Russia and the Baltic Sea

[G. GIRL]

Anyone done this itinerary?

I’ve been having a look for next year and notice that they spend three days in St Petersburg, my first thought is that is quite a while to spend in one port. Is it that spectacular to warrant three days?

[philw1776]

Did Homelands with 2 days in St P. Enjoyed every moment but toured 7:30AM - 6PM. 3 days would allow more leisure. TONS to see there. A group of us organized on Cruise Critic used TJ Travel (see website) for a lower cost more custom experience and saw more than with Viking tours which can conflict & overlap. Wife also did Swan Lake evening ballet.

[lackcreativity]

We are booked on this cruise for late April 2019. The weather may be chilly, but hopefully the crowds will be less of a problem. Though we usually have booked only Viking excursions, we are doing a small group tour with a company called Alla Tours, which is very well regarded here on Cruise Critic and also on Tripadvisor. Check out their 3 Day Grand Tour and you will see there is an amazing list of things to see in St. Petersburg. It is the main reason we chose this itinerary.

 

Based on my early research (which usually includes looking at pictures of a location on Pinterest or Flickr), it will be as easy to spend three days in St. Petersburg as it would be to spend three days in Rome or Paris. If I had the time, I could easily spend an entire day in the Hermitage Museum. I love museums and churches and palaces and canals, and St. Petersburg is full of spectacular ones. I realize my enthusiasm may be a bit excessive, as I have never actually been there, but I can't wait to go!

[G. GIRL]

Thanks for your replies. I’ve just been watching a tv show featuring parts of this itinerary so now understand how big this destination is. The thing I guess is to choose your excursions carefully.

[Cape Hernlopen]

Three days in St. Petersburg is the minimum time to get a good feel for this classic/cultural city. On our last trip to St. Petersburg we spent five (5) full days and we wished that we had more time. The palaces, churches and museums are world class and not to be missed.

 

Joel Barry

[Heidi13]

We did the Baltic last year, but only had 2 days in St Petersburg. Rather than using the cruise line we used Alla Tours 2-day St Petersburg, I note they also offer tours in the other Baltic Ports.

 

Our guide was excellent and we had only 10 in our group. Only complaint is 2-days wasn't even close to seeing enough of this amazing city. They call it the Venice of the North, a most apt description.

 

In 3-days you'll see much of the city and the outlying palaces, but you will still want to return for more.

[sawtooth]

Would have loved to have 3 days there. Only 2 for us and not enough. Days were jammed packed.

I have heard that when people have 3 days some actually go to Moscow too.

[G. GIRL]

Booked it !!!

We’ve not been home a week yet from our first Viking cruise and the next one is in the bag. Also it will be a special birthday for me while we are there. Hope we enjoy it as much as the Empires of the Mediterranean.

[lackcreativity]

Booked it !!!

We’ve not been home a week yet from our first Viking cruise and the next one is in the bag. Also it will be a special birthday for me while we are there. Hope we enjoy it as much as the Empires of the Mediterranean.

 

Which date did you select? I debated crowds vs. weather and selected the April 26, 2019 sailing. We also took our first ever ocean cruise with Viking on the Empires of the Mediterranean. That was a fabulous experience, even though we were disappointed to miss out on the originally planned ports of Istanbul and Ephesus. I am expecting Russia and the Baltic Sea to be every bit as wonderful as that first trip.

[G. GIRL]

Which date did you select? I debated crowds vs. weather and selected the April 26, 2019 sailing. We also took our first ever ocean cruise with Viking on the Empires of the Mediterranean. That was a fabulous experience, even though we were disappointed to miss out on the originally planned ports of Istanbul and Ephesus. I am expecting Russia and the Baltic Sea to be every bit as wonderful as that first trip.

 

We chose the weather and also a significant birthday is during this itinerary.

I was very interested to learn from the Viking representative (I’m from the UK) that when in Russia if you go ashore with one of their excursions you don’t have to apply for a Russian visa. If you want to do your own thing you need a visa. I thought that a very important piece of information.

[Heidi13]

We chose the weather and also a significant birthday is during this itinerary.

I was very interested to learn from the Viking representative (I’m from the UK) that when in Russia if you go ashore with one of their excursions you don’t have to apply for a Russian visa. If you want to do your own thing you need a visa. I thought that a very important piece of information.

 

Not sure exactly what the rep mentioned, but he may only be partially correct. Many cruise lines will tell you that in Russia you require a Visa unless you take a ship's excursion. This is a complete myth.

 

If you are on a cruise ship and taking a tour from the ship or an approved Russian tour company you do not require a Visa, provided you return to the ship for the night. In St Petersburg, I research 3 tour companies and they were all approved, so no Visa required. We used Alla Tours.

 

When going ashore you provide passport and tour ticket to Immigration. Your tour ticket, for that day, is your Visa. On the first day you are provided a landing card, which you return upon return to the ship.

[Elizabetho55]

Anyone done this itinerary?

 

I’ve been having a look for next year and notice that they spend three days in St Petersburg, my first thought is that is quite a while to spend in one port. Is it that spectacular to warrant three days?

 

 

 

Absolutely! You won’t see everything in 3 days. It’s a beautiful city!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[philw1776]

Yes TJ Tours email was our Visa. You don’t need Viking

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[TGBoss]

We've booked this for next year departing May 9. Also booked early in the season to avoid crowds (love shoulder season traveling!)

 

We don't have to make our final payment until November, so haven't looked at booking an excursion yet. Any idea if there will be any problems waiting til then to book with an outside tour company?

[lackcreativity]

We've booked this for next year departing May 9. Also booked early in the season to avoid crowds (love shoulder season traveling!)

 

We don't have to make our final payment until November, so haven't looked at booking an excursion yet. Any idea if there will be any problems waiting til then to book with an outside tour company?

 

We are using Alla, the 3 day Grand Tour, and there is no payment due until the day of the tour, not even a deposit, for the small group tours. That may be different on the private tours. This will be our first experience with a private excursion, but we have already booked our reservation. We booked months ago, but I have no idea how soon these tours fill up. As Veranda cabin guests, we are the last to book excursions with Viking, and I didn't want to risk conflicts and sold-out excursions in St. Petersburg.

[Heidi13]

We've booked this for next year departing May 9. Also booked early in the season to avoid crowds (love shoulder season traveling!)

 

We don't have to make our final payment until November, so haven't looked at booking an excursion yet. Any idea if there will be any problems waiting til then to book with an outside tour company?

 

When we did the Baltic last year, Alla Tours were accepting bookings almost until the day the ship arrived.

[keithmeister2]

First time posting so I hope I am doing this right. Just wanted to add that we are a group of 6 who will be in St. Petersburg for three days (June 14-16) on the Oceania Marina. From our research I think three days will be about right to see this beautiful city. We booked the three day Grand Tour with Alla Tours who came recommended by friends and we found it very easy to arrange. We found their website very clear and they responded quickly to our questions. So we're all set and looking forward to it!