Baltic cities cruise

[lizmarshall]

Hi! We love your message board. Thanks for doing this.

We are booked on Jewel of the Seas 12 day Baltic Sea cruise July 1. Our children are 3 and 5. We are wondering if we can use strollers in the cities while we site see. (Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Tallinn). Our concern is that the streets are not stroller friendly. Thanks very much.

[lfgaynor]

I haven't been to those cities but hear they are family friendly, so yes, bring your stollers. I would not advise a double, side-by-side stroller though since some areas, such as Tallinn, are very old and some of the streets are narrow, making navigating a dbl stroller a bit difficult. It might be easier to take two umbrella type strollers which are also easier to store in your cabin on the ship.

I'd love to hear how your little ones liked it.

Smooth sailing,
Luisa Frey Gaynor
Family Cruise Editor

[lizmarshall]

Thanks for your response. We will bring along the two umbrella strollers.

I'll post a message when we return. Thanks. Liz

[selctsys]

Hi:

We took this cruise last summer with our kids, however they are not in strollers anymore. That said, here is my stroller summary:

1) Copenhagen - flat and it is possible to walk to the old town from the ship - about a mile. You could walk all the way to Tivolli if you really want to on pedestrian streets.

2) Olso - the ship is very close to the center of the city. Some busy streets but OK. Highly recommend the park where the Vigeland sculpture are located - nice paths, easy strolling - especially in good weather. Town ends quickly and then you are in forests and hills.

3) Helsinki - not a walk to town, but reasonably flat.

4) Tallin - everything is close and was a great port. As noted their are some cobblestones.

5) Stockholm - fairly busy city with some hills and cobblestone streets. We saw lots of traffic on the roads.

6) St. Petersburg - tough to get around outside of organized tour groups. The main port is very isolated and almost all travel is by private car or bus.

If you are not planning on organized shore excursions, the tourist bus is a great alternative that picks you up right by the ship (with the exception of St. Petersburg). Also, pack umbrellas and ponchos just in case.

Regards,

Selctsys

[DaCr00zer]

FYI - On a cruise to North Cape a couple of years ago, we noted that city busses in Norway - and probably true in other Scandinavian countries - cater to Moms with kids in strollers! They have space set aside for the strollers on the bus...very easy to get around.

Enjoy your cruise!

Don

[selctsys]

Originally Posted by DaCr00zer

FYI - On a cruise to North Cape a couple of years ago, we noted that city busses in Norway - and probably true in other Scandinavian countries - cater to Moms with kids in strollers! They have space set aside for the strollers on the bus...very easy to get around.

Enjoy your cruise!

Don

I have found this to be the case all over Europe where people depend more heavily on mass transit than we do. I remember helping a lady carry her stroller down the stairs on the Ubahn. The look she gave me approaching the stairs made it clear that this type of help was expected.