Considerably more expensive, premium cruise lines frequently stress their amazing onboard lecturers who bring extensive knowledge to passengers privileged to afford such wonderful service, but frequently camouflaged behind pool games, casino action, lavish shows and other splashier entertainment on mainstream cruises are terrific opportunities to learn about the regions and specific ports being visited. 
On our cruise aboard Emerald Princess, a fascinating lecturer shared insightful historical and practical information about our itinerary throughout the cruise. While I watched him live in the theater on a couple of occasions, most of the time I watched the replays on the TV in my room when I was changing or resting between events.
John Lawrence shared fascinating stories about historical events and larger than life characters like Peter the Great as well as furnishing practical information about what to see and how to get there. Many people ignored John's lectures, possibly thinking they would be like Carnival's Caribbean shopping talks designed to direct you to company stores. Others have no interest in anything that sounds like school while on vacation, and they're entitled to that opinion. To each his own.
Just remember you have access to great port information while onboard many mainstream cruises, including this Princess Baltic cruise. If that is something you value, always take the time to check it out.
Sometimes, perhaps we learned too much from John Lawrence. While the ship had a modestly priced shuttle into Helsinki, John suggested taking the public bus and buying an all-day pass for just 6.8 Euros. It would take us to centrally located Senate Square,t just like the shuttle bus, but then we would have not only the all-day bus pass but also unlimited trolley and ferry rides to Suomenlinna Island Fortress.
Why was that too much to know? Because knowing we could take the trolley and ferry meant that we would take advantage of them, which ate up a good portion of our day in beautiful Helsinki. To be perfectly honest, the trolley ride proved to be a complete snoozefest that wasted more than an hour, and on the ferry ride, Jay started feeling seasick, although that might have been caused by free samples of fried little fish he ate (heads and all) in Helsinki's Harbour Market. After the successive trolley and ferry rides, Jay ended up laying in the shade for a half hour while Amy, Julie and I explored the lovely shopping district.
