Cruising the Baltic was always something we had talked about but not prioritised. There are so many places to see and visit that the list is never ending. However this time we decided to do just that Cruise the Baltic. We chose Royal Caribbean Cruises and Brilliance of the Seas as it had the best itinerary for us and only one departure for the season on that itinerary. We wanted to go to Skagen and Aarhus in Denmark as well as all the other destinations.
It was a bit early on 1st May, 2018 but apart from a couple of wet, cold days in Amsterdam and then the morning on our arrival in Skagen the weather was fine and sunny, not warm by Australian standards but still not too cold anywhere from 12 to 20 degrees. Some of the mornings were even colder into single digits but not freezing. The locals were just very happy to have sunshine and with the long days and short nights (sun coming up around 4:30 am) it was delightful.
So on the morning of the 1st May I bounced out of bed and looked out the window and there right below us was our ship, Brilliance of the Seas. We had booked the Movenpick Hotel for two nights prior to the cruise departure because of its location and proximity to the centre of the city and the cruise terminal, and it was certainly convenient, we could leave our luggage at reception and pick it up later prior to boarding at about 2pm.
Sailing out of a city is always delightful and Amsterdam was not different. We passed all the River Cruise ships and other Baltic ships, and then slowly moved through the waterways to the North Sea.