Baltic Shore Excursions on Brilliance of the Seas

I'm currently researching the ports for our upcoming cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas. Only 95 days to go! :D

Whilst this research is primarily for my own benefit, I'm sharing the information I glean from various sources with our Roll Call.

In the process I've created tables of the shore excursions that RCI offer on this cruise and decided that this information may be of interest to others so I present it here.

Please note that all the prices are in Australian Dollars. I'm an Aussie and access the Australian RCI website. As I said, my research is primarily for my own benefit.

Copenhagen, Denmark

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Copenhagen By Bicycle                   3       $128     $128
Copenhagen Harbor Tour                  2       $77      $51
Copenhagen By Kayak                     2½      $167     $141
Charming Copenhagen - Walk & Cruise     4       $102     $56
Tivoli Gardens And Harbour Tour         4       $128     $64
Castles Of North Zealand                7       $189     $99
Royal Copenhagen (Interior Visits)      3½      $102     $59
City Sightseeing With Dragor Village    4       $102     $64
Rosenborg Castle & Tivoli Gardens       3½      $115     $56
Walking Tour of Copenhagen              3       $77      $51
City of Copenhagen                      3       $64      $38
Copenhagen City Sights 
    & Castle Tour of North Zealand     7       $200     $102
Copenhagen by Kayak                     2½      $167     $141
Charming Copenhagen - Walk & Cruise     4       $102     $56
Panoramic Copenhagen City               2½      $71      $43
Jewish Copenhagen Tour                  4       $102     $56
Easy Copenhagen 
     (Wheelchair Accessible)           2½      $141     $128

Tallinn, Estonia

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Town And Country Life                   4½      $77      $43
Best Of Tallinn With Concert And Lunch  6       $119     $89
Medieval Rakvere And Tallinn            7       $123     $102
Tallinn Highlights                      3½      $102     $77
Tallinn Walking Tour                    3½      $64      $38
Panoramic Tallinn                       2¼      $64      $38
Tallinn - City of Contrasts             4       $64      $38
Glory Of Old Tallinn                    4       $89      $51
Lower Old Town And 
    Maritime Discovery Center          3½      $52      $52

St Petersburg, Russia

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Journey To Moscow                       18½     $851     $851
Local Life Experience:
    Metro Ride, Kuznechny Market       3½      $64      $33
Grand St. Petersburg With Hermitage     9       $231     $128
Hermitage And Peterhof                  9¾      $226     $128
Russian Pelmeni Cooking Class 
    And Vodka Tasting                  3       $123     $123
Exclusive Hermitage Museum 
    With Gold Room                     4       $136     $77
Hermitage Museum                        3½      $97      $46
St. Petersburg Ballet Performance       4       $188     $175
Morning/Afternoon/Evening Van
    - Half Day                         4       $974     $974
Morning/Afternoon/Evening Car
    - Half Day                         4       $458     $458
Full Day Van                            8       $1,555   $1,555
Full Day Car                            8       $781     $781
Panoramic St. Petersburg With 
    Peter And Paul Fortress Territory  4½      $59      $33
Panoramic St. Petersburg                3¾      $56      $20
Peterhof: Grand Palace And Fountains    5       $115     $51
Folkloric Show Of Song And Dance        3½      $77      $51
Evening Neva River Cruise 
    With Folkloric Show                2½      $84      $84
St. Petersburg 2-Day Tour Package       10      $425     $278
Walk Along Nevsky Prospect
    With Shopping                      3       $51      $17
Russian Pelmeni Cooking Class
   And Vodka Tasting                   3       $123     $123
City Highlights & Pushkin               10      $206     $102
Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin)                4       $77      $30
Rivers And Canal Of St. Petersburg
    And Yussupov Palace                4       $93      $46
St. Petersburg Cathedrals               3½      $97      $38
Walking Tour And Visit To 
    The Spilled Blood Church           3½      $59      $30
Peterhof: Parks And Fountains
    With Hydrofoil Ride               4½       $80      $38
Matryoshka Doll Workshop
    And Tea Party                     3¾       $89      $51

Helsinki, Finland

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Kayaking In The Finish Archipelago      4¼      $231     $231
Helsinki Speedboat Adventure            1       $180     $154
Reindeer & Finnish Nature               4       $231     $218
Helsinki, Porvoo & Countryside 
    With Lunch                         5       $206     $128
Helsinki By Bike                        3       $89      $89
Finnish Countryside Home Visit
    & Helsinki Highlights              4       $123     $97
Porvoo, Cruise & Helsinki With Lunch    7       $239     $141
Helsinki From Land and Sea              4       $128     $97
Porvoo & Helsinki Highlights With Lunch 7       $188     $128
City Of Helsinki                        3       $64      $38
Glimpse Of Old Town Porvoo              4       $84      $59
Helsinki Highlights & History           4       $110     $64
Finnish Countryside Home Visit
    & Helsinki Highlights              4       $123     $97
Helsinki Walking Tour                   3½      $77      $64
Panoramic Helsinki                      2       $59      $33
Helsinki By Road & Rail                 3½      $115     $89
Easy Helsinki (Wheelchair Accessible)   2       $59      $33
Helsinki Highlights
    & Ice Bar Winterland               4       $128     $102
A Discovery Walk In Helsinki            3½      $80      $64
Helsinki Speedboat Adventure            1       $180     $154
Reindeer & Finnish Nature               4       $231     $218

Stockholm, Sweden

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Stockholm Via Standup Paddle Board      3       $257     $257
Old Town And Royal Palace               3       $89      $51
Stolkholm And It's Famous Archipelago   6       $141     $115
City Hall And Cruising Lake Maelaren    3½      $128     $77
ABBA Museum And City Sightseeing        3½      $154     $128
Historic Stockholm And Sigtuna          6½      $141     $77
A Day In Stockholm                      6       $162     $128
Ice Bar And Panorama Drive              2       $128     $128
Panoramic Stockholm And Vasa Museum     3       $89      $89
Stockholm By Land And Water             3       $102     $64
Old Town And City Hall                  3       $86      $51
Skyview                                 3       $77      $64
Panoramic Stockholm                     2½      $64      $38

Skagen, Denmark

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Skagen Bike Tour                        3       $141     $115
Voergaard Castle And Pastry             4½      $141     $115
City Of Skagen                          3½      $89      $64
Skagen Museum And Walking               2½      $115     $89
A Taste Of Skagen                       2½      $231     $206

Harwich, England

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Royal Windsor & Heathrow Airport        5¾      $158     $115
Internal Visit To Buckingham Palace
    & Heathrow Airport                 5¾      $206     $149
London Panoramic Sightseeing
    & Heathrow Airport                 5¾      $158     $115

Whilst all care has been taken to ensure that this information is accurate, I take no responsibility. :eek: This is just a starting point; you'll need to do your own research. :)

Oh, I forgot to mention that RCI also offer a couple of package deals:

Brilliance Premium Package

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Copenhagen City Sights 
    & Castle Tour of North Zealand     7       $200     $102
Best Of Tallinn With Concert And Lunch  6       $119     $89
St. Petersburg 2-Day Tour Package       10      $425     $278
Porvoo & Helsinki Highlights With Lunch 7       $188     $128
Historic Stockholm And Sigtuna          6½      $141     $77
[b]
Brilliance Premium Package Total                $1,075   $676[/b]

Brilliance Value Package

[b]
Shore Excursion                        Hours    Adult    Child[/b]
Copenhagen Harbor Tour                  2       $77      $51
Tallinn Walking Tour                    3½      $64      $38
Hermitage Museum                        3½      $97      $46
City Of Helsinki                        3       $64      $38
Panoramic Stockholm And Vasa Museum     3       $89      $89
[b]
Brilliance Value Package Total                  $314     $210[/b]

Again, pricing is in Australian Dollars.

Thanks, Sparky74 - we're on a following Baltic cruise on Brilliance. I appreciate you sharing the info.

Morley

Thanks, Sparky74 - we're on a following Baltic cruise on Brilliance. I appreciate you sharing the info.

 

Morley

I cancelled my cruise but found both SPb tours(Victoria) and ALLA tours offer great package deals for all five stops or just buy for one city if you choose. Nothing but great reviews for those and several other companies.

we did the Baltics with RCCL in 2010. For those wanting more DIY, here's what we did:

Copenhagen--got a Copenhagen card--good for train from airport (easy), and then for 24 yrs. Good for all buses. We did the bus to Rosenburg Castle (in town--easy--very interesting), and Tivoli Gardens.

Tallin--easy to walk from port (10 minutes) into Old Town--we just walked around for free. Nice old square to get a drink and people watch--watch your purse--elderly lady got mugged on a side street right off the square. They appeared to target someone elderly. We (50s) had no issues--so, not to worry--just take a tote bag instead of a purse and keep your elbow against it. Tallin is a cute town--folks selling drinks, etc. dress up in medieval outfits--a fun 1/2 day.

Stockholm--Ho-Ho bus right at the port--make sure to get Swedish $$ for the bus--the will take US$$, but charge a hefty exchange rate. Get the package with the boat tour. Easy town to DIY. H-Ho goes to Vasa, but we didn't have time.

StP--we did a private tour of Peterhof and Hermitage--pick one recommended by others--they are all excellent.

Skagen is beautiful! If there's any way to get to Grenen, go - it's the spot where the North Sea and Baltic meet, and it is stunning, definitely one of my personal favourite places.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk, please excuse wonky autocorrects.

We did the Baltic in May 2014 and the best thing we did was we took a day to go to Moscow. That was very exciting and a once in a life time excursion. It is worth every dollar it cost. The excursion is about 20 hours and you see so much and experience so much in Moscow. The following day we hired a private tour car from Royal Caribbean that was also very good. There is a driver AND a tour guide who will take you to places you want to see. We were able to see things with a private tour guide. When we went into places this tour guide walked us around the museums and told us about the history and the driver stayed with the car so when we were done we climbed back into the sedan (only room for 3 guest) and off to the next place. We went at our own pace and didn't have to rush or slow down to accomodate a group of tourist. The tour guide took us to a restuarant to experience real russian food. You will need to purchase the guides lunch during the tour.

I cancelled my cruise but found both SPb tours(Victoria) and ALLA tours offer great package deals for all five stops or just buy for one city if you choose. Nothing but great reviews for those and several other companies.

We did SPB tours in St Petersburg in 2013. We did a private tour because we only had one day in port and wanted to see as much as possible. My DH and I were literally the first ones off the ship in the morning and our guide Helen was waiting for us just past immigration. I had emailed our photos to SPB prior to our cruise so our guide would recognize us quickly. We hopped in her late model Volvo and hit the road. We had already finished our tour of the Cathedral of Spilled Blood before the tour groups were even getting off the ship. We were able to tour Catherine's Palace before they opened to the public, toured Peterhof, ate a nice lunch in a local restaurant, ride the subway (just for the experience), walked through the local markets, toured the Hermitage for a few hours and arrived back at the ship with time to spare. We never could have seen everything that we did if we had been on a group tour. Money very well spent.

I agree with other posters that Stockholm can easily be done on the Ho Ho bus. We also added the water portion just because all of the traffic and noise of the city can get to be a bit much. Head straight to the Vasa (if that is something that you want to see) as early as possible because it gets unreasonably busy.

I have family in Denmark and we have visited a number of times. Our favorite coastal town is Lonstrup on the NW coast. If you are interested in original artwork and handmade jewelry it is beyond compare. The viking museum in Aalborg is a treasure and should not be missed if possible.

Thanks for the replies so far - quite interesting!

I'm also researching Bike Tours in several of the cities. We've been on bike tours in several European cities and find it's a great way to get around ... greater distance than a walking tour. Any suggestions in this area also welcome or, if you want any info from me, email is at <bcguy100 at g mail dot com>.

Morley

We did the Brilliance trans-Atlantic and the following Baltic. We booked ALLA tours in Tallinn, St Pete's, Helsinki, and Stockholm. All I can say is WOW. These are so much better than the ships tours. We even convinced another couple on the ship to go with the St. Pete's ALLA tour after the fantastic time we had in Tallinn.

The guides and drivers we fluent in English. Most were university professors and do tours to supplement their income.

They are like walking encyclopedias and know their clients wants and desires.

We had small Mercedes 16 passenger vans - nice new ones - not junk. No 44 passenger buses with excessively obese elderlies slowing down getting on and off (sorry - fact not fiction and we want to get in and out quickly). We zipped in and out of the various venues while the cruise ship excursions were still unloading.

We got a lot of value for the money.

Unfortunately they mainly do Baltic cruises else we would book them wherever we go.

They took us to all the major sightseeing attractions but we bypassed the long lines because of the deal ALLA had with the different places.

We had bottled water on the vans ( I should say mini-buses ). Food on the hydrofoil to Peterhof were Stoli pies and that was far superior to sandwiches.

The guides immediately told the gents to relocate your wallets because of many pickpockets ( and they are good ). We didn't have anyone lose anything on the tours but others on the ship excursions did.

All in all a fantastic set of tours for a very reasonable cost.

Their tour ticket is your Visa in Russia. You cannot get off the ship without one. So book early to avoid disappointment. You pay on the bus at the end of the 2nd St Pete's tour.

Skagen is beautiful! If there's any way to get to Grenen, go - it's the spot where the North Sea and Baltic meet, and it is stunning, definitely one of my personal favourite places.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk, please excuse wonky autocorrects.

I believe this tour is City of Skagen for about $75 American dollars. It was fantastic! Skagen has become my new favorite vacation place! Enjoy!

Sparky,

If you haven't yet finalized plans for Helsinki, we took the shuttle to the city center and with a little help with directions from locals, we walked through one of the city's beautiful parks on our way to the ferry/harbor where we picked up some local foods (out door markets right near the pier) and some wine for a picnic. We then purchased ferry tickets at the pier to Suomenlinna Island. It was hardly expensive and what a beautiful day it was for us. Did not feel like we were near any cruise crowds in the least.

You can search for Suomenlinna and they give you the details on

www dot suomenlinna dot fi

Just for info, the best tour in Copenhagen (in my opinion!) is the segway tour, but you'll have to book it yourself, not through RCI. Its brilliant!

http://segwaytourscph.com/

Simon

Sorry to be a bit dense but new to cruising and boards like this. Trying to figure out if in 2015 (am booked on the Brilliance cruise that goes to St Petersburg) if it truly is the case you can book a tour with the likes of Alla or Best Guides and your ticket acts as the visa. Travel Agent tells me I'm only allowed off the ship on a RCL shore excursion. Does anyone know which is correct or how I can actually confirm this. Am travelling with 13 & 11 year old kids and fear they will be bored on standard ship excursion...

The TA is wrong. I've already printed my Alla tickets which state that they are to be presented to the agent. They act as a temporary visa.

Morley.

Thank you! That's reassuring.

The TA is wrong. I've already printed my Alla tickets which state that they are to be presented to the agent. They act as a temporary visa.

 

Morley.

That is also how it worked with SPB Tours. Some agents will also tell you that if you booked independently that you have to wait for the shore excursion groups to get through Russian immigration first. This is also incorrect. My daughter and I waited at the exit point of the ship along with a couple dozen other passengers and we were literally the first ones off the ship and through immigration.

There is a nice bathroom at the port once you get through immigration, so if you get stuck waiting a bit, no worries.

We did the Baltics on the Brilliance last August. I am including a link to my rather lengthy review I posted after. I hope it helps, and that you have as much fun as we did.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2095403

Sorry to be a bit dense but new to cruising and boards like this. Trying to figure out if in 2015 (am booked on the Brilliance cruise that goes to St Petersburg) if it truly is the case you can book a tour with the likes of Alla or Best Guides and your ticket acts as the visa. Travel Agent tells me I'm only allowed off the ship on a RCL shore excursion. Does anyone know which is correct or how I can actually confirm this. Am travelling with 13 & 11 year old kids and fear they will be bored on standard ship excursion...

Alla and SPB Tours meet these requirements. In the last year the tour data is now electronic sent to the Russian government. I have used Alla and recommend them. Beware the cruise ship can not hold you back from visa control. Everyone is allowed to leave the ship at the same time regardless of the tour you are taking.

From http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/russia.html

International Cruise Ship/Ferry Passengers: Russia permits visitors to visit many Russian ports without a visa for a period of up to 72 hours. You may go ashore without a visa during port calls, but only if you are with an organized tour and accompanied at all times by a tour operator, duly licensed by Russian authorities. Cruise ship and ferry lines offer shore tours that meet these requirements. If you want to do sightseeing on your own, you must have a Russian tourist visa. A visa is also required if you arrive in Russia by ship or ferry, but want to depart by air, train, or other mode of transportation. You must present a valid U.S. passport to Russian immigration officers each time you depart or return to the ship during your port call in Russia. If your U.S. passport is lost or stolen while ashore, authorities will not allow you to return to the ship until you obtain a replacement passport from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow or one of the U.S. Consulates in Russia.. If your ship leaves Russia without you onboard, you must obtain an exit visa to depart Russia by alternative transportation. Russian authorities may take up to 20 calendar days to authorize an exit visa, during which time you will have to remain in Russia at your own expense.

Please note that these special entry/exit requirements for international cruise ship and ferry passengers do not apply to riverboat cruise passengers. Riverboat cruise passengers must have a visa and should follow the general guidelines for entry/exit requirements.

We did the Brilliance trans-Atlantic and the following Baltic. We booked ALLA tours in Tallinn, St Pete's, Helsinki, and Stockholm. All I can say is WOW. These are so much better than the ships tours. We even convinced another couple on the ship to go with the St. Pete's ALLA tour after the fantastic time we had in Tallinn.

The guides and drivers we fluent in English. Most were university professors and do tours to supplement their income.

They are like walking encyclopedias and know their clients wants and desires.

We had small Mercedes 16 passenger vans - nice new ones - not junk. No 44 passenger buses with excessively obese elderlies slowing down getting on and off (sorry - fact not fiction and we want to get in and out quickly). We zipped in and out of the various venues while the cruise ship excursions were still unloading.

We got a lot of value for the money.

Unfortunately they mainly do Baltic cruises else we would book them wherever we go.

They took us to all the major sightseeing attractions but we bypassed the long lines because of the deal ALLA had with the different places.

We had bottled water on the vans ( I should say mini-buses ). Food on the hydrofoil to Peterhof were Stoli pies and that was far superior to sandwiches.

The guides immediately told the gents to relocate your wallets because of many pickpockets ( and they are good ). We didn't have anyone lose anything on the tours but others on the ship excursions did.

All in all a fantastic set of tours for a very reasonable cost.

Their tour ticket is your Visa in Russia. You cannot get off the ship without one. So book early to avoid disappointment. You pay on the bus at the end of the 2nd St Pete's tour.

That is really good information - thanks so much! We just booked a Baltics 12 night for next July 2018. We were told if we did NOT book thru RCI we would need to get a Visa. I will check out ALLA tours. Thx!

I agree re Alla tours. We used them for STP and Stockholm. Their price includes the Russian visa. A little concerning about returning to the ship on time (traffic!), but did make it.

M

I agree re Alla tours. We used them for STP and Stockholm. Their price includes the Russian visa. A little concerning about returning to the ship on time (traffic!), but did make it.

 

M

thanks! I am seeing some reviewers saying that Stockholm can be a HO HO bus day. Tallinn a "do it yourself" 1/2 day as well. How about Helinski and Skagen? Thx!

We took their tours in St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tallinn. I was disappointed in Stockholm as we drove past the ABBA museum. We did see many things. It was worth the money though.

Tallinn - It was a walking tour but this one you could do yourself. There is a marvelous beer hall just off the main square. Great food and beer.

Helsinki - We had the bus let us off at a market square. We had a map and decided to walk back - it was probably a couple miles. We needed to find a drug store as we got sick on this one. We found it, and after a couple stops at cafes, made it back. If you book more than one tour, they discount them.

Their guides are fantastic - especially Elena in St. Petersburg.

We did not get into Skagen as the seas were too rough. We did have a few Medevac's via chopper and life boat. That life boat that took someone in to shore was harrowing - watched them bobbing all over.

thanks! I am seeing some reviewers saying that Stockholm can be a HO HO bus day. Tallinn a "do it yourself" 1/2 day as well. How about Helinski and Skagen? Thx!

We did bike tours in Copenhagen, Tallinn and Helsinki. A great way to get further afield.

In Talinn we went to a re-created village about 10 km from the city. We then rode back to the city, the guide gave us a brief tour, and we had time to ourselves. It's close enough to the ship to walk easily.

M