaurants, etc. The only cruise excursions we went on were in St.Petersburg where you can go independently but it's a lot more hassle (visa, etc.).

I bought the Stockholm card which gave us admission to several museums and also bus transportation. I planned out what we were going to do in the other cities (Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tellin), using online maps and recommendations. The cities are very easy to navigate on your own.

Yes, we are independent travellers and we are Europeans, so the Baltic Sea is in easy reach for us.

However, we did a Baltic cruise (with Celebrity Century) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The route was Amsterdam - Oslo - Stockholm - Helsinki -Sankt Petersburg - Talinn - Klaipeda - Copenhagen - Amsterdam.

So, why did we enjoy this cruise?

Firstly, these ports are somewhat difficult to visit as an independent traveller. You cannot rent a car or board a train to visit these cities. And flying from one city to the next is extremely time-consuming. So, a cruise is simply the most efficient way to travel around the Baltic Sea. You spend the days in the port cities and during the nights the ship moves to the next destination. No packing and unpacking, checking in and out at airports and hotels etc. Very convenient.

Secondly, the Baltic cities are easy to explore on your own. We NEVER booked one the grossly overpriced ship's excursions. In many ports of call, the ship docks right in the city center and you just walk into the city. Or there is a short ride with a shuttle bus or taxi into the city center. And then you are on your own and you can follow your own path. The only thing that you need is a good guidebook.

Thirdly, Sankt Petersburg is a story of its own. We had been to Sankt Petersburg before on a business trip (which included some sightseeing), so we were eager to come back. However, when you arrive with a cruise, you cannot simply take a taxi into the city. You MUST have an excursion. However, we did not book the ship's excursion but we opted for a private tour.

There are several companies offering such tours and I read that they are all great. We booked Anastasia Travel and it turned out an excellent choice. We had some email communication with them and we got a personalized itinerary which included a show at the Marinsky Theatre. It went like this:

On the first day in port we left the vessel, passed the immigration both with the help of the papers that Anastasia Travel had mailed to us and there waited a luxurious Mercedes minivan for us with a driver and a guide. We entered and were on the road a full hour before the first tour buses left the parking lot.

Our guide was extremely knowledgable and helpful. Often, she took her phone and asked about queues. She made the itinerary so that we never had to wait in lines. At the Hermitage, she lifted the chains and led us into a secret entrance. She even showed us a secret restroom for the ladies to avoid waiting in line.

As requested, the bus dropped us off at the vessel in the afternoon. We took a shower, changed our clothes, had buffet dinner on the ship and left the vessel again. The minivan drove us to the Theatre were we watched the performance and then back to the ship.

The second day was as excellent as the first day.

Also, these private tours are much cheaper than the ship excursions, especially if you find some companions to share a minivan. Use the CruiseCritic Roll Call to form a small party to share a private excursion!

We took a Baltic cruise on a very small ship (100 people) and loved it. This was in June 2001 ... unfortunately the company (Intrav) is no longer in business. -:(

Friends have done a more recent trip with Seabourn and were very happy with the experience.

Both we and our friends are very independent travelers.

Fiercely adventurous, independent travelers for most of 85 countries. Twice in many decades, we cruised..once for Alaska to visit my 50th state....and once on Royal Carib to Mexico where I had a freebie for wife and me, as a guest lecturer.

BUT, after visiting the old USSR and the "New" Russia several times, "faux" war covertly once, we opted to take a Viking River Cruise on a 2 for 1 sale(Moscow to St.Petersburg back in 2008. It was just what we wanted it to be..enjoyed it immensely. It was the last of the season (cold but comfortable)...I gave a few lectures and demos on Russian folk music (but it was gratis).

I will post pics below.
If I had to do any of them over, it would be the river cruise by far!

jgg...for you
https://goo.gl/photos/T8Uk2X2ggYRQ2Le68
you'll notice two wives in my pics..one 1980's and other in 2008. I lost both and overseas travel at nearing 88 holds nothing else for me without them. I was truly blessed.

Have fun no matter what you decide. Russia is intriguing. We went on to Ukraine and Belarus on our own after the cruise for some rewarding genealogical research.
stu

Wow!! Thank you guys so much!! I was not expecting to get so many responses so quickly! All of your comments have been so helpful! Yes, we are considering this as so many places we would be interested in seeing but we know hard to get to with independent travel. Glad to see so many of you enjoyed your cruise experience!

Dukey1 - the reason I mentioned the two listed is because my friend who is a travel agent suggested I might be interested in those. She helped me book our safari and helped me a bit with our trip to Israel/Jordan. She is a Virtuoso agent so I usually plan everything myself but if I'm interested in booking a Virtuoso hotel I have her do it so I can get all the virtuoso perks/amenities. She has done this for me many times so she knows how we like to travel. And yes, we are looking for a smaller ship and a bit more upscale. Now that are kids are grown and we don't always travel with them we are willing to treat ourselves! I would say food on the ship is also VERY important. I realize the ports are the same no matter which ship but for us accommodations and food are also important for having a great trip! In addition, these ships stop in SPB for 3 days which is also something we definitely want.

jent103 - we love bike tours so thanks for the recommendation on the Helsinki one

traveller1959 - thanks for all the info! Because you did a private tour with Anastasia Travel did you have to get a Visa?

tower - thanks for comments on river cruise. Kind of considering that too, but does seem like some packing/unpacking as the ones I was looking at you stay in hotels in Moscow and St Petersburg and just do the boat in between. Also, would really like to see Riga and Tallinn so that's why leaning towards the Baltic cruise but am still considering river cruise

tower - wrote my response before I saw your second one. Thank you so much for the link to the pictures. I look forward to looking through them. Sorry to hear about your losses, but so appreciate you imparting your wisdom here from so many years of travel!!

A few things to remember: the longer the cruise the higher the average age of the passengers. I would say this also holds true with the cost; the higher the costs the older the passengers.

Upscale is great; a bunch of people sitting around and feeling great about being with a bunch of other stuffy "rich" people, not so much.

My main advice for St. Petersburg: CRAM as much as you possibly can into the time you are there. This is not the time to do the leisurely bit and you can sleep later in the voyage.

The city has so much to see and I would be going from morning well INTO the night if necessary. A guide and organized tour of some sort, and if you can spring for a private one even better, can be very helpful.

Our one disappointment: the Hermitage. No, not for the museum with its estimated many MILLION works, and a lot of them are stored in the basement, or for the rooms themselves which are decorated in and of themselves and wonderfully so. The dig "D" was the mob scene of other visitors and the fact that our little group did not have those headphones linked to what the guide was saying.

Go EVERYWHERE you can.

jgg....thank you for your kind words...the river cruise does not require packing and unpacking. You're on board for the full 8 days///with many picturesque and interesting stops along the way. Rooms are excellent, food very good and varied. If you use slide-show the captions do not show...suggest you do pic by pic and captions will show.

We have not been on that cruise (yet) but seriously considered the Seabourn Baltic cruise combined with the Norwegian Fjords which would total 21 days. We are independent travelers and have done one cruise on a river in Northern Burma on a small teak ship with just 5 staterooms. We loved that experience, but like you, wonder how we would feel on a larger vessel.

I haven't taken a cruise, and so perhaps shouldn't respond, but FWIW, the time any of these cruises give for major cities like St. Petersburg is very short. I visited St. Petersburg solo and independently back in 1984 (so yes, visiting it independently is quite do-able) and seriously wish I'd had more than the 6 days I was able to give it. Just something to consider!

Hello jgg,

Yes, I've done the Baltic cruise, on Regent as a matter of fact, and done many, many cruises through the years ( ergo my handle in Fodors). I loved, loved Stockholm, Estonia , Finland, but wasnt that enamored of St Petersburg. For sure its a very historic city, great museum, churches, palaces but it wasnt my cup of tea. It just hasnt been my preferred itinerary on a cruise. However, as far as cruising is concerned, I love it, even though I also love traveling on land. Its a very different experience. I say, go for it and stay with the smaller ships like Seabourn or Regent.

Dukey1, had to laugh at this from your post "Upscale is great; a bunch of people sitting around and feeling great about being with a bunch of other stuffy "rich" people, not so much."
LOL, have you personally had that experience? Because I cruise this ships frequently and nothing can be further from the truth. Most passengers are well traveled, but for the most part, down to earth and fun.And you'll find that most of them also travel a lot independently by land. A cruise is a different experience.

Nothing wrong with "upscale" in cruising. I've done the gamut, from small (and yes, upscale) ships like Regent, Regent and Silversea, to the mega ships like Royal Caribbean and Princess. There was a time and an itinerary for all of them. At this time, and for an itinerary like the one the OP is contemplating, I would never recommend a mega ship.

This will be kind of long to give you some perspective.
We've been independent traveler's for most of our lives and still are, especially in countries where we enjoy evenings, are traveling within a whole country, on islands we want to explore, etc.
We took students on a few tours, but realized we hate being on a schedule or being "guided'" so no tours for us. You can see where I am coming from.

Several years ago, honestly, expecting to dislike it, but willing to try it, on a whim took a winter cruise to the Southern Caribbean so we could see particular islands. It was a new, large (not mega) Princess ship. The ship, the weather, other lovely passengers and the Caribbean Islands, all combined, made us love it. We did our own thing, no tours or ship's excursions. We have taken a number of cruises since then for different experiences.

Many people discount cruises out of hand, but different cruises, itineraries and ships provide many different things: a relaxing time with kids and family on ships with lots of activities, pools and fun shore excursions, a luxury vacation for adults with a emphasis on great food and service, or a sight seeing itinerary to places that might be difficult otherwise.

IMHO, a Baltic cruise to St Petersburg and other places you really want to see, would be great. The ship would not matter to me as much because I would be off the ship most of the time. The most important thing would be the exact itinerary, and the number of hours off the ship in each port. We did a cruise to Athens, Rhodes, Ephesus and Israel which focused on archeological sites (also some religious and historic sights) I had long wanted to see. A cruise was an easy, economical way of doing that, and we made sure there were long hours in port with plenty of time for exploration, extremely important.

A luxury ship that didn't give enough time or go to the ports I wanted would just be an expensive AI vacation. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it if it is within your budget, but how much do you want to spend for basically dinner and a place to sleep? Finer food and nicer cabin, of course, but at the end of the day, will you be too tired to enjoy it or will it be a highlight of your day. Choose carefully what fits your comfort level and sightseeing, and you will enjoy it.

Re: private tours in Sankt Petersburg.

If you book a private tour you do not need a visa. They mail you a kind of invitation letter which you print and show the immigration officer together with you passports. And then you are through within seconds.

I do not want to advertise for one special tour company. We took Anastasia and it was great. You can also check Alla Tours, Red October and maybe other ones.

These tours are less expensive than the ship's tours but still they are not cheap. But, as others have said, see as much as you can within the two days in port. And for this, you need a local guide with driver.

A few words on the ship. During a Baltic cruise, you use the ship for sleeping, breakfast, dinner and maybe a little nightly entertainment. During the day, you are exploring the ports. Usually, the ships arrive quite early in the morning in the port and leave in the evening, so you have a full day in port.

Saying this, the kind of ship does not matter too much. You simply spend not much time on the ship. Select your ship mainly because of the itinerary.

Yes, I prefer independent travel and would never consider a large cruise line. Last year, however, I took my first cruise to the Baltic. It was sponsored by academic arrangements abroad and was on the Sea cloud II. It started in Denmark visited the Baltic countries and a couple of Scandinavian countries and ended in St. Petersburg. I found it enjoyable and particularly enjoyed the lectures on board. But, I think as with any Group travel you have to take the good with the bad. Our stops in each ofthe Baltic countries was brief. I prefer a more flexible schedule, but, for the Baltic area it was a good way to get a peek at many different countries.

Cruiseluv, I'm going to END this by saying we have been cruising and quite regularly since the 1970's. Yes, I know "what it is like" and believe it or not, I suspect my experiences were just as valid as your own.

jgg,

We are independent travelers but love cruising when a good itinerary presents itself. We have exclusively been on Celebrity and have done about 5 European cruises with them, including the Baltic a few years ago. (There was also a great itinerary that included Malta, Corfu, Bari and Ravena in Italy, and other Adriatic ports -- 10 port days in an 11-night cruise.)

Contrary to a post above, IMO the cruise line absolutely does matter! Virtually all your dinners will be on the ship, and the last thing you want to deal with after a long sight-seeing day is a meal that doesn't meet your expectations.

I'd strongly encourage you to look into Aqua class on Celebrity. And the suggestion above to look for your 'roll call' on CruiseCritic is spot on. You'll have the chance to meet others on-line who are also booked on your same upcoming cruise and can plan small group port tours or other activities if you'd like.

Again thank you all! Your comments have convinced me that this will be a good way to see this part of the world and that as independent travelers many of you also appreciated the benefits of a cruise and enjoy traveling that way for certain itineraries.

Thanks for the reminder to look hard at the itineraries - I was focused on ones that spend 3 days in SPB and still consider that an absolute must, but will also look hard at the other days as well.

traveller1959 - thanks for the info and appreciate your recommendation for Anastasia (after all that is what this site is for!!)

Thanks to all comments about not spending a lot of time on the ship, however I have to agree with GinnyJo that the cruise line will matter to us as, for us, dinners really will be important (nothing worse than mediocre dinners for 10 nights) and a comfortable bed/room. I realize some compromises may need to be made but I suspect I might be able to find good itinerary and highly rated cruise line. Thanks for the Celebrity recommendation I will check it out.

Off to check out the cruise lines!!

We are independent travellers but also have cruised a lot. And I must say, when it comes to quality levels, the main difference between the cruise lines is in fact the quality of food. And I must say, Celebrity had the worst food we ever encountered on the seven seas.

Quality of dinner on ship may count on a Baltic cruise a little more than on other (e.g. Mediterranean) cruises because the Baltic is not known for excellent food. So, do not expect memorable things for lunch. After spending your day in a port with some street food for lunch, you will praise an excellent dinner on your ship! And you will get what you have paid for.

Not a cruise, but in June I took an overnight ferry from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back three days later. (72 hour "visa free" visit to St. Petersburg.) I had never been on a cruise or overnight ferry before, and I was a little nervous about it - but I wound up loving the experience. The St. Peter Line ferry was huge, almost like a cruise ship. It probably helped that the weather was great so smooth sailing.

You can read my trip reports about my whole Baltics trip and specifically about the ferry by clicking on my name.

FYI, as I understand it, if you visit St. Petersburg without a visa, if you are on a cruise ship, your movement is more restricted vs. the way I did it, where I was able to travel independently for 2.5 days completely on my own. Many people find that not enough time for such a huge city, though, but it was good enough for me as a first visit.

traveller1959 -- I am surprised and sorry to hear your comments re: Celebrity food. Our experience is exactly the opposite after dozens and dozens of nights on Celebrity. Actually I can only recall one evening last year where we were disappointed in the main dining room.

jgg - We were happy with SPB tours for our 2 days in St. Petersburg.

Pawleys… I envy your trip on the Sea Cloud -:) One day it was in port when we were. A magnificent looking ship.

In June we went on a Baltic cruise. We loved St Petersburg and our 2 day tour with ALLA. If you can do 3 days in St Petersburg, that would be ideal. Azamara cruise line was docked right on the river unlike ours (CMV) which was a 30 minute ride away from the city. The time in Tallinn was enough, Helsinki was only 4 hours, Stockholm 4 hours, Copenhagen 4 hours (rain) and we did not have a Plan B in case of rain. I would suggest beginning and ending in Stockholm or Copenhagen, so you can add time there at the start or end of your trip. We had an inside room and it worked out fine.

Well Dukey1, the only thing I can then say is that I'm glad I didnt wasn't so unlucky to run into all those "stuffy" people that apparently soured you on the upscale lines. Getting ready to go back on Regent for a Transatlantic out of Civitavecchia, cant wait.

jgg, when we did the Baltic cruise with Regent we used Red October for private tours in St Petersburg and were very pleased with them.

We never take organized tours, but in Russia we chose to take our own private tour with guide.

Both cruise lines you mention are in the top 5 cruise lines. Our Baltic cruise was one of the best vacations we have had. As far as 'independent' Russia is one the most difficult countries to do a totally independent trip. Getting a visa is very difficult and time consuming. I suggest you use a company that does Russian visa's for you or take the tour below. You have to be 'invited' by a Russian agency to enter the country.

What we did is use a company that provided a private tour, from the ship to the sites. No visa is required for this type of tour. The downside is that you cannot explore on your own without the guide.

Be VERY specific on the places you want to go, as well as the order you want to see them. Making a change is almost impossible.

This way you get the best of both a guided tour and independent travel.

We used Red October travel agency and were very pleased. Make sure you have a balcony cabin, the entry into Stockholm is breath taking.

One last thing. At thc Czar's last palace, there is a small church that the Czar and his family used. Try and not miss this. There was a special atmosphere we felt.

Have a great time, you will be amazed at how the Romonov's lived.

Ciao!

jjg:

One last comment on the cruise line. Having 3 days in St.Petersburg is much better than 2 days. So much to see in just 2 days.

If you decide to go with a less expensive line, I would recommend Celebrity. It is less than the top 5 lines, but we find it is just right for us. Food is outstanding (better than the Queen Mary), entertainment and service is very good.

You can't go wrong with any of the lines you mentioned. As suggested elsewhere, find the ships you are interested in, then read the reviews on Cruise Critic.

Hope this helps. We have taken 32 cruises and have had a great time on all of them. Never bored.

Two Fodorites are writing that there is good food on Celebrity ships. Maybe it has improved since we sailed with Celebrity.

When we sailed, they had stanard menus without fresh regional products which we loved so much on Holland America and other ships. But maybe they have identified their weak spot and improved!

Thank you again for everyone's input!! We have booked a Baltic Cruise on Oceania. Not one of the smaller cruises but also not a mega ship. It gets excellent reviews, but we ultimately chose it as it had the exact itinerary I wanted - 3 days in SPB, starting in Stockholm ending in Copenhagen where we would like to spend some extra time. In addition it had the perfect dates for us. I came back here to remind me of the recommendations people made regarding SPB guides as well as the Helsinki bike tour so I'm off to research those!!

Just saw this, and thought I'd send my two cents; we have been to Europe 15 times, but have only done one land tour in Italy (it was too good a deal to pass up) and our Baltic Cruise on Celebrity 7-8 Junes ago. Loved it. 12-day itinerary beginning in Amsterdam, then Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. P, Tallinn, Oslo. Went with another couple. Thought 12 days would be too much. It was ideal actually. When you look at a map, it's really the only way to zig-zag to these ports. We had friends who took a Baltic trip via land and were very unhappy with the buses, short flight, etc.

We did our own sightseeing in all the cities except for St. P, where we would strongly recommend going through Oceania or another great company, Shore Excursions (priced well under Oceania too). Several agents and friends have used that company. If you are active as I believe you are, the above cities are easily accessible on foot once dropped off by the cruiseline shuttle (Helsinki & Tallinn). Otherwise, in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo we walked to what we wanted to see, taxied to Vigeland Park in Oslo, but overall was very easy to handle.

As a foursome naturally we stuck together and were seated with another foursome for all of the dinners. Breakfasts and lunches were on our own. It was a comfortable line, not luxurious. But the destinations, timing and pricing were perfect for us that June. It was an extremely hot June, so keep abreast of the temps and have a fabulous time.

Agree with Dukey1 above, in St. P, do everything you can, you'll probably not be back. We loved the Hermitage, the Summer Palace, the Peterhof, the subway tour, the markets. Went to a concert rather than the ballet, think the company was actually performing in NY at that time and not available. Note, alot of the restaurants, venues, are not air conditioned. Temps that June were well into the 90s!!!