St. Petersburg, RU in 2023

[Heartgrove]

HAL has cancelled port calls for 2023 to St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. Any word on what MSC plans on doing with its MSC Poesia sailings?

[perakcruiser]

St. Petersburg is still on the Poesia schedule in 2023, but the chance that it will happen is extremely small I guess. Which is sad, because the Baltic cruises are rater unattractive without it. Maybe 2024. 

[wcook]

10 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

HAL has cancelled port calls for 2023 to St. Petersburg and Vladivostok.

Man, that must be some cruise 🙂

 

In all seriousness, I would’t expect any mainstream cruise to stop in Russia for years. Credit to HAL for admitting it and rescheduling. If MSC is slow to reschedule, I would t take that as a sign they seriously think they will be porting, just that they are being slow to reschedule. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by wcook

[Heartgrove]

11 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

St. Petersburg is still on the Poesia schedule in 2023, but the chance that it will happen is extremely small I guess. Which is sad, because the Baltic cruises are rater unattractive without it. Maybe 2024. 

 

We were there in 2017 on a HAL Baltic cruise and can say: "Been there, Done that." On our return to the ship the first day, the Customs official decided to play games with my wife and kept her standing for 15 minutes not allowing her to enter. All for want of a card that was not issued by the Customs official that morning. I went through a different line that morning and did receive one so surrendered it on my return. It took a civilian who was bi-lingual translating and assisting to get her through.

 

An overnight in Stockholm is  a better choice, which we also did.

[Nunagoras]

Politics apart... Russia is over for decades, whatever else happens there on the short, mid or long term.

 

That said: Been there done that. The main attractions are wonderful... But the society leaves lots and lots to be desired, and the general experience made me to think I was somewhat on a fake, fabricated place for the enjoyment of the tourists, surrounded by what felt like such a huge global jail. TBHH: I felt like all the experience was beforehand planned so that we couldn't have access to the real locals living there... And as @Heartgrove says their customs and immigration officials also leave so much to be desired. Not that they were severely bad with us, but...

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I'd say that Russian destinations won't be happening for many years to come.

[perakcruiser]

13 hours ago, Heartgrove said:

and can say: "Been there, Done that."

 

6 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

That said: Been there done that.

Great for you two that you did it already 😉 Unfortunately I did not and now have to wait. But I am not so pessimistic, as soon as the war has ended, I expect life will go back to normal very fast. Surely not in the Ukraine-Russia-relationship, but with wide parts of Europe and Russia. 

 

6 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

But the society leaves lots and lots to be desired, and the general experience made me to think I was somewhat on a fake, fabricated place for the enjoyment of the tourists, surrounded by what felt like such a huge global jail.

That sounds a lot like North Korea but not like Russia. Or what some Westerners say about China without ever have been there or knowing one Chinese person. A "global jail" everyone can leave whenever he wants is something new to me. 

 

OK, but lets better stop here, anyway, Americans, Western Europeans and Asians for sure have totally different opinions on this topics. We all wait and see when St. Petersburg is back on the cruise agenda. 

[ziggyuk]

I for one hope they remain isolated and not receive any form of normality regardless of the outcome of the war until significate changes take place at the highest government levels which have to begin with the removal of their psychotic leader & war crimes are answered.

[Nunagoras]

10 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

 

Great for you two that you did it already 😉 Unfortunately I did not and now have to wait. But I am not so pessimistic, as soon as the war has ended, I expect life will go back to normal very fast. Surely not in the Ukraine-Russia-relationship, but with wide parts of Europe and Russia. 

 

That sounds a lot like North Korea but not like Russia. Or what some Westerners say about China without ever have been there or knowing one Chinese person. A "global jail" everyone can leave whenever he wants is something new to me. 

 

OK, but lets better stop here, anyway, Americans, Western Europeans and Asians for sure have totally different opinions on this topics. We all wait and see when St. Petersburg is back on the cruise agenda. 

I went to St. Pete by 2013 or 2014 alike when Russia was trying "hard" to give a good impression on the westerners. Things were all on the beginning at that time. I know some individuals with a far better experience about Russia later on the time, but that was for Moscow... At that time I came less than convinced from what I experienced. The shore ex provided by the ship felt like truly fabricated to "impress"... But then. Near the port I watched such an Orthodox church near where there was a group of kids running barefoot. The bus accelerated its speed and the guide started such an interesting story pretending he was against the local government, to distract us from watching on the windows... I was quite tired after the day and simply was contemplating the scenery out of the bus. Clearly the Russia I was on was NOT the Russia where most of the locals live... I don't want to make this thread more political and let us to move to real cruising which is for what we are here for... But I need to 1000% support what @ziggyuk has stated. No more, no less, either!...

[pghflyer]

I can't imagine we will see Russian stops for 3+ years at this point. Rightfully so, it isn't smart to fund the war machine of a country toppling free nations.

[kwokpot]

13 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Or what some Westerners say about China without ever have been there or knowing one Chinese person. A "global jail" everyone can leave whenever he wants is something new to me. 

If one hasn't been to China you literally have no idea how modern and advanced the major cities are. The major cities have things that San Francisco, New York and Austin can only dream about. Yes, the very rural areas are very poor and lack many modern conveniences we take for granted, but we have many areas like that here in the USA. 

[Best Cat Mom]

Russia has been on the US State Department's Travel Advisory list at the highest level -- Level 4: Do Not Travel -- since 19 Jul 2022.

 

Link to the US State Department advisory:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/russia-travel-advisory.html

 

Each of us will make our own decisions. I share this in case it helps someone who is making travel plans.