Cruise

My wife, Gloria, and I took Celebrity Cruises’ 12-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise aboard the Century, Aug. 14-26, 2006. The itinerary took us from Amsterdam to Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen and back to Amsterdam.

In the pre-cruise literature there were draconian and confusing warnings about passengers taking shore tours in St. Petersburg not arranged through Celebrity Cruises and about the need for having a visa before leaving the ship.

My two sons, aged 11 and 15, went with me on a fabulous 10-night sailing around the Baltic on the MS Amsterdam of Holland America Line (Seattle, WA; 800/426-0327, www.hollandamerica.com), June 22-July 1, 2006. Not including airfare, the price was $7,000 for four of us in a family cabin (my husband opted not to go at the last minute). We embarked and disembarked in Copenhagen.

I have a few suggestions for readers going to that area of the world.

Dear reader, the most common question I’m receiving these days is “Will I need a passport?”

by Lew Toulmin

With a Viking River Cruises trip in Russia planned to start on Oct. 1, 2006, my husband and I decided to arrive a day early in St. Petersburg and also stay an extra night in Moscow after the cruise. My first job was to secure hotel reservations, which proved to be very difficult mainly because only about 25% of the e-mails I sent were answered or the hotels were already full. The other reason is that prices are high in Russia for even basic rooms.

My traveling companion, Pat, and I spent 12 days on a barging trip on the Burgundy Canal in France, June 23-July 6, 2006.

We took an 18-day sojourn to the Mediterranean. Before boarding the Regatta of Oceania Cruises (Miami, FL; 800/531-5658, www.oceaniacruises.com), we spent three nights in Barcelona. What a great city! We used the “bus touristic” for two days — a wonderful way to see the city. It went right by our hotel so was an easy way to get about. We got on and off all day for the one price (€22 for two days or €18 [near $24] for one day).

This letter deals with a cruise to Mexico and Hawaii, areas that ITN does not cover, however the ports are not at matter but the ship itself, which makes voyages around the world. — Editor

Four of us took a 2-week trip with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (Boston, MA; 888/734-0188) in August ’06 that included a 10-day eastern Mediterranean cruise, “Roman Empire,” on the Noordam of Holland America Line (Seattle, WA).