Once upon a time Carl said to Monica, "We should go on a Baltic cruise". After some thought Monica replied, "It sounds allright but I am worried that I might get sick on the ship. Let me do some research."
Monica then talked to friends about cruises in general and to Ingrid about her recent Baltic cruise. Google was also involved in the research. Then Monica stopped by the Cruise store and asked what was available for this summer. It turned out there was only a few rooms left and after much dilly-dallying we decided to book a 12 day Baltic cruise on Holland America's MS Eurodam. It was a bonus that we got a Flash sale for $1,000 off each. Subsequently, Monica determined that because of her eye conditions, she is not able to take any motion sickness medicine so, she went and bought Motion sickness wrist bands. Fingers crossed that they work.
SEPT, Cruise Wrapup
This cruise was my first on a large ship(2,000 residents) and I didn't have any trouble with motion sickness except for the last very windy day when we both didn't feel well for a few hours. As Ingrid had told me, the Baltic Sea was quite flat and during our trip we didn't experience much movement. It was similar to the River Cruise we did a couple of years ago.
Our room was on the fourth floor (of 9) at the back of the ship and there was always a faint rumbling present (engines, I guess) but it was certainly not invasive. Our bed was super comforable; the washroom a good size (for a ship); the balcony was lovely and large.
The food was excellent and varied. If you could imagine it, they would offer it. We started out most days with breakfast at the omelette station where customized omelettes were prepared freshly. I loved my egg white omelette with vegies and shrimp, how decadent! Lunches were buffet bistro style or burgers, dogs and fries. For dinner you could return to the buffet or go to the formal dining room. We made our location choices every day based on the menu and how tired we were. There was 2 formal evening and the chefs went all out for that. It was surf and turf the last formal night. I have no complaints regarding the quality or quantity of food. Non-alcoholic beverages were varied from tea and coffee to iced tea and juices but NO pop (pay extra for that). Alcoholic drinks were also not included but Carl did splurge for a beer from time to time.
The overall cruise was well done but you see occasions when you realize that this is just a business and their goal is to part you from as much of your money as they can. They really prefer that you do not leave the ship and in some cases make it downright difficult to get out and sightsee on your own. Holland American would prefer you to buy their shore excursions, beverage packages, prebook your next cruise, take part in paid on board events such as beer tastings and they love you to use the Casino.
There was always entertainment in the evenings. This ranged from movies to classical music performances to musical shows and for the most part were well done. The seats in the mainstage were mostly full and you had to arrive early to get a good seat. We visited the movie room a couple of nights with its big comfy chairs, side table and even popcorn at the door.
Internet is wildy, prohibitively expensive so we disconnected while on board. We did catch up at the various cruise terminals along the way where free wifi was offered. The only problem was, that there was so many people trying to use the wifi that sometimes it was difficult to get a connection. The greying generation does like their tech and use it to keep up with what is going on at home; tablets and smart phones were everywhere.
There is always stuff to do during the day if you are staying on board. We attended a tech session and learned about how to take your photos and make movies with them.
Would I do another cruise? I would, but only in a location where the water was mostly flat. I think an ocean voyage would be out for me, based on my experience with that last windy day. I liked my room, the food, the entertainment, and seeing a new place each day but, it is tiring. I AM glad I went. SEPT 8, Journey home
The alarms went off and after gathering our stuff we headed our the door for the 10 minute walk to the train station. We got express airport tickets from the machine and then went to wait for the train which arrived promptly at 5:12. By 5:30, we were at the airport printing our boarding passes and luggage tags and depositing our luggage. Sas was on time with our plane and got us to London, Heathrow airport promptly where we had a 3 hour layover and another security screening.
We had to wait quite a while to get a departure gate but when it finally came up on the board it was a short time until we got on the plane. The flight was pretty good with only mild turbulence at a few different times. Once landed in Toronto, there was a bit of a wait to get through Customs and collect our luggage.
Ed and Barb were kind enough to bring our car to the airport so that we could go straight home from there. It was an unseasonably hot day in Markham with the day before setting a heat record. Thanks goodness for air conditionning at home.
Once home we made dinner, unpacked and struggled to stay awake until a normal bedrime for this time zone. SEPT 7, Ship departure and Copenhagen
We woke early, prepped our luggage, had our last buffet breakfast on the ship and got the busses into town. Our hotel had our room ready so we ditched the luggage and headed for the free shuttle bus to the Carlsberg Brewery. This big green bus took us to the site of the old brewery where we had lunch, looked around at the history of brewing, sampled some beers and then took the shuttle back to the City centre.
I couldn't leave without seeing Tivoli, the amusement park/gardens smack in the middle of the city centre. It was quite pretty and interesting to walk around as well as enjoy some sun.
When it started to cool down we headed out for some dinner and then to get some shut eye since our alarms were set for 4:15.
SEPT 6, Copenhagen on land
It was still windy when we woke and getting ready this morning was a little tricky. After much debate we decided to spend the day relaxing and figuring our our exit strategy for tomorrow. We also had limited access to wifi from the cruise terminal so we updated our electronic stuff.
The ship put on a fantastic German themed dinner spread with sausages, pork, sauerkraut, various salads and other wonderful food. There was also a live oompah band playing by the pool. It was interesting seeing the mostly Indonesian crew wearing dirndl dresses and bavarian hats and T shirts.
After dinner we packed our bags and prepared to leave the ship.
SEPT 4, At Sea
This cruise was my first on a large ship(2,000 residents) and I didn't have any trouble with motion sickness except for the last very windy day when we both didn't feel well for a few hours. As Ingrid had told me, the Baltic Sea was quite flat and during our trip we didn't experience much movement. It was similar to the River Cruise we did a couple of years ago.
Our room was on the fourth floor (of 9) at the back of the ship and there was always a faint rumbling present (engines, I guess) but it was certainly not invasive. Our bed was super comforable; the washroom a good size (for a ship); the balcony was lovely and large.
The food was excellent and varied. If you could imagine it, they would offer it. We started out most days with breakfast at the omelette station where customized omelettes were prepared freshly. I loved my egg white omelette with vegies and shrimp, how decadent! Lunches were buffet bistro style or burgers, dogs and fries. For dinner you could return to the buffet or go to the formal dining room. We made our location choices every day based on the menu and how tired we were. There was 2 formal evening and the chefs went all out for that. It was surf and turf the last formal night. I have no complaints regarding the quality or quantity of food. Non-alcoholic beverages were varied from tea and coffee to iced tea and juices but NO pop (pay extra for that). Alcoholic drinks were also not included but Carl did splurge for a beer from time to time.
The overall cruise was well done but you see occasions when you realize that this is just a business and their goal is to part you from as much of your money as they can. They really prefer that you do not leave the ship and in some cases make it downright difficult to get out and sightsee on your own. Holland American would prefer you to buy their shore excursions, beverage packages, prebook your next cruise, take part in paid on board events such as beer tastings and they love you to use the Casino.
There was always entertainment in the evenings. This ranged from movies to classical music performances to musical shows and for the most part were well done. The seats in the mainstage were mostly full and you had to arrive early to get a good seat. We visited the movie room a couple of nights with its big comfy chairs, side table and even popcorn at the door.
Internet is wildy, prohibitively expensive so we disconnected while on board. We did catch up at the various cruise terminals along the way where free wifi was offered. The only problem was, that there was so many people trying to use the wifi that sometimes it was difficult to get a connection. The greying generation does like their tech and use it to keep up with what is going on at home; tablets and smart phones were everywhere.
There is always stuff to do during the day if you are staying on board. We attended a tech session and learned about how to take your photos and make movies with them.
Would I do another cruise? I would, but only in a location where the water was mostly flat. I think an ocean voyage would be out for me, based on my experience with that last windy day. I liked my room, the food, the entertainment, and seeing a new place each day but, it is tiring. I AM glad I went. SEPT 8, Journey home
The alarms went off and after gathering our stuff we headed our the door for the 10 minute walk to the train station. We got express airport tickets from the machine and then went to wait for the train which arrived promptly at 5:12. By 5:30, we were at the airport printing our boarding passes and luggage tags and depositing our luggage. Sas was on time with our plane and got us to London, Heathrow airport promptly where we had a 3 hour layover and another security screening.
We had to wait quite a while to get a departure gate but when it finally came up on the board it was a short time until we got on the plane. The flight was pretty good with only mild turbulence at a few different times. Once landed in Toronto, there was a bit of a wait to get through Customs and collect our luggage.
Ed and Barb were kind enough to bring our car to the airport so that we could go straight home from there. It was an unseasonably hot day in Markham with the day before setting a heat record. Thanks goodness for air conditionning at home.
Once home we made dinner, unpacked and struggled to stay awake until a normal bedrime for this time zone. SEPT 7, Ship departure and Copenhagen
We woke early, prepped our luggage, had our last buffet breakfast on the ship and got the busses into town. Our hotel had our room ready so we ditched the luggage and headed for the free shuttle bus to the Carlsberg Brewery. This big green bus took us to the site of the old brewery where we had lunch, looked around at the history of brewing, sampled some beers and then took the shuttle back to the City centre.
When it started to cool down we headed out for some dinner and then to get some shut eye since our alarms were set for 4:15.
SEPT 6, Copenhagen on land
It was still windy when we woke and getting ready this morning was a little tricky. After much debate we decided to spend the day relaxing and figuring our our exit strategy for tomorrow. We also had limited access to wifi from the cruise terminal so we updated our electronic stuff.
The ship put on a fantastic German themed dinner spread with sausages, pork, sauerkraut, various salads and other wonderful food. There was also a live oompah band playing by the pool. It was interesting seeing the mostly Indonesian crew wearing dirndl dresses and bavarian hats and T shirts.
After dinner we packed our bags and prepared to leave the ship.
SEPT 4, At Sea
After breakfast we attended a session from the Techspert on how to create a movie using your pictures and videos using Microsoft 8. I left early to attend a presentation on the highlights of Berlin and Copenhagen and met Carl back at the room. The rest of the day was spend in aimless pursuits such as checking out the burger and fries spot by the indoor pool.
SEPT 5, Wernemunde to Berlin
It was 4:30am when we had to start getting ready to meet our tour bus at 6:00. Today was our Berlin tour which took 3 hours on the bus to get to. In the limited amount of time we had there we certainly covered most of the highlights.
We saw the Reichstag (parliament building),
Brandenburg Gate,
Pariser Platz, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe,
Under den Linden street, Hotel Adlon (Michael Jackson hanging his kid over the railing), US Embassy, Canadian Embassy, Humbolt University, Museum Island, TV Tower, Berliner Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt (close to famous chocolate store), Checkpoint Charlie,
Potsdamer Platz, and remnants of the Berlin Wall.
It was so windy this day that the captain delayed our departure by 1 1/2 hours. The ship was rocking quite a bit but fortunately I managed to sleep most of the bad weather away.
SEPT 3, Stockholm, Sweden Day 2
Brandenburg Gate,
Pariser Platz, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe,
Under den Linden street, Hotel Adlon (Michael Jackson hanging his kid over the railing), US Embassy, Canadian Embassy, Humbolt University, Museum Island, TV Tower, Berliner Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt (close to famous chocolate store), Checkpoint Charlie,
Potsdamer Platz, and remnants of the Berlin Wall.
It was so windy this day that the captain delayed our departure by 1 1/2 hours. The ship was rocking quite a bit but fortunately I managed to sleep most of the bad weather away.
There was quite a confusion this morning because the bus ticket machine was down (800m from terminal) and some people had walked down there and had to return. In the end, we had to queue to get tickets at the tourist information station so that we could get into Gamla Stan ( Old Town). Once there we followed Rick Steves old town walking tour through cobbled street to see churches, old houses, narrow lanes and ending up at the Grand Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony. This was quite an impressive 30 minute ceremony.
A lovely walk from the palace along the water in the sunshine brought us to the bus stop for our return to the ship. All aboard was at 3:30 and tomorrow is a day at sea. The movie for tonight was Taken 3.
What a yucky day, rain and blowing rain.
Off we went to find a ticket machine so we could use the bus to get to the Vasa Museum. This museum showcases a ship from 1628 that sank after 20 minutes on the water due to design flaws. 333 years later the ship was raised and preservation began, Today this is the best preserved ship of its age anywhere - housed in a brilliant museum.
Off we went to find a ticket machine so we could use the bus to get to the Vasa Museum. This museum showcases a ship from 1628 that sank after 20 minutes on the water due to design flaws. 333 years later the ship was raised and preservation began, Today this is the best preserved ship of its age anywhere - housed in a brilliant museum.
We had a very interesting day looking at all the information relating to this ship and its history. Hard to believe you can spend almost a whole day at this place but we did it. By the time we were finished here, it had stopped raining and we bought our bus tickets back to the ship arriving in time for dinner.
We watched the movie &The Diviner& tonight in the main theatre and then rested our weary bones for the night.
SEPT 1, Helsinki, Finland
Rick Steve's was our guide again today. Our ship was moored away from the central city so the town sent Shuttle Busses to get us into town. That was very convenient.
We did the walk starting at the Esplanade, past their Stockmann dept store, the three blacksmiths statue,
the train station with its interesting facade
and then on, passing their music center and museum to the Church in the Rock.
A different route brought us back to the City Centre and the City Hall and Market Square on the water.
In the Market Square there were food choices, souvenirs, furs and various other stalls. We ended up tasting reindeer meatballs and sausages with lingonberry sauce. I quite liked the meatball but the sausage had a different flavour.
Left with some time we walked up to the Senate Square and up many stairs to the Lutheran cathedral (very plain Jane church).
The supermarket was an intereresting side trip for one beer and some chips for $10 our money. You can apparently drink anywhere anytime here.
The shuttle returned for us and dropped us back to the ship for dinner.
AUG 31, St. Petersburg Day 2
We started an hour later today with a boat(canal) cruise as our first itinerary event. We got to see the outside of all the gorgeous buildings from the water.
From there we went back to the Hermitage to catch the hydrofoil to Peterhof. Peterhof is famous for its gardens, breathtaking fountains and sumptuous palace. We arrived in time to see the fountains turned on (they are fed by gravity from springs many kilometres away) to the tune of the national anthem.
The van arrived and drove us back to town via Putins' Palace and other soviet sights. Single family homes are rare as most people live in apartments and condos. We stopped outside of the church of St Nicholas (yes, our Santa Claus).
At St. Isaac's Cathedral, we stopped inside of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen.
Next was the nasty business of paying the bill for our tour but it was efficiently done and then we were on our way back to the ship exhausted and happy with our experience.
This little guy met us after dinner.
This little guy met us after dinner.
AUG 30, St. Petersburg Day 1
Our tour company (TJ Travel) met us outside the terminal and we were on our way in a 15 seat Mercedes Air conditionned van with WIFI. Victoria (our guide) and Anton(our driver) were our hosts for the next 2 days. The sphinx were our first stop on the river and a pat on the head of the gryphon is supposed to bring you luck.
The subway was the next destination. We got our tickets and headed down 140 metres into the depths. This subway and all the other stops are just gorgeous. They are designed like works of art. It sure makes Toronto's look bland and expensive. It costs 50 of our cents to ride the subway.
The Hermitage museum was toured speedily and efficiently. We saw many room and old masters works.
We went for lunch to a small restaurant that served us salad, vegetable barley soup and beef stroganoff.
We went for lunch to a small restaurant that served us salad, vegetable barley soup and beef stroganoff.
Alexander II was killed at the site of the church of Spilled Blood and his memorial is inside this amazing building.
The chapel at Peter and Paul Fortress houses many of the deceased royalty of Russia.
Catharine's palace was mine blowing, so much gold!
We were returned to our ship after all this walking and touring and were too tired for a formal meal so we just hit the buffet for dinner. On the mainstage they played the movie called & The Russia House& with Sean Connery & Michelle Pfeiffer. Most of the old fahrts fell asleep and started snoring during it.
AUG 29, Tallinn, Estonia
Today we followed Rick Steve's walking tour of Tallinn.
Below is Tallinn from the sea.
We started at the old city walls and Fat Margaret Tower.
Proceeding down Pikk street looking at houses where formerly the rich and famous german merchants lived, played and went to church.
Later in history if they didn't behave the KGB set up headquarters in the building on this street. Note the blocked up windows. It was said that this was the tallest building in Tallinn because &you could see Siberia from the basement&.
These streets led to the old Town Square.
The Russian Orthodox church was magnificent.
Views from the top of city show the old town.
Walking back down to the lower town, past the artists we were looking for a place to take a break.
We sat down at a restaurant and were completely ignored so we got up and left to buy a beer elsewhere.
The Ship was waiting so we headed back at 3:30. Weather today was partly cloudy and windier as the day went on.
AUG. 28, Friday At Sea
Arghh! We overslept. Plans to attend a photo editing workshop were abandonned. Breakfast was super busy this morning. I guess everyone else slept in also. We then attended an information session about the upcoming ports of call but it turned out to be a sales pitch for the tours that the ship sells. We spent the rest of the morning lazing about on the balcony enjoying the sun and the ocean.
Lunch was light since there is the formal dinner tonight. The afternoon was spent in and then near the hot tub. Dinner was amazing starting with shrimp cocktails, artichoke and carrot soup and a salad. Our main courses were Norwegian Haddock and Beef tenderloin with grilled shrimp and for dessert balsamic strawberries and black forest cake mousse were savoured.
The song and dance group this evening were amazing. They made you want to sing along and dance in the aisle but, if this crowd did that, they would all need medical attention tomorrow. All in all, it was a good day at sea.
AUG 27, Thursday Kiel, Germany
We slept through the alarm and then woke to a very gloomy, rainy morning. This enabled us to have a lazy, long breakfast at the buffet. At the Lido restaurant there was everything you could possibly want to eat, from fish to omelettes. As we sat the weather started to l ighten up so we decided to walk into Kiel.
Our first stop was St. Nicolas Church which was quite nice and God provided us with a free WC. Such a thing is quite rare in Germany.
We then strolled down the Alter Markt and decided we needed some Euros. The Deutsche bank let us get some local currency which meant we could buy a bratwurst from a street cart for lunch. This made us thirsty so we (the royal we) needed a nice german beer to wash down the wurst.
As we were sailing out there was a memorial for all sub mariners and a German Uboat.
AUG. 26, Wednesday
As you might expect, sleep was fitfull and I woke up at 5:30am. We had the same buffet breakfast in our hotel and then packed our bags. We were able to store the luggage in the luggage room and then we walked back to the City Hall. We walked the 300 steps up to the tower for a good view of Copenhagen. It was overcast however so, the view could have been better.
In chatting with the locals we have discerned a few interesting things. Firstly, Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Taxes are high, costs to purchase anything are high and apparently wages are also high to compensate. Secondly, the countries are really close together. The guy at the front desk of our hotel commuted 25 minutes every day by train from Sweden because he made more money here in Denmark. He also told us that some families will once a year pack up the car and drive to Germany to load up on liquor. Lastly, everyone speaks English and extremely well. I think they speak it better than they do in Amsterdam (my take only).
After returning to our hotel and collecting our luggage we walked to the Central Train Station and got our bus tickets. We on bus #26 and then transferred to #27 which took us to a stop steps from our ship. We were checked in quickly and headed or our room to unpack. The room is quite nice with a little sofa and a nice balcony. Shortly thereafter we had to do a safely drill meeting on deck at our gathering point just in case of emergency. We were told &If you don't do it, you don't sail&.
We stood on deck and watched Copenhagen fade into the distance.
All of a sudden, Carl said, &Ow!&. He had been bitten by a wasp and his arm started swelling up. We got some ice from the bar to keep the swelling down but it turned into quite a bump and started moving up his arm. It was not enough to deter us from dinner though.
There were lots of food choices and it was pretty good. We were seated at a table with some Americans and an elderly lady from New Zealand. We had a nice dinner conversation. Afterwards, I had to get an extension cord for my CPAP machine.
Despite my tiredness, we attended a talk about our stop in Kiel, Germany tomorrow and that was followed by a comedian who was in fact quite funny.
AUG 25, TuesdayOur Room. Our Room has some interesting features. The lights don't go on unless you put in your key card. The garbage is a giant clip system that you press to open, put in your waste and then it clamps up again. This same system was used at their City Hall WC. In the bathroom, the showever is only a curtain with the drain in the floor. It works well but the floor stays wet for a few hours afterward.
We woke to another gloomy day and decided to check out the breakfast cafe in the basement of our hotel. There was quite an assortment of food: bread, buns, yogurt, cereals, cold cuts, cheese, juice and tea and coffee. It was very tasty and filling.
We then set out to complete Rick Steves walking tour of Copenhagen which should take 1 1/2 hours. Well, we finally stopped at 4 o'clock (including a 1 hr canal cruise) and ordered some dinner. We ended up at an Irish restaurant for a beer, fish and chips and a chicken caesar. At this time my pedometer read 16, 244 steps and we still had to walk back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, 18,792 steps later (12.4 Km), we put out devices and our bodies to charge.
Today, we started at City Hall with the Hans Cristian Anderson statue,
walked the Stroget (pedestrial Mall) passing by the Old Town Square and fountain of Charity,
saw 3 churches, the "Grey friar's" square
and Nyhavn. Nyhavn is the canal street you see on the travel shows with sailboats of all sizes on the canal and many eateries on the boardwalk. Here you can order a "take away" beer to drink anywhere you can find a seat.
Continuing on, we walked by the Royal Danish Theatre's Playhouse and on to the Royal Palace and Square.
From here we headed down to see the "Little Mermaid". This was our final tourist stop for today.
AUG 24, Monday
We arrived safely at the Copenhagen airport at 10:30am. The flight was on time but there were several incidents of mild/moderate turbulence. It was just enough to tie my stomach up in knots. After retrieving our luggage, we stopped at the Info desk for directions to get to our hotel. It was easy-peasy. We bought a train ticket, took the elevator down to the track, got on the first train and 15 minutes later arrived at Central Station. From here it was a 10 minute walk to the Cab Inn City hotel and then we got lucky because our room was ready. The room is really small but it has everything; 2 beds, a desk, a toilet and shower. It was so tempting to lie down and fall asleep but common sense prevailed and out we went in search of food. Food is expensive here, a hamburger with fries and drink would be $20. We managed a chicken wrap and chicken sandwich at Burger King for $11. It started raining, lightly at first and then it got worse. We saw the inside of the city hall and then walked down their main street until we were soaked through.
At this point we stopped having fun and headed back to our room to dry out and then have an early night.
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