what do you do on long layovers?

[juanarcin]

I will be on RCC's Mariner of the seas in October and just got my flight. It does a 10 hour layover in Russia! Moscow to be exact. Can anyone give me ideas as to how to kill 10 hours in an airport?!!? My first thought was "YESSS! I get to go into Moscow as a perk!" But someone told me that you can't leave the moscow airport unless you have a visa? Is this true? Any suggestions would be great! thanks

[SadieN]

Ask on the Ports of Call Board.

A visa is needed for Russia. Maybe you can pick up a tour? My understanding is the tour operators take care of visas for you.

Please check I could be VERY wrong.

[Eng23]

Originally Posted by juanarcin

I will be on RCC's Mariner of the seas in October and just got my flight. It does a 10 hour layover in Russia! Moscow to be exact. Can anyone give me ideas as to how to kill 10 hours in an airport?!!? My first thought was "YESSS! I get to go into Moscow as a perk!" But someone told me that you can't leave the moscow airport unless you have a visa? Is this true? Any suggestions would be great! thanks

Yes you would need a visa to leave the airport.

[cb at sea]

I would switch that flight...call the cruiseline. 10 hours is unacceptable!

[juanarcin]

thanks all for the replies, the cruiseline did not provide me the flight, I bought it separately. The layover is on the return flight after the cruise. It goes from rome to moscow, then 10 hours later i switch to another flight from moscow to Los angeles. It was a great deal so I went with it. I guess I should have investigated the layover thing first. I bought it very much aware of the layover but i figure i could spend 4 hours or so exploring moscow. So now I have to figure out if a visa is worty it or what options I have.

[Cruisebehindthescenes]

When we used to dock in St. Petersburg, Russia (I was a crew member in the NCL Sun in the Baltics), everyone needed a visa to leave the port and get through customs. If you were on a tour however, then your tour ticket acted as a substitute for the visa and you were allowed through as you were on an organized tour.

I am not sure if you could get the same type of deal from an airport, but the visa on its own would not be worth the money or hassle to just to leave the airport for a few hours.

[chipmaster]

Hopefully its a modern airport with free wifi, surf CC

Honestly 10 hours is a terrible number, probably not enough to really step outside and see anything but too long to really bear.

I once did spend 12 hours at the Shanghai airport due to weather cancellation, thank go for good airprot shopping and free wifi

[Eng23]

Also keep in mind that Moscow has multiple airports. Domodedovo Airport is to the south of Central Moscow and Sheremetevo Airport is to the north of Central Moscow. I am not sure which airport serves international flights. You might pose this question on the Cruise Air board also.

[Happy ks]

If it were me, I'd spring for a hotel room at the airport and sleep for part of the time, shower and dress in clean clothes for the second leg of the trip.

I'm not a good wait in airport or cruise terminals person. I can hardly stand the hour and a half - two hours for a domestic flight. With 3 hours waiting for an international flight, we found a nice restaurant and had a relaxed dinner.

When we cruise, we get to port after noon, forget about arriving early to embark first.

[okgirl]

Check to see if your airline has a private lounge that you can buy a daypass to.

I would read, sleep, watch a DVD, chat on CC if I could get connected, shop and people watch. I had about a 10 hour layover at London Gatwick on my way to Venice several years ago, and it wasn't too bad.

[snowskier]

Just as OKGIRL suggested -- surf the internet to find the VIP lounges that are available and the price. They are usually very comfortable and have several amenities. I just took a quick look at airports in Moscow and saw lots of good info that can help you plan your time.

I even saw this cool thing that might be at the airport called a "sleep box". Looks like they are trying it out at one of the Moscow Airports.

[okgirl]

Originally Posted by snowskier

Just as OKGIRL suggested -- surf the internet to find the VIP lounges that are available and the price. They are usually very comfortable and have several amenities. I just took a quick look at airports in Moscow and saw lots of good info that can help you plan your time.

I even saw this cool thing that might be at the airport called a "sleep box". Looks like they are trying it out at one of the Moscow Airports.

They were just putting those in at Gatwick just after my trip through there. They sounded so cool just a little 5X10' room with a bed, small desk & chair with an ethernet connection and a small TV.