Long lines at Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg?

We're booked on Silhouette in August for a Baltic cruise. We've already scheduled a 2-day tour with a highly-rated company in St. Petersburg. Today we got an e-mail from them warning that visitors to Catherine's Palace are having to wait much longer than usual in line. They claim that St. Petersburg is seeing a record number of tourists this summer, and although the tour company has tickets for specific entry times, the Palace management has overbooked time slots. As a result, the tour might return later than scheduled to the ship on the first night, and they recommend that you not book an outside tour for that evening.

Has anyone on Eclipse or Silhouette this summer had an experience with long queues at St. Catherine's in St. Petersburg?

We're booked on Silhouette in August for a Baltic cruise. We've already scheduled a 2-day tour with a highly-rated company in St. Petersburg. Today we got an e-mail from them warning that visitors to Catherine's Palace are having to wait much longer than usual in line. They claim that St. Petersburg is seeing a record number of tourists this summer, and although the tour company has tickets for specific entry times, the Palace management has overbooked time slots. As a result, the tour might return later than scheduled to the ship on the first night, and they recommend that you not book an outside tour for that evening.

 

Has anyone on Eclipse or Silhouette this summer had an experience with long queues at St. Catherine's in St. Petersburg?

When we traveled on the Eclipse to Russia, we had a private tour for two, so we always went to the front of the Line; I don't know what type of tour you have, but I would write the company to be sure. Look at what might happen to their olympic team in Rio. They seem to dance to a different drummer.

During the height of the summer season Catherine's Palace is always overwrought with tourists. The congestion might be very noticeable in the chambers and particularly on the stairs making matters worse. Your tour operator might adjust your schedule or, as notified, return you to the ship a little later than planned.

Thank them for giving you a heads up on the congestion. I'm sure they will do everything they can to give you a wonderful tour.

We were on the Celebrity two-day St Petersburg tour in May. We were at Catherine's Palace and let in first. The other group that got in with us was from Princess cruise. We were allowed in early at the Hermitage also.

We have just come back from the Scandinavia and Russia cruise on the Eclipse. We were in St Petersburg for three days. We went to Catherine's Palace on day one with a small party of 13. Although we had timed tickets we waited in a queue for an hour. Fortunately it wasn't raining. There was another queue that moved more quickly, but I can only assume that was people who had paid for private (very small groups or couples) and will have paid more for the whole package. Some tour companies have a flat rate or a private rate. Even worse was the queue for visitors who had turned up on the day to buy a ticket. It was massive. Going through the the palace wasn't too bad, but the museum staff do usher people along. We were just behind another group and it was a larger group than ours. I got plenty of photo opportunities and the tour company will adjust timings on the day.

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Also just off the Eclipse from the Scandinavia and Russia cruise. We did the 3-day tour with SPB Tours and the wait at Catherine's Palace was around 30 minutes; this was early afternoon. Sites seemed to be quieter in the mornings then got busier in the afternoon, so the wait may be timing dependant.

Repeat post - apologies.

We were on the Silhouette Baltic cruise last summer. We had a private tour (2 people) that entered in a separate "early entry" line. Saw lots of other "early entry" lines for larger groups :) We entered quickly (5 minute wait), but the Hermitage was very, very crowded. Larger groups make it difficult to get around as they naturally clog up any area they are in. Same situation for the Summer Palace last year. The smaller your group, the more agile your tour can be, though. Have a great time.

We're booked on Silhouette in August for a Baltic cruise. We've already scheduled a 2-day tour with a highly-rated company in St. Petersburg. Today we got an e-mail from them warning that visitors to Catherine's Palace are having to wait much longer than usual in line. They claim that St. Petersburg is seeing a record number of tourists this summer, and although the tour company has tickets for specific entry times, the Palace management has overbooked time slots. As a result, the tour might return later than scheduled to the ship on the first night, and they recommend that you not book an outside tour for that evening.

 

Has anyone on Eclipse or Silhouette this summer had an experience with long queues at St. Catherine's in St. Petersburg?

We received a similar email fromSPB tours today. They said the waiting time on pre booked tours was 50 to 60 minutes and that all tour operaters were affected. They suggested it would be best not to book evening tours with Celebrity just in case the SPB tour returned to the ship late.

We received a similar email fromSPB tours today. They said the waiting time on pre booked tours was 50 to 60 minutes and that all tour operaters were affected. They suggested it would be best not to book evening tours with Celebrity just in case the SPB tour returned to the ship late.

This is a copy of the email:

St. Petersburg is seeing the most visitors it ever has this Summer. This is great news on many fronts, and we are certainly happy more and more people are interested in coming to our beautiful and historical city.That said, we are obligated to inform you of one problem that has resulted. This Summer, for the first time ever,*the long queues and waiting times at Catherine’s Palace are becoming a problem, not only for us, but for all the tour operators and the groups that are brought to the palace, whether by other independent operators like SPB-Tours, or whether by the large groups organized by the cruise ships. While normally we could enter the palace within 20 minutes of arriving, the waiting time has now been approaching more like 45-60 minutes. Understandably, this has left many visitors frustrated.SPB-Tours always books special tickets to all venues with specific entrance times, so your waiting time is minimal or non-existent. However, in the case of Catherine’s Palace, this doesn’t matter. The Catherine’s Palace management has not organized themselves in a way that can accommodate the number of visitors it is receiving. *Due to the high demand, they are overbooking time slots.In a few cases, this has resulted in returning to the cruise ship a bit later than the scheduled time on day 1 (never on the day of your ship’s departure!). Our suggestion is not to book an evening option with the cruise ship that requires you to be back to the cruise ship too early. If you book an evening option with SPB-Tours, we can take you directly to the evening option venue after the day tour.I am sorry for the situation, but I feel obligated to tell you in advance rather than leave it as an unpleasant surprise on the day of the tour.Despite the situation, I am confident your time in St. Petersburg with us will be the highlight of your cruise[/font]

We just returned from SPB. The lines are quite long. As we had a private guide for just my husband and I we were able to walk right in everywhere. People who were in groups as small as 8-10 people we talked to said nearly everywhere required waits of a minimum of 30 minutes or longer. It seems like all groups have these "special times" so you just end up waiting in a different line than walk ups (which is even longer). It is all worth the wait though. Just be patient and enjoy!!

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Nothing to add on lines at Catherine's Palace and Peterhof....I was there with a river cruise and even though we were pre-ticketed we had to wait about 30 minutes at both places....but the good news is they are well worth the wait!!!

Question: We were visiting Russia for a longer time on both land and river cruise so we had to have Visas...I was under the impression (from Celebrity) that if I arranged tours through anyone except Celebrity, I would have to get Visas....is that true? There is a restaurant in STP that we really enjoyed and were looking forward to having dinner at but Visas are quite expensive and the meal would not be worth it. Did any of you have to get Visas? Did anyone ask to see them?

If you arrange a tour through an approve company then they arrange visas and it is part of your tour ticket, but you cannot go off on your own.

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We did not get a VISA. We arranged everything through TJ Travel and they provide the necessary paperwork. You do not have to book through Celebrity. You can book an independent tour, you just won't be allowed any "free time" away from your guide.

TJ also has an evening program option for dinner in SPB. They offer suggestions, but they will arrange reservations at any restaurant you choose. They charge you for the service, but they provide a driver.

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Nothing to add on lines at Catherine's Palace and Peterhof....I was there with a river cruise and even though we were pre-ticketed we had to wait about 30 minutes at both places....but the good news is they are well worth the wait!!!

 

Question: We were visiting Russia for a longer time on both land and river cruise so we had to have Visas...I was under the impression (from Celebrity) that if I arranged tours through anyone except Celebrity, I would have to get Visas....is that true? There is a restaurant in STP that we really enjoyed and were looking forward to having dinner at but Visas are quite expensive and the meal would not be worth it. Did any of you have to get Visas? Did anyone ask to see them?

You don't need a visa if you are booked through a licensed local tour operator. However, if you wish to visit a restaurant in the evening, you will need to book a separate excursion - your daytime visa waiver won't be valid for the evening.

And, yes, immigration will definitely check to see that you have the proper documentation to enter Russia. You must go through immigration each time you leave your ship and go back aboard. The immigration officers will ask to see your passport and either of the following: tour ticket or Russian visa.

As the previous poster mentioned, most companies offer these excursions. We used Alla tours and they provide both day and evening excursions (including making reservations for you at the restaurant of your choice).

We were in a private tour for just our family (2 adults, and one 3 year old) and we were able to skip all of the lines at Catherine's Palace and everywhere else. Given the small size of our group, we were also able to maneuver around the larger groups and were alone in most of the rooms in Catherine's Palace until we got really close to the amber room (this was two summers ago, so things might be different now). You might want to email your tour operator and ask if they are still waiving the small private tours through the lines, and ask what the price differential would be to switch from your 16 person tour to a private one for just your family.

This is a copy of the email:

 

St. Petersburg is seeing the most visitors it ever has this Summer. This is great news on many fronts, and we are certainly happy more and more people are interested in coming to our beautiful and historical city.That said, we are obligated to inform you of one problem that has resulted. This Summer, for the first time ever,*the long queues and waiting times at Catherine’s Palace are becoming a problem, not only for us, but for all the tour operators and the groups that are brought to the palace, whether by other independent operators like SPB-Tours, or whether by the large groups organized by the cruise ships. While normally we could enter the palace within 20 minutes of arriving, the waiting time has now been approaching more like 45-60 minutes. Understandably, this has left many visitors frustrated.SPB-Tours always books special tickets to all venues with specific entrance times, so your waiting time is minimal or non-existent. However, in the case of Catherine’s Palace, this doesn’t matter. The Catherine’s Palace management has not organized themselves in a way that can accommodate the number of visitors it is receiving. *Due to the high demand, they are overbooking time slots.In a few cases, this has resulted in returning to the cruise ship a bit later than the scheduled time on day 1 (never on the day of your ship’s departure!). Our suggestion is not to book an evening option with the cruise ship that requires you to be back to the cruise ship too early. If you book an evening option with SPB-Tours, we can take you directly to the evening option venue after the day tour.I am sorry for the situation, but I feel obligated to tell you in advance rather than leave it as an unpleasant surprise on the day of the tour.Despite the situation, I am confident your time in St. Petersburg with us will be the highlight of your cruise[/font]

We got the same e-mail for SPB (visiting on the 18th aboard the Musica). Today we got an e-mail saying that Catherine's Palace has been completely dropped from our tour. The Amber Room was the one thing we truly wanted to see in St. Petersburg, and now they've taken it away completely. Does anyone have a recommendation for another company which can "guarantee" that we'll visit the Catherine's Palace? I have time to cancel the SPB tour, but don't want to do so without a viable alternative. I would have preferred if SPB adjusted other parts of the schedule -- such as shortening lunch or taking out the built-in shopping time -- so as to accommodate for any delays.

We visited Catherine's Palace less than 10 days ago with TJ Tours, you could check with them.

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We got the same e-mail for SPB (visiting on the 18th aboard the Musica). Today we got an e-mail saying that Catherine's Palace has been completely dropped from our tour. The Amber Room was the one thing we truly wanted to see in St. Petersburg, and now they've taken it away completely. Does anyone have a recommendation for another company which can "guarantee" that we'll visit the Catherine's Palace? I have time to cancel the SPB tour, but don't want to do so without a viable alternative. I would have preferred if SPB adjusted other parts of the schedule -- such as shortening lunch or taking out the built-in shopping time -- so as to accommodate for any delays.

I recommend White Nights Travel. We got that company's name from SPB when SPB turned us down for a highly customized tour. To the best of my knowledge, my husband and I are the only people to have posted about traveling with White Nights on Cruise Critic. However, they are hugely popular on Trip Advisor and are rated #7.

If you want a guarantee that you'll visit Catherine's Palace, White Nights will make sure that the rest of your itinerary will let you do just that. Incidentally, there was no shopping time built into our itinerary. (There's a copycat company that is trying to siphon business from the well-regarded White Nights by using a very similar name. That's why I mention position #7 and provide the URL.)

Here's the link White Nights web site:

http://www.wn-travel.com/wnt/Tours.html

If you go to Trip Advisor for St. Petersburg and look at the reviews of White Nights, I post under the same name Pet Nit Noy.

So we visited the Palace, Wednesday July 13th at around 2pm. This is what we experienced:

We were a private tour group of 2 (TJ TRAVEL). so indeed, we were able to skip to the front of the line, although the security guard did give the tour guide some push back and she had to speak to a supervisor.

For all tour groups over 6 people (according to our tour guide), including ship excursions, there were massive lines to get in. and even when you get into the palace, there are checkpoints along the way that you get held up as well...and again, at those checkpoints, the small groups were able to skip the line.

so at least the day we were there, the lines were massive. It looked to be about 30 mins just to get through the main gate..then another 15-30 mins wait to enter the palace...then again delays at checkpoints in the palace. We were able to secure tickets and tour the palace in about 75 mins...i think a larger tour group would need 2 to 3 hours to tour the palace with the waiting times.

hope this helps!!

We got the same e-mail for SPB (visiting on the 18th aboard the Musica). Today we got an e-mail saying that Catherine's Palace has been completely dropped from our tour. The Amber Room was the one thing we truly wanted to see in St. Petersburg, and now they've taken it away completely. Does anyone have a recommendation for another company which can "guarantee" that we'll visit the Catherine's Palace? I have time to cancel the SPB tour, but don't want to do so without a viable alternative. I would have preferred if SPB adjusted other parts of the schedule -- such as shortening lunch or taking out the built-in shopping time -- so as to accommodate for any delays.

Alla Tours is still offering Catherine Palace: http://alla-tour.com/

Yikes, hopefully since we're going at the end of the season there won't be massive crowding at any of the sites. We have a private tour of 3 booked so that will help out for sure.

What a difference a day makes, or a year in this case.

In past years, most groups got into Catherine's Palace with just a short wait and had a Russian band serenading you while you were in line. Glad to hear tourism is up so much in Russia this year.

It is hard to imagine that companies would start skipping Catherine's Palace just because there is a longer than usual wait time. I would double check that. It would be a shame to miss it.

To be sure though, it is well worth the wait.

Cheers

Len

Just to update, we were at Catherine's Palace today. Yes there were queues but nothing that we wouldn't expect anywhere with so many visitors. We were lucky that we were a group of 4 with an excellent guide who knew how to play the system.

I do find it very hard to believe that SPB tours are pulling such an amazing place.

Alla Tours is still offering Catherine Palace: http://alla-tour.com/

I have had a message from Alla Tours that warns of a possible wait at Catherine Palace of between 45 - 60 mins. It seems to be due to popularity. Alla advise that the wait may impact upon night tours