This was a cruise to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Also we wanted to see the Hermitage (number one on my wife's bucket list) and the prospects for an insider tour were very compelling. We also wanted to see the Baltic and the cruise set the stage for a separate followup tour of Norway that we did on our own.
The boat was lovely and new. With under 1,000 passengers, we felt crowded only a very few times. Service was wonderful. It could not have been much better. Ryan, the young man who looked after our cabin did a great job. The rest of the staff was wonderful, particularly Angela, one of the restaurant supervisors. Everyone made us feel welcome.
Embarkation and disembarkation were generally smooth and effortless.