St Petersburg Russia

[caribill]

15 hours ago, NavArch64 said:

You do know that in your Cruise Contract the company has a unilateral right to change one or more ports of call on a voyage for any reason .... safety and security being of particularly high priority.

 

Yes.

 

But usually the only reason book this itinerary is so they can visit St. Petersburg. The other ports just enhance the experience.

 

Also, when people book a Panama Canal cruise, it is for the canal experience. Per the contract Princess could eliminate the canal from the itinerary. (Especially easy to do for a Los Angeles to partial canal and then back experience.)

[amajaa]

For those that haven’t yet been to St Pertersburg before you even get in sight of St Petersburg you go through a little tiny channel, just big enough to fit a cruise ship through. The Russia Navy has barracks etc , certainly on the left hand side when you go through, not sure what is on the right. It would be so easy to shut that off and trap ships inside the great big bay . I for one apart from not wanting to give Russian any of my money would not feel at all safe in there. You can’t even just stay on the ship and be safe as you are already in the bay. If I was booked on a cruise going there I would cancel even if it meant I would lose the money. 

[DLSHS_Mom]

When we went through this channel i(departing St Petersburg) n September 2018 on the Regal the captain blasted The Love Boat theme the entire time we were passing by.  Everybody on the decks cheered loudly.

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

Did you not see the pictures of thousands of residents of SPB tsking to the streets to demonstrate against the invasion, knowing that they would face arrest (and worse) from the police ?

You need to differentiate between Putin and the Russian public. 

This is definitely a post that I wish I could give both a like (which I did) plus a thank you. So take this as my thank you.

[NavArch64]

As aviation goes, so goes maritime ... they are linked in international commerce and flag state / port state relationships. As I have stated earlier, Princess ships cannot enter Russian territorial waters until all of this settles down.

 

Note: I am only posting this to offer factual information to others on this thread. I am sorry if I disturb anyone who feels that this information is inappropriate. Just to be perfectly clear, I personally believe that war is immoral and a mortal sin against humanity by those who conduct it.  

[Lady Arwen]

12 minutes ago, NavArch64 said:

As aviation goes, so goes maritime ... they are linked in international commerce and flag state / port state relationships. As I have stated earlier, Princess ships cannot enter Russian territorial waters until all of this settles down.

 

Note: I am only posting this to offer factual information to others on this thread. I am sorry if I disturb anyone who feels that this information is inappropriate. Just to be perfectly clear, I personally believe that war is immoral and a mortal sin against humanity by those who conduct it.  

Thank you so much for your insight and sharing this very important information.  As one of many people cruising to Europe this summer, I appreciate being kept apprised of the current situation in the Baltics.  Great job!

[majortom10]

I am amazed at how some people think that without the visit to St P that there are no interesting other countries on the Baltic cruises of interest. Having done Baltics a few times have had very good and interesting ports of call in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Germany.

[Milaandra]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

I am amazed at how some people think that without the visit to St P that there are no interesting other countries on the Baltic cruises of interest. Having done Baltics a few times have had very good and interesting ports of call in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Germany.

I can't travel as much as I would like, so I try to see new ports if possible.  If we miss St. Petersburg, I don't know when I would get a chance to do another Baltic, and then it would be a repeat of all the other ports...you know?  Having said that, when this situation first came on the radar, my husband and I decided that we were okay with a floating hotel if it came down to it...but it would be disappointing to miss this exceptional port in what might be our only opportunity.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Having done a Baltics cruise I feel the stop in St. Petersburg is THE crown jewel of the itinerary, and is why most of us choose to cruise the Baltics.  Yes, the other ports have lots to offer but none quite compare to the richness of art, architecture and cultural history that St. Petersburg offers.  Were I booked on a 2022 cruise to the Baltics, I would be looking for alternate vacation plans for this year and try again for the Baltics in 2023/24 or later when things calm down.  Given the presence of Russian Naval ships in the Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea I would not be super comfortable sailing to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden or Poland at this time.  While those countries may stay free of conflict, the seas surrounding them may not, especially if Putin sets his sights further west than just Ukraine and Belarus.