looking for excursion ideas for North Europe cruise (Regal Princess)

Unlike most on here my family really does not like to tours that are not with Princess.

 

We did this cruise last year and were on Princess tours and had a wonderful time. Yes the tours were not cheap but they were worth it in our opinion!!

We used Alla when we did our Baltic cruise, and were very happy with the tour.

I did speak with several of our fellow cruisers who had used Princess' tours. Most were very happy with the results. However, there were a few exceptions. One told me their bus had no air conditioning. (It was 88 degrees those August days in St. Petersburg. We had an air conditioned Mercedes.) When I said our guide had 18 years experience (she opened her own agency the next year, SPB tours), he replied their guide was 18. And one other told me their guide bemoaned the fall of communism.

We used SPB Tours in a few countries -- wonderful and the more you book the price goes down.

They provided excellent guides everywhere.

Thanks you - does this cause a disruption for others ? e.g. do you have to stop at SPB office ?

No, not at all. You just give your credit card info to your guide on the 1st day and an acknowledgment will be given to you by the same guide on the 2nd day.

Thank you Easyboy. We want to use credit card and clearly would not use email to send details, so was wondering about Pay Pal etc. Giving card on first day is best of both worlds.

Thank you Easyboy. We want to use credit card and clearly would not use email to send details, so was wondering about Pay Pal etc. Giving card on first day is best of both worlds.

You are welcome! Enjoy your trip!

We're going on a July 5,2017 11 day cruise from Copenhagen . Looking at excursions and wondering if fellow cruisers have booked any private excursions, or are booking Princess excursions exclusively. Open to ideas or sharing private tours.

We are on this cruise in August. Can't wait for your review!

We also used ALLA tours in St Petersburg and they were great! Definitely worth it. All tour companies will take care of your visa that you need. The rest of the ports, Oslo, Aarthus, Talinn, & Helsinki we di on our own. We did do the ships tours to Berlin and Stockholm due to time restraints. It's a great trip. Enjoy!

I think is depends on what kind of traveler you are. We have traveled a good bit, and have decided we don't always have to see everything a place has to offer. We have done tours where you try to cram everything a city has to offer in a one day tour. We don't feel that is the best way for us. We like to see a major site then have lunch in a nice café watch the people. That way we feel we have experienced the culture of the place a little more than running from one place to another all day. We are doing the Baltic in July this year. In St Petersburg we are doing a Princess tour that visits the Hermitage Museum then gives you about 3&1/2 hrs. on your own in the city center the first day. Have not decided for sure on the second day but looking at one of the palace tours. In most of the other stops we are doing our own thing which is usually ships transport into the area or a walking tour with time on our own. We know this type of touring is not for everyone but it works for us. We really love to wonder you would be surprised at what you find. Some of the best days we have had traveling in Europe have been days where we have just wondered around.

We did this cruise in 2015. We did all Princess tours & we were very happy with all of them. The Old City in Aarhus, The Church of the Spilled Blood in St Petersburg & the Vasa in Sweden were the highlights for me.

In St Petersburg we are doing a Princess tour that visits the Hermitage Museum then gives you about 3&1/2 hrs. on your own in the city center the first day..

You have to get visas to do that, don't you?

You have to get visas to do that, don't you?

If you do a Princess tour, a SPB tour or an ALLA tour of St. Petersburg..they get your visa for you. No need to get it on your own.

If you do a Princess tour, a SPB tour or an ALLA tour of St. Petersburg..they get your visa for you. No need to get it on your own.

I knew that, but I thought the deal was you have to stay right with your guide. So you're all visa'ed up and you can do what you like, as long as you know enough Russian to tell a cab driver "take me to the ship!" ?

I knew that, but I thought the deal was you have to stay right with your guide. So you're all visa'ed up and you can do what you like, as long as you know enough Russian to tell a cab driver "take me to the ship!" ?

I believe the rule is actually that your guide must stay with you and is responsible for you. Though on our Alla tour in 2002 in which our guide is now the owner of SPB tours, she did leave us for a short time to buy flowers for us for our anniversary and for another couple for their anniversary.

I knew that, but I thought the deal was you have to stay right with your guide. So you're all visa'ed up and you can do what you like, as long as you know enough Russian to tell a cab driver "take me to the ship!" ?

The tour company holds your visa..not you. So staying with the tour guide is important. This is one port that being on your own is not advised.

Both SPB and Alla offered night time pub crawls with guides, for those who wanted to experience the Russian nightlife. Only thing is in June it was still light out till almost midnight.

One of the passengers from our ship had her wallet and passport stolen at the Hermitage. Luckily it happened the first day, she could not return to the ship so everyone on tour chipped in to give her money for a hotel room for the night. The next day, Sunday, and a national holiday, the American consulate got her a new passport so she could return to the ship.

...Some of the best days we have had traveling in Europe have been days where we have just wondered around.

Same with is. We usually take a few Princess tours and also just wander around in other ports. We did the same Princess tour of the Hermitage with free time on our own. We did another tour in Helsinki with free time after the tour, same in Talinn. We like those, get some culture then get some booze.

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Doing similar cruise in May. It would be great if you could explain how to get the Copenhagen card. Thanks.

As others have said, you can get them at hotels, tourist information points and even 7-11 stores, or buy direct online. See the Sales Points tab on their main page. Several online tourist tour vendors also sell them. For various folks interested, links to several cards shown below:

Copenhagen Card: http://www.copenhagencard.com/?gclid=CPnFvLWZhtMCFc-2wAodPdMFrw

Oslo Pass: http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/oslo-pass/

Stockholm Pass: https://www.stockholmpass.com/?aid=147&gclid=CMyFvs-bhtMCFdm4wAodrykD2g

Helsinki Card: http://www.helsinkicard.com/

We bought the first three, since the HOHO bus gave us most of what we wanted to see in Helsinki. Copenhagen at Tourist Info just north of Tivoli, Oslo in gift shop at fort where we docked, and Stockholm at the water taxi where we docked.