Touring St Petersburg with a private company

I am doing the Baltic this summer, September1st on the Getaway with my husband. I did the same cruise three years ago with a friend and truly enjoyed it. We toured St. Petersburg with a private company , TJ, and I can't say enough about them. We had no problem entering Russia with our tour tickets which provided us with a blanket Visa. So of course I am using them again.

NCL has informed me by phone that we must have a Visa, not tickets, to board the ship in Copenhagen. I know from experience, and the many postings on this web site and others that I will not need the quite expensive Visa to get off the boat in Russia on an organized tour. Their representative even went so far as to say that she is making a note in my file that I have been informed of the Visa regulation. I have asked the representative from NCL to send the request in writing which she agreed to do. After a week I have heard nothing. I contacted my tour company in St Petersburg and they have assured my that my ticket is my blanket Visa and I will have no trouble with it . This is the first time they have heard of this request. Is anyone else encountering this problem?

SK

Back to their old tricks… Your tour ticket will be fine. And you don't need to show anything to board the ship. Russia will let you stay on board the ship without a visa, so just tell them you're doing that. Or tell them you're planning to buy a ship's excursion once you're on board.

The good thing is that the people checking you in usually know the real rules, as opposed to what the cruise line would like the rules to be (which is that you have to purchase excursions through them). Don't worry another second about what the NCL rep told you.

Complete and utter bull plop.

you can absolutely board without a Russian Visa.

Not true! I just did this cruise and a tour with TJ June 3rd. I only needed a passport to board and I used my passport and tour ticket to enter Russia.

Not true! I just did this cruise and a tour with TJ June 3rd. I only needed a passport to board and I used my passport and tour ticket to enter Russia.

Same for us for the June 21 sailing. We used TJ also and they were great.

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I am doing the Baltic this summer, September1st on the Getaway with my husband. I did the same cruise three years ago with a friend and truly enjoyed it. We toured St. Petersburg with a private company , TJ, and I can't say enough about them. We had no problem entering Russia with our tour tickets which provided us with a blanket Visa. So of course I am using them again.

NCL has informed me by phone that we must have a Visa, not tickets, to board the ship in Copenhagen. I know from experience, and the many postings on this web site and others that I will not need the quite expensive Visa to get off the boat in Russia on an organized tour. Their representative even went so far as to say that she is making a note in my file that I have been informed of the Visa regulation. I have asked the representative from NCL to send the request in writing which she agreed to do. After a week I have heard nothing. I contacted my tour company in St Petersburg and they have assured my that my ticket is my blanket Visa and I will have no trouble with it . This is the first time they have heard of this request. Is anyone else encountering this problem?

SK

Before, it was just entering Russia. Now, they are saying you can not board the ship? They must really be desperate to sell their shore excursion.

Which country is your passport from? I don't see that in your profile info.

For example, Brazilians have no visa requirements and can walk off the ship without escort from a tour company.

Which country is your passport from? I don't see that in your profile info.

 

 

 

For example, Brazilians have no visa requirements and can walk off the ship without escort from a tour company.

Your profile is missing the most important clue to your issue. I will repeat the above request, the NCL requirements are totally based on the Passport you are traveling under? Which passport, all advise here is worthless without knowing your country of origin!

PS LadyShiva your profile is also missing that ALL important info :)

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I am Canadian. I did this trip three years ago with my Canadian passport and TJ tickets sent via Email. Is there a problem with my passport? This is the first time that I have poised a question on CC thus I haven't filled out a profile.

SK

If you have not already fixed your Profile please adjust it to at the very least say Canada or your city or Province. It seperates the various travel rules for US, Canadian or U.K. Passport holders. Makes it easier and clearer to know your passport rules or booking rules may be different than other nationalities. :)

I am Canadian. I did this trip three years ago with my Canadian passport and TJ tickets sent via Email. Is there a problem with my passport? This is the first time that I have poised a question on CC thus I haven't filled out a profile.

SK

No problems with a canadian passport.

I emailed ULKO tours and received this immediate response.

'Of course it's not true" http://www.russiavisa.com/visafreeentry.htm

Don´t worry - Holland America tried the same thing - they wrote you were not allowed to leave the ship without an excursion booked with Holland America or proper visa.

St. Petersburg and a few other cities of Russia are operating under the exception of the "regular" visa rules" and allow guests to enter the country with a tour ticket aka blanket visa.

"Visa Support for Cruise Passengers

Be noted, cruise passengers do not need to have Russian visa in the following cases: while staying in Russian port cruise passengers overnight aboard the ship, and visit the city within organized shore excursions, provided by authorized local company. The excursion may either be group or private, cover up to 3 days (or less) of ship's stay in the port, and may be purchased onboard the ship or directly with a local company. Cruise passengers are not allowed to stay in the city on their own without valid Russian visa - company representative (guide) must stay with them all the time of the tour since meeting in the port up to return back to the port at the end of each day program.

According to the Russian Immigration Law cruise ship passengers staying in the Russian Federation up to 72 hours do not need Russian Visa."

So the tourticket is some kind of valid visa.

I just read one of the onboard freestyle daily publications for the days they were in St. Petersberg and NCL just says you will need your original passport and tour ticket to get off the boat and to allow time for the checks at immigration in the port as they will stamp your passport.