Noway\Baltic cruise

[PLANT]

Anyone done the cruise in/from Norway and Baltic cruise?
Tips and tricks about it please

 

[drron]

We have done a cruise from Copenhagen to Archangel via Norway earlier this year and 2016 are doing a Stockholm to St.Petersburg cruise.Any particular things you want to know?

 

[PLANT]

Yes please! Have done Alaskan Cruise and burnt by tips paid at end of cruise!
Do's and don'ts
Cruiseline used?
Cruise details link please.
Agency to book?
Tips paid as you go?
Time of the year?
Balcony room?
When the best time to book cruise?
Where did you fly to and bus\train\car to cruise ship?
Hotels stayed in before after cruise?
Wifi access\cost?
Best OFF ship activities to do?
Any trip report?

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Yes please! Have done Alaskan Cruise and burnt by tips paid at end of cruise!
Cruiseline used?
Cruise details link please.

We use Silversea - we like that there is NO tipping on board, and it is all inclusive. So meals, all drinks ( beer, wine and spirits ) are included, it is free seating for all meals and there are 3 restaurants on board. We have done 10 cruises on Silverseas and have another 3 booked in the future. The other good thing is that these ships are small, so the Cloud/Wind only have 296 passengers, while the Whisper has 382. But the service is fantastic.

Here are a couple of cruises that include Norway, and on 3 of their ships.

Copenhagen to Copenhagen

London (Tower Bridge) to London (Tower Bridge)

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/northern-europe-british-isles-cruise/1715/?ga=list

Ron has done several trip reports on these trips so he will post a link.

 

[Atleastonce]

We are looking at doing a RCL cruise from Copenhagen next June. (2017) to the Arctic circle. We can't get a guaranteed mid ship cabin. My wife gets a bit sea sick and all our previous cruises have been mod ship. Can anyone comment on the roughness of the seas along the coat of Norway in summer. Thanks.

 

[love_the_life]

Plant, unless you book with one of the luxury lines, you will find that gratuities are part and parcel of cruising. Most lines add them as a per day cost (varying from about $A11.50 per day per person though I have seen some of the UK lines less than this). This amount is pooled and shared with the staff who work to provide you with a fabulous cruise experience but who you may not meet. Note that ship's crew and officers are different and not included.
Many lines have the option to pre-pay your gratuities and we usually do this. Also you can sometimes get a deal where grats are included. Working out the cost will help you decide if it is worth pre-paying or taking up a free offer if available. For example I would take free grats over $150 OBC as they will be worth much more.
It is your choice if you would like at tip any staff individually at the end of the cruise and is not necessary if you have left your auto gratuities in place or pre-paid them.
Depending who you cruise with, you may be able to book through a US travel agent who may offer more 'perks' but not all cruise lines allow this. We usually book direct with the cruise line itself online. What we do is look at the website of a couple on online TAs and do a search for the location and time, then compare this with the cruise line itself.
I would think that if you are looking at one of the mainstream cruise lines the peak time is in the the northern summer or late spring/early autumn.
Some of the trip reports although land based have visited some of the towns up the Norwegian coast and you might get some ideas from them.
We have only cruised out of Tromso in Norway on the way to Svalbard and Iceland so have not really done the itinerary you are after.

Cruise Critic, a sister site of Tripadvisor, will have information for you. It is free to sign up. The link to Northern European ports is here

 

[drron]

We did a cruise up the Norwegian coast last summer and certainly not rough seas-but cold.Here is the TR.Cruise starts from post 190-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....photos/convoys-and-long-way-home-67976-5.html

 

[Anna]

Departing Stockholm during the summer, Birka Line runs ferries across the Baltic to places like Mariehamn, Helsinki, St Petersburg and Tallinn (not necessarily all in one trip). It's much cheaper than a cruise line, and no tips payable. The ferries are good standard - not as fancy as a cruise ship, but perfectly fine. You can have a cabin, or for the shorter trips you can just book a seat if you want.

Lots of Swedes use them as trips to buy duty free booze. Have seen people disembarking with special foldable trolleys designed to move 64 litres :shock:

You can also get to Gotland easily by ferry.

 

[Austman]

Lots of Swedes use them as trips to buy duty free booze.

And to drink on board. They are not known as "booze cruises" for nothing. And it's the reason many ferries stop briefly in Mariehamn. Duty-free within the EU is not generally allowed. Åland has a special exemption.