Sailing on: Celebrity Cruises, Scandinavia, Baltics & Russia

Highlights

• The Itinerary really showcased this beautiful part of the world!  Departing Amsterdam and stopping in Warnemunde (Berlin), Helsinki, St. Petersburg (2 full days), Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen and returning to Amsterdam.

• St. Petersburg for its history, stunning palaces and architecture and Helsinki for its picturesque setting and friendly people were my two favourite ports

• There are lots and lots of different shore excursions available on Scandinavian and Baltic Itineraries, even if you did the same cruise three times, you could still pick a different option in each port!

Top Tips

1. Pack very comfortable walking shoes! This is a very port intensive itinerary and the shore excursions are usually 8 hours or even longer.

2. Pack for all weather conditions. Whilst this itinerary operates only in the Northern Hemisphere summer, the weather can change a lot between ports. We experienced rain and quite cold conditions when leaving Amsterdam, up to 31C and humid in Stockholm!

3. If booking shore excursions outside of the cruise line, ensure you use a reputable company in Russia that will handle your Russian Visa Requirements for you, otherwise you will need to pay for a full Russian Visa.

4. Believe your daily cruise guide when it tells you that Russian Immigration can take 90 minutes or more to clear on the first day in Port. It actually took almost 2 hours and whilst the tour operators will wait up to a certain port, if you’ve booked outside the cruise lines shore excursion department, you do need to be lining up very early to disembark on the first day.

5. Book the Tuscan Grille specialty restaurant for the night you depart Stockholm, you will be dining in one of the best Speciality restaurants at sea, whilst sailing through the beautiful Swedish Archipelago which takes about 5 hours to pass through.

6. If you prefer not to do shore excursions at some ports, hop on hop off buses operate right outside each of the ports on this Itinerary (excluding St. Petersburg and Warnemunde).

7. If you wish to visit Berlin from the port of Warnemunde, please note that it is a 14 hour return trip due to the distance.

8. The sun doesn’t set in Scandinavia until after midnight and is up again before 4am. If you are bothered by the light and not concerned about having a balcony, consider an interior cabin for this itinerary.

9. Celebrity Reflection had lots of varied and interesting entertainment that changed at nearly every port, so experience a few of the shows!