We are looking at a cruise in August this year. One point I am concenred with is the North Sea/Baltic sea weather and waves.
Did our first ever cruise on Oosterdam to Alaska in 2006 and had one rough day when half of passengers were sick- so we are fair weather sailors.
Is there anything we should consider re cruise embarkation ports whencomparing sailing from Amsterdam/ Copenhagen/ Dover etc.? Are you likely to encounter more rough weather when leaving from one port compared with another?
I have read a lot of reviews that talk of bad weather on their Baltic cruise.
We are looking at a cruise in August this year. One point I am concerned with is the North Sea/Baltic sea weather and waves.
Did our first ever cruise on Oosterdam to Alaska in 2006 and had one rough day when half of passengers were sick- so we are fair weather sailors.
Is there anything we should consider re cruise embarkation ports whencomparing sailing from Amsterdam/ Copenhagen/ Dover etc.? Are you likely to encounter more rough weather when leaving from one port compared with another?
I have read a lot of reviews that talk of bad weather on their Baltic cruise.
Tony,
Weather is always something that no one can truly predict. Historically August is a great time to cruise the Baltic. Warmer weather and normally calmer seas. I sailed the Baltic in mid-May and we experienced literally glass seas for almost the entire cruise. It was almost creepy.
If you depart in Dover you will have an extra day of sailing until you get into the Baltic. Leaving from Amsterdam and Copenhagen are closer to the Baltic and depending on the itinerary, you may not have as many sea days. The other, somewhat negative, thing about sailing from Dover is the travel distance from a London airport to Dover. It is anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to get from Gatwick or Heathrow to the port.
Just make sure you book a cabin mid-ship as to minimize the ship's movement if you do encounter some large waves.
Have a wonderful cruise!
Mike
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Hi,
For us the Baltic cruise is best mid June if you want to see the midnight sun.The sea is very calm at that time because there is no tide.We had pretty nice weather,sunny and warm enough to enjoy the excursion all day long. Have a nice cruise.
MTL
I fully endorse Mike M's comments about using the UK for this cruise, as you will have a day at sea, luckily your option for Amsterdam into Greenwich ?? (Harwich maybe) is not so bad, as it is just a day at the end, which can be spent packing, and is well connected to the London Airports.
The North Sea can be lumpy at times, but should be fine in August, and again by avoiding a start in the UK, you will reduce the exposure to it.
You mention sunlight, well as you are not going too far North, this should not really be an issue. We were on Arcadia a few years back into the Arctic Circle, and the curtains in the outside cabins weren't up to the job of blocking the sunshine, so we know what you mean, and would suggest that you hang on to the eye masks that they give you on the plane during your flight over.
As for Copenhagen or Amsterdam, the only other thing I would add, is that even from Amsterdam you have a couple of 'sea' days before getting to the action, as there is a long sail out of Amsterdam, then you will most likely go via the Kiel Canal (full day transit) and then spend a day on the Baltic Sea. If you enjoy sea days, then great, but thought I'd mention it just in case.
You are sure to have a fantastic time, whichever way you choose,
Alan & Katrina
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Last edited by kandajones; January 14th, 2010 at 08:07 AM.
Tony,
Weather is always something that no one can truly predict. Historically August is a great time to cruise the Baltic. Warmer weather and normally calmer seas. I sailed the Baltic in mid-May and we experienced literally glass seas for almost the entire cruise. It was almost creepy.
If you depart in Dover you will have an extra day of sailing until you get into the Baltic. Leaving from Amsterdam and Copenhagen are closer to the Baltic and depending on the itinerary, you may not have as many sea days. The other, somewhat negative, thing about sailing from Dover is the travel distance from a London airport to Dover. It is anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to get from Gatwick or Heathrow to the port.
Just make sure you book a cabin mid-ship as to minimize the ship's movement if you do encounter some large waves.
Have a wonderful cruise!
Mike
While cruising from Dover may mean a trip of two to three hours from London, there are several reasons to cruise from that port rather than Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, etc.
(1) By flying into London, I can get a direct flight from my local airport and back again. Otherwise, I might have to fly to another airport and than change planes. Which I would rather not do.
(2) By flying into London and then cruising from Dover, I'll see Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Looking at other Baltic cruises that embark from other ports, I see that many of them skip one or more of the above countries.
(3) By flying into London, I'll be flying into an city I've flown into and out of many times before. Though, I must admit, this is the first time I've flown into Heathrow. Previously, it's always been in and out of Gatwick.
(4) Everyone in London speaks some approximation of "American," which I can understand. While many Europeans, not living in the U.K., are bilingual, not all of them speak "American."
(5) And I like sea days. I just sleep all day long, coming up only for meals.
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