Fantastic 12 night cruise. Arrival - Arrived at Harwich car park 11.30am, presented the paper slip we got in the post after booking the car park to the man, then moved a few yards further where some men took our cases and then drove literally round the corner into the car park. You park yourself and keep the keys unlike Southampton. (worth noting the train station is literally next to the ship if anyone is considering this option). Got on the courtesy shuttle bus which is just a couple of minute drive to the boat.Check in - was very simple. Did not have to queue as not many people there so early. Everyone has to fill in a health questionnaire to say they have not had a cold, sickness etc recently. All done, then avoided the people taking pictures and walked up the slopes and onto the ship. Not sure why we have to show our Seapass card to about 3 different people just to get on the boat. Once on the boat they take your picture for the Seapass card. Headed straight to the Windjammer on deck 11 for buffet lunch. Cabins were open about 1.30-2pm although we just walked into ours much earlier. Cabins - not a bad size. I had a balcony on deck 9. (Worth noting deck 7 I believe is slightly overlooked at the front of the balcony by upper cabin balconies). DEcor is a little dated and showing signs of age and wear and tear but clean. My fridge or cooler was warm so maintenance gave me a new one. Much better. I emptied their stuff and put mine in. I got the Evian water package - 1 litre bottles. Very expensive but I cannot drink the water on the ship due to the 'funny' taste to it. Decided not to get the soda package as extremely expensive and only worth it if you have over 3 cans a day. Also the free lemonade in the Windjammer only is very nice. I watered it down a little as was quite strong. My Dad's cabin seemed to have a problem with the water temperature for a few days. He either had hot water in the shower and just cold in the sink or vice versa. Anyway lovely maintenance man changed some unit on the shower after a few days and seemed ok. Toilet was blocked on only day 2 due to a back up in the line. Not pleasant but soon fixed. No tea or coffee/kettle in rooms and they have done away with the turndown at night with chocolate (not that they tasted very nice before anyway).Occassionally smoke from other cabins became quite annoying and I had to go back inside.Cabin steward -very friendly just like all the staff. He even opened the door if saw me arriving. This has been the same on other cruises with RC which I think is great. He left me a 'towel animal' every couple of days. The bat was excellent. I seemed to have rather a lot of luggage outside my cabin. Later the 1st evening about 9pm we found a couple looking for their luggage and there it was. They had complained to Guest Relations to no avail and went looking themselves. Turns out they had just been placed the wrong side of the ship and the steward had not gone looking for them to deliver to the correct cabin.Food - dinner was 6pm seating (or later was 8.30pm) and we had a table for 2 by the window. Unfortunately the tables are so crowded together; we may as well have been on a table for 4, 6 or 8 as it felt like the other tables were on top of us. Tip - do not eat too much or you will not fit through the tiny gaps between tables by the end of the cruise when leaving the dining room! The table of 4 next to us was empty until about 6.30pm when they decided to make an appearance. Unfortunately they had been drinking in the bar since they embarked and were in high spirits. I found them to be rather too loud with constant chatter so I left before pudding. I never returned either as I found the Windjammer buffet restaurant was far more spacious and quiet. I like to eat in peace without being watched from every angle. Also they serve the same food most of the time and you can walk around and see if first. What I liked best was that you could put some vegetables on the plate whereas in the main restaurant you would be lucky to get half a carrot with the meat dish! I did miss the scooped ice cream though, only the Mr Whippy machine in the Windjammer. However, on the last day we had strawberry and vanilla 'proper' scooped ice cream and a giant black forest gateau cake at lunch. Yum. We did see our dinner waiter several times as he also worked in the Windjammer in the mornings and was always very friendly and would stop for a chat. Breakfast was superb - lots of choice. I prefer just cereal in the morning though as not used to eating a fry up. At least they had my Weetabix. The milk cartons were either 0.3% fat or 3.5% fat but there was no semi-skimmed milk (2%). I did ask but was told no. Also chef said no poached eggs. My only other gripe was the toast if you could call it toast. Not sure what bread they use but impossible to eat the edges as rock hard. Lunch was fantastic, they always had salad and carvery, pizza, cakes etc. I attended the port lecture the next day at sea. A bit long winded but a few useful hints and tips. I don't like to be pessimistic but I did get the impression he was trying to sell the expensive jewellery and amber at every port by pointing out these shops and even offering to direct people at one port. Funny there was no lecture for Gothenburg where no such shops exist!Shopping on Board - at Sea after St Petersburg was a Russian Bazaar. This kept going for the remainder of the cruise. $10 for tiny little Russian dolls, then $15 for slightly larger ones and the very pretty ones which were a bit bigger were a staggering $225. I'm sure they were selling them for 25 Euros on the flea market in St Petersburg! The ship also had lots of Russian chocolates for $10 - seemed very overpriced but you have to expect that. On that note, if you forget any toiletries you would do well to find anything under $4 in the onboard shop! I did quite like the vodka bottles they had for $30 shaped as Russian dolls. Beware the $10 sale as lots of cheap plastic items!Disembarkation - was much improved than in previous years. You are now allocated a number based on the departure form which comes round earlier in the week. This corresponded with a time on another leaflet of 8.10am. You can stay in your cabin rather than being forced out at 8am like other cruise lines. They suggested going to the public lounge allocated about 15 mins prior to departure. However, ours was at the back of the ship when we were at the front so we decided just to head straight for the door about 7.50am and walked off no trouble. Shuttle bus went straight to the car park and the luggage was all arranged according to number allocated for departure. There are some trolleys but I didn't see many. CopenhagenClocks went forward 1 hour the 1st night to European time. We changed some dollars to Danish Krona at Guest Relations the day before. Note, if you change other currencies they convert it to dollars first meaning more commission for them as the ship is priced in dollars! We were docked furthest away at a place I think they call Freeport. About 6 other ships were also in town. The ships shuttle bus was $12 which you put on your Seapass card account. There is a Hop on Hop off bus just off the ship for 125 Danish Krona for adults (18 Euros) for the Red route. It did 3 different routes, the green and yellow routes were 150 kr each or it was just 155 for all 3 routes if you have time. It's about 1 hour 15 mins for a complete single loop if you did not get off that is. Stops on red route include Little Mermaid, City Hall, Tivoli, Rosenborg Castle and the Royal palace - changing the guard was at 12.00. The green route includes the Casino and the Yellow route includes the Zoo and Carlsberg Brewery visitor centre. We took the red route HOHO as it was quite hot and being fair skinned burn easily in the sun. However, we made the mistake of taking the early 9am tour but unfortunately it took 35 minutes just to get round the corner to the other pier of cruise ships. As it was quite early in the morning there were coaches and taxis blocking the road making it impossible to get through. The driver had an argument with one person, lots of horn tooting. Then the HOHO sellers were arguing with the Jump on/off rival tour company over who was on whose patch! Eventually we got going on the main tour and the 1st stop was the Little Mermaid. Note - walkable from the boat (20-25 min walk). Little souvenir hut here although be warned, everywhere is very expensive. Saw a sign for loos but seemed quite a trek so did not bother. One of the stops was by a canal (Nyhaven). Canal trips available here. We stopped by the City Hall, walked straight into McD and down the stairs to use the loo. (Never seen so many Mc D's and BK's in such a small space). We stopped at the Rosenborg Castle, big queue for the loo here but free. There was a charge to go inside the Palace, cannot remember how much but it was around 30 Kr I think, not much at all. There is a gift shop on the pier just off the boat. 25kr cheapest fridge magnet or 4 euros. Nice chap let me have one for 17kr as that was all I had left. Little Mermaid souvenir was around 13 euros. StockholmWe changed some dollars into Swedish Krona for here and Gothenburg (remember on this trip you need Swedish and Danish krona although most tourist areas take Euros). Lovely clean city even the buildings look clean and fantastic architecture. I woke up at 6am and forced myself out of bed to watch the scenery. 3 hours of fantastic views and little islands and houses, definitely worth getting up early for. Docks are my side of the boat (left side facing forward - sorry get confused with Aft and Starboard). Arrived at 9am to a mass exodus off the boat all piling on to the shuttle into town. (RC charge $12 return per person). The queue was horrendous. There are HOHO buses just off the boat to the right past the orange/peachy coloured building - 5 mins walk if that, they are blue and yellow. As soon as you leave the boat there is a hut with tourist info, maps and souvenirs. V expensive - postcards were 8 Swedish Krona, 40-50 kr for a fridge magnet. We hadn't purchased the shuttle bus tickets luckily so we walked past the queue for the bus and just another 20ft to the end of the harbour on the left was a Hop on Hop off BOAT, yes I did say boat There were about 3 different companies all shouting for us to get on their boat. All same price though at 10 euros/100kr or £14 all day. You can also get a ticket for the boat and a bus tour but we did not think we would have the time to do both. As it was a Saturday it got very busy with locals as did the main areas of the city and the queues were very long by lunch. Tip - get off the boat at 9am early. We took it all the way round to the Vasa Museum,. great views on route. It was so hot outside with very few shady areas so it was a relief to get inside as it was nice and cool. Entry price was 110kr adults, 80kr students (with ID card) and kids free. Can pay in Euros but was a rip off as for some reason they charged 27 Euros for 2 of us. Chap on till said would be cheaper to pay with credit card but we never take them off the ship. Took lots of pictures of the old boat inside. Used the free loos before heading back to the HOHO boat. Did not see any loos elsewhere but in fairness did not stop for long in main town as far too hot for me in the sun and there was nowhere to get shade.Next stop on the HOHO boat was a park which had rides and a rollercoaster etc - the kids will love, and then back to the cruise ship Stops include the Old Town, Royal Palace, Vasa museum, and the Tivoli Grona Land.HelsinkiPrices in Euros. Docks my side of boat again. Clocks were now 2 hours ahead of UK time. Souvenir shop just off the ship. Again, very expensive. 28 Euros for a hat with them bits that cover your ears. I paid £3 off the market in England for mine! Magnets were 5 Euros although they were 6 Euros by the Cathedral. Maps were also being given out on the pier. It is about 10 min bus trip just to get out of the harbour so unless you are used to walking several miles a day, I would suggest the shuttle at $12 return or the HOHO green bus on the pier. There was no HOHO boat this time, just buses here. However, I did notice that a public bus stopped about 5 min walk from the ship. It was to the far right of the v large building next to the boat right by the edge of the shore. Probably a lot cheaper into town. 25 Euros seems very expensive for the HOHO bus but luckily another City Town Sightseeing company started in May this year (much to the original company's annoyance) and charge only 20 Euros. I am pleased as it keeps the price down a little. Anyway the 25 euro company called Open Top Tour HOHO will match the 20 euro price if you ask and they come round every 30 mins whereas the new one was every hour. They give you headphones to keep which happen to fit my mp3 player! Also on the pier is a red old double decker bus doing tours and they charge 25 Euros for a 2 hour tour but you do get to keep your seat as it stops at a couple of places along the route with free time. As you leave the port area into town there is a small beach. The 1st stop was a flea market. It was very large but we did not get off the bus as was warned about pickpockets. We got off at the Rock Church, (walk back from where bus drops you off then up the hill). It didn't look that special to me, I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. Some people were climbing the barriers and walking over it. The sign outside said open 11.45 then closed most of the day for worship/private ceremonies etc. Most of the group who got off the bus here were rather annoyed nobody told us this and we all walked back to the bus stop. We waited quite a while for the next one. The main town bit and market square were further along the route. We didn't stop as looked packed. Saw some loos in the park just before the market here but looked like coin operated. Someone did say you need a 25 cent kr coin for them so not sure but could be correct. We got off at Senate Square for the Lutheran Cathedral stop, fabulous. Well worth climbing all the steps to get to it. Fantastic interior. Round trip was about 1 hr 10 mins. St PetersburgNow 3 hours ahead of UK time. Docked my side of boat again at 9am but not much to see except the grass being cut by a man on a mower! Docked out of the main town area as ship too deep for the shallow river in St P. There was one other cruise ship in, and another one appeared the next day. The docks can take 6 ships but there are plans to expand it to take 12. Even our tour guide said the city cannot cope as the places of interest are far too crowded so perhaps evening/night tours will be coming soon! Definitely not walkable even if you have your own tourist visa. Balcony was off limits for 2 days as the flies/mosquitoes were out in force and I react to the tiniest of insect bite. Note - breakfast in Windjammer is packed at 6am both days so go later (around 8.30 - 9 am) if not on an early tour. We took the morning panoramic St Petersburg tour day 1. We met in the Coral Theatre and were then escorted off the boat. You walk into the building next door and go through immigration. Passport needed and immigration card which RC gives you, mostly filled in already for this. Then onto the bus. We made a few stops to take pictures on the tour. Unfortunately we were always kept waiting by the same people on the tour whose idea of 20 minutes was 40. 1 stop had a portaloo - $1 or euro to use but we went into the souvenir shop and used the free loos although it got very busy when 2 more coaches appeared. V nice souvenirs and good prices at 1 euro a fridge magnet. We stopped at the Battleship Aurora for pictures as well. Roads were crowded in places but not as bad as people led us to believe. Last stop was the Church of the Spilled blood for pictures. Also there was a market here where you can haggle and get some nice souvenirs v cheap. If you want a Russian doll now is the time as the nice ones are $225 dollars on the ship. I think they were asking 25 Euros on the market. Wish I had taken more money with me. Beware pickpockets. .Day 2Felt somewhat odd not to be sailing out of port as normal yesterday. However nice to do another trip. Ships forecast was cloudy 21c but got to about 31c. We skipped lunch as had late breakfast and went out for our 1.30pm tour of St Peterhof Palace gardens. (There are a few shops by immigration but expensive. I noticed the duty free shop outside on way back to boat but did not go on so no idea prices. You would expect vodka to be cheap I guess! There was an internet cafe in the building also). The sky was just beginning to cloud over and as we went through town the sky got darker until an almighty thunderstorm was on us. At this point we were unaware of the drama unfolding on our cruise ship back in port. Thunder and lightning for ages and the wind was incredible as it whipped over the river in town. The roads were quickly flooded as the gutters drain onto the roads, not underground, to avoid frozen pipes in winter. The 60 mins drive took 1 hr 35 mins. Relief to get there at last. Loos. $1 or I think was 2 for 1 euro here! Not included in price of tour so have dollars and Euros with you at all times. We walked into the main park with the fountains and gold, definitely a fantastic sight. I got lots of pictures before the next storm came in. The stalls sold out of $4 or 3 euro rain coats just as we got near the front of the queue and the heavens opened. Not quite sure we should have been sheltering under the trees! After a while our guide suggested we carry on as we were all soaked so we did. It was actually quite nice now as the humidity had gone. Just felt rather damp until we got back. Lots of nice waterfalls around the park. Just as we were leaving a member of our group told the guide a pickpocket had stolen his passport, wallet with credit card. Apparently they are rife here. Tip - take a v small bag with inside zips for passport/wallet and put it under your coat/cardigan at the front! Do not wear backpacks on your back either. Guide made some frantic phone calls, seems this had happened before He was one of the 'guest entertainers' on the ship. Not sure what happened but we were told you have to go to Moscow for a new passport. I have heard reports that this is not the case and there is an office in St Petersburg. Anyway we caught the hydrofoil ride back to the boat. Only took 30 mins to get back so not sure why we didn't come this way too! We docked right by the ship yet they made us get back onto the new coach, still socking wet, which had driven back and take off microphones, headsets etc. Then they drove us to the immigration building, 30 seconds away.Back on board the captain spoke and said that during the storm, a microburst wind had hit the ship and ripped off all 8 mooring lines and sent the ship some way over the other side. Luckily it did not slam into the dock or indeed into the other 2 cruise ships behind or that would have been cruise over. He said it took 3 minutes to get the engines started and regain control of the ship. The staff done a great job and ensured nobody was on the gangplank getting off the boat at the time. This was left hanging in the sea. The rest of the afternoon excursions were cancelled so I am sure some people were not happy at all as they probably booked the cruise mainly for Russia.TallinnEuros here. Docked other side this time. Clocks went back 1 hour so now only 2 hours behind UK. Docked at 8am, nice little port, about 4 other cruise ships were also here. Good place to use the internet as Tallinn is apparently famed for its Wi-Fi. We had a rain shower early on and then it cleared to sun and cloud rest of the day. V windy though. At the end of the pier you walk to the right through the large market. All the same items, woollens and ornaments and a nice stall with Tallinn bags. Magnets were 2-4 Euros, thimbles were 3 Euros. Once through the line of stalls there are the HOHO buses. 13 Euros although they were doing them for 10 Euros for adults and 7 for kids aged 7-17. The tour is 50 minutes for a complete loop if you did not stop. Another sightseeing company was doing 3 routes around the town for 16 Euros. The official shuttle bus was to the left before the market stalls. There was a kiosk to pay for the tickets just when you got off the boat as not operated by RC but same price as before. As this looked the smallest port we opted to walk into the town. In hindsight we would have taken the HOHO bus as it was about a mile or so into the 1st bit of town and that way we would have arrived there fresh legged. Depends how much walking you want to do. We left the port gates crossed the road and walked towards the town. Went over some traffic lights and headed towards the tower (Fat Margharet). From here we followed the cobbled road and there is a very nice little souvenir shop on the left. Postcards 70c or 3 for 2 Euros. Not cheap but cheaper than the market. Walked past some churches and a clock and turned left into the market, same old stuff. If you carry on to the right and forwards, you would get to the Kings garden and then Alexandr Nevsky Cathedral. . When we got back to the dock entrance the guard appeared. I did not hear if he said passport or Seapass pass please but we showed the Seapass card and he let us through. RC told us in the daily compass leaflet that we need passports for Tallinn, We even asked at guest relations if photocopied or driving licence would do, bearing in mind someone had theirs stolen in St Petersburg. However they insisted Tallinn authorities require a passport. That left me feeling rather cross. GothenburgArrived at 9am to a very wet city. Docked other side to me again although not much to see at all. The Volvo museum was right next to the boat (suggest visit in the afternoon). No way can you walk to town here and no HOHO buses so only option is the $12 RC shuttle bus or a taxi. As you exit the ship, you walk through a giant white tent where a band is playing and you guessed it, souvenirs for sale. Bus took good 15 mins to get to town and dropped us in the square. Just over the road is a canal and they were doing trips for half price due to the weather. Normally 15 Euros per person. Very nice people and indeed the town was full of friendly people and was clean. Lots of trams so be careful when crossing the roads. On the opposite side to the canal trips were trees and to the left towards the harbour and the Gothenburg wheel was an inside shopping centre. (Loos are right at the back near the harbour and cost 5kr or equivalent currency - not very clean, huge queue - best use a McD). We exited the shopping centre at the back here and out onto the harbour area and the Wheel. I think it was 95 Swedish kr and 60 for kids. Worth a trip on a nice sunny day. It then poured down so we headed back towards the square. Down the street next to the shopping centre we stumbled across a very nice souvenir shop which was also a sweet shop. I cannot describe the smell as we entered - heaven! Magnets were between 39 and 59 kr. Lots of bits and pieces. We ended up using up the kr on a 2 chocolate bars not that we were hungry!At around 11pm we passed under the Copenhagen and Gothenburg Bridge. Unfortunately I missed this as was not made aware of this until the next day!