MSC Preziosa Baltics (NOW)

[plucasana]

St Petersburg

(Next Installment)

[plucasana]

And:

 

Tallin

 

Final Day.

 

That's it. :-)

[pukekolive]

And:

 

Tallin

 

Final Day.

 

That's it. :-)

What a great review thanks so much!

 

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[plucasana]

Thank you @ pukekolive for reading!

Today

[pukekolive]

Thank you @ pukekolive for reading!

Today

We are doing the same cruise on 26 August followed by 7 nights in the Fjords then 9 nights from Copenhagen to Barcelona - 23 days on Preziosa in total.

 

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[Zephyr173]

We will be sailing on Preziosa, from Kiel, on 25 August. Also YC. At what time were you able to board? The most convenient itinerary from Hamburg to Kiel I found gets us at Kiel Hbf at 9AM. I’ve found a great place for breakfast, but I now need to find a way to spend a few hours... but how many? I know the ship is to dock at 10AM and of course throw off a few PAXs, which takes a bit of time.

 

Thanks for your kind reply.

[plucasana]

Hello from the Preziosa YC.

 

We went on board yesterday (checkin started quite late at around 13h)

 

Usually ci starts around noon.

 

Have you considered going to laboe by ferry boat?

Fähre von Seegartenbrücke nach Laboe

8.17 - 10.57 11.57

9.20 10.20 12.00 13.00

Return:

6.20 7.35 9.30 10.30 12.10

7.28 8.33 10.33 11.33 13.13

[Zephyr173]

Thanks Plucasana. I was not aware of this. Great suggestion.

Got our cruise ticket by email yesterday. The “suggested” CI is 15:45. I will surely be there earlier.

[Beamafar]

Great to see a review of a Northern European sailing - there are so few of them. Thanks, Sandra, for taking the time and trouble. :)

 

Zephyr ... hope you have a wonderful cruise! :* (and thank you for your very kind remarks on another thread).

[Raj.K]

Plucasana, I’m loving your review! We’re in YC on Preziosa next year and it’s nice to read about it. If you get a chance I’d love to see a menu or two from the YC restaurant – but please don’t go to any trouble. Thanks.

 

Raj.K; CruisingFox27

Firstly, the visa requirement is a myth promoted by the cruise lines to get you to use their tours. If you book a tour with a St Petersburg tour company your tour ticket (sent to you) acts as your visa.

Secondly, the independent tour companies are well practised in dealing with cruise passengers and will give you the best experience – their business relies on positive reviews on well-known travel websites!

 

We were on Serenade of the Seas last year and enjoyed a 2 night/3 day stay in this city. Before booking I researched what we wanted to do and then approached 3 or 4 companies to see if they could adapt their standard tours to accommodate my wish-list. Best Guides were quick to respond and able to deliver the itinerary we wanted, so we chose them. Apart from a boat trip on the canals (I recall this was weather related) we completed our entire list and even managed to visit some less well known tourist attractions including the “Gold Room” at the Hermitage (including a private tour with a Hermitage curator), the Naval Cathedral, the Summer Garden, the Choral Synagogue, a local market etc. Our tour cost US$1715 and that gave us a car (late model Mercedes), driver, tour guide, entrance fees to all attractions (I think I had to pay a camera charge somewhere, but I can’t remember where), a metro ride and the hydrofoil from Peterhof back to the city. The only thing I paid for was lunch – make sure you go to one of the “pie shops” for a good inexpensive and, more importantly, quick lunch. $1715 sounds a lot, but works out at $285 per 8+ hour day per person which is cheap compared to the cruise line tours. Incidentally, as a private tour we were able to walk past all the queues for the Hermitage, Catherine Palace, Peterhof etc and adjust the day to suit the weather and traffic.

 

Spending an hour researching the sights you want and emailing a few companies will pay dividends!

 

Enjoy your trip

 

WT

Thank you Western Trader. Extremely useful. Any links to the tour company/ies you have used please?

[Raj.K]

Yes WT, exactly as I stated in my post if you book an excursion with either the ship or an independent tour company the tickets include your 'tourist visa', or visa waiver if you prefer. You do not require the full visa.

 

Raj, We've personally chosen Alla as the itinerary covers our requirements but they, SPB, and the other main tour operators all have very good reviews.

 

Thank you Cruising Fox27. Will review these. Cheers!

[hematite153]

Thank you for sharing all of your experiences.

[anisunshine]

Hello!

Can you tell me till when is the check-in time from Kiel?

Thanks

[plucasana]

Usually ci starts around noon.

[anisunshine]

Thanks. We are already on board :)

[Raj.K]

Plucasana, I’m loving your review! We’re in YC on Preziosa next year and it’s nice to read about it. If you get a chance I’d love to see a menu or two from the YC restaurant – but please don’t go to any trouble. Thanks.

 

Raj.K; CruisingFox27

Firstly, the visa requirement is a myth promoted by the cruise lines to get you to use their tours. If you book a tour with a St Petersburg tour company your tour ticket (sent to you) acts as your visa.

Secondly, the independent tour companies are well practised in dealing with cruise passengers and will give you the best experience – their business relies on positive reviews on well-known travel websites!

 

We were on Serenade of the Seas last year and enjoyed a 2 night/3 day stay in this city. Before booking I researched what we wanted to do and then approached 3 or 4 companies to see if they could adapt their standard tours to accommodate my wish-list. Best Guides were quick to respond and able to deliver the itinerary we wanted, so we chose them. Apart from a boat trip on the canals (I recall this was weather related) we completed our entire list and even managed to visit some less well known tourist attractions including the “Gold Room” at the Hermitage (including a private tour with a Hermitage curator), the Naval Cathedral, the Summer Garden, the Choral Synagogue, a local market etc. Our tour cost US$1715 and that gave us a car (late model Mercedes), driver, tour guide, entrance fees to all attractions (I think I had to pay a camera charge somewhere, but I can’t remember where), a metro ride and the hydrofoil from Peterhof back to the city. The only thing I paid for was lunch – make sure you go to one of the “pie shops” for a good inexpensive and, more importantly, quick lunch. $1715 sounds a lot, but works out at $285 per 8+ hour day per person which is cheap compared to the cruise line tours. Incidentally, as a private tour we were able to walk past all the queues for the Hermitage, Catherine Palace, Peterhof etc and adjust the day to suit the weather and traffic.

 

Spending an hour researching the sights you want and emailing a few companies will pay dividends!

 

Enjoy your trip

 

WT

 

Thank you for the detailed reply.

 

If the VISA requirement to Russia for cruise passengers being difficult is a myth that is good news. Is this true regardless nationality? To ensure the travel agent/ships takes care of VISAS, is there a need to book excursions in advance, i.e a month in advance or anything like that?

[cruzdream]

Am joining from Kiel on Preziosa on Aug 11th, do you know whether Galaxy Lounge is open throughout night and is there some dancing too?

[WesternTrader]

If you get a chance I’d love to see a menu or two from the YC restaurant – but please don’t go to any trouble. Thanks.

 

 

 

sure. I have included all of them in my review and blog also.

 

 

Plucsana

Sorry for the delay in responding, but I’ve been away...

Many thanks for these menus - it’s very kind of you.

WT

[WesternTrader]

Thank you Western Trader. Extremely useful. Any links to the tour company/ies you have used please?

 

Apologies OP - not wanting to hijack your thread...

 

Raj.K

We used Best Guides - you could try contacting:<Dariya at bestguides-spb dot com>

As far as I am aware there is no discrimination between nationalities, but BG would be best placed to answer that question. You would certainly need to book in advance, as they need passport details to prepare the ticket (they send you a form for completion) and thus the visa. Again, I don’t know if there’s a minimum time required.

 

So we don’t continue to hijack this report, you can email me at <b d at blueyonder dot co dot uk> (no spaces etc) and I’ll gladly send you what I have.

WT

[Zephyr173]

Hello!

Can you tell me till when is the check-in time from Kiel?

Thanks

 

You can check in up to 2 hours before departure.