QuattroRomeo

From Livorno, there are several private companies that you could hire for a scenic drive in Tuscany and possibly a winery tour, for a nice relaxed day. Ship tours often have something like that too. We did a private tour to Volterra (where you can buy some gorgeous alabaster pieces), a winery, and a lovely Tuscany drive and really enjoyed our day.

From Civitavecchia, you could also do private or ship tours to small towns like Tarquinia, or Lake Bracciano. Much less crowded. You could hire someone for the number of hours you feel up to doing a drive and perhaps people-watch at a cafe or vinoteca! Castel Gandolfo is also a lovely town, but a fair amount of uphill walking. Not crowded unless the pope is there.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Wow, if someone on my cruise would have organized something along those lines, we would have jumped on it! I would add Spilled Blood - perhaps on the walking tour.

Hi Buggins- yes I asked for Spilled Blood to be included in the walking tour. Well, you are welcome to join us next September if you're ready to go again!..:p I hope there will be some others on the roll call that will find it appealing too. Now I'll have to start sorting out the other ports!

Thanks everyone for your input, it has been helpful in paring down the list! I knew there was too much to include everything on the common itineraries plus add other things we hope to see. I think we'll do Peterhoff and a nice longer visit to Hermitage for our 'palace fix', and then the Russian museum and a 'citizens view' walking tour that gives more opportunity for seeing places in the city that are closer to everyday life. I think we have found a guide that is interested in discussing our ideas so we are optimistic!

Thanks Raina for a wonderful review, the photos and your wit and humour were terrific!

Thank you Raina, that is exactly what we are interested in hearing about! We have used private guides in other areas and it can be a challenge to keep them focused on OUR wishlist over their own usual route stops..so I appreciate your comments. I will be extra vigilant setting up this one!

Thanks for all of the wonderful photos. Am I seeing correctly that the streets and even the subway sites are quite clean? Not a lot of garbage, or littering, or graffiti?

Thanks for that subway info scubacruiser, I think we'd like to see some of that line.

The theatre in Yusopov that some of you mentioned would be interesting too. It gets harder and harder to eliminate things! But all of your input is much appreciated!

Thank you everyone for your comments and photos so far, it is interesting to hear opinions and see some photos! I realize that everyone has different interests, and for us we like to see art galleries, everyday life sights, try some local foods, and depending on where we are- countryside scenes. So when I looked at the standard tour itineraries, I knew something would have to go in order to add some sights.

This of course doesn't mean that the standard sights aren't appealing-they obviously are or they wouldn't be on the itinerary of so many companies! But sometimes we find that famous sites can be over-hyped, and on a first time visit it is hard to guess which we would appreciate the most.

Reggiefan and Scubacruiser I appreciate your specific comments to help with the paring-down process, and everyone who took the time to respond!

Thanks to you both. It is interesting that you both liked Yusopov. I thought it looked worthwhile when researching, and yet Rick called it a pointless stop on an excursion! So thanks for your opinions.

I have indeed been communicating with tour operators about custom tours, just thought I'd get some opinions on sights to keep and which could be omitted, to create something that hopefully a few others on the roll call might enjoy.

In researching the tour companies in SPB recommended by CC cruisers, I find that the tour itineraries do not vary too much and most sights are pretty standard. We would like to arrange a tour that allows more time in the Hermitage, add the Russian museum, and maybe 1 or 2 other sights that aren't typically on the agenda. That of course will mean that some standard sights will have to be excluded, for a 2 day port stop.

If you have done one of these tours, which sights impressed you the most? Which were just okay, or, not really worth the time? In Rick Steves book about northern cruise ports, for example, he suggests dropping either Peterhof or Catherine's palace, due to palace 'overkill', and travel time. While I don't always agree with Rick Steves, it is an interesting point.

Of these sights usually included on tours, which were your most and least favourite?

Peterhof

Catherine's palace and Amber room

Hermitage

Peter and Paul fortress

Church on Spilled Blood

Nevsky Prospekt

St. Isaac's cathedral

Canal boat tour

Subway ride

Yusopov palace

Or if you think there is something not on the list that should be included as a favourite?

Appreciate all opinions!

We did the grand tour as we wanted to see lots and not spend too long in museums. I really think we would not have missed anything, one lady in our group was annoyed we did not spend longer in the Hermitage, but you would need days to see it all. Our guide asked us if anyone had a particular item they wanted to see, and we all said no, just give us an overview. Though we were inside just after opening it was mobbed with tours. We really enjoyed our 2 long days.

Thanks for your response. It seems that the Hermitage is crowded no matter when you get there, just have to make the best of it! I don't think we would want to miss the site entirely though. What was your favourite site?

We really enjoyed our two whole day P&O small group tours in St Petersburg - visted all the must-see palaces, churches, gardens and residences plus took the riverboat and hydrofoil and also visited an indoor food market and a souvenir gift shop. We also went on the Metro and changed trains - my husband's favourite experience out of two days in St Petersburg!! :)

 

We felt the small group tours were brilliant. The two days were very long and very tiring but we felt so worthwhile to get a very good overview.

I was originally booked for the 2 day Deluxe tour with SPB then changed ships and changed to the 3 day.

In hindsight I wish I had stayed with the 2 day even though we had 3 days there. The 2 day you also save time by getting the hydrofoil to Peterhof.

When you compare the 2 day deluxe and the 3 day deluxe you visit the same places just with less time.

 

 

 

Our ship arrived at 10am and I was told we could have a late day if needed. After the first day with touristy type shopping we said we didn't want any more of that. We had 7 minutes in one church but 15 minutes in the overpriced shop.

 

We were quite rushed but got back early on all days. THAT was very annoying. Seeing we cut the shopping out we thought we'd have a bit more time. Everything is so amazing but the tour wasn't 100%.

 

BTW it is said that to see everything in the Hermitage would take 9 years. It is the largest museum in the world (some say one of).

Thanks for your comments-we will have only 2 days in SPB so sounds like if we do Peterhof, the hydrofoil option is best for time. We also hope to see the Russian museum and do a canal tour and subway ride, so something has to give. For us, we think that church tours are not high on the list, plus reduced shopping. Were Peterhof and Catherine's palace worth the trip?

Just read your review, thanks for taking the time to post it!

We're planning a Baltics cruise and just starting to research the sites in each port. I've read through the tours offered by the popular St. Petersburg companies and they all offer similar itineraries going to more or less standard tourist sites. We would like to design a tour to spend a little longer, at therefore fewer, sites. On the Alla tour you experienced, which sites, in retrospect, do you consider worth seeing? Were some worth a tour at the site, others just should have been a photo stop, or any you could have done without?

I realize it is subjective but would love to hear opinions-sometimes attractions get over-hyped! Thanks for any comments you may have!

Thanks for the review and blog, the ship does indeed look gorgeous!And so does Trunk Bay!

Hope the cruise gave you the lift you needed, nothing like a relaxing cruise to just enjoy life.

Look forward to reading about your next adventure!

This is handy:)

 

http://www.journeywoman.com/ccc/default.html

Thanks for sharing this, it is an interesting site!

Don't worry at all- on this itinerary, you have lots of fabulous ports, good breaks with the sea days, and the perfect sized ship!

We have also sailed HAL(x5) and Celebrity once; most recently we sailed the NCL Sun. The service was terrific, staff friendly and helpful, officers visible and actually speaking with passengers, and the entertainment was very good.

We have noticed a decline in the MDR on all lines that we have repeated, including HAL. However, NCL offers very good value cruises, so if you want to 'upgrade', just do the specialty restaurants, get a wine package or romance package, and book the Chef's Table when you get on board! We loved doing that on the Sun ( see review below), and are looking forward to our Jade cruise this Fall. Hope to read your review when you get back!

We booked our hotel in FLL with their cruise package for Miami. It is a room and the van ride to the port included ( when you arrive, you simply log your departure time at the lobby desk). This was with Embassy Suites on 17th; there may be other hotels that offer this too. Excellent service.

Thanks everyone for the input.

We are considering a Baltic cruise next year on the Silhouette. Has been a long time since we sailed Celebrity, so have been trying to get up to speed. A couple of questions:

I've searched the X website, which is not very user-friendly in my opinion..anyway..I cannot find reference to whether there are any Captains Club points benefits if you book early ( for example, 9 months out+)?

Also, searched the forums about balcony staterooms and many of you recommend the hump rooms, which of course are in limited number. If you book a room in the recessed profiles of the ship, is your view blocked at all by the ones in the wider profile? Can you see the gangway for example? I've checked cruise deck plans but didn't find comments about that.

Thanks for any help!

Il Adagio and Le Bistro!

We are considering a Baltics cruise on the Silhouette in 2015. We haven't been on Celebrity since 2007, so this thread has been very interesting. We have tried various lines over the years and aren't loyal to any one in particular, we book for itinerary and overall value. There certainly has been a decline on those we have repeated with respect to MDR offerings, dining room wait staff numbers, entertainment, extras like live music, flower arrangements, etc. Except for NCL! They have definitely improved since our cruise with them in 2004, except for the MDR food. However, the fares are so much better that it truly was affordable to eat in the specialty restaurants and still come out ahead. The officers were visible everywhere and regularly spoke with passengers. The crew were friendly and very helpful. The shows were terrific. And this was just a basic balcony on the NCL Sun, an older, smaller ship. We don't care about water slides, poolside loungers or the bar scene, so the smaller ships are fine for us.

(If you are interested, my signature link has a food-oriented Sun review).

Back to Celebrity.It has been 10 years since we sailed with them, so I don't remember a lot except that the MDR food and service was very good at the time. There were lots of floral arrangements too, but they were silk flowers, not real ones. No not a biggie, the only reason I remember it is that back then HAL had gorgeous flowers throughout the ship, so I noticed it. Funny what one remembers! I see now that Celebrity's specialty restaurants are quite expensive. Hoping that the MDR is still good! Will a basic balcony still provide us with an enjoyable Celebrity experience? Sounds like most of you think so, which is great.

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us! It's always great to hear that people enjoyed the vacation they so looked forward to!

Will have to keep an eye out for the wine lovers musical - we usually go to wine tasting seminars so the musical sounds like fun.

I agree with you about the cottage cheese 'bowl', way too small... but we also enjoyed Le Bistro and many of the delicious soups. Somehow, we also missed walking the laps around deck after the first go-round..not sure why that happens on cruises..! :p

Thanks everyone!

Hi maidncruze-thanks for your response. We have used a couple of well known limo companies in Italy, but have not come across any CC comments yet for livornotoflorence.com.

We intend to do Florence without a tourguide as such, just looking for reliable transportation there and back.

After checking the rules for the ports of call forums, you can recommend companies if it is in response to a request.(I assume this is to prevent companies from advertising themselves)! Anyway, if you can suggest or recommend someone else, that would be helpful too!

Thanks.

Has anyone tried using livornotoflorence.com, a private car service by N. Scovenna? There are a couple of tripadvisor posts only, but recent; maybe a new company. Anyone tried him?

(I will be glad when the search function is restored!)