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Baltic queries


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Just thinking about a Baltic cruise next year but have a few queries.. we prefer DIY trips and don't like to be on coaches for a long time.

St Petersburg - will possibly do the Alla tour but looks as though there are plenty of stops

Gothenburg - has anyone visited this port, any ideas what to do there?

Kalundburg - really don't want to travel all the way to Copenhagen, is there anything to do in the region?

Any other tips for this region? Many thanks

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I did the SPB two day tour in St Petersburg. I suspect Alla is similar. Absolutely superb. Short journeys on a comfortable minibus with lots of stops and a couple of boat trips. We got to see a lot more than fellow passengers who went on a coach tour offered by the cruise line (including going in to places they simply drove past). We even got to go on the subway and visit a local farmers market as well as getting into an empty Hermitage museum half an hour before its official opening time.

 

Sorry I can't help with the other ports but I'm sure you'll have a great memorable holiday!

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In St Petersburg we did Alla Tours, their 2 day Grand Tour and can certainly recommend, we saw just everything. Yes Copenhagen is a very long way from where we docked, knowing, we would not have done the trip, not long enough in city, only got a little taste of the place, 90mins each way just a joke. Helsinki use the shuttle and then DIY, Oslo you can walk from the ship into city. Stockholm - again use the shuttle from the ship, we were very impressed with Stockholm, again not long enough to see everything. Warmunde - just walk from the ship, unless you want to see Berlin - again a long trip. We did Gdansk, again just use the shuttle.

Karlskrona - use the tender then just stroll - naval museum very interesting. It was a great cruise and you must do it, we went last July and the weather was fantastic.

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Current cost is 285USD. Payment is made at the end of the 1st day in Russian Rubles. See info below from Alla website.

 

"We do not require any deposits for our Group tours. Payment in full is to be made on the first day of your tour in St. Petersburg. (The only exception to this rule is if you have booked a tour in a Baltic port but you are not touring with us in St. Petersburg. In this case, we will be unable to collect payment from you in St. Petersburg and will require full prepayment).

We require a 20% deposit on Private tours due one month prior to the start of your tour. This deposit is fully refundable provided that you inform us of cancellation, in writing, at least one week before the start of your tour. Your deposit is also fully refundable if, for any reason, your ship does not dock in port. If you have any questions, please contact us for more information. The remaining 80% will be payable on the first day of your tour in St. Petersburg.

We accept two types of credit cards: Visa and Master card. We do not charge any extra fees for using credit cards. Please be aware that your total will be charged in Russian rubles. The amount will depend on the exchange rate on the day of your payment. Because of this, Visa/MasterCard Europe will most probably charge a conversion fee from Russian Rubles to the currency used at your bank. Additionally, please check to see if your credit card carries a foreign transaction fee (there are cards available that have no foreign transaction fees). Alla Tours does not charge any of the aforementioned fees - these fees are imposed by Visa/MasterCard Europe and/or your bank. "

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Hi Sherrybabe, Thanks for the offer but we are still undecided what to do. Really want to sail from Newcastle but we're dithering between Fire & Ice or the Baltics. June would suit us better for the Baltics but we are concerned as to how busy it will be due to the football in SPB. Really fancy Fire & Ice but the 2 day sea crossing worries me as I'm not a good sailor. What a dilemma! (I do realise how fortunate we are to have such a nice dilemma).

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Well yes, you do have a choice, but for me a Baltic Cruise has to be the best choice, you will certainly see a lot more and of course visit many more countries. We have done both and would recommend the Baltic first with the Norwegian Fjords coming a close second for that part of the world. St Petersburg can easily cope with football supporters and not all games are there.

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Hi Sherrybabe, Thanks for the offer but we are still undecided what to do. Really want to sail from Newcastle but we're dithering between Fire & Ice or the Baltics. June would suit us better for the Baltics but we are concerned as to how busy it will be due to the football in SPB. Really fancy Fire & Ice but the 2 day sea crossing worries me as I'm not a good sailor. What a dilemma! (I do realise how fortunate we are to have such a nice dilemma).

We will be on the June/July Baltic cruise and I think that the football fans will not really impact the tours as they seem so well organized. It only dawned on me after booking that the world cup was in the same area. I am also looking forward to visiting Tallinn.

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Somehow I cannot see soccer fans visiting Peterhoff Palace & Gardens or for that matter Catherine's Palace/Amber Room. They are not walkable from the centre of the city.

You will have a wonderful time, we certainly did.

Happy to help with any other queries you may have, we had lots before we did the cruise.

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  • 5 months later...
Just thinking about a Baltic cruise next year but have a few queries.. we prefer DIY trips and don't like to be on coaches for a long time.

St Petersburg - will possibly do the Alla tour but looks as though there are plenty of stops

Gothenburg - has anyone visited this port, any ideas what to do there?

Kalundburg - really don't want to travel all the way to Copenhagen, is there anything to do in the region?

Any other tips for this region? Many thanks

 

The ship is now docking at Copenhagen which is great news :p:p

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