Possible cruise to the Baltic

[izzywalker]

Considering a cruise to the Baltic.  Can fellow cruisers shed some light on cruising to the Baltic with P&O (2021/22)  We are looking to book a saver fare but would this prove too difficult with regard to disembarking from the ship at the following ports as the shuttle is not included in saver fares: a)Goteborg, Sweden: visby Sweden, : helsinki, Finland: Tallinn, Estonia: Stockholm, Sweden: federicia Denmark: Skagen, Denmark and b) do u have to book excursions when visiting  St. Petersburgh Russian federation?
or is best to book select fare?
 

Any tips/advice from any cruiser who has cruised to the Baltic would be very welcome.

Thanks

 

[Roger88]

I would do it way before hand. The thing is that these excursions are always overbooked. The earlier you check all the available companies that serve passengers of the cruisers, the sooner you will have all the best excursions booked. Its very sad when you arrive say in Sweden and there no where to go there cause everything is overbooked. So try checking them out earlier 

[puppycanducruise]

I would suggest that you check the Ports of Call forum here on Cruise Critic.  Lots of good advice in the Northern Europe and Baltic Sea forum.

Many suggest dealing with a private tour operator for St Petersburg.  They will deal with the visas for you. 

Visby is a lovely island and easy to explore on your own.

Tallin Estonia is also easy to DIY.

I have not cruised with P&O, so I do not have any advice for you regarding the saver fare.  Perhaps you could post a question on the P&O forum.

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[ColeThornton]

I can't help you with those places but have you checked out the N. Europe/Baltics forum?  Looks like it has a lot of good info for you to peruse.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

[cruisemom42]

Also, folks on the P&O forum may be more knowledgeable about the differences in booking categories, which are unique to P&O.

 

I can say that Talinn is walking distance from the ship. Stockholm may be doable depending on where your ship actually docks. And Helsinki I recall needing a shuttle or taxi to get into town (or a looooong walk).

 

In St. Petersburg -- at least for US citizens -- you are not allowed off the ship except with:  (1) a Russian visa obtaine on your own prior to sailing -- these are fairly pricey and require time and effort to pursue; (2) a ship-sponsored tour, or (3) a private tour with one of the recognized providers who basically agree to cover you with a sort of temporary visa only while you are out touring with them.

 

If you want to walk around St Petersburg on your own, you WILL need a private visa. Both the ship tours and private tours will only cover you while actually touring with them (e.g., you couldn't get off the ship in the evening and walk about on your own).

 

As mentioned, the Ports of Call forum has good info on St. Petersburg in particular and most of the other ports mentioned.

[Heidi13]

51 minutes ago, izzywalker said:

Considering a cruise to the Baltic.  Can fellow cruisers shed some light on cruising to the Baltic with P&O (2021/22)  We are looking to book a saver fare but would this prove too difficult with regard to disembarking from the ship at the following ports as the shuttle is not included in saver fares: a)Goteborg, Sweden: visby Sweden, : helsinki, Finland: Tallinn, Estonia: Stockholm, Sweden: federicia Denmark: Skagen, Denmark and b) do u have to book excursions when visiting  St. Petersburgh Russian federation?
or is best to book select fare?
 

Any tips/advice from any cruiser who has cruised to the Baltic would be very welcome.

Thanks

 

 

Helsinki - we were at an outer berth, which required a taxi into town

 

Stockholm - they have 2 terminals in town and another 60 miles south in Nynashamn. Probably best to figure on a taxi from either of the 2 in town and a bus from Nynashamn

 

Tallinn - easy walk of about 1 mile to the lower entrance to Old Town.

 

St Petersburg - many cruise line promote their tours advising that by booking a ship's tour you don't require a Russian Visa. They may give the impression that this only applies to their tours. This is not correct, as any of the approved Russian tour companies can provide Visa free tours. The big 3 or 4 tour companies all provide excellent tours. Personally we used Alla and they were exceptional. Your tour ticket for each day is your Visa and you must remain with the guide and return to the ship overnight. If you want to tour independently, or stay ashore overnight, a Visa is required.

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, izzywalker said:

Considering a cruise to the Baltic.  Can fellow cruisers shed some light on cruising to the Baltic with P&O (2021/22)  We are looking to book a saver fare but would this prove too difficult with regard to disembarking from the ship at the following ports as the shuttle is not included in saver fares: a)Goteborg, Sweden: visby Sweden, : helsinki, Finland: Tallinn, Estonia: Stockholm, Sweden: federicia Denmark: Skagen, Denmark and b) do u have to book excursions when visiting  St. Petersburgh Russian federation?
or is best to book select fare?
 

Any tips/advice from any cruiser who has cruised to the Baltic would be very welcome.

Thanks

 

Lots of information here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

[John Bull]

Firstly, while shuttles aren't included in the saver fare I suspect you can simply buy shuttle tickets on-board for a few pounds for any port where they'd be useful. I'm pretty sure we've done that a time or two.You're sure to get answers to that on the P&O forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/22-pampo-cruises-uk/

 

That's an interesting itinerary with some unusual ports, I can only comment on the common ones.

 

Helsinki

The centre isn't walkable from the port. We took Aurora's shuttle - we've never paid Select fare, but that might have been before the two-tier pricing. Certainly there'll be taxis, pretty sure the local hop-on/hop-off tour bus calls by the port though you may not want to do that tour. Might be local buses, if you don't get answers to that here give Google a whirl.

 

Tallinn.

Ships berth about a 15 - 20 minute walk from the nearest point of the walled old-town, a squat tower with the unflattering name of Fat Margaret. Centre of old-town is 10 minutes further. If you take a taxi, get the driver to drop you at the highest point of old-town - it's so much easier to look around that part & then walk DOWN to the centre. A hop-on tour bus isn't worthwhile in Tallinn, they tour the rather bland & boring modern city and aren't permitted in the steep narrow streets of old-town

 

Stockholm 

Important - check the ship's itinerary. Does it say "Stockholm" or "Stockholm (Nynashamn)"? Nynashamn is a port on the coast, about an hour from the city. If the ship ports there, not only do you have that journey by road or train, you also miss the amazing sail-in through the archipelago of islands so close that you feel you can reach out & touch the trees - one of the world's best sail-ins.

P&O's smaller ships - Aurora, Arcadia, Oceana, - port in the city, Azura & Ventura might be too large for the archipelago, their new ship Iona is even bigger. If you berth in the city it's likely to be either at Stadsgarten (spelling?) which is ideal or Frihamnen which needs a short taxi or local bus ride. You can get around the city by a combination of bus or hop-on boat and Shanks's.

 

St Petersburg

To avoid the need for a Russian visa (which is a lot of hassle & cost, especially for Brits) you do need to pre-book a tour. But, as per posts by Heidi and cruisemom, you don't have to book a ship-sponsored tour. Local tour operators have the same visa-free tours. The tour ticket (handed to you on the ship for P&O tours, or e-mailed to you by local tour operators) gets you through immigration without a visa.

Local operators use 16-seat minibuses, 1000 times better than ships' tours which are in large coaches, and they're usually cheaper.

Google Alla Tours, SPB Tours, TJ Travel, Anastasia Tours, Red Oktober and there's a dozen more. I've never heard a bad word about any tour operator in St Petersburg, you can't go far wrong with any of them.

P&O are, I think, are the only cruise line which also offers tours in 16-seat minibuses as well as in cattle-herding big coaches. If your ship offers those minibus tours, do consider them. If they're a shade more expensive than booking through a local operator you may feel it worth the extra cost for the peace of mind, altho there's no need. P&O's minibus tours are operated by those local tour operators

Is your St Petersburg visit a one-day port-of-call  or is it at least two days, overniting in port  ? The city is well worth two days (a 2-day tour).

And consider an evening in the city - ballet, or fun "feel yourself Russian" show, or a number of private options like dining in a restaurant or with a Russian family.  Your tour operator can arrange these - as per Heidi's post you'll need a tour ticket appropriate to the day / time of day to go thro immigration, so you can't fix up that sort of thing independently.

You can DIY pretty cheaply in other ports, so don't skimp on St Petersburg, the jewel in any Baltic cruise.

 

Select tickets are seriously expensive, especially compared to late-late deals.

Free shuttles are no big deal, the real advantages are being able to choose a precise cabin and to choose 1st or 2nd sitting or anytime for evening dining. But IMHO the cost difference is way too big for the advantages 

 

Great part of the world for cruising, have a good one

 

JB