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We have yet to see what precautionary measures the cruise lines will adapt to ensure the health and safety of everyone on board. Hopefully when cruising resumes, everyone will strictly follow the protocols. Really hoping we can all go back to travelling and cruising! 

Wow, looks like an awesome experience! Hopefully I can try this when I visit Russia again. Maybe a proper trip to Russia instead of a Baltic cruise again. 

Totally up to you. Tip whatever amount you feel like giving and whenever you wish to give it. Tipping in advance could probably make the crew even more enthusiastic to fulfill your requests, though they've always been very helpful and enthusiastic in their jobs in my experience.

You'll receive your refund, just give them some time. They are probably going through the processing of a lot of refunds with limited manpower. 

On 2/8/2020 at 8:18 PM, Kate P.C said:

I vote for a private tour for St.Petersburg too! Booked ours with Anastasia Travel in a small group of just 8. Guide spoke great English and was quite a history genius! Anastasia was able to modify the tour for us, since we all wanted different things! At the end it all turned out well, even the kids had fun 🙂

Toured with Anastasia Travel too! Loved everything about the tour plus the customer service right from the booking phase is just excellent. The whole tour is just beautifully prepared and executed. I could honestly say that it was one of the best, if not the best private tour that we have ever booked.  

I love really small, private group tours, something with a maximum of 10 persons in a group. I enjoy the tour better and I feel like I am fully immersed in the tour. It might be on the more expensive side but it's a better experience over all. 

I stumbled upon this video and I thought it might be helpful to anyone who's undecided on what to choose and book:

On 6/4/2020 at 4:10 AM, dog555 said:

Heading to the Baltics July 2021, and would like to know how far in advance should we book a private tour for SPB?

A lot of local tour companies are offering affordable rates now so you can start asking around. Make sure to ask about their refund policy if you decide to book as early as now. 

You might want to try doing some classes, a cooking class or Matryoshka painting class would be interesting and fun. You shouldn't miss a ballet show while in St. Petersburg. Hopefully there will be available shows when you visit.

As much as possible we stay away from the ship's excursions and always go for local tour operators in the destination. I don't want to waste a lot of money with touring with a big group and we always feel rushed!  

Something to look forward to for your Baltic trip:

Received this lovely update from Anastasia Travel. We used their services when we visited last May 2019. I'd love to go back and visit again sometime next year. See how things change after the pandemic is over. 

Stay safe everyone!

Something to look forward to for your Baltic trip:

https://vk.com/away.php?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dot-v4Cwj238%26feature%3Dshare&cc_key=

Received this lovely update from Anastasia Travel. We used their services when we visited last May 2019. I'd love to go back and visit again sometime next year. See how things change after the pandemic is over. 
 

Stay safe everyone!

Looking forward to cruising this 2021. When this pandemic ends, people will definitely start cruising again, no doubt about that. 

When this global health crisis ends and cruise lines start to operate again, I am still positive that customers will come back and start cruising again. It might not be instantly, but people will eventually consider cruising again. Well, after being home quarantined for a long time and being deprived of going out, people would definitely want to travel again. 

Definitely depends on which ports you'll be visiting. If you have the option to visit St. Petersburg for 3 days then I'll choose that itinerary. 

I agree that instead of cancelling, you are better off rescheduling your cruise or tour. Hopefully the situation gets better soon so we can all go back to cruising and traveling in no time. Can't wait to be back on cruise! 

9 hours ago, iancal said:

Perhaps because we are oldies or perhaps because we have traveled extensively for many years we do not find the article worthwhile.  There seems to be so much entitlement and blaming others for one's own  predicament.

 

Our approach is always to get over it and keep moving forward.  Deal with the here and now.  This self pity business is pointless.  No use crying over foregone fares or inconvenience.  Forget about the whatifs and the ifonlys.   And perhaps learn from the experience.  And spend some quality time in the mirror asking yourself why you were not better prepared to accept travel interuptions.

Great outlook! I agree that there is no use brooding over the past. It's always nice to be flexible. This might just be a bump in the road but you can definitely learn from it. This is not permanent and we'll definitely get back to cruising and travelling in the future, hopefully soon! 

I'd probably just wait it out instead of filing a dispute since the cruise line agreed to give you a full refund. I don't think filing a dispute would expedite the refund process of the cruise line either.  

14 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

You have to still be in business to raise prices.

True. That's why you have to choose a well-established tour operator. A company that has been around longer would definitely still be in business after this crisis. 

I agree that now is the best time to book for your future tours. Those who rescheduled their cruise for next year should plan ahead and book for their shore excursions as well. Travel companies have the lowest rates now and when everything gets back to normal, prices will certainly go up too.  

Interesting idea. Totally beneficial and risk-free for the consumers. Though it might be really hard to implement and and to get different companies to participate. Some companies might get more advantage and end up getting more revenue than the others. 

11 hours ago, SRF said:

 

People are morons.

 

A friend is house sitting this week.  The owner flew to Florida to attend a wedding.

 

REALLY????

I wish everyone takes this health crisis seriously! I mean they can do whatever they want if it will only affect them but they are putting everyone else at risk with their irresponsible ways. How hard it is to just stay home, really? 

This is just a bump in the road and things will eventually get better. We'll enjoy all the things we used to enjoy with greater appreciation that we get to experience and enjoy cruising again. Don't get discouraged, you'll never know how fun and exciting cruising is unless you try it at least once. 

We used Anastasia Travel for our tours in St. Petersburg as well as the other Baltic ports. We found it convenient to use just 1 tour operator for all our tours since we communicate with only one agent. Having a lot of people to communicate too can be pretty confusing and stressful, at least for me! Plus since we booked several tours with them, they gave us a huge huge discount. Enjoyed all the tours and will use them again next time! 

I agree that most local tour operators can allow you to book the tour even without pre-payment. But if you made a deposit or made a full payment, you can also ask for a refund if you decide to cancel the tour. I suggest asking about their cancellation policy to ensure that you are able to cancel within the allowed time so that you can get 100% refund in case you decide to not take the tour. 

Most tour operators in St. Petersburg offer tours to Moscow. But if you are on a cruise, the ship should be docked for at least 3 days for you to be able to visit Moscow on your second day. It's a 4-hour travel via speed train from St. Petersburg to Moscow and another 4 hours going back so you really need to allow 1 whole day for a 1-day tour of Moscow from St. Petersburg. You probably can do it even if you have 2 days but that's too risky and you might miss the train to Moscow.