This is a real gem of a place. The Estonian people are exceedingly friendly, and their little city if very pretty. They go out of their way to give you a good time. You only get half a day here, but that's just about enough, as it's small and easy to walk around. Don't bother to get a ship's tour, as within 10 minutes your in the heart of town, and will want to walk around at your own pace.
Gdansk
Or Danzig as it's sometimes called. Again we didn't take a tour. We used the ship's shuttle into town, and then walked around at leisure. You'll find Amber everywhere. Gdansk is probably your best place to do shopping. Prices are noticeably cheaper than elsewhere, for the same thing.
Warnemunde
This port offers a real dilemma. Princess uses it as a launch pad to take you to Berlin. Problem is, that's 3 hours away, and costs approx $300 per head for the various tours. So 3 hours in each direction, adds up to 6 hours, in 1 day, and a lot of money gone. Everyone will have their own opinion on whether it's worth it. As for us, it came at the end of the cruise, and we opted not to go to Berlin. The result -- a boring day in Warnemunde, which whilst vaguely nice, doesn't warrant a whole day there. And here's the rub -- you stay at this port the longest. From 7:00 am to 10:00pm. (Could have really used that time in Stockholm.) The verdict on all of this -- either you sit in transport for 6 hours and spend $300 per head, or stay locally and get bored!
So that's the cruise.
We enjoyed it. We don't like spending endless days at sea, so this itinerary is perfect for us. Almost every day is a new port. However, just realize that you'll get on average 5 hours in each city.
Special mention to the Cruise Director, John Lawrence. His shore notes are superb. Very detailed, and factual. He's not a good comedian though! So you'll have to put up with his aging gags. It's worth it, because his port knowledge is excellent.
As you can see we took almost none of the ships arranged tours. This decision was made as most of the cities are very walkable. If you are able-bodied I would definitely advise it. Those who chose the tours saw the same things as us, but were stuck in buses, and attached to very large groups. No time for shopping, or dashing off to see something you want to see.
The weather was mostly ok, and typical of the Baltic, for that time of year. Take layers of clothing with you, and an umbrella.
Would I recommend this cruise -- yes. But please, Princess, sort out Stockholm. It's a crime to allow passengers so little time.
