Baltic Cruise Excursions

[Cruze4Ever]

We are taking a Baltic Cruise mid July on the Oceanic and would like recommendations for excursions. Has anyone used CruisingExcursions.com? Any suggestions on other excursion companies?

 

Thank you!

[John Bull]

Cruisingexcursions.com isn't a tour operator, it's a booking agency like Viator or City Discovery, selling tours on behalf of operators - but specialises in offering tours/excursions for cruise ship passengers.

I don't know anything about them, but I do wonder if you'd be sharing seat-in-bus tours with folk on land vacations - with the obvious risks of missed pick-up or that the operator may not be too concerned if the tour is likey to finish late.:eek:

If you're interested in a tour that a booking agency offers, with a bit of googling you can generally find the operators & book direct at lower cost. Booking with an internationally-respected agency such as Viator rather than an unknown foreign operator does occasionally have its advantages (even did it once myself, perfectly satisfactory) but I believe cruisingexcursions is a young organisation.

 

For St Petersburg, local accredited operators offer visa-free tours, same as the ship does - but their tours are in small groups, much more personal, more comprehensive & more flexible, very highly regarded, & a little cheaper than ship's offerings. Check reviews for Alla Tours, SPB Tours, TJ Tours, Best Guides and others. And their names crop up frequently in St Petersburg threads on this forum. Book in advance (to avoid the need for a visa), but pay on-the-day.

 

Can't help with tour operators for your other Baltic ports - we explored them all DIY, pretty easy. But Alla & SPB offer tours in several Baltic cities.

 

JB :)

[TLCOhio]

We are taking a Baltic Cruise mid July on the Oceanic and would like recommendations for excursions. Has anyone used CruisingExcursions.com? Any suggestions on other excursion companies? Thank you!

 

Welcome to these Cruise Critic boards. John Bull has given, as always, some very good suggestions, including that many of these ports are easy to do on your own. Also, in certain of these key Baltics ports, they costs for guides and/pr private tours can be high, high.

 

Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It is very helpful. The Baltics are very port intensive. In many of these great ports, you have many, many options. As you ask questions for the future, tell folks about your personal interests, needs, travel style, past Europe experiences, budget flexibility, etc. That helps us make better suggestions to fit your exact interests/needs. Below are some preview pictures to get you excited for what you will be seeing and enjoying.

 

Be sure to use the "SEARCH" function on these boards for each of the various cities you are going to visit. There have been lots of different posts, photos, etc., posted earlier that can help you get a sense of your many options in the Baltics. What ports will you visit? Lots to share and learn from previous travels to these great cities of the Baltics. Also grab, maybe from your library or a book transfer they can do for you, such good visual books such as Eyewitness, Insight, etc. Rick Steves, Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet, etc., can work well, too. No one travel book has it "ALL", perfectly and completely. These resources, especially the visuals one, can you help better figure out your priorities, in advance, for what you want to do and see.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 94,370 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Copenhagen's City Hall and its large Square are in the heart of the main downtown, near Tivoli and the central train station. Completed in 1905, it was designed in the "National Romantic" style with inspiration from the Siena City Hall. Dominated by its richly-ornamented front wth the gilded statue of Absalon just above the balcony, its tall, slim clock tower is 345.6 feet or 105.6 meters tall. It is one of the tallest buildings in Denmark.:

 

 

 

Copenhagen's canal views and going under a bridge. YES, doing this canal tour is a must-do to allow better views of the various historic buildings from a relaxing angle in this Royal city.:

 

 

 

At the Vasa Museum with this large salvaged ship from the 1600’s. This is their website: http://vasamuseet.se/en/ Taking almost two years (1626-1627) to build Vasa, carpenters, sawyers, smiths, ropelayers, sailmakers, painters, carvers, gun carriage makers and other specialists struggled to complete the navy’s great, new ship. The king, Gustav II Adolf, visited the shipyard to inspect the work. With a hull built of more than a thousand oak trees with 64 cannon, masts over 50 meters high and hundreds of painted and gilded sculptures, this was a spectacular ship. BUT, it was too heavy and sunk sailing out from the harbor.:

 

 

 

From the harbor in Stockholm, here is a view of the Royal Palace, the historic Saint Nicolaus Church, or as commonly known Storkyrkan. To the left in the picture is where the historic Gamia Stan area starts. Walking around in the Gamia Stan is wonderful as you soak up its history, charm and interesting architecture. Lots of fun outdoor dining places there for lunch, etc.:

 

 

 

Lots of beautiful church towers and buildings are located all over in historic St. Petersburg. Some “riding around time” allows an opportunity to see the variety of buildings in this historic capital.:

 

 

 

Here is a unique angle for the spectacular fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

 

[dogs4fun]

We are taking a Baltic Cruise mid July on the Oceanic and would like recommendations for excursions. Has anyone used CruisingExcursions.com? Any suggestions on other excursion companies?

 

Thank you!

 

Hi Jean,

You will LOVE the baltics!! :)

 

I wasn't aware that CruisingExcursions conducted shore excursions in the Baltics. I looked on their website & sure enough, they do.

I agree with John ... this is not a tour company, it is an agency that "farms out" their tours to local guides. I compared some of their tours to the tours that I took in St. Petersburg with Alla Tours. The CruisingExcursions tours are more expensive (they don't include tickets to the Hermitage, etc) when you add in the cost of visits to the major museums, they are not nearly as comprehensive as tours offered by local operators, they require prepayment (deposit) and they lack the "personal" touch.

Several local tour operators offer highly rated tours in St. Petersburg (Alla tours, TJ Tours, Best Guides, etc) and Alla Tours and Spb also offer tours in Warnemunde, Schwerin, Berlin, Tallinn, Helsinki & Stockholm. The package tours are a very good value.

 

I can recommend Alla Tours (http://alla-tour.com/) as a very highly regarded local company that provides outstanding tours at very affordable prices. We booked with Alla (the owner) in both St. Petersburg & Berlin. All other ports we DIY. Alla is simply wonderful to work with ... patient, understanding, quick to respond to your questions. We choose Alla because of the extra special customer service that we received. (Alla takes care of the visa & requires NO deposit or prepayment)

 

Below is the itinerary that we followed for our 2 days in St. Petersburg (our price for both days was only $285 because we got our group together on our cruise critic roll call):

 

Day 1 - City Highlights sightseeing tour, Canal boat ride, Peter & Paul Fortress/Peter & Paul Cathedral, Tsars Village, Catherine Palace (with amber room), Hydrofoil ride to Peterhof, Peterhof fountains & gardens, lunch, subway ride, farmers market.

Day 2 - Hermitage, lunch, shopping, St Isaac's church, Church on Savior of Spilled Blood, Yusopov Palace.

 

Like I said, ALL of the above (all inclusive) for $285!!

I would recommend contacting all of the major tour operators mentioned above and see which company is the best "fit" for you.

Good luck & enjoy your cruise!

jill

[TLCOhio]

I would recommend contacting all of the major tour operators mentioned above and see which company is the best "fit" for you. Good luck & enjoy your cruise! jill

 

YES!! Super excellent ideas and suggestions from Jill in Colorado. Here's my added reasons on why to contact several firms, see what fits best for YOUR needs.

 

The honest truth is that there are a number of very good to excellent private firms in St. Petersburg. Most people liked their tour and will beat the drums and say theirs are the "best". Of course, they have only tried one and do not have much real sense of "comparison". It is my suggestion to write to four or five of the top firms, tell them exactly what you want, seek and love. (And before doing this step, you might have to do some of your own advance research to determine those priorities.) See what you get back and which one is the "best fit" for your specific personal needs and travel style. Some people are very happy and satisfied with the basic, standard "formula" tour that is offered up. I am NOT a big fan, however, of "one size fits all". Personal choice!!

 

Others, like us, want things to be a little more custom. In our "planning process", I asked lots of questions (after doing some advance reading and research) and got back many good replies (quickly) from Anastasia that helped me get my arms around the many options in St. Petersburg. Getting your trip "flow" and "pacing" is very important for St. Petersburg. We were super happy with how it all worked in having a great mix for what we saw and how it fit together. Another key factor is their "flexibility". Once in Russia and doing the first day, we asked about a couple of "schedule adjustments" and they got things done in a smooth and excellent manner. One item was a request to stop at a shop to buy a Russian-style military hat and I asked about getting an early admission at the Hermitage to avoid some of the bus/mass crowds at the regular hour. Making things custom and personal was very important to us. Some firms are flexible and very responsive. Others are not that way, nor interested or caring. That degree of custom/personal versus standard/more mass is part of the "choice" process. You need to determine what you want and need.

 

Clearly, a private, smaller tour is much better than being "forced marched" in a mass of 30-45 people through the Hermitage as the guide barks out the canned script for the various art works you are passing quickly past. We saw those types of ship tours while there and would hate to suffer under that type of less-than-desirable situation.

 

Just like there are many different sizes, styles and types of shoes, the same is true with private tour companies. We don't all wear and have same types of shoes for all needs, occasions and purposes. Below are a few of my visual samples to get folks prepared for the great glories that are there in St. Petersburg.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 117,419 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing and learning more about one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such painting by this artist existing in the whole world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, lessening the crowd battles and adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place/set of five palaces AND museum. It is both! This Madonna and Child was probably painted in Milan, where the artist moved in 1482. The Madonna's tender gaze as she looks at her son, and the tranquillity of the distant mountainous landscape, reflect humanist dreams of Ideal Man and a Harmonious Life. Experts says the painting reveals great beauty in its coloring and composition. The painting came to the Czar's collection and museum in 1865 from the collection of Count Antonio Litta in Milan.:

 

 

 

Inside Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg with our personal guide from Anastasia, we view this spectacular reception “ballroom”, painted ceiling, gold, etc., at our pace and timing schedule, getting our personal questions answered, etc. This majestic setting requires a little time to “soak it up”.:

 

[dolfans0704]

We are taking a Baltic Cruise mid July on the Oceanic and would like recommendations for excursions. Has anyone used CruisingExcursions.com? Any suggestions on other excursion companies?

 

Thank you!

 

Welcome Jean414 to the Cruise Critic Boards. We will be cruising the Baltics as well in June and are very excited about traveling this part of the World! Since I have not yet visited this region, I cannot offer first hand experiences with the ports we will be visiting but I can tell you that I have been able to gather a significant amount of information from the postings on these boards! The advise/tips provided to you thus far on your topic are from some of the very best sources that I have had the pleasure of interacting with during my research. By utilizing their wealth of knowledge and experiences I was able to plan my DIY port visits and choose my guide for SPB! Other helpful sources that I have come across on the boards are the locals that assist us cruisers visiting their cities in providing a great insight on the "lay of the land" sort of speak. Also, the search tool is a great feature to assist in navigating through the many different topics offered on the boards and it makes it much easier to get you to specific information you are seeking. You can also stumble across some great tips by just perusing through the posts on specific topics! Make sure you bookmark or copy/paste the info that interests you so you don't have to go back and search for it later. I learned that lesson early on! Best of luck in your planning. I think it is almost as much fun as the vacation!

 

 

 

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

[Cruze4Ever]

Thank you so much for your advice and valuable suggestions!!!

[TLCOhio]

Thank you so much for your advice and valuable suggestions!!!

 

Great!! Don't be a stranger on these boards. Let us know what else you need!! Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and lvoe that experience.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 117,419 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[crusingnut]

We used spb-tours for a 2 day tour in St. Pertersburg and couldn't have been any happier. TLCohio is right frequently ask and search these boards for ideas. There's nothing like getting reviews from people that have been there and done that. Matter of fact, that's how I came across spb tours, they were highly recommended on these boards. The Baltic cruise is one of my favorites. Have a great cruise!

[Cruze4Ever]

Welcome Jean414 to the Cruise Critic Boards. We will be cruising the Baltics as well in June and are very excited about traveling this part of the World! Since I have not yet visited this region, I cannot offer first hand experiences with the ports we will be visiting but I can tell you that I have been able to gather a significant amount of information from the postings on these boards! The advise/tips provided to you thus far on your topic are from some of the very best sources that I have had the pleasure of interacting with during my research. By utilizing their wealth of knowledge and experiences I was able to plan my DIY port visits and choose my guide for SPB! Other helpful sources that I have come across on the boards are the locals that assist us cruisers visiting their cities in providing a great insight on the "lay of the land" sort of speak. Also, the search tool is a great feature to assist in navigating through the many different topics offered on the boards and it makes it much easier to get you to specific information you are seeking. You can also stumble across some great tips by just perusing through the posts on specific topics! Make sure you bookmark or copy/paste the info that interests you so you don't have to go back and search for it later. I learned that lesson early on! Best of luck in your planning. I think it is almost as much fun as the vacation!

 

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

Thank you so much for all of your advice and suggestions!!! Enjoy your trip too!!!

[Cruze4Ever]

Welcome to these Cruise Critic boards. John Bull has given, as always, some very good suggestions, including that many of these ports are easy to do on your own. Also, in certain of these key Baltics ports, they costs for guides and/pr private tours can be high, high.

 

Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It is very helpful. The Baltics are very port intensive. In many of these great ports, you have many, many options. As you ask questions for the future, tell folks about your personal interests, needs, travel style, past Europe experiences, budget flexibility, etc. That helps us make better suggestions to fit your exact interests/needs. Below are some preview pictures to get you excited for what you will be seeing and enjoying.

 

Be sure to use the "SEARCH" function on these boards for each of the various cities you are going to visit. There have been lots of different posts, photos, etc., posted earlier that can help you get a sense of your many options in the Baltics. What ports will you visit? Lots to share and learn from previous travels to these great cities of the Baltics. Also grab, maybe from your library or a book transfer they can do for you, such good visual books such as Eyewitness, Insight, etc. Rick Steves, Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet, etc., can work well, too. No one travel book has it "ALL", perfectly and completely. These resources, especially the visuals one, can you help better figure out your priorities, in advance, for what you want to do and see.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 94,370 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Copenhagen's City Hall and its large Square are in the heart of the main downtown, near Tivoli and the central train station. Completed in 1905, it was designed in the "National Romantic" style with inspiration from the Siena City Hall. Dominated by its richly-ornamented front wth the gilded statue of Absalon just above the balcony, its tall, slim clock tower is 345.6 feet or 105.6 meters tall. It is one of the tallest buildings in Denmark.:

 

 

 

Copenhagen's canal views and going under a bridge. YES, doing this canal tour is a must-do to allow better views of the various historic buildings from a relaxing angle in this Royal city.:

 

 

 

At the Vasa Museum with this large salvaged ship from the 1600’s. This is their website: http://vasamuseet.se/en/ Taking almost two years (1626-1627) to build Vasa, carpenters, sawyers, smiths, ropelayers, sailmakers, painters, carvers, gun carriage makers and other specialists struggled to complete the navy’s great, new ship. The king, Gustav II Adolf, visited the shipyard to inspect the work. With a hull built of more than a thousand oak trees with 64 cannon, masts over 50 meters high and hundreds of painted and gilded sculptures, this was a spectacular ship. BUT, it was too heavy and sunk sailing out from the harbor.:

 

 

 

From the harbor in Stockholm, here is a view of the Royal Palace, the historic Saint Nicolaus Church, or as commonly known Storkyrkan. To the left in the picture is where the historic Gamia Stan area starts. Walking around in the Gamia Stan is wonderful as you soak up its history, charm and interesting architecture. Lots of fun outdoor dining places there for lunch, etc.:

 

 

 

Lots of beautiful church towers and buildings are located all over in historic St. Petersburg. Some “riding around time” allows an opportunity to see the variety of buildings in this historic capital.:

 

 

 

Here is a unique angle for the spectacular fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

 

 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your priceless information, suggestions and awesome picutres and illustrations!!! This is a great site and you did an outstanding job helping me out!!! I can't wait to go on the cruise! Thank you again!

[Cruze4Ever]

Thank you so much for such great advice!!!

[dolfans0704]

Thank you so much for all of your advice and suggestions!!! Enjoy your trip too!!!

 

No problem, Jean. Keep up with the research. I have been told by many wise cruisers on these boards that the hard work will pay off! ;)

 

 

Dolfans from Miami