Baltic cruise
 

I am trying to book an on shore excursion other than what the ship offers for St. Petersburg. Apparently, the cruise lines are giving these passengers a difficult time with delaying them and saying they can't get off the ship. Has anyone experienced this treatment, and if so, what did you do about it? Also, someone mentioned Tatanya as being a good tour person. I've been in contact with her, and she does seem to be efficient. [email protected]

trapsma

The cruise ships try to intimidate the passengers by saying they cannot disembark until those passengers who have taken their tours disembark first!!!

I did a trip report on my Baltic Cruise last August and I will copy a portion of it here for you.


Here it is .

"If you are planning a Baltic cruise and going to St.Petersburg, then you either take the cruise ship tour , a private tour or you need a Visa."

"A Visa is about $80.00
As you get off the cruise ship you will have a brass band playing for you as you line up to go through customs."

"The customs building looks like a flat roof construction site trailer .
it has Bertha 32 written on the side in big letters (!!??)."

"For a private tour you will need your passport, a copy of your passport , your tour tickets that you received from your private tour company in St.Petersburg and they may ask for the intinerary of your visits for that day.... so I had all four with me when I disembarked."

"I booked my 2 day tour visit in St. Petersburg with Alla Tours and I highly recommend them."

"Also keep a few things in mind... you will be lining up outside so if it is very hot or raining or whatever, be prepared.
If you had 3-4 cups of coffee at breakfast, then go to the bathroom before you disembark!!! "

"I guess most cruise ship tours start at 8 AM and later because here is what happened to me !!"

"I got off the ship at exactly 7 AM walked right into the Customs place ( not a single person in line),she took the copy of my passport and handed me a red card and off I went."

"Alla Tours was waiting for me( 4 of us ) on the other side of the building.
We got into the van and were off at 7:11 AM ( Wow!!!)"

trapsma ,I just copied and pasted the above from my Trip Report.

You might want to try Alla Tours,they were very good also and Alla herself come to meet you at the end of your second day.

Look!!,when you are ready to disembark,( go early) just go to the disembark area and walk off the ship....don't worry no one is going to stop you or even try to hold you back....

Percy

Thanks, Percy. I will look up Alla tours. I've had a number of quotes from various groups. I am a little concerned as to their legitimacy. I'd hate to send money and find out it's a scam. Do you know how I could check them out?

I wouldn't mind sharing a tour with others, except that we'd have to agree on what to see and do.

We used Red October, and were extremely satisfied. We had no difficulty getting off the ship.

The visa is now $131.

God! Thats a huge increase.

Hello!

I have used Red October for 3 Baltic Cruises.

If you haven't seen my post on Cruiscritic......

The 1st link is to our travel journal which has pictures of each port and our St. Petersburg itinerary.


The 2nd link is to quite a bit of information about the ports and overall itinerary!


http://when.do.we.leave.googlepages.com/

http://when.do.we.leave.googlepages....ortinformation


Bon Voyage

trapsma

Having other join your group is a good idea.
I will give you Alla's e-mail later.

Don't worry about deciding to see the same places because I can assure you that Alla has the tour down to a science and you will see everything the ship offers plus more.

Also the 2 days tour is costly for only two people.

I booked Alla in April for August24-25th.

There were four of us going.
Then..........
Alla e-mailed me and asked if a couple fromMichigan could join us and I said yes.
Then.... after 2-3 weeks later she asked me if a group of four from San Diego could join us and I said yes ...but close it off now at 10 people.

Now notice that Alla always e-mailed me and asked me if it was okay for other to join my group of four.
At any time I could have said no and that would have been it.!!

Having a group of 10 reduced the price quite a bit... but I have to said that the other 6 people that joined us were terrific ...and this was for St.Petersburg only.


Alla Ushakova
E-mail Address is
[email protected]

I am sure Red October is good also but I can personally vouch for Alla.

Alla will e-mail you the information and the tickets for both days.

Oh yes....there is NO up front payments of any kind and we paid at the end of the second day in St. Petersburg !!!.not even after the first day.
Boy that is trusting people a lot !

Hi jacketwatch

Hi isailtheseas.......I enjoyed your website addresses.

Wow visa $131.00 now ( gulp!)

:)Percy

Hi trapsma.

Hi isailtheseas:

I agree with a lot you said about all the ports you visited.

In fact in my Trip Report I also said that in Stockholm ,the main places to see are:

1. Vasa Museum...go here first because of the crowds.

2. Drottninholm Place (official residence of the Royal Family..UNESCO site)...go herenext ,it is only 6 miles outside the City.

3. City Hall Tour because this is the place of the Nobel Prize Ceromonies.(tour takes about 1 hour to one hour and 15 minutes..cost is $10.00 US)

This is a lovley place and not the usual City Hall we like to think of .


4. The rest of the time in Gamla Stan( Gamla Stan means Old Town) just walking about and seeing the lovely old buildings.

We are all here to help you trapsma..so just ask away !!

Percy

trapsma,
We were in St. Petersburg in October of '07 and we used a guide named Zhenya Kempinsky. She was excellent. I am including her e-mail address. She spoke excellent english and had great knowledge of history, the sights, and she share a lot of information about the city and the country. Plus that, she gave us a great receipe for beef stroganoff. You can reach her at: [email protected]
Good luck and have a great time. We were on a river cruise and we had no problem with getting off the ship.

Percy...

i just read your trip report and it brought back wonderful memories!

Trapsma..I with Percy, whatever questions you have just let us know!

phxtrvlr...did you purchase your visa or was your guide able to protect you under the authorized tour operator visa?

Also, would love to have the Beef Stroganoff recipe if possible?!

Hi isailtheseas:

Glad you were able to find my Trip Report.

We all learn from each other here.

Jacketwatch went last June so I was able to pick his brain from his Trip Report....

then the year before a fellow called BillJ did the Baltic Cruise and posted pictures..so I gleaned information from him also.

And now I have really enjoyed your pictures and commentary.

Good Night Everyone.
Percy

Percy, how did you find Alla? She has a structured tour for 20 persons for a two day tour for $300 each which includes admissions and lunches. I find that to be a good price. She also has a Skype address which is very handy.

Another question I have is: What is the average tip given for guide as well as driver for a two day tour of St. Petersburg? I have just about decided on Alla Tours.

trapsma

A twenty person trip is a"bit" much I think.!

I think that after 10 people the trip does not become cheaper.

However , nothing wrong with 20 people( but you could do 10 people)!

I found Alla from reading and e-mailing other that went to St.Petersburg.

Alla is a terrific lady.Our driver was Boris and our tour lady was Julia.

Alla and I exchanged so many e-mails before I arrived in St.Petersburg, that we were like old friends by the time I arrived.

At the end of the second day Alla comes to the cruise ship.
First she talked to the other people in our group and then she turned to me with arms wide open and said...." And you have to be Percy"!!!


The price is right though trapsma as this includes Admissions and Lunches.

Please say Hi to Alla for me when you e-mail her.

She knows me well as she e-mailed Easter Greeting to me from St.Petersburg a few weeks ago!!

For Tips:

I gave Boris the Driver $40.00 and Julia $60.00 for the two days.

I hope I was in the proper range...maybe other can tell you what they tipped.

I guess you give what you feel it is worth to you.

I only had $100.00 US on me at the end of the second day..so I just gave it away.

You know tipping is such a personal thing.
I really liked Julia and Boris was quiet and nice.

Julia and I hit it off 100 %. She was amazed at how much I knew about St. Petersburg!!

On the morning of the second day...Julia had a case of Laryngitis.
She turned to me and said, "Percy,if this does not get better, you will have to take over."

I said,"Yeah sure sure Julia!!"

To which she replied ,"And you can do it too,I have not been able to stump you yet."
But thank goodness her voice improved....I was already sweating !! :)

Any more questions for us !
Percy

Hi!

Personally, I would not go higher than 10 people TOTAL for a private tour in St. Pete

I did that my 1st 2 cruises with my mom

My Dh and I splurged and had it just for the 2 of us. To do this we manipulated our budget elsewhere such as having an inside cabin.

I list that tour itinerary on my website, BUT we also went to the Carriage Museum at Catherines Palace, and we had absolutely no lines anywhere not even gift shop purchases, because it was just the two of us. I know Percy loved Alla, I in turn feel just as passionate about my experience with Red October.

We tipped our driver 60 and guide 120.

Drivers in St. Pete are crazier than drivers in LAX and SFO Bay Area rolled into one..our driver more than earned that by just keeping us alive!!!

Gee I feel like a cheap skate now tipping Julia only $60.00 but this was my personal tip and not for the four of us.

The others tipped their own.

Oh I am sure Red October is terrific..in fact it was between Alla and Red October.

So far no one has complained about going with Alla and no one has complained about Red October!!!

BillJ who went in August 2006 used Alla and jacketwatch who went in June 2007 used Alla.... so I used Alla.

Boy whenI got out of that Customs building (more like a shack)Alla tours was waiting right there.

trapsma... I am sure you will do your homework about St.Petersburg...the more you know the more you will enjoy.

Happy Planning :)
Percy

Percy...

I don't think you were cheap!

Just remember we had 19 hours of total immersion. Plus our guide did a lot of little extras for us, since it was just the 2 of us!

We probably overtipped but we just thought that both of them really went out of the normal line of duty for us!!!

Percy I have emailed Alla regarding seeing the ballet in the evening and she hasn't answered. I now know what I am doing wrong - I have to tell her Percy recommended her and I am sure we will get special attention!!!!

traveller69

I know you are kidding but in reality , you can mention my name as she does know me and Thanks me for the referrals...also I get 50% commission .!!!

Yeah sure in my dreams :)

(I know this very nice lady tour guide in Egypt(was there in 2005)and we stay in touch and I send tourists over to her... when they mention my name she always "fits"them in even if she is booked.)

I am not anybody important ...it is just that Alla will know ..if you mention my name.

In fact say to Alla, "Percy said you BETTER look after me."! :)

Hi isailthe seas:

I know what you mean ,Julia and Boris took us to extra places also and they were worth more to me than the $100.00 I gave them.

Well, good at least you don't think I was cheap!!!
Percy

HI Percy

I know what you mean. On our Antarctic cruise I arranged a private tour in Puerto Montt. I was emailing back and forth for weeks and arranged a great tour knowing I would be "picking up" some passengers that we met on the cruise. We had a marvelous tour and the people were so great - they sent me a thank you gift and want us to come and stay in their B&B as their guests. Sometimes you just really make a connection.

So, now I shall send an email to Alla and tell her you are expecting a full report!!

for now - Good night Percy

Just out of curiosity, has anyone booked a shore excursion for St. Petersburg from the cruise ship?

Yes, we did. Any questions?

What was your opinion? Also, what did they offer for an evening option, and what was the price?

It looks like it is $365 dollars for the two day excursion which includes a canal boat ride. I'm assuming this includes admission fees and photo permits.

Were there long lines and lots of people?

trapsma...

Red Oct. didn't include photo permits in there prices, but gave me another price list...to be able to take pictures of everywhere we went utilizing 1 camera it was about 20 dollars..

though our guide could totally careless if we used both..

entrance was covered to everything...

Plan on carrying 1 dollar bills, if you decide you want a beverage or snacks at a kiosk along the way. we gave our money to our guide and then she bought it for us.

My mom and I took the river ride and though I loved it, keep in mind we did a B2B cruise for 4 days. If you are there only 2 days I would think your time could be used better elsewhere.

on the flip side of that...it's a great way to gain a little rest in the day!

Also, for the ballett in the evening...usually it's the 2nd or 3rd string dancers not the main company...they are out touring...so double check on that..I heard people rave about the evening at Catherines Palace.

I think Percy will agree with me...

this cruise is very port intensive..Mentally, Intellectually, and Physically exhausting at points.

You will need your rest at night!

Regarding the Ballet here is a good website for schedule and prices. You will notice that there are a few levels of the same ballet each evening and at different theatres - the most expensive is the main company which we are going to. Swan Lake is on when we are there.http://www.balletandopera.com/

Hi Trapsma: I thought they did a good job. Our tour guide Anna was very impressive. She seemed to know all there was to know about St. Petes and its history including smaller details and trivia so to speak. She was like a walking, talking encyclopedia. They did offer evening programs for the ballet and for Russian folk dancing. I don't recall the price but I think it wasn't out of line. Our two day tour was inclusive of entry fees, pics and did include a canal ride with champagne. Last yr. we paid $339.00 pp thru Princess. Though this was during the peak of high season the lines really weren't that bad at all. we didn't stand around much if at all. Personally I would have booked w/ Denrus who was offering virtually the same tour for $280.00 pp and it would have been on a smaller vehicle that the bus for about 35 we were on. However our friends were too wary of booking with an outside Russian tour group so we went w/ the ships tour. I suppose we are more seasoned travelers than they but it would have bothered them too much and caused them too much worry so we did the most comfortable option for them. However you see it St. Petes will amaze you. The other Baltic stops were fun but St. Petes is literally awesome. Cheers, Larry.

Thanks for the information, Larry. I was thinking that if Alla's tour was $300 for 20 people, and the ship's tour was $365, perhaps I should study this a little more. I would prefer a tour for just my granddaughter and me, but it is a little more than I want to pay. I like Alla's itinerary and am waiting for her price on the folk dancing show. My Polish grandfather was a pretty good Cossack dancer, so I think it might be a good program for my granddaughter as well as me.

I have not checked DenRus yet.
Sandra

OK. I really don't recall the flok dancing cost but it is a one night event as opposed to the 2 day "grand" tour and it should be much less. Its really nice of you to do this for your grandaughter. I am sure she will remember it forever. Good luck and do check Denrus. Larry

Larry,

I just checked DenRus, and it seems they have the same itinerary as the other groups with some added items, and a little less than Alla Tours.

Yes, I have three grandchildren, and this is the last one to get a trip. Then it's a free-for-all for me...after I monetarily recover from this voyage. My grandson and I went to Italy on his spring break two years ago, my second grandson and I went to Jordan last May, and the Baltic was my granddaughter's choice. I've traveled quite a lot, usually with rented cars or campers. I'm planning to do the other ports on our own, but we would have missed too much for me to attempt St. Petersburg in this fashion.

trapsma

Well you are getting good advice from jacketwatch about the ship tour versus private tour guides in St.Petersburg.

I did not go to the Ballet,as there was so much I wanted to see in St.Petersburg...and the first day we were gone for 12 full hour.

I also have to agree with isailtheseas...this cruise is very port intensive.

Therefore you have to be well organized for every port if you want to maximize your sightseeing at each port.

I mentioned all this in my Trip Report last August.

Personally ,I never tired at any port because I always knew what I was going to see...but the others in my group of four were exhausted near the end.

They relied on me to do all the homework, which I did...but then only I and the tour guide knew where we were going and why!!

For example,when we were in Gdansk Poland,near the end of our touring day....I told our guide ( Peter)to go to Westerplatte Memorrial Monument on the way back.

The others in my group said "What's Westerplatte"?

I said "This is a memorial for the soldiers that were killed here in WWII"

"Aw we have seen enough memorials " Lawrence in our group said.

Then I said "look"

"This IS the place where on September 1 1939, the very FIRST shots of World War II were fired.. Right Here.

So I really want to walk up the hill to this Memorial and look down on the Motlawa River where the Germany boats came up and started firing."

After this explantion they all wanted to go !!

So doing each port on your own is fine ,but if there are special places you want to see then make a list....and go there.

Good Luck
Hi jacketwatch and isailtheseas.

Percy

Thank you for all the great information you've all been giving me. I really appreciate it. I will have to make up my mind pretty soon as to what company to use for our tour. It looks like it might be between Alla and DenRus...although, so many of you recommend Red October.

Wow! You are one generous granny. Very nice. I honestly think the two day grand tour is the way to go as you must ask yourself when will you be there again. May as well see all you can while you are there.
Percy the more I think about that Baltic cruise the more I wonder if it ever will be topped. It is azaming indeed. I would like to try cruising Greece and Turkey one day as I've had a fascination with the story of Troy and ancient Greece since I was a little boy. Heck I knew about Scheilman the same way I knew about Mickey Mantle and Ernie Banks. :D :D Darn that Bill Mazerowski. :D. If you don't follow baseball then this makes no sense. Cheers, Larry :-)

Larry,
I did a Greece/Turkey tour, land and sea, in the fall of 2006. Actually, the sea part was on that ship that sank not too long after we had been on it. I wasn't too happy with one of the guides, but everything else was very nice. My friend and I did a lot of walking around by ourselves, and found the locals in Greece and Turkey to be very friendly and helpful - whether or not they spoke English.

Hi Everyone:
(jacketwatch, isailtheseas,traveller69)

jacketwatch:

I also did the Greece Turkey Italy Barcelona cruise in the fall of 2007.

But I enjoyed the Baltic Cruise way more.

Yes ,I know all about Bill Mazerowski in the ninth inning in Pittsburg... but the Yankees made up for it the next year. (The M&M Boys )

Good Night everyone and trapsma,I am sureyou will choose the right ( good) tour company.

Percy

Percy...

sounds like you do as much homework as we do...

I'll share a private tour with you anyday!!!!

K.

isailthe seas:

Yes I have to admit I do a lot of homework for all my trips.

I usually tell my private tour guide all the places I want to see and HOW to get there.!!!

Yep we'd make a good pair or small group alright !!

Good Night

Percy.

Thanks to everyone. You're a great group.
Sandra

Percy

You did it again!! I emailed Alla three times with no response. I then sent one that said Percy had recommended them and I needed a response - I got one almost immediately. It sure helps to have friends in the right places!!!

traveller69

Glad I could help..... but actually here is why you got such a quick answer.

1. I called Putin in Moscow.

2. I told him you were waiting for a rely from Alla in St.Petersburg and could he please call her and use his influence .!

3. He called Alla ...and Alla e-mailed you.

Sorry I wish I could take credit for it :)

Percy