Russia & Scandinavia cruise
I booked when there was an offer which included pre-paid gratuities and a free drinks package which made the cruise all-inclusive. This equates to a saving of £514 per person.
Check in at Southampton was a breeze and with glorious sunny skies we headed straight to the pool, ordered a cocktail and relaxed on a sunbed way before most people had even boarded. After the muster drill we met up with a large group of people we had been in contact with from the Cruise Critic message boards online. On this site you can look at your upcoming cruise and once someone has begun a thread online you can watch and contribute to forums, get tips, ask questions and join up for a Sailaway Party if you are so inclined. This is a great way to meet new people from all over the world and the ones we met we saw many times both on-board and off and even went on excursions with.
Celebrity Eclipse is a beautiful contemporary ship with a maximum capacity of 2850 so nowhere near the size of the recent mega ships we often see on TV. I love the dining options which include a main dining room with anytime dining when you can eat whenever you wish and with whoever (a table for two is no problem). Alternatively there is traditional fixed dining where you sit with the same group of people throughout the duration of the cruise. This is also very popular for people who like to meet new people and get to know them over dinner.
Other dining options include Tuscan Grill (Steak), Qsine (think Heston Blumenthal), Murano (French fine dining), Bistro on 5 (crepes and sandwiches), Ocean View Café (buffet), Mast Grill (burgers and hotdogs) and in-cabin dining. Tuscan, Murano, Bistro On 5 and Qsine apply a supplement charge to eat there but I think the service and quality is worth the extra.
I don’t tend to book excursions through the cruise lines as I find them too large and generally overpriced. Instead I check message boards on Cruise Critic and book smaller groups. This was particularly beneficial in St Peterburg with a group of 16 and Warnemunde with 27. It’s also good to organise a small minivan transfer as we did in Zeebrugge for Bruges. Celebrity charged $49.50 per person whereas I organised a minivan for eight fellow Cruise Critic members which cost just £10 each return.
Bruges was very pretty and great to walk around. A canal trip is a nice relaxing way to see Bruges from a different angle and it’s cheap for a 30 minute cruise. Don’t forget to buy some delicious Belgian chocolates.
Stockholm and Copenhagen are pricey cities but well worth a walk around and there is a joint hop-on/hop-off bus and boat ticket available locally too. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm is a must do!
Warnemunde is a small seaside town of pretty streets with cafes and shops but also a large beach and promenade. Here we did a small excursion to Wismar and Schwerin - worth a trip. The train station is conveniently located adjacent to the cruise terminal with cheap trains to all the major points of interest including Berlin and Rostock.
Tallin was another highlight with its medieval streets and square. If you like Drambuie try their version called Vana Tallin. 45% proof and much cheaper. Great in a liqueur coffee too!
But undoubtedly the star of the show is St Petersburg in Russia. Nothing could prepare me for how stunning this city is. The royal palaces (there are many) and cathedrals are so opulent and lavish that every different room promoted another WOW moment with either large amounts of gold gilding or masterpieces embellishing vast ornate rooms. For more information about this cruise please get in touch.