Cruising north, back towards the Scandinavian lands of the midnight sun, we’re sailing from Tallinn towards the Swedish island of Gotland. Half-way through our Crystal Cruises’ Baltic expedition of medieval patched alleys and contemporary eco-architecture, on seas once sailed by Vikings and then Czars, the Serenity has ended up being more than our palatial retreat, it has become our home.
Even when we dock at some of Northern Europe’s a lot of spectacular cities, visitors remain over their cooked-to-order eggs, sneak in a fitness center session and catch up on a talk they missed on the ship’s tv channel.
For all the travel adrenaline of a brand-new port-of-call, it can be
hard to disembark. Day 5: Visby, Sweden … practically Dr Jim Rowe’s lecture had actually raised expectations for our day exploring Visby, on the island of Gotland. “The entire town is identified by UNESCO. It’s lovely,” Rowe enthused. We were eagerly anticipating a day of walking rose-tangled ramparts, on the 13th century walls, with views across a town of medieval beams and cobbles.
But a gusting gale and eight-feet waves, conspired to stop us from docking and the Captain stated, as most of us were breakfasting, that it would be “a sea day.” Remarkably, with all respect to Visby, travelers seemed nearly happy. Some immediately left their waffles heading to the Aurora spa to reserve a treatment. Or to reception to schedule a personal dance class or one-to-one tuition with the golf pro.
Rapidly, the day’s program established. Lt General( retired )Mark Hartling, currently arranged to talk on Finland and Sweden joining NATO, slots in a session on”Leadership”. Whilst Dr Jane Thomason, innovation speaker, evaluates how AI will effect on the jobs market, before her
later lecture revealing the Metaverse. After taking photos in Tallinn the day previously, a tutorial utilizing Adobe Firefly helps to turn grey skies blue and remove parked automobiles from images.
Our dinner is reserved at Umi Uma, chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s collaboration with Crystal. The Japanese/ Peruvian fusion eatery took the award of”Best dining establishment at sea “in the 2024 F&B Sea Awards. Four chefs operating at the stage of 6 seater sushi bar offer culinary theatre. They are entertainers with glinting knives as they slice raw tuna and salmon, preparing our appetisers as if they are art. My main course of Nobu’s signature meal of black cod is legendary: internationally. Buttery, flaky cod in miso sauce, charred with incendiary precision.
As a Japanese party leave, they stop briefly and stop at the sushi bar. Bowing their heads, like religious devotees, to the ability of the chefs.
Day 6: Riga, Latvia
We’ve opted for Crystal’s “Easy Riga” trip, a 3-hour bus trip of Latvia’s capital, interspersed with brief walking tours.
Tatiana, our guide, is profoundly happy with her nation, as we drive past unspoiled Art Deco houses from Latvia’s flourishing early 20th century. She likewise tells us that the Latvian people are gorgeous. Latvian ladies, usually, are taller than the women of any other country and per capita, Latvia produces more supermodels too.
Integrated in 1935, the towering Monument of Freedom was developed to honor triumph in The Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920) but throughout the post 1945 occupation the Soviets reinterpreted the maiden topping the tower as holding stars that represented control of the 3 Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
When we hear a woman’s choir, Tatiana informs us of the power of song. In the late 1980s, Latvians knew that they might never ever militarily totally free themselves of Soviet injustice. Instead, thousands of Latvians sang for their freedom.
When the Soviets left and builders were reconditioning the Radisson Hotel they were amazed to discover that the walls were filled with listening gadgets to spy on visitors.
Day 7: At sea
“I’ve got a busy day,” says one visitor using Crystal’s day-to-day publication of Reflections to put her day’s program into her electronic diary: a lecture on Bitcoin, a couple of hands of bridge in the lounge, having her hair done in the medspa, a leisurely lunch break salad at Beefbar, an afternoon film in the Hollywood theatre, a quintessentially English sandwiches and pastries afternoon tea served in Palm Court.
Raj, the physical fitness director, has a hectic day ahead too: carrying out InBody scans to track key body metrics such as muscle, fat and water, then following up with customised wellness programmes for visitors. For Raj, this is in addition to leading the daily extending sessions and a discussion on metabolic process.
As it’s”Formal Night”, with tuxedos and lots of a little black dress, the ship’s photographer is hectic framing sharp-looking couples and families. The most popular ticket onboard, as there are only 140 seats in the intimate Stardust Club, is for a classic Supper Club night. There’s a 1960s glittery Hollywood want to guests seated at tables of 4 for a menu that includes caviar, artichoke veloute, lobster and chocolate mousse. Naturally the seven-piece mini-orchestra, with singer, played Misty.
Whatever you require to plan your journey in 2025
Day 8: Warnemünde, Germany
In the pasts of the GDR, nicknamed the German “Dictatorial” Republic, Rostock, far from the barbed wire and machine-gun check points of Berlin, was utilized to welcome visitors. Some VIPs, such as Fidel Castro, remained at the Neptun Hotel, which still dominates the Warnemünde horizon, which with all its monitoring was nicknamed the Stasi Hotel.
< img width="920 "height ="767"src ="https://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Warnemunde-modified-920x767.jpg"alt=""/ > After four days of heavy allied Second World War bombing of Rostock’s harbour, post war the
inhabiting Soviets reconstructed parts of the city, in the regional architectural style, but with large avenues for military parades. Today the docks are mainly utilized for leisure however one crane, near to a ground level wedding event venue, has been repurposed as a wedding night hotel room. Currently, it’s completely reserved for 2 years.
Rostock’s St Peter’s church, devoid of surveillance, ended up being a central point for the organisation of the silent and serene demonstrations in the late 1980s, that added to pressuring Soviet President Gorbachev to allow freedom of movement between East and
West. Back on board the Peacefulness, our final dinner reservation is at the Osterio d’Ovido for an advanced taste of Italian food; lobster as an appetiser, a traditional gnocchi pasta in a delicate mushroom ragout, duck topped with a cashew sauce and lastly a dessert of coffee foam on hazelnut ice-cream. Authentic Italian flavours, immaculately sourced and beautifully presented. As ever the red and white wines poured are of a far superior quality to the house red wines typically served in restaurants.
Day 9: Copenhagen, Denmark
Some guests stay on board for the next cruise to Oslo however the majority of head for Copenhagen’s airport, disembarking perfectly through Crystal’s smooth logistical operation. For those with late flights there’s an opportunity to schedule a tour of Copenhagen, concluding at the airport.
The cost
Crystal Cruises’ schedules sail through the continents. The next equivalent cruise will be a nine-night Southampton to Copenhagen cruise leaving 27th July 2026 on Crystal Calmness. Prices start from ₤ 4500pp for a double guest room with ocean view and from ₤ 6900pp for a Sapphire Veranda Suite. These rates consists of all meals and beverages, WiFi, port fees and gratuities.
The final verdict
As we disembarked one guest revealed that she had her next 24 Crystal Cruises scheduled through into 2028.
It was not a surprise. Crystal supplies ultra-luxurious travelling with warm intimate service, bring in well-travelled and pleased guests.
There’s simply a lot option, for both on-shore excursions and on-board activities, that it’s unavoidable that guests action ashore wanting more.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Crystal Cruises.
Michael Edwards Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael had his first travel pieces published nearly 4 years earlier, he is still finding new luxury locations to go to and write on.
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