Do I need a visa?

[wassy]

Hello. I am a first time user of this really great site. I am on a 10 day cruise starting August 9th from Copenhagen to Amsterdam. We will visit many wonderful ports including one full day in St Petersburg. We are US citizens. Do we need a visa to visit any of the Baltic ports? What about St Petersburg?. We have been told to book our tours through the ship to avoid immigration hassles but would like to find out about private tours. Can any one shed some light on the need for a visa? Also the private vs cruise tours. (we are two couples and could share a driver) What about the cost of private tour companies?:rolleyes:

[wassy]

Hello. I am a first time user of this really great site. I am on a 10 day cruise starting August 9th from Copenhagen to Amsterdam. We will visit many wonderful ports including one full day in St Petersburg. We are US citizens. Do we need a visa to visit any of the Baltic ports? What about St Petersburg?. We have been told to book our tours through the ship to avoid immigration hassles but would like to find out about private tours. Can any one shed some light on the need for a visa? Also the private vs cruise tours. (we are two couples and could share a driver) What about the cost of private tour companies?:rolleyes:

[mare s.]

Hi Wassy...there's lots of good info on this board about visas (you can do a search) but basically, if you book a private tour with one of the well known companies (Red October and Denrus, for example) they arrange a visa for you which covers you while you're touring with them. We're going at the end of August and have arranged a two day tour with Red October for four of us. Our cost per day per couple is around $300-350. The price is going to depend upon what you want to see and do and how many people will be with you. What's nice about the private tours is that you can customize them. I'd suggest you email the companies and give them an idea what you want to do and then compare. Too bad you have only one day in St. Petersburg. We've arranged for an evening event there also.

[wassy]

Thanks Mare........It turns out that I do have 2 days...duh!...lordy do I need a vacation! I would love to hear about your two day itinerary. Does your cost include the visa?

[dileep]

Hi Wassy...there's lots of good info on this board about visas (you can do a search) but basically, if you book a private tour with one of the well known companies (Red October and Denrus, for example) they arrange a visa for you which covers you while you're touring with them. We're going at the end of August and have arranged a two day tour with Red October for four of us. Our cost per day per couple is around $300-350.

 

We used RO with a group of 12 in a nice Mercedes mini-van and ended up paying $125 per person per day. The van seats 16-20 but I would keep the group size to 10-12.

 

Here is a "typical" cost structure:

The per person cost of the program without lunch is:

 

if you are 2 people USD 243 pp

 

if you are 4 people USD 158 pp

 

if you are 6 people USD 137 pp

 

if you are 8 people USD 127 pp

 

if you are 10 people USD 113 pp

The cost varies with itinerary.

[mare s.]

Yes, cost is inclusive of the visa. (Of course, remember that this is a special visa...you can't go off on your own...you have to stay with the tour operator, be it the private tour operators or the ship's excursions. Some people are getting independent visas on their own which will allow them to come and go as they please...but we're happy just to be in a small group and have a knowledgeable guide.) Extras are if you want to eat lunch in a restaurant (which we are doing the first day) or with a Russian family (which we are doing the second day) We're doing a lot...city highlights, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral, Yusupovs' Palace, Peterhof, Monplaisir Palace, Catherine Palace, the synagogue, and of course the Hermitage. We've opted to see a folkloric show in the evening. It's going to be really hectic and we'll probably be exhausted at the end, but there is just so much to see and we'll probably never be back there. Folks on these boards have reported that they've had a great time using either Red October or Denrus...enjoy! (since you're going before us, let us know what you did and how you liked it.)

[mare s.]

Hi Dileep...I can't remember if you posted on this subject, but how was it getting off the ship? Did you wait by the gangplank as instructed by RO or did you get shuffled off to a lounge? Did you eat lunch in a restaurant? (If so, how was it?) Did you group do any shopping in the RO store? Any other suggestions?

[dileep]

Hi Dileep...I can't remember if you posted on this subject, but how was it getting off the ship? Did you wait by the gangplank as instructed by RO or did you get shuffled off to a lounge? Did you eat lunch in a restaurant? (If so, how was it?) Did you group do any shopping in the RO store? Any other suggestions?

 

We had a very short wait to get off the ship (<10 minutes). You tell Celebrity what time your tour is and they set your time. The RO rep was there with a sign right outside Immigration.

 

We brought room service sandwiches to eat on the bus to save time.

 

We no only shopped at RO, but also at2 other shops which were also toilet stops.

 

BTW, RO does not get you a visa. Having the paperwork from RO allows you to leave the ship without a visa. The authorities stamp your passport and give you a red card.

 

We were quite happy with RO.

[yatra]

Dileep,

 

What about the need for non-russia Baltic ports? Do you need one if you want to tour on your own? What if you are a non-us citizen? Thanks for your help.

 

Yatra

[SCDH]

U.S. citizens don't need visas at any other ports (just Russia). Citizens of some countries need visas in Poland. Passports are only needed ashore in Russia and Poland. In Poland, if you hold up your U.S. passport they wave you by.

As for getting off the ship--we were on Princess. Our RO tour group met at the exit at 6:30a.m. Shortly after that, the first Princess tour groups arrived and lined up behind us. We all waited there until the ship was cleared. No one asked if we were on the ship's tour, because there were hundreds of people exiting at the same time, and they couldn't possibly ask everyone. There were two exits, and everyone was heading for one little building. 3 lines were for Princess tours, and one was for others. We went to others, but the customs agent wasn't there, yet, so we had to merge into another line. We still got through quickly. It's important to get to the exit before the tour groups.