Thinking of not getting off in St Petersberg!!!!!

[pr0pel]

Is it doable to go to Moscow when your ship is in SP?

 

Probably if you're willing to fly and stay overnight in Moscow. No way you can drive both ways, just check Google Maps. I'm not even sure if you're able to even hop on a flight with a visa (probably able to) but since you need a tourist visa to enter the country, it's best to talk to a tour operator to figure out your options.

[grapau27]

Is it doable to go to Moscow when your ship is in SP?

No.

Its 10 hours on the train,

743 km between the two.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

[jdvmd]

OP, glad you have decided to look into tours in St. Petersburg. While I wouldn't go back, I did enjoy our two days there with SPB. Good luck!

[KittyloverCA]

We are doing a Baltic cruise in July. It does seem to me that SPB is the main highlight of these itineraries; it wouldn’t be worth going on such a tour to me to skip something like this. Maybe as a compromise you can plan a 1 day tour

[GenXGirl]

OK I will bite. Then what will you do?

 

 

 

And my second question, why even go on a Baltic cruise if you will not even go on the ship to St. Petersburg?

 

 

 

Well, we won’t go on a cruise to the Baltics because of Russia. But, Scandinavia is on my bucket list, so I briefly considered it. There is a Celebrity cruise round trip to/from St. Petersburg that I’m sort of considering. We’d get on the second day and get off the second to last day.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[GenXGirl]

We’d just stay in whatever city the cruise was last at and take a ferry to the city after St. Petersburg. (As for what we’d do)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Seminole1975]

We’d just stay in whatever city the cruise was last at and take a ferry to the city after St. Petersburg. (As for what we’d do)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Interesting. Why not do a land tour around Scandinavia? After going to Denmark & Sweden I want to spend more time there driving around. Spending more days in Stockholm & Copenhagen.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[in2up2]

Is it doable to go to Moscow when your ship is in SP?

 

 

 

X offers a shore-ex to Moscow, so doable but must fly and very expensive.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GenXGirl]

Interesting. Why not do a land tour around Scandinavia? After going to Denmark & Sweden I want to spend more time there driving around. Spending more days in Stockholm & Copenhagen.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

$$$

Cruising is the least expensive way to see Scandinavia. Food and lodging are so expensive there!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[kitkat343]

Is it doable to go to Moscow when your ship is in SP?

This is offered by most private tour companies when your ship is in St Petersburg for 3 days. I believe the rule for the visa waiver is that you must return to sleep on the ship, so it is a very long 19 hour day since you need to take either two high speed trains or one train and one flight in one day. The timetable is available here: https://spb-tours.com/index.php?plugin=tour_details&action=inrussia&tId=22 . It's a pretty brutal 19 hour schedule starting at 5:45 am and ending at 12:30 am the next day.

 

Another option might be to get a visa so you can stay overnight in Moscow, thus being able to travel over two days instead of one very exhausting one.

 

On the Baltic forum there have been people who want to visit Scandinavia without stopping at St. Petersburg who were very disappointed that there are apparently no options to do this. While St. Petersburg was certainly a highlight for me, I can understand the political concerns people may have and Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen would make this cruise worthwhile on their own, especially if you live in Europe and don't have a long flight to get to the cruise.

[grapau27]

This is offered by most private tour companies when your ship is in St Petersburg for 3 days. I believe the rule for the visa waiver is that you must return to sleep on the ship, so it is a very long 19 hour day since you need to take either two high speed trains or one train and one flight in one day. The timetable is available here: https://spb-tours.com/index.php?plugin=tour_details&action=inrussia&tId=22 . It's a pretty brutal 19 hour schedule starting at 5:45 am and ending at 12:30 am the next day.

 

Another option might be to get a visa so you can stay overnight in Moscow, thus being able to travel over two days instead of one very exhausting one.

 

On the Baltic forum there have been people who want to visit Scandinavia without stopping at St. Petersburg who were very disappointed that there are apparently no options to do this. While St. Petersburg was certainly a highlight for me, I can understand the political concerns people may have and Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen would make this cruise worthwhile on their own, especially if you live in Europe and don't have a long flight to get to the cruise.

I agree plus some Baltic cruises include Finland, Poland and Germany.

St Petersburg is a fascinating city where you don't need a visa if you are on a ship's tour and we loved our guided tour when we sailed on Serenade in the Baltic.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

[KeithJenner]

On the Baltic forum there have been people who want to visit Scandinavia without stopping at St. Petersburg who were very disappointed that there are apparently no options to do this. While St. Petersburg was certainly a highlight for me, I can understand the political concerns people may have and Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen would make this cruise worthwhile on their own, especially if you live in Europe and don't have a long flight to get to the cruise.

 

St Petersburg is actually a bit of a problem from this point of view, I agree.

 

We have been there twice now, and whilst I really liked it both times we went, we also really like the other Baltic ports. Having St Petersburg on the itineraries appears to increase the cruise cost and it is also an expensive place to go off the ship, as a tour is much more of a requirement than other ports. This is a negative against picking a Baltics cruise.

 

We are really interested in next years Spirit itineraries, which do the Baltic with a number of other ports added. Personally, I would prefer it if it didn't include St Petersburg, as that will just be a bit of a pain for us. We will most likely either stay on the ship or just do one or two half day NCL tours. I'd quite like the option of not going to St Petersburg though (absolutely nothing to do with any political issues).

[Seminole1975]

OMG what's this about 'recent political climate'.

 

Top tip: Don't do anything incredibly stupid whilst on vacation, no matter what country you're headed for, and 99.98% of the time you'll be fine.

 

I agree! Funny! I think St. Petersburg is as safe as anywhere cruise ships go. Plus they are building a brand new soccer stadium to host the World Cup. You can see it when the ship is in port there. The government wants to put on a good front for the world like Rio did for the Olympics.

 

If you want to talk about "political climate" I am doing my own personal boycott of Cuba. Some friends are trying to get me on a cruise to there. Nope! I grew up in Miami and heard about the plight of the Cubans all my life. I also had some Cuban friends. I would not go there until the current regime has changed. Not that they will miss my money or anything. ;p

Edited May 3, 2018 by Seminole1975

[fabnfortysomething]

I agree plus some Baltic cruises include Finland, Poland and Germany.

St Petersburg is a fascinating city where you don't need a visa if you are on a ship's tour and we loved our guided tour when we sailed on Serenade in the Baltic.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

 

you also don't need a visa if you are on a private tour which has same visa waiver status as ships tours=funny how the cruiselines fudge that issue

[jdvmd]

With SPB Tours, we were definitely given a visa and it was supplied in our documents from SPB.

Here is what their website says regarding if they issue visas.

YES! To those people arriving to St. Petersburg on a cruise ship who are booking shore excursions with us, we take care of your visa for Russia for the duration of your ship’s stay.

As a fully licensed tour operator, we are legally authorized to provide you with a document called a Tour Ticket which acts as your blanket visa for the duration of your stay in St. Petersburg. This document will allow you to enter Russia to take your tour with us. This has been an integral part of our business for the 7 years we have been in operation and we have never had a problem with our guests getting through Russian immigration. Tour Tickets are only required for St. Petersburg.

 

When you disembark the ship, all you need from us is your tour-ticket (along with your physical passport (not a copy)) and you are good to go!

SPB-Tours (ООО "СПб-Турс" in Russian) is a licensed, registered tour operator by the Ministry of Culture of Russia's Federal Agency for Tourism. Our registration number is MBT 003341. By clicking the link you can see our official listing on the Ministry of Culture's website (in Russian).

[grapau27]

With SPB Tours, we were definitely given a visa and it was supplied in our documents from SPB.

Here is what their website says regarding if they issue visas.

YES! To those people arriving to St. Petersburg on a cruise ship who are booking shore excursions with us, we take care of your visa for Russia for the duration of your ship’s stay.

As a fully licensed tour operator, we are legally authorized to provide you with a document called a Tour Ticket which acts as your blanket visa for the duration of your stay in St. Petersburg. This document will allow you to enter Russia to take your tour with us. This has been an integral part of our business for the 7 years we have been in operation and we have never had a problem with our guests getting through Russian immigration. Tour Tickets are only required for St. Petersburg.

 

When you disembark the ship, all you need from us is your tour-ticket (along with your physical passport (not a copy)) and you are good to go!

SPB-Tours (ООО "СПб-Турс" in Russian) is a licensed, registered tour operator by the Ministry of Culture of Russia's Federal Agency for Tourism. Our registration number is MBT 003341. By clicking the link you can see our official listing on the Ministry of Culture's website (in Russian).

Good to know.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app

[maggie cruises]

I actually loved my land based trip to Moscow and Leningrad in march 1988. I studied Russian history( both imperial and communist ) as a self made minor within my business degree (because even back in the 70's I knew enough to know that a business degree would keep me well employed ...but...to not know history is a terrible thing)...

 

To this very day, I am stunned when I hear some of the things people expect from government...schools...employers...I guess they don't realize when you get a handout you are giving up certain freedoms. Those short 10 days showed me I'm better off providing for myself in life. For I can do better for myself than what others can hand to me for free.

 

My 10 days in communist Russia was enough to convince me that "our framers and founders" just got it right.

 

Get off the ship in St Pete...see the beauty of Russia of the Tsars...and if you ever get the chance go to Moscow too....a very beautiful city

 

My memories of Russia are not only of the Tsars and the architecture...they are of the bread lines ....the black KGB cars following our group around....the chicken thigh and 1 olive and a slice of beet they served us for dinner...and the hotel hallway matron recording our every move.....

 

Impacted me for life....and has made me a proud capitalist who will never be a "snowflake" and can handle my life and family just fine without government help or interference.

 

Ok rant over...but point is don't give up a chance to see Russia even if only a port stop.

 

Especially Peter the Greats Window on the West

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited May 3, 2018 by maggie cruises

[Seminole1975]

I actually loved my land based trip to Moscow and Leningrad in march 1988. I studied Russian history( both imperial and communist ) as a self made minor within my business degree (because even back in the 70's I knew enough to know that a business degree would keep me well employed ...but...to not know history is a terrible thing)...

 

To this very day, I am stunned when I hear some of the things people expect from government...schools...employers...I guess they don't realize when you get a handout you are giving up certain freedoms. Those short 10 days showed me I'm better off providing for myself in life. For I can do better for myself than what others can hand to me for free.

 

My 10 days in communist Russia was enough to convince me that "our framers and founders" just got it right.

 

Get off the ship in St Pete...see the beauty of Russia of the Tsars...and if you ever get the chance go to Moscow too....a very beautiful city

 

My memories of Russia are not only of the Tsars and the architecture...they are of the bread lines ....the black KGB cars following our group around....the chicken thigh and 1 olive and a slice of beet they served us for dinner...and the hotel hallway matron recording our every move.....

 

Impacted me for life....and has made me a proud capitalist who will never be a "snowflake" and can handle my life and family just fine without government help or interference.

 

Ok rant over...but point is don't give up a chance to see Russia even if only a port stop.

 

Especially Peter the Greats Window on the West

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

Well said Maggie!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Database]

We are on next week's cruise and booked specifically for St. Petersburg. (I'm no letting current politics sway my zeal for my once in a life time chance to go to St. Petersburg)

We've been on our roll call amd counting down for nearly 52 weeks. Thanks to our roll call buddies we booked most of our excursions from Alla tours.

The non cruiseline tours enable you to be in a smaller group versus the cruise ship's big bus.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app

[Suzieanna]

Maggie cruises. Can I be your friend. Your post has been the most sensible I have seen for a while

 

Best wishes

[KittyloverCA]

Oh please 🙄, then the next stop is Stockholm where you see how a society can be prosperous and enjoy liberties as we do, while having the government ensure the welfare of all. It’s not a black and white world. I was in communist Poland the same year you had you visit to the USSR and did not come away with the same lesson

 

I actually loved my land based trip to Moscow and Leningrad in march 1988. I studied Russian history( both imperial and communist ) as a self made minor within my business degree (because even back in the 70's I knew enough to know that a business degree would keep me well employed ...but...to not know history is a terrible thing)...

 

To this very day, I am stunned when I hear some of the things people expect from government...schools...employers...I guess they don't realize when you get a handout you are giving up certain freedoms. Those short 10 days showed me I'm better off providing for myself in life. For I can do better for myself than what others can hand to me for free.

 

My 10 days in communist Russia was enough to convince me that "our framers and founders" just got it right.

 

Get off the ship in St Pete...see the beauty of Russia of the Tsars...and if you ever get the chance go to Moscow too....a very beautiful city

 

My memories of Russia are not only of the Tsars and the architecture...they are of the bread lines ....the black KGB cars following our group around....the chicken thigh and 1 olive and a slice of beet they served us for dinner...and the hotel hallway matron recording our every move.....

 

Impacted me for life....and has made me a proud capitalist who will never be a "snowflake" and can handle my life and family just fine without government help or interference.

 

Ok rant over...but point is don't give up a chance to see Russia even if only a port stop.

 

Especially Peter the Greats Window on the West

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[txagfan]

There have been a lot of posts, but I spent a week in Russia on a land vacation. St Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited and the thought of someone being in port and not getting off makes me very sad.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[txagfan]

Probably if you're willing to fly and stay overnight in Moscow. No way you can drive both ways, just check Google Maps. I'm not even sure if you're able to even hop on a flight with a visa (probably able to) but since you need a tourist visa to enter the country, it's best to talk to a tour operator to figure out your options.

 

 

 

There is high speed rail (4 hours) as well as overnight trains with sleepers. I am fairly adventurous having traveled a lot and I think this would be a very aggressive plan unless skipping St Petersburg completely. Plane is an option, but will take longer than 4 hours once you add in transit time to/from airports.

 

Seat61.com is definitive best source of train travel info for most of the world.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GenXGirl]

Oh please [emoji849], then the next stop is Stockholm where you see how a society can be prosperous and enjoy liberties as we do, while having the government ensure the welfare of all. It’s not a black and white world. I was in communist Poland the same year you had you visit to the USSR and did not come away with the same lesson

 

 

 

Yeah, I had a similar thought; and I grew up in the states.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[grapau27]

Oh please [emoji849], then the next stop is Stockholm where you see how a society can be prosperous and enjoy liberties as we do, while having the government ensure the welfare of all. It’s not a black and white world. I was in communist Poland the same year you had you visit to the USSR and did not come away with the same lesson

The cruise into Stockholm takes a few hours but you see lovely scenery well worth getting up early for.

 

Sent from my Kestrel using Forums mobile app