# Anyone been on a Baltic Sea cruise ?



## timbuktu (Jun 9, 2006)

I am planning to go on the Marco Polo ship,  Orient Lines.   It is an older , smaller ship with good reviews.
I am leaving from Copenhagen and sailing up to St Petersburg, Russia and will return to Dover, London.
This will be Aug 20-Sep1 so I am wondering about the weather.  I expect cool weather throughout .   Is this true ?
Is it worth getting a Visa for St Peterburg and go on our own or should we do the tours ?
Thanks for any additional advice.   Pat


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## X-ring (Jun 11, 2006)

timbuktu said:
			
		

> This will be Aug 20-Sep1 so I am wondering about the weather.  I expect cool weather throughout .   Is this true ?
> Is it worth getting a Visa for St Peterburg and go on our own or should we do the tours ?



We did the Baltics cruise out of Amsterdam in June 2005 and found the temps fine but I imagine St. Petersburg would be quite a bit cooler by September. 

As for doing St. P on your own that would depend on what and how much you want to see in the time you have there, and your own resourcefulness in dealing with unfamiliar situations and surroundings (our ship was berthed in an industrial area, a fair distance from any attractions. 

The tours are quite expensive but we packed in an awful lot in the two days we had there - we took a tour offered by DenRus (not the ship's tour) and unless you expect to get back again some time in the future, it's money well spent IMO.


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## somerville (Jun 11, 2006)

We sailed out of Harwich, England on Royal Caribbean about the same time period last year.  The weather was pleasant.  We spent two days in St. Petersburg and did the ship sponsored tours to Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, Hermitage and a tour of the city center.

Russian visas are expensive.  My sister worked in Moscow a couple of years ago, and I did the legwork for her visa, since I live near DC.  I also understand that you need an invitation to get the visa, although the outside tour companies can handle that.  For us, the ship tours were the best option.

Our ship was also berthed in the commercial port.  There would be nothing to see or do within walking distance.  I understand that some of the smaller ships can berth closer to the city center.


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## Art (Jun 12, 2006)

Head on over to www.cruisecritic.com and check out the Baltics on the Ports of Call board.

We are planning to do the Baltics next summer.  Everything I've read says that the best way to go on touring St Petersburg is one of the local agencies such as Denrus, Red October and Alla.  Apparently the visas are a big hassle, but the local agencies are allowed to include that as part of their packages.

Art


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## timbuktu (Jun 14, 2006)

Thank you all for responding.   I am taking your advice and not going on my own.
The cruise critic website is invaluable for any cruises,  I think.   Thanks for that.


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## Carolinian (Jun 14, 2006)

For many of the cities on that cruise, you might want to check out the In Your Pocket guides, an excellent series from a company based in the Baltics.
Their online version is at www.inyourpocket.com , but it is good to pick up a print version.  I have travelled to Riga, Tallinn, and St. Petersburg (twice) by land/air, as well as some non-coastal Baltic cities like Vilnius and Jelgava.  To me a cruise does not give enough time to really see such places.


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## labguides (Jun 14, 2006)

Three years ago, we used Red October for 2 day tour in St. Petersburg. It was WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL. They met us at the ship, took us to the head of the lines at places that we chose to visit.  Other people on cruise who took cruiseline tours stood in line for hours.


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## timbuktu (Sep 13, 2008)

*Private tour in St.Petersburg is the best*

Just found this old post but I still want to say that we took your advice and went on a private tour  ( Denrus Tours)  and it was so wonderful ! You see much more than any other way. It is worth every penny.   I think about $280 USD for two full days, with private, new, Mercedes AC van and a driver and tour guide.including Visa.
You won't be sorry.


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