Thoughts on Nautica's Baltic Cruise

[Mura]

I agree that if you are using a group tour with a blanket visa it won't matter where you are docked.

 

In our case so many years ago, where those groups didn't yet exist -- there were some tour agencies, yes, but they required YOU to get a visa back then -- we missed our guide on the first day because we had a last minute change of where we were docking and she didn't get my message in time.  It worked out for us because crew members gave us a lift to the Hermitage.  But we were very lucky.

 

Our guide did show up at our dock about 10 minutes after we'd left ...

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

7 hours ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

A Celebrity ship was also in port but must have been docked at the outer port.  Having said that, we basically had he same tour itinerary as the group from that ship for both days there so I don't think location really matters if you're going on a group tour with a blanket visa.

True - location doesn’t matter with private tours that tend to be full day tours.

LOcation does matter with ship’s tours that tend to be half day tours. That means that you have to return to the ship after the morning tour and then go out again for the afternoon tour - thus wasting time driving back and forth to a port further away.

[Maya_C]

Thank you to everyone who has provided helpful advice about visiting St. Petersburg. I appreciate your taking the time to share your experience.

~Maya C

[19whitefish78]

On 9/10/2019 at 6:06 PM, ORV said:

The only Nautica cruise I've been on was to the Baltic. I enjoyed the ship and the itinerary very much. 

We are sailing on the Nautica for the first time Sept 14 on the "Gilded Treasures" Baltic cruise.  Did you go on any of the ships excursions?  I especially wan to know about the ones for St Petersburg since we won't be getting our own visas.  Also, any other advice you can give  me would be a great help.  Thanks!

[Mura]

As many have stated here at CC (although perhaps not on this thread) you have the option of taking a small group tour with a number of excellent agencies in SP.  It's a smaller group and cheaper than the ship's tours ... AND they provide a group visa, just as the ship does.

 

Try doing a search at CC for private tours in SP.

[ORV]

1 hour ago, 19whitefish78 said:

We are sailing on the Nautica for the first time Sept 14 on the "Gilded Treasures" Baltic cruise.  Did you go on any of the ships excursions?  I especially wan to know about the ones for St Petersburg since we won't be getting our own visas.  Also, any other advice you can give  me would be a great help.  Thanks!

I went on a two day tour with Alla tours, one of several that are recommended here on CC. This is what I would do if going again. 

[clo]

32 minutes ago, ORV said:

I went on a two day tour with Alla tours, one of several that are recommended here on CC. This is what I would do if going again. 

SPB has also been highly recommended. A two day tour, eight hours per day, with lunch is about $300pp.

 

[Paulchili]

There are several major advantages to taking tours with groups like Alla or SPB

1 they are cheaper

2 they are more flexible

3 Smaller groups

4 Tend to be full day vs half day with Oceania - much better use of your limited time in SPB, avoiding going back to ship after morning tour only to return to city in afternoon (unless you dock on the Neva the trip back and forth is not a short one)

5 Several sites may not be offered by ship - like Faberge museum (unless things have changed).

I am sure there are others as well

Edited February 2, 2020 by Paulchili

[Mura]

What I said!  I just couldn't remember the exact names.

 

When we did St. P. it was with Renaissance in May 2001.  We had our own visas.  We did take a ship's tour to the ballet which was not splendid but we enjoyed it anyway, as ballet fans.  It was a junior troupe of the Kirov but in a hall NOT meant for ballet.  The dancers were good but the theater was not. We were super critical, but others who were not regular ballet-goers on the tour loved it.  When we departed the bus there were musicians playing for us -- my trip diary for this trip disappeared somehow so I don't recall exactly what they were playing, but I think it was "America the Beautiful" and the like.

 

Shortly after our cruise Red October became available, and also Alla and SPB.  I've never seen a negative review about any of these companies.  We loved our private guide as well but she is no longer doing this!  We paid $60/day for her services (for just the two of us) ... but then we had paid for our visas.  Back then, we found that it was cheaper to get our own visas through a service than it was to go to the Embassy -- not that we could, since at the time we'd have had to go to D.C. and we were in NYC (still are).  Renaissance wouldn't give us the "invitation letter" that we would have needed and the visa service did.  So that was that.

 

We were glad to be on our own at the time but if we were to go back today (which we'd be delighted to do) we'd use Alla or Red October of SPB.  We would NOT use ship's tours.

 

Mura

[clo]

On 9/10/2019 at 5:06 PM, ORV said:

The only Nautica cruise I've been on was to the Baltic. I enjoyed the ship and the itinerary very much. 

(Excuse me if this is right to post here.)

I have a vague recollection that you may have referred me to a review or something about a Baltic Scandinavian cruise you did. If it was you, could you give me a link please? Next month I can book shore excursions and will need help. If it isn't you, maybe someone else will see this post 🙂 Thanks.

[ORV]

12 minutes ago, clo said:

(Excuse me if this is right to post here.)

I have a vague recollection that you may have referred me to a review or something about a Baltic Scandinavian cruise you did. If it was you, could you give me a link please? Next month I can book shore excursions and will need help. If it isn't you, maybe someone else will see this post 🙂 Thanks.

Must have been someone else, I really don't do reviews, although I do a little live reporting here and there. Not so much of that for me lately. 

[clo]

5 minutes ago, ORV said:

Must have been someone else, I really don't do reviews, although I do a little live reporting here and there. Not so much of that for me lately. 

Thanks anyway.

[Jay23]

16 hours ago, clo said:

(Excuse me if this is right to post here.)

I have a vague recollection that you may have referred me to a review or something about a Baltic Scandinavian cruise you did. If it was you, could you give me a link please? Next month I can book shore excursions and will need help. If it isn't you, maybe someone else will see this post 🙂 Thanks.

I was the OP and you will find my review is No 1 post at the beginning of this Clo.  Goodness it was two years ago!   A very enjoyable cruise.     J 

[clo]

6 hours ago, Jay23 said:

I was the OP and you will find my review is No 1 post at the beginning of this Clo.  Goodness it was two years ago!   A very enjoyable cruise.     J 

Oh yay! Thanks.