Day 1 - Southampton, England

Day 2 - Zeebrugge (Bruges), Belgium

Day 4 - Skagen, Denmark

Day 5 - Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany

Day 7 - Riga, Latvia

Day 8 - Tallinn, Estonia

Day 9 - Helsinki, Finland

Southampton is to London, what Port Canaveral is to Orlando.  You will need a couple hours to get between the airport(s) and the cruise port(s).

Photos - A London phone booth, Chinatown, a scene of “The Diplomat” season 3 being filmed at Trafalgar Square (and broadcast on NetFlix in October 2025).

Bruges, Belgium - Our first stop was Zeebrugge (or Bruges), a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a lively market square.  We indulged with the eponymous waffles, and chose from a nice selection of local brew.

Note:  The buses from the ship to market drop off in a large parking lot - a MILE away.  We were a little mobility challenged and called an Uber to get us the final mile.

On our return trip (of 30 minutes, our taxi was a gull-winged Tesla…at Not a bad price - 60 Euros for four of us.). Our purchased bus round-trip was pretty much a waste - Lesson Learned!

Skagen, Denmark - After a day at sea, we spent a mostly walking half-day at the port city of Skagen.  Plenty of shops and a few snacks available.

A round-trip shuttle was available for $7 each; it was close enough that we walked back.

Our ‘highlight’ was purchasing Ibuprofen, which is Not always easily available in Europe - #20 for $US 4.

Berlin, Germany - The port is Warnemunde, a good 3 hours from Berlin.  We were not feeling well enough for an excursion of 12 hours, but our travel mates shared some photos of their day.  I took a brief walk around the port and inspected the Ferris wheel and many shops.

Riga, Latvia - After a day at sea, we thoroughly enjoyed our bus and walking tour.  Latvia is the second largest city in the Baltics, nearing a population of 600k.  As with many Baltic countries, independence of Latvia was restored in 1991.

The City was a mix of old and new - it’s architecture, military presence and open space.

Tallinn, Estonia - A highlight of our adventure was the Soviet-style tour of this previously occupied city.  The guide/ performer had long ties to the past, pointing out a prison his uncle had been kept in, decades ago.

Helsinki, Finland - I had long wanted to visit Scandinavia and the capital of Finland was near the top of the list.  As we cruisers know, this approach to travel can expose one to many cultures and much history in a short period.  As with several stops, this taste has given us a desire to return for a longer visit.  Highlights included the site of the 1952 Olympics stadium (look closely for the Olympic rings) and a statue of the Flying Finn, record setter of the 1920s.

Stockholm, Sweden - Fortunately, we had two days to enjoy this city of a million residents (and 2.5 million for the metropolitan area).  The city stretches across 14 islands, of which we sighted only a few.  Highlights included a tour of the City Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each December 10th (the date of Alfred Nobel’s death), for over 100 years, and more light-hearted, a fun visit to the ABBA Museum.

Visby, Sweden - This small UNESCO World Heritage site sits on an island off the mainland.  Gothic churches and a 13th century Cathedral are easily reached by a complimentary shuttle.  We enjoyed a leisurely walk around the “City of Roses,” enjoying the sites, despite having done no pre-tour study of the history.

Klaipdea, Lithuania - Imagine a world where Russia built underground missile silos…in occupied territory.  While it was a bit of a lengthy bus ride, touring the ground and silo was fascinating and worth the effort.

Ronne, Denmark - Not much to see in this quaint town.  Shuttles available, and also walkable.  Some shops and an open-air market were noted.

I thought the windmill parts next to the ship were interesting.

Kiel, Germany - It was a wet and dreary day as we neared the end of our voyage.  The tour, including a visit to a canal and a lunch, was not well organized.  Not every excursion can be a “hit.”  Fortunately, few “misses” on this wonderful journey.

Copenhagen, Denmark - This is a great departure port.  Too much to see with just a port stop; we stayed 5 nights and could have extended further, if not for “next” plans - see below.  If you only see the Little Mermaid and Tivoli Gardens, you will have missed much, much more.

12 day break, followed by Jewel of the Seas Cruise - Amsterdam to Boston

• Whenever possible, we try to cruise east or west (to/from) Europe.  We were fortunate to schedule an itinerary with many, many new ports and sights.  We had briefly visited Amsterdam in the past, and had never seen Copenhagen.  So were able to spend 5 nights in Copenhagen before flying to Amsterdam for a week (where we also took trains to nearby sites).
• See the link to Jewel of the Seas for the conclusion of this 46 nights trip, including 31 days of cruising.
• Note:  While the Jewel ship has been reviewed, the TransAtlantic details have not been added as of October 2025.