QV Baltic cruise

[violetta58]

Hi

We are going on the QV in Aug for the Baltic Cruise ,really looking forward to it as we went oon the QV last sept. We are going on a private tour in st petersburg and wondered if any one knows how Cunard deal with private tours. I have seen horror stories on this forum from other cruise lines who try to stop you getting off before any of their own tours. As we need to be off at 8.we are a bit worried.

Does any one have any experience???

Ruth :)

[Matymoo]

Hi Violetta

 

I don't have personal experience but from the research I have done it seems that they may try to get the Cunard Official Your customers off the ship first but there is nothing they can really do to stop you walking through to immigration yourself as long as you have the paper work from your tour guide and the copies of your passport.

 

We will be on the Qv from 1st August and also have a private tour booked in St Petersburg and are looking for another 2 or 4 to join us. If you haven't already booked let me know if you are interested in joining us and I can give you more details

 

Maty.

[Cruachan]

Hi

We are going on the QV in Aug for the Baltic Cruise ,really looking forward to it as we went oon the QV last sept. We are going on a private tour in st petersburg and wondered if any one knows how Cunard deal with private tours. I have seen horror stories on this forum from other cruise lines who try to stop you getting off before any of their own tours. As we need to be off at 8.we are a bit worried.

Does any one have any experience???

 

Ruth :)

 

Ruth,

 

I did the two-day Cunard shore excursion at St Petersburg so I have no experience of the private tours. However, I seem to remember that, as soon as the ship was secure alongside in St Petersburg, you were free to disembark. You only had to wait if you were on a Cunard tour and had to wait for your bus to be called. The real issue is with the Russian immigration authorities so you will need make absolutely certain that there are no problems with your visa and that you have all the necessary documentation with you when you disembark.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm right about this, but if I'm not, then I hope someone with experience of the private tours will correct me pretty swiftly.

 

St Petersburg is a marvellous destination and I just know that you will love every minute of your visit there.

 

J

[ovccruiser]

Can't remember any tenders on the Baltic cruise so getting off the ship is not a problem. If the queues get a bit long, they open the boarding gate as an additional exit gate.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[moomax6]

We took this trip summer of 2008 and had no problem disembarking in St. Petersburg for our early tour with Alla Tours. They make an announcement in the morning that all ship tours were to exit through immigration first, but we went through right away before the tours and no one tried to stop us. We had our necessary paperwork and copies of our passport ready so were stamped through quickly to meet our guide. Have a wonderful time. (I enjoyed shopping at the Hermitage gift shop - checked out the merchandise on line so I knew right what I wanted to buy - prices are good and you can feel safe about your purchase, just tell your tour guide that you want a little time in the shop). The Gold Room was unbelievable and worth the extra money.

[southwestie]

I think we will be using the cunard tour for this tour of the city, how long does it take to though immigration, what do they need etc, how is it done.

[Cruachan]

I think we will be using the cunard tour for this tour of the city, how long does it take to though immigration, what do they need etc, how is it done.

 

OK - it's been two years now and my elderly memory is becoming more unreliable by the day, but this is how I remember things. If you are doing a Cunard excursion the only documentation you require when you leave the ship is your passport. When you enter the cruise terminal, you will find a couple of rows of booths manned by uniformed officials of the Russian Immigration Service. You stand in line for a bit and when you get to the head of the queue you step up to the first available booth and hand over your passport. The official inspects your passport and spends a few seconds staring very hard at you to verify that the photograph in the passport is actually of you. If all is well they then put a very nice Russian stamp in the passport. They then hand you a piece of paper which is, in essence, your visa or your authority to enter the country. Do not lose this because when you return to the ship you go through the same procedure in reverse and they will take the piece of paper off you again. I don't know what would happen if you lost it but I imagine it may involve a damp room in the cellars of the Lubyanka and some artistic work with a sand filled sock! We were told that the whole thing was very intimidating but I didn't find it so at all - but there's not much point in trying to engage any of the officials in light hearted converstation, even if you do speak Russian, because they simply won't reply.

 

J

[blossiem]

We sailed on the QV up the Baltic and to St Petersberg in May/June 2008. Overall we had an excellent holiday. We too arranged a two day independent tour in StP - mainly because we wanted to maximise what we saw and also we had our 80 year old mother with us who is only partially mobile and in a wheelchair. I am of course unsure whether the situation has changed in the past two years.

 

We arranged a 8:30 disembark for our private tour and I think that we got off at 8:15. We walked off with no queuing or hassle and went straight through immigration with no problems. I believe that a lot of the Cunard groups had already departed.

 

I do recall being slightly concerned prior to getting to StP and disembarking as all the information on the ship (at the time) implied that it may be a problem. I don't recall the exact words, but I do recall being a bit worried that we had wasted our money and would not be able to see anything of StP! This was not the case and we were exceptionally glad that we had chosen the option that we did and despite the coldish weather and a bit of a gruff (verging on rude) guide (but who was exceptionally knowledgable) we had a great visit.

 

I hope you enjoy yours!