Europe - Northern Europe Cruise Reviews

This cruise was the most physical cruise I have ever been on.  The ports of call all required much walking and mostly on cobble stones.  My legs were killing me,  But it was fantastic.  I saw wonderful med-evil cities, castles and palaces.  I recommend it .  But be prepared for tiring days.  Tour guides gave very good history of the areas.  It is a must see.

The Regal Princess is a stunning ship, truly impressive and immaculately maintained with wonderful amenities. It is also massive and holds 4,000 people and 1,300 staff. It is a floating city and because of it's size, it can only dock at large ports. This means that the cities visited tend to be larger and more crowded than what you would find on a river cruise. Every port we visited had multiple massive cruise ships docked (we went in early July) and every shore excursion was an exercise in navigating around massive crowds. Some people enjoy this level of activity. We really didn't, but that is more a personal preference thing than a reflection on the cruise itself. 

The cruise was very reasonably priced. We got a balcony with an unobstructed view and were very glad we did. We spent a fair amt of time on the balcony as an alternative to the public areas of the ship, which were crowded and very noisy pretty much all the time. The reasonable price was offset by 'nickel and diming' for many of the activities on the ship. For instance, there was a quiet 'adults only' area at the front of the ship called the Sanctuary. It provided a wonderful view, but could only be accessed if you paid for entry--roughly $20-$25 per person, per visit. The visits included food and champagne, so the price was not bad, but the only way to truly see the view from an upper floor vantage point at the front of the ship was pay for it. There was a charge for using open air cabanas in the adults-only area. Apparently, very few people felt these glassed-in cubes were worth the charge, as they mostly sat empty. Lots of upselling, too. It sometimes felt like we were a captive audience at a QVC boot camp or had signed up for one of those dreaded time share vacation things. Even 'educational' activities to inform passengers about port cities often turned into sales pitches. We booked and paid for spa treatments and despite having already paid (top dollar) for a service, were still pushed to buy additional products.   

Being the Baltic, inclement weather is expected. We had rain every day, but also had sunshine every day. It was chilly, but not bad if you dressed appropriately. Because the cruise season is short, they really pack the ships in to these ports and there seems to be little or no coordinating of tour times. Every city was uncomfortably packed and it was challenging to see things. We did two Princess tours and three independent tours (7 ports). With the exception of St. Petersburg, which really requires a formal tour, we decided we would do 'hop on/hop off' tours from now on. We missed a lot of sights on planned tours simply because there were too many people to actually get into the venues and the tour guides had no flexibility to adjust the itinerary to work around crowds.  Of course, when you pack this many people into an area, it is fertile ground for criminals and we were warned about pickpockets in Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Stockholm. St. Petersburg is notorious for very skilled and bold pickpockets and my phone was taken despite holding my bag in front of me. Thankfully, it was just a phone. Other tourists at the same location (the Church on Spilled Blood, which we were warned was the worst location for pickpockets) lost their wallets, including their identification.  Overall, we would not do this particular cruise again or go to this area during the high season. Too many people and all the port areas were very tourist-y. The ship was beautiful, the food was fantastic and the staff were extraordinary, but the number of people on board and the constant upselling ended up being big turn-offs for this particular cruise.  We heard this feedback from many others on the ship, as well. 

Regal Princess is a beautiful ship with fantastic crew and staff. Food is excellent with a lot of choices for the guests. Many specialty restaurants. We love the ports of call for our Baltic Cruise.

St Petersburg was fantastic, but too many people  every where.

We enjoyed  all places, but not Helsinki.

Because they ported very far from the main city, and transportation was not good enough, it tooks over 2 1/2 hours.(normally 3/4 hour)

They only arrange for tours, not coaches for direct to city.they stopped train for maintain work. We went there with P&O cruise, so we tried ourselves this time. not with coach tour.

If they knew about that, they should arrange them. We were only 1 day.

And we would like to tell you for check in desk. We are 12 people for 4 rooms. They took a half an hour for check in for us. my grand children exhausted before embankment.

Loved it.  Did not like location of room. nice suite but right under the Lido Deck. Has passengers dragging deck chairs around at all hours. kids running etc. will not do a guarantee again. Also the food selection at the buffet was crazy. Veal, duck, fish, lamb and extremely rare beef were served together more than one night. and the baked potato had goat cheese in it. I ate pasta or pizza quite a few times. My husband does not like eating in the dining room but I will be putting my foot down next cruise.

excellent service from the cruise agent Karen Frye

embarkation was a nightmare, we were not notified ,/contacted of the VERY late arrival  of the ship in Copenhagen due to engine trouble. more than 6 hrs late.......although we were bused into Copenhagen center, we had to unexpectedly pay for our own lunch  (and that was supposed to be day one, with buffet lunch included  ) and felt the ship should have had a formula of some compensation....a glass of wine at  a dinner, or   a cabin on board credit....something.. nevertheless , we chose Norwegian as the ports of call were appealing and we were not dissapointed at all.

 our cabin steward , cabin #6565 was excellent. friendly, kept our cabin in tip top cleanliness.

food was good...a little too much pork (we don't  eat it)

will definately use Karen Frye again  for all out future cruises and travel on Norweigen again

The Koningsdam was understaffed by 20% and it can be felt in the meal service.  Service was bare minimum.  The cruise director did not make important announcement such as the beginning of scenic cruising.  As a result, no one knew of it.  The life boats obstruct the view on deck 5. 

Nice trip and great food.  Our previous cruise was on the Allure of the Seas and the amenity difference was quite significant.  It was difficult not to make comparison. The ports of call were great and I couldn't find a better way to visit the region.

The best part was the food.

Although having only one choice for eating after 2:00 pm in the daytime until dinner was not ideal. If you were on an excursion and returned in the late afternoon, your only option for food, other than room service, is a sandwich/salad station.

Our best experience on board was with the on board Culinary Chef and his class, it was outstanding.

They need to give you port information concerning weather etc the night before you dock so you can prepare for the day. Telling you the morning of your arrival is not really helpful.

For the hype given this cruise line, we found the level of service overall to be  unimpressive.

1-You will not be told that NOTHING IS FREE AFTER PAYING YOUR TICKET.

pay for juice  , milk for you or your children , ice cream , hamburger , hotdogs ...etc.

Even room service is for 5 $ a person and very limited options.

you will loose the fun of a typical cruse

2- unhappy employees , their tips already will be collected by the ship at the end whether they will be nice to you or not . God knows whether they will be given any of it or " included in their salary "

 3- Quality of food was not good , and the same menu every day .

All in all we were very pleased with the tour. So we gave it 4 1/2 stars. 

The ship was very nice and comfortable. The food was good but not of the quality of our City of Lights River Cruise of a couple years back. (which was the reason we booked this tour) 

We loved all of the ports we visited except St Petersburg, which we were a day late getting to port due to bad weather and high winds. The schedules for tours were completely disrupted. The Russian people for the most part saw us as a burden and the only friendly people were the guides.

Most of the tours were good with knowledgeable guides with some exceptions. Flaam was great, Stavanger was great, Aalborg was great, Copenhagen was great, Berlin was great because we hired our own private guide. Gdynia and Gdansk were great, Tallinn was great except the guide's audiovox didn't work so we couldn't hear her, We lost the first day in St Petersburg so the rest of the tours were jammed. For instance the ballet was overcrowded and had standing room only and awful seating. The Catherine's Palace was ok and the guide was ok but the Russian Museum was a bust due to losing an hour waiting for other busses to show up from other tours so after taking an hour to get there we had just over 45 minutes to tour one floor before the hour ride back to the ship. Helsinki was great and the best guide of all. She was very knowledgeable and spoke in a clear strong voice.  The Stockholm by boat tour could have been good but for some reason the afternoon tour was canceled and they packed everyone on one bat so there was no opportunity for pictures or to see anything clearly unless you got on first and acquired a window seat in the front section as the windows opened. The rear did not and two of them were so clouded up you couldn't see out of them. Total waste of money. It was so bad we canceled our scheduled afternoon bus tour and went to Old Town on our own.

I realize this is a fairly new cruise but they need to get the whole tour thing straightened out especially the one's we pay extra for. I have to note that with the exception of Russia, the busses and drivers were all top notch. The Russian busses were old ratty and noisy so it was hard to hear the guides with their monotone voices.

We would recommend this tour to others because I'm sure Viking will have all these kinks worked out by then.

The service and staff were all very good especially our maid and the waiters in the Living Room and the Explorers lounge.

The time in port was a bit short, we would have liked an extra day in most ports especially Stockholm.

As far as I'm concerned they could cut Russia out of the tour and add the days to a couple other ports.

The ship Viking Star is just beautiful a pleasure to be in it, cabin very comfortable and roomy plus it had a private veranda,  food was great and you had a large selection to select. If you like to seat and read or swim, exercise,   walk, dance, see movies, take a drink or few or do nothing this is the ship. All of the crew persons were excellent there were there for what ever was your need and they will do it with a smile. Ports of call were great and tours offered are good. You get to visit 8 countries and get a superficial view of them, not enough time but gives you and idea of what country you would like to return to for a deep view and knowledge. All and all my wife and I really enjoy the cruise and  sure recommended, you will have fun.    

The tours in northern Iceland were good  but it seems the more we travel Regent

each cruise is a lettle less impressive, service was poor, food cold in the lunch

buffet But David Kristian was GREAT 

Our balcony room was one of our favorite things about this trip.  It was clean, beautiful, and the cabin steward provided great service.  The shore excursions were just wonderful.  Everyone should take this trip, it is a trip of a life time.  I would rate the trip at a 10, between 1 to 10, 10 being exceptional.  The food is always one of the best parts of a cruise, there is a lot of variety paired with good quality foods ranging from fresh fruit daily to unique meal selections.  The Regal Princess is awesome in every way.  Service is the best and they care about there guests.  Worked with a woman named Elise Mahaney at to book our trip and she was excellent!

Our cabn was clean.  Our room steward was friendly.  The specialty restaurants were good (not excellent).  That's all I can say good about the Star.  Old, tired ship.  Restaurant food was only adequate.  Market Buffet was not even adequate.  They couldn't even get the coffee right.  The ship broke down in Stockholm:  Nine hour delay.  Arrived back into Copenhagen 9 hours late.  Many passengers missed flights.  The ports were great, but find another ship/line to use to get there.  Would not recommend. 

Great new ship and fantastic smooth sailing.  Hardly felt a ripple sailing to/from all ports.  Employees were gracious and well trained, rooms were clean, food was great.  Excursions c/o could use a little help except for Berlin and St. Petersburg. Those two excursions were excellent. Fantastic tour guide on Berlin excursion. Katarina was bright, funny, knowledgeable, energetic, always smiling and kept her group together. She had a loud voice so we had no problem hearing her.  Same for St. Petersburg, duo guides provided earphones so they could always be heard. Bus on first day lacked adequate air conditioning, so they changed to a better equipped bus on the second day (this was the 3-city excursion). In previous tours taken, there are appointments assigned to groups which should have been applied to many of these sights. The crowds were large, many, many, people and we were rushed along so we couldn't enjoy many of the sights seen. !  I can't imagine what it will be like inn the middle of summer! Third City on the tour was Estonia which was a disappointment. Tour guide was soft spoken with a quiet conversational voice.  We couldn't hear her so we wandered off.  We had a small van to the City center and since the tour ended there, we WALKED back to the ship,  (About 30 minutes in the rain!)  She was sweet and hurried off at the end of the tour as if she didn't want to be there and wanted to go off asap.  The excursion in Oslo was okay, not great.  Bus did not have adequate air conditioning and folks were falling asleep in the mid to rear of the bus from lack of oxygen.  It was a huge group and although the guide was informative she should have had a portable microphone. Additionally, explanation to get to the tour meeting place seemed simple enough but it took us longer in the drizzle/rain as it was not very explicit and the bus was parked on a slight hill with no visible signs.  It was a pretty far walk from the ship to the city and a bit apprehensive as instructions stated it would depart 30 minutes after the ship landed.  (Rain only in Oslo and Estonia)  I also took Princess excursions but will refrain from commenting on those since this is a United Cruise review.

Everything and everyone of the crew was fine ,until the last day. Due to a mechanical problem with the ship, the return to CPH was delayed over 8 hours. The captain failed to make sufficient announcements to keep passengers up-dated and informed. This resulted in panic by some passengers trying to secure flight bookings for a later time than scheduled. A "rolling" delay ensued creating more of a hectic situation. As a result the disembarkation process was a disaster. Arguments ensued, passengers became belligerent and unruly, with no control by the crew. What most passengers will remember is the last day,which does not bode well for NCL. Shame on the Captain and the lack of procedures for a situation that should have been foreseen.

Having taken five cruises in eighteen months, I have come to enjoy cruising.

This particular Norwegian trip was very unsatisfying,. The venue of ports where we went was of tremendous interest. However, the ship experience was very underwhelming.

The Norwegian Star is old and tired. The entertainment was the weakest of any cruise I have been on. The activities were less than others. individually, the work staff was friendly and very attentive. Upper management was lazy and disinterested. There was an mechanical engine problem on the ship causing an eight hour departure delay. While these things can happen, management played no role what so ever in addressing the reasonable concerns of the nervous guests. Instead, very busy selling Bingo tickets and liquor  packages, but completely disinterested in addressing the serious delay issues at hand. The disembarking process was so poorly managed it appeared fights were about to break. The passengers were reduced to only pushing and shoving. I will continue to cruise, but It will require a lot of convincing to get me on another Norwegian boat. I suspect. this response will be of little interest to Norwegian. They showed no interest this week when over 1,000 passengers were left to guess their fate. In fact already I have booked a Celebrity Cruise.

This cruise, our 4th with Oceania, had many high points but more low points than any previous cruise. The staff was exceptional, as always. The excursions were very good, except in Russia, more later. The food was very good, not always exceptional but very good. The ship was in top shape, amazing as it is coming up on a refitting. I went on this cruise in part to see more of Russia, and in my opinion in the end not worth the bother. I am not sure the activities were worthless because Oceania did not try, more likely there is just nothing worth seeing in this part of Russia. I also have a bone to pick with Oceania, their wine selection below $100 per bottle (including mandatory tip) is poor, not worth the cost. They keep lowering the quality and maintaining the price. Just an opinion from one that is not an expert but enjoys wine with dinner.

When I cruise, I like to eat and enjoy the ship's entertainment. The buffets has a very limited selections, and most of the other restaurants has a cover charges. The ship only has show at 7;30 pm and 9:30 pm.at one stage. 

If you want to take a guided tour of the ship, it cost $89 per person. It's only a tour of the ship, not an excursion. All the other excursions offer for each port range between $50 to $500 per person.WOW, it's expensive.