Arrive in Travemünde. Board the Sea Cloud ll and attend dinner as the ship sets sail.

Enjoy the ship's luxurious amenities as it sails to Poland.

Together with the chic seaside resort of Sopot and the port of Gdynia, the old Hanseatic city of Gdansk has a young and confident vibe. With its eventful past, the queen of the Polish Baltic cities was already prosperous and respected in the Middle Ages and was a flourishing trading center for many years. Its reconstructed historic old town is a work of art in its own right with sky-scraping brick Gothic edifices and grand patricians' houses boasting magnificent façades and gables which betray Flemish, Dutch and German influences. Everything is overshadowed by the imposing medieval church of St. Mary, which is the world's largest brick church. In the golden Hanseatic era, the route formed by the famous Long Market and Long Street between the Golden Gate and the Vistula was the lifeline of this prosperous city, which continues to trade successfully in Baltic amber to this day.

Enjoy this day offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

Surrounded by the deep blue sea, the second largest Baltic island is bathed in sunshine during the brief summer months and has the look of a small country in its own right. Lofty crags, strange limestone formations, broad sand and pebble beaches, and forests with wind-bent pine trees form a coastal landscape which extends for almost 500 miles. Similarly diverse are the island's astonishing culinary delights and Gotland's rich history which includes prehistoric sites, unique treasures from the Viking era, and Visby, the oldest Baltic Hanseatic city, which has remained almost unchanged since its heyday in the Middle Ages. The old town with its imposing 2-mile, 13th-century circular wall was once christened 'regina maris' or 'queen of the sea' and provided a refuge for legendary pirate Klaus Störtebeker. Since 1805 it has been classified as a protected monument and since 1995 it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On its Baltic side, Stockholm looks out to an archipelago of thousands of craggy islands while to the west lies the vast Lake Mälaren. The city itself spans 14 islands connected by more than 50 bridges. In the middle of the city island are the origins of Sweden's magnificent capital. Yellow-gold town houses, splendid Renaissance palaces dating back to the city's heyday, and the royal palace crowd the old town of Gamla Stan, a Heritage Site boasting a medieval network of narrow cobbled streets which lead down to the water's edge. With a third of its area occupied by water and another third by green spaces, this cultural city manages to be both modern and traditional. Here you find Nordic design, fashion, art, modern architecture, boulevards, promenades, royal residences, seats of government, and no fewer than three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Enjoy this day offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

The Estonian capital of Tallinn lies on the Gulf of Finland some 50 miles south of Helsinki. Known as Reval during the Hanseatic era, it was the most important trading port on the Baltic Sea in the 15th century. Those walking through the old town find themselves transported back to the world of wealthy medieval townsfolk. Russian onion domes and medieval gabled houses restored to their former glory mark the border between east and west. The city's rich historic heritage, still guarded by lofty town walls, is under UNESCO protection. Today, Tallinn is a lively Scandinavian city with a very Hanseatic look, where the Middle Ages meet modern life.

The Finnish capital sits on the seafront overlooking countless islands and skerries off the coast. The center is compact and charming. The Protestant cathedral styled after St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg overlooks Senate Square with its magnificent neo-classical façades and reflects the splendor of a capital which once served the Czars. Later, the middle classes showcased their national confidence in Finnish Art Nouveau, its curved lines oozing functionalism and modernism. Indeed in 2012, the trend towards simple, accomplished Finnish style earned Helsinki the title of world design capital. Above all else though, Helsinki is an ever-changing city shaped by the sea - a lively hub in constant flux.

Morning sun follows sunset, night falls only briefly, and then an entire city is wide awake. The 'white nights' cast a magic light over this magnificent city forged by the will of the Czar. Built largely on posts in the ground by Peter the Great in 1703, Saint Petersburg - a 'capital from nothing' - offered the Russian Empire access to the Baltic Sea and the west between the 18th and 20th centuries. The extremely impressive entrance to the shining gold city on the Neva River demonstrates the full extent of St. Petersburg's power. Built predominantly in the neo-classical style, the Hermitage complex, which includes the Winter Palace where the Czars once lived, dates back to Catherine the Great. Now one of the world's most important art museums occupies more than 350 rooms. St. Isaac's Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Russia, while the Church of the Saviour is a playful work of art in the Russian Art Nouveau style. The wonders of this former czarist capital with 2,300 palaces, ornate buildings, and castles are all listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 
 
Disembark after breakfast for your continued independent journeys.