anisunshine Posted July 18, 2018 #26 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #27 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #28 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #29 Share Posted July 19, 2018 St Petersburg Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #30 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #31 Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) Church of spilled blood isaac‘s cathedral... Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Edited July 19, 2018 by plucasana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #32 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisunshine Posted July 19, 2018 #33 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Very nice photos. Did you take an excursion from the ship? We have already booked with them - city tour, Isaac Cathedral and Peterhof Palace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #34 Share Posted July 19, 2018 we are on an excursion right now. the company is called „petersburg hautnah“. excellent. (with wifi on the tour bus, that isbwhy I am posting the pics right away) Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #35 Share Posted July 19, 2018 catherine‘s palace in pushkin Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 19, 2018 Author #36 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anisunshine Posted July 19, 2018 #37 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Awesome pictures! :)Thanks for sharing with us :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raj.K Posted July 21, 2018 #38 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Hi Plucasana, Cruisers, Thank you for posting about your experience. We are to cruise on the Preziosa in late August to Northern Europe (from Copenhagen) calling at Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg and Kiel. Can you please help with the following questions: 1. Any guidance on the best/must do excursion(s) for these ports? (family with two teenage children) 2. Is it cheaper to book on board the ship or in advance? (is the price quoted in GBP (£) and Euro the same, i.e without exchange rate conversion?) Do Yacht Club cruisers enjoy discounted excursion, laundry, internet packages if booked on board or in advance? 3. MSC is offering a multi-excursion package of tours for Stockholm, Tallinn and St Petersburg at a reduced rate when compared to the individual tour prices. Your experiences on this multi-excursion package? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 22, 2018 Author #39 Share Posted July 22, 2018 I am getting started on my review. For those of you who are interested: Part One: https://plucasana.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/msc-preziosa-baltic-sea-1/ Part Two (CPH) https://plucasana.wordpress.com/copenhagen/ I am not a native speaker so I do hope you will excuse mistakes and errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pukekolive Posted July 22, 2018 #40 Share Posted July 22, 2018 I am getting started on my review. For those of you who are interested: Part One: https://plucasana.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/msc-preziosa-baltic-sea-1/ Part Two (CPH) https://plucasana.wordpress.com/copenhagen/ I am not a native speaker so I do hope you will excuse mistakes and errors. Thank you so much for your review we hope you had a great Cruise! Sent from my SM-A320Y using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 22, 2018 Author #41 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Thank you @pukeolive for your interest!!!! @Raj.K;56586886] 1. Any guidance on the best/must do excursion(s) for these ports? (family with two teenage children) we had two teenage girls with us so maybe our choices can be an indicator for you. 2. Is it cheaper to book on board the ship or in advance? (is the price quoted in GBP (£) and Euro the same, i.e without exchange rate conversion?) the excursions are cheaper if bought upfront. MSC excursions are very expensive to start with. You might want to consider doing individual tours especially if travelling as a family. Do Yacht Club cruisers enjoy discounted excursion, laundry, internet packages if booked on board or in advance? No discounts. Laundry is better booked in advance. I always book the 15 € (10 pieces) package, just to be on the safe side. Internet: Same. I had the streamer package - very good value for money ! 3. MSC is offering a multi-excursion package of tours for Stockholm, Tallinn and St Petersburg at a reduced rate when compared to the individual tour prices. Your experiences on this multi-excursion package? I did not look at the excursions for this tour, because it is so easy to diy. In my experience the multi-excursion packages are good price but bad choice - what I mean is that there is usually at least one excursion in the pack that very few people would choose if booking individual excursions. But if the excursions seem interesting to you - I am sure that is less expensive to book them as a bulk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raj.K Posted July 22, 2018 #42 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Thank you Plucasana for the detailed reply. Are you able to share the private tour operator you used for organising private tours, the itinerary used and the costs? Also, I hear that visas need to be applied in advance for Russia if on a private tour and it is easy if using the ship for the excursions. Any tips on this please? Thank you again for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 22, 2018 Author #43 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Are you able to share the private tour operator you used for organising private tours, the itinerary used and the costs? Sure : CPH: MSC-Shuttle 10,9 € (pP) + Strömma for the boat tour (250 DKK/4 P) Stockholm: MSC-Shuttle for 13,90 €, Rest diy SPO: http://petersburg-hautnah.com/request/; cost was 512 € (4P) including lunch, I will write a review later Tallin: DIY, the ship docks in the middle of everything. Friends chose a bike tour via get your guide, they had 2 teenagers with them aswell and were very satisfied with the tour: https://www.getyourguide.de/tallinn-l394/fahrradtouren-tc7/ Also, I hear that visas need to be applied in advance for Russia if on a private tour and it is easy if using the ship for the excursions. Any tips on this please? Our tour operator took care of everything - we had a "tour visa" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingFox27 Posted July 22, 2018 #44 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Thank you Plucasana for the detailed reply. Are you able to share the private tour operator you used for organising private tours, the itinerary used and the costs? Also, I hear that visas need to be applied in advance for Russia if on a private tour and it is easy if using the ship for the excursions. Any tips on this please? Thank you again for your help. If you book your excursion to st Petersburg via either the ship or a private tour operator they will arrange your tourist visa. If you look on the Ports of Call section a number of private tour companies are listed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 23, 2018 Author #45 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Today's Installment: link to blog-entry: Stockholm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternTrader Posted July 23, 2018 #46 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Hi Plucasana, Cruisers, Thank you for posting about your experience. We are to cruise on the Preziosa in late August to Northern Europe (from Copenhagen) calling at Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg and Kiel. Can you please help with the following questions: 1. Any guidance on the best/must do excursion(s) for these ports? (family with two teenage children) 2. Is it cheaper to book on board the ship or in advance? (is the price quoted in GBP (£) and Euro the same, i.e without exchange rate conversion?) Do Yacht Club cruisers enjoy discounted excursion, laundry, internet packages if booked on board or in advance? 3. MSC is offering a multi-excursion package of tours for Stockholm, Tallinn and St Petersburg at a reduced rate when compared to the individual tour prices. Your experiences on this multi-excursion package? Thank you Plucasana, I’m loving your review! We’re in YC on Preziosa next year and it’s nice to read about it. If you get a chance I’d love to see a menu or two from the YC restaurant – but please don’t go to any trouble. Thanks. Raj.K; CruisingFox27 Firstly, the visa requirement is a myth promoted by the cruise lines to get you to use their tours. If you book a tour with a St Petersburg tour company your tour ticket (sent to you) acts as your visa. Secondly, the independent tour companies are well practised in dealing with cruise passengers and will give you the best experience – their business relies on positive reviews on well-known travel websites! We were on Serenade of the Seas last year and enjoyed a 2 night/3 day stay in this city. Before booking I researched what we wanted to do and then approached 3 or 4 companies to see if they could adapt their standard tours to accommodate my wish-list. Best Guides were quick to respond and able to deliver the itinerary we wanted, so we chose them. Apart from a boat trip on the canals (I recall this was weather related) we completed our entire list and even managed to visit some less well known tourist attractions including the “Gold Room” at the Hermitage (including a private tour with a Hermitage curator), the Naval Cathedral, the Summer Garden, the Choral Synagogue, a local market etc. Our tour cost US$1715 and that gave us a car (late model Mercedes), driver, tour guide, entrance fees to all attractions (I think I had to pay a camera charge somewhere, but I can’t remember where), a metro ride and the hydrofoil from Peterhof back to the city. The only thing I paid for was lunch – make sure you go to one of the “pie shops” for a good inexpensive and, more importantly, quick lunch. $1715 sounds a lot, but works out at $285 per 8+ hour day per person which is cheap compared to the cruise line tours. Incidentally, as a private tour we were able to walk past all the queues for the Hermitage, Catherine Palace, Peterhof etc and adjust the day to suit the weather and traffic. Spending an hour researching the sights you want and emailing a few companies will pay dividends! Enjoy your trip WT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingFox27 Posted July 23, 2018 #47 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Plucasana, I’m loving your review! We’re in YC on Preziosa next year and it’s nice to read about it. If you get a chance I’d love to see a menu or two from the YC restaurant – but please don’t go to any trouble. Thanks. Raj.K; CruisingFox27 Firstly, the visa requirement is a myth promoted by the cruise lines to get you to use their tours. If you book a tour with a St Petersburg tour company your tour ticket (sent to you) acts as your visa. Secondly, the independent tour companies are well practised in dealing with cruise passengers and will give you the best experience – their business relies on positive reviews on well-known travel websites! We were on Serenade of the Seas last year and enjoyed a 2 night/3 day stay in this city. Before booking I researched what we wanted to do and then approached 3 or 4 companies to see if they could adapt their standard tours to accommodate my wish-list. Best Guides were quick to respond and able to deliver the itinerary we wanted, so we chose them. Apart from a boat trip on the canals (I recall this was weather related) we completed our entire list and even managed to visit some less well known tourist attractions including the “Gold Room” at the Hermitage (including a private tour with a Hermitage curator), the Naval Cathedral, the Summer Garden, the Choral Synagogue, a local market etc. Our tour cost US$1715 and that gave us a car (late model Mercedes), driver, tour guide, entrance fees to all attractions (I think I had to pay a camera charge somewhere, but I can’t remember where), a metro ride and the hydrofoil from Peterhof back to the city. The only thing I paid for was lunch – make sure you go to one of the “pie shops” for a good inexpensive and, more importantly, quick lunch. $1715 sounds a lot, but works out at $285 per 8+ hour day per person which is cheap compared to the cruise line tours. Incidentally, as a private tour we were able to walk past all the queues for the Hermitage, Catherine Palace, Peterhof etc and adjust the day to suit the weather and traffic. Spending an hour researching the sights you want and emailing a few companies will pay dividends! Enjoy your trip WT Yes WT, exactly as I stated in my post if you book an excursion with either the ship or an independent tour company the tickets include your 'tourist visa', or visa waiver if you prefer. You do not require the full visa. Raj, We've personally chosen Alla as the itinerary covers our requirements but they, SPB, and the other main tour operators all have very good reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingFox27 Posted July 23, 2018 #48 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Raj, this is the link to the Ports of Call discussion on SPB, including a comparison spreadsheet on the private tour operators. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2593784 Apologies for the digression on your OP Plucasana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 23, 2018 Author #49 Share Posted July 23, 2018 If you get a chance I’d love to see a menu or two from the YC restaurant – but please don’t go to any trouble. Thanks. sure. I have included all of them in my review and blog also. so this was the first lunch: first dinner: second dinner: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plucasana Posted July 23, 2018 Author #50 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Gesendet von iPad mit Tapatalk Pro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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