Best of Scandinavia Cruise
Voyager of the Seas Cruise Review
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Cruise Director
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 19
Helpful Votes: 316
7 Night Scandinavia & Russia (Stockholm Roundtrip)
Sail date: June 26, 2022
Ship: Voyager of the Seas
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 9324
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
This was a back-to-back Baltic cruise from Stockholm, Sweden. Other European countries we visited were Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The most fascinating aspect of the European experience was the exposure to different cultures, people, their customs and food. It was one of a kind type of experience that we thoroughly enjoyed and embraced.Embarkation
We booked three nights in the Sheraton Stockholm hotel near the central station prior to cruise. The cab ride to port was 15 minutes and cost $40. Embarkation in Stockholm port was very swift and effortless. We have pre-checked on the Royals app and this made the entire process very smooth. There were no lines and no waiting.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The food on this cruise was tailored somewhat to the European market. It was exceptional and delicious. The MDR menu had extra items listed that we haven’t seen before. The Windjammer had a variety of selections and the items were also delicious. We did not eat in the specialty restaurants.
Onboard Activities
There were many activities to choose from but for the most part we just relaxed in the solarium, played slots in the casino, exercised in the fitness center and hung out in the various lounges.
Entertainment
There were two production shows that featured Royal Caribbean singers and dancers. Performances were well choreographed and they were enjoyable to watch. The ice skating show featured an international cast of award winning ice skaters that was very entertaining to watch. Headliners and other musicians were also fun to watch. We did not attend any of the dance parties that were held during late evening hours.
Service and Staff
Service was phenomenal from all ship personnel and crew.
Ship Quality
The ship was amplified. We liked the promenade feature very much. All areas were clean and well maintained. During the renovation of the ship the Diamond Lounge was moved from deck 14 to deck 6. We did not care for the new confined location.
Cabin / Stateroom
We booked a Junior suite cabin which we liked very much. It had ample room, and was very comfortable. The cabin was extremely clean and had a good size balcony with lounge chairs. We utilized the balcony to observe the spectacular scenery as we left the Stockholm port. The ship sailed through a waterway passage among 100,s of islands very close to the ship. For approximately 4 hours we were sailing in between these forested islands that were breathtaking to watch.
Ports of call
We feasted on the architectural splendor of the Old Town, Tallin. We did a walking tour of the old town on our own. There were many historic churches, plazas and squares and fascinating vistas. We did some shopping and ate at a local cafeteria style eatery serving traditional Estonian food. I had meat filled dumplings in cream mushroom sauce. DELICIOUS!
Thumbs Up
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We stayed four nights in Stockholm. We found the city to be extremely beautiful, very clean and safe. We highly recommend Sheraton Stockholm hotel located close to the central station. It was a very convenient location with walking distance to shopping, restaurants, transportation and tourist’s attractions. The Hop-on-hop-off bus stop was outside our hotel and we took advantage of that one day. Few of the high points were a tour of Vasa museum, a visit to the Old Town section, strolling through a shopping promenade and admiring European architecture. We found the city to be very quiet. Majority of people spoke English and there no problems with communication. There were numerous sidewalk cafes and restaurants and the food was delightful.
We did a bus excursion of the city and then we did a walking tour on our own of the old medieval UNESCO site. It was fascinating to see the medieval fortification walls and structures. The rebuilt medieval cathedral was the highlight. We stopped in one of the numerous restaurants for a delightful lunch prior to going back on ship.
We did an excursion to Kretinga that included a tour of a monastery and stops at a local museum and shops. Following the tour we did a walking tour of Klaipeda’s old town and had lunch at a local Lithuanian restaurant. We had their popular meat stuffed potato dumplings that were so goood.
The old town of Riga, Latvia is an UNESCO site. We did a walking tour of the town exploring its historic architecture, churches and numerous plazas and local restaurants. We ate lunch at a local Cafeteria type restaurant serving traditional Latvian food. My favorite was a cold beat soup. There was a complimentary shuttle from the ship to and from town.
Disembarkation
We did not disembark because we were back-to-back cruisers. I will comment on the check in process for the consecutive cruise. There were about 10 back-to-back cruisers. We met in the MDR at 8:30 AM and we were given new sea pass cards. Then we went deck 1 gangway to have our old cards swiped-out and the new cards swiped-in. At this point we were free to do as we pleased or go to the cabin which had been cleaned and ready for us. All back-to-back cruisers were invited to a special lunch in the MDR at 12:00 PM.
Traveler Photos
