For Bob and me, this Baltic cruise is our third. We understand that not everyone sees cruise travel the same way. But in our mind it is the ideal vacation. We unpack once, but we get to see a bunch of different countries. No one needs to drive or figure out an itinerary. We don't get lost. We eat fabulous meals and never have to pinch pennies one meal of the day, or ask if we can afford to buy dessert. It is all included in the price. In fact we usually gain weight. 
Well, this time, I actually didn't gain because we walked so much. We took Rick Steve's book with walking tours of each city. We walked so many miles, I never gained a pound. Below you see our intinerary of the cities we visited. There were two days at sea, when we swam and used the jacuzzi. Bob jogged. We played bocci ball once, too.
From experience, we try to spurge for a balcony cabin. Bob likes to spend time there reading or watching with his binoculars. And with a tiny cabin, sometimes couples need time apart. Plus, it is a great place to watch the shore as you are going through narrow passages, or coming into port. Even while you are in port, it is interesting to watch the city from your balcony.
We also love to race to the top of the ship in a new port. Above we caught a first glimpse of the Russian industrial district. In the photos below, Bob and I climbed to the highest point of the ship in Helsinki while I took silly self portraits and Bob just shook his head.
For many the cruise is just one big feast from morning till night. Every cruise we have been on has a big parade one night with baked Alaska and sparklers. I don't know where the tradition began.
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
One is always assigned the evening meal to the same table. The cruise line tries to link you with table companions who might be compatible for you. Age, geography, or something to link you together. We found ourselves this time with folks who were perfect companions. We even got together and played cards... and have exchanged addresses.
Dollar for dollar, when we factor in hotel, airfare or gas/train, and meals... we usually find a cruise is often one of the cheapest ways to travel bang for the buck. You have to search for bargains. Compare. Timing and time of year. Location. Length of cruise. Cruiseline. There are lots of factors. Read "Cruisebooks for Dummies" from the library...
Ultimately when I looked at all the "couple" photos that were taken on the cruise, I found that in the photos taken in Copenhagen at the end of the cruise, Bob and I looked the most relaxed. We came home so refreshed. That is the purpose of any good vacation.We booked our cruise through http://cruise.com/
Costa Cruise is an Itallian Cruise line. Our ship, Costa Mediterranea, was clean and well run. The food was great. The crew was great. Our English speaking hostess was a fabulous resource. I enjoyed our port expert immensely and went to his seminars.
If you ever take a Costa Cruise as an American, you should know a few things... it is an ITALLIAN cruiseline.
- The decor is bright colored and glitzy.
- The food is great but it is constantly Itallian (but I will say, I loved it).
- The music in the lounges is Itallian. I had a hard time getting Itallian love songs out of my head for a week when we left the ship, like "Volare," and "That's Amore."
- Itallians clump, they don't get in line. The cruise workers try to encourage lines, but it is a constant battle.
- Announcements for the whole ship are given in about 5 or 6 languages. The life boat drill is quite a challenge. Just imagine. On the European cruise, English speakers were about 5% of the ship.
- Itallians seem to become one big happy family. However in their reunions in the narrow passageways it was sometimes hard to get past chattering groups of family gatherings.
Would we do it again? Yes, we would.
While here in Europe, we have decided to take another Costa cruise in the fall to the Greek Islands. Costa is one class act with great prices, great food, and attention to detail. At least that was our experience.
