Norwegian Dream
Baltic Capitals
May-June 2001
by Bruce Baldwin
This was an absolutely great
voyage!
The Norwegian Dream departed from Dover, England and returned there after 12
days of cruising through the Kiel Canal and visiting the ports of Warnemunde
Germany, Tallinn Estonia, St. Petersburg Russia, Helsinki Finland, Stockholm
Sweden, and Copenhagen Denmark. We cruised through the English Channel, the
Baltic Sea, through the Swedish Archipelagos, the Straits of Denmark, and
through the North Sea.
We had cruised on the Norwegian Dream for the Transatlantic crossing in fall,
1999 so embarking for this voyage was like returning to old friends. You may
recall that the Norwegian Dream was formerly the NCL Dreamward. The ship was
"stretched" 133 feet in 1998 so getting from fore to aft or
deck-to-deck is sometimes a pleasant challenge.
We enjoy this ship because of its somewhat traditional décor. There are no
fancy multilevel atriums, no glitzy lighting, no enormous statues or mobiles.
The Norwegian Dream is nevertheless a very comfortable ship of medium size by
today's standards. The Dream is 51,000 tons; she holds 1,750 passengers.
We knew several friends taking this cruise and met some nice and very
interesting people.
NCL recently adopted "Free Style Cruising" where lunch and supper
seating is no longer assigned or at a specified dining time. Instead, meals are
offered in numerous locations around the ship and eating in the dining room is
at the passengers' leisure. Menus in the various venues are varied and service
except in the dining rooms [or Le Bistro for which there is a $10 per person
surcharge with reservations required] is buffet style. There are still formal
nights for those who want them but formal dress is not required.
"Resort Casual" is the recommended dress code for the entire voyage.
We enjoyed supper in one of the three "no charge" dining rooms several
nights. We enjoyed Trattoria Italian Dinner two evenings in the Sun Terraces.
One night we had the BBQ supper at poolside while we enjoyed the live music of
the Melodic Quartet and watched the sunset. One afternoon we had great salads
and pizza at the Pizzeria. There was always a light supper buffet in the Sports
Bar. Room Service offered soups, sandwiches, pastries and pizza. Everything was
good except for the pizza that tasted like rubber.
We found the food in the dining rooms to be tasty, prepared to our liking, and
nicely presented. Maybe the chefs find it easier to prepare dishes during the
course of the evening instead of having it all ready for the two seatings. The
buffets offered lots of variety and the dishes were changed frequently to keep
foods fresh. We always had breakfast in one of the buffets. We heard several
complaints about the eggs and the pancakes in the dining room.
Many of the cruise lines have adopted the procedure of automatically adding a
charge for "tips" to each passenger's shipboard account. We wondered
whether this would adversely affect the quality of service since specific staff
members weren't receiving tips based on their level of service. Our experience
was that service on this ship, at least, continues to remain excellent. Some of
the housekeeping staff are unhappy with this new system because the NCL
distribution of tips has resulted in a pay cut for them.
The Cruise Director, Linda Minikin, did an excellent job both behind the scenes
where she is responsible for managing all of the activities and in front of the
passengers. The show cast put on three enthusiastic shows with lots of singing
and dancing. The configuration of the stage and the show lounge do not lend
themselves to some of the now popular multimedia shows with laser lights,
sweetened stereo sound and other special effects. This limitation did not
diminish our enjoyment of the shows that were performed by a talented cast.
The other entertainment was varied and enjoyable. There were 2 comedians, a
magician, a talented banjo player, David McLaine who is an excellent British
vocalist, and a Russian concert pianist. The groups that played in the lounges
were enjoyable too. The entertainment lasted until the wee hours of the morning.
The shows and other entertainment were well attended.
Passengers on this cruise seemed more congenial than we have experienced on many
of our cruises. Maybe it is because the passenger mix is so cosmopolitan. We met
folk from the United Kingdom [and love their accents], we met people from all
over the U.S.; we met people from other parts of Europe and lots of Canadians
too. There weren't many kids or young couples aboard because the cruise is 12
days and most of the kids are still in school.
The one thing that really made this cruise special for us, though, was the
ports. We went to London a few days before the cruise and stayed a few days
after the cruise so we could enjoy the City and attend some shows. In addition
to London, we enjoyed all of the ports. We booked our own air and transfers. We
used the trains to get to/from the airports and from/to Dover from London. We
chose a hotel near Victoria Station. Trains run between the airports and
Victoria Station every 10 minutes. It is a 30-minute ride. Trains run directly
from Victoria Station to Dover every 30 minutes. The two-hour train ride gave us
a chance to see some of rural England. There was a free shuttle bus to/from the
station to the pier. We chose not to
wait so took a taxi ride for $4.50 and experienced a mini guided tour of
Dover by the delightful driver.
Before stopping at our first port of Warnemunde, we spent a day transiting the
Kiel Canal. I had never heard of the Kiel Canal before booking this cruise. The
canal connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. It was constructed in the
early 1800s so that ships would not have to travel around the north coast of
Denmark in seas that were many times treacherous. Kiel Canal is 60 miles long.
It has just two locks, one at each end. There are 16 bridges and the Norwegian
Dream is the tallest and largest ship to pass through the canal. In fact the
ship was altered when it was stretched so it could pass through this canal. The
upper portion of the stack flips over and the forward mast pivots down so the
ship can pass under the bridges.
A delightful aspect of passing through the canal was seeing the many people
along the way who came to see our large ship. There were families, school
busloads of children, and lots of bicyclists who rode along beside us. A local
brass band joined the ship at the beginning of the passage. They played lively
tunes up at poolside until suppertime. Then they gave us a rousing send off as
we left the last lock about 10 pm.
Our first port was Warnemunde, Germany. Many passengers opted for the all day
tour to Berlin. This tour involves a 3-hour train ride each way and then a
rigorous bus and walking tour. We felt that we couldn't get enough flavor of
Berlin in the few hours we would have there while on this tour. Instead, we
chose to visit the town of Warnemunde. This charming old small city has an
interesting city square, lots of little cafes along the docks that feature the
freshly caught fish, and a long white sand beach. Prior to reunification
Wernemunde and the adjoining city of Rostok were East Germany's only access to
the Baltic Sea and the rest of the world. We were there on a beautiful Saturday
so the town was full of local tourists. The weather was absolutely perfect for
spring. The sun was shining; there was a pleasant breeze; the temperature was in
the high 60's. We walked out to the lighthouse and then along the beach. Oh my
gosh, it is a nude beach with lots of people frolicking in the ice cold water
and sunning themselves. Interesting and very natural for Europeans.
After a sea day, our next port of call was Tallinn, Estonia. This is an
absolutely charming medieval city. It existed virtually unchanged from the
1940s-1980s under Communist rule. Since becoming an independent country, Estonia
has slowly entered the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Fortunately most of
the historic buildings remain in tact on the outside. Building interiors are
being refurbished without detracting from the exterior charm. All of the streets
in the Old Town are cobblestone. One of the Cathedrals dates back to the 1300s.
Several others date from the 17th century. Town is about a 10-minute walk from
the pier. The city is totally without litter; streets and sidewalks are
spotless. The young people are happy and friendly. Many of the older generations
still seem fearful of making eye contact with anyone, a legacy of the Communist
repression. We found an Internet café in town and checked our email. We enjoyed
some local cuisine at a little café and bought some souvenirs.
Money exchange was readily available at banks and an American Express office.
Many of the tourist stores accept charge cards; some accept U.S. cash. We
changed some money to buy "stuff" at a couple of small shops.
I was surprised at the vast amount of signage in English as well as Estonian.
Many of the young folk speak English. I spoke with one pretty sales clerk who
stated that English is a very popular school subject. She will be attending the
local university in the fall on scholarship to study Business Administration.
She lives at home with her parents who both have jobs to help her with her
university expenses.
The pier where we docked is used mainly for freight. It was disappointing to see
enormous stacks of huge white birch logs awaiting shipment. It appears the
country is denuding their forests to sell the wood for hard currency.
Our next port was St. Petersburg, a fascinating city. There still is an
unbelievable amount of unnecessary bureaucracy by Russian officials to gain
admittance to the country. Our passports were scrutinized; our boarding passes
were checked; we were given "special" tourist visas that we had to
carry at all times. If we didn't turn it in when returning to the ship, there
was a $50 U.S. fine. Passengers not on ship tours were required to have visas
obtained before leaving the U.S.
The Norwegian Dream stayed in St. Petersburg for two days. The weather was
bright and sunny but very brisk with highs in the low 60s. We went on three
tours, one of them out to the country. We went on a city tour, a cathedrals
tour, and a tour 25 miles into the countryside to see Peterhof, the summer
palace of Peter the Great.
St. Petersburg is a fascinating city full of grand old structures built in the
17th and 18th centuries as well as many structures built after World War II by
the Communists. The city was under siege by the Nazis for 900 days beginning in
1941. The Nazis bombed many buildings. Bedraggled residents cut down most of the
trees for firewood. Many of the furnishings were burned to keep people from
freezing. Over 600,000 citizens died as a result of the siege, many from
starvation or as a result of the bitter cold weather. Another 500,000 soldiers
died defending the city.
We were told that the city is dingier since the end of Communism. During that
period everyone was employed, many to keep the city looking like the showplace
of Russia. Buildings were frequently painted in bright colors; during the short
summer flowers were planted; evergreens were trimmed. All of this was paid for
by the all-powerful central government. Now, with privatization occurring, both
in commerce and in residential dwellings, there is no money for the government
to maintain the infrastructure.
Residential dwellings are not as we usually think of them. Many of the wealthy
and middle class lived in spacious apartments before Communism. The Communist
government abolished private ownership and turned these dwellings into communal
apartments where an entire family was assigned one room in the former apartment.
They, along with the families of the other rooms, shared the communal kitchen
and bath. Many residents still live in this style today. How could we expect our
family to live in one room let alone share a kitchen and bath? Wow.
We saw many structures built during the Communist era. There were Stalin type
structures, Khrushchev type structures, and Yeltsin era structures. Most all of
these structures are somewhat in a state of disrepair today. As the residential
structures are privatized, each family is given clear title to their
"apartment" to continue living there or to sell and move somewhere
else with the proceeds. Mortgage money is not available in Russia so cash must
be accumulated to purchase real estate. The banks are not considered safe so
many hide their savings in ingenious places, or if possible, put it into hard
currency and get it out of Russia. This, of course, is illegal but frequently
done.
Religion was hardly tolerated during Communism. When the Communists took over,
many churches and cathedrals were burned; some were turned into museums. Of the
700 or so St. Petersburg churches only about 100 remain today. Many are being
slowly restored. The main religious body is Russian Orthodox. When we toured
these grand old and restored cathedrals we noted that there are no pews or
chairs. The Russian Orthodox stand for their services. The cathedrals were so
designed that the acoustics are phenomenal. The priest can be heard from any
location within the cathedral some of which hold 5,000 parishioners on special
occasions.
Our most fascinating tour was of Peterhof, the summer residence of Peter the
Great and his descendents. The site is about 25 miles from the center of St.
Petersburg and is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. It is a group of
magnificent edifices and fountains on a 300 acre site. The Palace is enormous.
It is the most awesome structure I have ever seen anywhere. Another amazing
facet of this Palace is that the Nazis occupied it during the siege. When the
Nazis fled, they virtually destroyed the palace and pilfered many of the
treasures that had not been hidden before their occupation. One of the main
priorities of the Russian government at the conclusion of World War II was to
reconstruct and restore the palace to its original grandeur as a symbol of
national pride. The process continues to this day. Furnishings, works of art,
and other treasures have been returned to the palace.
One has to see the Peterhof palace and grounds to appreciate its magnificence.
It is mind boggling to think that there was so much money available to fritter
away for constructing and furnishing such structures back in the 18th century.
Other members of nobility constructed smaller palaces nearby. The Nazis occupied
most of these and almost none have been restored. Some have been purchased from
the government to be converted to hotels to accommodate the ever increasing
tourist industry.
Our next stop was Helsinki, Finland. We toured this city independently with new
friends we met on the train from London to Dover. The ship docked at the
Hernesaari Quay, about 5 miles from the center of town. We took a cab to the
train station in the center of town. Then we explored the sights by taking a
tram, the T3, around the city and back to the train station. The tram cost about
$1 for the entire hour plus trip. Then we saw the Green Domed Cathedral, the
City Market, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Finnish Fine Art, the
Senate Office Square, McDonalds, a department store, a grocery store, an
internet café, and lots of interesting people. We returned to the Norwegian
Dream and on the way we saw the shipyard with the Carnival Pride under
construction.
The weather sure cooperated during this entire voyage. Days were sunny and
bright but colder than we are accustomed to. The high temperature in most of the
ports was about 60 F. It would have been nasty if there were high winds or rain.
The seas were like glass for the entire voyage. Stockholm was our next port.
This was by far the most beautiful of all the ports and was especially memorable
because the sun shone the whole day and the temperature of 65 F was perfect for
walking around the city.
We walked the 1-1/2 miles from the pier to the Royal Palace in the center of
town. We decided to enjoy the River Boat ride - The Canals and Bridges of
Stockholm - $14 each for the 2 hour ride under 59 bridges, through 2 lakes and 9
canals. The trip was excellently narrated and informative as well as beautiful.
We visited the Grand Hotel and City Hall where the Nobel Prize ceremonies are
held each year. Then we walked through parts of Old Town with the ancient and
excellently maintained buildings and cobblestone streets. We visited the German
Church of Stockholm that dates back to the 1600's and we enjoyed a refreshment
in one of the oldest bars in Stockholm, the Zum Franziskaner Grundades, which
has been owned and operated by the Manhold family since 1906. Franz Manhold, the
current owner, was kind enough to share his time with us proudly explaining some
of the history of the picturesque establishment and he showed us some of his
famous collection of steins dating back to the 1800s.
Sweden remained neutral during World Wars I and II. Their structures and their
population did not suffer from the bombings and destruction wrought on some of
their neighbors. This is very apparent when appreciating the magnificence of
most of their old roads, buildings, parks, and waterways. If Stockholm weren't
so far north, if the winters weren't so long, cold and dark [almost no daylight
in December], I would consider it a great place to live. In spite of the long
and depressing winters, we found the people to be cordial and helpful. Most of
Stockholm's population speak some English. This helped in getting directions
along the winding and sometimes narrow streets.
We arrived in Copenhagen at 7 pm the following day and stayed until noon the
next day. Many passengers took the evening tour to Tivoli Gardens, an amusement
park opened in 1843 and located in the middle of the city. There are also
beautiful fountains, swan filled ponds and loads of flowers in the Gardens.
Bright and early the next morning we took the bus from just outside the pier to
the center of town and visited the Old City Hall, the Bourse [the Stock
Exchange], Christiansborg Palace, and the Royal Family's Analienborg Palace. We
walked through the Gammeltorv section, a charming marketplace in the oldest part
of the city. We saw Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid statue, the mimes
and puppeteers in the square and bought a selection of Danish cheeses. We passed
by McDonalds and headed back to the ship for the trip around the northern tip of
Denmark and back to Dover.
As stated at the beginning of this narrative, this was a fantastic voyage. The
weather was perfect. One little shower during our stay in Copenhagen didn't
dampen the festive mood at all. We plan to cruise on the Norwegian Dream again
and we plan on returning to several of these beautiful countries to stay longer
in the near future. We will spend more time exploring the
countryside as well as the picturesque and friendly cities.
Our digital photos will provide pleasant and lasting memories.
Copyright ©
Bruce Baldwin
Photo Courtesy of Norwegian
Cruise Line
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