I chose this cruise because of the itinerary. I prefer the mid-size and the Serenade was perfect. We flew to Stockholm 3 days before our cruise to explore this wonderful city. Embarkation went very smoothly as well as disembarkation.

Our ports of call after Stockholm were, Tallinn, Estonia, 3 days in St. Petersburg, Russia, Helsinki, Finland. Unfortunately we had to skip Riga, Latvia because of severe weather conditions, Berlin, Germany, Fredericia, Denmark and Copenhagen, Denmark. We booked all of our tours with the ship except for St. Petersburg. We booked a 3 day tour with Alla Tours recommended by Trip Advisor. It was a great choice. We were a group of 16. We went to the Fabrege Museum which was skipped by the ship's tour. The entertainment and activities were the usual. The highlight was a Russian Folkloric Dance group that performed for us.

The tours we booked with the ship were very good except for Fredericia. We chose a tour of Hans Christian Anderson's home and a museum devoted to his life. This was a five hour tour with no break for a snack or something to drink. We all asked the tour guide for a chance to get something to eat. I would not recommend the tour. As we approached the ship the towns people set up a crafts fair. A lot of us asked to get off the bus. There was also a concession stand that had fabulous ice cream and drinks. As we walked back to the ship, there was also a small classic apcar show. That was the best part of Fredericia. The people of all of the ports were happy to see us and were very friendly. It made me realize that people around the world are all the same. I hope we shined as ambassadors of peace. Read more