flowslow

Hard sided suitcase 

Pros: 

Packing is more organized since you can use both sides to pack your stuff

Water-resistant 

Lightweight

Durable 

Better security

Easier to clean

Cons:

Can crack or break

Not too flexible or expandable 

Need to open the whole bag to access items inside

I believe you can book a 1-day tour of St. Petersburg with any local tour company. We used Anastasia Travel when we visited last May and I believe they offer different tour programs which you can customize. If you want to do a canal tour only, I think they can arrange that for you since you are free to customize the tour. Good luck! 

On 9/18/2019 at 1:06 AM, Buddy31825 said:

This will be my 8th cruise. My first solo cruise, a 24 day transpacific on 5 oct. Anyone think I should have done a shorter one.

This sounds amazing! What we think don't matter since it's your say. I bet you'll have a great time and you'll enjoy the whole experience! Good luck!

I think you should consider allotting leeway time from disembarking the ship to your flight back home. An 11 AM flight when your ship will be docking at 7 AM is too tight. You have to consider possible delays during disembarkation and check-in procedures. It's better to give yourself more time instead of risking missing the flight and paying more to buy another ticket back home.  

Thank you for such a detailed review! This is very helpful to everyone doing the the Baltic Cruise 🙂

I agree that a private tour with a smaller number, preferably less than 8 persons, is the best way to tour around St. Petersburg! We also did a small group tour with 8 persons using Anastasia Travel and we had the best time. They also customized our tour to include the places we wanted to visit, really catered to our group's needs and preferences. It was personalized, well-organized and definitely more fun when you tour with a smaller group.  It gave us the flexibility to do the tour without the pressure of strictly following the time. We did the tour on our own pace and spontaneously chose where to eat lunch on the day of the tour. We'd love to go back again! 

Almost all establishments accept credit cards and for tipping, I found that they don't mind receiving USD or EUR. If you really want to have some local currency in case you want to buy souvenirs from small vendors, I suggest just withdraw from the ATM. Most ports have ATMs so it's very convenient and easy to get the local currency. 

Thank you for sharing your experience! St. Petersburg is truly a wonderful city and should be in everyone's bucket list. We also visited the same sights you visited and we loved everything about the tour! We used Anastasia Travel though but just the same, we had an amazing time too. Just goes to show that the tours arranged by these local tour companies are a hundred times better than the excursions arranged by the cruise line, and not to mention a whole lot cheaper too. 

When we were in St. Petersburg we were also very interested in visiting Moscow. We were already in Russia why not visit as much places as we could, right? We used Anastasia Travel for our St. Petersburg tour and also asked them to include Moscow. They were very helpful and were very much willing to arrange a day trip to Moscow for us but they suggested we just stay in St. Petersburg since we only had 2 days. They were kind enough to explain that we would just waste time and money if me push through with the Moscow trip. We would spend more time on the train instead of using the time to explore and enjoy the sights. They were actually correct and we ended up enjoying a wonderful 2-day tour in St. Petersburg. I guess we'll have to go back to see Moscow and make sure to stay longer! 

We also did a 3-day St. Petersburg tour last May but we used Anastasia Travel. We loved everything about tour! We did not only see the "must-see" sites but we were also able to customize the tour to add the sites that fit our needs and preferences. We requested for some free time to walk around to really experience the city and we also did a Matryoshka painting class that both kids and adults in our group enjoyed. We also had an amazing guide, Venus, who seemed like a walking google! She knew everything and shared so many information. She was so fun to be with and made the whole tour very engaging and interesting!

I think all these local tour companies pretty much offer tours in the same price range and they cover all must-see sites as well. I just thought I share our wonderful experience with Anastasia Travel and how we were able to customize our tour. Good luck with planning your tour!  

Depends on the show, the theater and the seats you choose. Better check the official websites of the ballet theaters to purchase tickets. 

15 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I would recommend a cruise that offers 3 days in Saint Petersburg.

I agree! There is just so much to see in St. Petersburg that you need at least 3 days to fully enjoy and experience the city. You will be able to comfortably fit a visit to Catherine's Palace and the Peterhoff, which are an hour drive away from the city center, as well as seeing a world-class Russian Ballet show if you have 3 days in St Petersburg. There will be no rush and you'll appreciate the city  better. 

There is no strict dress code for an evening ballet performance show. The audience will be mostly tourists as well who came from a whole day tour without any time to change clothes for the show. A casual and presentable clothing should be fine. 

Great video! Looks like you really had a great time plus the weather looked amazing! Thank you for sharing, can't wait to do a Baltic cruise again! 

17 hours ago, Starbar said:

I have looked at a lot of the tour operators mentioned above but I can't find a tour similar to these on their websites. We may just need to bin them and take the traditional tours. We were just looking for something a bit different. But if its not possible then that is that. 

I'm pretty sure you can do a customized tour with the local tour operators. We customized our tour with Anastasia Travel when we visited last May. We had specific places we wanted to visit and they were very helpful in creating an itinerary that fits our needs. We were a big group with children and older ones so our group's interest was really very varied. Good thing they were able to help us customize a tour that satisfied everyone's needs and desires. You might want to consider them and I'm sure they can help you arrange a tour based on your preference. 

Any local tour operator in St. Petersburg can take care of your visa-free disembarkation when you book a tour with them. We used Anastasia Travel during our trip last May and we had a wonderful time. I find shore excursions with local tour companies so much better and cheaper than a ship's tour. Don't listen to Princess and go ahead and book with any of the local tour operators mentioned here. 

We booked a tour with Anastasia Travel when we were in St. Petersburg last May. I highly recommend their services and I actually heard from them that they also do excursions in other Baltic Ports. They were very responsive and professional in communicating with us during the planning stage. We had an amazing time with them during the tour and everything was well-prepared and well-executed. We didn't have any problems with them and we just had to enjoy and relax during the whole tour with them. 

We toured with Anastasia Travel and paid with our credit card through their website. It was very convenient and secure, we did not experience any problems.

If you are not too comfortable using your credit card they might accept your payment on the day of the tour. Better contact them and ask if that is possible. 

I highly recommend Anastasia Travel. We used them when we visited last May and we had a wonderful time. We too had specific places that we wanted to visit and Anastasia Travel helped us customize a tour that fully satisfies our needs. They were very kind and professional, they helped us create a tour that only includes the places that interest us. Our guide was just incredible and she made the tour very interesting and fun. I'm pretty sure they can help you create an itinerary that includes a visit to the Hermitage and Savior on the Spilled Blood in 1 day.

17 hours ago, GradUT said:

Touring with a maximum of 16 people on an independent tour is so much better than the horde of 40+ people you can find on a ship’s excursion.

Yes! This is so true! It's very difficult to enjoy and appreciate the tour when you are with a loooot of people. Plus an independent tour costs way cheaper than a ship's tour.  

23 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

They did get back to me and the cancellation is 100% if you cancel at least 2 weeks in advance. I'm waiting for another agency to see if they can beat the price. My FIL is hesitant to do a non ship tour and has read the descriptions on the cruise lines website and said he could do it but I'm not sure what excursion he was looking at because the 2 day says the activity level is high and I know there is no way he could do that. I was wondering if being in a small group they would be able to drop us off at the entrance to the attractions or would we need to walk from the parking lot? 

During our tour with Anastasia Travel, they dropped us off right at the entrance. Being in a small group gives you the flexibility to do the itinerary at your own pace. There were also instances when we felt we wanted to stay longer at a specific sight so we extended a little bit and adjusted the itinerary as we continued the tour. I loved that we did not feel rushed or anything. We just enjoyed the whole experience. 

23 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I contacted them and so far they are the only ones who have gotten back to me with a price. They offered a half off discount if we booked and paid by the end of August. Do you happen to know their cancellation policy? What option did you choose for lunches? I'm thinking about doing the pre arranged restaurant lunches.

They also gave us a good discount. I'm not sure about their cancellation policy, I think you could ask them about it. We did a pre-arranged lunch as well and we enjoyed the food in an Authentic Russian restaurant. The name I forgot already but I really think they know the best restaurants in St. Petersburg. 

We used Anastasia Travel for my family's St. Petersburg visit last May. We considered all possible options for the tour since we are a mix of kids, adults and older guests as well. They also shared a comfortable tour with us as well as a more relaxed tour. We opted for the more relaxed tour with some activities for the kids as well. We totally customized the tour to cater to the needs of my dad who is a slow walker but still enabling us to visit St. Petersburg's highlights and do some activities fun for the kids.  

Just use your credit card as most establishments accept them. If you really want to get Rubles I do not suggest getting your money exchanged in the ship but instead just withdraw from the ATM as soon as you arrive in Russia. There are ATMs at the port. 

We did a Baltic Cruise just this May and we had 3 children with us. We booked with Anastasia Travel and we also did the Matryoshka Painting class. The kids loved it and we, the adults, enjoyed it as much as the kids did. We loved the private tour because we got the chance to customize it based on our preferences. We also added a visit to the Grand Model Russia that the kids definitely enjoyed. Good luck with your tour planning!