Baltic Treasures Info for Independents

[roothy123]

This morning Hubby and I sat and enjoyed your photos...great photos, and looks like you were very lucky with the weather...I'm hoping for the same. Looked at weather in St Petersburg the other day 41F at 0800...gunna pack gloves and little earmuffs! Then I expect we'll de-layer as we go through day, and layer up again!

I've just printed off all the info you so kindly posted. Again, many thanks.

Less than 2 weeks till we fly to Stockholm, and 2 weeks tomorrow we board Nautica! So exciting!

 

Yes, I think we were very lucky with the weather. There were several days that, even in mid to late August, we thought we'd look and feel stupid without long pants and shirts. However, that wasn't the case. We also found that the weather could change from early in the day to later in the afternoon (or occasionally the other way around). A few days started out quite cloudy but cleared up, including one day that went from quite brisk at 9AM (and windy by the ship; that was Helsinki) to bright blue sky and perfect by early afternoon. Layering was the trick -although by now perhaps it is less important and more reliably on the cool side.

 

In St.Petersburg, most places aren't air conditioned, and you may be standing waiting with tons of other people, even if you're on an excursion or tour with early admission. Therefore, I would NOT suggest wearing anything too warm, even now. You also can't take water in some places (Hermitage in particular, as a mad Lithuanian threw acid on a painting and water has been banned ever since!!) so that's something else to consider.

 

In Stockholm (and forgive me if I've mentioned this before) you might want to try to look at one of the subway stations. The cavish ceilings/walls of several are very colorful, with rainbow stripes or special paint, plus art work, etc. While SP's subway was interesting, it sounds like Stockholm's is even better - at least if you like color as I do!

 

Have a good trip!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Just got off the Nautica today, we followed Roothy, or the Marina followed us.

 

Be prepared for all weather. We had low 70's, high 60's, occaisional sun, occaisional sprinkles, or sudden showers. We carried rain jackets and umbrellas daily. Big downpour one morning at St. Pete.

 

Worse, the rain and sea was so rough that Visby and Amsterdam got cancelled cause the ship could not get into port. Visby was a tender, most folks didn't mind a sudden sea day after a week of intensive tours. But Amsterday day 8/30/12 was terrible rain and seas. Captain went straight to Bruges. Sun in Bruges all the next day.

[mickieandlee]

[colorRoothy123, =Blue][/color]

If you love river cruising and you want to see Portugal, think about The Duoro river cruise. We went 2 years ago and loved it! We were on Uniworld and they were wonderful.

PS. We too, recently got back from Baltic Treasures on Marina Aug. 1 thru 11, 2012.

[dramktg]

I know it's late in the season, and Baltic cruises are winding down. However, I just returned from O's Baltic Treasures on Marina, and know that Marina is now doing a Stockholm to Copenhagen cruise. Nautica was also out there, too. (Boy, was I jealous when I saw her docked right next to the market area in Helsinki - SWEET!)

 

Anyway, I just got back last night, and if anyone has any questions, I'd be glad to try to answer them, especially if they pertain to independent travel. We didn't do the ship's excursions (too expensive, although I hear they were pretty good - and I know there were a couple times I wished I had taken one - almost got lost a couple times!!) We had an absolutely fabulous time.

 

I guess the biggest tip I can give is for the St. Petersburg stop. Practically the whole ship goes off the ship the first morning - most on O excursions, but some on tours like SPB or Alla, etc. (I didn't hear of anyone who had gotten a visa and DIYd it.) If you're to meet your indy tour group at a certain time, especially on 1st day, be sure to leave plenty of time to get through ship's checkout and Russian immigration. We left at 8:00 on the nose and barely made it out of the terminal by 8:30. Some of the tours were being dispatched, plus all the indy people were lined up, and there was a long line of people trying to get off the ship at the same time. Then there is the Russian passport process, which takes 15-20 minutes because there are so many people coming at once. If you're taking an O-arranged excursion, just follow their instructions; if Alla or Denrus, SPB, etc., allow 45 minutes the first day to meet your group and/or line up no later than 7:45. On the second day, things are much better.

 

O will give you great info on the process in SP (yes, it's involved) but you may not be prepared for the long lines that will form at 8AM (or whenever you dock). Also, be prepared for big crowds at Catherine's Palace, and other top places - very crowded (and worse when they open the doors for the public), no AC, etc. - but it's worth it. Just dress lightly and try not to take big camera bags.

 

Oceania just keeps getting better and better - we loved it, and loved each port. It was an exhausting itinerary, however, if you're like me and want to see it all! Whew! I think I changed my watch 5 or 6 times, too, which didn't help. Get ready to take your passport or picture ID with you a lot. O provided a number of shuttles, which was helpful, and always had a tourist rep come on board for the indy guests. You can get euros at the Reception desk for a 5% fee; think they had Swedish and Danish kroner as well. You'll get a sheet with port agent for every port - take that everywhere, and/or take a copy of Currents each day you go out. In Latvia, a bank rep came on board to sell us lats, and he actually took them back at the end of the day, too - coins, included! That was a first for us....

 

Enjoy!

Hello Roothy, Thanks for the info in your post. We will be on Marina in August with a 3 day stopover in St-Petersburg. One issue we have to address is in obtaining the visa. If we are visiting on our own, I gather it is required. With Alla Tours, is the visa required or do they offer a blanket visa if you are booked on our tours? Are you aware of individuals being refused entry wanting to go on their own?

Best regards,

[CintiPam]

Hello Roothy, Thanks for the info in your post. We will be on Marina in August with a 3 day stopover in St-Petersburg. One issue we have to address is in obtaining the visa. If we are visiting on our own, I gather it is required. With Alla Tours, is the visa required or do they offer a blanket visa if you are booked on our tours? Are you aware of individuals being refused entry wanting to go on their own?

Best regards,

 

You are not required to obtain a visa if you travel with a Russian-licensed tour company, like Alla Tours, who will issue you a document bu email (that many refer to as a "blanket visa") that you will hand to the immigration authorities together with your passport. That is because there is a special exemption under Russian law for up to 72-hour shore excursion visits with licensed operators. If you try to go out on your own without a visa, you will not make it past the Russian immigration booths located right at the dock. Russian authorities are serious about proper documentation and particularly this year I would not take any chances! :)

Edited April 23, 2014 by CintiPam

[roothy123]

Yes, it is just as stated above - no visa needed - just don't forget to bring the document Alla or other licensed tour guide provides you pre-trip, along with your passport, when leaving the ship! Enjoy!

Edited April 23, 2014 by roothy123

[JimandStan]

Yes, it is just as stated above - no visa needed - just don't forget to bring the document Alla or other licensed tour guide provides you pre-trip, along with your passport, when leaving the ship! Enjoy!

 

Be careful how you say it, Roothy, because the Blanket Visa is needed at a bare minimum.

 

Russia is not, and never has been, a place where one may get off of the ship and explore independently unless you hold a private Visa.

The Blanket Visa will do, as long as one is content to continuously stay with the Tour Guide who obtains it for you.

[roothy123]

Be careful how you say it, Roothy, because the Blanket Visa is needed at a bare minimum.

 

Russia is not, and never has been, a place where one may get off of the ship and explore independently unless you hold a private Visa.

The Blanket Visa will do, as long as one is content to continuously stay with the Tour Guide who obtains it for you.

 

Well, that seemed clear to me, as I only mentioned touring with a licensed tour guide, although I guess from a technical standpoint perhaps it could be misconstrued!

 

For the original poster: As to your question pertaining to independent travel, I see I never answered that. I didn't talk to a single person who went out on his or her own, so I don't know how they fared! However, if you're thinking of doing that, I wouldn't wait too long to get a visa. I don't think it's a really quick process!

Edited April 23, 2014 by roothy123

[Paulchili]

However, if you're thinking of doing that, I wouldn't wait too long to get a visa. I don't think it's a really quick process!

 

 

It is a fairly lengthy and complicated process, requiring letters of invitations, etc, etc.

Don't even think about touring SPB on your own unless you are fluent in Russian.

It would probably turn out to be a very complicated, inefficient and frustrating experience as SPG is not exactly Paris or London (as far as individual tourism is concerened).

[corpkid]

Check out my review (we LOVED LOVED LOVED our Baltics cruise last year on Marina)... http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=227897

 

Also, when in Copenhagen, be sure to check out Tivoli Gardens at night (and have dinner somewhere there). It's pretty magical. ENJOY!

[roothy123]

It is a fairly lengthy and complicated process, requiring letters of invitations, etc, etc.

Don't even think about touring SPB on your own unless you are fluent in Russian.

It would probably turn out to be a very complicated, inefficient and frustrating experience as SPG is not exactly Paris or London (as far as individual tourism is concerened).

 

Yeah, I'm awfully independent, but I figured I wouldn't even be able to figure out how to get into center city, let alone how to read street and metro signs once I got there. There was no way I was going to tackle a city in Russia on my own. I did, however, speak to our waiter at dinner, and he surprised me by saying that he went into the city that day. Of course, he was not a 60 year old American who speaks no language close to Russian - and he had obviously been to SP before.

 

While in the parking lot outside Catherine's Palace, our group ran into a woman who had gotten separated from her shorex group while she popped into the restroom. She was outside looking for her tour bus (which is hard enough in ANY large city!) and was really panicking. She hadn't taken the port agent's number that cruise ships give you if you have problems. She also had no clue where the ship was docked. (Neither did I, for that matter!) Alla's driver contacted Oceania to let them know she was having problems. I can imagine the terror she must have been feeling up until that point - and she wasn't even traveling independently, she was on a shore excursion! Nope, won't be any Russian visa for me if I ever get back to Russia!

Edited April 24, 2014 by roothy123

[corpkid]

Yeah, I'm awfully independent, but I figured I wouldn't even be able to figure out how to get into center city, let alone how to read street and metro signs once I got there. There was no way I was going to tackle a city in Russia on my own. I did, however, speak to our waiter at dinner, and he surprised me by saying that he went into the city that day. Of course, he was not a 60 year old American who speaks no language close to Russian - and he had obviously been to SP before.

 

While in the parking lot outside Catherine's Palace, our group ran into a woman who had gotten separated from her shorex group while she popped into the restroom. She was outside looking for her tour bus (which is hard enough in ANY large city!) and was really panicking. She hadn't taken the port agent's number that cruise ships give you if you have problems. She also had no clue where the ship was docked. (Neither did I, for that matter!) Alla's driver contacted Oceania to let them know she was having problems. I can imagine the terror she must have been feeling up until that point - and she wasn't even traveling independently, she was on a shore excursion! Nope, won't be any Russian visa for me if I ever get back to Russia!

 

Felt the same way. We got separated on the Moscow Subway during Rush hour. Freaking insane! We finally all figure out to get out and look for each other at the 3 exits to our stop. We HAD to be on plane in a hurry back to SPB (again, not a very friendly experience on Aeroflat)... This is NOT the place for lone adventure. Not dangerous per se, but completely confusing and disorienting. I've travelled Rio, Tokyo, etc. on my own, but NEVER would do that in Russia. NOTHING is in English, and most are pretty cold/dismissive to tourists.

[dramktg]

Many thanks Roothy and the others for the quick and comprehensive reply. Yes, obtaining a visa from the Russian consulate in Canada takes at least 20 some days, if everything goes right. The Alla Tours proposed are what we probably would have done on our own anyway taking on a private guide on occasion. And since Canada & Russia are playing the "you expel one of my diplomats, I expel one of yours" these days, going with a group would probably be the best solution.

Thanks again for your input and all of the posted comments and photos.

Best regards,

Michel

[Paulchili]

Michel,

FWIW we used Alla's tours on 2 different occasions in SPB and were very well satisfied with the entire experience each time. This was some time ago (2006 and 2008?) but I hope her standards are maintained.

She was also willing to write us an invitation letter for our visa when we went to Moscow on our own and didn't actually use her agency for touring in Moscow - I guess it was a "good will" gesture on her part as we used them twice before.

I hope that you will enjoy SPB as much as we did - Bon voyage.

Paul

Edited April 24, 2014 by Paulchili