My wife and I returned from a thirty day vacation which included a tour of Ireland, and a tour of Scotland with a 12 night cruise on the Norwegian Jewel stuck in the middle. So we originated our cruise from Victoria Station in downtown London. We booked our transportation to get to the Dover Cruise terminal with National Express bus service over the Internet months in advance. The cost for a couple over 62 was about 33 pounds ($66 USD) round trip. You arrive at the Dover ferry port, then take a cab for 7 pounds to the cruise terminal. We shared a ride for 8 pounds in a van and split the cost. The embarkation went fine. A long line that moves along nicely. If you have sailed before with Norwegian, you can go to the shorter line for "Latitude members". Our luggage arrived in a timely manner. We always have booked a balcony cabin in the past, but decided to try an inside cabin for this cruise. We have had some bad experiences with people banging their balcony doors in the middle of the night, but everybody is entitled to a good time on vacation. We also picked the inside cabin because of the lack of darkness at night in the Baltic in June and July, not to mention the cost factor, which helps on a 30 day vacation. We were on deck 10 mid ship. The cabin was adequate with a nice size shower. We definitely would choose this cabin again. It was the best sleep we have had on a cruise ship after many cruises. Since we were on such a long vacation, we needed to wash clothes. The free self-service washer & dryer came in handy, just a $1 (USD) for a box of detergent. The cruise started by crossing the North Sea, which for cruisers who may have a queasy stomach, we would recommend precautions (pill, etc>). Once we were on the Baltic Sea, it was smooth sailing. The ports we visited were as follows:

Copenhagen, Denmark - You can walk to the town from the ship, but stop by the "Little Mermaid" on your way. Nice clean city, but we didn't see much in the way of attractions. There are plenty of canals.

Warnemunde, Germany - Cozy pleasant town with a huge sandy public beach and good German beer. Nice shops to browse in. Easy walking distance from ship. You should take the little train ride around town for 3 euro. Read more