FUN-photos: Princess Baltic Sea Cruise
September 9, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Princess Baltic Sea Cruise
On Sunday July 20th we boarded a shuttle from the Berlin Airport to the port of Warnemünde. Our 11 day cruise was on their newest ship the Royal Princess with stops in Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Nynäshamn, Sweden; Aarhus, Denmark; Oslo, Norway & back to Warnemünde on July 31st.
We would never take a ship this big but they were the only option based on our time schedule and location in Europe. We also wouldn’t have gone back to St. Petersburg after already spending 4 nights there. We did go to the Peterhof Palace & Gardens which was really spectacular and had the best crowd control of all of the places we visited there. I would recommend not going in the peak summer season as the crowds were dreadful!
FUN-travel: End of Princess Baltic Cruise
August 3, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: End of Princess Baltic Cruise
Day 31 – Thursday, July 31 –Warnemünde, Germany – End of Princess Cruise – full sun – high 70’s
Helsinki
What I LIKE
- GETTING OFF THIS SHIP!
- 7:15 – get up – best cappuccino ever
- – Chris went to Deck 16 – bartenders are breakfast barista
- 8:30 – walk off ship
What I DIDN’T
- 5:00 am – parking ship wakes me up
- fitful night sleep
Cruise Recap: Travel is very personal. This felt like a big fat “glorified Carnival ship” and if you like that sort of thing and Las Vegas, then this is the ship for you. We don’t like big ships and we wouldn’t go to Las Vegas on vacation.
- In our opinion a cabin on a lower lever is better. You don’t want to be dependent on the elevators on this ship. If you are, you’re better off taking the down elevator to go up. Otherwise you’ll wait a long time to get on. We were on Deck 8 and most of the action was in the atrium on Decks 5, 6 & 7.
Esplanade Park, Helsinki
Gefion Fountain, Copenhagen
FUN-food – It’s all about “pizza, pasta, espresso & ice cream.” For Princess they did a pretty good job of 2 out of 4. I expected to see a “pasta station” at lunch and never did. Cappuccino was pretty much latte every morning on Deck 5 until I found Allan who “got it” when I told him less milk and more foam. Some meals were very tasty but for the most part were just average. Martini’s were best at Crooner’s with a bigger pour & the nice olive tray. The wine list had some variety and with the purchase of the “wine card” wasn’t so overpriced.
- No “Can Do” Attitude – That pretty well sums up how we felt about the majority of the staff. If we asked a question they didn’t have the answer to, rather than find out, they told you to check with another department.
- I found out the reason that I couldn’t take pizza from Alfredo’s was because a lady took hers on a china plate. She fell on the stairs, cut her arm and sued Princess. I have been walking out of the restaurants every night carrying my wine glass and not one person stopped me. I kid you not!
The Atium
- Internet – We spent $99 plus a $3.95 activation fee (seriously!) for 200 minutes. Clearly the most expensive and beyond snail slow on any ship we’ve been on. In hindsight, I would spend that money at cafés with free Wifi and have a nice enjoying experience in a city.
Our Travel Motto – “We want to be surprised and not pissed off.” We broke our cruise rule which is, “To only sail with all inclusive small ships.” And that will never happen again!
- PS – Our favorite cities were Helsinki and Oslo because their city centers are relatively small, easy to walk and have a really good feel.
Stockholm, Sweden – Where We Didn’t GO!
FUN-travel: Aarhus, Denmark – Day 11 – Princess Baltic Cruise
August 3, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Aarhus, Denmark – Day 11 – Princess Baltic Cruise
Den Gamel By
Day 30 – Wednesday, July 30 – Aarhus, Denmark – Princess Cruise – Day 11 – thick clouds w/patches of sun – high 70’s – sunrise 4:13 – sunset 9:56
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – typical wakeup
- 9:00 – Allan making good cappuccino
- 11:00 – fresh fruit Deck 16
- 11:30 – need Mexican food fix – make taco bar nachos
- Free shuttle off pier – no walking allowed
- 12:00 – wait to go down to get of
- – let the masses off 1st
- 12:30 – sit down @ bar & do email to let the line pass
- 12:50 – get in line for shuttle ticket
- 1:05 – bus takes off (not full)
- 1:20 – walk to city center 15 mins
- Restaurants line canal up to main shopping street & square
- 2:00 – arrive Den Gamel By – world’s 1st open air museum
- – old Viking city being renovated
- – created by moving 75 original structures
- – Chris has no intention of paying & walks in to take picture
- – lady taking tickets distracted
- – buy one for me – there is no turnstile
Den Gamel By
- 2:30 – it’s cute but not worth the price
- 3:15 – beer break on canal – Café Romer
- – 2 Carlsbergs 120 K = $20 US
- Book hotel Bremen, Germany – our next stop
Catherdral
- 4:15 – back to shuttle bus
- 4:45 – ready to pack & go
- 6:30 – sail away
- 9:00 – Alfredo’s for dinner – usual pizza & calzone w/Ancient Peaks Merlot
What I DON’T LIKE
- 11:00 – when you wait this late for breakfast half of buffet is closed to set up for lunch
- – throngs of passengers jockeying for food
- Have to have a ticket to get on shuttle
- 12:30 – line to get shuttle tickets snakes thru entire atrium area
- 12:55 – given bus ticket # & moved into lounge area
- turns out now we have to sit & wait until our # is called
- 0nly 3 buses running for all these people
- 2:00 – costs 135 K = $27 US per person
- 3:15 – computer can’t connect to wifi
- 5:30 – now my email doesn’t work!
- – Chris uses up last 30 min ship wifi credit trying to fix
- 8:45 – reception to deal w/bill discrepancies (why we like all inclusive)
- 10:00 – too full for gelato
Den Gamel By
FUN-fact – Aarhus is the oldest Scandinavian city founded in 770 A.D. and the cathedral is the longest and tallest church in Denmark.
FUN-travel: Oslo, Norway – Day 10 – Princess Baltic Cruise
August 1, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Oslo, Norway – Day 10 – Princess Baltic Cruise
Day 29 – Tuesday, July 29 – Oslo, Norway – Princess Cruise – Day 10 – morning haze gives way to full sun – high 70’s – sunrise 4:51 – sunset 9:54
- 7:15 – cappuccino/latte in room
- 8:30 – back to Deck 5
- – instruct them how I want my coffee
- – Allan knows how to make real cappuccino!
- 9:30 – fruit on 16 – mobbed & too many people
- 10:00 – arrive in town port
- – Akershus Fortress & Castle right next to pier
- 10:20 – walk off – only short walk to city center
- 1st site – City Hall – red brick, double towers
- 2nd site – City Park flanked by…
- 3rd site – the Royal Palace
- 4th site – & the Parliament
- 11:30 – find Grand Oslo Hotel (where we stay next week)
- Deli across street has free wifi
- – buy 1 tuna salad nicoise, 1 bag potato chips, 1 soda
- 1:30 – take off
- Lots of photo ops – statues & fountains on waterfront
- TI – Tourist Info has free wifi (just up from City Hall) – my computer can’t find it (IT – imaging that!)
- 5th site – Nobel Peace Center
Akershus Fortress & Castle
- Find kids souvenirs @ 25% less – same main street as city hall facing harbor
- – look for Stetson Hat sign on bldg
- 2:30 – Pappabuene Restaurant – right on waterfront
- – free wifi Chris’ Apple works (but of course my computer doesn’t work again)
- – 2 Amundsen beers $174 k = $28 US
- – nice sea breeze – just delightful to be off ship
- 4:00 – board & up to Deck 16 for pizza
- Check out next destination lecture on TV
- 5:00 – little nappy
Parliament
- 6:30 – sail away – lots of little islands – sailboats – light houses
- 8:15 – dinner – black bean soup & spinach, mushroom quiche w/salad – VG
- Grilled salmon (VG) is available every night
- – Chris orders that again w/grilled calamari & fettuccini alfredo
- – Ancient Peaks Paso Robles Merlot & Spellbound Napa Petite Syrah
- – both $5 extra – best wines for price in our opinion
Royal Palace
What I DON’T LIKE
- Elevator wait time unbelievable – have to go up to go down
- – lunch costs $144 kroner = $24 US
- Credit card doesn’t work – have to go to ATM
- – minimal withdrawal 200 + $5 bank charge
- Deli upstairs has no air flow & very hot
- 2:00 am – 1st time I felt any movement from rough seas in middle of night
FUN-fact – Oslo is the oldest Scandinavian capital and Norway’s largest city.
More FF – It sits in a beautiful harbor wrapped around a fjord 60 miles from the sea. And is the land of trolls.
Nobel Peace Center
FUN-travel: Copenhagen, Denmark – Day 9 – Princess Baltic Cruise
July 31, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Copenhagen, Denmark – Day 9 – Princess Baltic Cruise
Day 28 – Monday, July 28 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Princess Cruise – Day 9 – morning haze gives way to full sun – high 70’s – sunrise 5:07 – sunset 9:23
Amalienborg Palace
What I LIKE
- 7:45 – hot cappuccino wake up
- 9:45 – walk out to find City Tour bus waiting
- – brochure states “cruise ship shuttle included”
- 10:30 – drops us @ stop 13 – change buses & city tour begins
- 10:45 – stop #1 Gammel Strand – government buildings – tower of Borsen
- – world’s oldest active stock exchange
- 11:15 – stop #3 Nyhavn – 350 yr old harbor – restaurants line canal on narrow streets
- 11:45 – stop # 4 Amalienborg Palace
- – official royal residence
- – changing of the guard @ 12 (don’t need to stand in a crowd to see it)
- 12:15 – stop #5 Gefion fountain – Toldboden Restaurant @ stop #5 has toilet – no charge
- – nice seating on waterfront for dining or drinks
- 1:15 – stop #6 Little Mermaid – Hans Christian Anderson
- – opt to get off bus instead of going full circle – would take another 1.5 hr
- 1:50 – call for taxi – share w/shipmates from Australia
- – costs $21 – Princess shuttle to town $8 pp one way
Nyhavn
- 2:00 – back to ship
- 2:30 – nice cold beer w/shipmates from Australia
- 4:00 – snack on 16
- 7:30 – dinner w/ w/shipmates from Australia – bleu cheese & mushroom burger – grilled salmon – Silverado Sangiovese $6 extra – all VG
Little Mermaid
What I DON’T LIKE
- Charged us $25 Euro ea for 48 hr rate not 24 hr
- – never asked & knew full well ship was in port 1 day
- – then claimed we got discount because no shuttle back to ship
- – have to get taxi back
- Seeing all the baggage in hallway & wishing I could get off too!
- Fitful sleep night
FUN-fact – Copenhagen was founded in the 11th century and is called “the city of spires” because the skyline is speared with church bells and centuries-old castle towers.
More FF – The tower of Borsen features three green dragons with their tails twisted to create a thin, graceful spire.
Gammel Strand