Celebrity St Petersburg 2 day trip cancelled

[nicecruiser]

We used Best Guides when we were in SP 3 years ago and they are Perfect!!! Highly recommended.

 

Irina

[bphman]

Put me down on the SPB list. We used them last August for all of the ports and they were fantastic. They were very responsive and would get back to you reliably on the next day due to the time difference. We also got very good discounts by using them for all of our excursions. All of the major groups receive good reviews but we had no regrets with SPB.

[Ashland]

I think the OP is lucky indeed that the cruise booked tour was canceled ..... I'll agree completely with using TJ Travel... they provided an amazing vip tour for just the two of us also.

[princeton12321]

Thanks, will look into this.

 

 

 

Will second TJ- we booked them through Abercrombie and Kent and they were fantastic.

[thepoint]

Is an overnight tour in St Petersburg necessary because of the distance from the dock to the city? How long does it take to get from where the ship is docked to St Petersburg? Thank you.

[2theship]

Is an overnight tour in St Petersburg necessary because of the distance from the dock to the city? How long does it take to get from where the ship is docked to St Petersburg? Thank you.

It's been a while for us but the dock isn't far from St. Petersburg, it's just that there's so much to see that even with two days you miss a lot. I also think that some people travel down to Moscow overnight.

[Ashland]

Is an overnight tour in St Petersburg necessary because of the distance from the dock to the city? How long does it take to get from where the ship is docked to St Petersburg? Thank you.

The dock is just on the edge of the city...you can also opt to just do a one day tour even if your ship is staying overnight, but you will not be able to just get off that second day and head out on your own.

 

As far as Moscow...it's much easier to visit when you're going to be docked in St Petersburg for a 3 night port stop.

[realnice46]

I’m more annoyed that we haven’t been given a reason for this cancellation. I expected more from Celebrity !

I do like sailing with Celebrity but information is not their strong suit.

[bigbeergut]

Put me down on the SPB list. We used them last August for all of the ports and they were fantastic. They were very responsive and would get back to you reliably on the next day due to the time difference. We also got very good discounts by using them for all of our excursions. All of the major groups receive good reviews but we had no regrets with SPB.

 

 

Good to know. There are several companies that get good reviews but SPB just seemed to be a little better. We're using them in St Petersburg in June.

[princeton12321]

The dock is just on the edge of the city...you can also opt to just do a one day tour even if your ship is staying overnight, but you will not be able to just get off that second day and head out on your own.

 

 

 

As far as Moscow...it's much easier to visit when you're going to be docked in St Petersburg for a 3 night port stop.

 

 

 

Other options to optimize time would be to look for itineraries on smaller ship cruise lines (admittedly most of these are more expensive luxury lines) that utilize the dock up the river in the city center. We sailed Seabourn one year to St Petersburg and we docked within a 3 block walk of the Hermitage Museum. Incredibly convenient and we spent little to no time commuting or going through long customs lines.

[raspberry ridge]

Try one if the reputable local tour companies. We used SPB, but Alla Tours and others are equally reliable. You do not need a visa if you use tone of these companies, you just email passport details and they will respond with a letter to be shown when leaving the port. You do not have to pay until the end of the first day. We were very happy with our two day tour and it was less expensive than those offered by the ship.

I have also used SPB in St Petersburg and Berlin.It was a while back in May 2013 but I have no reason to think they are anything but outstanding.Literally the best tours Ive ever been on were the ones they hosted in St Petersburg.I felt safe and got to see three times as much as my shipmates on the giant herd tours booked through X.

[BigAl94]

Wouldn't rush to book anything private in St Petersburg - likely to be removed from ports of call due to the rapidly deteriorating situation. https://news.sky.com/story/russians-shut-down-us-consulate-in-st-petersburg-and-expels-diplomats-11308643

Edited March 29, 2018 by BigAl94

[zelker]

Wouldn't rush to book anything private in St Petersburg - likely to be removed from ports of call due to the rapidly deteriorating situation. https://news.sky.com/story/russians-shut-down-us-consulate-in-st-petersburg-and-expels-diplomats-11308643

 

My thought exactly. Will be watching the State Department travel advisories in the next few days to see if they issue any advisories re: travel to Russia and in particular, to St. Petersburg.

[upwarduk]

I had a similar e mail as the OP from Celebrity about 10 days ago, cancelling my Imperial Palaces tour.

I have booked another tour which I think will be better, as it includes a hydrofoil ride and lunch which my previous excursion inside Peterhof did not. Hoping the new tour doesn’t also get cancelled.

With all the political unrest at the moment I messaged Celebrity regarding visiting St Petersburg and was sent the following reply:

 

“We are currently still planning on visiting St Petersburg on all Baltic sailings this summer. We do monitor all situations closely, the safety and security of all our guests and crew are always our primary focus. At this time no further information is available to us and we will continue with our planned itinerary. Should travel advice change we will notify you or your travel agent directly.”

 

Thanks, Celebrity Cruises UK.

Edited March 29, 2018 by upwarduk

[trivia addict]

Great advice as usual from cruise critic posters!

A private tour of St Petersburg is much better than a ship excursion.

 

A group of 4 of us booked with Alla tours two summers ago. We were able to customize our own itinerary. We had a guide, a Mercedes van with driver and saw much more than our shipmates at less cost.

Once we contacted Alla 6 months before our trip, we were able to plan our visit and when we arrived everything was exactly as promised.

[smtcan]

Wouldn't rush to book anything private in St Petersburg - likely to be removed from ports of call due to the rapidly deteriorating situation. https://news.sky.com/story/russians-shut-down-us-consulate-in-st-petersburg-and-expels-diplomats-11308643

 

You have nothing to lose by booking a tour. No up front payment is required - we did not have to pay anything until the end of the first day with SPB and from what I hear, other companies have the same arrangement. If you don't book ahead you will not get the letter to be used instead of a visa and will be limited to using a ship's tour, staying on board or paying for a visa.

 

Whatever your views on the current situation in Russia, a Baltic cruise without St. Petersburg would be disappointing.

[cltnccruisers]

Booked a Celebrity 2 day small group St Petersburg tour on Silhouette end of May at the start of the year and just had an email to say it has been cancelled. It doesn’t give a specific reason just a choice of reasons why this has happened. Has anyone else had a similar email. Is it that specific tour that is a problem or St Petersburg tours as a whole. I think Celebrity should have provided more information as to the exact reason this tour is cancelled.

 

Since Putin is closing the US consulate in St P in retaliation for Trump closing theirs in Seattle maybe this isn't a bad thing.

[Jade13]

Will second TJ- we booked them through Abercrombie and Kent and they were fantastic.

 

 

 

If A & K uses them, they are tops. Was this for tours off of the cruise ship (or land travel)?

[upwarduk]

Booked a Celebrity 2 day small group St Petersburg tour on Silhouette end of May at the start of the year and just had an email to say it has been cancelled. It doesn’t give a specific reason just a choice of reasons why this has happened. Has anyone else had a similar email.

 

 

My tour was cancelled 22/03/18 and my refund reached my credit card 27/03/18.

I’m impressed, as the letter said 7-10 days.