To get a picture of where we're coming from, consider: 1.) My wife and I are what I would describe as a healthy/active (runners/bicyclists) couple ages 58 and 59. 2.) This was our 17th cruise and 8th with NCL, and they've all been great. 3.) We are a pretty laid back, go-with-the-flow couple who enjoy the adventure of travel and always view the glass as half full. With that in mind ... every cruise we have taken has been outstanding, but this very well may have been the best of all -- taking into consideration the ports of call, the beautiful ship and friendly, not to mention accommodating staff, and the wonderful new friends we made on this 12-day journey. We booked the cruise through NCL, but not before doing our homework -- research on the Internet. We arranged for our travel to and from London, in addition to Dover, England. Our flights coming and going were on time, and no luggage was lost! And we found our way to/from Dover in great shape. We arrived early, spending two days in London before heading to Dover. We couldn't have picked a better location -- a nice, comfortable and reasonably priced hotel (Central Park/under $100) north of Kensington Gardens and just around the corner from the Bayswater Tube Station, and walking distance from Buckingham Palace among other wonderful sights. Note: We purchased Oyster Cards (great way to see London via the Tube and Buses and worth checking out on Internet) at the airport Tube Station, then took the Tube to the Bayswater Station, a short walk from our hotel (and were able to check in early as our room was ready by 10 a.m.). Stairs were involved along the way, but we managed to pull this off -- one suitcase and one carry-on apiece. Thank goodness for wheels on suitcases! After two exhaustive but wonderful days of sightseeing in London -- we look forward to returning! -- we headed to Dover, about a 2-hour bus ride south of London. We took the Tube from Bayswater to Victoria Station, then proceeded to the bus station (National Express ... check out on Internet) a block away from Victoria Station. Our round-trip ticket to Dover was around $30 U.S. each, considerably less than NCL transfers. Train service to Dover is also available at Victoria Station, but taking the bus was more economical. The bus, I might add, was very nice, air-conditioned and with plenty of room for luggage. We were dropped off at the Ferry Station in Dover, where we could see the NCL Sun docked. It was such a beautiful sunny day, instead of waiting for a taxi (8 pounds/about $12 U.S.) to the pier, we decided to walk -- and it was a pleasant 20-25 minute walk along the harbor. Embarkation was a breeze. We dropped off our luggage outside the terminal, then were checked in right away and were on the ship by 1:30 p.m. And ... our room was ready! Note: We had a Meet and Greet party of Cruise Critic members on the first day at sea, and it was great to put a face on those who participated in the Roll Call. It was a very nice get-together, where we met several couples who were signed up for our SPB Tour in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was a good exchange and the friends we made here made the cruise all the more memorable. We got together with our new friends seemingly every night in Las Ramblas to compare notes. It was all about the people, the journey. Previous postings on cruise critic indicated the Sun was showing its age and was more than a bit frayed around the edges. We understand the ship is headed for refurbishment over the winter, but we found that it still sparkles. It was clean, easy to get around, and the staff was always courteous and helpful. And no ship we've ever been on has better running/jogging tracks (areas) than NCL. We also found the food and service in the main dinning rooms -- the Four Seasons and the Seven Seas -- to be very good. We never had to wait to be seated. Service was prompt and the food plentiful and delicious. And, again, the staff was always attentive to making the dinning experience enjoyable. We never felt the need/desire to check out a specialty (pay extra) restaurant. There also was a wide variety of food to choose from in the Garden Cafe, and it was a most comfortable setting -- never felt like it was overcrowded, good flow. Pacific Heights is worth looking into for pasta, pizza, etc. The Sports Bar was also a very good venue for lunch/dinner. We found the entertainment -- from the shows in the Stardust Lounge, folk singer Kim Doolittle in Las Ramblas, the pianist and violinist, etc. -- to be very good. The production of "Shout," the mod musical based on the popular British magazine, the flautist's performance and Tracey Shield's tribute to "Celine Dion" were exceptional. Drinks were pricey, but we knew that going in. But the ports of call were the highlight of this cruise, and they were all outstanding. We hit the ground running each day, and were pretty spent by the time the sun went down. Note: We found that most places -- merchants -- accepted U.S. currency, credit cards at the very least. It was sunny, cool and windy pulling away from the Cliffs of Dover on Day 1, and there were plenty of great photo opportunities. From that day forward, temperatures heated up and -- if you didn't know any better, you'd have thought we were in the Caribbean -- but no complaints here. The pool, I might add, was in use every single day of the cruise, and it was nice to sit outside for breakfast or lunch on days at sea. Copenhagen, Denmark: It was a bit overcast when we landed, but cleared up as the day wore on. We walked off the ship and toured the city on our own. And this was very doable -- about a pleasant 20-minute walk into the city. Note: There was a video of "The Little Mermaid" at the spot along the way where she generally sits. That is because she presently is at the World Expo in Shanghai, China. Warnemunde, Germany: We went back-and-forth over the idea of taking the Berlin Tour, but decided to explore Warnemunde and nearby Rostock (a 20-minute train ride) on our own. We don't regret our decision, but understand from our cruise friends that the Berlin Tour was super -- those who took one of the NCL Tour options and those who went on a private tour (SPB). The trip to Berlin was 6 hours round trip, but -- again -- well worth it from our friends who chose this option. We had a wonderful time, walking off the ship and doing our own city tour of Warnemunde before grabbing a bite to eat (light lunch) and taking the train to Rostock. This was very enjoyable, even though most of the stores in Rostock were closed (It was Sunday, and a newly passed national law forbids stores from opening on Sunday. Some stores, however, chose to ignore this law). Nonetheless, it was a memorable experience. After dinner, we strolled along the water/beaches of Warnemunde. It was a busy but relaxing day. Tallin, Estonia: I had no idea what to expect here, but this was a charming, medieval city which smacked of the days of Robin Hood -- castles, cobblestone streets and all. We, again, walked off the boat and did our own city sightseeing tour. It was easy to get around, although the cobblestone streets were a twisted ankle ready to happen (watch your step!). St. Petersburg, Russia: This 2-day stop was the highlight of this fabulous trip. We were booked on SPB's Baltic Pearl Tour, a 2-day excursion that left few stones unturned -- Catherine's Palace, Peterhof's gardens, Church of Spilled Blood, Hermitage Museum, Peter and Paul's fortress, subway ride, hydrofoil ride, canal boat ride, visit to local market, etc. And the heatwave? Our SPB guide (Elena) informed us it was over 100 degrees on our first day in St. Petersburg, its hottest day on record. The sun was intense and the museums were not air-conditioned, but it was tolerable -- Thank goodness the humidity was not a bear. Note: Passengers were allowed to get off the ship around 8 a.m. Clearing Russian customs took from 30-45 minutes if you were in the first wave. We were very pleased with our SPB Tour, but also heard good things from those who took Anastasia and TJ tours. It is worth looking into. We felt it was a better deal -- value-wise -- than NCL could provide. To NCL's credit, those taking private tours were not discriminated against. Helsinki, Finland: We walked off the ship and made our way into the city, a comfortable 20-30 minute walk, to do our own city sightseeing tour. Researching our ports of call before departing helped greatly. We had maps and a plan for seeing most of the major sights at every stop. It was a busy city, but a fun one to navigate. We also had fun jumping on the "Pub Train," outside of the train station for a light tour of the city, while sipping on a beer. Nynashamn (Stockholm), Sweden: The window of opportunity here (7 a.m.-6 p.m.) was tight, but we made the most of it. Stockholm is an hour (bus/train) ride away. And this is a port that requires a tender from the ship to the pier. Thanks to cruise critic postings, we were aware of a bus/train option to Stockholm, and we opted to give it a try. We were off the ship and tendered to the pier by 9 a.m. Here we -- along with a number of our NCL friends -- went out the gate, turned left and made our way to the Train Station (15-20 minute walk). We purchased a pass ($13 U.S.) that would allow us to use the Train, Buses and even the Ferry in Stockholm. Due to construction, we took a bus (35x) to Vasterhaninge where we caught the train (35) to Stockholm. We were there in 1 hour, where we met up with a good friend of ours (former foreign exchange student to U.S. from Sweden now living in Stockholm), who gave us a tour of this beautiful city. We caught the 2:50 p.m. train (bus at Vasterhaninge) back to Nyashamn and arrived (1 hour later) in plenty of time to catch the last tender to the ship (4:30 p.m.). We strolled through the harbor at Nyashamn and took pictures before heading to the pier. There was a long line for tendering, but we weren't bothered by that. We caught a tender at 5 p.m. -- the second to last one. We had two very relaxing, not to mention welcome, days at sea before arriving back at Dover. Disembarkation was a breeze. We stayed in London (Radisson Edwardian Heathrow/excellent hotel under $100) that day/night (our 36th wedding anniversary) before flying out the next morning and were in no real hurry to get off the ship. We walked off around 9 a.m., picked up our luggage and -- it being another nice sunny day! -- elected to walk back into town (city center) where we caught the bus back to London (Victoria Station). From there we made our way to our airport hotel. And from there we headed back into London for casual sightseeing and dinner at the same restaurant where we had our first dinner in London. It was returning to where this journey all began, a nice way to wrap it all up. And it was a wonderful journey, made all the more memorable for the wonderful new friends we made along the way. We look forward to our next adventure!