St Petersburg

Did anyone that took a tour from SPBor Alla have any trouble getting off the ship to meet the tour group?

I know they are strict there!

Thanks

Did anyone that took a tour from SPBor Alla have any trouble getting off the ship to meet the tour group?

I know they are strict there!

Thanks

Hi parksey

This topic has been discussed on some of the other boards at great length and you can probably do a search to see what others have experienced during the disembarkation process in SPB. I can share with you my parents experience when they visited in 9/2012 but I also believe that experiences with this issue may vary from ship to ship. They sailed on RCI on the Brilliance and had arranged a tour with Alla. They received information in their cabin that if they did not have a Visa, they would need to sign up for a ship excursion in order to get off the ship. My mother became very concerned and contacted the front desk and was told that since she was booked with Alla, she would be allowed to disembark with no problem. She did not mention some of the other issues that I have read about on other posts how scare tactics are used to get passengers to sign up for ship tours. She said that once she mentioned she had a tour with Alla, the customer service rep said right away that she was fine! BTW, she took the Comfort Tour and said it was amazing. I will be sailing on the Brilliance in May mirroring my parents itinerary and based on her experience with Alla, we have booked the same tour. Hoping this helps settle some of your concerns. Enjoy your cruise.

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Thre'll be no problem with immigration.

You'll need your passport & a printed copy of your tour ticket.

You'll also need a little immigration card, like those distributed on aircraft. These are given to those on ship-sponsored tours but are freely available from ship's reception for anyone else. Complete it (basic passport info) before you disembark, to avoid any delay.

Some cruise lines (Princess :mad: seem to be the major culprit) tell those on private tours to meet at a given time in a given place, such as a bar. This is a pathetic ploy to engineer those on private tours to the back of the line for immigration. They have no right to control the immigration line - ignore such instructions, instead wait (preferably with others on your tour) at a convenient place until the ship has been cleared for disembarkation then immediately head for the gangplank. Not sure a cruise ship has gone to such lengths, but if you're asked to step to one side at the gangplank to allow ship tours past - politely decline & respond that your tour guide is waiting for you. Prospects are that you'll be through immigration & away even before a ship's tour group has disembarked.

Most cruise lines don't employ these tactics. No problem, for instance, with RCI or P&O or Celebrity.

We asked Alla for names & cabin numbers of others on our tour, which she kindly gave us. We arranged a congenial & useful little get-together a few days ahead of St Petersburg, and also met up aboard to go ashore mob-handed.

JB :)

Did anyone that took a tour from SPBor Alla have any trouble getting off the ship to meet the tour group?

I know they are strict there!

Thanks

We also no problem getting off our NCL ship. We had the same concerns as you. Like John, we assembled our Alla group ahead of time, met in our agreed upon spot and all headed to the gangplank as soon as the ship cleared. We ignored all announcements by the ship as to where to meet, etc. No one from the ship asked to see anything other than our ship cards & passports as we disembarked.

BTW, on the NCL Sun, our immigration cards were delivered to our cabins the night before our arrival in Saint Petersburg.

jill

Thank you all for your info!!!!!!!!

In 2010 we had no problem getting off our Princess ship. There were 19 in our Alla tour group. We met at one of the dinning rooms and received numbered tickets. Almost immediately our number was called and we left together. We were off the ship, through immigration and met our tour guide in no time. If I remember correctly we were to meet her at 7:30am. No long lines of ship's tours people. No problem at all. The second day we met up again and just walked off, going easily through immigration.

Hope this helps.

<<<Karen>>>

I didn't realise that immigration card was required. From my last 2 cruises to St Petersburg, I joined the ship's excursions and did not have to complete any immigration card. Recently I contacted several private tour companies to arrange private excursions for another cruise this summer, none of them mentioned about immigration card. Only passport and a copy of the private tour confirmation required.

I confirmed with my parents who were on RCI Brilliance sailing in September/2012 that they had to complete an immigration form (provided by RCI) to present to immigration along with their tour tickets from Alla as well as their passports. I am assuming this applies to all cruise line passengers visiting SPB but maybe others can confirm. We will be visiting in June/2013 on RCI Brilliance as well.

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Hi Dolfans,

You assume correctly. All passengers must fill-out the migration card and present it to the officer as they pass through immigration. As previously mentioned, they are similar to airline landing cards

The migration cards look like this:

Thank you for clarifying this information for us,dogs4fun and for posting the image of the form as well. If I can bother you for one more thing while I have you, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. I noticed from some of your other postings around this forum that you used Alla for your tour guide in SPB. We have confirmed the Comfort Tour with her for our upcoming visit in June and I would love to hear on how your experience was with the tour and if we should do anything special to prepare for the sites we will be visiting. Thank you for your time.

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Thank you for clarifying this information for us,dogs4fun and for posting the image of the form as well. If I can bother you for one more thing while I have you, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. I noticed from some of your other postings around this forum that you used Alla for your tour guide in SPB. We have confirmed the Comfort Tour with her for our upcoming visit in June and I would love to hear on how your experience was with the tour and if we should do anything special to prepare for the sites we will be visiting. Thank you for your time.

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Hi Dolfans,

Like me, it appears that you are an obsessive planner.:) You probably have already thoroughly researched all of your ports of call.

I would be happy to share any information that I have regarding our tours with Alla. They really were special. I intend on returning to Russia again in 2014 (land trip) for more indepth exploration.

Why don't you email me?

My email link is included in my signature.

jill

It would also be interesting to see how Alla compared with your fellow cruisers who took SPB company tours. We are interested in that company also. as it also got great reviews!

It would also be interesting to see how Alla compared with your fellow cruisers who took SPB company tours. We are interested in that company also. as it also got great reviews!

Hi paksey,

Yes, they do indeed get good reviews. I cannot speak to their tours as I have only toured with Alla. I did, however, contact SPB when initially choosing a tour provider. Alla was a better "fit" for us. I don't think you can "miss" if you book any of the more popular companies ... I suspect they are all quite good. :)

jill

Hi Dolfans,

Like me, it appears that you are an obsessive planner.:) You probably have already thoroughly researched all of your ports of call.

I would be happy to share any information that I have regarding our tours with Alla. They really were special. I intend on returning to Russia again in 2014 (land trip) for more indepth exploration.

Why don't you email me?

My email link is included in my signature.

jill

Thank you, Jill, for inviting me to email you to get more detailed information on your experience in SPB. I greatly appreciate your kind offer to share. I will be contacting you soon.

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

It would also be interesting to see how Alla compared with your fellow cruisers who took SPB company tours. We are interested in that company also. as it also got great reviews!

We used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg and we were so thrilled with them, we jsut cannot say more good things about them. Viktoria, the owner, is such a joy to deal with, answered all our questions the very next day and made us feel as if we would be with people who really cared if we had the best time in St Petersburg.

Like Dogs4Fun, we contacted many of the other tour groups,, Denrus, Alla, Red October, and none of them even came close to the replies and the service we received from SBP Tours.

An example, we booked their Baltic Pearl package which is pretty much set as to where you go and what you see. We were also interested in seeing the Grand Choral Synagogue. I mentioned this to Viktoria and the very next day it was included in our package.

The choice is yours, and whichever company you choose, you will have a great time. We just value customer service over saving a few dollars, and we were completely satisfied with our tour and SPB Tours.

If you, or anyone wants to contact me thru email about anything to do with our tour, or any other questions, let me know and I'll give it to you.

Cheers

Len

Hi Dolfans,

Like me, it appears that you are an obsessive planner.:) You probably have already thoroughly researched all of your ports of call.

I would be happy to share any information that I have regarding our tours with Alla. They really were special. I intend on returning to Russia again in 2014 (land trip) for more indepth exploration.

Why don't you email me?

My email link is included in my signature.

jill

Very much an "obsessive planner" and now since I have the Tapatalk app, an "obsessive poster" as well! My posts have tripled since getting this app!

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

We used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg and we were so thrilled with them, we jsut cannot say more good things about them. Viktoria, the owner, is such a joy to deal with, answered all our questions the very next day and made us feel as if we would be with people who really cared if we had the best time in St Petersburg.

Like Dogs4Fun, we contacted many of the other tour groups,, Denrus, Alla, Red October, and none of them even came close to the replies and the service we received from SBP Tours.

An example, we booked their Baltic Pearl package which is pretty much set as to where you go and what you see. We were also interested in seeing the Grand Choral Synagogue. I mentioned this to Viktoria and the very next day it was included in our package.

The choice is yours, and whichever company you choose, you will have a great time. We just value customer service over saving a few dollars, and we were completely satisfied with our tour and SPB Tours.

If you, or anyone wants to contact me thru email about anything to do with our tour, or any other questions, let me know and I'll give it to you.

 

Cheers

Len

All great points, Len! I hold the same convictions towards Alla...excellent customer service, prompt responses and very accommodating to special needs. This is what makes these boards so great! We each have the freedom to voice our own opinions in an honest and respectable manner. We truly are a "Democracy"! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Very much an "obsessive planner" and now since I have the Tapatalk app, an "obsessive poster" as well! My posts have tripled since getting this app!

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Hi

Unlike you and Jill, I'm not an obsessive planner, just a planner :) but in case it helps with your research here's a video review of my 2010 Baltic cruise http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com....php?t=1666677 which features my St P experiences at the beginning. Have a wonderful trip, Tony

Tony's videos are excellent! Since I don't use a video camera on my trips, I have the link to all of Tony's videos on my favorites toolbar & show them to friends and family when they ask about a place I have visited. :D

Hi

Unlike you and Jill, I'm not an obsessive planner, just a planner :) but in case it helps with your research here's a video review of my 2010 Baltic cruise http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com....php?t=1666677 which features my St P experiences at the beginning. Have a wonderful trip, Tony

Thank you so much, Tony, for sharing your journey with us. I have thus far read through your reviews and I am amazed on how you managed to put together such a detailed account of your trip! I can hardly wait to see the videos over the weekend that you have so thoughtfully included in your reviews. Thanks again for sharing your memories! :)

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Thank you Dolfans and Dogs4fun for confirming that immigration card is required for entry into St Petersburg. This got me worried, as I read from a thread in April 2012 about a cruise line refusing to give out immigration cards to passengers who did not book the cruise's own excursions! I am sure this is another tactic of cruise lines trying to prevent independent tours in St Petersburg.

Thank you Dolfans and Dogs4fun for confirming that immigration card is required for entry into St Petersburg. This got me worried, as I read from a thread in April 2012 about a cruise line refusing to give out immigration cards to passengers who did not book the cruise's own excursions! I am sure this is another tactic of cruise lines trying to prevent independent tours in St Petersburg.

I completely understand your concerns in reading through several posts on these boards as well detailing the different "scare tactics" that some cruise lines use to "bully" those who did not opt for their overpriced tours. It is best to be prepared and know ahead of time what documents you will need to present to immigration to avoid delays during the disembarkation process. I also read that if for some reason you do not receive these cards in your cabin, go to guest services to pick them up or ask your room steward to get them for you. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your cruise!

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Thank you for clarifying this information for us,dogs4fun and for posting the image of the form as well. If I can bother you for one more thing while I have you, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts. I noticed from some of your other postings around this forum that you used Alla for your tour guide in SPB. We have confirmed the Comfort Tour with her for our upcoming visit in June and I would love to hear on how your experience was with the tour and if we should do anything special to prepare for the sites we will be visiting. Thank you for your time.

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

We are preparing by reading about the Russian tzars. Catherine the Great by Robert Massie has been especially useful--as are all his books!

We are preparing by reading about the Russian tzars. Catherine the Great by Robert Massie has been especially useful--as are all his books!

Excellent suggestion! Can you recommend in what order I should read his series or does it matter? I think he wrote several books on the Russian tzars. Thanks.

Dolfans from Miami

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Excellent suggestion! Can you recommend in what order I should read his series or does it matter? I think he wrote several books on the Russian tzars. Thanks.

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

Some excellent reads, IMHO:

Natasha’s Dance by Orlando Figes

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie

Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia by Suzanne Massie

Also, great overview re Russian history from the 2 DVD set:

Russia Land of the Tsars (History Channel)

:)

jill