Private Tours

[capecodjoan]

I am hoping to go on Celebrity Eclipse to Scandanavia/Russia. How do we book tours or private cars for someone with back problems i.e. not alot of walking.

[ghstudio]

Celebrity tour descriptions are pretty accurate....read them. Of course you can set up private excursions with local tour guides and they can accommodate your issues...just tell them what you want and see what they suggest.

[alcpa1]

Capecodjoan,

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

One of the most beneficial planning tools for any cruise is your Roll Call. You will find the Roll Call board under the Cruise Line listings. Go to Celebrity and then your ship. Find your sailing date and join the discussion.

As you search through the destinations boards you will find a number of highly recommended private excursion companies. If you have limited mobility you would be more comfortable with a private excursion company. Many, nay most, use Mercedes type vans that can accommodate no more than 14 and are easily accessed. These same companies can almost always provide a sedan if you wish to go independently.

All excursions in Europe are costly. Group tours booked through private companies are the best value with the best service in my opinion.

I have taken a Baltic cruise so perhaps I can help. I don't know your exact itinerary but most stop in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Talinn and St. Petersburg, and perhaps Warnemunde/Rostock for Berlin.

In Copenhagen you will be on level ground. Many of the streets in the city area are cobbled. The water excursion is quite good, surprisingly so. Tivoli Garden is on Hans Christian Blvd. and probably the western fringe on your focus area.

Stockholm has more hills but fewer cobbled streets except in Old Town. The Vasa Museum is wonderful but for your needs would best be accessed by a route other than water taxi.

Helsinki has the most hills of the major stops. The inner city is quite modern.

Talinn's Old Town might present the biggest challenge. The lower town is cobbled once inside the wall. The hills are steep past the town square.

Warnemunde or other German ports call leads to Berlin. You can take a tour to Berlin via bus, train or private excursion. The ride on any conveyence is about 3 hours. Once in Berlin you can see quite a bit and there will not be a great deal of walking. There just isn't time.

St. Petersburg is a mixture of both. There are gentle hills at Peterhoff with pea gravel walkways from the river to the palace. Catherine's Palace and Petrovsk are flat but require quite a bit of walking.

That's just the tip of the iceberg for the above mentioned sites.

Now....the palaces in each of the cities require you to handle steps.

The Hermitage is huge but you will only have time to see a small portion.

On my last trip to St. Petersburg (on a cruise) we were in a group with a lovely lady who needed a wheelchair from time to time. I don't recall any sites with an elevator.

This is where a private tour is at its best because you can tailor your itinerary to your abilities. A private excursion will take you closer to almost every site than a bus.

I hope this has given you a small idea of the cities you will visit. Because I don't know your limitations I generalized.

Your specific questions regarding the cruise and itineraries and tour options will best be answered on the two above mentioned boards.

Once again, welcome and I hope that the members of Cruise Critic will make your trip exceptional in every way.