Part 4 – Our Baltic cruise conclusion

While still overshadowed by the popularity of the Mediterranean, a cruise on the Baltic Sea through Northern Europe and Scandinavia has charms of its own. The region boasts a kaleidoscope of cultures, languages, currencies, artistic traditions and ancient histories — and cruising is the ideal way to see it all at a reasonable price. (Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are traditionally more expensive than other parts of Europe.)

your typical itinerary

For most Baltic cruises, Stockholm and Copenhagen are popular ports of embarkation and debarkation. More options exist, from England’s Dover and Southampton, and some lines also leave from Amsterdam.  We cruised from Amsterdam on Vision of the Seas.  Expect all Baltic cruises to be port-intensive.  St. Petersburg, Russia, is the main attraction for Baltic cruises.  Most lines offer two full days (and one night) in the city,  some stay for two nights (and offer 2.5 days in the port of call).  St. Petersburg is not only a beautiful and intriguing city,  it can be one of the trickiest in Europe to visit, not just because of the language barriers but also due to its visa restrictions.  That’s another reason why cruising this region of the world makes sense.

Currency can be an issue on a Baltic Sea cruise, as you could be dealing with the British pound, the Danish Krone, the Norwegian Krone, the Swedish Krone and the Russian Ruble — as well as the Euro (used by Finland, Germany, Latvia and Estonia). You can offer dollars or euros in any country, but you will get change in the local currency, which is completely useless once you’ve left port.  We used the Euro to buy small items and our credit card for the more expensive things.

Some cruise lines insist that the only way to get a visa for St. Petersburg  is by doing an excursion. The city’s historic center is easy to navigate, and there are plenty of private tours available if you’re looking for an option beyond the ship’s tours – these are generally much cheaper than a ships excursion.  However, should an excursion be returning later than the departure of the ship, the ship will wait for those tours booked through the cruise and not those booked privately so you may  find yourself having to find  your own way to the next port!  We used the ships tour on this occasion and were very happy with what we experienced. I must stress that a tour, private or with the ship is the only way to see St. Petersburg in 2 days and your visa is also included in the tour fare.