The 2010 Baltic Thread--Cruise Tips and Planning

[Fivepin]

I'm really trying to narrow down my private tour in St. Petersburg. Wow... it is enough to make your head spin.

Anyways... I did find out Denrus requires full payment 30 to 15 days prior. While Red October requires about 8% deposit with final payment due the end of the 2nd day. I did not read this on either site. I found this on cruise critic. Anyways... just thought I give out this info as food for thought. Makes decisions harder.

Also I found out from DenRus that they can't do the 2 day value excursion for the Magic because we dock later. So, the only option thru them is the Private tour.

 

[cindy18]

I'm really trying to narrow down my private tour in St. Petersburg. Wow... it is enough to make your head spin.

Anyways... I did find out Denrus requires full payment 30 to 15 days prior. While Red October requires about 8% deposit with final payment due the end of the 2nd day. I did not read this on either site. I found this on cruise critic. Anyways... just thought I give out this info as food for thought. Makes decisions harder.

The two tour companies we're deciding between, Masha and SPB Tours, also do not require payment until you're actually on the tour, typically the 2nd day. No deposit, very trustworthy approach. We're going to bring crisp clean American money and keep it safe in our cabin until we need it.

 

[cindy18]

I keep hearing that people who have taken a Baltic cruise before say that we can walk off the ship and do our own thing on four of our ports. I want to do that, also. I can see how close the Magic will dock in Oslo and Copenhagen. However, in Stockholm, the Magic will dock in Frihamnen and that is 3 miles away. I don't know the name of the port in Helsinki but it looks like it is a couple of miles away, too. How did you get into town on your own? Which ports did you buy a pass/card or do the HOHO? Any advice?

Thanks!

I've seen on the Cruise Critic forum that other cruise companies run shuttles between the cruise ship and the city center for people who are going to tour the port stops on their own. No idea whether Disney will do that too, but it sounds like a good idea.

 

[din]

I've seen on the Cruise Critic forum that other cruise companies run shuttles between the cruise ship and the city center for people who are going to tour the port stops on their own. No idea whether Disney will do that too, but it sounds like a good idea.

The Med cruise in 2007 they had busses in Marseille to take us to town. It runs every 15 mins or when it gets full if I remember correctly. I suspect that they do the same, especially if the dock is a working dock like Marseille.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I've seen on the Cruise Critic forum that other cruise companies run shuttles between the cruise ship and the city center for people who are going to tour the port stops on their own. No idea whether Disney will do that too, but it sounds like a good idea.

The Med cruise in 2007 they had busses in Marseille to take us to town. It runs every 15 mins or when it gets full if I remember correctly. I suspect that they do the same, especially if the dock is a working dock like Marseille.

I think it depends on if the port is one for passengers, or one thats also used for freight. In the industrial ports with freight, they do provide a shuttle, but in other places where there is a passenger terminal that you can walk to safely they do not provide additional buses to the city.

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

That would be wonderful if Disney offered shuttles in Stockholm and Helsinki. Thanks for the info!

 

[jilljill]

In Tallinn, the shuttle was offered by the port not the cruiseline.

When we went to Helsinki we did a ship's tour, but I remember it's about 3-4 miles into town and I was glad we weren't walking it since it looked confusing.

 

[aurorafan65]

hi everyone - we're on the July 6th sailing (Helsinki)

I've been reading over the last few days & gettings tons of info - thanks so much for all your insite

We just started looking at excursion so many to choose from. We'll be choosing from DCL - dh is too paranoid to go out on our own - that whole missing the ship thing! We do however have a friend in COpenhagen who will give us a tour of the city.

We'll mostly do doing city/museum tours. It'll be really weird to not do an excursion that involves water & sand like the Caribbean trips

 

[mardonna]

I received tentative times for DCL shorex in STP.....they don't look good.....really hard to be able to get and see what you want to see....private is the only way to go and cost is minimal.....now who to book with....I have contacted Red October, Alla, SPB, Anastasia.....and they all seem wonderful.....I wish I knew a better way to chose....I honestly have heard nothing negative about any of them....I have received quotes from most and all about the same......love to hear who you booked and why you chose them....

 

[Monstro]

I received tentative times for DCL shorex in STP.....they don't look good.....really hard to be able to get and see what you want to see....private is the only way to go and cost is minimal.....now who to book with....I have contacted Red October, Alla, SPB, Anastasia.....and they all seem wonderful.....I wish I knew a better way to chose....I honestly have heard nothing negative about any of them....I have received quotes from most and all about the same......love to hear who you booked and why you chose them....

Which night is the Ball? Did you get information on that? I'm leaning towards Anastasia.

 

[MrsScooby]

I received tentative times for DCL shorex in STP.....they don't look good.....really hard to be able to get and see what you want to see....private is the only way to go and cost is minimal.....now who to book with....I have contacted Red October, Alla, SPB, Anastasia.....and they all seem wonderful.....I wish I knew a better way to chose....I honestly have heard nothing negative about any of them....I have received quotes from most and all about the same......love to hear who you booked and why you chose them....

We are booked with Anastasia. Chose them because a cruisemate (Jilljill) had used them before and was very happy with the service. Also helped that a desposit is not required and the responses to my emails have been quick

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

We picked Anastasia also. I contacted 2 other companies but I "felt" good with Anastasia. They have added all of my "must sees" and given me advice when I needed it. I really like that we didn't have to pay in advance. We will have 1 1/2 very full days but thats what we wanted.

Thanks for the info on Helsinki. We may do the same.

 

[cindy18]

From the research I did on private tours (lots of helpful insights on the Cruise Critic forums), it seems that you really can't go wrong with any of the tour companies you are looking at. The other names I saw mentioned frequently were SPB Tours, TJ and Masha. We reached out to 4 of them and got similar proposals for a private tour for our family of 4, with some price differential. What the people who have taken the tours before said was that everyone who does one thinks that their tour company was the best, which is a good thing, and the way to choose is to see if you like the email exchange or vibe from one company more than the other. That approach actually worked for us. We found some of the responses too corporate or impersonal, even if the actual experience wouldn't have been, and a few companies a little too rigid in how they responded to our suggestions for things a little off the beaten path. So we narrowed it down that way and then went with our gut. I think you will be good no matter what, since you're talking to such highly regarded tour companies. Hope that helps.

 

[OurDogCisco]

I received tentative times for DCL shorex in STP.....they don't look good.....really hard to be able to get and see what you want to see....private is the only way to go and cost is minimal.....now who to book with....I have contacted Red October, Alla, SPB, Anastasia.....and they all seem wonderful.....I wish I knew a better way to chose....I honestly have heard nothing negative about any of them....I have received quotes from most and all about the same......love to hear who you booked and why you chose them....

We haven't picked yet. I think, if you go to cruise critic you get a lot of info. I agree you probably can't go wrong with any of them. I didn't get a quote from SPB but I did all the others. Per Cruise Critic Red October requires a small deposit to book with them. I can't seem to find that info on their website (I'm sure it is staring me in the face but I don't see it). Also, Denrus requires payment in full 15 days prior to your tour. The only one I didn't like as much was Alla because you had to use her website to contact her. She didn't use e-mail. So, I have to remember to login at her site to communicate which I guess is minor but easy for me to forget she is there.

Do you mind sharing the times you got for the shoreex from DCL? I'm wondering if it is possible to do the canal trip through DCL because I've heard if you do it privately you get a Russian tour guide speaking Russian and your guide has to translate. I'm thinking that Disney probably got an English speaking guide and it might be more enjoyable that way.

 

[Rogillio]

How does this compare to what y'all are looking at:

Two day program

Day 1

12.00-1.p.m Meeting by the ship

1.30-3.30 pm (or a bit longer- depending on your interest) Excursion at the Hermitage Museum



The state Hermitage is one of the oldest and largest museums in the world. The buildings of the museum, by themselves, are architectural masterpieces. The collections of the Hermitage number over 3 million items from prehistoric to modern times. Magnificent works of art embracing prehistoric culture, Egyptian art, the art of Antiquity, Scythian gold, and great collections of Western-European paintings and sculptures are displayed in 400 halls of museum. If you want to see every piece of art and will spend in front of each only 1 minute it will take you 9 years!!! Don't forget to visit special "Golden" and "Brilliant" rooms- you have to buy special tickets to get there and excursions to the rooms are available on certain hours only. We can help you to discover the treasures of the Hermitage with a great pleasure

3.30-4.00p.m Excursion at the Church on the Spilt Blood



The church of "Our Saviour on the Spilt Blood" — designed in the style of 15–16 centuries Moscow and Yaroslavl churches and famous for its wonderful mosaics which cover more than 7000 square meters of inner space. The church was erected on the place of assassination (on the 1st of March in 1881) of Russian Tsar Alexander II



4.30-5.30 p.m St Peter and Paul Fortress



"Peter and Paul fortress" - is the birth place of St Petersburg. All Russian tsars and tsarinas since Peter the Great up to Nicholas II are buried in Peter and Paul Cathedral on the territory of the fortress .Be sure you will hear the story about one of the last tsar’s daughters- Anastasia Romanova and much, much more…



5.30-7.30p.m City tour in St Petersburg (please look at the details if a city tour below)

City tour includes driving and photo stops in the most beautiful, historical places in St Petersburg. Your guide will tell you different stories and legends about famous palaces and architectural ensembles. You will see: Nevsky Prospect (the main street in St Petersburg), National Library, Kazan Cathedral, the Square of Arts, Russian Museum, Ethnographical Museum, Michael’s Castle, Summer Gardens of Peter the Great, the log cabin of Peter the Great, Aurora Battleship, the Spit of Basil Island, The State St Petersburg University, the Monument of Peter the Great, Admiralty, Theatre Square with famous Mariinsky Theatre, St Nicholas Cathedral(may be even attending the morning service)

PHOTO STOP by ST.ISSAK’S CATHEDRAL

8.p.m Return to the ship or evening optional tours





Day 2



9a.m. Meeting by the ship. Continuation of the city tour + shopping

10:30-11am Travel to Petergof by hydrofoil



11-1.00pm Visit of the Fountain Park

Peterhof , "RussianVersailles" — is a jewel of the Russian art, a town of parks, palaces and fountains which is very often compared with French Versailles. But don't believe those who states this: our Petergoff is much better!!



1.00-2.00pm Lunch (optional)

2.00-3.00 pm Travel to Tsars Village

3.00-4:30pm Tour of the Catherine Palace with Amber Room

Catherine palace (with famous Amber Room) a former country residence of Russian emperors — is a fascinating monument of the world's architectural and gardening arts of the 18–19 centuries. The compositional centre of the Tsarskoselsky ensemble is Catherine's Palace with its world — famous Amber Room.



5pm- Subway ride

6pm Return to the ship or evening optional program

( theatre/ folk show/boat trip)



Per Person $421.00 USD Based on 4 paying passengers


Is this price and the ininerary typical? I had them adjust the start time to account for the fact that we don't dock till 12:30 on day 1.

~Mike

 

[sbell111]

... I'm wondering if it is possible to do the canal trip through DCL because I've heard if you do it privately you get a Russian tour guide speaking Russian and your guide has to translate. I'm thinking that Disney probably got an English speaking guide and it might be more enjoyable that way.

The reviews that I have read regarding StP private tours all remarked on how the guides spoke terrific English. You might verify whether this is true regarding the private tour that you are interested in.

 

[jilljill]

Rogillo, that's a very ambitious tour, similiar to what we did 2 years ago. Is your group 4 adults or do you have children/students in your group? If there are school/college age kids you should get a discount for them.
Your price sounds reasonable for 4 people, but if you can get others to join your group you will cut your price by about one-third or a bit more.

The only thing I would add would be to include the Treasures Room at the Hermitage. Amazing works of gold dating back more than 2000 years and other pieces from the Royal families.

 

[slg]

Since the hermitage and st catherine's palace are going to be closed on one of the days we are there (we are on the july 6 cruise), there will be some DCL excursions that aren't going to be available to us. There isn't any information on the shore excursion page. When we go to book, will we find out the times and what isn't going to be available? I am surprised that there isn't some info on that already in the descriptions. Its hard to pick excursions if we don't have the full information.

I would like to do the full day hermitage tour on one day and the full day st catherine's tour on the other, but since we only arrive at 12:30 on a Monday and the hermitage is closed on Mondays, then we will not be able to do the full day st catherine's tour as it includes lunch.

I'm feeling quite confused....we probably should just do a private tour, but I'm just not comfortable with that.

 

[Rogillio]

Rogillo, that's a very ambitious tour, similiar to what we did 2 years ago. Is your group 4 adults or do you have children/students in your group? If there are school/college age kids you should get a discount for them.
Your price sounds reasonable for 4 people, but if you can get others to join your group you will cut your price by about one-third or a bit more.

The only thing I would add would be to include the Treasures Room at the Hermitage. Amazing works of gold dating back more than 2000 years and other pieces from the Royal families.

Kids will be 19 and 17. I didn't see that they offered a discont for college aged kids but I will ask. The price per peson for 8 people only drops by $89 pp so we wouldn't save as much as you suggest might be possible. So for $356 more, we can keep the 'private' in our private tour. Then if we decide we want to stay longer or shorter than the schedule calls for, we won't feel guilty for depriving the other family.

Thanks for looking and the itinerary and comments. I'm pretty sure this is where we will book!

~Mike

 

[mardonna]

How does this compare to what y'all are looking at:

Two day program

Day 1

12.00-1.p.m Meeting by the ship

1.30-3.30 pm (or a bit longer- depending on your interest) Excursion at the Hermitage Museum



The state Hermitage is one of the oldest and largest museums in the world. The buildings of the museum, by themselves, are architectural masterpieces. The collections of the Hermitage number over 3 million items from prehistoric to modern times. Magnificent works of art embracing prehistoric culture, Egyptian art, the art of Antiquity, Scythian gold, and great collections of Western-European paintings and sculptures are displayed in 400 halls of museum. If you want to see every piece of art and will spend in front of each only 1 minute it will take you 9 years!!! Don't forget to visit special "Golden" and "Brilliant" rooms- you have to buy special tickets to get there and excursions to the rooms are available on certain hours only. We can help you to discover the treasures of the Hermitage with a great pleasure

3.30-4.00p.m Excursion at the Church on the Spilt Blood



The church of "Our Saviour on the Spilt Blood" — designed in the style of 15–16 centuries Moscow and Yaroslavl churches and famous for its wonderful mosaics which cover more than 7000 square meters of inner space. The church was erected on the place of assassination (on the 1st of March in 1881) of Russian Tsar Alexander II



4.30-5.30 p.m St Peter and Paul Fortress



"Peter and Paul fortress" - is the birth place of St Petersburg. All Russian tsars and tsarinas since Peter the Great up to Nicholas II are buried in Peter and Paul Cathedral on the territory of the fortress .Be sure you will hear the story about one of the last tsar’s daughters- Anastasia Romanova and much, much more…



5.30-7.30p.m City tour in St Petersburg (please look at the details if a city tour below)

City tour includes driving and photo stops in the most beautiful, historical places in St Petersburg. Your guide will tell you different stories and legends about famous palaces and architectural ensembles. You will see: Nevsky Prospect (the main street in St Petersburg), National Library, Kazan Cathedral, the Square of Arts, Russian Museum, Ethnographical Museum, Michael’s Castle, Summer Gardens of Peter the Great, the log cabin of Peter the Great, Aurora Battleship, the Spit of Basil Island, The State St Petersburg University, the Monument of Peter the Great, Admiralty, Theatre Square with famous Mariinsky Theatre, St Nicholas Cathedral(may be even attending the morning service)

PHOTO STOP by ST.ISSAK’S CATHEDRAL

8.p.m Return to the ship or evening optional tours





Day 2



9a.m. Meeting by the ship. Continuation of the city tour + shopping

10:30-11am Travel to Petergof by hydrofoil



11-1.00pm Visit of the Fountain Park

Peterhof , "RussianVersailles" — is a jewel of the Russian art, a town of parks, palaces and fountains which is very often compared with French Versailles. But don't believe those who states this: our Petergoff is much better!!



1.00-2.00pm Lunch (optional)

2.00-3.00 pm Travel to Tsars Village

3.00-4:30pm Tour of the Catherine Palace with Amber Room

Catherine palace (with famous Amber Room) a former country residence of Russian emperors — is a fascinating monument of the world's architectural and gardening arts of the 18–19 centuries. The compositional centre of the Tsarskoselsky ensemble is Catherine's Palace with its world — famous Amber Room.



5pm- Subway ride

6pm Return to the ship or evening optional program

( theatre/ folk show/boat trip)



Per Person $421.00 USD Based on 4 paying passengers


Is this price and the ininerary typical? I had them adjust the start time to account for the fact that we don't dock till 12:30 on day 1.

~Mike

What company is this tour with?