St. Petersburg 2 day shore excursion tour on celebrity constellation

We have scheduled the St. Petersburg 2 day tour package with Celebrity Constellation on 7/25-7/26/12. We have also scheduled the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Russian Court Evening @ 6:30 PM on 7/25/12. Has anyone taken the 2 day St. Petersburg tour on Constellation? How long are the days? I am traveling with my 80 year old mother and am wondering if we will have time to rest a little between the first day tour and the 6:30 PM evening Russian tour. Any comments about the quality of the tours and times would be much appreciated!:)

There are many very reputable private tour guides in St. Petersburg that charge a fraction of what the cruise line charges and provide a superior tour. I strongly suggest you visit the Port of Call section of Cruise Critic and read through some threads on this topic. Some of the more frequently mentioned tour guides there are Anastasia, Alla and SPB.

In answer to the question -- there is generally not much of a break between the all day tour and the 6:30 tour -- it will be a very long day for you both.

Hi,

 

If one takes a shore excursion not promoted and sold by the cruise line do they then have to have a Visa to tour ashore in Russia? I've heard conflicting opinions on this.

 

Thanks for input. We're booked to be in St. Petersburg in July, 2013.

 

 

CM

The private tour company arranges for the visas, similar to how Celebrity would make the legal arrangements if you book a shore excursion through the cruise line.

The private tour company arranges for the visas, similar to how Celebrity would make the legal arrangements if you book a shore excursion through the cruise line.

 

Thank you so much for your quick reply. One less thing to think about.... :D

 

CM

We were on the Constellation last year for the Baltic's cruise. We used a private tour company for a more comprehensive and cheaper 2-day tour and had no problems at all. We got off the ship, the tour host was there. We presented our passport and a copy of the tour and went on our way. We couldn't do the hydrofoil return because of choppy waters and a refund was give us. We opted out of touring the inside of a bath house (group decision, we were so tired) and that money was refunded, too. All refunds were given without asking for them. I heard others had their hydrofoil excursion portion refunded, too, from other tour companies. Don't know if the cruise line did or not.

 

Even though we were told to take our passport on every disembarkation in a port, we were never asked for it other than the St. Petersburg portion. I still took mine, though, but usually don't when in port.

 

As OP said, I heard more than one person say that they really couldn't appreciate the evening entertainment/tour enough because they were so tired. Our tour company had an evening tour extension to the day time tour. We dropped those off with the guide and then made our way to the port.

Several years ago, we used Red October for St Petersburg. We found another couple on cruise critic who wanted to do the same things we did. It was fabulous. No waiting in lines with others on the bus. The best was having lunch in a Russian home. That was experience we will always remember.

Red October is another good company. No visa required.

We used Anastasia and they were outstanding. You get so much more for your money when you book a private tour. The tour operator will handle and the paperwork and visa's for you.

 

Laura

We were on the Connie in May 2011 and toured with Alla for two days. 14 of us in a new Mercedes minivan. Head of the line privileges at all of the sites; passed right by those in line with Celebrity and HAL stickers. Our guide worked with all of us and we saw so much at a lower cost. Celebrity was very upfront about tour companies arranging the local visa and we were some of the first ones off the ship - well ahead of the Celebrity tours. HAVE FUN!

We were on the Connie in May 2011 and toured with Alla for two days. 14 of us in a new Mercedes minivan. Head of the line privileges at all of the sites; passed right by those in line with Celebrity and HAL stickers. Our guide worked with all of us and we saw so much at a lower cost. Celebrity was very upfront about tour companies arranging the local visa and we were some of the first ones off the ship - well ahead of the Celebrity tours. HAVE FUN!

 

I remember hearing "horror" stories from people on other lines who had been told that they couldn't disembark until the ship's tours left and, in some cases, they couldn't even get off unless they took a tour from the ship.

 

BsinPNS is correct that we were the first off the ship and on the road when the ship's tours were still getting their act together in the theater (lol).

 

Even if the price is the same or a little more than the ship's tours, it is worth it not to have to hassle with 40 people on a tour I'm not a spendthrift by any means, but there comes a time when "money is not an object." You may only pass that way once in your life and you want to get the most out of an opportunity. A wise friend of mine once told me "you will regret the money you don't spend more than that you do spend later in life." How true.

The other reason to take a private tour is your mother's age and the need to have a break between touring during the day and the evening event. If you hire your own tour guide, you are in charge of how long you will be out during the day and what you will see. I would strongly urge you to reconsider doing the ship's tours. How many times will you get to St. Petersburg?

We used Anastasia and they were outstanding. You get so much more for your money when you book a private tour. The tour operator will handle and the paperwork and visa's for you.

 

Laura

 

Good to hear; I am leaning towards going with Anastasia myself next year. :)

Good to hear; I am leaning towards going with Anastasia myself next year. :)

 

 

You will love them! Just can't say enought good things about them.

 

Laura

Stillafloat,

I have been fortunate to have been in St. Petersburg for ten days on both land and sea trips. So perhaps I can offer an insight to your two days.

The Connie will dock quite a distance from the city center (The Hermitage, St. Isaacs, Yusopov Palace, etc.) Many of the ship's tours are 1/2 day and you will spend wasted time in transit.

I would highly recommend you engage one of the private excursion companies listed on Cruise Critic. You may find others on your Roll Call who have the same needs that you and your mother have. These companies provide modern vehicles (most use Mercedes 14 passenger vans or smaller cars.) They provide your visa. They will give you clear instructions about disembarking your ship. (Don't be concerned about being held back until the ship's tours leave. That is no longer the case.) They will work with you to create an itinerary that is suitable to your needs. They will get you closer to the sights and often with early admission and/or immediate entry. (We used SPB Tours.)

On our cruise we were with a lady in her 80's who did very well. There were times when she needed to take a break and she did so without complaint. When she needed the wheel chair her daughter took responsibility for everything. Others in our group of 8 pitched in, particularly in the gardens at Peterhoff.

Many of the streets off Nevsky Prospect are cobbled. Most palaces you might visit have stairs. No museums or palaces are air conditioned. Some of the sights may have elevators but they are not clearly marked and may not be accessible. There is very limited seating at The Hermitage and almost none at the palaces I have visited.

I am not trying to discourage you and your mother. St. Petersburg is worth every minute you will have there and I know you want to make the most of your time without exhaustion. It's hard but doable.

Please give serious thought to the private excursion. This would be best for you both.

If you have any additional questions about St. Petersburg, please do not hesitate to ask.

Hi,

 

If one takes a shore excursion not promoted and sold by the cruise line do they then have to have a Visa to tour ashore in Russia? I've heard conflicting opinions on this.

 

Thanks for input. We're booked to be in St. Petersburg in July, 2013.

 

 

CM

no visa required if booked with any tour company try danrus we had 6 coaches full but never met up google DANRUS very helpful hope this not to late NO VISA IF BOOKED WITH ANY COMPANY

I just have to add my two cents to this thread since I have toured St. Petersburg BOTH with ship's excursions and by private tour...

 

The first time we visited St. Petersburg, it was on the old Crown Princess...We had our two then-teenaged daughters with us...We booked everything through the ship back then...

 

For St. Petersburg, they had a lot of shorexes arranged to return to the ship at lunch time...and we booked the "City Tour" for the first morning, the Peterhof for the first afternoon, the Ballet for the evening, the Hermitage for the second morrning and the Yusopov for the second afternoon...Seemed like long days, but we weren't staying on the ship with all we had to get into the two days...

 

Well, the ship had some sort of problem...and they got us into St. Peterburg a couple of hours late...They said "No worries, we'll get all of your excursions in"...

Well, they gave us what we think was a fairly abbreviated city tour and got us back to the ship just in time to turn around and join the last bus for Peterhof tour...That tour got us back to the ship late--just in time to run out to the Ballet excursion...None of these tours had any eating time allotted...between the afternoon tour and the Ballet, I ran up to the buffet and grabbed a few pieces of fruit and some bread and ran it back to the family and we gobbled it down on the bus to the ballet--no time to stop and breathe...The second day, without the arrival delay, was nearly as hectic...

All of the tours seemed to lag as we needed to load and unload 40 people on and off a bus every time we stopped...five minute bathroom breaks turned into 30 minutes waiting for 2 or 3 ladies to get back every time...We slowed down at the Hermitage because one older woman couldn't make it up and down the one staircase...

 

In 2008, we returned to the Baltic and I arranged a tour for the two days with Red October...unfortunately for us, we needed to cut the cruise short and return home before St. Petersburg, but the others from our group told me everything went wonderfully...

 

In 2010, we went back to the Baltic once again...This time, we booked a group of 8 with SPB...absolutely wonderful...We saw far more on this tour than we saw on the shorexes...With only 8 people and a more carefully planned out itinerary, we were able to move at our own speed and saw several sights we had to pass on the first time (We saw everything from the first visit PLUS Catherine's Palace, the Grand Choral Synagogue, a couple of additional churches, took a subway ride, went inside Peter and Paul's Fortress and Church of the Spilled Blood rather than just a drive-by--though this time, rather than the Ballet, we did a night Canal Boat tour--which I enjoyed much more)...and with only 8, this time, we could actually hear our guide everywhere...We were able to schedule restaurant stops...

 

Simply no comparison between the two trips...and the private tour actually saved us money!

 

One note: Most of these recommended private companies suggest different itineraries depending on whether you want to go at a quicker pace and see everything, a more leisurely pace and spend more time at some sights...or at a very relaxed pace with lots of restful stops...

and they will customize the itinerary beyond that...

 

I would go to your roll call and see if I could find others with similar interests, similar timing or pace concerns, maybe similar age group/physical limitations...and arrange a perosnalized tour accordingly...

 

Good luck...

no visa required if booked with any tour company try danrus we had 6 coaches full but never met up google DANRUS very helpful hope this not to late NO VISA IF BOOKED WITH ANY COMPANY

Just so things don't get to confused - whether traveling with a ship tour or directly with any of the private tour companies [which have excellent reputations] you will be on a group visa which will be arranged by the companies and is included in the price. Evidence of a visa must be presented to get past the guards at the gates; the deal with a tour is all this is handled by the company. I have traveled by group and also [in a different year] by personal visa. I can handle the Metro, etc by myself, but the announcement in Russian about taking the train out of service took me a little while to figure out what was going on.:eek:

 

Thom

We took TJ travel tours also because of health, and it was wonderful. Went at our own pace, and still saw so much more than through a shop tour at a fraction of the cost. We started with 4, and they added others from our ship to get to 10 to keep the cost down. Still did what we wanted. Early Hermitage admittance is a must, along with a canal cruise through St Petersburg. Guide surprised us with a bottle of champagne and chocolates while doing a sunset cruise the end of the 1st day! Best experience ever!

Good to hear; I am leaning towards going with Anastasia myself next year. :)

 

You will love them! Just can't say enought good things about them.

 

Laura

 

+1 for Anastasia. We had a fabulous experience as well.

 

They were also very responsive to impromptu requests. We decided last minute on day two we wanted to do a boat tour on the river. Our guide had the driver pull over, she hopped out and arranged something with one of the waiting boats. No problem.

 

Highly recommended. When we go back - we will use them again.

 

Mike

I'm also looking at the 2 night Celebrity tour in St. Petersburg. It's about the same price as the private tours I've looked at. While the number of places it visits is fewer than the private tours, I prefer the locations that it does go over the locations that the private tours go. They do not go back to the ship for lunch.

I'm also looking at the 2 night Celebrity tour in St. Petersburg. It's about the same price as the private tours I've looked at. While the number of places it visits is fewer than the private tours, I prefer the locations that it does go over the locations that the private tours go. They do not go back to the ship for lunch.

 

Actually, the private tours will go where YOU want them to go. That's the definition of a private tour--you set the itinerary. And you travel with a small group of people.

I'm also looking at the 2 night Celebrity tour in St. Petersburg. It's about the same price as the private tours I've looked at. While the number of places it visits is fewer than the private tours, I prefer the locations that it does go over the locations that the private tours go. They do not go back to the ship for lunch.

 

What private tours are you looking at? The ones I looked at are cheaper than Celebrity, much smaller number of people, visit more places and have lunch at local venues in Russia. Every ship tour I have done in Europe was horrible. Herded like cattle on a coach bus with 60 people, moved at a snails pace, mediocre (at best) guide, minimal personal attention from the guide, no flexibility in the itinerary, overpriced, and wasted time at tourist trap "shopping" stops.

We did a private guide and it was great ..