New!!-baltic Cruise Review-part 1

[japiscopo]

Following is a review of our August 2004 Baltic Cruise on Radisson's Voyager.

Any questions, email me at japiscopo@aol.com. Enjoy, Mary Lou

 

BALTIC CRUISE, AUGUST 2004 –RADISSON’S VOYAGER

 

PLANNING

 

My husband and I starting planning for our August Baltic Cruise on Radisson’s Voyager early in 2004. Using our TA, we booked with Radisson in January 2004 in a Penthouse B cabin. The cruise sailed from Copenhagen with stops in Tallin, Estonia, St. Petersburg (3 days), Helsinki and disembarkation in Stockholm. It was a 8 night cruise and then we took a 3 day post cruise tour to Moscow. I spent the next few months doing a lot of research online. I spent time on Cruise Critic in both Baltic Ports of Call and Radisson message boards. There is a wealth of information on CC. I spent some time reading messages from a couple of years ago, which helped also. I also looked through the messages for other cruise lines that sail to the Baltic. I read as many cruise reviews of the Baltic ports as I could find. I also used a search engine (http://www.askjeeves.com), put in the cities I was interested in, and the site showed many web sites for the different cities. I emailed some of the cities and asked for maps, information, etc. and I received some info in return mail. I used Rick Steve’s Baltic Guide, which had terrific self guided walking tours of the Baltic ports.

 

SHIP

 

The Voyager is a beautiful ship, with only 700 passengers, so it was never crowded. Dining was open seating between certain posted times. The main dining room, The Compass Rose, served breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were tables for 2 and more. Signatures and Latatudes were reservations only dinner venus. Men need a jacket for both of these. La Veranda was a breakfast, lunch buffet, inside or outside. In the evening, LaVeranda became a Bistro. The food was outstanding in all venus, except for the outside grill at lunch. On our eight nights we had 1 formal night and 7 country club casual.

 

Our cabin had 2 twin beds, (which could be made up into 1 queen), and 2 chairs and a sofa. It also had a balcony (highly recommended), with room for 2 chairs and a small table. We had a super walkin closet with plenty of hangers and room for unpacked luggage. The bathroom was large with a tub and separate shower and lots of amenities.

 

The ship had the usual lounges, showroom, which we didn’t use and a casino. We spent some time in the casino each night and then early to bed. This is quite an exhausting cruise, being there is only 1 sea day. There is also a computer room on board. There were different packages that one could buy for computer use. We purchased 1 hour for $6, but went back later in the cruise for more time. We used it to check our email and to send a few messages to family.

 

THE TRIP-AUGUST 17th- TUESDAY

 

We left Chicago 2 days before the cruise began to recover from jet lag and spend some time in Copenhagen. The cruise offers a 3 hour bus tour of Copenhagen on the day of sailing, but we wanted a little more time. We flew out of Chicago at 10:15 pm. It was great we were able to sleep almost all the way to Copenhagen. We arrived in Copenhagen at 1:30 pm on August 18. The weather was cool, cloudy with a few sprinkles. Radisson was at the airport to transfer us to the Marriott Hotel, which was in a very good location, just a few blocks from the city center and Tivoli. We had a moment of trouble upon arrival. The front desk didn’t seem to have our welcome letter from

Radisson. I insisted he look some more, and it was found a few minutes later. We had planned doing a few things in Copenhagen during our time there. I learned quite a bit from http://www.visitdenmark.de and different guide books.

 

After resting a few hours, we walked to the Main Square to the TI . I didn’t find them very helpful. If you didn’t know what you wanted to see, they weren’t eager to help. We considered buying a CC (Copenhagen Card) which is good for transportation and discounts. It as $40/person. The TI would not take US$ or a credit card. We ended up not getting the card, and found that that was a good decision. We then walked ½ of the Stroget, which is a pedestrian only shopping street with shops from very inexpensive to upper scale. It is very crowded, so one had to watch their belongings. After a stroll down Stroget, we took a cab to the SAS Scandanavian Hotel. We had dinner there and then made use of the casino. Then it was back to the Marriott to watch the Olympics and sleep.

 

AUGUST 19TH , THURSDAY, COPENHAGEN, cloudy, later warm and sunny

 

We left the hotel around 9am for the Main Square. From there we took a Red Line Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) double decker bus. You can get on any of 8 different stops, get off to visit a site and get back on the next bus. The Red Line route was in the central city. The cost was 190 DKK/person. We took the bus to our first stop which was the Little Mermaid, very crowded with lots of picture taking. We used the HOHO to Amalienborg (the Queen’s Residence), Nyhavn (an canal with many boats docked and lots of restaurants. At that stop we saw the last part of the Honor Guide who march from Rosenborg Castle to Amalienborg . We then looked for a cross stitch store I had read about, but couldn’t find it. We then walked to Rosenborg Castle to meet “Richard” for a 90 minute guided tour of the Castle and Crown Jewels. I learned about Richard from the Rick Steve’s guide book. Richard is an American who visited Copenhagen years ago and fell in love. The love didn’t last, but he also loved Copenhagen.. Besides being very knowledgable about Copenhagen, Richard is somewhat of a comedian. We totally enjoyed this tour. Richard also told me where I could find another cross stitch store. We took the HOHO bus to the store and then a taxi to the hotel.That evening we walked to Tivoli (an amusement park with rides, restaurants, pantomine, ballet shows, thousands of flowers). We strolled through the park and had pizza at Le Vecchio. It was very good, but expensive. Jet lag catching up with us, we took a taxi back to the hotel.

 

 

AUGUST 20TH, FRIDAY, BOARD SHIP, sunny

 

After breakfast in the hotel, I went to a shopping center about 4 blocks from the Marriott to replace my large purse with a fanny pack and a backpack. We checked out of the hotel and waited for the transfer to the ship. After checking into the ship and settling in the cabin, I went shopping at the pier. Upon return, we met out cabin stewardess, Rosemary and our butler Saurabh. In cabins Penthouse B and above you have butler service. When arriving at the ship, you find 2 bottles of liquor, “compliments” of Radisson. We asked the butler to exchange them for wine and to keep us stocked with pepsi. On Radisson all soft drinks and house wine at dinner is included with the cost of the cruise. Saurahb also made reservations at Signatures for us for dinner. Very, very good sea bass and rack of veal. We sailed at 11pm.

[japiscopo]

AUGUST 21ST, SATURDAY, SEA DAY, sunny

 

Today was a sea day. We had made massage appointment when we had boarded the ship on Friday. The massage was excellent, so we booked 2 more for later in the trip. We then went to the casino to play blackjack. We strolled the ship, learning where things were. A visit to the gift shop produced a giraffe laquered box and some other small things. Dinner, which was formal attire was great. It was a nice relaxing day.

 

AUGUST 22ND,SUNDAY, TALLIN, cloudy, chilly, occasional rain showers

 

Had breakfast in cabin, which was not very good. What was supposed to be hot, wasn’t and what was supposed to be cold, wasn’t. We left the ship to tour Tallin, Estonia on our own. Tallin was at one time a part of Russia. We took a free ship shuttle to Lower Old Town and then followed Rick Steve’s guide book for a self guided walking tour. In Lower Town we saw St. Nicholas Church, which wasn’t open. We walked up the Short Leg to Upper Town and the town square, which was quite large.The Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Church was just starting services as we got there, so we watched for awhile. There were beautiful icons in silver and gold. The altar servers (or priests) cut the officiate’s hair and put a crown on his head. There was a lot of chanting and singing. There was a small congregation, but no pews for their use. On the outside were mosaic pictures of Christ and the usual Russian onion domes. We then started our walking tour. We stopped at a few overviews, which had great views of the town. We could even see the Voyager. During our walk, we found a street named Piiskopi, which is very close to our name of Piscopo, which means bishop. Starting down the Long Leg, we stopped at Livornia, a souvenir shop and bought some Christmas gifts and souvenirs. I also bought a small amber sailboat. I felt I should have something in amber, since it comes from the Baltic. Continuing down, we stopped at Muurvahe St. (wool sweater market) where there were stall after stall of sweaters. Purchased 1 for each grandson at $20 and for myself at $35. I had read before leaving home to look for sweaters here rather than Stockholm, because the $20 ones were $60 in Stockholm. You can bargain at Muurvahe St. We then walked back to the shuttle bus stop and back to the ship. After resting from all our climbing hills and walking, we had dinner at La Veranda (pasta and beef tenderloin) which was excellent. Tomorrow is St. Petersburg, which really is the reason for this cruise.

 

AUGUST 23TH, MONDAY, ST PETERSBURG, cloudy and chilly, 55 degrees

 

In our planning for St. Petersburg, I relied on the internet, cruise critic and DK Eyewitness Guides. (Also used them for our post cruise tour of Moscow). I knew I didn’t want to use ship tours, which only included 1 site per tour, so I started searching for a private guide. From Cruise Critic I found many references to different private tour companies. I found their web sites online and after studying them, we decided to go with Red October. I emailed Laura and received a reply in 2 days, including a tentative itinerary. The itinerary was for 2 days, with 9 to 10 per day. We decided to do a private car with just the two of us. The cost was $1000 for 2 eight-hour days plus tip. RO will do groups up to 10, with the cost doing down accordingly. We paid for the tour at the Red October store when we stopped there to shop. We met Laura, paid our bill and of course did some shopping. RO will do groups up to 10, with the cost going down according to how many in the group. After several emails toand from Laura, we decided on the itinerary, cutting down the hours to 6-8 both days. After the trip, we felt we had seen a lot and that more hours each day would have been tiring. We subtracted some of the sites from the original itinerary and added others that I had found during my research.Earlier in the week, we had asked our butler for 4 box lunches for 2 of our 3 days in St. Petersburg. He ordered them, but was told Russian customs would not allow us to bring in food from the ship.

 

Our guide was Irina, an English teacher at the University and Alexy, our driver. The car was a newer Cadillac. They were waiting for us as we cleared customs. We left on a short driving tour on our way to the hydrofoil which would take us 30 minutes to Peterhof (Peter The Great’s summer palace). We added the hydrofoil to the itinerary because driving would have taken 1 to 1 ½ hours. We saw a lot by taking the hydrofoil along the Neva River to the tip of St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland. The palace is large and very beautiful, painted gold and white. There were thousands of fountains (gravity not electrical pumps). The interior had gold leaf over wood. Each room had a huge Delft radiator for heat. The furnishings were very royal looking. There were several room decorated in the Oriental style. Some of the interior was original, but most was reproductions due to the damage during the 900 day siege by the ****’s.

 

Our next stop was Catherine’s Palace, a 45 minute ride from Peterhof. The palace was painted blue and white, with great big gates and a black fence enclosing the palace. The palace interior was much like Peterhof with gold leaf and furnishing of the czars. The chapel had 5 gold onion domes. I though the palace at Peterhof was nicer, but the gardens at Catherine’s palace were prettier. Her private gardens were beautiful. Both of the palaces were huge.

 

On the way back to the city, we made a stop at Chesma Church. This is another addition I made to the itinerary. It looked like a pink and white candycane., very small inside. After the stop there, we went to the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral on the banks of the Neva River. The fortress was solid walls to protect the czars from their enemies. The tomb of the Romanovs is in the Cathedral, along with tombs of other great Russians.

 

We had dinner in the Compass Rose, prime rib and veal in cream sauce, which was very good again. To the casino and bed.

 

AUGUST 24TH, TUESDAY, ST. PETERSBURG, alternate cloudy with rain and sunny

 

Left on our tour with Irina and Alexy at 7:40am, for a 2 hour driving city tour, stopping for pictures along the way. At 10:00 we went to the Hermitage for the living and gala rooms. Our tour started with a white marble two-way starcase, called the Grand Cascasde. The living quarters had furnishings on display from former czars. We didn’t tour the art galleries, because it would take 9 years to see all the painting if you stood before each for 1 minute. Later we learned that it was so crowded, you wouldn’t have been able to see any of the paintings up close. It would have been like strolling in a museum.We then went to the Red October store, met Laura and paid our $1000 for the cost of the tour. We paid in cash and saved 3% for using a credit card. I also did some shopping for laquer boxes and egg pendants for Christmas presents.

 

We then left for the Church on Spilled Blood (also called The Church of the Ressurection of Christ. We stopped several streets away to get a full view picture of the Church, I took some pictures, but it seemed so far away, I wasn’t expecting much. When developed, the pictures were great. Looking at it brought tears to my eyes. I had been waiting 5 years to see Russia and here I was. The outside of the church was very different from other things we had seen. It had very colorful onion domes. The interior had mosaic pictures and was beautiful. Outside the Church, there was a large flea market, which we were supposed to visit. When I asked about it, Irina told us that RO no longer took its clients there, because some tourist’s passports were stolen earlier in the summer. We then went to St. Isaac’s (the 3rd largest church in the world). You could see the golden dome of St. Isaac’s from everywhere in the center city of St. Petersburg. The church’s interior had white marble columns, with some mosaics and beautiful stained glass windows with lots of gold leaf. The altar was magnificent.

 

On the way back to the ship, we stopped at “Babuska”, to do some more shopping. This was another addition I made to the itinerary. There was more to choose from than the Red October store.

 

Red October or another private tour company is, in our opinion, the only way to see St. Petersburg. There are not many signs in English. We saw pepsi and pizza. RO is a great company and very accommodating. They have the ability to get you into venues without waiting in line. Irina also found time to take us to a couple of metro stations. We tipped Irina $50 and Alexy $30, which seemed to be advice from former RO users.

 

Back on board we had a massage and dinner in the Compass Rose.

 

 

AUGUST 24TH, WEDNESDAY, ST PETERSBURG AND SAILAWAY, sunny

 

Today we sail at 6pm after 2 ½ great days in St. Petersburg. I wished we had more time to see the outskirts of the city. In the morning, we took the complimentary shuttle to the Nevsky Prospect, the main street in the city. The bus dropped us off near the Grand Europe hotel, where we changed money. We then walked along the Nevsky. During our walk we went to St. Catherine’s Catholic Church where Mass was being celebrated. We saw St. Peter Lutheran Church. We crossed the street to Our Lady of Kazan Church (patterned after St. Peter’s in Rome). Walking back, we went into a deparment store that had upscale stores. We also stopped at a pharmacy, a famous deli and the Passah Dept. Store, a western style grocery store. On the way to meet the bus back to the ship at 1:00, we stopped at Onegin Souviners. Onegin is affiliated with Babuska, but the staff is much friendlier at Babuska.

 

We sailed at 6pm. The St. Petersburg dock is so long, it took the ship 1 hour to get out of the dock area. We went on deck to watch the sailaway and then had dinner at the Compass Rose. We received disembarkation tags, that were the wrong color. I got the right ones the next morning.

[japiscopo]

AUGUST 26TH, THURSDAY, HELSINKI

 

We woke after sailing to Helsinki to black skies and rain, with winds up to 33km/hr. We were still quite a ways from the port of Helsinki, for a 8am docking time. The Captain finally announced that we were not going to be able to dock in Helsinki, because the winds were so high and passage to the dock to narrow to continuing sailing safely to Helsinki. That gave us another sea day. We had a good breakfast at the Compass Rose. We also checked our email and went for another massage. We generally relaxed the entire day until dinner at the Compass Rose. Before dinner we went to the observation lounge to watch the sail through the Swedish archapelago. There are thousands of small islands, some with homes along the coast of Sweden. I had been disappointed in missing Helsinki, but if we had stopped in that port, we would have been sailing through the night to Stockholm and missed the beauty of the Swedish archapelago. Dinner and our last time in the casino and back to the cabin to pack. Luggage was to be outside the cabin at 10:45pm.

 

AUGUST 27TH, FRIDAY, DISEMBARKATION, FLY TO MOSCOW

 

We left our cabin and went to a lounge to wait for our color to be called (yellow with black strips), which was at 10:10am. We left for the airport with 6 others who would make up our tour group in Moscow. Upon arrival, we met our tour guide Olga and she pointed out sites on our way to our hotel, The National. The hotel was directly across from Red Square.We had dinner with the group at a resturant in Red Square. The food was okay, the service slow and a menu so large that it had an index!!

 

AUGUST 28TH, SATURDAY, MOSCOW, very sunny and warm in the 80’s

 

We left the hotel for a tour to Red Square. Red Square, which is very large, we saw St. Basil’s Church, Lenin’s Tomb and the Gum Department. We also spotted some brides in white gown and veils having their pictures taken. Olga told us that it was tradition in Russia for the bridal party to go to an important monument for pictures after their wedding. A limo for the wedding day costs $1000.

 

The outside of St Basil has a different look, as did Church on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, with different colored onion domes. St. Basil was in the process of being painted, so there was scaffolding all around the building. It took a little of the joy out of it, seeing it this way, but that was okay, I was in Moscow!!! The Church did not look like a church. It had 9 small chapels, all of them different with mosaics or bright colors and lots of icons. The hallways between the chapels were bigger than the chapels themselves. After Red Square, we went to the Church of Christ the Savior. It was a large church painted white with gold domes, and was very beautiful and very clean.

 

We stopped at a souvenir shop on our way to the New Maiden Convent. This is where the czars would put their wives when they wanted to remarry and their sisters who were smarter than they were. One section of the Convent had many domes and Olga told us that each of the women imprisoned there wanted their own chapel.

 

We had lunch at 2:30pm at the Café Puskin. It was an excellent meal. After lunch we went to Sparrow Hill for a great panoramic view of Moscow. There was a small flea market, with a band playing and some of the brides having their pictures taken and dancing. We had 10 minutes to see about 50 stalls.

 

Later that evening, my husband and I walked across the street to an underground shopping center. It was three floor underground. The outside of the area was parklike, with crowds of people enjoying the warm weather. We also saw a bank playing and couples all dressed up dancing. All of the women had hats on. I wish I had brought my camera.

 

AUGUST 29TH, SUNDAY, MOSCOW, very pleasant weather in the 80’s again.

 

We toured the Kremlin, seeing the Armoury and Diamond Fund. These two building held Fabriege Eggs, the crown jewels. There were so many jewels and gold nuggets, it was unbelievable. We also say Royal Family carriages, gowns, robes and crowns all encrusting with jewels. There were also piles of uncut diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, auqumarines, topaz and amber. The entire display was stunning. We couldn’t figure out why Russia and some of the Russian people are so poor.

 

Our next stop in the Kremlin was Cathedral Square, where there are 5 Cathedrals. We went into Annunciation Cathedral where the czars are babtized; the Assumption Cathedral where they crowned; and the Michael Archangel Cathedral where they were buried. It was difficult taking pictures of these Cathedrals because you couldn’t get far enough away to get a full shot. At the Kremlin, we also saw the Czar’s Bell and Cannon.

There were a lot of official looking gentlemen walking from building to building.After lunch at the hotel, we went on a tour of the metro stations. There were chandeliers, mosaics, stained glass, statues and very clean. We rode on the trains from station to station, and they also were very cleanIn the evening, my husband and I went to the Moscow Circus. None of the rest of the group came, because they had early flights the next morning. The circus was interesting. I hadn’t been to a circus in over 25 years.

 

AUGUST 30TH, MONDAY, MOSCOW AND FLIGHT HOME, warm

 

After breakfast, my husband and I walked to Arbat Street, a pedestrian only street with street venders, shops and artists. I had asked Olga how to get there. Although this is a very important area in Moscow, our tour did not include it in the itinerary. We enjoyed our walk through Arabat and I finally got a picture of the McDonald’s sign in Russian.

 

We left for the airport at 11:30am. There were multiple checking of bags, because 2 Russian planes had crashed due to terrorism so security was at a high level. We flew to Frankfurt and then to Chicago, exhausted but with some great memories. We had a great time on our Baltic Cruise. It was very exciting to finally see Russia. I would love to go back and see some of the country side.

 

OBSERVATIONS AND LEFTOVERS

 

1. I wasn’t entirely happy with our tour of Moscow. Our guide, Olga, although very knowledgeable, rushed us through the tour at every turn. Because the other 6 in the group didn’t care to take photos, she assumed no one did. (I certainly did) I was also the only one who wanted to shop, but I was told “no, we don’t have time”. I would have preferred to spend more money on an extra day, and see the sites at a better pace. We spent too much time, in our opinion, on the metro. Two or three stations would have been ample, but we had to visit 8 stations.

2. Excursions: The cruise line sent a booklet of ship excursions with our documents. Some cruise lines let you book ahead. We didn’t do any ship excursions. We felt that all of the ports were doable on our own except St. Petersburg, where we hired RO. We did use the complimentary shuttles to take us from the ship to Tallin City Center and to Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg. I made the reservation for the shuttle in St. Petersburg before the cruise, and the tickets were in our cabin upon arrival.

 

VISAS

 

I searched and questioned CC members about Visas for Russia. I was give conflicting answers. Some said you don’t need them, other said you did. For the post cruise to Moscow, you did need a Visa, and since I wanted to have the freedom to do some time on our own in St. Petersburg, I decided that we need a double entry visa.If you are only going to do ship excursions, you do not need a visa – the ship has a blanket visa with cruisers names on a list that is filed with Russian passport control. You must have a ship staff member with you at all times.

 

To obtain our visas, I contacted Zierer Service (http://www.zvs.com). After 3 phone calls, I got information I was looking for. Zierer mailed me the information, including an application for visa, information sheet to fill out and a sheet of directions. You need 2 passport size pictures and a pass port good for 6 months after your trip. The application was 3 pages, but keep at itit will flow after a while. I mailed back to Zierer the applications, passports and pictures with a check for $311. We received them back within 3 weeks. You must allow at least 90 before your trip to receive the visas in return mail. After receiving our documents back, I made several copies, 3 to take with and others for our TA and family.

 

ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE, PLEASE SEND THEM TO MY EMAIL ADDRESS (http://WWW.JAPISCOPO@AOL.COM). I will be happy to answer them if I can. I know this is a long review, but hope you enjoy reading. I did this review for myself as well, so I could reread it when I feel like remembering this trip.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for the great review! Since you were told you couldn't take food off the ship in St. Petersburg - what did you do for lunch?

[SaylorGirl]

That was a fantastic review, thanks for posting it, you had alot of detail in what you wrote It's nice to have a new review to read in the dead of winter. If I may ask what did you pay for the Amber Sailboat? You do not have to answer that question!!

[wripro]

japiscopo,

 

thanx for the great and detailed review. we will be in st. peterburg for three days in august this summer on the seabourn pride. since i was there 10 years ago and have seen some of the sights i was thinking of taking a one day tour to moscow. it would be the only opportunity to see moscow. do you think its advisable and worth the time (and expense)? will we be able to see enough? thanx.

[japiscopo]

NancyIL

 

We ended up having lunch at a cafe at Catherine's Palace the 1st day and at the Hermitage the 2nd. Neither was very good, but I didn't want to waste time sitting in a resturant for an hour or more.

 

Saylor Girl

 

I purchased the amber sailboat for $100 (US) I believe, but its been while. The Livornia shop in Tallin where I bought it, was really a nice store. My sailboat was the smallest they had, and therefore the least expensive. It's about 2 1/2 inches high

 

wripro

 

If you don't have any other opportunity to see Moscow, then I would go on the one day. I believe they cover the highlights with lunch. It does take 14 hours though, and I heard people were totally exhausted upon their return. If you go, I hope you have lunch at Cafe Pushkin, it was the best of the trip.

 

Mary Lou

[SaylorGirl]

Saylor Girl

 

I purchased the amber sailboat for $100 (US) I believe, but its been while. The Livornia shop in Tallin where I bought it, was really a nice store. My sailboat was the smallest they had, and therefore the least expensive. It's about 2 1/2 inches high

 

Mary Lou

 

Thanks, I wanted to get a piece of Amber and a sailboat is perfect for my collections! I shall try that store.

[wripro]

mary lou

 

thnax for the prompt reply. ive heard its a long and exhausting day but i may go for it. i suppose seabourn will choose where we have lunch but im confident theyll select a good place. my other concern is of the three days were there the only full one will be the middle day as we arrive at 8 am the first day and depart at 6pm the last. this means if i use red october or denrus i will have to split their tours up between the first and third days. i hope theyll be willing to do that altho i dont see why not. again, thanx.

[japiscopo]

I remember that Radisson did the one day to Moscow on the second day in St. Petersburg. I'm sure they would be able to accomodate you by doing the 1st and and til 5:00pm the third day. Have a great trip. I've heard Seabourn is really a nice ship and a good company.

 

Mary Lou

[nyfeds]

Great trip report, Mary Lou. Thanks so much for sharing the details of this wonderful itinerary with us.

 

We are cruising the Baltics with Radisson on Aug. 6th of this year. We're really looking forward to it.

[poss]

Thank you for the superb report. I especially appreciate that it's not just all "raves." We'll be first time cruisers on Voyager in July. Have avoided cruising in part because we don't enjoy "formal." Will probably eat in our cabin the one formal night. Question: I was assured by Radisson that one does NOT need a jacket in any of the restaurants (other than on formal night). I wonder if I've been misled-- or perhaps whether the rules may have changed? On formal night, by the way, were more men wearing tux or dark suit? I suppose that no one was wearing just blazer and tie, correct?

 

Can you tell me more about the Marriott please? I'm trying to decide where to stay in Copenhagen and in Stockholm. Main thing we care about is quiet. Would also, of course, love to have great views (but not at the expense of quiet room) and spacious rooms and bathrooms. Did you book Marriott through Radisson? Probably an expensive way to do it, yes?

 

Thanks for your in-put! And very glad you enjoyed yourself so much!

[wripro]

mary lou,

 

thanx again for your repsonse. i guess ill make some inquiries to red october and denrus regarding days 1 and 3. i was hoping to see what seabourn will be offering but they wont release that information until 3 months prior to sailing and that might be too late to make arrangments with these other companies. one more question if you dont mind. did you have your own visas or did you just have the ones provided by the tour company. last time i had my own and enjoyed wandering but if im going to be kept busy touring all three days i wonder if it worth the effort.

[Dbedros]

Thanks Japiscopo,

 

Your review gave great insight. The comments on the weather were very helpful. My husband and I will be doing the Constellation on August 27, 2005 and my research indicated that the weather could be cool and rainy. We are also leaning toward a private tour with just the two of us in St. Petersburg as we don't want an experience like you had in Moscow.

 

Nice tip about getting a massage after touring doing the day. We usually save this for sea days.

 

Where did you learn about the Babuska and the Chesma Church?

[japiscopo]

Nyfed - thanks for your comments. If you have any questions, just ask. Have a great trip.

 

Poss - We weren't aware of the jacket policy in Signature and Latitudes aboard the Voyager. In the daily onboard flyer in small writing it mentioned it, but we had dinner in Signatures on sailing day and didn't read the flyer. We found out when we went to dinner. They had jackets you could borrow there. They should be plainer about this, like put in the brochure. As far as the Marriott is concerned, it was pretty quite. I didn't notice much noise and noise really bothers me when I'm trying to fall asleep. They have a huge deck on the back of the hotel which looks out over the river with chairs. My TA asked Radisson about a hotel in Copenhagen, so Radisson arranged it for us. Other cruise passengers were in different hotels, though. The good thing about the Marriott is that it was very close (3-4 blocks) from City Hall Square and Tivoli. You could easily get transportation from the Square. We took the Hop On Hop Off bus from there and were able to see everything we wanted.

 

wripro - yes, we had our own double visas to Russia. I knew that we would need one for our 3 day post cruise tour to Moscow, so since a single and a double entry was the same price we got the double. If you don't plan on going into St. Pete's on your own and are using RO or Denrus, you won't need one because they will give you a letter or you can use the tickets they give you for passport control. They will already have given a list of their clients to Russian authorities. If you are waiting to see what excursions Seabour has, you might want to look on their web site to see if they have listed them.

 

DBEDROS - I found out about the "Babuska" store from a book from Knopf Mapguides. Each page is a map of a district in St. Pete's with a listing of things of interest in that district. I found the book at either Barnes & Noble or Borders. I learned about the Chesma Church from a fellow CC poster and then read more about it in the DK Eyewitness Guide Book of St. Petersburg

[poss]

Thank you very much for your terrific report. The details are wonderfully helpful, especially the fact that you give negatives as well as positives. We'll be first-time cruisers on Voyager this summer (are frequent travelers, but have always avoided cruises for one reason or another). I'm wondering about the dress code on Voyager for that Baltic cruise. One of the reasons we've avoided cruising is that we're not folks who enjoy dressing up. My husband doesn't even own a dark suit or a tux. (and he's an "oldster") We thought we'd probably do dinner in the cabin for the one formal night. Radisson has said that all other nights the dress is "country club casual"-- that jackets and ties are not required in ANY restaurant. I wonder if I've been misled about that? By the way, can you tell me whether on formal night most men wore suit or tux? About half and half? And am I correct in assuming that no one dressed in "just" tie and jacket (which to us is dressy)?

 

I'd be interested in hearing more about the Marriott if you don't mind. We're trying to decide where to stay for pre and post (Stockholm) cruise. It's important to us that the rooms be quiet-- we're terrible sleepers, particularly when we travel. If we get a room with a good view at Marriott, will it be noisier than if we ask for a room "inside"? Do you remember if there was good soundproofing in that hotel? Can you especially recommend a particular room or part of the building?

 

Again-- thanks so much for your very generous sharing.

[japiscopo]

Poss: The answers to the questions you asked are a couple of posts above your newest one. The Marriott was a very quiet hotel. I don't know about the soundproofing, or a specific part of hotel that would be the quietest.

 

On the ship on Formal Night which was the first night of the first complete day on board, most of the men wore dark suits. We also don't like dressing up. Country Club casual is shirts for men and dresses, skirts or pants for women. We never felt underdressed. Only Signature and Latitudes required a jacket, (but no tie) for men. We didn't know this, but they lent my husband a jacket.

 

Mary Lou

[rascalrider]

Hi Mary Lou,

 

I thouroghly enjoyed the review of your Baltic trip. I will be on the Star Princess in September and am busily researching the ports I expect to visit. I have a special problem, however, as I primarily use an electric mobility scooter to get around. I use crutches for short distances, but have difficulty with stairs.

 

What I need to know is how many steps are involved in visiting the Grand Palace of Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral and the Hermitage? Are there any handrails? Are there any elevators or ramps? Would I be able to ride the scooter inside the buildings if I managed to get it inside? Would I be able to ride the scooter through the gardens at Catherine's and Peterhof? Are the sidewalks scooter friendly with curb cuts?

 

I don't really expect you to know the answer to all of these questions unless you have a family member or aquaintance with similar needs, but hoping you might shed light on some of them.

 

Also, can you tell me about the short leg to Upper Town in Tallin? Is this a hill or stairs? ... steep or gentle? hand rails? And Long Leg down to Muurvahe St... stairs, steep or gentle inclines? Is Tallin scooter friendly? Scooter should be able to handle cobble stones but would be a rough ride. Scooter is not able to jump curbs!

 

Thank you for ny insight you might have! I am also asking on the Disabled Site.

 

Rascal Rider Ruth

[japiscopo]

Ruth: I don't really know a whole lot about ease of touring on a scooter. I will say that Peterhof had a ton of stairs to walk up just to get into the palace. You could manage the gardens at both Peterhof and Catherine's okay. Spilled Blood Cathedral would also be okay. The Hermitage had a few stairs, but since we did not see any of the paintings, I wouldn't know about that area. As to Tallin, I thought the hills up to Old Town and Down were gentle slopes. Hope I could help a little.

 

Mary Lou

[rascalrider]

Mary Lou,

 

Thanks, you have helped. Sounds like I can use my scooter for exploring Tallin on my own. Great! Unfortunately, St Pete's will probably be a major problem with all the stairs. I am hoping Red October might have some suggestions for me. I feel fairly certain that I am not the first mobility impaired person that has asked for their help. I will wait for an answer from them. DenRus advertises a handicap van for evening tours, but RO does not mention one. It was so much easier when I could hoof it!

 

Thanks, again,

Rascal Rider Ruth

[M&T]

Your review was fantastic! How much did the visas cost? When did you apply/How far before your trip? We are still working on our plans about doing it on our own or with a guide. We have been to all the major sites on a previous trip. We can hardly wait.

 

Thanks, Marlyne

[M&T]

Sorry, I missed reading what you said about Visas. Was the amount you named for 2 visas. Did you start the process 90 days before the trip or earlier. Did it cost more because you did the St. Petersburg and Moscow?

 

Thanks, Marlyne

[stanj]

Hi Mary Lou,

I have a special problem, however, as I primarily use an electric mobility scooter to get around. I use crutches for short distances, but have difficulty with stairs.

 

What I need to know is how many steps are involved in visiting the Grand Palace of Peterhof, Catherine's Palace, Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral and the Hermitage? Are there any handrails? Are there any elevators or ramps? Would I be able to ride the scooter inside the buildings if I managed to get it inside? Would I be able to ride the scooter through the gardens at Catherine's and Peterhof? Are the sidewalks scooter friendly with curb cuts?

 

Rascal Rider Ruth

 

Hi Ruth

The ground floor of the Grand Palace is accessible without stairs but there is not elevator. By approaching by van into the main parking area, the path is flat right up to the palace. The spectacular fountains and grounds on the Gulf of Finland side are lower than the palace which normally requires steps to descend but by going around, past the palace a few dozen yards there is an access road that your scooter should have no problem descending down to the gardens. Even if you did not go that way, the view from the terrace on the palace down towards the fountains is one of the best views possible anyway.

 

The bottom floor of Catherine Palace is at ground level so access is not a problem but the main approach requires short steps in the front in the formal gardens but that can be handled with help from your guide/driver.

 

The full tour of Church on Spilt Blood is on street level so I imagine it would be quite accessible but I don't know the polices of that museum, I think it is allowed however for the scooter.

The Russian Museum has free wheelchairs so they might not allow your scooter which is fine, a larger wheelchair might be more comfortable and saves your batteries. There are 4 building to the museum complex, spread over several block and 3 have accessibility enhancements:

 

 

• the Mikhailovsky Palace and the Benois Wing
  
• the Mikhailovsky Castle
  
• the Marble Palace
  

The Hermitage has been renovated to include new elevators, one, a glass and metal Italian elevator was installed last year which opens on two sides allows direct access to the fabulous Jordan Staircase.

 

Most stairs have hand rails almost anywhere I can remember in both public and private buildings around the city.

I have no idea whether R.O. has special provisions for mobility impaired visitors but I know that Den Rus specializes in it and has a lot of experience helping reduced mobility visitors see everything they want to, including canal boats and shopping plus all the museums, parks and restaurants. That need is probably due to their western origins where access is an important civic responsibility. It is still a rather limited concept in Russia but getting a little better.

Have a great trip Ruth, I know you will love your visit.

[stanj]

s

Sorry, I missed reading what you said about Visas. Was the amount you named for 2 visas. Did you start the process 90 days before the trip or earlier. Did it cost more because you did the St. Petersburg and Moscow?

 

Thanks, Marlyne

 

A tourist visa is applied for at your nearest Russian consulate after submitting a application form (let me know if you need one I can send it to you in Word format that can be filed out on your computer), a passport photo, your passport, the consular fee and your invitiation. The invitation is not really an invitation as is required for other visas, but is voucher and a document called the Visitors Acceptance Document, both are available in one fax or email attachment from authorized Russian tour industry companies such as hotels, hostels, tour companies, Russian travel agents and so on. Ask your tour provider to send it to you. Usually there is a fee unless you are prepaid in a hotel then hotels will send it for free. Since you are not using a hotel expect to pay $30-40 for the voucher/acceptance document. Most services that provide them by email can do it in 24 hours or less. Visas processing time after you mail or take you application the consulate depends on your fee you want to pay, for about 1 week, it is $100

It is not hard at all. It is best to wait until about 45 days before your trip to apply.

Have a great visit

[packed-n-ready]

Mary Lou,

You said you took the hydrofoil to Peterhof. I guess the driver just drove

alone to the Peterhof to pick you up later? How much extra (if you can recall)

did this add to the itenery. This sounds like a very good idea.