Do you need a visa for St Petersburg if doing a private tour?

[Scrapchick]

There is a thread on the HAL about this and someone who answered swears that you MUST get a visa ahead of time unless you are going on a ship's tour.

 

If you are taking a private group tour organized by someone on your roll call, do you need to get a visa before getting on the cruise or not??? I have seen tour web site which say it is not necessary if you are with an approved tour company and are in Russia for less than 72 hours.

 

So which is it?!

[johnlcd]

To set your mind at rest you only need a personal visa if you wish to travel ashore independently. If you are taking an organised tour, whether it be with your shipping line or an official Russian private tour company you will be included in a group visa held by the tour company and your guide. Therefore you must stay with your tour group at all times, but you will not need to obtain a personal visa.

John Lawrence

[Scrapchick]

Thank you. That was my understanding. I wish people would not post information they swear to be true, when it is not... it causes a lot of confusion and panic which is not necessary!

[Giantfan13]

Thank you. That was my understanding. I wish people would not post information they swear to be true, when it is not... it causes a lot of confusion and panic which is not necessary!

 

Scrapchick

 

The info you just got from John, is absolutely correct. As long as you are booked with some one, either the ship or private tour, OR get your own Visas, you will be allowed into St Petersburg. If you book privately, some time before you leave, they will ask you for your passport info. You will email that to them so they can set up your temporary visa.

When we did this, I was a bit hesitant about emailing such an important piece of info, but I came here and asked about it, and like I'm telling you now, everyone said it is perfectly safe, and that is the only way you can go on that tour.

 

If anyone posted something different on another site, then they are making up a story, do not have a clue as to waht is really going on, or posting things just to see themselves in print. This is where you will get any and all info you may need for your Baltic cruise.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Shelledpea]

From Cruisecritics own page on Cruising in Europe:

Plan Ahead for St. Petersburg: Making that once-in-a-lifetime trek to St. Petersburg and want to explore the city independently? Beware of the visa issue. Russia requires U.S. citizens to obtain a visa in order to wander the streets (an exception applies to those booked on ship-sponsored excursions or through independent tour operators with the appropriate registration), and you must obtain it in advance of your trip (you will not be allowed off the dock without it). The cruise line has little incentive to help passengers on this issue because, of course, they profit much more if travelers buy their shore excursions -- and, perversely, the cruise lines usually supply the forms with your travel documents, which often arrive fairly close to your departure date.

 

The cost of a visa ranges from $131 to $300 (depending on whether your turnaround time is two weeks or overnight), and it must be obtained from the Russian embassy or a Russian consulate. You might also consider a visa service, such as Zierer. There is an extra fee, but in this case the fee may well be worth it because the qualifications are very exacting. You will need to submit two passport photos. For more info: www.visittorussia.com.

 

Independent tour operators with the appropriate registration can provide customers with an "invitation" (also known as sponsorship) if you book in advance (allow at least two weeks). We tried that on our last visit and had a wonderful experience with Red October (www.redoctober.us), one of St. Petersburg's best-known tour companies. For more info: What to Expect: An Independent Traveler's St. Petersburg.

[mtnmommy]

My family is sailing on HAL Eurodam on the Baltic cruise on May 29. I received a letter from HAL regarding Russian visas and found it rather confusing. It read like your only options are taking a HAL excursion or getting your own visa. I love HAL and have cruised with them for years, but I understand how this letter may confuse people.

 

I am so grateful to Cruise Critic posters for all their valuable information. Without your advice, I would never have known to explore the private tour option. With a party of six, including two seniors and two young children, a private tour makes good sense for us, and I'm investigating several major operators. I know people had trouble getting off ships to meet their tours last year, and I hope all will go smoothly for us. As chief logistical planner for our family's once-in-a-lifetime, intergenerational cruise, I am feeling the pressure! I greatly appreciate any and all reassurance!

[Giantfan13]

My family is sailing on HAL Eurodam on the Baltic cruise on May 29. I received a letter from HAL regarding Russian visas and found it rather confusing. It read like your only options are taking a HAL excursion or getting your own visa. I love HAL and have cruised with them for years, but I understand how this letter may confuse people.

 

I am so grateful to Cruise Critic posters for all their valuable information. Without your advice, I would never have known to explore the private tour option. With a party of six, including two seniors and two young children, a private tour makes good sense for us, and I'm investigating several major operators. I know people had trouble getting off ships to meet their tours last year, and I hope all will go smoothly for us. As chief logistical planner for our family's once-in-a-lifetime, intergenerational cruise, I am feeling the pressure! I greatly appreciate any and all reassurance!

 

If memory hold, and most times it doesn't, but I believe HAL and RCCL were the worst offenders about giving passengers a hard time about those private excursions??? That even carried right thru the entire season. Other cruise lines like NCL never had a problem if you were a ship's excursion, or private one. Nothing was even mentioned about it

All I know is that certain crusie lines really tried to put the fear of God into those people that booked private tours.

Don't worry though, when you book your private tour, they will give you exact instructions as to what to do when it is time to disembark the ship in St Petersburg. Just do NOT let any of the ship's personnel bully you into thinking you must do it their way. Sorry, but that is NOT the case.

 

Let's just hope this cruising season offers better stories from returning passengers.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[MercedMike]

If memory hold, and most times it doesn't, but I believe HAL and RCCL were the worst offenders about giving passengers a hard time about those private excursions??? That even carried right thru the entire season.

 

Our experience with Princess was that they are terribly offensive about this one. Their pre cruise letters were downright LIES, and even on board the ship the same crappy information was being passed out. We had a special Cruise Critic meeting, hosted by a Cruise Staff Member, and even she tried to tell us the same old lie two days before arriving in St P. The ship kept up the farce in the Patter until the actual day of arrival!

 

Now, once actually in St P, the story changed. They had a departure lounge for people on ship's tours and another for those in independent tours, and just as at a tender port they alternated calling from each lounge so the actual disembarkation, DESPITE ALL THEIR DIRE WARNINGS RIGHT UP TO THE DAY BEFORE, was very easy and efficient.

 

I don't know why the cruise lines try to keep up these tired old lies, even lying to CC members who know better!

[sbhdmh]

I think MSC beats them all. They not only printed it in the daily program but were continuing to announce over the loudspeaker that morning that only those on ship's excursions or with a visa in their passports would be allowed to go ashore. They even had the exits roped closed and guarded by uniformed security personnel. Our group had to lie and cheat to get off the ship. (Fortunately some members of our group had saved stickers, etc from excursions that they had done in previous ports.) Imagine trying to explain to a 4 year old why mommy and all the other adults were lying about what we were doing. Stressful, inappropriate and a terrible example to be set.

 

By the way Len as I recall NCL was an offender early in the summer but cleaned up their act once the complaints started going public...

[TLCOhio]

I think MSC beats them all. They not only printed it in the daily program but were continuing to announce over the loudspeaker that morning that only those on ship's excursions or with a visa in their passports would be allowed to go ashore. They even had the exits roped closed and guarded by uniformed security personnel. Our group had to lie and cheat to get off the ship. (Fortunately some members of our group had saved stickers, etc from excursions that they had done in previous ports.) Imagine trying to explain to a 4 year old why mommy and all the other adults were lying about what we were doing. Stressful, inappropriate and a terrible example to be set. By the way Len as I recall NCL was an offender early in the summer but cleaned up their act once the complaints started going public...

 

On Crystal in late July 2008, we had no problems in any way. No threats. No hassles getting off, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Scrapchick]

The whole thing is ridiculous..... We went to St P 15 years ago and the same stuff was going on then, only people didn't have the internet or cruise critic to source information from. It is about time the cruise lines stopped lying about this and deliberately misleading people.

 

Thanks for the great post and for confirming what I thought was the case. This place is a GREAT place to get the facts.

[Giantfan13]

I think MSC beats them all. They not only printed it in the daily program but were continuing to announce over the loudspeaker that morning that only those on ship's excursions or with a visa in their passports would be allowed to go ashore. They even had the exits roped closed and guarded by uniformed security personnel. Our group had to lie and cheat to get off the ship. (Fortunately some members of our group had saved stickers, etc from excursions that they had done in previous ports.) Imagine trying to explain to a 4 year old why mommy and all the other adults were lying about what we were doing. Stressful, inappropriate and a terrible example to be set.

 

By the way Len as I recall NCL was an offender early in the summer but cleaned up their act once the complaints started going public...

 

Could be. We really read some real horror stories. If NCL was part of that, at least they smartened up. We could not believe how easy it was to get off the ship and thru Russian immigration.

 

BTW Russian immigration was a big part in the delay. I remember reading how they only had 2,3 and sometimes 4 people working trying to process 2000 people all trying to get off the ship at one time.

By the time we went, mid August, they had at least 10 lines open for immigration and it was a breeze.

 

Cheers

 

Len