Pet Nit Noy

I know most posters ask when the schedules for far off dates will be posted; I have a different request. I'm hoping that Oceania took note of the enthusiasm for yesterday's total solar eclipse and will create a 2020 itinerary to take advantage of the total solar eclipse that crosses Chile and Argentina. The map that I've seen doesn't indicate any named places within the band of totality, but there are named places -- hopefully ports -- just north named Concepcion, Coronel, and Lebu. (The day of the eclipse, people shouldn't want to be on land considering our 1998 experience.)

Viewing an eclipse from a ship is ideal, as long as you're not a photographer. The vibration of a ship interferes with great photographs, but at-sea day on a beautiful cruise ship is a great place to spend time before and after totality and, best of all, a ship's mobility can insure good weather.

I'm speaking from experience. In 1998, my husband and I cruised Celebrity for the cruise that included the total solar eclipse in the Caribbean. The day of the eclipse, we were near Antigua in the area of totality. In the morning, the captain docked in port. Anyone who wanted to see the eclipse on land -- and that included all the photographers -- could stay ashore until the ship returned after the eclipse. At mid-day, the captain sailed away from land to the absolute mid-line of totality. The folks who stayed on the ship had the same magical experience you saw on television yesterday. The captain was able to sail around a little bit as he kept getting weather information and we ended up with cloudless skies and perfect viewing. The poor folks on the island missed out completely. The temperatures dropped quickly as the skies darkened, and clouds began to form over the mountain range up the spine island. By the time of totality, the island was completely covered over by clouds with zero visibility.

Oceania, are you listening? In December 2017, you're already scheduled to be in S. America in December (one cruise -- 35 days). In December 2018, you're already scheduled to be in S. America (one cruise -- 20 days). December 2019 -- much less December 2020 -- isn't yet posted, but it's not too early to start planning. I'll make one additional suggestion: an eclipse cruise probably ought to be somewhat shorter than 20 or 35 days.

Thinking positively!

Here is an article about new procedures that will be put into place for disembarking in St. Petersburg in 2018. They had a successful test 2 days ago and will be implementing it with some tweaks.

What's particularly offensive about this policy is that the ship excursion folk aren't asked to report to the lounges until, typically 30 minutes after the ship is cleared for disembarkation. Then, the sorting out process may take another 30 minutes. That leaves about an hour before any ship-excursion cruises are even walking towards the gangway. Plenty of independent cruisers could be off the ship and away from the passport control desk if we were let off the ship the instant it is cleared. Even if independent disembarkation were allowed only until the time for excursion folks to assemble in the lounges -- to make sure we had all cleared passport control -- that would be an improvement over the new rules.

I doubt anyone will be able to advocate for independent cruisers since. Some time ago, SPBSTAN wrote that the port was now under the control of a company that has a subsidiary, Arctur, one of the accredited tour companies, now benefitting from the new policy.

It is a Transatlantic starting in Europe. Time in port ranges from 7 hours on low end (for only one) to a more usual of 9 to 10 hours, and as long as 13. It is disappointing. Even the On Your Own in Granada is 7.5, and our stop is 10! So it is 4 hours of driving and 3.5 hours of on your own! So strange. It puzzles me why they don't use the 80% of the port time for an excursion rather than 40-50%.

 

One of the reasons we chose O is the more unique ports.

You've just identified one of the drawbacks of cruising: cruising is simply not the best way to visit someplace. At best, cruising is best for sampling a destination rather than a full visit. Itineraries are increasingly trying to solve this problem by scheduling overnight port calls. (People can take advantage of this by leaving the ship and staying in a hotel to save one set of commutes.)

You're reluctant to share why you're unable/unwilling to set up private excursions, and by private, I mean an excursion for just you and DH. Considering your experience on the roll calls, that is going to be the only way you can tailor an excursion to your energy level and interest level. The price difference between a private excursion and O prices may be smaller than you imagine.

Going on our first Regent cruise. What is the difference other than all inclusive? Ambiance, service, food, attire? Are the passengers more affected, or is it just as mellow as O?

Thanks

You write, "other than the all inclusive" casually, but to me, that is a sufficient difference to rule out Regent. I won't say I've never booked a ship's excursions, but I haven't taken one in at least a decade. Oceania's O Life program narrows the gap between Regent by including some ship's excursions. Happily, there are two O Life alternatives for cruisers who prefer private excursions.

Here's the language describing Oceania's O Life Benefits: "Enjoy an even more care-free experience with OLife Choice*, which offers you the flexibility to personalize your vacation experience. Easily stay in touch with FREE Unlimited Internet, PLUS select one from a choice of generous amenities: FREE Shore Excursions, FREE House Beverage Package or a Shipboard Credit. "

My wife and I are considering a 1 day excursion on Aug 30 with either TJ Travel or SPB Tours, both are Russian based. They both came highly recommended from friends who used them in the last 18 months. Both companies offer full day private tours beginning 7:30am - 8:00am until 6pm. Cost per person for party of 2 is $290. Cost is much reduced with larger group; e.g. $215 per person with 10 total on the tour.

 

We would consider joining another group or arranging a group ourselves. Let me know if you are interested,

You can take an excursion with either tour company with equal confidence. Make your choice on the list of destinations (e.g. whether all the destinations are cultural and historic or whether some are life-of-an-everyday resident) and the lunch arrangements.You cannot make a bad choice! Both companies earn high praise from the many posters who hang out on the Northern Europe and Baltic Port of Call Board.

Well end August 2017 we will be on ms Marina (Oceania cruises) 3 full days in St Petersburg. Friends who where there confirmed me that using Ships excursions is the best way, as they have priorities to enter the nice places. I know that Oceania excursions are good quality. However it was not easy to make my choice, so much offers! Even when it is probably more expensive we preferred to do it with Oceania!

Please come back to this board after your cruise and tell us about your excursions with Oceania. You're in the distinct minority on this board; most of us have experience with and vastly prefer the smaller groups of private licensed tour companies. (One of the points that poster emphasize when they report back is that their small group got priority access to popular places so I'm not sure why your friends seem to think this is unique to a ship excursion.)

For completeness, it would be really interesting to hear about your experiences with Oceania's excursions.

Any one know the info on getting from Sant Petersburg to Moscow?

Tours/ tour guide Visa info.?

Thanks

Marty

If you're going to both places within your port call in St. Petersburg, contact a licensed Russian tour company.The names of the many preferred tour companies appear in dozens of posts. Some companies make the trip by air. Other's go via train. Ask each tour company for the pros and cons of either method. (No personal visa required.)

If you're ending a cruise in St. Petersburg you'd need to get a personal visa anyway to fly home, so there's no additional cost/paperwork to extend your trip by adding time in Moscow. Fly there or take a river cruise. (Personal visa required.)

It is just common sense that tour guide and driver eat for free, at least a free basic meal. Why not, they bring in rich foreign customers daily. Specially American they are good tippers, they tip where tipping is not required.

 

May be McDonald and Starbucks would not let guide and driver eat for free.

And what about the opposite end of the spectrum from McDonald and Starbucks?

Beginning on May 13, 2017 the participants/lurkers on this board had an instructive experience with a post "Walk in St. Petersburg After Tour." The thread began with a poster asking about touring independently when the formal tour was over. At first, the responses were predictably along the lines of "No. You can't tour St Petersburg independently unless you get your own visa from a Russian consulate." Suddenly, Post #17 showed up describing 2-3 hours of independent time via a ship's excursion on the Cruise and Maritime Line. By the time the thread was over, we learned that at least four companies -- both cruise lines and licensed Russian companies (AIDA, Princess, Alla, and TJ) -- will let cruisers do the very thing which "everyone" had long assumed was not possible.

This is a different topic, but the principle is the same. I don't understand why people keep insisting things are always done a certain way when posters offer evidence that there are exceptions.

My husband and I tour with companies that happily offer wholly customized tours. As repeat visitors to St Petersburg, we went to destinations that were far off the radar of the standard tours and that includes restaurants. As visitors with an interest in food, we had no interest in speedy lunches and ordered our meals off the menu. In St Petersburg, we ate at the restaurant where the owner of the tour company would be holding her son's engagement dinner within a few weeks of our visit. In Ghent, we ate lunch at a Michelin Bib restaurant. These two establishments are not playing host daily to groups of tourists. (Ghent doesn't get many cruisers. The port call Ze Brugge is touted as the access port for visiting Brugge. We've been before so we went with our guide to Ghent and WWI battlegrounds in Flanders.) These very upscale restaurants have no expectation that guides will bring tourists there for lunch and, as such, are not comping meals for the guide.

For readers who are trying to make sense of the situation they might encounter, here's a clue: If your guide says he/she will meet you after lunch, the restaurant is not comping the guide's meal. The guide can't afford to pay for his/her meal at a upscale restaurant unless we cruisers pay.

I won't bother returning to this thread if you and others want to continue to dismiss my information. Multiple responders to "Walk in St Petersburg After Tour" convinced readers the situation about free time without a visa is more flexible than we believed. I've been the only person offering an alternative on this topic, but I hope I've succeeded in offering some clarity.

Well, I have friends who are still working as guides throughout Europe and the restaurant never charges them or the driver. That's how it works.

We're going to agree to disagree. You may have friends working as guides throughout Europe, but you can't know or speak for 100% of the licensed guides.

And this brings me back to my point in Post #34. We can't speak in absolutes. Earl Roseberry and I have offered experiences to dispute your claim of never. Judijmn (#32) appreciated hearing how Earl -- who we have no reason to doubt -- handled his payment to his guide.

Letting people know the range of possibilities they may encounter while traveling is helpful. You and Earl and I have done that so Judijmn and other cruisers are now prepared for several options when it comes to lunches for their guides.

Having worked as a guide I disagree. The guide and driver never pay for lunch.

Our experience does not match yours. On our Baltic cruise, my husband and I took all day tours with a private guide in the ports of Zebrugge and St. Petersburg. In Ghent, we ate at a restaurant and I paid for the guide's lunch. Her meal was listed on the check and I paid for the food. Ditto for our two lunches with a private guide in St Petersburg. The essential point is that three people walked into a restaurant, ate our lunch, and paid for it in entirety just like any other table of three people in the restaurant. Frankly, I don't even know how the restaurant might have known we were accompanied by a licensed guide.

Guides and drivers don't pay for their lunches they are always provided free by the restaurant where they take you.

Let's be a bit more precise. If you're on a tour that includes lunch as part of the basic cost -- and you have no say about where you will be eating -- cruisers can assume the lunch is prearranged and that the guide's lunch is provided free by the restaurant. If you're on a tour where you pay for your lunch directly to the restaurant because the cost is not part of the basic tour -- and you're typically asked "What kind of restaurant would you like to try?" -- it is a very nice gesture for the cruiser to pay for the guide. Lunches where the group walks off the street without prior arrangements are not offering free lunches to the guides.

To answer the question, most do not allow backpacks, too many priceless items that could turn up missing or damaged by acid attacks that have plagues art museums around the world.

No need to be quite so apocalyptic! A backpack is much more likely to brush up against the surface of a painting in a congested gallery than it is to contain acid or be the intended receptacle for a stolen work of art.

Museum ban backpacks to solve common problems, knowing the rare, big ones get solved by the same rules.

If you are flying overnight would you not arrive in the morning or do you have a long layover at LHR

FWIW, United flies six non-stops daily on the Newark (EWR) to LHR route. One of those is an early AM flight.

American flies ten non-stops daily on the JFK to LHR route. Two of those are morning flights.

United flies one non-stop from IAD (Washington Dulles) to LHR in the morning as does Delta and Austrian Airlines. American flies non-stop from Chicago (ORD). However, none gets in as early as the OP's 5:00 PM arrival so it appears she's coming from some place other than the airports I've mentioned.

I've found that I like the morning departures. We arrive in time for a full night's sleep in hotel bed and wake up with more energy for first-day touring.

We are touring with SPB in St Petersberg at the end of July. Is there time to hit an ATM for some rubles or did you get some ahead of time? thanks!

Any guide will be able to take you to a convenient ATM during your time together. Just make your needs known when you first meet your guide after Passport Control.

I chatted online with American Express and was told they only issue chip and signature credit cards. I was told there should be no problem in Europe.

I'm sorry to have to tell you the the issue with American Express will be acceptance of the cards themselves not the chip and signature part. (There are some specific exceptions which are discussed in the links below.)

Here's what Fodor's Editor wrote on the topic: I’ve never had problems using a Visa or MasterCard in any part of the world and their exchange rates beat AmEx—not to mention most currency exchange services. (In general, you’re better off using a credit card than exchanging cash over the counter.) Discover cards fall short overseas. And while American Express has a strong presence in specific markets like Asia, you will likely encounter resistance in some places to the 3 percent transaction fee they charge."

http://www.fodors.com/news/best-credit-cards-for-international-travel_1-5428

Here's a link to Rick Steves' Forum where a poster asked, " I am an avowed Amex fan but finding that VISA is being asked for more often. Mainly asking how available others have found Amex?" Over a dozen posters replied, so you don't have to take my word alone.

Link to the discussion:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/food-drink/american-express-vs-visa-use-in-europe

...On a sad note, this might be the last year you have any choice in tours. The independent tour operators day's are numbered. The passenger port has been turned over to Inflot, a old Soviet era port operator company that owns Arktur, the company that has almost all the ship contracts in St Petersburg and it has been a goal for years by them to stop access to the port by independent tour operators and now they have that ability for the first time and have announced plans to drive out the "pirates" as Arktur calls all tour operators conducting tours. They want all tours to be sold through the ship alone so the tour available will be large bus tours for a lot higher prices. The ships have wanted that for a long time but had no legal way to stop federally registered tour operators from hosting visa free tours. They seek to return it to the days when 95% of passengers were herded into 55 passenger buses. More will be known towards the fall but Arktur's director was pretty happy about the changes in an interview in the paper recently. Their plan apparently is to simply not permit tour operators to come to the secure port and receive guests, and guests can't just leave the terminal unless received by an authorized tour operator. But that does not impact this year, 2018 likely however.

Yikes! This is important and disturbing news. It certainly deserves its own thread rather than as the conclusion of a lengthy, detailed post under a generic title about the best tour company for St. Petersburg.

I hope you'll stay on top of this development and continue to post.

I am doing the Baltic this summer, September 1st on the Norwegian Getaway, with my husband. I did the same cruise here 3 years ago with a friend. We toured St Petersburg with TJ and can't say enough about them. We had no problems entering Russia with our tour tickets which provided a blanket visa. The fly in the ointment is that Norwegian has informed me, by phone, that we must have a Visa, not tickets, to board the ship in Copenhagen. I have asked them to put that in writing however, after a week, have no response from them. TJ tells me this is the first time they have heard of this twist. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

I hate to sound cynical, but this may be a new hard-ball tactic from a cruise line to drive people to buy ship-sponsored excursions. If TJ -- which depends on knowing the most current law has never heard of this requirement -- then it must be a made-up regulation by the cruise line itself. After all, who would benefit from this non-existent regulation?

Have you posted this situation on the NCL board? As you learn more, you may want to come back and start a new thread with a more specific title to draw other cruisers to this issue.

We're not seeing any comments on Alla tours (bookable through Viator in the US). Has anyone used them? Now we are thinking about TJ travel instead. Help!

What is the appeal of booking through Viator? My practice is to deal directly with the company that will be delivering the service or accommodation and avoid using Viator. In the few instances where I've gone to the Viator web site -- and where I could also identify the actual provider -- the prices have been higher through Viator. (After all, they're entitled to make money for their booking services.)

The case for using Viator seems particularly weak when dealing with well-known and well-admired companies like Alla, TJ, SPB, Best Guides, and more. Obviously others disagree or Viator wouldn't be in business, but I'd really like to hear someone make the case for using a middleman.

I simply worry about these kind of situations..So what is the answer?

Unfortunately, the nature of cruising includes some degree of risk about missed ports. Cruising has a huge number of strengths, but guarantees about arriving at every destination is not one of them. Most people who book a cruise decide the convenience of unpacking once and having their "hotel" move them effortlessly from place to place is a sufficient benefit that they're willing to risk occasional disappointment from missed ports. Other than choosing a land vacation where you alone become responsible for getting yourself from place to place through a variety of methods, there is no "answer."

(Also haven't figured out the quoting feature, so apologies for the low-tech workaround.)

Every post has a light blue band above and below it. Within the lower blue band is a rectangle with the word "quote". Hover your cursor over that box and you'll notice a link develops. Click on it, and you'll bring up a reply box containing the post you want to respond to. There will be blank space below the quote to accept your response.

You'll notice that I deleted some of your post and kept only the portion about quoting. Anyone can edit a quoted post as long as you keep the information in the first square bracket and the final square bracket.

OTOH, your work around strategy had the virtue of letting you quote from two different posters.

Do you know if you can use the crew gangplank to disembark in St. Petersburg? How do you find the crew gangplank from inside the ship?

I recommend you post your question on the Ports of Call -- Northern Europe -- board. My recollection is that we disembarked directly into a building, and went down an escalator before encountering passport control. (I'm confident the new, modern Marine Facade port will also have elevators.) However, a YouTube video shows a Costa ship disembarking passengers onto the dock itself with a building nearby, so this video doesn't match my recollection. (Was the video shot before completion of all the structures for Marine Facade? Are there two types of connections to the building depending on which Terminal your ship is assigned? Am I simply not remembering the situation accurately?)

The folks who hang out on the Northern Europe board will collectively have the answer to your question.

I will be on the Konigsdam this August stopping at Eidfjord, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen. I love to knit (which I believe is a popular hobby in Norway) and I love collecting yarn. Can anyone tell me if there are any great knitting or even knitwear stores in those ports? Thanks!

Dale of Norway is one of the great brands of Norwegian knitware. I know sweaters by this brand are widely available in Bergen. If you really want to indulge your passion for knitting while in Bergen, consider visiting the Dale Factory. You'll need to organize an excursion since it is 34 Kilometers from the city center. Here's what the web site says, "To see the complete museum and factory, a guided group tour has to be booked in advance at e-mail: shop@dale.no, or phone +47 41 56 75 71. There is no charge for visiting the Factory Outlet and a limited part of the Museum."

Here's a link to a site created by a knitter who rates the yarn and knitwear shops in Bergen:

http://yarnlaboratory.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-state-of-yarn-shops-bergen.html

Thank you.

Will definitely try at least one of those :)

Alle Testiere is my favorite restaurant in Venice. My husband and I believe we shared a plate of fritto misto there on one of our earlier trips to Venice. Unfortunately, a blogger whose word I respect on the topic of Venice restaurants claims Alle Testiere doesn't have Fritto on the menu.

Note: Alle Testiere is a tiny, tiny place even by Venetian standards. There are two timed seatings. If you want to linger and chat with friends, select the later seating. If you choose the earlier seating, management will not only pace the serving of your meal to get you out in time, they'll actively shoo you out if you socialize too long after finishing. Diners put up with this practice because the food is so good.

As much as I love fritto misto, there is a limit how far off the "beaten path" I will go in search of it (Antiche Carampane) :)

Can you recommend a place for fritto misto that is more "centrally" located (we are staying at Westin Europa & Regina)?

TIA

The closest fritto misto destination will be Trattoria da Fiori (Warning: There's a very expensive restaurant named Osteria da Fiori; you want the more casual restaurant named Trattoria da Fiori.) It's only an 8 minute walk according to Google Maps.

Another excellent option, ai Promiessi Sposi, is the most distant -- 18 minutes walking -- but stays the San Marco/Cannaregio side of the canal.

If you're willing to use the ferry to cross the Grand Canal Antiche Carampane is 16 minutes away.

Perfect! It opens at 9am.

 

Agree it's best to meet somewhere you all want to visit rather than wasting time going to a hotel which might not be central.

I'm confused why at least two people have proposed AM meet ups. If I've understood the OP correctly, she arrives at 8:00 AM and departs the next day. If so, that leaves the remainder of arrival day to meet up for lunch, or drinks and cicchetti (snacks), or dinner.

Venice is famous for its unusual-to-us seafood. Sharing a heaping platter of mixed fried seafood and drinks sounds like a wonderful way enjoy Venice with friends. I've included two places with a special reputation for fritto misto.

Excellent restaurants for lunch or dinner:

Antiche Carampane, Al Covo, Alle Testiere, or Boccadoro

Cicchetti:

Here's a link to an excellent guide to chicchetti throughout the city, useful because you haven't mentioned where your friends' hotel is located.

https://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/venice-food-guide-best-bacari

Fritto Misto:

Antiche Carampane, Vicio Fritolin, Alla