2017 schedule.

[ednria]

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year!

 

I know this is a little early, but we have a lot of planning to do. When can we reasonably expect the 2017 schedule to be posted?

 

Also, for anyone who has done the Baltic cruise, can you give me any information on the 2 day shore excursion in St Petersburg? Such questions as cost, is it worth the cost, recommended alternatives? Thanks

 

Finally, how many formal nights?

[Fifer]

Hi everyone, and Happy New Year!

 

I know this is a little early, but we have a lot of planning to do. When can we reasonably expect the 2017 schedule to be posted?

 

Also, for anyone who has done the Baltic cruise, can you give me any information on the 2 day shore excursion in St Petersburg? Such questions as cost, is it worth the cost, recommended alternatives?

 

Finally, how many formal nights?

 

Thanks

 

Happy New Year to you too!

 

We did this trip in 2013 on Queen Elizabeth. FWIW, I would say:

 

1. Probably April

 

2. We took the Cunard 2 day trip. I'm afraid I cant recall the price. We thought it was well worth the money. It took out a lot of hassle and meant we saw lots of the major sights. Of course, if we had gone independently then we might have spent more time in some of them. Our conclusion was that we got a good feel for the city and next time, we will know where to focus.

 

3. 4 - probably.

 

Hope that helps.

[ednria]

Thanks for your quick response. Very helpful. We usually like to go out on our own, but doing that requires visas, and am not inclined, at present, to do that.

 

Again, thanks.

[capnpugwash]

Thanks for your quick response. Very helpful. We usually like to go out on our own, but doing that requires visas, and am not inclined, at present, to do that.

 

Again, thanks.

 

If you use a tour company such as Red October or similar, the visa requirement disappears. Cunard don't tell you this of course.

[Fifer]

Thanks for your quick response. Very helpful. We usually like to go out on our own, but doing that requires visas, and am not inclined, at present, to do that.

 

Again, thanks.

 

We felt the same. In the event, we thought that Cunard tended to overplay the visa issue. It didn't seem to be a problem - provided you booked some sort of tour with an approved operator. However, the political climate is obviously less stable at present and I would want to trust Cunard to look after me, were I in your shoes.

[WillH]

Ednria

 

The 2017 schedule will be released about April 2016 (based on previous years) so some time off. The 2017 World Cruises should be released around September this year.

 

Will

[Lanky Lad]

We did the Cunard 2 day tour of St Petersburg and I think it was about $345.00.

 

It is very hard work as there is an evening concert which meant we returned to the ship at about 11.30pm. The meeting time the next day was about 6.15am.

[MeredithFairfax]

We took the Cunard small group 2 day tour. We priced this up against the local tours such as Alla Tours and there was very little difference in price and the itinerary was very similar. I'm guessing Cunard introduced this type of small group tour in order to compete with the local ones.

 

There were 17 of us in our group. We arrived at the Hermitage before any other tour group and were first in line when it opened its doors. This meant we had excellent unobstructed views for most of the tour. We left the Hermitage just before they opened their doors to the public and I've never seen so many people in my life! We were also ahead of most people at Catherine Palace and some of our photos have no-one in them - just the beautiful rooms.

 

Our guide was excellent - very knowledgeable.

 

Beware though of booking the tour at the last minute - it had a waitlist for a while and then the price went up a week or so before we sailed.

[MeredithFairfax]

We did the Cunard 2 day tour of St Petersburg and I think it was about $345.00.

 

It is very hard work as there is an evening concert which meant we returned to the ship at about 11.30pm. The meeting time the next day was about 6.15am.

 

Our tour didn't include the evening concert but you are absolutely right; it is exhausting seeing everything in two days, especially with the early starts.

[Wacktle]

We did the 2 day Grand Tour with Alla Tours in June 2013. (Note - Alla is the name of the lady who owns the company.) Excellent value for money. Small modern minibus. Fantastic guide. Only downside was Cunard's idiotic behaviour in trying to prevent us, and all others on independent tours, from getting off the ship speedily when we arrived in St Petersburg. One officer even blocked a stairwell by standing in the middle. We all disembarked though, got through Immigation using our pre-printed tour tickets only, and were whisked off on our tour as the city was waking up. I can't recommend the tour strongly enough. Alla Tours gave us a free walking tour of Tallinn. This was not as good, but as a freebie we couldn't complain!

[alanrow]

We did a 2 day package with SPB Tours which was about 25% cheaper than Cunard . It was very good , they used minibuses so the groups had a maximum of 15 people . As an accredited company , you do not need a visa as they make the arrangements but need to know passport details etc 10 days in advance .

The tours start quite early and Cunard gave the impression in the daily paper that disembarkation priority would be given to their own tours . In practice this was not the case . We visited in September 2013 and were very lucky with the weather , St Petersburg looked wonderful - one of the best places we have ever visited .

[ednria]

Again, thanks to all for your responses!:)

 

As the information rolls in, I see we have a lot to consider. Fortunately, we have plenty of time to do so. Am intrigued about the non-Cunard tours. Will have to look them up, thank the stars for the internet!