Is anyone concerned about the current events in the Ukraine?

[lori450]

We are scheduled to be in St Petersburg this August. I am beginning to become concerned as the events in Russia are escalating. Is anyone else concerned? Any thoughts on changing our plans?

[Globaliser]

Every time we have a thread on this subject, it deteriorates and gets locked.

[Glaciers]

Other recent posts regarding this.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2024606&highlight=crimea

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2024130&highlight=crimea

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999665&highlight=crimea

[buggins0402]

Cruisemom42 said it better than anyone possibly could:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42409509&postcount=8

[lori450]

Thanks for the links. I see what you mean about some of the posts. too bad. I was concerned and was looking for some feedback from other travelers, not political agendas, nor criticism for being concerned.

thanks for your help

[lori450]

Cruisemom42 said it better than anyone possibly could:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42409509&postcount=8

I read that and I don't understand why they answered that way. I am just looking for simple feedback from someone who is more informed than I am. I'm not looking for someone to tell me what I can and can not do.

Please this is not meant for confrontation. Has anyone recently been on a tour in St Petersburg? What was your sense of the situation? Was there anything that put you "on alert".

[LHT28]

It may be a bit early for feedback as the season is just beginning for cruises to SPB

Maybe by the end of May more reviews will appear

 

If there is any problems there the ships will not go to SPB ...the safety of passengers comes first

 

Enjoy the cruise

 

lyn

Edited April 23, 2014 by LHT28

[SparkleBee]

I'm due to be in St. P on May 18. I'm not too concerned. certainly not enough to change my plans. I trust Princess to cancel if it's necessary, and if that is the case I'll go along with whatever is substituted. by the time your cruise rolls around things will be different, hopefully for the better!

[Hlitner]

Agree with LHT. SPB is a long way from the Ukraine and we would not anticipate any cruise problems unless the US and EU decide to enforce some kind of travel ban which seems to be very unlikely.

 

Hank

[Glaciers]

You can always sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive updates from the State Department.

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/step.html

[lori450]

Thanks to all. Great feedback. I didn't stop to think that there was a season, but once you mentioned it, it made perfect sense. I'll keep my eyes open as the season progresses.

Thanks for the state dept link.

 

I'm looking forward to reading all the upcoming reviews.

[lori450]

Agree with LHT. SPB is a long way from the Ukraine and we would not anticipate any cruise problems unless the US and EU decide to enforce some kind of travel ban which seems to be very unlikely.

 

Hank

 

I do understand that they aren't close, but when our govt decided to place a small amount of troops in Poland and Tallinn Estonia (one of our stops), it became a little closer.

[LHT28]

Thanks to all. Great feedback. I didn't stop to think that there was a season, but once you mentioned it, it made perfect sense. I'll keep my eyes open as the season progresses.

Thanks for the state dept link.

 

I'm looking forward to reading all the upcoming reviews.

 

I looked at the port schedule the ships start there mid May for the most part

http://portspb.ru/en/about-port

Edited April 24, 2014 by LHT28

[John Bull]

We are scheduled to be in St Petersburg this August. I am beginning to become concerned as the events in Russia are escalating. Is anyone else concerned? Any thoughts on changing our plans?

 

I read this post in the way it was intended - not a debate on politics or rights-and-wrongs, but concern about the impact on cruising to St Petersburg.

 

And like others on this thread I see the potential impact on cruising to Odessa & any other ports in western Ukraine, to the Crimea, to eastern Ukraine (I don't think any cruise ships go there anyway), and to Sochi, St Petersburg & other Russian ports as at least four different situations.

And although I see St Petersburg as probably the least likely of them to be affected, yes of course there's a risk of it being cancelled from Baltic itineraries - but only through force-majeure, not through cruise lines making political decisions.

 

Just MHO, but cruisers who already have money committed to a Baltic cruise should stick with it. There's currently no embargo on cruise ships calling at SPB and cruise lines will not put their passengers in harms way, but if SPB should need to be cancelled there are plenty of options for substitution. Wouldn't be so good, but pointless to throw money away when there are other very worthwhile ports in the Baltic.

 

Other than the very few who've arranged visas to explore independently, I don't see that cancellation of SPB will affect cruisers' pockets - any ship's excursion fees paid will be refunded & those who've booked with local operators don't pay or commit until they arrive. This for both existing and planned excursion bookings.

 

Anyone who's not yet committed to a cruise, presumably including the OP, is going to have to decide for themselves but I guess that decision doesn't have to be made until irrecoverable payment is due.

If a late decision is made I guess that would impact on any air fares, such as USA to UK, Copenhagen etc. On the other hand, Baltic cruise prices are tumbling as bookings drop due to the uncertainty.

 

There's no doubt that SPB is the jewel in any Baltic cruise, and if it were to be cancelled before I committed big bucks I'd choose to save a Baltic cruise for some future occasion.

 

I'm just glad I'm not in the OP's position cos at the moment I wouldn't know which way to decide, or even when to make that decision.

 

Just MHO, & I wish good luck to the OP & others planning a Baltic cruise

 

JB :)

[easybay]

We are booked for a July Baltic sailing (12 day) from Copenhagen to Dover. SPB is a 2 day stop, and I'm concerned - especially with American troops being sent to Eastern Europe as of yesterday. I would love to go to Russia - but if it's cancelled, I won't be heartbroken. I'm hoping we get to go to Helsinki if it is.

 

As for making the decision - we chose this particular cruise due to the time and length - and living in Florida, did not want to go to the Mediterranean in July, we were looking for a cooler alternative. We both liked the itinerary, and thought it would be neat to go to Russia. That said - what is your reason for choosing your cruise? If SPB is the highlight for you, I don't think I would do it. If you are like us, and are looking for something to fit into a schedule and are easy about the itinerary changing than go for it.

 

As someone else said the prices are REALLY good. Our cruise dropped in price by $2,000 PER PERSON since we originally booked. I hate to look on the website to see how much lower they will go....:eek: Our final payment went through last week so we are completely tied in at the $4,000 savings!!!!

 

I'm in the process of researching tours in SPB and making sure whatever company I choose has a 100% refund policy - the tours are VERY pricey, and if we are going there I don't want to have to pay in advance and then try to get my money back!

[LHT28]

I'm in the process of researching tours in SPB and making sure whatever company I choose has a 100% refund policy - the tours are VERY pricey, and if we are going there I don't want to have to pay in advance and then try to get my money back!

 

Most tour companies you pay on the day of the tour

If they ask to pay in advance just keep looking

[lori450]

I read this post in the way it was intended - not a debate on politics or rights-and-wrongs, but concern about the impact on cruising to St Petersburg.

 

And like others on this thread I see the potential impact on cruising to Odessa & any other ports in western Ukraine, to the Crimea, to eastern Ukraine (I don't think any cruise ships go there anyway), and to Sochi, St Petersburg & other Russian ports as at least four different situations.

And although I see St Petersburg as probably the least likely of them to be affected, yes of course there's a risk of it being cancelled from Baltic itineraries - but only through force-majeure, not through cruise lines making political decisions.

 

Just MHO, but cruisers who already have money committed to a Baltic cruise should stick with it. There's currently no embargo on cruise ships calling at SPB and cruise lines will not put their passengers in harms way, but if SPB should need to be cancelled there are plenty of options for substitution. Wouldn't be so good, but pointless to throw money away when there are other very worthwhile ports in the Baltic.

 

Other than the very few who've arranged visas to explore independently, I don't see that cancellation of SPB will affect cruisers' pockets - any ship's excursion fees paid will be refunded & those who've booked with local operators don't pay or commit until they arrive. This for both existing and planned excursion bookings.

 

Anyone who's not yet committed to a cruise, presumably including the OP, is going to have to decide for themselves but I guess that decision doesn't have to be made until irrecoverable payment is due.

If a late decision is made I guess that would impact on any air fares, such as USA to UK, Copenhagen etc. On the other hand, Baltic cruise prices are tumbling as bookings drop due to the uncertainty.

 

There's no doubt that SPB is the jewel in any Baltic cruise, and if it were to be cancelled before I committed big bucks I'd choose to save a Baltic cruise for some future occasion.

 

I'm just glad I'm not in the OP's position cos at the moment I wouldn't know which way to decide, or even when to make that decision.

 

Just MHO, & I wish good luck to the OP & others planning a Baltic cruise

 

JB :)

 

Thank you for your insightful answer. We are booked on the windsurf and have made our deposit, but as yet, have not paid the final payment. I suppose that I do have some time to make a final decision.

[Essexlass2]

We are in the unenviable position of having to decide in the next week whether or not to pay the final balance on our cruise to Scandinavia and Russia. The highlight for us will be St Petersburg and if that is pulled from the itinerary, whilst we obviously accept that it will have been done for the right reasons and passenger safety, we would not want to go. I therefore rang Royal Caribbean today asking what would happen if there is a change of itinerary and was told that if we did not wish to accept the revised itinerary they would more than likely offer us a full refund in the form of credit for another RCI cruise. That said, there are plenty of cruise lines offering Baltic cruises at really low prices at present and will no doubt continue to do so for late bookings. Royal even agreed to reduce the cost of our cruise as a price match because it had dropped drastically since we first booked, something that RCI in UK never normally do, so we have accepted that and know that we can still have the same balcony cabin we originally chose.

 

We will wait until the last minute now before making a decision on whether or not to pay the final balance. We really want to go on this cruise and have already done all our homework on each port of call so hopefully we will still get to see St Petersburg ................ but we shall also be watching the news avidly during the next week!! :)

[RickT]

With the first ships of the season due in STP in May it will be interesting to see what each cruiseline decides. I suspect most have already investigated their options should they decide not to stop (add an additional port, an extra day in one already scheduled) but the logistics of these changes would be a nightmare due to the heavy ship traffic and limited docking availability for most ships.

 

STP is so far away from the actual conflict that the only reason to not stop would be due to political pressure and/or Government restrictions on travel.

 

I am booked on an August cruise and have no plans to change should STP be dropped as a port. I am however keeping my eyes on the news and on information provided on this board.

[lori450]

We are in the unenviable position of having to decide in the next week whether or not to pay the final balance on our cruise to Scandinavia and Russia. The highlight for us will be St Petersburg and if that is pulled from the itinerary, whilst we obviously accept that it will have been done for the right reasons and passenger safety, we would not want to go. I therefore rang Royal Caribbean today asking what would happen if there is a change of itinerary and was told that if we did not wish to accept the revised itinerary they would more than likely offer us a full refund in the form of credit for another RCI cruise. That said, there are plenty of cruise lines offering Baltic cruises at really low prices at present and will no doubt continue to do so for late bookings. Royal even agreed to reduce the cost of our cruise as a price match because it had dropped drastically since we first booked, something that RCI in UK never normally do, so we have accepted that and know that we can still have the same balcony cabin we originally chose.

 

We will wait until the last minute now before making a decision on whether or not to pay the final balance. We really want to go on this cruise and have already done all our homework on each port of call so hopefully we will still get to see St Petersburg ................ but we shall also be watching the news avidly during the next week!! :)

 

Very interesting situation. After reading your post, I checked on the price of our cruise and it is actually higher than when I purchased it (I got a 2 for 1 sale), so that eliminates that factor at the present.

I would be very grateful if everyone would come back when they have made their final decisions and help me understand why you came to that conclusion.

[lori450]

We are booked for a July Baltic sailing (12 day) from Copenhagen to Dover. SPB is a 2 day stop, and I'm concerned - especially with American troops being sent to Eastern Europe as of yesterday. I would love to go to Russia - but if it's cancelled, I won't be heartbroken. I'm hoping we get to go to Helsinki if it is.

 

As for making the decision - we chose this particular cruise due to the time and length - and living in Florida, did not want to go to the Mediterranean in July, we were looking for a cooler alternative. We both liked the itinerary, and thought it would be neat to go to Russia. That said - what is your reason for choosing your cruise? If SPB is the highlight for you, I don't think I would do it. If you are like us, and are looking for something to fit into a schedule and are easy about the itinerary changing than go for it.

 

As someone else said the prices are REALLY good. Our cruise dropped in price by $2,000 PER PERSON since we originally booked. I hate to look on the website to see how much lower they will go....:eek: Our final payment went through last week so we are completely tied in at the $4,000 savings!!!!

 

I'm in the process of researching tours in SPB and making sure whatever company I choose has a 100% refund policy - the tours are VERY pricey, and if we are going there I don't want to have to pay in advance and then try to get my money back!

 

It seems that we have similar reasons for this cruise. I forgot that my original goal was Scandinavia. Wish our price had dropped, but oh well. I will continue to follow. Thank you to all who have posted. Your responses have been exactly what I was hoping for.

[scdreamer]

We are booked on a June 21 sailing to the Baltic, and made our final payment a few weeks ago. I'm not very concerned that the SPB port will be cancelled, although I suppose nothing is impossible. I would imagine that in that case, another port would be substituted. We would, of course, be somewhat disappointed, but that's a part of the adventure of travel. If you can't roll with the punches, maybe it is best to stay home.

[lori450]

I have a friend who's a travel agent. She always says, "don't forget to bring your sense of humor". both she and you are so right!

[buggins0402]

Sorry you seemed to not like the post that I cited...but it was so "seize the day" - that it spoke to me personally. Actually I've been having trouble with getting my head around another area that most cruisers do all the time. It will be a message to hold in my heart for that future cruise.:)

 

But, getting back to the recent trend of the thread...We're on a mid - June. The Ukrainian issues started a few week before we had final payment. Wed id not give it a second thought and made the payment. Like you, Scandinavia was the draw (we've been to Moscow on a land trip - so have at least experienced the culture - which is why we personally love to travel). Price of our cruise has not gone down and not much more OBC offered - but later cruises on our cruise line have since been offered more booking incentives.

 

Also, I don't want to get political, but sometimes it helps to think through the recent events and frame them against the politics.

Edited April 25, 2014 by buggins0402

[cruisemom42]

Cruisemom42 said it better than anyone possibly could:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42409509&postcount=8

 

Thanks for the links. I see what you mean about some of the posts. too bad. I was concerned and was looking for some feedback from other travelers, not political agendas, nor criticism for being concerned.

thanks for your help

 

I'm sorry you took my post in the wrong way. It was made in response to some pretty harsh (and inappropriate, and later removed) posts that equated travel to a particular place with complicity in that place's politics.

 

I'm glad that at least Buggins found something helpful in it.

Edited April 25, 2014 by cruisemom42