Nautica Review
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I choose the Baltic Sea cruise on Oceania Nautica because of the itinerary and the relatively small size of the ship. We spent 3 days in London (not enough time) before boarding the ship at Southampton and 2 days in Copenhagen following the cruise. Both embarkation and disembarkation were quick and easy.
Our C-1 cabin had plenty of storage for clothes and other items; in fact I was amazed that with 2 ladies travelling together we did not fill all the available space!
The dining choices were good - plenty to choose from. I was disappointment that for our one reservation at Polo Grill I was served a chewy steak with little flavor and another person at my table had a poor quality steak as well. Toscano was outstanding! The Grand Dining Room had many good choices as did the buffet. I would have liked more flavor in several dishes though. The fresh berries were a real treat - the best I've ever had.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View
Cabin was in a great location. We enjoyed the window views. Plenty of storage.
Port Reviews
Southampton
We took the International Friends transport from London to Southampton with a stop at Stonehenge and because there were only 6 of us we also stopped at Salisbury Cathedral.
Amsterdam
We went on a walking tour of Amsterdam with Rob of "That Dam Guide" - he was very interesting and entertaining. Then we had just enough time to take a small boat (22 person) canal tour with Friendship Amsterdam complete with wine & beer and a very engaging skipper and helper. The canal tour was a blast!! We barely got back to the ship on time, but both tours were really worth it!
Stockholm
We took our own walking tour through Old Town and then went to Skansen. Time in port was a limiting factor.
Helsinki
We took a walking tour with "Happy Helsinki Walk" - we really enjoyed this tour.
St. Petersburg
We took a 2 day "Best of the Best" small group tour with Best Guides. Our tour guide, Svetlana was excellent. We toured the Hermitage, Church on Spilt Blood, Catherine's Palace, took a hydrofoil to Peterov, and even rode the subway. Lunches at authentic Russian restaurants were also a treat.
Tallinn
Loved Tallinn - we took Rick Steve's self guided walking tour and had an excellent lunch at Mekk.
Klaipeda
We took the Oceania excursion "Fairy Tales &Legends". The tour was fine, the tour guide very good, but the sights were mediocre.
Gdansk (Warsaw)
We took a private tour with Ewa Rymkiewicz. Ewa lived through the Soviet occupation, the shipyard strike that eventually led to the breaking up of Eastern Russian block, and the current independence. She spoke good English and was an excellent tour guide.