Reviews of Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship, Thomson Celebration, Thomson Cruises

Embarked on the Celebration in...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship - J

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs P Pirie

Comments:

Embarked on the Celebration in Palma October 2007, and had the most fantastic time. Three generations of ladies (No 1-60's, No 2-40's, No3-10's) have never felt so safe, secure and had such surmountable pleasure as we had on our 1st cruise! 2nd cruise on Destinty - Jan 2008 with unwilling husband of No2 Lady, proved highly successful, had not yet sailed away and he was converted. 3rd cruise on Celebration April 2008 No1 & No2 Lady - can it be as good, well it surpassed!! Captain Alan Leech in command again, "absolute salt of the earth kind a guy"! He does command a great ship, and it filters all the way through the ranks! As many of our 'Cruise Virgins' will agree! 4th Cruise - July 2008 was on the Spirit, Lady No1 and a cruise virgin, both had a wonderful time and would like to repeat! 5th cruise coming up in October 2008 on the Spirit for Lady No1 and No2, who are looking forward to meeting likewise people who like to "travel with a smile" !

Just been on on fjiord cruise...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

fjiords

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R Mahoney

Comments:

Just been on on fjiord cruise from Harwich. Inside cabin was like a coffin. Said in brochure it measures 14.4 x 17.7 feet. This is a lie. It actually measures 7.5 x 17 feet. This wasnt a one off room size. We had to move from another coffin due to air con not working and that was same size, as were all cabins we saw along the narrow corridors on our level. The L shaped positioning of the beds meant that neither bed was ideal to watch tv. and most rooms have L shaped bed positions because they are not wide enough to fit two 3 foot wide beds along side each other. It is that tiny.

Food was lovely and there was a good range. Entertainment on board was good, particularly in liberties. The little philipine staff were very efficient. If you like your plate being taken away 0.4 seconds after finishing your meal and them hoovering round your feet while eating, you'll enjoy it. Maurice grumbleweed, the main entertainer was funny, even funnier at 9 in the morning queing up for breakfast looking like a vagrant.

Overall, apart from the lovely food, the ship provided just enough. Only just enough.

Yes, they had a cinema, but with films that had been on dvd for two years. The tv had two film channels but showed straight-to-video rubbish. They had a safe in the room but you could'nt use them and had to pay £12 for the week at the one in reception. They had two pools but they were tiny and the two jaccuzis were closed off, aparently broken. Again, just enough.Would it be too much for them to buy some push bikes and lend them out for free to explore some beautiful countryside, particularly in eidfjiord, or offer excursions at a reasonable price. For example. a trip up the flam railway and walk down, on board price- £48. Paying at the station - £19. For paying the extra £29 on the ship excursion you also get a sandwich and drink of juice to take with you. WOW. Why not fill napkins at breakfast with meats, cheeses and fruit and take them with you , for free.

Overall, great food, great staff and places visited , shame about thomson penny pinchers doing just enough, just. I would reccomend this cruise, to people who just want to spend a whole week stuffing their faces 24 hours a day.

We were first time cruisers and...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Fijord wonderland cruise

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr A Randall

Comments:

We were first time cruisers and were apprehensive. Overall this was a fantastic holiday. The crew are first class and nothing is too much trouble and the organisation is very good. The crew are friendly and engaging and deliver a truely wonderful service. The quality food was way beyond our expectations and the Merdian service was a good as any top class resturant. This applies to the buffet service in the Lido - it was totally excellent food and available at the same quality standard for nearly 24hrs a day - not your normal buffet!! Try the afternoon tea as a treat..... The facilities on board are very good and there are plenty of things to do or to hide away for quiet time if you wish, The evening entertainment was very professional and enjoyable with a team the wouldn't be out of place on Saturday night's TV! As for the cabin steward (ours was Handoto) he was a total credit to Thomson and the Captain. He keep our cabin spotless and was invisible to us - he just delivered a prefect service and seemed to know when we'd be out. I can't thank him enough, always smiling and pleased to look after us. That went too for our Son's cabin steward who with a 17year old had much more to contend with! The only mildly negative point is the ship itself in that it is over 20 years old and in a few places is showing its age. That shouldn't in any way put you off though. Its better than most 4 and 5 star package holiday hotels and I've stayed in quite a few! Overall a wonderful experience and fantastic holiday that far exceeded our expectations. We'll be cruising again for sure and I'd have no reservations whatsoever booking the Thomson Celebration again.

Just returned from a wonderful...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

myths of the fjords

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs P Willis

Comments:

Just returned from a wonderful week on the Celebration. Spacious cabin (deck 3), gorgeous food from both Meridian and Lido restaurants and super friendly crew in all departments. We were also blessed with beautiful weather all week despite internet weather forecasts being grim for the week (so don't take too much notice of those 5 day forecasts). Ship full but this did not cause any discomfort. Hygiene top priority - disinfect every time you boarded and before every meal. Bar and shop prices very reasonable (normal pub prices, wine from only 10.50 pds per bottle in restaurant). Very professional shows and don't miss the crew show - brilliant!



FLAM - Only did this one excursion -thought quite pricey at 79 pds - Flam railway journey, lovely buffet lunch and scenic coach trip. Not sure there would have been enough to see in Flam if you didn't do a trip.

GEIRANGER - What a beautiful village - just did the 2km walk up to the geological garden - small but definitely worthwhile and pop in the tiny church on the way. the view of the ship en route is breathtaking (especially as it was beautiful sunshine). Norway is expensive to us - sml bottle of water 28 kroner (2.80gbp), carrot cake in coffee shop 40 kr and sandwich 100kr (10gbp), so we did head for ship to eat.

BERGEN - Another clean and pretty town, centred around waterfront. Easy walking and make sure you do the furnicular up the mountain 70 kr return but worth it.

STAVANGER - Again, easy walk to town, lovely lake and cathedral and you must see the 'old town' near the canning museum, very close to ship's berth, consisting of picturesque tiny white wooden cottages.



Celebration's boast that it's the 'happiest ship in the fleet' is 100% accurate - been on 5 cruises of similar size (3 Thomson) and never experienced such a happy crew dedicated to making all passengers feel relaxed and special - English captain, Alan Leech has a worthy team.

Just returned from a 13 day...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs A McIlwee

Comments:

Just returned from a 13 day cruise to Baltic cities. The crew and entertainment staff were the very best and worked tirelessly to make it a happy holiday. Cabins were excellant and our steward was wonderful.Food was magnificent and available 24/7.The only complaint we had was that there was not enough time in Stockholm(4 hrs) and Helsinki (4 hours) and that if you were not going on an organised trip the excursion staff were singularly unhelpful.They were not offereing any advice or help to passengers with mobility difficulties such as if there were lots of steps to reach a port etc.We met an elderly passenger who had struggled up many stairs to reach Warnemunde and taken over 1 hr to get there.I would also recommend the upper cabins as we were on the Promenade deck and it was a large cabin with windows and quite quiet.We would like to thank I Ketuk our steward and also Michael, Jerry and all the staff in Zillis.Michael Knight and Dennis and Jesus who always gave 100%. Michael you have a lovely voice and the staff show was better than some of the planned shows. Would also like to thank Bram senior cruise director for his always cheerful and sociable manner. A true star of the ship.

This was our second time on this...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Baltic Capitals

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr M Jones

Comments:

This was our second time on this ship, but it won't be our last. Food and crew were excellent - no complaints at all on that front. Entertainment is a bit hit and miss although it seemed to go down well with the majority of passengers so perhaps it's just me! As for the ports of call:



Stockholm - arrived late due to the weather but no matter as the journey into the port through the islands is the highlight.



Helsinki - the ship berthed some distance from town and there weren't enough shuttle buses available. This resulted in long queues and a few frayed tempers! Not to worry as we were dropped off close to the city centre and spent quite a bit of time exploring.



St Petersburg - you have to use the ship's excursions here unless you have a visa. There is a good choice, however, and the guides are very good. I recommend the ballet trip - we saw Swan Lake which was superb.



Tallinn - a lovely town and a delight to wander around. We even had good weather!



Warnemunde - this is a small seaside resort but is very busy. You can catch a train to nearby Rostok but we spent the day walking around Warnemunde which is very pleasent.



Kalundborg - most passengers seemed to take the excursions to Copenhagen but I don't know why. Kalundborg has lots to offer, including free entry to the local museum for cruise passengers.



All in all a very good cruise and we can't wait for the next one!

Arrival and boarding efficient....

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Baltic

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr G Hindes

Comments:

Arrival and boarding efficient. Cabin comfortable and adequate, although we wanted a double, and got 2 singles, as we booked late [and the ship seems not to have enough doubles, as we met others who wanted this option, but booked late and did not get what they wanted.] Service in food areas superb. Food very good, and plentiful. Entertainment good [ships crew show was superb!]

Trips were good, but the boat arrived late in Stockholm, so we only had about an hour there, and in Helsinki was late again. Then because the boat was not in the cruise terminal, getting into town was very difficult. This needs urgent sorting, as some passengers could not get off the boat for a long while and were therefore unhappy, while we were disconcerted at being left in no particular area of Helsinki by a driver who did not know where we would be picked up, or how we got from where we were into town.

St Petersburg, Tallin and Warnemunde were good.

Unfortunately the port used for Copenhagen by Thomson does involve an hour and half coach trip each way to the city, where some cruise boats go right into the city. This is a false economy from the passengers point of view.

Would I go on this boat again? Yes. The staff make it a happy ship.

We have just returned from a...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Itinerary:

Magic of Iceland

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Ideal Cruising

Submitted By:

Mrs T L COOK

Comments:

We have just returned from a Cruise on the Celebration. The cruise was wonderful. The service of the Crew and Staff was excellent and they were friendly and helpful. The food in both restaurants was also excellent. The range was extensive and all tasting wonderful. Iceland was amazing and would love to go again. We only went on trips in Iceland and would love to see more of the country. Maybe on another cruise? The trip up the mountains in Flam was great and the funicular railway in Bergen.



When booking we did request a double and not twin cabin which we got, and was not able to pre book our cabin as stated on the web site. Spoke to Thomson head office re booking trips who told us we had to book on line but could not do so. We emailed them several time and never got a reply. But apart from this the cruise was great!

This was our first cruise, what...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Itinerary:

The Magic of Iceland

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr Roger Doe

Comments:

This was our first cruise, what a delight. Departed from Harwich, normal life boat drill & then unpack. Disappointed with the cabin, we paid to upgrade to deck 3/4 & for double bed , we were on deck 3 but ended up with a narrow cabin with 2 beds in an L shaped configuration. The cabin opposite a staff lift & right outside the control room for the engine room. The cabin was noisy 24 hours a day Heavy vibration at times, with lots of banging coming through the ceiling from the Galley above. We asked if it was a crew Cabin as we were the only guest in that part of the corridor. We were told that it was a guest cabin, but other than changing to a cabin on decks 5/6 the was nothing else as the ship was fully booked, Cabin 557 check if you are booked in this cabin & ask to change. Enough of the the complaining, next time we will pay a little extra & book somewhere else on the ship.



Day 2 was a day at sea chance to explore the ship, I’m sure there were places we still did not find. Not a bad little library & plenty of activities laid on throughout the day.

A nice choice of places to eat and a good standard of food. The Captains cocktail party, a chance to dress up. Kev the comedian kept us laughing all night



Day 3 was Torshavn in the Faroe Isles a pretty little town, grass roofs, a lovely Cathedral and nice people. It was foggy but that did stop us from enjoying our selves. The cruise between the islands to the open sea was spectacular.



Day 4 was at sea again, relaxing and reading up ready for Iceland, sailing across the Arctic Circle & not forgetting the midnight buffet eaten outside in day light.



Day 5 Akureyri Iceland, what a fascinating place. Temperature was 24-26C , visit the Botanical Gardens and the Cathedral. The Tourist Information Office organised a bus trip to the Godafoss water falls for a group of us ( £10 each) .Nice shopping.



Day 6 Isafjord A good place to stretch your legs and do some walking, impressive scenery.



Day 7 Reykjavik, 1 day is not enough to see everything. We went on the golden circle tour organised by the ship. Waterfalls, a nice meal & some old Geysers’, (that was not our travelling companions) but some hissing springs. Then an all too fast tour of Reykjavik before returning to the ship.



Days 8 & 9 rest days at sea. Day 9 the 2nd formal night. Really good shows until the wee small hours, were do they get all that energy from , at least 2 shows a day & a different show each day.



Day 10 Flam in Norway, the railway is not to be missed if expensive, stunning scenery & good souvenir shops. The Grand Buffet Magifique in the Meridian Restaurant, what a sight to behold.

Day 11 Bergen Norway. Take a rain coat or buy a poncho from reception, you may need it. The fish market is worth a look, try the smoked whale, it tasted like smoked beef. Nice trinket & handy craft stalls. The big shops are not open on Sunday but the smaller shops around the harbour are. Some nice but expensive restaurants ( 25% vat) on the bill so be aware. Back to the ship and a nice cruise to the open sea.

Day 12 at sea, feeling slightly lost to-day packing & saying thank you to as many staff as possible, what a great crew. Always ready to help, the beds turned back at night, cleaning going on all the time, service with a smile. The Captain runs a tight but happy ship.

Day13 Harwich, really sad to leave, apart the cabin what at really good holiday, worth every penny. Many thanks to all the crew and everybody we met on board. We will return

This ship had more than what i...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Baltic Cruise

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss S Smith

Comments:

This ship had more than what i was expecting, which is good as I had quite high expectations. It may not be the biggest of ships but inside it has recently been refurbished and is modern which I was surprised. The staff are so attentive and polite, the food is 5 star, couldnt fault it what so ever! Having never done a crusie I didnt know what to expect, but I would definatly do it again on the Celebration! Overall 5* great service amazing food, great destiantions no faults what so ever!!!!

what can i say about this ship?...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Itinerary:

Thomson Celebration Cruise Ship

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr B Emery

Comments:

what can i say about this ship?

it's small

its as old as the hills.it shakes all the time,its noisy,and if you get sea sicknees dont bother at all.it sways a lot

the decor is well worn and dated 1980s

some staff do not wash their hands when leaving the toilet.if you do go on this ship USE THE ALCOHOL WASH ALL THE TIME,its safer

stained worn carpets,stained top beddng broken stained cabin chair.cabins are smoke stained, small and grubby

decks 1 and 2 smell,air con only works well if you tell the man in the ceiling to blow harder

the bathroom soap dish is well worn(no enamel left on it) the tiolet sometimes only flushes after 10 minutes.the towels are well used and thin

lifts smell of fuel

lots of out of order signs

freezing swimming pool (sea water filled)

had items stolen from cases(contacted thomson)heard nothing

decks are bare wood

eating outside is nice if you like bits of soot from the ships smokestack

a 1950s style holiday camp on water



good points ,,,good entertainment,,,thats it really

we had booked on the carabbean on the thomson destiny for next year.we went on this one first,,,cancelled it now and lost £300.00 deposit... WELL WORTH IT !!!!!!!!!!

PRINCESS CRUISES HERE WE COME

fantastic food,

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

jewel of the med

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr P Griffiths

Comments:

fantastic food,



Ship very clean, and plenty of things to do



entertainment, superb, like visiting a london show for 7 nights



Cabins basic, but clean and well kept



all staff remember your name, and nothing is to much

reccommend cruising to all

We were both first-time cruisers...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Itinerary:

Treasures of the Baltic

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr M Jackson

Comments:

We were both first-time cruisers and having read some of these reviews we wondered if we had made a good choice. Having returned from a 13 night cruise we can say it was a good choice. We plan on booking another trip with Thomsons.

Good points - the staff, the waiters and cabin staff are excellent. Constantly smiling and ever helpful. Food available all the time, we usually used the Lido but had a meal in Zilli's for our anniversary. The staff found out and 3 waiters sang us a Philipino love song ( in English!). The staff sang for birthdays etc too- in fact any excuse to whip the guitar out. Lots of entertainment, if it is not for you then choose one of the other options. The live resident musicians are excellent and the song/dance troupe provide excellent shows.

Bad points - On arrival we waited for 90 minutes to drop the luggage off. We were on deck 1 and the toilet / shower needed updating. Occasionally we could feel the throb of the engines in our room. Plenty of tours arranged for each port. If you go to St Petersburg on the Pushkin and Catherine's Palace tour beware the food provided for lunch, in the authentic Russian style, is poor. Also, the tour in the palace is very rushed. Too many people are inside the building and the visitors are moved through at a fast pace. Back to the entertainment- a previous review thought it was like Hi-Di-Hi, there are quizzes, game show copies and a talent show - the tannoy announcements did make us expect to hear "and at 4 pm we throw Spike in the pool". We did not see any of the above prefering the other entertainment but many passengers enjoyed the options that were not to our taste. That is what CHOICE is all about.

Conclusion - excellent holiday. Made very enjoyable by all the happy staff. Smiles are infectious and if you book this trip you will be smiling too.

A bit dubious about a cruise but...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

mediteranean

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs G Seed

Comments:

A bit dubious about a cruise but we were pleasantly surprised! we upgraded to an outside cabin which I would recommend as it would have been claustophobic in an inner cabin and I'm not too good travelling on the sea, cabins were cleaned every day and your bed turned down every night for you. Because Easter was early the weather was a bit choppy a coulpe of evenings but managed to survive sea sickness and the weather was good. Would recommend the restaurant with waiter service - the only trouble was it was 5 courses every night!! so we came home slightly heavier than when we started the cruise!! They also had a self service reatsurant if you preferred and the food was of a high standard too,the waiters were mainly from the Philipines and couldn't do enough for you. Only downside to this holiday was that when we arrived to board the ship in Palma so did 7 other coaches!! it took over 2 hours to be processed at the dockside but the staff were very helpful and provided refreshments to passengers waiting to board.

One bit of advise - you need a credit/debit card as you have to have an account set up for you to purchase drinks,shopping etc before you get on board. Then at the end of the hoilday you are given an itemised bill of everthing you have purchased on board during your holiday.Overall the cruise was fantastic value for money, fantastic staff and a great Captain! Enjoyed the sight seeing excersions and would recommend the 7 day cruises for you to get a feel for whether cruising is for you. We will definitely go on the Thompson Celebration again!

Baltic Highlights Cruise
...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Itinerary:

Baltic Highlights

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

bountycat

Comments:

Baltic Highlights Cruise



A great cruise – due to a combination of the weather, (we departed in dry and sunny weather, which was more or less unbroken until midday on the penultimate day), the convenient departure port, the very restrictive smoking policy, the ship, the crew, the child friendly atmosphere and above all the itinerary.



My husband is a ferry, train and tram enthusiast/ author/book publisher who sees cruises as series of ferry trips with unlimited food/tea/coffee. He does not like formal dining and has no intention of purchasing a dinner jacket. His favourite place is the Lido (self service) restaurant. I enjoy the gym, sauna and outdoor pool plus walking around the promenade deck. Our son, aged 10, enjoys the sports activities plus the shows in Liberties and Broadway Show Lounge. Thomson Celebration seems to fulfil our varied requirements.



This was our fourth cruise – our first two cruises were to the Norwegian fjords and to the North Cape both on the Celebration from Newcastle. Last year, we went to Iceland on the near identical Thomson Spirit, (Celebration is marginally the better ship), from the Harwich. Our other “cruising experiences” have been on ferries.



Newcastle



Newcastle is a good departure port for people living in northern England/Scotland. Previous cruises went from a tatty quay upstream of the ferry berths. This time we went from a new quay downstream of the ferries. Although there was some waiting in the car park to hand in luggage, the ferry terminal has acquired a dedicated check in area for cruise passengers.



Smoking policy



Last year, smoking was allowed in one entertainment lounge and in cabins. I complained. This year, the smoking policy has been brought into line with UK legislation – no smoking permitted anywhere inside the ship with smoking allowed only on restricted areas of open deck. Well done!



However the previous occupants of our cabin (508) appeared to have smoked illicitly in the cabin. The cabin steward, Rai, was very obliging arranging for the curtains to be washed and with liberal use of air freshener, the smell of cigarette smoke was quickly banished.



The ship



Thomson Celebration, (ex Noordam of Holland America), is 24 years old - the condition of some of the fittings and furniture reflect this. However the ship is comfortable and kept spotlessly clean. It also looks like a ship unlike some of the newer and larger ships, which resemble blocks of flats.



Previously we had a deluxe cabin on deck 7. As the differential in price between standard and deluxe cabins had increased significantly, we opted for a standard outside on deck 3. We noticed little difference – the deluxe is larger but with 3 people, the camp bed occupies the extra space – in the standard the third, (and fourth), person is accommodated on an upper berth. Storage space is still ample. I would recommend a deluxe cabin if travelling with small children but in future we will be booking standard cabins.



In summary, the best points about the ship are:



· The promenade deck.



· The flexible dining arrangements – there are no sittings in the main Meridian restaurant apart from on the weekly formal night and passengers are not assigned to a specific table with the same dining companions.



· The not too prescriptive dress code on formal night – dinner jackets and long dresses are not essential.



· The Lido self-service restaurant, which provides a 24-hour service and an acceptable alternative for those who want to avoid formal night completely.



· The unlimited tea/coffee/drinking water.



· The self-service laundries – the free washing machines, tumble driers and ironing facilities save laundry charges.



The crew



Celebration is a very friendly ship – this is in no small part is due to the crew, who are cheerful and professional. The cabin and housekeeping staff are Indonesian – many transferred with the ship from Holland America in 2005. The waiters, bar staff and many others are from the Philippines. Despite being on contracts of up to 11 months and away from their families, (many have young children); they appear to enjoy their jobs.



It also good to see that there are promotion opportunities. The safety officer is a Filipino who has worked his way up from able seaman. William, who is in charge of a large section of the Meridian restaurant, was a wine waiter on our first cruise. He ensured we got a table to ourselves by the window, (not everyone wants to share with a child so this avoided embarrassment).



Ariel and Aldrin were our regular Meridian waiters – they were efficient and friendly. Rai, our cabin steward was always cheerful. Our son liked the hard working entertainment staff, particularly Bram, Pee Wee and Emma. Annette, the enthusiastic fitness instructor, is new to cruises. Her 8.30 am exercise class was worth getting up for on the days at sea. She also introduced me to Pilates. Reception was more helpful than on previous cruises – our son liked Nico.



Child friendly atmosphere



Our son enjoys cruises. The child price is good and is up to 16. However, in our experience, cruises to Northern Europe do not attract many children.



Our son spurned Kidzone, (but claimed the freebies). Their activities seem more suited to girls. Instead he chose organised activities open to all, (carpet bowls and putting, shuffleboard, basket ball, deck quoits and virtual games), and managed to win two tins of mints. We also enjoyed playing tennis on the sports deck – rackets and balls are provided free of charge from reception.



My son is familiar with the deck plan of the ship and hence appreciated the degree of independence we gave him on the days at sea.



The Meridian restaurant has a children’s menu with plenty of choice. Our son sometimes managed two puddings! My husband also was able to order his favourite dessert – banana split – from the children’s menu!



The itinerary



All the destinations were interesting and merit return visits/short breaks.



We do not do organised excursions – St Peterburg apart, which my husband avoided by getting off at Helsinki and getting back on 3 days later at Tallin. This was pre-planned. Liv, the senior receptionist, ensured that there was no unnecessary hassle and that the correct paperwork was completed.



Stockholm

The approach into Stockholm takes about 3 hours through an archipelago of islands – it is beautiful. We docked close to a ferry terminal outside the city centre – after 2 days at sea, we decided to walk to the nearest underground station, (and brought day tickets on the public transport system). In retrospect we should have caught the 76 bus from the ferry terminal, which we used on the return journey. We managed to see the old town, changing of the guard and the island of Djurgarden whilst my husband went out to the suburbs. There is a shuttle bus but it only runs every 30 minutes and can be over-subscribed – as we had to on board by 16.00 hours, we wanted to get going.



Helsinski

We docked about 45 minutes walk from the city centre – the route was well marked and we picked up a tram on the way in and brought day tickets. Tram 3T is a circular route, which takes in many of the city’s attractions including the harbour area, city centre and the 1952 Olympic stadium – leaflets are available on the tram. There is a shuttle bus for those not wanting to walk.



St Petersburg

Organised tours are the only way to get off the ship without a Russian visa. We went on two day trips – Peterhof Palace and the Hermitage and Pushkin and Imperial St Petersburg. The cost is high (£71 and £64 for adults, £50 and £32 for children) but included lunch. The trips packed in a lot and our guides, Olga and Sergei, were very informative. My son really enjoyed the palaces. Peterhof and Pushkin are outside St Petersburg so the journeys there were interesting – we encountered several car crashes and much traffic congestion!



Tallin

The quay was only about 15 minutes walk to the very attractive old town – an absolute delight to wander around. We again had day tickets on the tram and visited Kadriog Palace as well as having a look at the suburbs.



Warnemunde

The cruise terminal is 5 minutes walk from the railway station and there is a frequent service to Rostock, approximately 15 minutes away. Here we changed trains and continued onto Bad Doberan where we got the Molli Bahn steam train for a trip through the town’s main shopping street before going onto the seaside resorts of Kuhlungsborn. Bad Doberan also has a beautiful red brick Minster church, which is well worth visiting. Then back to Rostock and more trams to see the city. The day ended with a walk round Warnemunde – an attractive seaside resort in its own right as well as a busy ferry port.



Kalundborg

A small town situated on the west coast of Zealand, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Copenhagen either by organised excursion or by train. We decided explore Kalundborg and its surroundings instead – a pleasant contrast to the cities. Kalundborg has an interesting medieval old town dominated by a church with 5 spires. We also did a short train trip to Holbeach through pleasant countryside. I got the impression that Kalundborg really welcomes cruise ships – a free shuttle service was provided to the old town, (about 20 minutes walk away), and a teenage brass band attended our departure.



All in all a great trip – but more cruises from Newcastle (and Liverpool/Scottish ports) are needed. Few cruises depart from ports outside southern England particularly in school holidays. This cruise coincided in part with the half term holiday but still involved 4 days off school for our son – not ideal. In the summer holidays, Thomson sails from Harwich, a very inconvenient port. Why go south to sail north? I would like Thomson to base a ship in Newcastle for the whole summer season.