We chose this cruise because we wanted to sail from Newcastle and we liked the itinerary - we wanted to see both Tallin and Riga and also the small Danish island of Bornholm which not many cruise ships go to.

We also wanted to try Thomson Celebration as we have previously sailed on Spirit and really enjoyed it. We were not disappointed with the ship, its the right size for us and we liked our balcony cabin. The food was good and the staff were very friendly. Entertainment was as good as on the Spirit, fabulous shows and singers. The ports of call were mostly good and getting through passport control at St Petersburg was easy. We thought it might be complex but it was fine. Don't be fooled about the visa situation though - you can still book independent tours who will provide the same group visa for you - some of our passengers had had some better tours than the Thomson ones so do your homework. Tallin is amazing! Don't miss this port, it is just gorgeous.

Sadly we had a complaint - they took more money from our credit card than what we had actually spent and more than 2 months on we haven't even had a response and we are dealing with the complaint through our travel agent. Not happy!