The unforgivable sins that assured we would never come back to ANY NCL branded ship!

•In most ports we like to tour independently – if possible. Every cruise line we have ever been on, EXCEPT NCL, always has information available for independent minded travelers, some – like Orient Lines even arrange with the Chambers of Commerce for FREE SHUTTLES to run into the main area of town for the convenience of passengers and crew. Not only does NCL not provide info, they do everything they possibly can to DISCOURAGE passengers from doing anything outside of their tours! They even DISCOURAGE TAXIS from being anywhere near their ships so you don’t have a choice! This became painfully obvious in Copenhagen. The dock in Copenhagen is literally right along a street. In the berth in front of the Norwegian Dream was a Cunard ship – with a line of Taxis next to it! Not one single taxi stopped anywhere near the Dream – and they had to go past her after they turned around to park at the Cunard ship. Gee… wonder if it was a coincidence that the Dream was selling $15 transfers into the city center, which was more than what a taxi round-trip cost.

•They bad mouthed Orient Lines – which they had just purchased. One of the senior staff I was talking to (who knew I was a huge OL fan) did everything he could to slam Orient Lines, saying that Mr. Harrod (the owner of Orient Lines) was so far in debt where Orient Lines was concerned that he had to sell. This was an outright LIE. NCL is the one with serious debt problems – and a serious occupancy problem on its ships. Orient Lines has a very high occupancy rate, a tremendous return passenger rate, and is profitable. Did you know NCL stands for “No Cash Lines?” (Note: NCL is now owned by Star Cruises – they’ve got a great bottom line).

•The final insult, and the last straw, was on disembarkation day. We didn’t have to be out of our cabins until 8:30am, and we didn’t have to leave the ship until 10:00am. At 5:45 AM – Yes, a quarter to six in the MORNING, they started BLARING disembarkation announcements through the entire ship, in every cabin – EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES! As I have stated before, I am NOT a morning person. I had planned to get up at 8:00am and be out of the cabin at 8:30am. By 6:15am I was so FURIOUS I called the pursers desk. They tried to tell me it was “For Security Reasons.” What a load of bullshit. They must think all of their passengers are stupid – and I told the purser that. I also informed the purser I had cruised on 7 other cruise lines, and NONE of them had ever done anything so DRACONIAN, and I wouldn’t be cruising NCL again. I also told him – that the ship didn’t have any Security – everyone knew there had been a stowaway onboard for 2 days on this cruise. If they wanted to say “Ok, your cruise is over get the hell off our ship (and don’t come back),” they did a beautiful job. (I recently read NCL is changing their disembarkation procedures – and will let passengers leave their cabins leisurely. Wonder if they’ll still do the announcements?)

Rumour has it they’ve addressed some of these issues in the last 10 years, like the 5:45am disembarkation BS, but they’ve lowered customer service standards elsewhere. They don’t have a very good “customer service” reputation. (Check out cruisecritic.com if ya’ don’t believe me)

Catherine’s Palace, one of the most recognizable and photographed palaces in the world, is stunning from the outside – let alone the inside, and what most people envision when they think of the palaces of the Czars. The trademark vivid blue finished palace, with white trim and gilden gold accents are whimsically decorated with statues and charming doornockers, is situated in the middle of lush grounds with statue gardens and tranquil pools (the pups have definately got it made!).

This was definately one place it paid to have a private tour guide. The line to enter was over a half hour long. We walked straight by the line and into the palace. Every aspect of the palace is exquisite, from the carved ballustrades, to the fresco on the walls and ceiling, to the furnishings, to the parquet floors. Some of the rooms are neo-classical (not gold guilded, more pastel colors, painted walls with cherubs and flowers, statues and carvings that look like the walked out of Rome), and some have been restored the the Palace’s original granduer featuring mirrored walls and guilded gold everywhere.

After our tour of Catherine’s Palace we headed to Pavlovsk which was a gift from Catherine the Great to her son Paul. It’s built in neoclassical style and is the least oppulent of the palaces we visited. It also felt the most like a home. I can see why this was Paul’s wife’s favorite residence. Note: if you’re looking for cheap souvenirs we bought some really cute Russian Stacking Dolls here from a vendor outside. They were the Chicago Bulls – Rodman/Michael Jordan era. Rodman even had green hair! We paid around $3.00 US. They were a hit back home. You can buy expensive, well made ones in the craft stores – but the more eccentric ones (like the NBA teams) are a lot more fun. On our way back to the ship we drove past Church of the Savior “On the Blood.”

with beautiful stuccoed painted buildings – there was just one problem with that… the weather. It seems that there is so much damp and cold here that the finish on the buildings becomes dingy almost immediately. Well, it was a beautiful idea, and unfortunately now they’re stuck with it.

The lackluster exteriors of St. Petersburg’s buildings gives way to incredible delights on the inside. I haven’t since this much gold guilding since Rome! The first stop on our little expedition was the Winter Palace, also known as the Hermitage Museum. The world famous Hermitage museum is one of the largest museums in the world housing classic paintings by the likes of Renoir, Degas, Monet, Cezanne, van Gogh and Gauguin, along with treasures from Russia’s imperial past and other objects d’art from around the world. Technically the Hermitage is an extension of the Winter Palace, the museum/palace actually is actually three different but adjoining buildings; The Large Hermitage, The Winter Palace, and The Small Hermitage. To give you an idea of the size of the museum, the Winter Palace (building) alone has over 1000 rooms and 12 miles of galleries with more than three million exhibits. Unless you plan to spend a few days wandering the halls you need to decide which collections you want to see. One advantage the Hermitage has over a typical museum is that it used to be a palace, though none of the Czars spent much time here, it is palatial. Ornate carvings, gilded walls, murals, frescos, every royal touch you can imagine – the building itself is a work of art, let alone the priceless treasures of art it houses. One of the most interesting pieces is a Peacock Clock attributed to English Jewler/Clock maker James Cox. After leaving the Hermitage we left to visit a small church that now houses on the second floor quality Russian handicrafts – a great place to go souvenier shopping!

We returned to the ship and relaxed for a while, and then left on another wonderful adventure. This one was a tour booked through the ship, it was an evening concert at the Rose Pavilion featuring classical music performed by one of St.Petersburg’s best chamber ensembles. They were incredible – and young! I don’t think any of them were over 25.

Adding to the beautiful music was the atmosphere. We were greated upon arrival by impeccably attired waiters presenting us with a glass of champaigne at the entrance to this gorgeous classical building with cherubs and angles in gold with strands of flowered garland painted on the walls. It was a perfect evening except for the two people in front of us who insists on talking through the entire performance! I swear they’re following us around! Doesn’t anyone have any consideration for anyone else anymore?

The Old Town of Tallin is everybit as magical and enchanting as its reputation. One of the first sights visitors are treated to after passing through its medieval walls is a round ivy covered fairtale tower surrounded by cobblestoned streets. The old town is charming. It looks like it is straight out of a Brothers Grim or HC Anderson storybook, although a few of the buildings look like they served as backdrops on the set of Highlander 2 or a Batman movie.

As you work your way up the hill to the center of the old town, there are charming stores housed in the whimsically painted gingerbread storybook houses, and some very wonderful bakeries that will put calories on you just walking by. There is a also a very old church, which is actually one of the more nondescript buildings in the old town.   Be sure to walk through the alleys – it’s well worth it. Don’t forget to visit the shops and stalls that line the town walls they sell everything from handmade sweaters and handblown glass to your typical tourist junk. We could have definitely spent more than a day here. If you do a cruise of the Baltic – make sure you choose one that stops in Tallin, it just maybe the highlight of your cruise!

After we finished walking (and shopping) around the old town, we walked back to the hotel/shopping center in the “modern city of Tallin” where our shuttle would pick us up to take us back to the ship. Shopping advice – stick to the stores and stalls in old town, the merchandise is a better quality and price. You can find wonderful knit items, beautiful (inexpensive) glassware (including hand blown items) and crystal, charming wood carvings, and other arty items in Old Town.

We rejoined the ship and headed for our next port – St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Norwegian Dream is an event when she passes through the Kiel Canal. For one very special reason… there is one bridge that she is taller than. In order to use the canal the engineers of the ship had to get creative. They had to find a way to make her fit under this bridge. Their solution – She “Flips” her funnel and lays back her mast in order to fit. Not only is this a site for the passengers onboard to see – but it’s quite the event for the locals too. There were several people that were actually on top of the bridge to watch her “Flip her Funnel.” After a beautiful, full day transversing the Kiel Canal we headed for our first port – Tallin, Estonia.

Note: Looking for a great hotel in London?
Try the Montague on the Garden. It’s located next to the British Museum, a block from the underground, and in a quiet neighborhood with a beautiful park that’s wonderful for coffee and a light breakfast. Best of all, they’re usually in the Entertainment Hotel Discount program – when available rooms at 50% off!

If you’re looking for good fish-n-chips check out SeaShell – they’re a London institution a short walk from Marlyebone Station. They have both a takeaway and a very nice restaurant. Open 7 days a week, however they only server LUNCH on Sundays.

Leaving London we drove to Dover to meet our ship, NCL’s Norwegian Dream, stopping at Canterbury on the way. London really isn’t that bad to drive through – if you’re used to the left side of the road, sitting on the right side of the car (that’s can take a little getting used to). Getting lost really isn’t much of an issue thanks to their wonderful numbering system – their Postal Codes all radiate out from the center – E1 means East 1 the further east you go the bigger the number gets, the same for N, NW, W, SE, SW, NE. It does help, especially as you get to edge of London to know what the next big town is on the route you want to take. Their road signs tend to say that destination instead of the route number and direction. For step by step driving instruction for most of Europe check out Via Michelin.

If you’re head to a ship in Dover (or Southampton or Tilbury) and don’t want to drive, check with one of the many car services throughout London, or take the train.

As for the ship we were on our way to meet – you can read my low opinion NCL here. Some cruise lines just don’t have clue.