Disney Magic - July 6, 2016 Northern Europe

[Heather K]

Heather - Email sent!

Elizabeth - My email was returned saying your email address is not valid.

Got it. Thanks! Even more excited, and still 125 days to go.....

Heather

 

[bksaffle]

Getting really excited....Monday is the day for Platinum Cruisers to start booking excursions / Palo. The trip will be here before we know it.

 

[linetbo]

Getting really excited....Monday is the day for Platinum Cruisers to start booking excursions / Palo. The trip will be here before we know it.

Can you post a some of the hours available, my window opens on March 23.

 

[bksaffle]

Can you post a some of the hours available, my window opens on March 23.

Do you know which excursions you are looking at?

 

[bksaffle]

I just found out some interesting information. As I was researching using an outside vendor for an excursion in St. Petersburg (Anastasia Travel Group), they mentioned that if students present their ISIC card they could receive a $40 discount at the museums....I looked it up, and it is the "International Student Identification Card". You get this card for $25, and it is supposed to get discounts for the student when they travel abroad....I haven't done it yet, but thought it was interesting.

Has anybody used these cards or know anything about them? We are traveling to London and spending a few days at the beginning of our trip in Denmark and thought that maybe this would be a good savings idea.

 

[linetbo]

Do you know which excursions you are looking at?

Evening canal tour in St Petersburg. Thanks!

 

[bksaffle]

Evening canal tour in St Petersburg. Thanks!

The Evening Canal Tour starts at 7:00 p.m.

 

[linetbo]

The Evening Canal Tour starts at 7:00 p.m.

Thank you!

 

[lbw25]

We are excited to join this group and the fish extender. Cruising goddess - I tried to send you a message. Not sure if it worked. It will be me, my DH and our two children - DD 17 and DS 14. We will celebrate both kids' birthdays in Copenhagen before we depart.

Where in MN are you from? We are from MN too - St Paul area. Glad you are joining us!

 

[Nycgrrrl]

I've responded to everyone so far. If you haven't heard from me and aren't on the FE list yet, please let me know!

Hi, it is Elizabeth, sorry was off for a few days. Just notice my lovely browser is repopulating with the wrong email - here we are: ebwyatt@aol.com Many thanks!

 

[lbw25]

Hi, it is Elizabeth, sorry was off for a few days. Just notice my lovely browser is repopulating with the wrong email - here we are: ebwyatt@aol.com Many thanks!

Welcome! Glad you are joining us and jumping into the FE with us. Only 114 days now (but who's counting!).

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I just found out some interesting information. As I was researching using an outside vendor for an excursion in St. Petersburg (Anastasia Travel Group), they mentioned that if students present their ISIC card they could receive a $40 discount at the museums....I looked it up, and it is the "International Student Identification Card". You get this card for $25, and it is supposed to get discounts for the student when they travel abroad....I haven't done it yet, but thought it was interesting.

Has anybody used these cards or know anything about them? We are traveling to London and spending a few days at the beginning of our trip in Denmark and thought that maybe this would be a good savings idea.

I have had two , X two day tours with Anastasia thry are the very very best private tour operstor in St Petersburg, this city is the highlight of the cruise, and honestly you do not want to leave it to DCL tours but book with Anastsia. On my 2010 and 2015 tours, hundreds booked with them direct. My children are students and got the discounts. At the hermitage we went in a rear entrance and we had tickets handed to us pre booked by at courier working for Anastsia. So is concierge style service the CEO Anastsia met us at the cruise terminal before and post the cruise and at places en route to ensure it was perfect.

Please please guys, if you want a fantastic day there book with them, for a family it can be cheaper than DCL. Now do not believe all the stuff re needing visas if you book with Anastsia your tickets are your border control tickets, we got off quickly before DCL tours, no hold ups and were in our car within ten minutes of " all aboard"

For photos, navigators from a 12 night Baltic cruise, who we booked in each port, please refer to, http://torussiawithmickeybars.blogspot.co.uk/ there is also links there to a video from a helicopter over St Petersburg, this is very rare, and gives you persoective where everything is.

 

[sdivers]

Evening canal tour in St Petersburg. Thanks!

Can anyone tell me what excursions might already be sold out in St. Petersburg? I'm a lowly silver cruiser and can't book until next week. Also wondering if there are any private minibuses still available...would appreciate any help! Thanks!

 

[linetbo]

Can anyone tell me what excursions might already be sold out in St. Petersburg? I'm a lowly silver cruiser and can't book until next week. Also wondering if there are any private minibuses still available...would appreciate any help! Thanks!

Which port?

 

[bksaffle]

There are still a lot of DCL excursions available in St. Petersburg. We actually booked a private tour with Anastasia Travel. We booked a tour from (9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) and customized it to visit all of the places we wanted to see, It ended up be $776 for the four of us. In order for us to see everything on a DCL excursion we would have had to book two tours, and with how the excursion time frames over lapped, we were not able to book the two we really wanted. Anastasia Travel takes care of everything, even the VISA's that are required to get off the ship. I researched them and read MANY reviews off of DisBoards and they seem very reputable. We are excited, especially since it is a private tour....we actually have more flexibility to change things up if we need to.

sdivers - if you were interested in the minibuses, it might be a lot cheaper to check out Anastasia Travel.

 

[sdivers]

There are still a lot of DCL excursions available in St. Petersburg. We actually booked a private tour with Anastasia Travel. We booked a tour from (9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) and customized it to visit all of the places we wanted to see, It ended up be $776 for the four of us. In order for us to see everything on a DCL excursion we would have had to book two tours, and with how the excursion time frames over lapped, we were not able to book the two we really wanted. Anastasia Travel takes care of everything, even the VISA's that are required to get off the ship. I researched them and read MANY reviews off of DisBoards and they seem very reputable. We are excited, especially since it is a private tour....we actually have more flexibility to change things up if we need to.

sdivers - if you were interested in the minibuses, it might be a lot cheaper to check out Anastasia Travel.

 

[sdivers]

Thank you so much! We have actually been in contact with Anastasia, and have also read tons of good reviews!
We have 3 families looking to share the cost of the DCL minibus, so it would be cost-effective if we can make it work...and if it's even still available...
I'm just trying to explore all options, but it's difficult without knowing the times of all the DCL excursions. Someone posted that the evening canal tour begins at 7:00...I'm wondering what else might be later in the day???
Anastasia may be the only option to do everything we would like, as we are wanting to see Peterhof, Catherine's palace, Hermitage, and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Does anyone know if there's a way to do all of these with DCL?

 

[sdivers]

Which port?

St. Petersburg

 

[linetbo]

Thank you so much! We have actually been in contact with Anastasia, and have also read tons of good reviews!
We have 3 families looking to share the cost of the DCL minibus, so it would be cost-effective if we can make it work...and if it's even still available...
I'm just trying to explore all options, but it's difficult without knowing the times of all the DCL excursions. Someone posted that the evening canal tour begins at 7:00...I'm wondering what else might be later in the day???
Anastasia may be the only option to do everything we would like, as we are wanting to see Peterhof, Catherine's palace, Hermitage, and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Does anyone know if there's a way to do all of these with DCL?

I was looking for something later than 7pm, but there is nothing else

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I was looking for something later than 7pm, but there is nothing else

Thank you so much! We have actually been in contact with Anastasia, and have also read tons of good reviews!
We have 3 families looking to share the cost of the DCL minibus, so it would be cost-effective if we can make it work...and if it's even still available...
I'm just trying to explore all options, but it's difficult without knowing the times of all the DCL excursions. Someone posted that the evening canal tour begins at 7:00...I'm wondering what else might be later in the day???
Anastasia may be the only option to do everything we would like, as we are wanting to see Peterhof, Catherine's palace, Hermitage, and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Does anyone know if there's a way to do all of these with DCL?

I was looking for something later than 7pm, but there is nothing else

Just jumping in, pardon, but I know Linetbo read my trip report from the Baltic last year, http://torussiawithmickeybars.blogspot.co.uk/ now firstly we have used Anastasia twice in 2010 and 2015 both for two full days and one evening. They are fantastic. You will see more, do more, have a great price and the CEO Anastsia does take personal interest, she met us in the port on disembarkation, and embarkation and also in the tour st places. We had a full day the first day from 8 am, ( scheduled arrival time was 9 am but we got in early, ) we stayed out the first night getting back at 9.45 pm.

We did the riverboat, we had one for our family it was great, brilliant shots, and it was cheap. Now for DCL tours if your out day and night, you will have to go back to the ship, go through immigration, meet back up then get back off. Travel time to/ from the city us another thirty minutes each way, we stayed out! We Also we the the Faberge mesuem, and a local meal, Anastsia can organise what you wish, also a night a the threate depending what time it starts, ends and ship departure time. Basically you normally email Katherine, she will do what you ask, when I emailed for a helicopter, she said yes, first one was expensive, do she found be another that's cheaper. So ask what you want, we did a lot that evening, in fact our brilliant guide is still exhausted as I personally overworked her, we went to Yousof palace where Rasputin, was, and not normally served on DCL tours.

I recall a DCL trip report in 2015 saying, " we spent 11 hours looking at the inside if a bus, we'll do not let that be you, book a private tour everyone gets a window seat and a personal guide, just look at my trip blog, do much on it, including the helicopter video links. Yes our hour long river cruise was fantastic, just my family on it, not 55 looking for outside seats, we had the bost to ourselves, it was fantastic.

The DCL tour times make it hard to do a day and a night tour, you may get thirty minutes on ship to have a snack, if you do a half day morning and then an evening it nay work, but do nit loose time, just have a day and evening out in one tour with Anastsia. Some will say you need a visa, no, Anastsia sort that out fir you, on your tickets there your border pass.

This is a wonderful city, and you want to do it justice and the very best way, concierge service but at affordable prices. I do not get any commission, not connected with them, just want you to have the best time there. A high number of DCL cruisers in 2015 and 2010 did what I recommended thry all loved it, and felt it was the jewel in the crown. Example at the hermitage, we went in a side entrance an a runner hit our tickets, no waiting like cattle outside in herded groups. If it was busy inside, we went a different route to the tour groups.

Anyway if you go say Hello to Katherine and Anastsia for me!