For some time we have considered heading north on a cruise but there has always been somewhere southerly that has been more appealing to us and therefore taken precedence. We much prefer the warmer climates and because of this its always swayed our decision making, so when Nicole’s mum (Maria) suggested doing a Baltic cruise with her we thought well maybe its now time to go for it. As none of us had ever cruised in that area it sounded like a great idea that we should do it together and when one of Maria’s friends (Judy) expressed an interest in joining us and making our group up to four it was all systems go.
We sent out the enquiries to the various agents we have used previously and we quickly decided the best offer was the one from Cruise Club UK. Lots of OBC and hump cabin on deck 8 for the same price as one on deck 7, well done Natalie for spotting that one. We also were able to use up a future cruise credit which provided us with $900 OBC for each of the cabins. Very nice indeed!
So with the cruise booked and the cabin sorted we started to investigate what we should do at the ports. We needed to bear in mind the 2 senior members of our party aren’t quite as sprightly as Nicole & me and because of that I think this cruise will be very different to those we have taken in the past.
The big attraction for us on this cruise is St. Petersburg where we will overnight and therefore have 2 full days. For this port we have booked a 2 day tour with Alla Tours which they call their comfort tour. They advise it is an ideal tour for those who want to see the highlights of St Petersburg in leisurely style which sounds just the ticket for our senior cruisers.
For the other ports we will try and make use of the local transport such as the HoHo buses.
Other Ships in Port
| DATE | LOCATION | ARRIVAL | DEPARTURE |
| Sunday, July 31, 2016 | Southampton, England | 04:30 PM | |
| Monday, August 1, 2016 | Zeebrugge, Belgium | 07:00 AM | 03:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 2, 2016 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | Warnemunde, Germany | 09:30 AM | 11:59 PM |
| Thursday, August 4, 2016 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, August 5, 2016 | Muuga, Tallinn, Estonia | 10:00 AM | 05:00 PM |
| Saturday, August 6, 2016 | St Petersburg, Russia | 07:00 AM | |
| Sunday, August 7, 2016 | St Petersburg, Russia | 06:00 PM | |
| Monday, August 8, 2016 | Helsinki, Finland | 08:00 AM | 05:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 9, 2016 | Stockholm, Sweden | 09:00 AM | 05:00 PM |
| Wednesday, August 10, 2016 | At Sea | ||
| Thursday, August 11, 2016 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 11:00 AM | 11:59 PM |
| Friday, August 12, 2016 | At Sea | ||
| Saturday, August 13, 2016 | At Sea | ||
| Sunday, August 14, 2016 | Southampton, England | 05:30 AM |
And taking a look at the other ships we may catch a glimpse of during the cruise.
| DATE | LOCATION | SHIPS IN PORT |
| Sunday, July 31, 2016 | Southampton, England | Caribbean Princess 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM Arcadia 6:30 AM – 4:30 PM Celebrity Eclipse Depart: 04:30 PM |
| Monday, August 1, 2016 | Brussels (Zeebrugge), Belgium | Viking Eir Queen Elizabeth 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Celebrity Eclipse 07:00 AM – 03:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 2, 2016 | At Sea | |
| Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | Warnemunde, Germany | Viking Jarl Serenade Of The Seas 7:00 AM – 9:30 PM (Dock) Celebrity Eclipse 09:30 AM – 11:59 PM |
| Thursday, August 4, 2016 | At Sea | |
| Friday, August 5, 2016 | Tallinn, Estonia | Celebrity Eclipse 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM |
| Saturday, August 6, 2016 | St Petersburg, Russia | Seven Seas Voyager Depart: 6:00 PM Celebrity Eclipse Arrive: 07:00 AM |
| Sunday, August 7, 2016 | St Petersburg, Russia | Viking Kirov Viking Truvor Monarch Arrive: 11:00 AM (Dock) Silver Whisper Arrive: 8:00 AM Celebrity Eclipse Depart: 06:00 PM |
| Monday, August 8, 2016 | Helsinki, Finland | Costa Luminosa 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Wind Surf 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 9, 2016 | Stockholm, Sweden | Celebrity Eclipse 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM |
| Wednesday, August 10, 2016 | At Sea | |
| Thursday, August 11, 2016 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Celebrity Eclipse 11:00 AM – 11:59 PM |
| Friday, August 12, 2016 | At Sea | |
| Saturday, August 13, 2016 | At Sea | |
| Sunday, August 14, 2016 | Southampton, England | Seven Seas Voyager 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM Celebrity Eclipse Arrive: 05:30 AM |