COPENHAGEN: Again, buy Rick Steves’ book “Northern European Cruise Ports” for detailed information. We docked at Langelinie pier, which is a pleasant 10 minute walk along the shore to the Little Mermaid statue. If you disembark as soon as the ship clears, you will have the sculpture to yourself. Later in the day it is crowded by hordes of tour groups.If you prefer, bus #26 serves both Langelinie and Frihavnen piers to the city center, on weekdays only.Near the Little Mermaid, the city water taxi shuttles back and forth along the harbor for the price of bus fare (pay onboard). I got off at Knippelsbro bridge and walked several blocks past Our Savior Church (with the famous spiral steeple) to the hippie haven of Christiania. This is quiet and colorful in the early morning. If your time is limited or you are a slow walker, you can skip this and get off the water taxi near the Royal Library.From Christiania I walked back across the bridge to the modern Royal Library (called the Black Diamond), where free internet is available in the lobby.From there is it a short and pleasant walk through the old palace gardens to the National Museum, which is free and takes one through Danish history from the stone age to the present.From there it is a short walk to the City Hall (take a look inside) and the adjacent Hans Christian Anderson statue and plaza. The pedestrian shopping street, Stroget, starts at the City Hall plaza and extends northeast past Copenhagen’s best shops to Kongens Nytorv, where there is currently a good deal of metro construction.To the east of Kongens Nytorv is the photogenic Nyhavn (New Harbor), which is full of tourists and canal tour boats. To the west is small but enjoyable Rosenborg Castle and its garden.I have been in Copenhagen multiple times and have seen both the harbor and castle before, so I walked through the gardens north to the National Gallery, which is free and has very enjoyable traditional and modern art collections in an old and a new building.From there it is a 30 minute walk past the Amalienborg Palaces and the Little Mermaid back to the Langelinie pier, or one can catch bus #26 northbound at the corner opposite the National Gallery (weekdays only).Notice that I did not include the Tivoli Gardens amusement park, which is near the City Hall. Personally I find this over-rated, but some may enjoy it. 

Copenhagen

TALLINN: Again, buy Rick Steves’ book “Northern European Cruise Ports” for detailed information. Tallinn is easy to reach and to enjoy on foot. It is a pleasant 15 minute walk from the ship to Fat Margaret Tower, the entry gate to the old town. I strongly recommend disembarking as soon as the ship clears to avoid tour group crowds in the photogenic narrow streets and squares of the old town.After walking through the lower old town past the Town Hall Square, I walked up the hill to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Dome Church, Parliament building, and panoramic overlooks, which provide nice photos of the town roof tops and cruise ships beyond.Again, the earlier you visit, the fewer crowds you will encounter. I was fortunate that there was a mid-day organ recital in the church. Even better, in the afternoon there was the biannual Estonian choral festival parade with 15,000 participants dressed in local costume. The national choral festival, which you may remember catalyzed the “Singing Revolution” that led to the fall of Communism in Estonia, began in the evening after we departed, but many of the groups sang as they paraded by in the afternoon. It was amazing. 

Tallinn

ST. PETERSBURG: Again, buy Rick Steves’ book “Northern European Cruise Ports” for detailed information. Russian visa hassles and costs will almost force you to buy a visa-free package tour, but his guidebook is useful background for the sights and may help you choose which tour to purchase.Almost everyone I met took a private (not ship’s) tour for the two days in St. Petersburg. I used Denrus ten years ago and SPB Tours this year. Both did a good job. TJ Tours and Alla Tours are also popular. All these tours are described and bookable on their respective web sites.All the tour companies appear to use similar 15 passenger modern vans, with a guide and a driver. They follow very similar two day itineraries, depending on the price of the tour. The 300 USD tour is the most comprehensive. The 265 USD tour eliminates a few sites (varying by tour company), and the 200 USD tour (offered by SPB) eliminates a few more. I chose the latter since it covered the essentials that I wanted to see.When comparing tour itineraries, it is easiest to make a chart of what sights are eliminated in the less expensive tours and then choose based on personal preference.Be aware that immigration procedures on the first morning can take over an hour if one starts a little late, which may delay your tour departure. I was off the boat with the first wave of passengers, then had to wait an hour at our bus till the last family in our group arrived. The second day has no such delays.Every passenger I spoke with was happy with the tour and the tour company he had chosen. No one seemed to have had any complaints or problems. I personally would have preferred to spend one day touring the outlying sights and one day on my own in the city, which of course is not possible. One day tours are available, but the freedom to spend a day on one’s own is not.

St. Petersburg

HELSINKI: Again, buy Rick Steves’ book “Northern European Cruise Ports” for detailed information. Helsinki is easy to navigate and enjoy on one’s own due to the excellent and reasonably priced public transportation. A day pass can be purchased from the tram drivers and costs about 8 euros. We docked 10 minutes from the West (Lansi) Terminal, from where tram #9 goes to the central train station and connects with other tram lines. Alternately, on can walk north 10 minutes and catch tram #8, then transfer to tram #2 back south into the city center, or continue north on tram #8 since it passes a few blocks from the underground church and then a few blocks from the Sibelius monument. Tram routes have changed numbers in the last few years, so one must get a new map (free) if one has not been there in a while. Be aware that some trams (#2 and #3) actually switch numbers as they circle the city, which can be confusing for first time visitors.In Helsinki I usually visit the Russian Cathedral, but after St. Petersburg I skipped it on this visit. Instead I went early to the waterfront market (fish, produce, and souvenirs), then walked west along the esplanade (with a detour to the Lutheran Cathedral and Senate Square and tourist info office restrooms), then caught the #24 bus (just behind the Swedish theater at the west end of the Esplanade) to the bus terminus outside the Seurasaari Open Air Folk Museum. Along the way the bus #24 passes the Sibelius Monument, which is worth a quick stop if you have not seen it before. The Seurasaari grounds are free and very pleasant for a relaxing forest walk near the city, and the many old cabins and houses give one an idea what Finland was like years ago.From there I returned to the city waterfront and caught the city ferry (free with a day transit pass) to Suomenlinna Island for another pleasant countryside and shoreline walk near the old military bastion.In the past I have also enjoyed the National Museum, but it was closed when I was there this time.

Helsinki

STOCKHOLM: Again, buy Rick Steves’ book “Northern European Cruise Ports” for detailed information. The most important thing is to get up near sunrise (5am) and watch from the deck or balcony as the ship cruises among the many small islands that line the coast. It is much like Alaska’s Inside Passage, but with traditional (and sometimes enormous) vacation homes along the way.I have mixed feelings about Stockholm. It is enjoyable but outrageously expensive, and it is the only port without public transport nearby (just private tour buses and boats). The ho/ho boat adjacent to the ship, which is the most convenient way to get from the ship to various sights, has doubled in price in just two years. Other public transport and museums are also double what you might expect to pay elsewhere.Since I have visited Stockholm several times before and have enjoyed its museums in the past, this time I simply walked the 30 minutes along the shoreline to Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and spent most of the day enjoying its narrow streets (especially Prastgatan) and sunny squares (especially Stortorget).A little before noon I stood on the north side of the palace and watched as the palace guard paraded in across the Norrbro Bridge, then along the waterfront, then up the Slottsbacken (south side of the palace) to the west courtyard. Access to the courtyard was blocked after the band passed by, but there is a front and back entry to the palace gift shop, and one can pass through it to see the changing of the guard if other access is blocked. The band plays many marches, and the uniforms make it a scene out of an old operetta -- quaint and fun.From there I walked into the new town, which offers little of interest compared to the other Baltic port cities.For first time visitors, the Vasa Ship Museum, Nordic Museum, and Skansen Folk Museum are all enjoyable but pricey. They are clusterd within easy walking distance on Djurgarden Island, which is served by the ho/ho shuttle boat (and ho/ho bus). The National Museum on a nearby island was closed for renovations.

Stockholm

VISBY: Our visit to Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland, was shortened by immigration procedures on the ship. Each passenger must appear passport in hand at the dining room according to a pre-assigned sequence, which favors ship’s tours and upper decks. After clearing immigration (why Sweden cares about departing visitors is not apparent but no further review was needed at disembarkation in Harwich), one receives a tender ticket and waits until that ticket number is called. The last group tenders ashore around 11am. Once on shore, it is pleasant to walk a large circle clockwise through the old town, which was the wealthiest Hansa League member in the 1300s and now is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Following the shoreline northwest one reaches the botanic Garden, then northeast to the city walls, then east along the cliff through the narrow streets overlooking St. Mary’s Dome Church, then down to the City Hall and Square, where the tourist office is located (one can walk this in reverse if one wants to stop by the TI for a map first).The tourist office offers a free (tips expected at the end) tour at 11am with Aiden McFarland, a former teacher. These fill up when a ship is in port, so go to their website and reserve a spot in advance. The wealthy history of the island and town is surprising, and the old buildings are well preserved.

Visby

HARWICH: Harwich Port is convenient to reach from London. Trains leave hourly from Liverpool Street station, costing only 8 GBP each way. One can buy tickets online. I used thetrainline dot com for best prices. They even sent an email alert when tickets for this route became available.Most trains require a change in Manningtree, which has stairs between platforms. On arrival in Harwich Port, the cruise ship is right next to the train platform -- it could not be more convenient.In addition, adjacent to the cruise pier is the Stenaline ferry to Holland, with a departure each morning and each evening. I took this immediately after the cruise to extend my vacation a few weeks.FERRY FROM HARWICH TO HOLLAND: Disembarkation at Harwich is fast and simple. The Stenaline ferry leaves from the adjacent dock. It is a slow but comfortable way to cross the channel to the continent, and for a small surcharge one can obtain a Netherlands rail pass good for travel to any destination within that country. Again, the severe increase in London airport departure tax subsidizes an extension to the continent and return to the U.S. on an open jaw itinerary.

Harwich

There are only three Studio Interiors, which were added to the Brilliance during its 2013 dry dock. They are small (about 100 square feet, a little less than 10 square meters), but they are comfortable and have full sized bathrooms. The single bed is in an alcove with a flat screen TV at the foot of the bed. There is the usual desk, closet, mini-fridge, and bedside table. The SI's are located just off the Centum (Atrium) near Guest Relations, but the noise from that area is not audible. There is a mechanical hum, but it is not bothersome. The hall serves as an emergency exit for the adjacent dining room (again, not audible). Recommended, if you are solo and lucky enough to find an SI available -- they usually do not appear on cruise search engines.

The Seurasaari grounds are free and very pleasant for a relaxing forest walk near the city, and the many old cabins and houses give one an idea what Finland was like years ago.Tram routes have changed numbers in the last few years, so one must get a new map (free) if one has not been there in a while.

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