St Petersburg with a 5 year old

[jolly_cruiser]

I will be in St. Petersburg on a cruise for a day ( about 12 hours ) in early June. I am travelling with my wife and a 5 year old.

 

We are US citizens and are planning on taking a tour through the ship.

 

I have read through the cruise line website and the board here but have a question to which i dont have a clear answer.

 

1. If i book the tour through the ship to tour St Pete, does the tour provide the visa also? Or do i need to get my Visa ahead of time in the U.S?

 

I have seen recommendations for good private tour operators on this board and i understand they process all the paperwork for us if we do go with them.

 

I am just not sure if the tours through the ship do the same as well.

 

Thanks for all the responses in advance.

[dogs4fun]

I will be in St. Petersburg on a cruise for a day ( about 12 hours ) in early June. I am travelling with my wife and a 5 year old.

 

We are US citizens and are planning on taking a tour through the ship.

 

I have read through the cruise line website and the board here but have a question to which i dont have a clear answer.

 

1. If i book the tour through the ship to tour St Pete, does the tour provide the visa also? Or do i need to get my Visa ahead of time in the U.S?

 

I have seen recommendations for good private tour operators on this board and i understand they process all the paperwork for us if we do go with them.

 

I am just not sure if the tours through the ship do the same as well.

 

Thanks for all the responses in advance.

 

Yes, the tours through your ship will provide the visa waiver - same with the independent tour operators.

Edited February 8, 2015 by dogs4fun

[kitkat343]

We brought our 3 year old to St. Petersburg last August, and I would strongly recommend that you consider booking a private excursion just for your family, especially since you only have 12 hours in St. Petersburg if you can afford it. A private tour will let your family travel at your child's pace, and take breaks whenever you need them. In Catherine's Palace our group of 3 was able to see the first few lovely rooms and then skip around the larger tour groups in the middle rooms (which weren't the highlight of the attraction) and jump straight to the Amber room. If you are traveling with a child with a limited attention span, you really might want to consider doing a private tour that can move more quickly through attractions. A ship's tour is going to be too large to move quickly and will need to stop for souvenir and bathroom breaks and will take a long time to let passengers on and off buses.

 

The private tour operators will be able to get blanket visas for your family, and they may or may not charge for a 5 year old (I'm not sure about a 5 year old - our son was free, but he was only 3).

 

Our tour guide was a bit hit-or-miss, so I can't recommend the company we used. I hadn't read about this company prior to my trip, but others on cruise critic seem very happy with them and they offer children's tours: http://www.bestguides-spb.com/children-page.html . I obviously can't recommend them personally, but hopefully a search of their reviews or other cruise critic members can be more helpful.

Edited February 9, 2015 by kitkat343

[Holly2]

Would you mind saying who you used and what were the oroblems?

[ljandgb]

We have a 9yo with us, one who is not even a little into "old buildings and museums" as he calls them. We will also be in port for about the same amount of time.

 

We are looking at TJ tours. They offer several children's tours. We will have grandparents, us, and 4 kids, so they are customizing a day for us that will have a little bit of everything. Ds knows he will have to do some of the dreaded museums, but we're also throwing in a hydrofoil ride, the Peterof fountains, and a cat museum where the Hermitage retired mousers live. Not very Soviet, per se, but will make my kids exceedingly happy to play with some cats as we take a breather.

[jolly_cruiser]

Yes, the tours through your ship will provide the visa waiver - same with the independent tour operators.

 

Thanks for the response dogs4fun. This is exactly what i was looking for.

 

So i guess we get a visa waiver and not an actual visa?

[Giantfan13]

I believe anyone visiting St Petersburg for 72 hours can get a temporary visa. That is done thru the cruise lines for their excursions or thru any of the recommended private tour companies that we highly recommend.

Do not let the ship or a TA tell you that you must use the ship's excursions to get that visa, it just isn't so. The ship's visa is exactly the same as the private tour companies.

 

That said, I would also HIGHLY recommend you use any of the private tour companies. Reason why is very simple, they care what you see, if you have a great time, and will help you with your child. Just consider a ships excursion. You will be put on a monster bus along with 50, 60 or even more other ships passengers. Yes you will see what they promised you, but just imagine if there are a couple of handicapped people on the tour (nothing against handicapped people) but that will take time away from touring, same for bathroom breaks etc., etc. You get the point. With a private tour, you have MAX 16 people on a small mini van or bus and they take traffic, weather and several other things into consideration, when traveling. Price wise may be about the same, but you will have a much better time with a private tour company.

 

Also, if I am not mistaken, check out the thread about Best Guides on this front page. I believe many people have commented on how they cater to younger families with young children.

 

Cheers

 

Len