cntrymum

We had planned to CruiseFirst on a Baltic trip in August. Booked cruise then airfares(so not a package) and our land component either side was self organised. Since border closure was announced, have successfully cancelled all self booked land components with no penalty. C1 however have advised that as there is no known interruption to our bookings, cancellation fees will be almost 2/3’s of what we have paid to date. 300 pp fee still applies but will reduce to 50 pp if we book with them in future! Not on your nelly!  I usually book direct and serves me right this time for putting my faith in a third party. 😏

We will be in port for 2 days.  We have found 2 x single day tours that suit our interests better than any of the 2 day tours.  Has anyone done this and if so, did you experience any issues with the visa checks?  I'm assuming we would have to be checked out each day so as long as we had the paperwork for each tour, it wouldn't matter if it wasn't the same company for both days?

2 hours ago, Fran2020 said:

Yusupov is included in several tours offered by local operators, like Alla Tours, TJ travel, SPB Tours maybe more. And in some cases they are open to slightly adjust the agenda, our friends for example wanted to see the Synagogue, which was not included in our group tour (we all are booked with Best Guides), however the operator found the way to add the Synagogue to their schedule. They will of course pay extra for that, but the difference was not huge. 

Hi Fran, our trouble has been in finding operators that include visits to both Yusupov and St Peter & Paul Fortress. That is why a private tour will likely be our best option to suit our interests as we also would like to spend more than 1.5 hours in the gardens of Peterhof.

Hi debway, thanks, my post was in direct response to yours. Didn’t think I’d get quite so shot down in flames.... and yes, I have posted specific details on our roll call board prior to the kind advice above!

Wow! What a job - that’s certainly one way to avoid the crowds!

As mentioned, we are happy to pay for what we want in a private tour it was just that you had mentioned your time frame. Alas we we will be there a few days ahead of you. I have been in discussions with St Petersburg Guided Tours, Ludmila Tours and Firebird - none of whom I have seen mentioned on these threads. Firebird were actually the first to suggest we could skip Hermitage all together if it didn’t interest us as even with skip the line tickets, you still spend quite a bit of time in queues.
I think Red Sun and Dancing Bear might also offer some more alternative and customisable tours and will be in touch with them also. There seem to be a lot of guides from the larger firms have gone out on their own and I am a little hesitant to look further with them as it appears they hire a car with driver to make the trip. Feedback from anyone who has used one of the smaller tour operators would be appreciated. 

On 2/9/2020 at 5:29 AM, debway said:

We really would prefer a very small group tour, but there are just 2 of us, and the price for a private tour with just us is too high. I've tried posting on our cruise critic group but it is a very inactive group so no responses. Our cruise is at the end of Aug 2020. How far in advance do you typically have to book your tours? Any advice on how to get a very small group tour - but not private for just the 2 of us? Thanks!

We are on RCI Brilliance at end of August and looking for a private tour with more emphasis on Peterhof and less on Hermitage. Would like to see St P&P and Yusupov which aren’t included in most group tours. We are finding private tours for 2 are around $300 - $400 US which is OK for us but wouldn’t mind sharing costs....

Platinum status on Princess begins on one's 6th cruise or after 50 sailing days. Internet minutes increase at the Elite level and also increase depending on the length of the cruise.

 

It's a great benefit--I find it's just enough time to send a quick e-mail or two every other day and to scan the inbox for important messages.

And even that will become irrelevant as demand for free wifi takes over just as it has in hotels. Who would pay for wifi in a hotel these days?

I really don't understand the whole 'frequent cruiser' deal as I don't see any real benefits unless you're cruising just for the sake of cruising. My parents ONLY cruise Princess and won't consider another line for the sake of 'benefits' such as priority boarding, blah,blah,blah. The ship won't leave without them!

IMHO the combo of destination, itinerary and price are the deciding factors on who I choose to cruise with. And, like selecting a hotel, there are certain minimum requirements for my accommodation. Beyond that, choose what suits YOU and your needs/preferences and don't be tied to a particular 'brand' based on quite minimal acknowledgements of 'loyalty'.

Yep. What we call bread'n'butter pudding with sultanas in is for dessert.

What we call stuffing = 'bread pudding'.......??????

We got back today from our Xmas/NY cruise on the Oosterdam and sadly xmas was not what we had hoped. It was VERY understated and no big meal like we are used to (we have turkey, ham, pork) they did how pudding but wasn't great. For Xmas lunch we had chicken pie and inlaws had pasta cabonara. This was the options in the MDR :(

What puts me off a Xmas cruise. Maybe P&O or Cunard would be more satisfying for Aussies & Brits?????

We always have sausage plus sage and onion stuffing which we now cook separately, not stuffed into the turkey (easier to ensure meat is cooked through).

 

Dessert is usually Christmas pudding with either custard, brandy/rum sauce - never bread pudding. Most of the younger generation dislike the heavy pudding so there's usually something chocolatey and creamy for them.

Chris - I found out that they call stuffing 'bread pudding' in America....... Not what we would have as a dessert :eek:

OK, here is my confession: turkey pizza!

Does it have cranberry sauce? :D

I am so curious. If down under, you never have mashed potatoes with a roast, what do you serve them with?

Thanks. :)

 

We DO have mashed potatoes. Usually with sausages, meat pies or lamb chops. Brown gravy or tomato sauce on top and people often add to their mash things like garlic, pepper, parmesan or shallots for extra flavour.

In Mexico it is Tamales.

Yum. We had tacos on the 27th for a break from the roasty leftovers :rolleyes:

Wonderful thread...... I love hearing what are traditional Christmas foods for everyone.

 

cntrymum....... I am so curious. If down under, you never have mashed potatoes with a roast, what do you serve them with?

Thanks. :)

 

Ha ha sail 7 As mentioned above, we have at a minimum - roast potatoes, roast pumpkin (yummiest when burnt enough to caramelise) and peas. Also roasted sweet potato, carrot or parsnip and cauliflower in cheese sauce and baked onions are popular accompaniments to a roast. Basically everything goes in the oven :D

If you were on a Scandinavian ship your 'traditional' dinner might be smoked herring???? It's nice to remember that "Traditional" can be different things to different people ;)

Depends where you're from Bruce. Every family in every country has a different tradition. In Australia it's very popular to have seafood as it's usually hot at Xmas time. In Britain they have roast goose. We have cold roast turkey, cold baked ham, hot roast pork with crackling and hot roast veges (potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potato) with cauliflower cheese and tinned peas. All served with gravy, mustard and cranberry sauce as well as some of the glaze from the ham. If you have any room left, Xmas Pudding with custard or brandy sauce, trifle or pavlova are common desserts in Australia. We would NEVER have mashed potatoes or bread pudding with a roast dinner at any time of the year..... :eek:

We are sailing on her 14/4 right after drydock so hopefully she'll be all fresh and clean:) Apparently they are adding more balcony cabins on 11?

I have noticed quite a few negative reviews mentioning the condition of the ship. It is going into drydock for only 2 weeks in April. How much is likely to be improved in such a short time? We are on the first cruise after so will be interesting to see perhaps?

The train from the airport is a great option for getting into the city. The train stations are below the terminals at both international and domestic so are really easy to access and rolling a suitcase along city streets is not an uncommon occurrence. Taxi to the city will cost about $60 so it's certainly more economical.