Port or Starboard for Baltic cruise

[pmymmw]

Hi,

 

We are planning to do the Baltic cruise on Constellation next year (03 Jun) and were wondering which side of the ship was better. Does one side offer better views while sailing into the ports over the other?

 

Thanks

[Princess Di]

There are two kinds of cruises, where the foreign tourists normally participate, and which arrive in St. Petersburg, either the ocean cruises or the river cruises. Both cruises have their own port areas. All river cruises dock in just one permanent location in the city, however, the ocean cruises can use four different locations. Your cruise lines always know their docking locations in the beginning of the sailing season, and they should be able to tell that information to you if you'd ask. No tenders are normally used in St. Petersburg.

 

THE OCEAN CRUISES

 

The Ocean Cruises are always international cruise lines cruising the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, and calling in St. Petersburg. They all appreciate the wealth of history and the arts and the sights St. Petersburg has to offer, and they normally stay for 1-3 days allowing to their passengers ample time to explore the city.

 

These cruise ships usually dock in four different areas of the city, which are all located in different parts of the city, as well as quite a distance from each other.

 

The English Embankments

 

If you find out that your ship will be docking at the Neva River Embankment or other names may be used, e.g. The English Embankment, on the River Neva, or just downtown, you should consider yourself lucky, since your ship will be located literally in the heart of the city. (See the map.) You will be within the walking distance from the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum, from the Nevskij Prospekt and the entire downtown area. The distance to the Palace Square and to the beginning point of Nevskij Prospekt is about 1,6 kilometers, or 1 mile, straight along the river embankment street, which is one of the most picturesque walks in the city.

 

The view from your cabin (normally port side) should be to the old embankment street running along the wide river, where you will be viewing the old mansions and palaces of the rich Russians, built about 200-250 years ago. Or if your cabin will be facing the other side, then you'll have a panoramic view of the River Neva and the Vasiliev Island with similar mansions and buildings. You'll see the bridge to your right, and if you are on a high enough deck, then you'll see the Menshikov's Palace (he was a close friend of Peter the Great and the first governor of the City), as well as the University Campus.

 

The Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment

 

Your ship could also dock exactly across the river from the English Embankment, as described above, and that area is called the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment. This is already part of another region of the city, called the Vasiliev Island. Even then you can still consider your location to be not far from the downtown, but the walking required may be at the maximum tolerable distance, since you must now cross the bridges. The distance to the Palace Square will be about 3 kilometres, or less than 2 miles.

 

The walking required from your ship's gangway to the immigration could also add quite a distance along a narrow pier, until the passengers will arrive in a small floating hut, which serves as the checkpoint. After you have cleared the formalities you will feel like being right in the city.

 

Since you are in the center of the city all the services are right around you including the sights, restaurants, shopping, banks, telephones and taxi. The only sad thing is that only limited number of ships get the privilege to dock in the above mentioned areas, and normally these ships are smaller in size.

 

If you know that your ship will be staying in either one of the above location, it is sincerely recommended that you would obtain a Russian visa, since you will feel like being accommodated in one of the downtown hotels, and you will definitely have a normal desire to explore the city also on your own during your free time. If you wish to obtain it, Red October or DenRus can help you with your application. If you do not have a visa, you can only disembark as a member of your ship's shore excursion group, or under your own private arrangements with a local licensed guide, which Red October or DenRus can provide for you.

 

The Marine Terminal on the Vasiliev Island

 

This is the official, seriously outdated, passenger port terminal of St. Petersburg. It is located at the tip of the Vasiliev Island at the mouth of the River Neva, further away from the city towards the sea from the two above mentioned ports. The view from your cabin can be either the residential buildings of the Vasiliev Island, or the shipyards across the river. Somewhere in the distance you might see some domes of the Russian Orthodox Churches. It is neither the downtown of St. Petersburg, nor is it the downtown area of the Vasiliev Island district. Inside the terminal there are just restrooms, a small cafe, a gift shop and a hotel.

 

Again – depending on the exact location of your ship you may be required to walk long distances along a narrow pier until you reach the immigration and customs inspection point, which is located in the terminal. In front of the terminal there is a large parking lot where a taxi can be found.

 

Around the terminal there are residential buildings and the Expo Center, but the streets are quiet with no basic services around, no shops with attractive display windows or active shopping. There are a few restaurants and some fast food places in the area, even a popular nightclub. However, when you step out from the terminal building and hit the streets the basic feeling is that you have arrived in a very quiet part of the town. (See the map.) Public transportation runs on the street in front of the terminal parking lot. The distance to the beginning of the Nevskij Prospect and the Palace Square is almost 5 kilometers, about 4 miles.

 

Again a reminder, a Russian visa will be required if you wish to tour the city independently.

 

The Cargo Port of St. Petersburg

 

This is the huge port where all the biggest cruise ships dock (Princess Cruises, P&O, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean). It is totally built for the purpose of handling cargo and freight, however, it is used for the cruise ships and passengers because there are no other docks deep enough, nor other space large enough for them to park.

 

From your cabin windows or from the highest decks you can see far-far to the Gulf of Finland across some harbor area island, and if you view the actual port, you'll see other cruise ships near by, some old administration and other buildings of the port area, and endless, endless piles of different cargo and containers. The port is so far from the city that it can only be seen in a faraway horizon. The area is located in the western part of St. Petersburg, on a gated and tightly guarded island. In fact the area is double-triple guarded by the port's own guards, and by the Immigration officers.

 

The immigration and customs checkpoint is a miniature hut in front of your ship. Usually some walking is required before the passengers will reach the immigration. The only facilities available in some of the minute immigration houses are toilets, an international telephone, which requires a phone card, and a well-stocked gift shop, which is located only at the Pier Number 33. If you arrived in another pier you may walk to Pier 33 to do some last minute shopping.

 

After clearing the arrival inspection the passengers feel literally that they are in a cargo port. The docks around are crowded and full with high heaps of offloaded cargo and containers. All the shore excursion buses are lined up tightly and the excursion dispatchers are waiting for the passengers. Similarly the guides holding name signs are waiting for their independent passengers either inside or outside the immigration house. There are also taxis available, but they are known to overcharge their customers.

 

The distance from your ship first to the guarded gates of the port is about 3 kilometers, or 2 miles. This is not a scenic ride since it runs amidst cargo and harbor buildings. After clearing the gate the additional distance to the center of St. Petersburg is about 10 kilometers or 7 miles. In all, it takes about 25-30 minutes to drive from the port to downtown.

 

If you are planning to have independent touring in St. Petersburg, and wish to return to the ship for a lunch, you should take into consideration the roundtrip traveling time between the port and the city, which is a minimum of one hour, pending on what part of the city you are, plus the time needed for the lunch. You could use the same time more productively exploring the city on a well-planned excursions program and enjoying a quick bite on the road.

 

THE RIVER CRUISES

 

The river cruises are always domestic Russian cruises and never international cruises. Most of the cruises operate between Moscow and St. Petersburg making several roundtrip voyages during the season. They all dock in the River Cruise Terminal along the River Neva.

 

The River Cruise Terminal

 

Since all the river cruises are domestic operations all the passengers participating on these have Russian visas and they have cleared their arrival in the country normally at the airport they flew into. Accordingly, there are no immigration nor customs formalities upon your arrival in St. Petersburg, and the terminal is located deep inside the city, actually on the opposite side from the sea shore. It is still located along the River Neva, but several kilometers and miles up the stream towards the Lake Ladoga.

 

In reality there is no terminal building at all. All the river vessels are docked and tied even 3-4 abreast along the crowded pier, and in case your ship will be the outermost of the pack, you will have to walk through all the other ships between yours and the one nearest to the pier, in order to get to the land. Once in a while some ships which arrived earlier may be departing and the entire pack has to be released, they float freely on the river, until the departing ship has cleared the area, and then the remaining ones will be reshuffled and tied down again.

 

The area around the river port is both residential and industrial. It is not an attractive part of the city, but rather gloomy. A high rise Soviet built hotel stands across the street, but the place is not worth visiting. There are no attractive streets no picturesque walks, if you don't consider the wide river spreading on the other side of your ship. While your ship is staying in St. Petersburg, normally about three days, it is customary with the river cruise companies to include all the local excursions to the cost of the voyage, so you shouldn't miss any of these opportunities.

 

The only interesting sights within the walking distance are the Lomonosov Porcelain and China Museum, Factory and a Factory Outlet, which is located to the right from the area. The Lomonosov Porcelain Factory dates back to 1744 and is a great pride of Russia. You will be able to purchase items to be found nowhere else in the world. Also the museum is in fact a branch of the Hermitage Museum, and it is definitely worth visiting if you are interested in this kind of art form.

 

The other sight in the area is a small but unique Orthodox Church called Paskha and Kulitsa. Paskha is a traditional cheese-yoghourt-type, sweet Orthodox Easter dish, and Kulitsa is a sweet bread to be eaten with Paskha. Both of these are prepared into a special religious shape, the cheese has a pyramid shape, and the bread is supposed to be round and high cylinder looking. Both the church building, as well as the belfry both resemble these foods.

 

About 300 yards left of the port there is a metro station, from where you can catch an underground train downtown in just 10-15 minutes. The metro station is called Proletarskaya, and the 5th station, the Nevskij Prospekt, will be right in the center of the pulsating heart of the city. The token will cost you just 30 cents US.

[winewanderer]

Princess Di,

 

I've been reading several of your posts, you are a plethora of information. DH and I are thinking of a Baltic cruise next year and I love reading about the logistics of an area.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Princess Di]

I do love the research and learning about the history, culture, and architecture.

To answer the OP's question, I had asked previous visitors to SPb, as well as our Tour Operator how the Star Princess docks in SPb. Both replied the same. ;)

PORT SIDE views the wonderful facades of the palaces and government buildings. :cool:

You know, they were built to have the most lovely side of the buildings towards the River because, at that time, the traffic was all on the river.

Therefore, in December, I changed my suite from Starboard to Port. :D