Cruise - Baltic Sea

Hi Mary-
To start your research, go over to www.cruisecritic.com where you will find a wealth of information about cruising, cruise lines, ports of call, and links to actually find specific cruises. Various cruise lines do the Baltic Sea, with various ports of call, at various price points. We used Royal Caribbean last year, which was round-trip Copenhagen with stops in Talinn, St. P, Helsinki and Stockholm. Some members of our party spent extra time post-cruise in Amsterdam, but of course that required travel from Copenhagen to Amsterdam. My husband and I went on to Paris and then London. Once you are in Europe - well, the possibilities are endless.

I agree with cruisecritic.com as a good place to start. You can review each cruise line and individual ship to help you decide. You can also see what people chose to do at ports of call, though I think the site leans too much toward people who take the cruise's excursions rather than touring on their own. At one point, I would have thought Costa's "Cruise Italian Style" sounded great. After reading reviews, I realized Italian style means fat middle-aged men in speedos, ogling women while the pursors office ignores all customers' concerns over maintenance, billing and/or anything else - so no Costa for me. I didn't choose to sail out of Amsterdam (or London). If you start there, you have to take a longer cruise to see the same ports of call. I decided it's better to just focus on the Baltic region. Having decided that, the question was whether to start out of Stockholm or Copenhagen. The ability to catch a non-stop flight into Copenhagen from Dulles decided that question. Then I had to decide on the itinerary. Warnemunde wasn't appealing to me. I've been to Germany many times and it really doesn't lend itself to seeing Berlin for a day - so opted for other options. I ended up on a Princess cruise because it offered an overall good itinerary and stops - Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg (two nights), Tallinn, Gdansk, and Oslo. Reviews for Princess were decent and the price was good. Check out cruise choices at vacationstogo.com. This is an online travel agent that does mostly cruises. It has the best search engine I've found and the prices are at least as good as you will find anywhere else. I've booked three cruises through them and never had a problem. As you get closer to the date, the price drops - but many Baltic cruises (especially the ones with good itineraries) sell out so don't wait too long.

I went on a Celebrity cruise (Century) in June 2009, exactly your itinerary plus Stockholm. I had a great time. I looked at the schedule for 2013 and they have a similar cruise on the Constellation, just less time in Stockholm (which I loved) and a stop in Germany.

Also check out Oceania Cruises. They have two smaller ships, The Nautica and The Regatta with just 684 passengers. These ships can get in to smaller ports and have long port days. Amsterdam is included but not at the start or end of cruise. (Oceania's brand new bigger ships: Marina and Riviera with 1250 passengers). Nautica and Regatta are more like a floating hotel rather than an elaborate ship. Casual dress, no formal nights, and low-key entertainment. Restaurants: Main Dining Room, Toscana, Polo Grill and The Terrace and Waves by the pool. Several bar areas with entertainment. We will be doing "Scandinavian Splendors" this September from Stockholm to London (Dover). Our third cruise on Oceania.
http://www.oceaniacruises.com/findcruise/balticandscandinavia/nau120916/default.aspx We did a 14- day Baltic Cruise on Holland America Line in 2001 leaving from London (Harwich) to Copenhagen. I see they leave from Rotterdam (Amsterdam) for a 7- day or 14-day Baltic in 2013. They also have a ship named "Amsterdam" so googling is confusing. :) Another "dam" ship!

Mary, I just returned from a 15 night Holland America's cruise on the Prinsendam, chosen due to its small size ( about 830 passengers) on the Baltic itineray, as well as on a Black Sea cruise. The Baltic one I chose departed from London and ended in Amsterdam, but their itinerary varies with departure points. The Prinsendam was built in the 90's so it seems spacious,has walk-in closets (and bathtubs in most cabins). This itinerary also transited the Kiel Canal which was more pastoral than intriguing. If you are interested in history or art, chose a ship with 2 nights in St Petersburg, as there is much to see there. There are 7 night Baltic cruises but a longer one, 10-14 days, will give you a better idea of the differences in the region. I agree cruise critic is a valuable resource but IMHO it is a very opinionated forum, with many posters quite proud of their multiple cruises. If this is your first cruise, it should be very interesting see the area and get used to shipboard life.

Thank you all for your responses. You provided much useful info.

Mary, There are any number of cruise lines to consider, depending upon your budget. I believe that Holland America and Princess have been mentioned (Celebrity is another). A level above are Oceania and Azamara, which are more destination-focused, have smaller ships, and are country club casual in dress. And then there are the luxury cruise lines like Silversea, Regent and Crystal. I have cruised once, on Oceania, and it was fantastic. I am hoping to make a 2013 cruise on Azamara. I do know that both Oceania and Azamara have a number of excellent 2013 Baltic cruises with two and even three night stays in St. Petersburg. Check the cruise lines websites for itineraries and pricing.