alexander palace
 

My husband and I are planning a cruise to the Baltic next year. We would like to see the alexander palace in pushkin. It is not on most shore excursion itineraries. How easy would it be to change (wander off) from the trip to the catherine palace. Has anyone done this?

topping... We will be in Russia in October- I'll let you know if I see or hear anything about it!

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Alexander palace is located very close to Catherine's palace - about 5 min. walk. A visit to this palace can easily be included in your itinerary if you plan to visit Catherine's palace.
Alexander palace has not been completely restored, though. However, it is worth visiting, especially for those who are interested in the life of Nicholas II and his family.

As stated by another poster, Alexander Palace is not completely restored, but is quite an interested place to visit. My experience with clients who take the shore excursions is that you need to stay with the group (otherwise you are in violation of Russian law if you don't have an individual visa), and that none of the standard excursions visit Alexander Palace (remember, with a large group the schedule is very tight and people really just want to see the top sites).

You could arrange such a visit on your own with a guide, but that must be done in advance as you need a visa. For most people it is well worth the expense to see what you want to see.

I think the last time I was at Alexander Palace was 2005 for a dinner party, and we were able to see many of the unrestored rooms. Here is a website with some more history:

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/

If You are on a cruise, You can have Your guide arrange a visa-free exit from the port terrotory (licenced guides are able to do that).
I do not recommend You to wander off the group. If You are on an organized tour, You will have early entrance to the CAtherine Palace, it means that even if You wander off, the Alexander Palace will be closed. Besides, the situation in Pushkin (where the Catherine palace is located) is such, that the bus is notbgoing to wait for You in the place it will drop You off. It means, that if You do not stay with Your group, You will have difficluties in finding Your way back to the port. There are other details to it. In any case, if You want something off the beaten track, I would recommend hiring a guide and having an individual tour arranged for You.