Petropavlovsk Kamchatka, Russia

[spunks]

We are sailing ( well, maybe sailing) on the Ovation in April 2021 and this is a port of call. Does anyone have any information about this port? In St Petersburg a visa was required to even get off the ship. I assume the same in this port, but can find not a word about it. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Doug

[BruceMuzz]

This port stop is included usually for 2 different reasons:

1. They have cheap fuel there, so the cruise line can fill up and save some money.

2. The ship must call at a foreign port while sailing around Japan.

 

I have worked on about a half dozen ships that called there.

A few passengers found it charming.

Most passengers complained that it was a terrible place and questioned why we took them there.

[Miaminice]

On 5/25/2020 at 2:42 PM, spunks said:

We are sailing ( well, maybe sailing) on the Ovation in April 2021 and this is a port of call. Does anyone have any information about this port? In St Petersburg a visa was required to even get off the ship. I assume the same in this port, but can find not a word about it. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Doug

In theory, yes, visas are required. I am saying "in theory" because we walked off the ship in Vladivostok without anyone caring that we had no visa. And I heard the same about Petropavlovsk.

 

I agree with Bruce. Had we stayed on board in Vladivostok, it would not have been a loss.
 

The alternatives are to book a tour with a registered tour company or to book with the cruise line.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Miaminice

[ROCruiser]

I have heard that passengers do not need a visa just getting off the ship and stay near the port inside the city for the day. We did arrange for a private tour for our day there with  plans to go outside the city which did not materialize. Here is my report on that port.

[sugarbird]

My wife and I were in Petropavlovsk 7 or 8 years ago off a Silversea cruise..

We loved the stop--multiple snow covered volcanoes that you can go to by off road vehicle--good fish market, friendly people,etc

We very much enjoyed the stop--I would highly recommend a tour

[ShipsandDipper]

We booked an off-road tour with a private company (KamchatinTour) and enjoyed the day Immensely. Both guide and driver were awesome. We were lucky to get a sunny day, and our driver made a picnic lunch for us that morning (we ate in style—he pulled a folding table and chairs from the truck and even had a tablecloth!). 
 

The tour company sent a voucher we used to get off the ship (so we didn’t need a visa).  I’ve never felt so scrutinized—Russian officers set up a table at the end of the gangplank and studied our passports both as we got off and then as we got back on.  That was separate from the actual passport control, which was done inside the building.

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by ShipsandDipper

[Orlando Vic]

We also used Kamchatintour in 2017.

We were on the Celebrity Millennium May 14th and had booked an all day tour with Kamchatintour http://www.kamchatintour.ru No visa was required, but the tour company also gave us an official looking "travel voucher" should we ever need it..

 

I found them to be very responsive to all of my questions - in perfect English. Our guide, Anna Konevskaya, was extremely organized and very knowledgeable about the local area and it's history. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. We visited a "snow dogs" center where they train long distance sled dog racers similar to Alaska's Iditarod. We also saw some indigenous people perform ethnic dances for us. It turned out to be a very memorable day.

 

Based on our experience this last May, Russia required NO visa for passengers going ashore whether on ship's tours, independent tours or no tours at all. http://www.russiavisa.com/visafreeentry.htm

 

There is not much of interest in the city, but the real attractions are the stunning natural beauty of the area. For this, you need a tour and also to make the most of your time ashore. 

 

As I said, they were very responsive to all of my questions, and I had many. They also responded in perfect English and took US dollars for payment at the end of the day.

[TeaBag]

We didn't have a visa either but we did book a ship's tour.  We were taken through the little town and had lunch where we were entertained by children.  It was a holiday so not much was open.  We wouldn't bother going back.

[sugarbird]

I would not call Petropavlovsk a small town  --its population is 180.000.

Obviously its not for everone --in spite of the nearby spectacular scenery.

I would go again in a heartbeat.