Cruisin' On Tha Briney

Ocean Princess

Emerald Princess on the right

 The Last time we cruised was years ago, in the Caribbean.  Very family friendly and incidentally there were things for the grownups to do.  Didn't set my hair on fire to throw time and money at it again.

This summer was entirely different.  Two cruises.  Happy faces!  High fives!  Mostly adult activities. “What do you mean by activities?” he leered.  Dance classes:  Salsa, ballroom, line.  Photography classes taught by pros.  Art history class.  Wine tasting.  Cooking.  Exercise classes.  Comedians.  Floor shows.  Magicians.   Six luxurious bars, to linger over a martini and ogle the pony-tailed serving staff. Much more.  You really have to pace yourself!  I’m referring, of course, to the 40 different styles of martinis.

 

Pouring 9 Martinis at once

Fruit carving demo

Scottish Dancers

Both cruises were with Princess Line, a Carnival Corporation property.  Carnival owns a good portion of the name-brand cruise lines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Corporation_%26_plc

Which brings us to the whys and wherefores. 

What’s the best way to pick a cruise?  First, a few questions and the first one is not about the cruise line.  Where do you want to go and for how long?  Thirdly, when you nailed down those first two, which ship is the newest?  That tells you a lot about luxury and service and whether the paint will be peeling.  I’m drawing an unreasonably stark picture.  Cruising competition is keen and most ships are well kept.  Still, after a few days, if you’re a cruise veteran, as yours truly now is, your practiced eye will notice a difference.

The Emerald Princess, launched in 2007, was close to top of the line.  We sailed on E.P. for 12 days around the Baltic.  Wonderful ship.  Emerald is large, with almost 4000 passengers.  I figured that might be a little crowded, a drag on the limited facilities.  Big surprise.  No trouble at all.  With so many customers, the onboard agenda was packed with things to do.  Never saw an unreasonably large crowd.  Never saw a tour cancelled due to lack of participation.  Never saw a pool or a hot tub overcrowded or closed for repairs.  Service was superb.  Anytime I wanted a libation, on deck, in my room, or in one of the exquisite lounges, a smiling staff member obliged.

Our second cruise was on the Ocean Princess, launched in 1999 and refurbished in 2009.  Ocean Princess took us around the British Isles and Ireland for 8 days.  At 680 passengers, it’s a much smaller ship, with fewer onboard activities and some tours cancelled due to fewer people signing up.  The ship was very comfortable, but showed its age.  Hot tubs frequently closed for maintenance. Automatically opening doors didn’t.  Just a few things that were rougher than the Emerald Princess.  The common rooms were just as elegant…. meaning damn elegant, but of course were smaller.  Service was still wonderful.

Emerald Princess Showroom

In the Wheelhouse Bar

Much to my surprise and prejudice, the larger, newer ship suited my taste.

I’m slicing the apple thinly.  Both vessels met high standards and I would gladly take a cruise on either one again, however, if I had a choice…

What’s good about a cruise?  Can’t I just pick out some cities, fly there, stay in a hotel and have a better time?  Depends.  Many of the cities we thoroughly enjoyed, I’d either never heard of, or would never have gone to on my own. 

Baltic Cruise:  Tallin, Estonia.  St Petersburg, Russia.  Helsinki, Finland.  Stockholm, Sweden. Copenhagen, Denmark.  Oslo, Norway.  Aarhus, Denmark.

Great Britain-Ireland:  Dover, England.  St. Peter’s Port, Guernsey, U.K.  Dartmouth, England.  Waterford, Ireland.  Dublin, Ireland. Edinburgh, Scotland.

Ever hear of Tallin?  We hadn’t either.  Now it’s one of our favorite places:

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/07/tallinn-estonia-cutest-place-youve.html

Think you’d pick Dartmouth off a map of England? 

http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/09/dartmouth-pilgrims-castles-and-war.html

Think you’d have much luck touring all of Scandinavia in 12 days?

The question boils down to survey versus depth.  I don’t suggest a cruise if your heartfelt desire is to learn Swedish, or herd reindeer in northern Norway.

How about the cost?  Aren’t cruises super expensive?  Can be.  Don’t have to be.  A little planning goes well with any excursion, whether you’re shopping for airfare, hotels, or cruises.  Cruise lines are known for their deep discounts and here’s where to find them:

http://www.vacationstogo.com/

http://www.cruisecritic.com/

Both sites are loaded with info, from cost to details about the ships.  On Princess Line, all meals are included and the meals are always interesting and very high quality.  Feel like sunning by the pool, downing a cool one and noshing a pizza?  Feel like a lavish, multi-course meal?  You can do either one, or both, or anything in between.  All included.

Alcoholic drinks are extra, as are specialty coffees.  No matter.  You can spend a bunch on drinks and still come in well under the high prices for all-inclusive cruises. Pretty much like the airlines, right?  Economy versus First Class.  The big difference being that going cheap on a cruise does not mean the food is less than wonderful and having to sleep with your knees tucked under your chin.

Looking down on the balconies

Pool deck on the Ocean Princess

Cruise suites, of course, are luxurious and huge, but lesser accommodations ain’t bad.  On our Baltic cruise we opt for a room with a balcony and paid a couple of hundred more.  On our Britain-Ireland tour, the balconies were sold out, but we got a room with a picture-window ocean view that was almost as good.  Both rooms were spacious and delightfully appointed.  Definitely not what you’d call economy rooms.

What’s the bottom price line?  You can find deals that cost $100 a day or less, per person, first class meals included.  Stack that up against the cost of meals and luxury hotel rooms!  On a cruise you also get sea views, entertainment, sunsets, and a bed that gently rocks and lulls you to sleep.

I’m a convert.  Cruises are fun, cheap, and a wonderful way to relax, while cooks, bartenders, and maids bust their hinnies to keep you comfortable and happy.  In the end, travel always boils down to time, money, interest, and style.  For my money, time, interests and style, I’m looking forward to our 

next cruise.

Famous White Cliffs of Dover

Try and get a view like this from your hotel room!

Tallinn, Estonia - Cutest Place You've Never Been

Where the heck is Estonia?  Ok, kids, see the tiny green spot?

View Across the Old City Walls

St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Russian Orthodox

Just took a Baltic cruise on the Emerald Princess, a small boat holding about half the population of Estonia.  Matter of fact, our first port was Tallinn, Estonia.  So, let’s get the jokes out of the way.

What is the Capital of Estonia?  No Tallinn.

Where is it?  At the ‘Tal-linn’ of Europe.

Once you stop rolling around and brush the dust off, here’s another thing you should know.  Although we pushed through St Petersburg, Russia, Helsinki, Finland, Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo, Norway, and Copenhagen, Denmark, Tallinn was the crown jewel of the trip.

Beauty is everywhere, including this outdoor cafe

14th Century St Olav's Church in the background

Not saying any of those were bad places to visit, and especially St Petersburg is a fabulous blend of history and art.  Nevertheless, Tallinn’s old, walled-city charm, friendly people, and hometown atmosphere captured my heart.

Anybody know that Estonia is a part of the European Union and uses Euros as their currency?  I didn’t.  Unlike previous jokes to the contrary, this is not the tail-end of Europe, but a surprisingly robust and sophisticated city.

You might want to know where the odd sounding name came from.  Sorry, f-f-f-folks, I don’t know.  Hard to say with certainly and any translation is rough, at best.  Could have come from old Danish, meaning Stable Town, or Castle Town, or the name may come from any number of old Finnish words.  But, officially, Tallinn hasn’t been Tallinn for long.  Up until independence (1918-20), the place was called Reval (Ray-vaal).

Not to put too fine a point on it, Tallinn’s creaky and blood spattered past creeps back some 5000 years.  Since then, it’s been a vicious political playground, cross-stitched with conquerors from all across Scandinavia, as well as Germany, and the Soviet Union.  In recent history, Estonia’s 20^th Century independence only lasted twenty-two years before Hitler’s and Stalin’s so-called Non-aggression Pact allowed the Soviets to march in.  Between then and the fall of the Soviet Union, Estonia was definitely a land of tears and regret.  Huge portions of the population were ‘resettled,’ over and over.  When Germans and Russians were not slaughtering people, thousands of others were being moved east to populate Siberian Gulags.  The last Russian troops left in 1994.  Since 1991, Estonia has once again been free.  They’re proud of their freedom and know first hand what the alternative is.

Talk about a bounce back!  Today, the Estonians are hailed as one of the freest people in the world.  Their economy is booming and Estonia is listed as one of the most ‘wired’ countries in the world.  In Tallinn, free internet is available everywhere.  The government functions as an e-government, or electronic government.  Yes, the representatives and prime minister meet in person, but they also vote through the internet, as does the general population.  Want to know what a citizen friendly place this is?  Balanced budget.  Nil public debt.  Flat rate tax.  Free trade.  Think this might lead to an economic boom?  Here’s the kicker:  Estonia is practically energy independent, producing 90% of their electricity from locally mined shale oil.

Tallinn is also a beautiful city.  I snapped photos ‘til my fingers went numb.  As with most small countries that rely on commerce, Estonians have their own language, but also speak a variety of second, third, fourth and fifth languages.  When I say ‘speak,’ I mean they can joke with you using American slang, then turn and babble on in Russian, or Finnish.

The prices in Tallinn are comfortable.  Unlike most of Scandinavia, you can sip a beer without taking out a loan.  Hand knitted wool sweaters are about half the price they are in Norway.

Ok, men, let’s cut to the chase….literally….Estonian women are gorgeous and unlike most Scandinavians, even vertically challenged men who have no hope of making the basketball traveling squad, still have a significant chance of finding that Cupid’s arrow did not overshoot by six inches.

Our Guide on the right.  By the way, SPB Tours is excellent

Yes, on all counts, Tallinn is a lovely piece of the globe and the only city on our trip where I would joyfully spend a summer, sipping morning coffees in the cafes, having fabulous open-air lunches, and snapping photos until my forefinger had calluses, while sloshing down an afternoon beer, and sucking in great gulps of the fresh sea air. If under threat of bodily harm, I might even take my wife.

The 7th Century Market Square.  Nearby is Europe's oldest Pharmacy and the birth place of Marzipan.

The woman is stylish and has that ...Je ne sais quoi...and with all my heart and soul I want to know  quoi!

Back to the ship!  Emerald Princess on the right.