Baltic Shore Excursions

[rophili]

After reviewing numerous positive reviews on Alla Tours, I have tentatively made a package booking for four of the ports of call. Is this the procedure that Cruise Critic is recommending when selecting a Tour Company in St. Peterburg?

[John Bull]

Alla is one of many well-respected tour operators in St Petersburg, you won't go wrong there.

 

Alla & SPB Tours, & I think one of two of the others, offer 2/3/4-port packages.

The other Baltic ports - with the exception of Berlin from Warnemunde - are pretty easy to DIY, & with just a little research there's no need for a guide.

So although those operators offer good package discounts, the take-up is quite low.

 

I've only heard good reports about their tours in those other ports too, so if you went with the package I don't think you'll be disappointed - just rather more out-of-pocket than doing your own thing.

 

JB :)

[kitkat343]

It is entirely your choice. I will say that all of the other ports - except St. Petersburg and possibly Berlin (we didn't go but is far)- were really easy to DIY because the public transportation is excellent, and we even had a 3 year old in tow. However, some people really like having a tour guide and being on a tour and if that is how you prefer to travel, booking everything together will usually give you a discount.

Edited December 19, 2016 by kitkat343

[p_mori7]

We used Alla for Berlin and St-Petersburg. All others we DIY'd.

 

We were VERY satisfied with Alla.

 

:)

[GradUT]

We used Alla in St. Petersburg but we did all the other ports DIY. If you want a city tour, there are HO/HO bus options in most of the ports. We did some excellent "free" walking tours in Copenhagen and Stockholm. "Rick Steves Northern Europe Cruise Ports" is a fabulous resource for tour info, especially DYI.

[LondonTowner]

We also used Alla in SPB and did our own thing in all the other ports except Gdansk because of time restraints. We bit the bullet and took the ship's excursion.

 

Rick Steve's would be the last reviews I would consult. His information is either entirely wrong or out of date.

[ljandgb]

We used TJ for a one day private tour for the 8 of us and couldn't have been happier.

 

We did a private tour found thru TripAdvisor for a food walking tour of Tallinn. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We got history, a great guide with personal insight into Estonia, and a really interesting selection of foods.

 

We did DCL ship excursions in Helsinki and Stockholm. By far our least favorite days. Stockholm would be very easy to do on your own. All the main sites are right in the middle of the city. You can almost see them all as they cluster around a wide river.

 

Nothing wrong with bundling your tours with one of the big companies, but you might want to check TA for companies that cater to specific interests. It's really quite easy to arrange for your own.

[KyOh]

I'll have to disagree, LondonTowner. While we used Alla in St. Petersburg, we followed Rick Steves suggested walking tours in many of our other ports and we very happy with the results. What guide book series would you suggest instead?

[dogs4fun]

I'll have to disagree, LondonTowner. While we used Alla in St. Petersburg, we followed Rick Steves suggested walking tours in many of our other ports and we very happy with the results. What guide book series would you suggest instead?

I, too, have found Rick Steves' books to be quite accurate if one has the latest edition. Also, he frequently updates on his website when there is a change. In the past, I have found his books a good resource when visiting an area for the first time (I also like DK for the historical overview/information that is provided).

BTW ... I have also used Alla Tours and found the tours to be fantastic!

Edited December 21, 2016 by dogs4fun

[LondonTowner]

As I have lived in or visited many of the destinations he has done reports on, I have watched many of his videos and so many things he states are just incorrect. As for his pronunciation of the words and places, well, they are just cringe making.

 

Do a search on many Tripadvisor European forums, particularly the London one and you will find plenty of people who think the same as me.

 

He has obviously made a lot of money from doing something badly. In fact, I had never even heard of him until I started seeing his name on TA and CC.

 

I don't normally rely on guide books these days, so currently can't recommend any. Guide books also become out of date so quickly. So, these days it is better to go by word of mouth or search on the internet.

 

As well as CC and TA the local tourist offices are also generally good, especially if you have specific questions and send them an email.

[kitkat343]

I bought the Rick Steves Northern Europe Cruise ship book as soon as it was released (I preordered it through Amazon, so I know it wasn't out of date). The ages of the kids clubs on cruise lines was wrong at the time of its first printing, and I was surprised by that error since that information was easily accessible on the cruise line websites (and I know the ages of the kids club hadn't changed within the past year, since I had been trying to plan vacations for my family and we needed to wait until my son to turned 3 or would be limited to Cunard, Carnival or Disney at the time the book was published).

 

There were several inaccuracies we discovered during our cruise which we took a year after the book was printed (a ferry no longer existed, the taxis weren't where Rick said they'd be in tallinn) but the ferry could have ended after the book was printed, and taxi could just be a matter of luck. I found out about the ferry while planning my trip, so it wasn't a big deal. Rick Steve's book also said that the Stockholm card could not be used for admission into the aquarium at Skansen (his book stated that the card only gets you general admission to Skanson) so I was pleasantly surprised when they told me the card applies to all admission within the facility. I don't think that changed, since the employees told me the Stockholm card had always covered admission to all attractions in Skanson.

 

To people who use the guidebook, I'd also recommend considering visiting the seaplane museum in Tallinn when you finish walking around the Old Town

The sea plane name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is more of a general military museum with a lot of fascinating hands on exhibits, including a submarine you can explore and a flight simulator inside of a plane (my 3 year old really loved making the plane crash into the trees). Kids also love the simulated weapons and radio controlled boats at the museum. There is also an icebreaker ship outside that you can explore. It was a really interesting museum, and a highly enjoyable way to conclude your day in Tallinn for both adults and children.

 

 

I thought the Rick Steves guidebook provided a nice overview of the cities, but in the future I would carefully check everything to make sure the information is still accurate, and double check trip advisor to see if there are any additional attractions that didn't make it into the book.

[caskale]

Could you please tell me the name of the food tour in Talinn,thank you

[ljandgb]

http://www.foodsightseeing.ee

 

They were quite good with communication, and our guide, Kurtu, was fantastic.

 

A word of caution - don't get the meat jelly. LOL It's a traditional dish there, but it's kind of a combo of spam and head cheese set in gelatin. My poor dh almost died.

[hun]

We DIY most Baltic Ports and it worked out fine. They are all very easy to plan, organize and get to places. The only place we booked a tour in was Tallinn. And it was a private tour. We did St.Petersburg with Best Guides and we didn't book Tallinn with them but just asked for advise and they recommended a private guide and I think it was the best choice. Looking back now I would probably opt for a tour in Stockholm as well, but even that is not crucial.

 

 

Wondering why you say that about a Stockholm tour? We are booked with TJ Tours in the fall for SPB and Berlin, and can add on Stockholm for $80 but are not sure if we should DIY instead. Thanks!

 

Happy holidays to all!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Desdichado62]

Stockholm should be considered a DIY port. If you berth at Nynäshamn (or maybe if you only have a very limited amount

of hours in Stockholm) then a tour might be worth considering.

However if your ship berths in Stockholm and you have a full day, then it is a DIY port.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Desdichado62

[LondonTowner]

We had an overnight on our Stockholm cruise. We bought a 24 hour travel card and got around very easily by bus, tram and ferry, including a visit to the Vasa Museum. We really liked Stockholm.

[kitkat343]

Wondering why you say that about a Stockholm tour? We are booked with TJ Tours in the fall for SPB and Berlin, and can add on Stockholm for $80 but are not sure if we should DIY instead. Thanks!

 

Stockholm was really easy to get around, and we had our 3 year old with us. We went to the information desk of each museum, and asked them how to get to the next museum, and they were able to easily give us directions using public transportation. The HOHO ferry was quite nice (we don't normally take HOHO tours, but the ferries run directly to Vasa from the cruise ship port until 10 am, and they also took us from Galma Stan back to the cruise terminal. Two years ago you could inexpensively purchase one ride tickets for the HOHO ferry. Being on the water in a HOHO ferry through Stockholm is really enjoyable, and it is very photogenic).

 

So you should book the tour if you think a tour guide would enhance your experience. If you prefer to explore cities by yourself, Stockholm is an easy city to navigate.

[GradUT]

We easily did Stockholm as a DIY port. We, too, bought the 24-hour travel card and used it for the bus into town and back to the ship and for the ferry to Djurgarden to see the Vasa Museum.

 

We started out with a visit to the Royal Coin Cabinet (which was excellent and free--even the English tour headsets). Then we did a "Free Walking Tour" which lasted nearly 2 hours and comprehensively covered the Old Town. Next, we took the ferry to Djurgarden and spent a couple of hours in the Vasa Museum, taking full advantage of some of the free museum tours they offered. Then, it was a leisurely and scenic walk back to town to catch the bus to our ship.

 

Some of our tablemates paid for a tour with SPB and told us they were not happy with it. They rode around on a bus for awhile, had a quick visit to the Vasa Museum (where we easily spent over 2 hours), did a 45-minute walk through Old Town (less than half the time we spent on our Free Walking Tour) and then were left in Stortorget to shop and eat lunch. (They paid nearly $60 for two plates of herring and two beers because the guide didn't tell them about the cheaper dining options in Gamla Stan, as Rick Steves guide does).

[Hunwolf]

If you book a St. Petersburg tour with Alla Tours you almost get another port tour for free. It's definitely an extensive discount so plan accordingly.

 

Rick Steves book is very helpful no doubt.