Russian Visa Questions

We are booked on a cruise to Scandinavia and Russia in 2015 (Celebrity Silhouette - 3 July 2015). We booked on board with Celebrity so we don't have a TA, at least for now. One of our questions is, do you think for this itinerary it would be better to transfer our reservation to a TA than to leave it with Celebrity?

We booked our first Celebrity cruise this year with a TA (I wouldn't call her our TA since that is the only time we have used her and our only cruise to date). What I find odd is that I received an email from her yesterday saying that Celebrity contacted her about our upcoming cruise, even though we specifically told Celebrity that we wanted to book directly with them and not use a TA. Nothing against the TA that booked our first cruise, we just thought we would try using Celebrity this time. Now we are not sure we made the right decision if we have to apply for a visa to see St. Petersburg. Not sure how much help Celebrity would be to us in that process.

Can anyone provide personal experience regarding obtain a Russian Visa for your Baltic cruise?

You only need a visa if you plan to tour SP on your own, visa costs approx. 300.00 p/p, if you use the Celebrity tours or a Russian tour co. you do not need a visa.

As retired067 noted, a visa is not required if you use either a Celebrity tour or an authorized (by the Russians) private tour. We went several years ago--hooked up on the Roll Call with some fellow travelers who were organizing a private tour. It was very well done, very interesting, and, at least in our opinion from talking to other passengers, better than the ship tours. Probably the greatest difference was use of smaller vehicles (think the max one day was 14 instead of 35), and more flexibility to see things not on the list. We used Red October, but there are several others who are highly recommended.

Did need a Russian visa some years later for a river cruise. Hassle and expense would not be worth it for an overnight or 2. Cost of a private tour was about the same as the ships tour--

Getting a visa for Russia is costly and time consuming and only necessary if you plan to go off without a tour guide. If you book a tour with a licensed tour operator they take care of the visa. There is so much to see in St Petersberg I can't imagine not using a guide to maximize your time.

First, it looks from what you said that Celebrity may have transferred that booking to that travel agent. Take a look at the Booking Confirmation form that you received when you booked on board. Is that travel agency listed? If so, the transfer has taken place.

Second, did that travel agent tell you that you would need to apply for a visa or imply that if you didn't book with that agency that it would be a lot of hassle for you? If so, change travel agencies. That information is not correct, or at least, not complete.

As has already been written, only if you choose to go off on your own, WHICH IS NOT RECOMMENDED, do you need to apply for a visa. If you book Celebrity tours, Celebrity gets your visa for you. If you book private tours, they get your visa for you.

First, it looks from what you said that Celebrity may have transferred that booking to that travel agent. Take a look at the Booking Confirmation form that you received when you booked on board. Is that travel agency listed? If so, the transfer has taken place.

 

Second, did that travel agent tell you that you would need to apply for a visa or imply that if you didn't book with that agency that it would be a lot of hassle for you? If so, change travel agencies. That information is not correct, or at least, not complete.

 

As has already been written, only if you choose to go off on your own, WHICH IS NOT RECOMMENDED, do you need to apply for a visa. If you book Celebrity tours, Celebrity gets your visa for you. If you book private tours, they get your visa for you.

I will check our booking confirmation but when the onboard agent asked us about using that TA again, we specifically said we would prefer to book directly with Celebrity. They changed the email from the travel agent to my personal email so I thought it was done correctly but maybe not. I can't imagine why else they would be contacting the TA directly.

Celebrity automatically transfers an on board booking to the TA you used for the cruise you were on unless you tell them not to. I am surprised they did it anyway. Did you find the TA you booked the first cruise with poor? When you transfer the booking you get extra OBC's, as well as what Celebrity offers so many do this.

We are doing the Baltic in 2015 also (Eclipse) and we will get our visa through the tour company we are using.

Celebrity automatically transfers an on board booking to the TA you used for the cruise you were on unless you tell them not to. I am surprised they did it anyway. Did you find the TA you booked the first cruise with poor? When you transfer the booking you get extra OBC's, as well as what Celebrity offers so many do this.

 

We are doing the Baltic in 2015 also (Eclipse) and we will get our visa through the tour company we are using.

What kind of extra on board credit do you get when Celebrity transfers our booking to a TA? The TA we used for our first cruise was okay, everything was done correctly. We did not get anything for booking with her (wine, dining credit or OBC). The only other concerned we had was she works only a few hours a week, M-Th from 10-3 so she wasn't available much of the time.

I believe that you need visas whoever you arrange your St P trips with but if you do it with a recognised Tour firm (Red October, ALLA, whoever or X) they will provide your visas.

We booked through Red October for our St P tour on the recommendation of a friend and we were very disappointed with our guide. I guess it's pot luck as there are so many tours and the quality of guides can be a problem. But don't let that put you off. St P is a remarkable city, but as another post said, do not try and do it on your own!

I believe that you need visas whoever you arrange your St P trips with but if you do it with a recognised Tour firm (Red October, ALLA, whoever or X) they will provide your visas.

We booked through Red October for our St P tour on the recommendation of a friend and we were very disappointed with our guide. I guess it's pot luck as there are so many tours and the quality of guides can be a problem. But don't let that put you off. St P is a remarkable city, but as another post said, do not try and do it on your own!

Thanks for letting us know about your experience with Red October. Having read these posts, we will definitely be using a tour agency which will take care of the visa. If the tour company secures our visas, can we come and go from the ship when we choose or is the visa only good for the day/time of our agency tour?

We were on a Baltic cruise in 2012 and did a tour with TJ Travel. They were excellent. They took care of getting the Visa for us and it was a small group--no more than 16. Prices include lunch and you do not pay until the second day. Contact them by visiting their website tjtravel.com and they will get back to you quickly.

We were on a Baltic cruise in 2012 and did a tour with TJ Travel. They were excellent. They took care of getting the Visa for us and it was a small group--no more than 16. Prices include lunch and you do not pay until the second day. Contact them by visiting their website tjtravel.com and they will get back to you quickly.

Thanks for the recommendation. We were hoping to join up with others on this cruise to book a tour but so far there is n Roll Call for the 3 July 2015 cruise on the Silhouette. Hope that isn't a sign that this cruise is in danger of being cancelled or not very popular!

When we did our Baltic cruise three years ago were were required to carry our passports with us at all times while in St. Petersburg. At all the other ports we only carried a copy and kept the passports in a safe. Be sure when visiting St. Petersburg that you protect your passports and credit cards. Several people on a ship's excursion had theirs stolen on our cruise. We also were targeted by pickpockets in Talin, Estonia when we saw a couple of suspicious looking young men approaching our wives as we were climbing steep, narrow stairs along a well traveled street. I noticed them and shouted "look out for pickpockets" and the two men instantly changed direction and hurried away back down the stairs.

Always be aware of your surroundings and keep all valuables carefully secured!!! We travel with another couple and both the women carried special purses that have metal mesh woven into the fabric and a steel wire in the strap to prevent them being cut. Both of us men wore trousers that have special features to prevent someone from accessing the contents of our pockets.

Thanks for letting us know about your experience with Red October. Having read these posts, we will definitely be using a tour agency which will take care of the visa. If the tour company secures our visas, can we come and go from the ship when we choose or is the visa only good for the day/time of our agency tour?

Recall just prior to arriving at St P 3 years ago the room steward left a form in the cabin, filled it out and took that with our passports to custom station. That was fine. The customs was not a big deal at least back then, maybe different now.

For our tour, we used Alla and they were fantastic. Only 7 of us in a van and it was very intensive for the 2 full days. Could not imagine going to St P and not be on an organized tour. Excellent, knowledgeable and very nice guide. Also, you did not pay till the second day. They were very adept in having us skip some very long lines when going to the many sites :)

Thanks for letting us know about your experience with Red October. Having read these posts, we will definitely be using a tour agency which will take care of the visa. If the tour company secures our visas, can we come and go from the ship when we choose or is the visa only good for the day/time of our agency tour?

No, you cannot under any circumstances come and go on your own. The visa only applies when you are with the tour group, but honestly, most tours there are for 2 full days...you won't have any spare time.

They are so strict about this that when our tour vehicle had a problem on our private tour, and we were only about 10 minutes from the ship by taxi, we were prohibited from returning on our own. We had to wait for the tour company to send a replacement vehicle (only about 30 minutes or so later).

We just returned from a Baltic cruise in June. We used SPB Tours and had a great guide and the tour was limited to 16 people. Because we were on a tour we did not have to acquire a Visa on our own.

I would also not recommend you try to see St. Petersburg without a tour. We were there 2 days and a night and were kept very busy for 2 solid days. As just about everyone recommends here, pick a private tour company from among the top 3 or 4 recommended and you should have a great experience and you will see the highlights.

Good luck! We really enjoyed our cruise!

We just returned from a Baltic cruise in June. We used SPB Tours and had a great guide and the tour was limited to 16 people. Because we were on a tour we did not have to acquire a Visa on our own.

 

I would also not recommend you try to see St. Petersburg without a tour. We were there 2 days and a night and were kept very busy for 2 solid days. As just about everyone recommends here, pick a private tour company from among the top 3 or 4 recommended and you should have a great experience and you will see the highlights.

 

Good luck! We really enjoyed our cruise!

We used SPB for two days in St. Petersburg on the cruise we returned from earlier this week. Our guide, Irena was excellent, and adapted the time spent at each place to suit our interests. We were a family group of ten, with four children aged 9-15 and were concerned about taking a cruise tour because it would not be fair to the children or to other passengers to be on a rigid itinerary where the youngsters might get bored.

We saw all the sights that the ship's tour offered, and the children were totally engrossed all the time. They did go to the costume and armour section of the Hermitage rather than spending too much time in the art and sculpture halls. Their parents took turns supervising them there. Otherwise Irena kept everyone entertained with interesting facts and anecdotes. We paid about $100 less pp than the ship's tour and had a personalized experience. The lunches were probably less elaborate, but they were tasty and adequate.

I'm sure the other major companies are of a similar standard, but SPB is the one that I have current, personal experience of.

Sheila

KiRiMi, the group visas are not valid for individual exploration. To come and go on your own you need an individual visa, expensive and difficult to arrange, and such exploration is fraught with difficulty unless you speak Russian and even then, would not be easy.

What kind of extra on board credit do you get when Celebrity transfers our booking to a TA? The TA we used for our first cruise was okay, everything was done correctly. We did not get anything for booking with her (wine, dining credit or OBC). The only other concerned we had was she works only a few hours a week, M-Th from 10-3 so she wasn't available much of the time.

It depends on the TA. We use a large on-line company from New Hampshire (not allowed to mention them, sorry) and they have matched the OBC that Celebrity gives. I am surprised that your TA gives you nothing. Google using online and Concord, New Hampshire and you should find it the first one listed after the ads.

Thanks for letting us know about your experience with Red October. Having read these posts, we will definitely be using a tour agency which will take care of the visa. If the tour company secures our visas, can we come and go from the ship when we choose or is the visa only good for the day/time of our agency tour?

The short answer is no, because the 2 days in St P are long and full on sightseeing. Your tour company will arrange an itinerary (basically they all do virtually the same). St P is vast and you won't see the ship from when you leave around 7.30 a.m until you return around 6.00 p.m. And after leaving the ship you have to get through Russian Immigration, which is an experience in itself. So you cant just wander around like you can in most other ports.

We were on a Baltic cruise this past May. The above is correct your tour company will handle your visa. We -DH and I -used Ulko Tours for our 2 days and we attended the opera at Marinsky Theatre one evening and they provided our driver/car and made sure our visa showed our leaving that morning and not returning until 11:00 PM. No trouble getting back on the ship since our visa indicated we had been under the supervision of the tour company. It's an amazing city and one we had on our bucket list for some time. Have a wonderful time.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We are very adventurous, and normally DIY ports or pick up a local tour. In St Petersburg we did the ship tours, and would highly recommend that....particularly with the deteriorating situation between Russia and western allies, we would not use even highly recommended private tours in St Petersburg.

The rest of the Baltic cruise area is easy to DIY, and it is a stunning part of the world....enjoy, however you decide to tour!

The short answer is no, because the 2 days in St P are long and full on sightseeing. Your tour company will arrange an itinerary (basically they all do virtually the same). St P is vast and you won't see the ship from when you leave around 7.30 a.m until you return around 6.00 p.m. And after leaving the ship you have to get through Russian Immigration, which is an experience in itself. So you cant just wander around like you can in most other ports.

We had to show proof that we were with an approved tour company when going through immigration. They are very strict about this. Even when returning we had to show our passports and proof of our tour arrangements. We left around 8:30 AM the first day and returned around 9:30 PM that night after an early evening canal cruise aboard a private boat, including a surprise of champagne and chocolates. That day was all about St. Petersburg itself. And again at 8:30 AM the next morning with a return at 4:30 PM for a 6:00 departure. That day was outside the city.

Cost was $387 per person three years ago. This included lunch and dinner the first day, and lunch the next. On the first day we ate at local places our guide and driver liked, not tourist places. The second day we ate at Podvorye, outside St. Petersburg. A very good, quaint, traditional restaurant. http://www.podvorye.ru/

I remember returning that first evening. We had a heck of a time finding someone to check us back through immigration (or whatever they called it) to get back on the ship. :D

We used SPB for two days in St. Petersburg on the cruise we returned from earlier this week................... The lunches were probably less elaborate, but they were tasty and adequate.

.......

It was an excellent tour in every respect

We had contacted and compared the offerings of several of the major tour operators before deciding. We ended up choosing SPB because it was the company that appeared best able to accommodate our wishes and needs.

We specifically wanted to have lunches in restaurants where the local people eat, and that was what we got with SPB.

.

We did not want to get a box or bag lunch in transit, and did not want to eat at the restaurants that cater primarily to tourists.

My suggestion to the OP would be to contact several of the highly recommended tour companies (see Tripadvisor).

Let them know what you are looking for, and see what kind of responses you get so you can choose the company that will be the best match for you.

All of them will include you in their group visa, so there is no need to get your own visa if you go with any of them.

As others have mentioned, you will be kept very busy and will not have any free time during the day.

They will also offer optional evening activities for you if you wish to go out at night and they will provide the transportation, all covered under their group visa.

We are very adventurous, and normally DIY ports or pick up a local tour. In St Petersburg we did the ship tours, and would highly recommend that....particularly with the deteriorating situation between Russia and western allies, we would not use even highly recommended private tours in St Petersburg.

 

The rest of the Baltic cruise area is easy to DIY, and it is a stunning part of the world....enjoy, however you decide to tour!

Well guess who the ship contracts with. Russian tour companies. So if you'd rather tour with 50 people in a big bus where some will always be late, enjoy. Me, I'll take the private tour every time. We had 10 on our tour with Alla and it was excellent. They also arranged for us to go to the ballet in the evening.