St. Petersburg tours

[RedSox68]

I have been to StPetersburg a number of times, I have used, http://anastasia.travel/, for two days, each time I have gone. I have advised many here to do this, many on my cruise meets threads for the Baltic, and everyone, said and responded it was the best decision they made.

St Petersburg is wonderful, so much to see, do not loose two hours if your time there on two DCL tours, but book one tour with Anastasia tailored to what you want to see, if you do not know ask them for advice.

We were on the fast track to use Anastasia when we were scheduled to do a Baltic cruise in 2010. They were unbelievably patient with emails, informative and very accommodating as to what we wanted to see. Unfortunately, circumstances didn't allow us to go in the end, but we would use them without hesitation should we book another Baltic cruise.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We were on the fast track to use Anastasia when we were scheduled to do a Baltic cruise in 2010. They were unbelievably patient with emails, informative and very accommodating as to what we wanted to see. Unfortunately, circumstances didn't allow us to go in the end, but we would use them without hesitation should we book another Baltic cruise.

Sad you didn't get to go.

I know what you mean on correspondence some of our cruise meets group had worries as it was Russia and payments and chop and changing plans. One of our groups payment to them went missing, it was the cruisers bank. They would answer everything, help, support, and everyone who used them, some forty groups all said they were fantastic.

 

[Chirple]

We are booked for Northern Europe cruise next summer, but not with Disney - with NCL, as their itinerary with 2 days in St-Peterburg is much more appealing to us.

I assume the procedure of crossing the border would be the same?

I know St Petersburg pretty well, have been there 3 or 4 times by work. And I can speak Russian.

I was considering just getting Russian visa, and not use any tour companies at all. Just go places by ourselves. But I haven't been there for ages.

I assume the lines to the museums in the summer would be huge? That would be one of the reasons to book the tour. We've been to Paris this summer, and saved tons of time booking "skip the line" kind of tours, as the lines there were insane.

Viator offers tours to St Petersburg - like the ones we used for Paris. If we get Russian visa - I assume we can book through Viator, and be fine? Does anyone has the experience like this?

Thanks in advance.

From my experience having booked with a private tour company in St. Petersburg, we had to present our tour ticket with our passports to border patrol when we got off of the ship. They added a slip of paper to our passports (which I did not read but assumed it was some type of temporary visa); that paper had to with our passports when we returned to the ship and went through border patrol again. We met our tour guide in the port terminal. Unless Viator states you require one, you do not need to get a visa if using a tour company in St. Petersburg; you only need it if you are touring independently.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

From my experience having booked with a private tour company in St. Petersburg, we had to present our tour ticket with our passports to border patrol when we got off of the ship. They added a slip of paper to our passports (which I did not read but assumed it was some type of temporary visa); that paper had to with our passports when we returned to the ship and went through border patrol again. We met our tour guide in the port terminal. Unless Viator states you require one, you do not need to get a visa if using a tour company in St. Petersburg; you only need it if you are touring independently.

Yes we had those for our four days, 2 X 2010 and 2 X 2015, it us a ticket but it has the St P tour operators details, the tour agent like Anastasia have to pre fill in an online request fir you, they have to Reputational and guarantee to look after you and bring you back, immigration will check your passport number against this pre completed application and your tour ticket, and then your allowed through.

For us we have always been through in seconds but many DCL tour people gave complained if long waits, caused by 55 people going through at a time.

 

[RedSox68]

Sad you didn't get to go.

I know what you mean on correspondence some of our cruise meets group had worries as it was Russia and payments and chop and changing plans. One of our groups payment to them went missing, it was the cruisers bank. They would answer everything, help, support, and everyone who used them, some forty groups all said they were fantastic.

Yes, it's on our bucket list for retirement!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Yes, it's on our bucket list for retirement!

Do go, like Iceland it's something on the bucket list you just " must do" places like Peterhoff and Catherines place are ( and I hate this word), awesome.

 

[JoieNsk]

The procedure is the same.

Any cruise that is in St Petersburg less than 72 hours then:-
1/ you can go visa free with that cruise line tours.
2/ You can have an authorised St Peyersburg tour company like Anastasia look after you visa free.
You cannot get off independently.( unless you get a visa.

Anastasia offers a skip the line service where it can. I can't speak for Viator but I think there a global gatekeeper service to third parties and its best to book direct.

Hermitage for example is very popular with massive lines, it's popular before there is four cruise ships in town, and that's often the case. Cruise ship tours go on in herded 55 groups on a whisper system, Anastsia couriered our tickets to a back entrance and we went around in an alternative director in to the big tours.

Thank you very much, Disney Fantasy.

That was very useful info.

I know we still have lots of time to go before the cruise. But I am a planner, and getting visas and stuff like that is going to take time. The more that we need to pick time to send our passports to obtain visas, as my husband travels a lot, and he often needs his passport to have with him.

I would really like to tour St Petersburg on my own, and show it to my husband and my daughter who never have been there. But I got a feeling that would not work time-wise, as the ship is going to be there for 2 days only, and we would not be able to see much, unless we use help from some kind of travel agency.

Probably some time we will go there with my husband on our own - for more days (and without inpatient teenagers)) Then we will be able just leisurely stroll through Nevsky Prospect, have a meal in some local cafe, walk along the romantic canals...

So I put it into our retirement bucket list

 

[JoieNsk]

From my experience having booked with a private tour company in St. Petersburg, we had to present our tour ticket with our passports to border patrol when we got off of the ship. They added a slip of paper to our passports (which I did not read but assumed it was some type of temporary visa); that paper had to with our passports when we returned to the ship and went through border patrol again. We met our tour guide in the port terminal. Unless Viator states you require one, you do not need to get a visa if using a tour company in St. Petersburg; you only need it if you are touring independently.

Thank you very much for the useful info!

We are kind of new to cruising, and yet never got off in any port where we would need a visa. So all this is unfamiliar ground to us.

 

[JoieNsk]

I still will ask I guess.

Hoping there was somebody who did go to the city on their own.

If your get a proper visa (I didn't look into this stuff yet) - there should not be a problem getting off the ship and getting back on each of the two days? I assume that the visa should have like multiple entry into the country?

 

[aggiedog]

JoieNsk, go to Cruisecritic Northern Europe port forum and ask there. I know some folks there have gotten their own visas for cruise stops. I do know it sounded very complicated and expensive, partially due to political maneuvering by Russia to make doing things from the US more difficult supposedly.

 

[janiebubble]

I still will ask I guess.

Hoping there was somebody who did go to the city on their own.

If your get a proper visa (I didn't look into this stuff yet) - there should not be a problem getting off the ship and getting back on each of the two days? I assume that the visa should have like multiple entry into the country?

The Disney Northern Europeans next year are only in St Petersburg for one day not two like in some previous cruises. If you want two days and want to cruise Disney you may wish to leave it for another year

 

[JoieNsk]

The Disney Northern Europeans next year are only in St Petersburg for one day not two like in some previous cruises. If you want two days and want to cruise Disney you may wish to leave it for another year

Thank you!

We are booked already on Norwegian for next year in June. I didn't even consider Disney for that, when I saw that they have only one day in St Petersburg. And now I think it is probably to the best, as we are booked in two-bedroom Heaven suite there: I'm afraid it would be even more expensive to get the same class of accommodation on Disney Cruise. And all this extra space will work so much better for us with my daughter becoming 18 next year.

Also I actually like that NCL itinerary has two sea days, so we can relax and have time to process all those new exciting impressions. I think we'd be overwhelmed doing different cities/countries every day for 9 days straight.

 

[JoieNsk]

JoieNsk, go to Cruisecritic Northern Europe port forum and ask there. I know some folks there have gotten their own visas for cruise stops. I do know it sounded very complicated and expensive, partially due to political maneuvering by Russia to make doing things from the US more difficult supposedly.

Thank you for the info!

I know that getting a Russian visa might take time, and would definitely cost some money. I didn't look into it yet, and probably it is more wise for us just to use one of the recommended travel agencies instead of doing it on our own, so we can avoid visa etc

But considering difficulties of getting visas - I have some friends in Russia, and you can't even imagine how expensive and how hard it is for them there to get US visa

 

[linetbo]

Another vote for Anastasia, best tour ever!! Disney Fantasy trip report helped me a lot. They are great, Disney didn't have what I was looking for. No problem with security, we didn't wait in any line at the museums, great email communication, I asked for a Spanish speaking tour guide and Elena did a great job. Anastasia, the owner, was there to meet us then we saw her again at Catherine Palace, and she waited for us at the end of the tour to say goodbye. Again, best tour ever.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Rasputin didn't live in Yussopov Palace, his assassin, Prince Felix Yussopov, did. He was invited over for tea and cakes (and vodka) and apparently to meet Felix's wife, whom he liked. Instead, Felix and some of his buddies killed him. They have a cool exhibit with wax figures in the exact room where the assassination took place. and the house is great too. Shows how the non-royal filthy rich lived in imperial Russia. The family was said to be richer than the ruling Romanovs.

If the limited ship's tours are sufficient for you, then they will be fine, and they are fine for lots of passengers, but you'd see lots more going with a private company.