What would be your cruise line of choice for St Petersburg cruise?

First of all I hope this is the right place to post this...sorry if it's not!

We're planning a cruise to SPB for our 10th anniversary! :hearteyes: Looking for any input/recommendations on what cruise line to take.

Some info on us: American, early 30s, kiddo will be staying home, pretty easy to please. We enjoy drinking, gambling, and traveling! We're not looking to spend an enormous amount of money; ~$3k for cruise fare would be comfortable.

Our only real requirement is at least 2 days in SPB, but 3 would be even better. Looking at 8-10 day cruises but might be able to stretch to 14 days. We don't care what other ports are included, we'll enjoy ourselves wherever we go.

So far we've seen cruises we like on Costa and NCL. I know Costa is primarily Italian so English speakers are in the minority. I think this might add a fun element to the trip and give it a more "international travel" vibe. NCL seems like it would be more familiar since we have cruised NCL in the past.

We've also looked at Royal, Princess, and Celebrity, and didn't see anything that would justify the higher fares on those lines. Viking looked amazing but those prices: :o

Any thoughts or ideas would be very much welcome!

P&O?

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We're planning a cruise to SPB for our 10th anniversary! :hearteyes: Looking for any input/recommendations on what cruise line to take.

 

Some info on us: American, early 30s, kiddo will be staying home, pretty easy to please. We enjoy drinking, gambling, and traveling! We're not looking to spend an enormous amount of money; ~$3k for cruise fare would be comfortable.

 

Our only real requirement is at least 2 days in SPB, but 3 would be even better. Looking at 8-10 day cruises but might be able to stretch to 14 days. We don't care what other ports are included, we'll enjoy ourselves wherever we go.

 

So far we've seen cruises we like on Costa and NCL. I know Costa is primarily Italian so English speakers are in the minority. I think this might add a fun element to the trip and give it a more "international travel" vibe. NCL seems like it would be more familiar since we have cruised NCL in the past.

 

We've also looked at Royal, Princess, and Celebrity, and didn't see anything that would justify the higher fares on those lines. Viking looked amazing but those prices: :o

 

Any thoughts or ideas would be very much welcome!

I know you've said you're not particular about the other ports in the itinerary, but the experienced folk on this board may be able to highlight reasons to go/avoid some ports that may not be obvious to you. Consider posting the specific itineraries you're considering starting with the three-day in SPB options.

We are sailing on the Regal Princess next summer. The land portion of the cruise spends two nights in each of the four cities, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Parague, the cruise portion is 11 nights hitting all the ports in the Baltics. It is expensive right now but the prices always fall as time goes on. We are not allowed to stay in St Petersburg for 3 nights. The country only allows us a 2 day and night night stay from what I have been reading,

We are sailing on the Regal Princess next summer. The land portion of the cruise spends two nights in each of the four cities, Vienna, Budapest, Berlin, Parague, the cruise portion is 11 nights hitting all the ports in the Baltics. It is expensive right now but the prices always fall as time goes on. We are not allowed to stay in St Petersburg for 3 nights. The country only allows us a 2 day and night night stay from what I have been reading,

You are allowed 72 hours. So, 3 days and 2 nights.

First of all I hope this is the right place to post this...sorry if it's not!

 

We're not looking to spend an enormous amount of money; ~$3k for cruise fare would be comfortable.

Our only real requirement is at least 2 days in SPB, but 3 would be even better. Looking at 8-10 day cruises but might be able to stretch to 14 days. We don't care what other ports are included, we'll enjoy ourselves wherever we go.

So far we've seen cruises we like on Costa and NCL. I know Costa is primarily Italian so English speakers are in the minority. I think this might add a fun element to the trip and give it a more "international travel" vibe. NCL seems like it would be more familiar since we have cruised NCL in the past.

We've also looked at Royal, Princess, and Celebrity, and didn't see anything that would justify the higher fares on those lines. Viking looked amazing but those prices: :o

Any thoughts or ideas would be very much welcome!

I agree that 3 days in Saint Petersburg is better than 2. :D Needless to say, these cruises are more expensive than their cousins that spend only 2 days in St. Pete.

There are several cruises that offer 3 days in St. Petersburg:

Crystal Serenity

Celebrity Silhouette

Oceania Marina

Oceania Nautica

RCCL Serenade of the Seas

Azamara Journey

Seabourn Ovation

Given your price point, RCCL or Celebrity would most probably be the most affordable options.

I would also recommend that you book a cruise that docks in Stockholm (not Nynashamn) and, therefore, cruises into Stockholm through the archipelago.

You are allowed 72 hours. So, 3 days and 2 nights.

I agree that 3 days in Saint Petersburg is better than 2. :D Needless to say, these cruises are more expensive than their cousins that spend only 2 days in St. Pete.

There are several cruises that offer 3 days in St. Petersburg:

Crystal Serenity

Celebrity Silhouette

Oceania Marina

Oceania Nautica

RCCL Serenade of the Seas

Azamara Journey

Seabourn Ovation

 

Given your price point, RCCL or Celebrity would most probably be the most affordable options.

I would also recommend that you book a cruise that docks in Stockholm (not Nynashamn) and, therefore, cruises into Stockholm through the archipelago.

Thanks so much for this!! I'll look at RCCL and Celebrity, and great tip about docking in Stockholm!

We were on the NCL Getaway in September and enjoyed it! We had a 2 day St. Petersburg stop which was whirlwind but fine for us, as we had booked a deluxe version shore excursion which included as much as possible with a private company (SPB Tours, but others also offer deluxe versions). Nine nights for the target amount you'd like to spend.

With regard to helpful suggestions, I'd suggest trying to go with a smaller size ship if possible, or check to see what other ships are in SPB port that day. It took some people 2 hours to get off the ship the first day.

Also, FYI, we were supposed to be the last sailing to Stockholm, which is why we booked the date, but at the very last minute, they switched us to Nynashamn. Our issue was supposedly due to "daylight savings hours" and the size of the ship. Docking at Nynashamn gave us the full day, rather than a 5 hour day going directly to Stockholm. We didn't see archipelago but fully understood their reasoning and were fine with the change.

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Thanks so much for this!! I'll look at RCCL and Celebrity, and great tip about docking in Stockholm!

I don't know in which month you wish to cruise, but RCCL is currently offering some great deals on their Baltic cruises (with 3 days in St. Pete):

June 14th (there are other available dates) - 10 nights, Copenhagen to Stockholm (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Warnemunde (Berlin), Helsinki, 3 days St. Pete, Tallinn, and an overnight in Stockholm).

Prices: $1,754 (inside); $1,900 (oceanview); $2,579 (balcony).

Looks like a great itinerary and price to me. You can check-out prices for other sailings at vacations to go dot com (first 3 words are joined together as one word)

Just so you know, the NCL ships often dock in Nynashamn rather than Stockholm. Great price though if you don't mind docking an hour from Stockholm and missing the archipelago (just my personal opinion but ... I would, at all cost, sail through the archipelago - it is stunning).

Furthermore, I prefer cruises that start and end in different cities/ports rather than cruises that begin and end in the same city/port. It is nice to arrive a few days pre-cruise and stay a few days post-cruise. This allows further time for exploration.

Oh yes 72 hours max. I remember reading that somewhere. I love the itinerary that the Regal Princess is taking next summer. With the 8 day land trip before the 11 night cruise we are going to get to see a good portion of the Northern European areas. The prices for the Regal are lower than what you were quoting for RCCL. We have planned a whirlwind tour of St Pete's when we are there and seeing all the sites we could possibly want to see. I am going to be happy with what we picked. Plus we can always go back someday and repeat the places we really loved!

Oh yes 72 hours max. I remember reading that somewhere. I love the itinerary that the Regal Princess is taking next summer. With the 8 day land trip before the 11 night cruise we are going to get to see a good portion of the Northern European areas. The prices for the Regal are lower than what you were quoting for RCCL. We have planned a whirlwind tour of St Pete's when we are there and seeing all the sites we could possibly want to see. I am going to be happy with what we picked. Plus we can always go back someday and repeat the places we really loved!

Yes, I only checked the prices for cruises that offer 3 days in St. Pete.

Hope you have a great time on your cruise - the cities on the land portion of your trip are some of my favorites - especially Prague, Budapest & Vienna!! We are also returning to Budapest in the fall of 2018 because, like you, we also visit cities we love multiple times.

Just so you know, the NCL ships often dock in Nynashamn rather than Stockholm. Great price though if you don't mind docking an hour from Stockholm and missing the archipelago (just my personal opinion but ... I would, at all cost, sail through the archipelago - it is stunning).

An early arrival time in port in Stockholm means a super early cruise time through the archipelago. I'm an early riser so the ~ 6:00 AM cruise through the islands was no problem. In fact, the super early hour meant that there was little boat traffic. There was a light mist hanging over the water. The islands dotting the landscape were like little jewels against the mirror-like, undisturbed water. A breathtaking experience!

Oceania's Nordic Knights cruise on Nautica (July 23, 2019) combines the most appealing details:

* Three days in St Petersburg

* Docking in Stockholm/cruising the archipelago

*Originating in Copenhagen and ending in London

The price is somewhat over your target since lowest fare on the Oceania web site is $3499. I suspect an Oceania specialist travel agent will be able to do better than the web price. The problem is that you aren't allowed to ask for -- and posters are not allowed to volunteer -- the name of recommended travel agents.

First of all I hope this is the right place to post this...sorry if it's not!

 

We're planning a cruise to SPB for our 10th anniversary! :hearteyes: Looking for any input/recommendations on what cruise line to take.

 

Some info on us: American, early 30s, kiddo will be staying home, pretty easy to please. We enjoy drinking, gambling, and traveling! We're not looking to spend an enormous amount of money; ~$3k for cruise fare would be comfortable.

 

Our only real requirement is at least 2 days in SPB, but 3 would be even better. Looking at 8-10 day cruises but might be able to stretch to 14 days. We don't care what other ports are included, we'll enjoy ourselves wherever we go.

 

So far we've seen cruises we like on Costa and NCL. I know Costa is primarily Italian so English speakers are in the minority. I think this might add a fun element to the trip and give it a more "international travel" vibe. NCL seems like it would be more familiar since we have cruised NCL in the past.

 

We've also looked at Royal, Princess, and Celebrity, and didn't see anything that would justify the higher fares on those lines. Viking looked amazing but those prices: :o

 

Any thoughts or ideas would be very much welcome!

Over the years, on this board, many people say that the cruise line isn't the most important factor in doing a Baltic cruise. It is the itinerary and the price that most people care about. sure people want a certain cruise line because maybe they have better food or maybe a smaller ship, but believe me, to most, those things are secondary to the itinerary.

I understand you said that the other ports are secondary, but they are really not. We were awed just strolling around world capitals like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, and the charm of cities like Tallinn and Rostock were amazing. Most itineraries do, at least 2 days in St Petersburg, but if you do want three, then that would eliminate many ships and itineraries and make your choice a bit easier.

It's like when people come here and ask what tour company to use, same as for yourself, asking which cruise line. We all have our favorites, but for the Baltics, as long as you get to go to the ports you want to go, whichever cruise line you do pick will be secondary to the ports of call.

Oh, yes, docking in Stockholm would make me choice one rather than one that docked an hour away.

Cheers

Len

My husband and I are also looking at a cruise like this. I am not familiar with all these cruise lines. We have only cruised on NCL, RCI and Carnival in the Carribbean. Can someone tell me about the following?

Crystal Serenity

Oceania Marina

Oceania Nautica

Seabourn Ovation

Over the years, on this board, many people say that the cruise line isn't the most important factor in doing a Baltic cruise. It is the itinerary and the price that most people care about. sure people want a certain cruise line because maybe they have better food or maybe a smaller ship, but believe me, to most, those things are secondary to the itinerary.

I understand you said that the other ports are secondary, but they are really not. We were awed just strolling around world capitals like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, and the charm of cities like Tallinn and Rostock were amazing. Most itineraries do, at least 2 days in St Petersburg, but if you do want three, then that would eliminate many ships and itineraries and make your choice a bit easier.

It's like when people come here and ask what tour company to use, same as for yourself, asking which cruise line. We all have our favorites, but for the Baltics, as long as you get to go to the ports you want to go, whichever cruise line you do pick will be secondary to the ports of call.

Oh, yes, docking in Stockholm would make me choice one rather than one that docked an hour away.

Cheers

Len

Completely agree. Baltics cruises are usually port intensive. 5 days consecutive port days in our case.

We prefer Celebrity over P&O and Princess, but would go on the one which fitted our dates of travel.

This year it was either Celebrity or Princess ex UK. We prefer Eclipse over the Princess Grand Class ships and Celebrity was much cheaper so they had our money.

First of all I hope this is the right place to post this...sorry if it's not!

 

We're planning a cruise to SPB for our 10th anniversary! :hearteyes: Looking for any input/recommendations on what cruise line to take.

 

Some info on us: American, early 30s, kiddo will be staying home, pretty easy to please. We enjoy drinking, gambling, and traveling! We're not looking to spend an enormous amount of money; ~$3k for cruise fare would be comfortable.

 

Our only real requirement is at least 2 days in SPB, but 3 would be even better. Looking at 8-10 day cruises but might be able to stretch to 14 days. We don't care what other ports are included, we'll enjoy ourselves wherever we go.

 

So far we've seen cruises we like on Costa and NCL. I know Costa is primarily Italian so English speakers are in the minority. I think this might add a fun element to the trip and give it a more "international travel" vibe. NCL seems like it would be more familiar since we have cruised NCL in the past.

 

We've also looked at Royal, Princess, and Celebrity, and didn't see anything that would justify the higher fares on those lines. Viking looked amazing but those prices: :o

 

Any thoughts or ideas would be very much welcome!

You don't say what month or week you want to sail. That would help. With the budget that you are looking at, it would be hard to find a cruise that spent 3 days in SPB. You also need to consider the cost of the excursion in SPB. The cheapest that I found is about $275 per person plus gratuities for a 2 day tour. A 3 day tour starts at about $385 - $400 per person plus tips. In many other ports you can do them yourself and save a lot of money.

I went through a similar thought process earlier this year however our budget was quite a bit more. And we really preferred having Copenhagen in the itinerary.

Based on the fact that you mentioned you like drinking, and your desire for cruise cost, I would recommend NCL. If you get an inside room, you can get the drink package for both of you. If you get an ocean view room, you can get the drink package and another perk (offer). You just can not book the sail away rate. The drink package cost would be your 18% gratuity only, costing you $288 for both of you for the entire cruise.

For full disclosure, after doing my own research, we are booked on the 7 June sailing of the NCL Breakaway.

My husband and I are also looking at a cruise like this. I am not familiar with all these cruise lines. We have only cruised on NCL, RCI and Carnival in the Carribbean. Can someone tell me about the following?

Crystal Serenity

Oceania Marina

Oceania Nautica

Seabourn Ovation

They are what I would consider "higher end" cruise lines. In my opinion, they tend to cater to an older crowd, don't have as many activities or entertainment, would not be good for kids and are considerably more expensive.

My husband and I can highly recommend RC for the Baltic. We did this a couple of years ago and picked it specifically as it had three full days in St Petersburg. We used Alla Tours while there - can't say enough good things about them. There were six of us and our tours each day were fabulous. The guide was excellent - we didn't wait anywhere! We went directly to the front of the line at each stop. Our driver was great too - lovely Mercedes van - lots of room for six! The cruise we did started in Copenhagen and ended in Stockholm. Go to Copenhagen a few days early - it's a fun, vibrant city with lots to see. I can recommend a great hotel there too - right in the middle of the action! Happy planning!

We took a 14 day Baltic Sea cruise on HAL Koningsdam from Amsterdam return in May. 2 day tour with SPB Tours in SPB and package deals with 4 other cities. It's all about the itinerary, very port heavy. The ship was a little quiet for us but we were fine with it because at the end of each day, we were exhausted.

If you don't really care about the other Baltic ports, I would strongly consider a river cruise between SPB and Moscow. 4 days in each with other Russian ports thrown in, prices include guided tours. But yes, it will blow your budget out of the water but you'll get the most out of each day during your trip.

Just to clarify:

A river cruise (Moscow - St. Pete) will require that each member of your group obtain a Russian visa.

A Baltic cruise with a port stop in St. Petersburg does not require that you obtain a visa - your tour tickets (with an authorized company) and passport will get you through port immigration.

We did this cruise in June on Vision of the Seas-RCCL. My review is on this board. The price was reasonable and the itinerary great starting and ending in Amsterdam, which was a great destination on it's own.

The cruise started with 2 sea days with day 3 in Helsinki. Next was 2 days in St. Petersburg which was a very busy/full tour stop. Estonia, Stockholm, Aarhus, Copenhagen completed the trip.

We opted for a post cruise day in Amsterdam which was great.

Sue

We considered Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, which we ultimately switched to when we saw how fun the Breakaway looked. Our top pick was the Regal Princess, though, because we ❤️ Princess, so when the Regal price dropped combined with all our loyalty perks, we jumped aboard. All that to say, it’s such a port intensive cruise, we were open to whatever the best deal would be, since all 3 spend 2 days in St. Petersburg. I️ think NCL Breakaway might be your best bet to accomplish all you mentioned as priorities.

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One item not mentioned is the date of your trip, the Baltic is like Alaska, June through August is the prime season with higher prices than May & September. The weather is warmer and there is more hours of daylight. While we prefer smaller ships for better food and service, larger ships have more entertainment & activities. We originally had a deposit on Oceania, due to a longer itinerary and more reasonable price , we switched to Celebrity for our Baltic cruise next summer. We've tried and prefer Celebrity over RCCL, NCL and Princess. .

We were on the NCL Star a few years ago, and it is an older ship. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and the fact that it wasn't the nicest ship we'd sailed didn't matter at all (the people who worked for NCL was fabulous, which was very nice). 3 days in St. Petersburg would be incredible, and sailing directly into Stockholm is great. We were able to DIY in all of the other ports except St. Petersburg, and we even had a 3 year old in tow and it was fairly easy logistically to get around those cities. So I think the good news is that you will have a lot of great options, and I really like the idea of making 3 days in St. Petersburg a priority (we didn't do this, since we were really restricted by our travel schedule and it was our first big trip with children).

Please note that the larger ships are more likely to be diverted to Nynashamn if there are any adverse weather conditions, since there is very little margin of error for them in the archipelago in Stockholm.

Well I have been with ms Marina of Oceania. First of all on board the food is the best on sea with Oceania. (Jacques Pepin = chief) Further Oceania stay 3 FULL days in St Peters burg. Take the Oceania excursions, so you use the ships visum... and the different excursions are very well organized. Further we stayed before embarking 3 days in Copenhagen in the old historic area. Beautifull things to visit.

When we ended in Stockholm we stayed 2 extra days.

Regarding St Petersburg I expected in would be nice.... NO it is not simply nice, but SUPERB! Was an excellent voyage where we have seen a lot of great history in all ports!

Well I have been with ms Marina of Oceania. First of all on board the food is the best on sea with Oceania. (Jacques Pepin = chief) Further Oceania stay 3 FULL days in St Peters burg. Take the Oceania excursions, so you use the ships visum... and the different excursions are very well organized. Further we stayed before embarking 3 days in Copenhagen in the old historic area. Beautifull things to visit.

When we ended in Stockholm we stayed 2 extra days.

Regarding St Petersburg I expected in would be nice.... NO it is not simply nice, but SUPERB! Was an excellent voyage where we have seen a lot of great history in all ports!

Just curious. Which hotel did you stay in when you visited Copenhagen?