Russia! Help!

Hi! I was just looking for cruises that I haven't done before and came across one that goes to Russia and it had me asking myself a couple questions so I thought I'd enquire here!

I saw they said you needed to have a "Russian approved" tour booked to be able to go ashore on the days we are in Russia or get a visa, so I guess I was wondering if the RC Excursions count as approved tours? if I book them I don't need to get a visa?

Hi! I was just looking for cruises that I haven't done before and came across one that goes to Russia and it had me asking myself a couple questions so I thought I'd enquire here!

 

I saw they said you needed to have a "Russian approved" tour booked to be able to go ashore on the days we are in Russia or get a visa, so I guess I was wondering if the RC Excursions count as approved tours? if I book them I don't need to get a visa?

RCI ship tours are approved tours and you won´t get an individual visa. Many private excursion companies offer the same Service.

However you Need to know, that if you don´t have an individual visa you will go ashore with the excursion Group and get onboard with them again.

You won´t be able to leave the ship independently (outside of the excursion).

Now this information is valid for US, Canada and a lot of European nationalities. I just noiced you are from Saudi Arabia, so you should check for visa requirements for your Country.

I just checked the website and it said exactly what you said! Thank you!

We did a cruise (NCL) of the Baltic which went to St Petersburg for 2 days. We booked a 2 day tour with an agency highly reviewed on web, not a cruise tour. The tour did not require a visa either. We loved St Petersburg, beautiful city with palaces, cathedrals, museums, etc. Since we didnt have a visa we could not leave the port w/o tour but it was so far from the city that there was nothing to do anyhow. So go and take a tour! [emoji41]

We used SPB tours for our excursions. The visa was through them. We could only leave the port with our tour guide. If you don't have the visa or a tour guide, you can't even get through immigration. The excursions were wonderful.

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Check out Alla Tours and their 2 Day Grand Tour of St. Petersburg. Very much worth the money. Also, review their FAQ section regarding Visa requirements which will detail how the tour ticket fulfills the requirement. They were very good at getting back to us with answers to questions and provided updates when and where we would meet. Very busy day(s) but well worth the time!

People have also used SPB with very positive views. We loved Alla Tours.

Check out Alla Tours and their 2 Day Grand Tour of St. Petersburg. Very much worth the money. Also, review their FAQ section regarding Visa requirements which will detail how the tour ticket fulfills the requirement. They were very good at getting back to us with answers to questions and provided updates when and where we would meet. Very busy day(s) but well worth the time!

 

People have also used SPB with very positive views. We loved Alla Tours.

I second Alla Tours. I used them last year too. Beware that everyone can go through immigration at the same time regardless of tour company, meaning the ship tours don't have priority.

Russian visas are costly so that is why it might be a good idea to have a tour planned. Having said that, if the ship docks near the city it would be nice to be able to walk around at your leisure and explore. Only you can evaluate how much time you would have for that and if it would be worthwhile to get a visa and explore on your own.

In 2003, we did a Baltic cruise (HAL) that stopped in St. Petersburg for two days. One excursion we booked was to Moscow for the day. It was a very long day since the flight was quite long, but it was well worth the time. We were escorted at all times by a HAL rep and a Russian guide. Visas were not required, but we had to stay with the two guides at all times. I remember the immigration people were quite rude and gave us the third degree. They even kept my son's passport and our HAL rep had to radio for help from the ship's officers to request it back. The incident kept the entire excursion waiting until we got it back. We never did find out why they singled him out and why they tried to keep it. However, it was THE trip of a lifetime and if Royal offers it, do it.

Contact all the major private tour companies via email...we did and opted for TJ Travel..an amazing VIP 2 day tour just the two of us , guide and driver..we saw and did more in those two days than we ever thought was possible. Consider a private tour...you won't be sorry.

A 2 person private tour is probably great. We did the 2 day Alla tour and had a great time - about 6 of us. Don't go on ship tours, they use big busses and you waste a lot of time

We used SPB tours for our excursions. The visa was through them. We could only leave the port with our tour guide. If you don't have the visa or a tour guide, you can't even get through immigration. The excursions were wonderful.

 

 

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We also used SPB Tours and I agree that they were exceptional! They handle the VISA for you. We used SPB for an excursion to the Russian Ballet

"Swan Lake" in St. Petersburg and an excursion in Berlin as well. Highly recommend them.

We used SPB for out St Petersburg tour when we were there last year. I cannot say enough good things about them. We did the most intensive tour, and I wouldn't change anything. We saw so much and I wouldn't have wanted to not see or do anything we might have missed doing one of the lesser expensive choices.

Hi! I was just looking for cruises that I haven't done before and came across one that goes to Russia and it had me asking myself a couple questions so I thought I'd enquire here!

 

I saw they said you needed to have a "Russian approved" tour booked to be able to go ashore on the days we are in Russia or get a visa, so I guess I was wondering if the RC Excursions count as approved tours? if I book them I don't need to get a visa?

Your are correct! This is one of the reasons we chose to go with SPB tours. They were absolutely wonderful and we had no visas to worry about since they take care of it all. As others stated, you will not be able to leave the port without a visa or be part of a recognized group - - either provided by RCCL or a private approved company. But, since you are from Saudi Arabia, please do check with your government office in case your rules may differ from those in the US.

We also did the Alla 2 day grand tour back in April. Very intensive tour that was just great! Don't feel the need to go back to SP. 6 of us booked it online and it was very easy. Used Alla in Warnemunde and Stockholm also. Great service!