The Baltics
Rating: 4.8
We had a wonderful time on our cruise. It's hard not to enjoy total pampering, and the service on Crystal cannot possibly be topped. Our butler this time
in the Penthouse was not as good as Jonathon on our last Crystal cruise (in the Mediterranean), but I think we were very spoiled, because Jonathon was
terrific! I had asked for him, but apparently he has left Crystal for a new business opportunity.
The ship itself was beautiful, clean and well kept. The food was great, and the crew was outstanding! Although we enjoyed the ports on this cruise, the Med
cruise was much better-prettier for sure. However, we loved Stockholm, and I'm really glad we planned the extra days there. It is a great mix of
old and new, and the fact that the sun stayed up until 11 p.m. gave us lots of time to explore. I think my second-favorite city had to be Tallinn, in
Estonia. I loved the attitude of the people, and the tour we went on was fantastic. It was something of a comedy, with "Comrade Jermanov" as our guide! We
laughed the entire time, but also got some wonderful insight into the Estonian people since they have become independent of the Soviets.
The only place I didn't like was St. Petersburg. The cathedrals and palaces were magnificent-opulent and covered with gold-and the Pederhof was beautiful,
especially the fountains. But I didn't like looking at the rest of the city, all gray concrete. It was very depressing, and the people didn't
smile-although from what I could see, they don't have much to smile about. I'm glad I saw it, though, and it's probably something everyone should see. It
really makes you appreciate what we have here in the U.S.!
Rosalie Levine, Port St. Lucie, FL
Cruising Back to Boyhood
I originally wanted to set up another boys-only fishing trip with my lifelong pal, John Hardy, who lives in Portland, Oregon. He had just retired and was
up for it. We had done similar outings before, thrashing giant salmon on his coast (Tillamook Bay) and dual hookup of marlin in Cabo San Lucas. I wanted a
bigger fish and started planning for Bimini and Key West.
September/October 2013
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