St Petersburg Russia.. Questions...Can u help? :)

OP - Forgot to mention, when you sail into Stockholm, make sure to get out of bed and up to the top deck very early 6 am if not earlier. The sailing up the archipelago is the most scenic part of the sailing IMHO. Those who sleep in that day definitely miss out.

We sailed on Silhouette last spring (2016), and Concierge pax were invited on to the helipad at the front of the ship for the sail away. We were joined by lots of ship's officers and staff.....a really unique experience.

There was 1 shop that I recall prior to going through immigration. It was just outside the immigration building. It's not large. was just in there last June looking to see if I should get more vodka.

There are other shops at the port, but they are after immigration.

There are several terminals though, don't recall which one this was.

Had a group of 4 that used SPB for a private tour and it's worth every penny if you can go private.

We sailed on Silhouette last spring (2016), and Concierge pax were invited on to the helipad at the front of the ship for the sail away. We were joined by lots of ship's officers and staff.....a really unique experience.

This is fascinating! I wonder if there is a Youtube on this? Thx everyone for the wonderful info. I will also be sailing on Silhouette.. it will be my 3rd time sailing with her.

We traveled last June on Eclispe and used SPB tours. The company was a delight to deal with, very professional. If you can manage it financially, I suggest a private tour...it was worth e v e r y penny. We entered all the venues ahead of the crowds. Our guide spoke beautiful English, and was lovely. We were very fortunate with the weather...only needed a light sweater. We had the option to pre-pay or pay after the first day. I opted to pay prior to leaving. Because we booked 3.5 months out, I was able to make 3 equal payments on line. The website is very easy to navigate. Any questions were answered within 8-10 hours.

Enjoy your trip...that Baltic cruise was one of our favorites :)

Hi!

Can anyone tell me if there is a secured area when u get off the ship, that you can shop in?

I fondly call this the "Disneyland area" Similar to what there is in Roatan Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth Jamaica... for cruise passengers only.

Thank u!

More questions to come.. trying hard to understand this port... Any info welcomed!!!! Thank u again.

Any questions were answered within 8-10 hours.

Enjoy your trip...that Baltic cruise was one of our favorites :)

Thank u! I also found a great Youtube.

Thank u! Alla is the company I am considering doing. I am interested in the Comfort and Leisure tour they are offering. It does include an hour to shop. LOL Which should be enough. Do you pre pay the tour with them? Thank u again!

We used Alla for a 2011 cruise. It was 2 days of touring. It was intense but outstanding. We payed for the tour the 2nd day. They took us to a tourist shop, I believe we had a drink and I payed the bill :D

We had an outstanding guide and we only had 7 of us in the van. We found them to be very good and would have no problem recommending them.

Enjoy your trip!

We booked with SPB and included 3 other city tours. Got a nice discount and a wonderful experience with this company. We talked to others who did the ship excursions and they missed a ton due to the larger group size.

Riding the (gorgeous) subway like the locals was a fun experience that many tours didn't get to do.

Head over to the ports of call board for tons of helpful info for your itinerary.

We did St. Petersburg this July on Silhouette. We arranged a private tour for our family of 5 with TJ Travel. Unfortunately, due to really bad weather, we missed the first day stuck at sea. TJ Travel did a great job trying to squeeze everything in in one day except Peterhoff and the Summer Palace. Our driver always seemed to find a spot right out front, and our guide whisked us past all the crowds at the Hermitage. Would highly recommend TJ.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

OP - Forgot to mention, when you sail into Stockholm, make sure to get out of bed and up to the top deck very early 6 am if not earlier. The sailing up the archipelago is the most scenic part of the sailing IMHO. Those who sleep in that day definitely miss out.

Agreed, but sailing out in the evening is almost as nice - we had a wonderful Captain's Club event on the heliport as we were leaving Stockholm.

We traveled last June on Eclispe and used SPB tours. The company was a delight to deal with, very professional. If you can manage it financially, I suggest a private tour...it was worth e v e r y penny. We entered all the venues ahead of the crowds. Our guide spoke beautiful English, and was lovely. We were very fortunate with the weather...only needed a light sweater. We had the option to pre-pay or pay after the first day. I opted to pay prior to leaving. Because we booked 3.5 months out, I was able to make 3 equal payments on line. The website is very easy to navigate. Any questions were answered within 8-10 hours.

Enjoy your trip...that Baltic cruise was one of our favorites :)

We also used SPB in August 2016. They were top notch. We thoroughly enjoyed our 2-day tour with them in St Petersburg. We also included the "Tour like a local" night excursion which included much vodka and an hour boat trip through the canals of St Petersburg. We had so much fun! I would highly recommend this add-on. We also toured with them in Stockholm. Saw the Vasa Museum and didn't have to even pay for the tour until St Petersburg. We used a credit card without a problem. Have fun. The Baltic cruise is great.

Mynki, thank you for this great link to St. Petersburg! We will be there next June on Silhouette and I'm starting to do my research. Your posts on various topics seem to resonate with me.

Thank you. Have a great cruise.

The Baltic itinerary is fantastic. There is a lot of culture and history to experience so I'm sure you'll have a great time. You picked a great ship to sail on too. :)

The Baltic cruise is great.

This will be my first time doing this itinerary. When u ( or anyone reading this) have time could you chime in on the other ports? Estonia.. is it easy to walk into town from the ship? No tour really needed.. Thoughts on Denmark and Finland..

Opinions welcome from all of u. :)

Thx! This has all been very helpful!

This will be my first time doing this itinerary. When u ( or anyone reading this) have time could you chime in on the other ports? Estonia.. is it easy to walk into town from the ship? No tour really needed.. Thoughts on Denmark and Finland..

 

Opinions welcome from all of u. :)

 

Thx! This has all been very helpful!

Yes, it's a pretty easy walk into the old town at Tallinn. There is also a free walking tour where you tip as you see fit, but it has limited space and books up. Google it.

We also found Helsinki walkable for a self guided tour. But we and our kids are good walkers. When in Europe, we average 10+ miles/day easily.

Copenhagen can also be largely done on foot. But definitely also take a boat tour from Nyhavn. There are two companies that offer them. One is at the end of the canal at the square, and the other is along one side of the canal. The one on the side doesn't make lots of other stops, and is half the price. I think the more expensive one may include a hoho bus but not certain, as we just walked everywhere.

Going back to St.Petersburg, whatever tour you do, make sure it actually goes inside the Church on Spilled Blood. Apparently many just stop to look at the outside, but the interior of the church is the most ornate, decorated Orthodox church and IMNSHO an absolute must see.

The only tour we booked other than Russia was in Warnemunde, where we did the Friends of Dave tour. If you are not inclined to schlep to Berlin, this more local tour is great.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes, it's a pretty easy walk into the old town at Tallinn. There is also a free walking tour where you tip as you see fit, but it has limited space and books up. Google it.

 

We also found Helsinki walkable for a self guided tour. But we and our kids are good walkers. When in Europe, we average 10+ miles/day easily.

 

Copenhagen can also be largely done on foot. But definitely also take a boat tour from Nyhavn. There are two companies that offer them. One is at the end of the canal at the square, and the other is along one side of the canal. The one on the side doesn't make lots of other stops, and is half the price. I think the more expensive one may include a hoho bus but not certain, as we just walked everywhere.

 

Going back to St.Petersburg, whatever tour you do, make sure it actually goes inside the Church on Spilled Blood. Apparently many just stop to look at the outside, but the interior of the church is the most ornate, decorated Orthodox church and IMNSHO an absolute must see.

 

The only tour we booked other than Russia was in Warnemunde, where we did the Friends of Dave tour. If you are not inclined to schlep to Berlin, this more local tour is great.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Excellent info.Thank u so much!

We also used SPB in August 2016. They were top notch. We thoroughly enjoyed our 2-day tour with them in St Petersburg. We also included the "Tour like a local" night excursion which included much vodka and an hour boat trip through the canals of St Petersburg. We had so much fun! I would highly recommend this add-on. We also toured with them in Stockholm. Saw the Vasa Museum and didn't have to even pay for the tour until St Petersburg. We used a credit card without a problem. Have fun. The Baltic cruise is great.

We are doing both of these tours with SPB tours this July also. Do you get any shopping time with the Tour Like a Local excursion?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Just an update.. I ended up booking and pre paying with Viator/ TJ Travel. I have used Viator several times in the past and were always happy with them. My tour is a two day, and includes the most free time/ shopping time I had seen on any of the tours. It says flee market and Nevsky Prospect.. also free time for lunch on the second day. Anyway, I am looking forward to it. Although, I have heard it will be very cold in Russia the beginning of May!

Just an update.. I ended up booking and pre paying with Viator/ TJ Travel. I have used Viator several times in the past and were always happy with them. My tour is a two day, and includes the most free time/ shopping time I had seen on any of the tours. It says flee market and Nevsky Prospect.. also free time for lunch on the second day. Anyway, I am looking forward to it. Although, I have heard it will be very cold in Russia the beginning of May!

I just stumbled onto this thread and you are very lucky to be going on this cruise in May . 2 years ago we stayed in St. Petersburg for 10 days after a TA on the Eclipse and we think that May is our favorite time for a visit there . If you're lucky you may see some decorations from the May 9th Victory Day parade . Yes it can get cold or rainy like it did the day before the parade .

But it was sunny on the day of the parade

and they had warships in the Neva River

and later fireworks over the river .

We have been there 5 times and if you have questions , we will try to answer them . We did do the Baltic cruise on the Eclipse last year and wrote a thread , full of photos which may be a big help . You can find it by clicking on the blue link below :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2372103

Have a great trip ! :D

We visited St Petersburgh last year,used DenRus tours, only 6 of us in group great value ,no waiting in queues booked on line visas included in tickets no problem at immigration definitely worth a look

We have been there 5 times and if you have questions , we will try to answer them . We did do the Baltic cruise on the Eclipse last year and wrote a thread , full of photos which may be a big help . You can find it by clicking on the blue link below :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2372103

 

Have a great trip ! :D

I would love to talk to you. Will you email me direct ? Natasha708@aol.com Thx!!!

We have been there 5 times and if you have questions , we will try to answer them . We did do the Baltic cruise on the Eclipse last year and wrote a thread , full of photos which may be a big help . You can find it by clicking on the blue link below :

Oh my husband would be over the moon at any military type stuff like those warships! We are doing an Alla tour 2 days St Pete 1 day Moscow. I'm not sure if you did organized tours or not, but is there any place you can recommend we visit (while on tour of course) that will bring us close to any military type souvineers?

Kind of a random question I know. I'll ask our tour people too, but just wondering if something like that exists in Russia.

Thanks!

We have been there 5 times and if you have questions , we will try to answer them . We did do the Baltic cruise on the Eclipse last year and wrote a thread , full of photos which may be a big help . You can find it by clicking on the blue link below :

 

 

 

Oh my husband would be over the moon at any military type stuff like those warships! We are doing an Alla tour 2 days St Pete 1 day Moscow. I'm not sure if you did organized tours or not, but is there any place you can recommend we visit (while on tour of course) that will bring us close to any military type souvineers?

Kind of a random question I know. I'll ask our tour people too, but just wondering if something like that exists in Russia.

Thanks!

I'm not sure how much flexibility an organized tour will allow - but you can ask !

Just behind the Peter and Paul fortress is the Artillery Museum with lots of tanks , cannons etc. http://www.artillery-museum.ru/en/collections.html

Inside our grandson liked shooting this AK -47 (air gun )

If you are there on the weekend you can fly on this helicopter from the Peter and Paul Fortress .

Here's a video clip as we lift off over the museum :

As far as souvenirs go most of the shops sell the faux badges , hats etc. The cruise ship will sell them also but at a much higher price .

When in Moscow you will probably see the changing of the guard

But it's best seen in our video :

I'm not sure how much flexibility an organized tour will allow - but you can ask !

Just behind the Peter and Paul fortress is the Artillery Museum with lots of tanks , cannons etc. http://www.artillery-museum.ru/en/collections.html

 

 

I also love the babushka hat your grandson got! Is it real fur??

And you said it was $11? We must get one of these for everyone we know :-)

I'm not sure how much flexibility an organized tour will allow - but you can ask !

Just behind the Peter and Paul fortress is the Artillery Museum with lots of tanks , cannons etc. http://www.artillery-museum.ru/en/collections.html

 

 

I also love the babushka hat your grandson got! Is it real fur??

And you said it was $11? We must get one of these for everyone we know :-)

 

Being from Florida I'm not certain if they are fur or not , but my Michigander wife thought that they are rabbit . And I think that we forgot to mention that she bought 3 for $ 33 dollars at the cruise terminal in St. Petersburg .

But at the Grand Russian Bazaar on the cruise ship after we left Russia they were $ 30 each !

 

Being from Florida I'm not certain if they are fur or not , but my Michigander wife thought that they are rabbit . And I think that we forgot to mention that she bought 3 for $ 33 dollars at the cruise terminal in St. Petersburg .

But at the Grand Russian Bazaar on the cruise ship after we left Russia they were $ 30 each !

Excellent pics! And thank u for the email. So buy in Russia if possible, and not on ship unless you want to pay a lot more!! What do you do with your coats when touring in the Palace and Hermitage?

They have cloak rooms and at some places you have to check your shoes or cover them with paper booties, which they provide.