standard cruises

Thirty lines are offering cruises in the Baltic during 2010 and/or 2011. Passengers spend each night on the same ship, usually while it travels from one port to the next. It is also common for a number of days to be spent "relaxing at sea", meaning not in any port.

Sometimes the "turnaround port" — where a cruise begins and ends — is outside the area, such as in the Netherlands or the United Kingdom. These cruises start by sailing to the Baltic, either through the Straits of Denmark or the Kiel Canal.

Shorter cruises begin and end in the Baltic , so most passengers start their holiday by flying to the port. The busiest Baltic turnaround port is Copenhagen but Stockholm is gaining popularity and a few cruises use Helsinki. Helsinki and Stockholm are closer to St Petersburg, regarded as the most exotic Baltic destination.

How passengers spend their days in port is up to them. The cruise line will usually offer a range of excursions that can be prebooked, but those who prefer to do something else can make their own arrangements.

The exception is St Petersburg, where foreigners normally require a visa to go ashore but are exempted from this rule if they stay in the company of a licensed guide from an authorised tour company.

Apart from Russia, all other countries with Baltic coastline are EU members. Western nationals, who make up the great majority of cruise passengers, can freely go ashore alone.

Even so, many passengers on standard cruises stay on organized excursions, if only because their ships often berth rather far from the main sights, and chartered transport is the easiest way to get around..