Sue and Garrys Baltic cruise.

[Suekersh]

Morning all,here is the first instalment of their Baltic cruise.



Tuesday, 25 July - Aurora - Baltic/Scandinavia

We drove down yesterday from a very wet North West leaving the floods behind.
The journey wasn’t great with tail backs, light rain and road works galore, but arrived at The Elizabeth Hotel and instantly relaxed with a bottle of wine.

Boarding Aurora was a doddle. We had priority boarding and were checked in then seated to wait for Aurora to be ready to welcome passengers aboard.
Once on board we went to our muster station to check in then straight to the restaurant for the priority lunch. It was here that we were stopped by the loyalty staff who announced that we were the ‘most travelled passengers on board the ship’ despite the queue behind us growing they continued to explain the benefit and what it entailed.
We had friends who had been on the previous cruise and stayed on for this one and they had secured a nice table in the restaurant for the four of us. The bubbles and wine flowed well. Lunch was buffet style which I am not a fan of but we were too busy catching up to eat much.

The rest of the afternoon was taken up by the unpacking,getting the cabin sorted and meeting our cabin steward Antonio.

We saw the sailaway from the Pennant bar but it soon became to cool and blustery and we returned to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

We have a table for two by a window and dinner was excellent. James is our waiter for the cruise and all bodes well for the next 16 nights on board our favourite ship.

We finished the night in the Crows nest with friends but left them to it as we needed to an early night.


Wednesday 27 July 2023 - Sea day to Gothenburg.

We had a great nights sleep rocked gently by the ships motion. The clocks went forward an hour but the breakfast opening time was 08:30 instead of the normal 08:00 on a sea day.

There was a Facebook meet up advertised in the Horizon for 9 am which was obviously too early for most as there were only a handful of us there. We couldn’t stay long as we had a meeting in the Alexander restaurant to discuss dietary requirements and to meet the chefs who would be preparing our meals.

At the Captains noon announcement we hadn’t actually got very far and we were just passing the Humber Estuary. The weather was sunny but quite a cool breeze. Lots of passengers enjoying the sea air but too cold for me to be outside for very long.

It was the first of 4 formal nights and the Captains Welcome aboard cocktail party. The bubbles flowed well with lots of waiters around to ensure that everyone was looked after.

Captain Simon Love is the Master of the ship and spoke about the ports we are visiting which almost all of them are the first time for us.
He said the weather was very changeable with highs and lows so much like home really. He made a very valid point that of the nine ports we are visiting five of them are Capital Cities.

An excellent meal in the Alexandria restaurant but couldn’t get up any enthusiasm for the Theatre which was three female vocalists mimicking the Andrews sisters.

Tomorrow we dock in Gothenburg, Swedens 2 nd city

[CaroleF]

Lovely to have another of Sue and Garry's cruises to brighten a miserable day. Look forward to the next installment.

Carole

[Mervyn and Trish]

Can't wait for Garry to get stuck into the laundry.

[MaureenB]

Thank you Sue and Garry for once again sharing your cruise with us.

Calm seas

[Suekersh]

Morning everyone, here is the latest cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Thursday, 27 July 2023 Gothenburg- Sweden

A scenic sail in this morning which we watched from our breakfast table. The weather was looking good but although sunny was quite chilly because of the wind. The deputy captain did say that some light showers were expected during the morning.

Our arrival time was supposed to be 9:30 am but we docked half an early and got on one of the first shuttle buses into the centre. It was a fair distance so we saw some of the outskirts and the large bridge which opened to let the tall ships pass through.

The centre was very modern although many Heritage buildings and historic sites were side by side with the modern ones and everywhere was totally clean and well kept. Lots of Green spaces and large parks.

The shuttle dropped us at the main square where a tourist information stand was set up. We had read about the Paddan boat tours and once we had been pointed in the right direction we found the ticket office and purchased tickets for the 10:30 tour. It was an hour long trip under the various low bridges and into the harbour. The young tour guide gave the information in Swedish then repeated it in perfect English. The trip cost £36 for the two of us. A great way to see the city from the water and learn some of the history and other interesting facts and figures.
We passed a building which was built to look like a church but was actually a fish market. It was closed as under renovation. The tour guide told us that people can actually get married there but they must worship the “Cod”

After the trip we found the local market but it was mainly food and drink on sale so as I had spotted a micro brewery from the river we made our way there. Good beer and at £5 a pint Garry was happy.

Our final stop was at the craft market which wasn’t far from the shuttle bus stop. This was like a Co operative with many different types of crafts on sale in different buildings. I bought some Swedish glass earrings to remember our first visit to Sweden.

The sun was out on the aft deck and passengers were making the most of it and using the sun loungers and pool. Although it was very pleasant it would need to be at least 10 degrees warmer to entice me to shed any layers never mind actually get into the pool.

Sailaway wasn’t until 19:30 due to the tides and the very narrow channel and the many tiny islands. We were dining in Sindhu as we sailed away to our next Swedish port of call Visby but we have another sea day before arrive there,

We didn’t have a desert in Sindhu and instead called onto the Glass House for the cheese board and a glass of port. The Glass House appears to be the only venue on Aurora where the app is still being used to book a table.

The one big change on this ship is that you no longer use the app for breakfast or lunch or I presume for freedom dining dinner. We have fixed dining for dinner .

I think it is very much a backward step as I loathe queuing for anything. We used to go on the app as soon as it opened for breakfast wait in the cabin until we got a notification that our table was ready then go straight in and to our table. Now there are queues starting early morning way before they open for breakfast and only 2 desks dealing with passengers where previously it was 3 desks.

Tomorrow is a sea day.

[Suekersh]

Good morning all.
Here is the latest update on the Baltic cruise.

Friday 28 July 2023 - Sea Day to Visby - Sweden
Garry was up very early and watched as we sailed under the huge Great Belt Bridge which links Denmark and Sweden. After the excesses of last night I was being lazy and missed it. Apparently only a 10 ft clearance above Auroras highest point.

A very much unexpected sunny sea day. I went out on deck straight after breakfast and stayed led in the sun on the aft of deck 11. It was hot just the way I like it. I did get some exercise as I needed to keep moving the sun bed round as the ship changed direction numerous time whilst navigating around the different islands and channels.

Sweden on one side and Denmark on the other then suddenly Denmark on both sides. A great mobile signal as well which was a bonus for tracking where we are up to.

The Captains Noon announcement informed us that we had sailed
238 miles since leaving Gothenburg at an average speed of 15 knots and a further 304 nautical miles to Visby our next port of call.

The sun stayed with us all day and we could have been in the Mediterranean. It was that hot.

After dinner we called in Carmens to see if Fogwell Flax had changed his act but only stayed for 2 minutes.

The Headliners were in the theatre with their show Over the Horizon which we have seen numerous times. If it hadn’t been such a lovely night outside we probably would have gone to see it again. Instead we headed for the sun on the aft deck where it was still very warm and the scenery stunning.

Tomorrow we dock on the Island of Visby.

[Suekersh]

Morning everyone.
Here is another lovely update from Sue and Garry.


Saturday, 29 July 2023 - Visby, Sweden
Aurora was docked early morning and the skies were clear and the sun was warming the air.

We caught the shuttle bus to the sea front and the Almedalen park area. It is a holiday resort for the Swedish people and the locals were enjoying the beach and swimming in the Baltic Sea. I wasn’t tempted to join them.

Visby is a small medieval city located on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The streets are all cobblestones which did cause some difficulties for wheelchairs and even walking on them was challenging in areas.
It is such a beautiful city so well kept and individual shops.

We called at the tourist office and picked up a map to follow to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Everything was very central. The ruins of the old cathedral built in 1250. There is a market area and I think one of the stalls must have heard that passengers were unhappy about the removal of trays from the buffet as they had a stall full of trays for sale.

I purchased some handcrafted earrings, which was very close to the ice cream parlour which had been recommended. So long since I have had a liquorice ice cream, it was delicious.

We visited the impressive cathedral with its 3 wooden turrets, but as there was a service going on we couldn’t see inside. From the cathedral there were steps leading up to the old city walls and fabulous views from there.

We returned to the city as it was now almost beer o’ clock but first needed to find the local bakery to purchase some of their famous cinnamon buns.

Shopping completed we found a bar with a table in the sun and sampled the excellent Visby beer.

When we returned to the ship the wind had got up and although still very hot in the sun it was degrees cooler at the port than it had been in the city.

We hadn’t bothered with any lunch so instead tucked into the huge Cinnamon buns we had bought. Absolutely delicious and hoping we find more tomorrow in Stockholm.

The sailaway took a while because of the strong winds but in Captain Simons own words ‘We have the Power’ and so we did.

Tomorrow we arrive in Stockholm the Capital of Sweden.I am hoping to be up early to see the fabulous sail in.

[Suekersh]

Good morning, here is the latest update from Sue and Garry.

Sunday, 30 July 2023 - Stockholm

Another stunning sunny day although some rain is forecast for later.

I was up early to get some photos of the very scenic sail into the dock at Frimhaven which is a shuttle bus ride away from the city centre. In the Horizon newspaper it stated an hours journey but probably because it was a Sunday we were there in less than 15 minutes.

The shuttle dropped us outside the Opera House and close to the centre of Stockholm.

Our plan was to book boat tickets to see Stockholm from the water and we could see the boats tied up not far away. We could have booked online before leaving Southampton but there are so many invariables that could have changed our plan we decided to leave it until the day.
The office selling the tickets didn’t open until 10 am and the first boat left at 10 am, but one of the employees saw us waiting and came and took our bookings. The cost for the two tickets was £54 for 2 1/4 hours. The ship was selling a similar tour.

The boats were low and had a glass roof and windows. Wooden benches with padded seating and a laminated map of the journey. There were toilet facilities and a small café selling fika which is coffee and a cinnamon bun.

It was an excellent tour with head sets and a very clear commentary.

This is the best way to see Stockholm from the water, travelling under 12 bridges and through the lock that connects the Baltic Sea to Lake Mälaren.

The Lake area was beautiful with the holiday makers and locals using the huge lake for swimming and canoeing. We passed the green parks of Djurgården and saw the oldest areas of Stockholm.

After the boat tour we headed into the old city to see the Royal Palace and surrounding area.

We stopped for a local beer sat in the sun but could see the sky was darkening. It started raining as we reached the shuttle point and luckily we managed to get two of the last seats available. By the time we reached the ship the sun was out again.

I have to admit to a ‘Nana Nap’ after the very early morning start to see the sail in and all the walking around again mainly on cobbled streets my eyes just wouldn’t stay open.

We ate dinner in the Beach House with friends and chose a table with fabulous views of the stunning sail away from Stockholm.

The Beach House has changed the menu since we were last on board. The cover charge has increased which is understandable as prices have risen. Some Dishes that were once included in the cover charge now have an additional charge.

My favourite of Sea food hanging kebab was delicious as always, but Garry used to order the lava rock steak which came in 2 sizes. 4 oz or 6 oz. He found the 4 oz steak perfect and only once ordered the 6 oz which was too big.

Now there is no choice of sizes it is just 10 oz steaks. Far too much for one person but not served as a sharing plate.

We used to eat here often especially in the Caribbean but unless the choice of sizes for the steaks come back we will use it less often.

It was a great night with fabulous company and amazing views.


Monday 31 st July - Sea day to Tallinn, Estonia

The weather had changed and it was gloomy sea day.
We had invites for the Ligurian lunch at noon and had arranged to share a table with the friends we dined with last night.

The food was excellent and the wine waiters kept our glasses filled. Captain Simon visited every table for a chat and to answer any questions.

Needless to say after lunch I slept the afternoon away but as the weather was still gloomy I didn’t feel I was missing anything.

It was our 2 nd formal of the cruise and Fogwell Flax was in the theatre.

We spent the evening in Carmens where the excellent Vocalist Laura Magann performed a medley of songs from The Sound of Music.

[Suekersh]

Morning all from a very wet Swansea.
Here is the latest update from Sue and Garry.


Tuesday, 1 August 2023 - Tallinn, Estonia

This was the port I was most looking forward to after everything I had heard and read about it.

We set off early and caught the first shuttle into the city as the Captain had forecast rain by lunch time.

It was a short walk past the flower market to where the Old city walls and turrets were still standing. It had been preserved by shoring up the walls.

It was an uphill walk on cobbles and many stone steps up to St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral but so worth the effort. There was a service going on in the church but we were allowed in to watch it and look around the elaborate ornate Gold decor.

The walk down was easier and we stopped for coffee part way down in a very quaint old coffee shop. It was nice enough to sit outside. The friendly owner persuaded us to sample the warm homemade apple pie which was delicious, although Garry had a ‘How much!’ moment when he went to pay the bill.

We wandered around the city and looked at the artisan and crafts shops around St Catherine’s church and St Catherine’s passage. I was a bit disappointed by the amount of shops and stalls that were open and had expected more.

The clouds had started gathering and looked very threatening. We started heading back towards the shuttle but called at the market area first. Lots of pashmina and woollen items but nothing that jumped out at me. I was hoping in vain for some jewellery stalls much to Garry’s relief.

The shuttle arrived just in time to stop everyone getting sodden but by the time we arrived back at the ship it was persisting down.

It didn’t last long and started brightening up again but we had seen what we had planned so had a leisurely lunch and afternoon sat in the sun on the aft deck.


Next port is another capital city - Helsinki Finland.

[Stephen]

It’s the ‘samples’ that cost the money

Enjoying your posts

[CaroleF]

Yes really loved Tallin, the view from the top over the city was amazing. Our guide pointed out the building that had been Nazi headquarters during the war! Tallin has a very mixed history but it's a beautiful city.

Carole

[Suekersh]

An extra instalment today.

Wednesday 2 August 2023 - Helsinki, Finland

We are still 2 hours ahead of UK Time.

The one port we have booked an organised trip in and we woke up to bad weather. It was gloomy and if we hadn’t booked a trip we probably wouldn’t have gone out.

However this was definitely one of the better tours and so pleased with how the day went. The trip was called Beauty on the water and we got a space on the first coach and as it was full we set off earlier than the allocated time. The driver and the tour guide Margret were fabulous. We had a tour around the city centre driving very slowly around the main sites including Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square whilst Margret or Darling as she liked to be called waxed lyrical about her beautiful city and her life there.

We were surprised how close we were to Russia and Margret explained about the difficult relationship now between Russia and Finland after being friendly for many years.

We boarded our boat called Emma which was a double decker boat all under cover. We opted for the upstairs section for the better views and also because there was a bar up there selling local draft beer Aura. The second tour coach joined us soon afterwards and they hadn’t had the tour of the city.

We saw Helsinki from the water and were given a running commentary about life in Finland. They get very hard winters and snow occasionally in October but mainly in November through to March or April. We saw the five huge Ice breakers which can cut up to 15 metres of Ice and are used all over Finland. Helsinki is made up of many islands and in the winter they have to walk over the ice to get anywhere as the roads are snowed in.

There was a ferry from the Viking line called Cinderella which we had seen in Stockholm. Margret explained that the ferry goes from Helsinki to Tallinn in 2 hours. We laughed as we had left Tallinn at 6 p.m. yesterday evening and didn’t arrive until 8 a.m. this morning.

It was a very interesting 90 minute boat ride. We then had free time at the local market stalls. I had been advised my Margret that the fish stalls were excellent and the Finnish small herrings a delicacy. I bought a portion and they were like large whitebait. Absolutely delicious. My only problem was that I didn’t realise I would have to share them with the thieving gulls. They kept dive bombing me and nicking my fish.

We made a few purchases from the stalls and then headed towards the ferris wheel where the coach was picking up.

The Ferris wheel was unusual as one of the cars was a Sauna. Margret had explained that the Finish people were ‘sauna mad’ just driving along the street close to the port there were outside Sauna boxes which were coin operated and could be used for about 15 Euros for an hour. An interesting fact is that in Finland there are more Saunas than cars!

By the time we were leaving it was raining heavy and we realised we had seen the best of the day.

We had a lazy afternoon catching up with emails etc and the weather cleared a little.

We ate dinner in the Glass House which was excellent and met a crew member Cherry who remembered us from years ago on Oriana. It was a lovely relaxed meal.

We have a later departure time of 21:30 and a sea day tomorrow before we reach Riga in Latvia on Friday.

[Suekersh]

Morning all from a very wet and windy Swansea.
We have a further cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Hi all,

A very hot sunny sea day with a 4g signal.

Friday 4 August 2023 - Riga , Latvia

We woke to a lovely sunny day but with a cool wind. The Deputy Captains forecast was good for the morning but for rain in the afternoon.

We had early breakfast and were off ship for 9 a.m. The shuttle dropped us close to town and near the canal.
We walked the short distance through the park to the Freedom Monument and from there caught one of the small Eco friendly boats for a trip down the canal and into the port where we passed Aurora.

There was a commentary and the Captain pointed out a Beaver den. The little boat only held 18 people and as there were only 12 of us there was plenty of room.

After the boat trip we set off to find some of the places we had seen from the water and others that were on our list of places to visit.

It was a great day for wandering around The Old Town which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Many different styles and the Art deco buildings were stunning.

We stopped for a beer at a local bar Colonel Brew House which had caught my eye because of the Statue on the side of the building. The beer was excellent.

The rain that was forecast materialised early afternoon but just a short shower, then the sun returned. It was an early back on board time of 16:30 and the sail away was shortly afterwards.

The aft deck was in full sun and was busy with passengers enjoying the sunny sailaway and the busker singing requests.

Sea Day tomorrow as we head back past Sweden to Warnemunde in Germany.

[Suekersh]

Morning all, here is the latest update from Sue and Garry.

Monday, & Tuesday 7 / 8 August 2023- Sea Days
The captains forecast of rough seas and high winds were even worse than he predicted with gusts of up 78 miles per hour recorded and at one stage we reached force 12 which is hurricane strength. Wave height was over 7.5 metres at its worst.

I took a tablet early morning and another mid afternoon and I was absolutely fine except it was difficult to walk in a straight line and nothing to do with alcohol consumption.

Aurora copes with bad weather far better than the other ships in the fleet. We must have had it worse on the Grand Voyage in January or the wind was from a different direction as our poltergeists from that cruise did not make an appearance this time and we are in the same cabin.

As we have both enjoyed this cruise Garry went to the Loyalty desk and has booked another Scandinavia Cruise for next year with some different ports and including Skagen which we have missed because of the weather and also with some of our favourite ones from this time as well. Just in case the weather isn’t great he also booked the Med cruise which immediately follows the Scandinavia one.

We had booked dinner in Sindhu with friends and it was another excellent meal. Quieter than usual and there had probably been some cancellations due to the movement of the Ocean.

We finished the evening in the Glass House with the Cheeseboard and port. If Sindhu was quiet the Glass House was absolutely dead. Dennis the manager told us that there had been an issue in the galley so no hot food was being served in the Glass House.


Tuesday 8 August - 2 nd sea day to Cherbourg

The seas and wind had calmed down somewhat and it was easier to move around the ship although the odd big wave occasionally made its presence felt. The talk at breakfast was about the number of crew that had been unwell last night as well as the issue with the galley and getting the food out. The flambéed prawns which are a firm favourite couldn’t be served at first sitting because of whatever went wrong in the galley.

Gradually the outside decks opened up to passengers and we could get some fresh air. Still cool but the sun was shining and everyone was pleased to be able to walk in a straight line and get outside.

We started the worst job of packing to return home as we want to spend time ashore tomorrow as we have never visited Cherbourg previously. The Captains noon announcement was very positive and we are hoping for a good weather day.

I called at the tours desk to ask about any tours in Cherbourg but unfortunately none had been organised as too short notice.

Final Formal Night of this cruise and as the entertainers who were booked for tonight had not been able to join the ship the entertainers who hand t been able to disembark were on in the theatre. Pulse were in Carmens but we opted for the Crows Nest which was very busy.

Tomorrow we dock in Cherbourg.

[Suekersh]

Final cruise report from Sue and Garry.

Wednesday 9 August / Thursday 10 August 2023 - Cherbourg, France and Disembarkation

We woke expecting a glorious hot sunny day as forecast. Unfortunately although no rain it was cloudy. We left it until mid morning to disembark and the queue for shuttle was fairly long. French organisation at its best. The queue got longer and eventually an officer from the ship got involved. By this stage we were already on the coach.

There were two drop offs one in the Centre of town and another at a mall with a huge Carrefour.

We got off in the centre and tried to get our bearings. A lovely town and the weather was being kind. Lots of individual shops, bakeries with the most delicious looking cakes, wine cellars, lots of coffee shops. We found most of the sites shown on the map and stopped for a coffee. Everywhere was very busy and I am not sure the word had got out about Auroras surprise stop here as there was a definite shortage of staff. We weren’t in any hurry and just sitting in the sunshine was a bonus.

We had researched a restaurant for a fishy lunch and at midday made our way there. We just hadn’t thought about booking a reservation our ‘bad’ and the only table they could offer us was behind the door in a dark corner. We decided to change our plans as there are so many fish restaurants there. They were all very busy even at midday but we did find one with a few seats remaining.

My muscles were delicious a huge bowl apparently 1kg with a delicious wine and garlic sauce. Garry isn’t adventurous and just ordered fish & chips which he was disappointed with. Not as tasty as he thought it would be but he was very happy with his beer.

Back on the ship the sun was shining and it was a fabulous final sail away but unfortunately without any entertainment.

The final meal in the restaurant and we said goodbye to our wonderful waiters James and Kunal. It was the parade of the chefs for the final night.

The Headliners performed the show ‘Up all night ‘ in Carmens. It was their first time performing this and it wasn’t scheduled to be on this cruise. Carmens was packed out. They were absolutely fantastic and a great ending to the cruise.

Thursday 10 August 2023 - disembarkation day

Disembarkation this morning was a breeze. We had been told it would be between 9am and 9:30. We were allocated Anderson’s to wait in and just before 8 am an officer came and told us we that the luggage was off and we could disembark. Anderson’s was still virtually empty.

Taxis were waiting and it was a 10 minute journey to the hotel to collect our car.

The journey was fairly good for most of the way other than just before Keele Services there was a dreadful accident that had happened just seconds before we went past. Garry thinks five cars were involved and we were very lucky to miss it. We stopped at Keele for about 15 minutes and realised that the motorway must have been closed as there was no traffic going North.

Our ETA had been around 13:00 hrs and this gradually started going backwards the nearer we got to home. Holiday traffic going to the coast appeared to be the issue and it was around 13:30 before we arrived home.

Another great cruise and we saw countries we had never visited before. The weather could have been better but we did have some really good sunny days and even the cloudy ones were warm as long as we could get out of the wind.

Aurora is our favourite ship and on countdown now to boarding again on 3 October.

[Happydays]

Thank you Sue for another good report have enjoyed reading about your adventure

[MaureenB]

Thanks so much for another excellent report. I've really enjoyed it.

I shall be waiting for your next departure on 3rd October.

Best wishes to you and Garry

Maureen

[LadyPCruiser]

Love reading your reports - are you doing the 65 nighter in January sue?