DanL Posted March 19, 2014 #226 Share Posted March 19, 2014 As in the pix below. http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2014/03/20140314_invade.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoVega Posted March 19, 2014 #227 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Perhaps Riga could be substituted for SPB on many cruises except for the largest ships. They do not offer as deep a berth and not as long (max 295 ft length 16m depth) as Tallinn or SPB, but it is a delightful city to visit. The old town is wonderful, there are miles and miles of beaches nearby and there are a number of castles in the countryside. And perhaps cruises could spend 2 nights in Tallinn so that tourists can better enjoy what that medieval (and modern!) city has to offer. Statistics from: http://www.kpmg.com/EE/et/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Pressiteated/Documents/Competitive-Position-of-the-Baltic-States-Ports-2013.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-Cruiser Posted March 19, 2014 #228 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Sorry, but I really don't she the sense in this. Those past final payment has no choice as to what itinerary to book. Most has gotten their flights etc for Baltic cruises leaving in May, June etc.. The cruise lines might offer some sort of compensation or let you swap to a desired itinerary but the logistic involved would be enormous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanL Posted March 19, 2014 #229 Share Posted March 19, 2014 http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBREA2I1J620140319?irpc=932 See pix in previous post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giantfan13 Posted March 19, 2014 #230 Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) there are just too many European nations that depend on Russia for oil and other things to think that they would apply severe sanctions on them. Personally, I would like to see severe sanctions put on Russia, like we did with Iran, but that will never happen. Unless the cruise lines decide not to reward Russia by filling some of their cities with tourists, there will not be any changes made to the cruise industry. Russia isn't even communist any more, so this is just a power play to show they can do it if they want. This is not like the 1960's Cold War, but there certainly is a nice chill on the continent. I also emailed several of the tour companies to see what they are doing, and best they could say is to book your tour as usual. Since there is no deposit, you have nothing to lose. Unless you are traveling soon, I would wait before submitting my passport info. Cheers Len Edited March 19, 2014 by Giantfan13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buggins0402 Posted March 19, 2014 #231 Share Posted March 19, 2014 http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBREA2I1J620140319?irpc=932 See pix in previous post. That would be a giant leap over a line in the sand. Would take a lot of hubris on Putin's part. Particularly to do something so soon. Back to cruise discussion....if people start cancelling cruises willy-nilly they will make a no-go a self fulfilling prophecy, because the lines will follow the profits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillPizzaiolo Posted March 19, 2014 #232 Share Posted March 19, 2014 We are slated for a Uniworld River Cruise in September Moscow to SPB. I wonder if it will take place. We inquired about canceling. If we did then we would loose our deposit and the fee paid for trip insurance. TA advised that we wait until there is a travel advisory then the trip insurance would cover us. Has anyone else gotten that kind of information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMiz Posted March 19, 2014 #233 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I had CNN on at 4:40pm and I heard those magic words Baltic states and Estonia. I was hoping it wouldn't get this bad but its not looking good now they are talking Estonia / Baltic States / NATO . Then it was brought up we have no tanks in Germany . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buggins0402 Posted March 19, 2014 #234 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Not really. Because they don’t have to cancel, they’re keeping them for the customers who want them. However, changing some itineraries helps in two ways:1) For customers who want to protest, and/or have been there before so prefer peace of mind, they can book that itinerary safely, so it may boost demand for that market 2) If things did get worse, it’s simplified the number of itineraries and re-booking that are affected. Best of both worlds – as long as they get enough bookings on the non-spb ones. Exactly. Demand for SPB has fallen - just adjust the port demand to the cruises you have and let people move to the itinerary they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMiz Posted March 19, 2014 #235 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Back to cruise discussion....if people start cancelling cruises willy-nilly they will make a no-go a self fulfilling prophecy, because the lines will follow the profits. I am on a July 13th cruise to the Baltic with Royal I booked the first day the cruise went on sale. My D2 was $3039 pp there was never a price break on that room ( in my favor ) until last week and it drop to $2100. for one day the JS were cheaper than the D2's I should note these prices seem to be for US cruisers I checked the D2 price in the UK and it was still the same as when I booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvbkk Posted March 20, 2014 #236 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Well, we sail on brilliance on May 14 so we are watching and listening for developments. We are scheduled for 2 nights in SPB. My only hope will be that we are able to call at another port if need be... Perhaps Riga. But since it's out of my control, we will go with the flow. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonza Posted March 20, 2014 #237 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I think some ports like Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki might be able to handle an extra ship or two. In Stockholm there might be a spare berth or two where the ferries to Åbo berths. For Viking Line it departs at 07.45 and the ferry coming back doesn't arrive until 18.45. I think it is about the same for Tallink Silja's ferries to/from Åbo. I think that Viking Line uses the same berth for the Turku (Åbo) ferries and Cinderella, which is at port 15:30-18:00 meaning that the berth is free only 7:45-15:30. For Tallink Silja the Turku ferries share a berth with the Tallinn ferries. The berth is free for less than three hours at a time during the day. Desdichado62 is definitely correct in that especially the large cruise ports will be able to add a few ships per day. This would not hold true as well for the largest ships as there are many berths, but only some of them long and deep enough for the largest vessels. And in fact I do not think that many "new ships" would be added as pretty much all the cruise ships in the region do call at St. Petersburg. Closure of St. Petersburg to cruise ships would result in quite a rescheduling challenge for the cruise lines and ports involved. I suppose that rescheduling would be quite likely if St. Petersburg was skipped as there are no other potential cruise ports east of Helsinki and Tallinn. Therefore the options for the cruise lines would be either to backtrack to an alternate port, spend two sea days on a crossing that is made by ferries in two hours, or try to rearrange their schedules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradySRQ Posted March 20, 2014 #238 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Estonia is a NATO country. I know Putin is feeling brazen but that might be pushing it. Then again. ... Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelanni Posted March 20, 2014 #239 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Desdichado62 is definitely correct in that especially the large cruise ports will be able to add a few ships per day. This would not hold true as well for the largest ships as there are many berths, but only some of them long and deep enough for the largest vessels. And in fact I do not think that many "new ships" would be added as pretty much all the cruise ships in the region do call at St. Petersburg. Closure of St. Petersburg to cruise ships would result in quite a rescheduling challenge for the cruise lines and ports involved. I suppose that rescheduling would be quite likely if St. Petersburg was skipped as there are no other potential cruise ports east of Helsinki and Tallinn. Therefore the options for the cruise lines would be either to backtrack to an alternate port, spend two sea days on a crossing that is made by ferries in two hours, or try to rearrange their schedules. Exactly the points I made earlier in posts 205 and 207 and which were soundly de-bunked by those with superior knowledge of the Carribbean and Mediterranean. Glad to find that someone from the Baltic region agrees with me. I was beginning to doubt what I had learned in nearly 50 years association, both working and leisure, with the shipping industry and northern ports. :rolleyes: Anni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desdichado62 Posted March 20, 2014 #240 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) I think that Viking Line uses the same berth for the Turku (Åbo) ferries and Cinderella, which is at port 15:30-18:00 meaning that the berth is free only 7:45-15:30. For Tallink Silja the Turku ferries share a berth with the Tallinn ferries. The berth is free for less than three hours at a time during the day. Desdichado62 is definitely correct in that especially the large cruise ports will be able to add a few ships per day. This would not hold true as well for the largest ships as there are many berths, but only some of them long and deep enough for the largest vessels. And in fact I do not think that many "new ships" would be added as pretty much all the cruise ships in the region do call at St. Petersburg. Closure of St. Petersburg to cruise ships would result in quite a rescheduling challenge for the cruise lines and ports involved. I suppose that rescheduling would be quite likely if St. Petersburg was skipped as there are no other potential cruise ports east of Helsinki and Tallinn. Therefore the options for the cruise lines would be either to backtrack to an alternate port, spend two sea days on a crossing that is made by ferries in two hours, or try to rearrange their schedules. You are right, It is the same in Stockholm. Viking Line's ships only use two berth S162 and S164 and Tallink Silja also uses the same berth for different ships. Edited March 20, 2014 by Desdichado62 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desdichado62 Posted March 20, 2014 #241 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Estonia is a NATO country. I know Putin is feeling brazen but that might be pushing it. Then again. ... Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk There are already NATO-forces (6x USAF F-15 fighter aircraft) in the Baltic countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norwegianlatvian Posted March 20, 2014 #242 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Boycott SPB. You dont want to support a country financially that annex other countries' territory do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaofwonder Posted March 20, 2014 #243 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) Maybe we'll hear something from Oceania today (Thursday)? Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Edited March 20, 2014 by seaofwonder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babr Posted March 20, 2014 #244 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Just checked Oceania website. Nothing I could see about port changes, but they are offering free unlimited shore excursions in St. Pete. Is that something new or was it part of the package all along? Looks like they are offering incentives to book rahter than change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buggins0402 Posted March 20, 2014 #245 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) Just checked Oceania website. Nothing I could see about port changes, but they are offering free unlimited shore excursions in St. Pete. Is that something new or was it part of the package all along? Looks like they are offering incentives to book rahter than change. It's new - for cruises that have not hit final payment. No offer for the earlier cruises that I can see. There were also some port changes on some Black Sea cruises. Edited March 20, 2014 by buggins0402 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoVega Posted March 20, 2014 #246 Share Posted March 20, 2014 If you are able to stop in SPB, here is a painting that has been banned and you will not be able to view: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2013/0828/Painting-of-Putin-in-drag-highlights-abuse-of-Russia-s-anti-gay-law The tragic thing about all this is that it is because Putin is an aging man with a failed marriage and gay tendencies having a mid-life crisis. Sure, he speaks anti-gay rhetoric, then he prances around the internet with shirtless pictures on horseback and bears which practically amount to Gay porn. Sure he and Alina the gymnast "deny" an affair, they "deny" having a love child or two. Nice coverup, eh! Brilliant in fact. They deny it so much the Russian public believe it is true, and that their leader is not gay... So he creates more of a diversion by seizing the Crimea. The United States and the EU just don't realize that you can't reason with a man having a mid-life crisis! They should concentrate on discrediting him and letting the Russian public do the rest. Then we can all get back to cruising and dealing with our mid-life crises in a healthier fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essexlass2 Posted March 20, 2014 #247 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Boycott SPB. You dont want to support a country financially that annex other countries' territory do you? We don't want to get involved in politics. We booked the cruise with the highlight being St P, so if that gets pulled off our itinerary then we shall cancel. We can easily visit alternative European ports ourselves on a land trip from UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ2002 Posted March 20, 2014 #248 Share Posted March 20, 2014 The US announced additional sanctions against Russian individuals, and now also, a Russian bank based in St. Petersburg. Russia has responded with sanctions of US Senators and presidential aides. This situation is not heading in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaofwonder Posted March 20, 2014 #249 Share Posted March 20, 2014 They also kicked Russia out of the G8 (German chancellor announced that today). I still have two months....lots of time for this to unravel. The talk in Estonia is worrisome. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomf Posted March 20, 2014 #250 Share Posted March 20, 2014 As in the pix below. http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2014/03/20140314_invade.png Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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