spider3

That is good to hear, perhaps it is only Azura or something new P&O are trying. I only hope they take passengers comments seriously.

I have also just returned from this Baltic cruise and would agree with the previous post regarding Azura's need for a refit and problem with toilets. The issue that concerns us is the way in which passengers who have booked independent tours in St Petersburg are treated. Those presenting port talks go out of their way to try and convince passengers that they must book tours with their excursion team. They also issue letters to passengers who have booked independently stating they will not be allowed to leave the ship until two and a half hours after docking. We were told we would be sent back if we tried to disembark any earlier. They are prioritising their own tours and disembarking all of these passengers first. To make the situation worse they are claiming this is the Marine Façade (port authority) regulation, which is not true.:mad:

Book independently, we would recommend Viator, who offer a range of tours and include the visa in their ticket price and so make the process simple. Passengers who did ship excursions were in groups of 14+ and complained of queuing. Small group with Viator, who contract a company called 'I Travel SPB' means 6 max and we didn't queue. The quality of the guide is excellent (thank you Olga) for a fantastic two days and meals in good traditional restaurants are included. to top it all you pay less than P&O charges.:)