Planning my 2021 cruise

So, I'm going on a cruise. If you follow me on social media you might know this already but just before lockdown hit, I booked a cruise. It's not until late 2021, but I'm already planning and I'm so excited. It's a lot of money and I'm saving hard, but I love cruising and it's been nearly 10 years since I last went on one, so it's long overdue. While we can't really travel, I thought I'd write a blog post about the cruise I've booked and the planning I'm doing!

Booking my cruise

Once I'd decided I wanted to go on a cruise, I just started scouring the internet to see the best itineraries and the best deals. I ended up booking with Norwegian, for a 9-day Scandinavia, Russia & Baltic cruise - I booked through cruise.co.uk who are kind of like a travel agent, and it was genuinely really easy to do. Having never actually booked a cruise myself before, I'd definitely recommend doing this. I paid a £150 deposit and the cruise price includes the complete drinks package and $50 on board credit. Of course, all food is included! Here's how I'm saving for my cruise, too.

I have a solo cabin because I'm going on this cruise on my own. This is so exciting to me; I've travelled solo before, and really enjoyed it - but the cruises I've done previously were always with my aunty and uncle, so it'll be a whole new experience being on a cruise by myself. I'm planning on taking a lot of books (or buying a Kindle...) because WiFi on board is mega expensive and frankly it'll be nice to switch off whilst on the ship!

Where I'm going

The cruise departs from Copenhagen and hits the following ports:

🚢 Warnemünde (Berlin, Germany)
🚢 Tallinn, Estonia
🚢 St. Petersburg, Russia
🚢 Helsinki, Finland
🚢 Nynäshamn (Stockholm, Sweden)

Photo by Dusan Smetana via Unsplash

There are 2 days at sea, and we have 2 days in St. Petersburg too. So I'll get to explore Copenhagen, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm; I've been to Berlin twice, so I'm not planning on heading into the city but I am looking forward to seeing the port and also making the most of the ship while most people are out and about! All of these cities (with the exception of Berlin) are places I've never been to before and I just can't wait. I'm going to Russia!!!!!

🌞 If you've been to any of these places, let me know your recommendations! 🌞

I plan on doing DIY tours of most places (making my own way from port to city and exploring for free/on a budget) with the exception of St. Petersburg; because you need a visa, it'll just be so much to easier to book a proper excursion which includes this! I've started a Pinterest board for my cruise so I can collate some ideas about what I want to see/do while I'm away, and I'll be scouring blogs and YouTube over the next 15 months too.

What I'm most excited for

Oh, where to start? Russia, obviously, and just generally being back on a cruise ship. I'm really interested to see what's changed within the cruise industry in the past decade, and what cruising in a post-corona world will be like. Cruising isn't for everyone, but it's something I really enjoy! Norwegian's ships are bigger than I'm used to, and they have won awards for their entertainment and dining options so I'm just REALLY excited for this trip.

Photo by Paul Szewczyk via Unsplash

And of course, I'm so excited to plan my cruise wardrobe. It'll be hard to pack 9 days worth of day and night clothes into one suitcase, but I'm fairly sure I'll manage it... The hunt for the perfect evening gown begins!

If you've been on cruise with a similar itinerary, or a Norwegian cruise, let me know your tips, tricks and best bits in the comments below. Or message me on twitter/email me, I'd love to chat all things cruise with you...