Optional to moscow?

[cbb]

Using the "search" function I can't find any info on this later than 2008. Curious if those who were writing about Moscow then took the optional, how they liked it, was it worth the time, etc. We are in St Pete in Sept on Regatta

and can't decide whether to take Day 2 to Moscow or use all 3 days for St Pete. We are avid photographers and have always thought Red Square would be wonderful to "shoot" and being baby boomers there is that whole USSR thing as well! We are both fairly indefatigable and want to see "everything." Thanks for the advice; I rely on y'all.

[cruiseda1]

Hi,

 

As a big cruise fan and a native of St. Petersburg living in Moscow it is hard for me to give you a good advice. If you want to get a feel for St. Pete - spend 3 days there, if you are primarily interested in making pictures from outside try to do a trip to Moscow. Do not buy shore excursions from the ship. They will charge you through the nose.

 

Feel free to send me an email if you need advice - kim.alexei@gmail.com

 

Alex

[cbb]

cruiseda1,

My problem is that I worry if we do not take the ship's optional and there would be a problem flying back to the ship from Moscow then the ship won't wait for us. Not being able to speak any other language wouldn't help matters either! For our peace of mind, this first time we would probably take the ship's tour. We have been told to just stay in St P and try to see as much there as we can, but to be "so close" to Moscow...it is very tempting!

I might just take you up on your email offer nearer the time; right now I wouldn't know what to ask since I haven't done my in depth research yet!

[StanandJim]

The Moscow Tour from St. Petersburg is one of those side trips that sounds like a much better idea than it really is.

 

It works only for the "notch on the bedpost" type of tourist, so that they can say that they have "done Moscow".

 

When you subtract the travel time you're really only there for something like five hours (and I'm being generous).

 

If you're a USSR aficionado, arrange for a private guide to do a tour with a Leningrad spin to it.

 

**Note** Don't expect the ship to wait any significant amount of time for late returning tour passengers. The advantage to taking the ships tour is that that they will organize your flight to the next port to meet the ship.

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

Grab that trip to Moscow. It is fabulous! We did a 3 night pre cruise there in 2004 and it was the highlight of our trip. Regent did a splendid job. It is truley more than we could of expected. We would go back in a heartbeat. It is more beautiful than you can imagine. Loved it, Lovedi t, Loved it.

[merryecho]

I have to disagree with Stan and Jim on this one. Yes, you don't have as much time there as you would like, but for me it was a real aha trip- as in aha! red square isn't really very big, and no one wants to see Lenin' s tomb anymore. And visiting the tiny church in the kremlin where the Tzar's were crowned. And the GUM department store I have always heard about. Plus, now I really understand stalinist architecture- so many odd buildings. Very different than St Petersburg.

We didn't get back to the ship till nearly midnight, so I would hate to take a chance with an independant tour, even though it would be tempting. We wasted a good hour visiting a new cathedral that no one had the slightest interest in.

[Buckland]

Red Square was the highlight of our trip for me. We went from St Petersburg to Moscow on the Tolstoy. St. Basil's was everything I hoped it would be. Even though it was a bit chilly, I was thrilled to be there. By the way, in the shopping center next to the square (be ready for a shock!) is a pharmacy that has vitamin C in little tiny yellow pills that is the very best, and fastest working that I have ever had! We still have some and I haven't had even the sniffles since we got them. We still have a few and guard them like gold.

 

Buck

[potterhill]

With your fly....I tried to kill it and then was upset to see it was behind the screen....then I figured it out. Tres cool.

 

Mo

[JBVols]

We have been to both St. Petersburg (twice) and Moscow. I would not miss a day in St. Petersburg to go to Moscow.

[Buckland]

Hey Potterhill (Mo), yeah, sorry about my little bug, when I saw it I couldn't resist.

Buck

[merryecho]

JB- true, there is much to see in and around St P, I should have mentioned it was our second visit when we did the Moscow trip. I still wouldn't miss it though.

[cruisecountess]

DH and I took one of our three days in SP and flew to Moscow on a ship's excursion. We left at about 6 a.m. and didn't get back until after midnight.

We had more than five or six hours in Moscow, and it was jam packed with sights and activities. The highlight for me was seeing Red Square, which is not as daunting as it was when, as a child, I would watch the troops marching through. I also loved seeing the Faberge eggs in the Armory in the Kremlin.

However, SP was so beautiful that I hated to give up one day there. Am I sorry I went to Moscow? NO, but am I sorry I lost a day in SP? YES. So, whatever you decide, it will be great; you can't lose. HOWEVER, I strongly suggest you go to Moscow with the ship. We encountered changes in airlines and flight times; it would have been a daunting task for us on our own. IMHO,

though, I would recommend doing a private tour (guide and driver) in SP. You can establish your own itinerary and set your own pace; you will have a much more rewarding experience.

[StanandJim]

Am I sorry I went to Moscow? NO, but am I sorry I lost a day in SP? YES

 

Cruisecountess has hit the nail on the head!

Lets not make this a question of "Should I visit Moscow", of course Moscow is a once in a lifetime destination with fabulous architecture and a magnificent heritage.

What is at issue here is "Should I LEAVE St. Petersburg, when I am already THERE".

Lets face it, even with a generous three day port visit, we are probably talking about something like 36 hours off of the ship, even if you kill yourself.

 

I suppose it depends on your personality......after four hours in the Hermitage, will you be done with it? Can you drive by the Church of the Spilled Blood and check that off your list? Can you visit the amber room at Catherines Palace and skip the gardens?

[merryecho]

I agree cruisecountess-it is a choice with no wrong answer. I think age may have something to do with it as well, those of us who grew up during the cold war are more fascinated by Moscow than the next generation, for whom it is just another city.

[Rickey 88]

StanandJim bring up a point that many tend to overlook. Cruising, as popular as it is, is not the best way to visit any country.

 

A country as big as Russia cannot be "done" in a few days. St. Petersburg is intensely popular but the two or three days most cruise lines offer still leave a vast number of sights unseen.

 

Moscow, as the capital of the largest country on earth, cannot be "done" in one day either. Time is spent getting there, being escorted to the city, shuttled around a few sights, allowed time for souvenirs, and escorted back to the airport.

 

You would be best served if you waited until you could spend much more time in seeing this fascinating city.