Baltic/Ukraine

[Redtravel]

Ukraine is far away from ST. Petersburg. Look at a map. Be sure that should there be any trouble in any port, the cruise line would stay away. In your cruise ticket contract, they reserve the right to change ports. I have been on cruises that missed ports for a variety of reasons. I have docked at ports that were not listed on my itinerary. Relax. Should the need arise, trust the cruise line to keep you safe.

[5onadime]

Yes it is not close at all. However if the USA imposes sanctions, the ability to get visas could be the issue

 

 

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[keesar]

The highlight of the cruise is St. Petersburg. Passengers don't want to pay a premium price and have an additional two sea days. Circling around and around or moving at low speeds.

 

The problem may arise with sanctions being imposed by the United States with Visa issues arising.

[Knolmom]

Most folks traveling to /St Petersburg do not get a visa. You are the guest of the tour company and no visa required.

[kevinyork]

Most folks traveling to /St Petersburg do not get a visa. You are the guest of the tour company and no visa required.

 

 

I think possibly they meant if the US impose Visa sanctions then Russia may too which could include restricting Visa 'free' entry for those on excursions.

 

 

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[rosadilla]

I had emailed celebrity to suggest that if for any reason StP has to be cancelled that they consider Oslo as an alternative. I just got a phone call from them this morning thanking me for the suggestion. Of course they are monitoring the situation and it is too soon for a decision, but just the fact they called and responded to my email was great! They said they are weighing all the options at this point, which is what I expected to hear, and that Oslo was in the mix.

 

Good on Celebrity!

[RickT]

I had emailed celebrity to suggest that if for any reason StP has to be cancelled that they consider Oslo as an alternative. I just got a phone call from them this morning thanking me for the suggestion. Of course they are monitoring the situation and it is too soon for a decision, but just the fact they called and responded to my email was great! They said they are weighing all the options at this point, which is what I expected to hear, and that Oslo was in the mix.

 

Good on Celebrity!

 

Nice to hear it. I should contact them and ask for either an overnight in Stockholm or Copenhagen. We did an overnight in Stockholm a few years ago and it was one of the highlights of the cruise. As far as Copenhagen I'm not sure I need an overnight but our cruise currently departs at 5:00 PM which means we won't be able to go to Tivoli gardens in the evening which was another highlight.

 

Someone on another thread mentioned that the big issue for Celebrity and the other cruise lines will be finding a port that can accommodate the ships. Many of the Baltic ports are booked months/years in advance and finding a place to stop or stay overnight at such a late date may be next to impossible.

 

It's a little less than 5 mths until my cruise (and 2 mths until final payment date) so I have plenty of time. News on Russia/Ukraine in the Canadian papers is not all that positive today. Still hoping for a peaceful outcome.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I had emailed celebrity to suggest that if for any reason StP has to be cancelled that they consider Oslo as an alternative. I just got a phone call from them this morning thanking me for the suggestion. Of course they are monitoring the situation and it is too soon for a decision, but just the fact they called and responded to my email was great! They said they are weighing all the options at this point, which is what I expected to hear, and that Oslo was in the mix.

 

Good on Celebrity!

 

Would you please share the e-mail address? Thanks

[rosadilla]

Would you please share the e-mail address? Thanks

 

I got the email addresses off of the cruise critic threads on this board: concerns@celebrity.com and contactmichael@celebrity.com.

[keesar]

Celebrity does want to go to St. Petersburg as that is the key port and attraction of the cruise. I seriously doubt Oslo is in the mix. Expect another sea day or a tender somewhere near Estonia. There are a number of ships in the region and the ports are booked months in advance. Not a lot of wiggle room.

[Lastdance]

The bottom line...it is absolutely out of our control. I hope things work out for those of us who are booked on these cruises and I have good insurance. Last year I missed a great private tour in Portugal( dockers' strike), so hopefully this year things will work out okay. I think it will...:):):)

Edited March 13, 2014 by Lastdance

[The_Big_M]

Celebrity does want to go to St. Petersburg as that is the key port and attraction of the cruise. I seriously doubt Oslo is in the mix. Expect another sea day or a tender somewhere near Estonia. There are a number of ships in the region and the ports are booked months in advance. Not a lot of wiggle room.

 

True, I couldn't really see that being possible. The issue is to go there, they'd need to change the dates of all the other stops either before or after SPB (since they couldn't travel from SPB to Oslo on the same date!), which means even more complications as well as availability concerns.

[rosadilla]

True, I couldn't really see that being possible. The issue is to go there, they'd need to change the dates of all the other stops either before or after SPB (since they couldn't travel from SPB to Oslo on the same date!), which means even more complications as well as availability concerns.

 

I understand that Celebrity and all the other cruise lines and tour companies want to go to StP, and you can bet they will only cancel if they have to because of sanctions of some kind. And I know Oslo is a long shot if they have to cancel, but I'd still rather go there than Gdansk or Riga, two other possibilities.

[reilly1]

We have been to both Gdansk and Riga and both are really worth a visit. In fact, we liked both so much that we spent 2 weeks touring this area of the Baltics.

 

It is out of our hands anyway. Let's just wait and see.

[maxsales]

Most folks traveling to /St Petersburg do not get a visa. You are the guest of the tour company and no visa required.

 

I don't think that is exactly correct. My understanding is that a special tourist visa is offered on the spot. Should Russia stop issuing those temp visas then st P would be out as a port

[CaroleLee]

True, I couldn't really see that being possible. The issue is to go there, they'd need to change the dates of all the other stops either before or after SPB (since they couldn't travel from SPB to Oslo on the same date!), which means even more complications as well as availability concerns.

 

You are most probably correct re stops. Reviewing the schedule-we are in Helsinki the day prior and Tallinn the day after. Helsinki seems not to be too high on anyones list-however there is a lot to see( Design district, galleries)in Helsinki, so perhaps extended time in Helsinki Tallinn is scheduled for 8+ hrs and then its a sea day. Riga is a closer port than Oslo. However I'm sure that dockage in Riga has been reserved for other ships-so we may just wind up with more sea days than we wanted.

Personally St. P was the reason we booked this cruise-otherwise we would have done a fly/drive /ferry of Scandinavia.

OP have suggested that we contact Capt's Club & Michael Bailey.

When all is said X probably will not have a clear answer until closer to cruise date. This doesn't help those of us with final payments due in the next few days. But pls remember we are on vacation while the Ukraine is fighting for its life.

Carole

[Lastdance]

You are most probably correct re stops. Reviewing the schedule-we are in Helsinki the day prior and Tallinn the day after. Helsinki seems not to be too high on anyones list-however there is a lot to see( Design district, galleries)in Helsinki, so perhaps extended time in Helsinki Tallinn is scheduled for 8+ hrs and then its a sea day. Riga is a closer port than Oslo. However I'm sure that dockage in Riga has been reserved for other ships-so we may just wind up with more sea days than we wanted.

Personally St. P was the reason we booked this cruise-otherwise we would have done a fly/drive /ferry of Scandinavia.

OP have suggested that we contact Capt's Club & Michael Bailey.

When all is said X probably will not have a clear answer until closer to cruise date. This doesn't help those of us with final payments due in the next few days. But pls remember we are on vacation while the Ukraine is fighting for its life.

Carole

 

When we couldn't arrive in Lisbon due to the dockers' strike, our notification was 24 hours or less before we knew. Celebrity waited to change until the last possible moment and also announced the port change at the same time. They really monitor the situation util the last moment...although I didn't like the change, many people onboard clapped and were excited. I completely understand about Ukraine and share in your thoughts!

Edited March 15, 2014 by Lastdance

[smtcan]

Good for you. He is invading Ukraine and the Paralympics are still on. Shame on the rest of the world.

 

 

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Why do you think that Paralympians who have trained for years to compete should be sacrificed on the altar of politics? I am just watching sledge hockey and am in awe of these amazing athletes. USA just won the gold medal.

[rosadilla]

Never a good sign - the State Department has issued a travel warning for Russia.

 

I am conflicted at this point. If Celebrity does NOT change the itinerary, I feel like I don't want to support Putin and the Russian thugs because of the coup they are pulling off; it looks like when Crimea falls, they will be well on their way to being able to reassemble the USSR with impunity. But much as I'd like to cancel my shore excursions and not give them any money, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see St. Petersburg.

 

I gotta think on this one.:(

Edited March 16, 2014 by rosadilla

[Can'tstopcruising]

Never a good sign - the State Department has issued a travel warning for Russia.

 

I am conflicted at this point. If Celebrity does NOT change the itinerary, I feel like I don't want to support Putin and the Russian thugs because of the coup they are pulling off; it looks like when Crimea falls, they will be well on their way to being able to reassemble the USSR with impunity. But much as I'd like to cancel my shore excursions and not give them any money, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see St. Petersburg.

 

I gotta think on this one.:(

Your tour money is going to the tour company, not to the government.

[rosadilla]

Your tour money is going to the tour company' date=' not to the government.[/quote']

 

You are suggesting the Russian govt. doesn't get a cut of any of the money? Sure! Just like the US govt. doesn't get a cut of all the $$ spent in the US. Here we call it taxes. I suspect they call it the same thing.

[keesar]

You are suggesting the Russian govt. doesn't get a cut of any of the money? Sure! Just like the US govt. doesn't get a cut of all the $$ spent in the US. Here we call it taxes. I suspect they call it the same thing.

 

Many of the countries in that region have a Value Added Tax. I believe in Russia, it is 18%. It is on services as well.

 

The Travel Alert expires in June 13th. We shall see but...

[CaroleLee]

Never a good sign - the State Department has issued a travel warning for Russia.

 

I am conflicted at this point. If Celebrity does NOT change the itinerary, I feel like I don't want to support Putin and the Russian thugs because of the coup they are pulling off; it looks like when Crimea falls, they will be well on their way to being able to reassemble the USSR with impunity. But much as I'd like to cancel my shore excursions and not give them any money, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see St. Petersburg.

 

I gotta think on this one.:(

Ok- this is from X from my Facebook posting

Celebrity Cruises commented on your post.

Celebrity Cruises wrote: "Celebrity Cruises is closely monitoring the situation in the Ukraine. Currently, we have not made any changes to itineraries that include port calls to the area. We would contact guests or their travel agents should we make any modifications to upcoming itineraries. The safety and security, of our guests and crew members is always foremost in our minds"

Which basically says wait & see.

To sum up

We all have saved, dreamed, planned for our cruise. DH & I are scheduled for June and we are really excited about 2 days in St. P which is the main reason we booked this cruise.

The geo- political implications of pax cx their cruise is a blimp. Unfortunately Russia will be the de facto government of Crimea. The Cold War never really ended it only went on a lower flame. Short of a total cx of the cruise I think everyone booked will sail. If ethically we want to show our distaste for the current situation then we have the choice of not getting off the ship when it docks in St. P-thereby not leaving hard currency in Russia. It is a hard moral choice. As I have previously posted we are on vacation, Ukraine is fighting for its life

Carole

[rosadilla]

Originally posted on the Roll Call for my Baltic Cruise May 9th:

 

Comments on St. Petersburg in USA Today March 14th from Celebrity...

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2014/03/14/black-sea-cruise-ukraine/6410151/

[rosadilla]

Taking Julius Caesar's advice to heart, Putin's divide and conquer strategy has netted Russia Crimea, and coming soon, Eastern Ukraine:

 

"Demonstrators in Kharkov, north-east Ukraine, have appealed to Russia to pass to the UN their demands over a referendum on the federalization, while hundreds of protesters in Donetsk stormed a prosecutor’s office demanding to free a local “governor”.

 

... Sunday in eastern Ukraine was marked by a fresh series of pro-Russian rallies."

 

The dominoes will continue to fall ... 'back in the USSR' ...