Crown Princess Baltic
 

Help! My husband and I decided to book a Baltic cruise on the Crown Princess in August, but we booked late...only two months ago. We pre-booked our shore excursions in St. Petersburg and picked up our documents yesterday. The Hermitage tour was listed as booked!!! What!? Now we don't have Russian visas, and it's too late, and we're not going to be able to see the Hermitage. I didn't realize this could happen, especially in St. Petersburg where everyone not on a ship tour needs a visa. Shouldn't Princess be prepared to accomodate all of their passengers particularly on the most popular tour?! Our travel agent is no help. Any suggestions. I could surely use some advice on this matter. Thank you. Maggie

I work for Princess Cruises and passengers have the option to pre-book shore excursions prior to sailing as a convenience. They are not prepaid, however, until they are taken, thus many folks may cancel when they get onboard. Speak to the Shore Excursion Manager as soon as you get on board and let him/her know you want this excursion and put you on a waitlist. There are times when there are enough passengers on the waitlist, then another bus or tour will be added. Smooth sailing

<BR>Hi Maggie, <BR> <BR>I do not know what your date of travel is but you can check what the turnaround time is for a Russian Visa is by contacting the Russian Embassy in D.C. 202-298-5700 or 5772. <BR> <BR>You may also try the Visa Department in D.C. at 202-939-8907. <BR> <BR>Here is another thought. Have your TA contact Princess and see if you can receive a Visa for one of their private car tours. You may be able to visit the Hermitage with the added price of admission. The private car tours are expensive but it may work for you if it is your dream to enjoy the Hermitage. <BR> <BR>Good luck, <BR> <BR>Paul

Hi Maggie--How Long will the Crown be docked in St. Pete?(it usually is 2 days) The Hermitage is a popular excursion so there may be other excursion times available on another time and day. On the NCL Dream the Hermitage was offered as a 1/2 day excursion available in the am or pm on the 1st and 2nd day so maybe only the time you wanted is full. Definitely see the shore excursion office when you get on board. In our case we didn't book our Hermitage tour until we got on the ship and we had no problem. The waiting list is a great idea because if they get enough requests they usually add another bus. I believe if your flexible you'll get to the Hermitage one way or another. Be sure to include Peterhof and it's magnificent fountains on your St Pete stay. <BR> Happy Travels, CB

Unfortunately this is, for me, a major problem with doing a cruise -- I know, we are doing a Baltic cruise too for various reasons decided to use that mode of transport rather than land. But I really do much prefer the land tours where they state up front ALL tour members will VISIT INSIDE ..... and it's all included in the base price. <BR> <BR>For those unable to book their tours on line it's really a problem getting the prime ones. <BR> <BR>Do any of the lines handle this type of thing the way the land tours do? <BR>Not that I'm planning to take another cruise after surviving this one but just curious.

Maggie, we just got back from the Baltic on the Marco Polo. Although we did have visas, we booked a private tour for the second day that did NOT require a visa. The name of the company is West-East and their email address is [email protected]. Although it was a little expensive for just the two of us ($214 per person for the day), we had a wonderful time with them. They suggested an itinerary which we altered slightly which included Peterhof, Strelna, Yusopov Palace, St. Isaac's and Church of the Spilled Blood. We also had lunch with a Russian family. A great day and we got to go at our own pace and the guide just zipped us by the lines outside. The guide and driver were also excellent. If you can get more people together, the price per person would decrease. <BR> <BR>There's another recommendation over on the Europe board on www.cruisecritic.com which is where I found the info on this company. <BR> <BR>Incidentally, the folks on our boat that did take the shore excursions complained about the lack of time to shop for souvenirs, this may be unique to the Marco Polo however. <BR> <BR>We toured the Hermitage on our own, this is a must see in St. Petersburg. For me not so much for the art as the decoration of the palace, one more is more breathtaking than the next. <BR> <BR>Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.