raiderette Posted July 16, 2013 #1 Share Posted July 16, 2013 My husband and I are looking at a cruise in 2014 on the Marina which includes stops at London, Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Klaipedia, Gdansk and Copenhagen. We have cruised other lines including Crystal, Regent and Royal Caribbean. We have heard that Oceania does a great itinerary in this area. Would like to know your likes for this cruise line and what you think of this sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 16, 2013 #2 Share Posted July 16, 2013 It's a terrific itinerary. No matter what cruise line you take I highly recommend private tours in St. Petersburg. It will make all the difference in the world during your time there. Three companies that are top rates are Denrus, Red October and Alla. As for Oceania, get ready for some great food in Marina's specialty restaurants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted July 16, 2013 #3 Share Posted July 16, 2013 It's an amazing itinerary which we've done 3 times on the smaller Oceania ships. You'll sea wonderful interesting ports on a beautiful ship and be well fed in addition.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 16, 2013 #4 Share Posted July 16, 2013 It's a terrific itinerary. No matter what cruise line you take I highly recommend private tours in St. Petersburg. It will make all the difference in the world during your time there. Three companies that are top rates are Denrus, Red October and Alla. As for Oceania, get ready for some great food in Marina's specialty restaurants. Wripro, I normally chime in to agree with you but this is twice in one week that you have recommended those specific three companies for St. Petersburg tours. I do not know when you last visited St. Petersburg, but I respectfully suggest that the first two companies you mention are no longer tops in the minds of many active posters to the Northern Europe & Baltics travel forum here, where many clearly prefer SPB-Tours, Alla and TJ Travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocatraveler09 Posted July 16, 2013 #5 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Agreed. I was in StPete in 2012 and had a wonderful experience with SPB Tours. Also used them for Berlin (out of Warnemunde). Cruising the Baltic was a super trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrheadlass Posted July 16, 2013 #6 Share Posted July 16, 2013 I too give a vote to SBP tours...we used them in St. Pete and in Berlin in May and were very pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 16, 2013 #7 Share Posted July 16, 2013 SPB Just amazing. Both St. Petersburg and Berlin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecountess Posted July 17, 2013 #8 Share Posted July 17, 2013 i'll cast my vote for Insider Tours. A smaller operation, they custom-designed our itinerary to meet our specifications. Email turnaround was prompt and our guide was knowledgeable, well-organized and friendly. Our driver was highly skilled at maneuvering the busy streets of St. Pete. Harriet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanny18 Posted July 17, 2013 #9 Share Posted July 17, 2013 We used TJ Travel in St. Pete and Berlin - the tour guide in Berlin was an ex-pat American and he was wonderful. Most of the tour companies will take to the best places and it is truly a wonderful experience. We were in St. Pete in 2000 and again in 2012 and both times it was great!! Arlene;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted July 17, 2013 #10 Share Posted July 17, 2013 CintiPam, I'm not saying the others are not terrific too. I guess I'll stop recommending tour companies so I don't offend others who prefer a different company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanny18 Posted July 17, 2013 #11 Share Posted July 17, 2013 CintiPam, I'm not saying the others are not terrific too. I guess I'll stop recommending tour companies so I don't offend others who prefer a different company. Never stop recommending!! That's why we have rocky road and cherry vanilla. There are so many good and/or great companies out there for the choosing and it is always a matter of personal preference.!! Arlene;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raiderette Posted July 17, 2013 Author #12 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Thanks for the advice on the tours, still wondering which Cruise line does the best job in this area. Any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypercafe Posted July 17, 2013 #13 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I would think each line has the basic same tours as their is just so much to see in each port. The question is how much do you want to spent, do you want the security of a ship tour and what do you really want to see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 17, 2013 #14 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Thanks for the advice on the tours, still wondering which Cruise line does the best job in this area. Any suggestions. Having done both a lengthy Scandinavian land trip and a wonderful Marina Baltic cruise (in 2011), I would suggest that whichever line you choose, you book a cruise which spends three, rather than two, days in St. Petersburg. I also really love Stockholm and would prefer a Baltic-only itinerary, like Copenhagen to Stockholm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacheco18 Posted July 17, 2013 #15 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I recommend that you find a cruise with some sea days. Touring in the Baltics was beyond exhausting. We needed the sea days to gather our strength for the next port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 17, 2013 #16 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Having done both a lengthy Scandinavian land trip and a wonderful Marina Baltic cruise (in 2011), I would suggest that whichever line you choose, you book a cruise which spends three, rather than two, days in St. Petersburg. I also really love Stockholm and would prefer a Baltic-only itinerary, like Copenhagen to Stockholm. +1 Best of all worlds (Scandinavian, anyway). 3 nights in SPB and a few pre/post cruise days in Copenhagen and Stockholm, respectively - my kind of cruise :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Sharon Posted July 17, 2013 #17 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I agree about having three days in St Pete's. It allowed me to do an all day trip to Novgorod which was utterly amazing! As others have said, the Baltic is wonderful but can be exhausting - you'll need a sea day or two to recover. The time of year is important too. It can get very hot in late July/August. I would also suggest the smaller ships that can transit the Kiel Canal - certainly the R class can - not sure about the larger vessels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 17, 2013 #18 Share Posted July 17, 2013 +1Best of all worlds (Scandinavian, anyway). 3 nights in SPB and a few pre/post cruise days in Copenhagen and Stockholm, respectively - my kind of cruise :) So when are we finally going to cruise together?;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeene Posted July 17, 2013 #19 Share Posted July 17, 2013 We spent 14 days in the Baltic. After 3 wks. at home we still can't adjust to life without the specialty restaurants and great food on-board Marina;) I believe Oceania does a great job in the Baltic! I also suggest 3 days in St Petersburg if possible. I will voice a strong vote for guide Natalya German Tsarkova for St. Petersburg!!!!!!!!! I can't say enough about our AMAZING experience. She is an art historian in her 30s and a fantastic guide. We saw everything on our agenda. She managed to get us up-close at every site. We never had to view a painting or altarpiece from behind a crowd. Her restaurant suggestions were fantastic including a special lunch in Catherine's garden. No forced "shopping"! We used the private entrance at the Hermitage reserved for VIPs such as Hillary Clinton. Natalya drives a Mercedes van with comfortable seating for 6 plus herself. It has a sound system so you don't miss a word of her descriptions. Overall our cruise was a 12 out of 10 pts. Our experience exceeded our expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 17, 2013 #20 Share Posted July 17, 2013 So when are we finally going to cruise together?;) Well - we are doing a TA on the Riviera in November and a West Africa in Feb/March 2014. Interested in any of these? :D Seriously, I do hope that our paths will cross some day - at sea or on land. It sounds like we would have a good time. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 17, 2013 #21 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Overall our cruise was a 12 out of 10 pts. Our experience exceeded our expectations. That is very nice to hear and I am truly pleased for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted July 18, 2013 #22 Share Posted July 18, 2013 We'd love to do this itinerary again but this time go to Moscow. We used Alla last time for St P and wonder if anyone has also used them for Moscow. Also wonder about doing Berlin on our own or with Alla. Any thoughts or recs? Don't suggest doing the visa and St P and Moscow on our own....I'm just not woman enough! (nor do either of us speak Russian) c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted July 18, 2013 #23 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Personally, I think doing Moscow from SPB is very hard (and probably expensive) - worse than doing Berlin from Warnemunde; plus you really don't have enough time to see things well. I would look into a land tour that could cover many of these areas more leisurely and more completely and you would be looked after similar to being on a cruise. JMO Just a couple of random land tours I found in 10 seconds: Tour Highlights Countries Visited Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden Cities Visited Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Poznan, Riga, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vilnius, Warsaw or this one: Tour Highlights Countries Visited Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden Cities Visited Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Poznan, Riga, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vilnius, Warsaw There is no end to the variety of land tours, if interested :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted July 18, 2013 #24 Share Posted July 18, 2013 thanks Paul! There is also a Monograms Tour for independent travel that we could do for Munich and Berlin, 2 cities that we are interested in. We've done a thorough land tour of Scandinavia but not of Russia, only St P. Do you remember the land tour companies you cited? thanks, c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted July 18, 2013 #25 Share Posted July 18, 2013 We'd love to do this itinerary again but this time go to Moscow. We used Alla last time for St P and wonder if anyone has also used them for Moscow. Also wonder about doing Berlin on our own or with Alla. Any thoughts or recs? Don't suggest doing the visa and St P and Moscow on our own....I'm just not woman enough! (nor do either of us speak Russian) c We used Alla for Berlin and it was very well done:D Also used her in Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallin & those that didn't go to Berlin went to Rostock and Schwerin with her - all very good and recommended:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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