Viking Star Survey Invitation

[roothy123]

Thank you. Unfortunately, they don't have times listed for Viking Star. I assume that site gets the times from cruise line web sites, so it's not surprising that they don't have any for the Star yet! Oh well, at least I have an idea of who else will be in the ports. It's not a pretty sight for Venice but at least it appears we'll be alone in Santorini, which is a big plus!

[jkerr]

I have found a port schedule showing the Viking Star arriving in port in St Petersburg Russia on 5/26/15 at 7:00 and departing 5/27 at 18:00. I did not look for other dates.

 

 

 

D & J

[roothy123]

I have found a port schedule showing the Viking Star arriving in port in St Petersburg Russia on 5/26/15 at 7:00 and departing 5/27 at 18:00. I did not look for other dates.

 

 

 

D & J

 

Great to know; thanks.

 

We don't go to St. Petersburg, but just as a heads up: We were there 2 years ago on a ship with 1250 maximum passengers. We had arranged a 2 day tour with Alla. On the first day we were there, there was a real mob scene as people lined up to leave the ship. That is one port where just about EVERYONE goes off the ship, and goes off early. Many were on private tours, some were on cruise tours, and (I suppose) a few brave souls had gotten a visa and planned DIY tours. Once you get in the port terminal, you must go through Russian passport check, and that takes a while (maybe 10-15 mins. waiting in line and then a minute or two at the checkpoint). SO - if you're doing a private tour, eat breakfast early and line up early so you can meet your group on time (behind the checkpoint). Take the documents your tour provider emails you.

 

Sorry to get off topic here, but I thought it would be worthwhile to give this heads up. We had one couple who did not make it out in time to leave with the group. The group waited a short while after the get together time, and then we were taken to the river for a brief stop. Alla had a helper stay in the terminal to find the last couple and drive them to our first stop, but I don't know how long they would have waited until saying the heck with it!

 

Alla's tour ended up covering more than, and costing less than, the ship's excursion. Of course, we were on a cruise line that did not provide a free tour as Viking does, so the decision to take that tour was a no-brainer for us.

[jkerr]

Roothy123

Thank you so much for the information! I have never been to St Petersburg, this stop is what motivated us to take this cruise with Viking. We want to make the most of our 2 short days in St Petersburg, so we will eat early and line up. :-)

We are viewing that fact that it turned out to be their maiden voyage as a plus. But I understand some travelers are concerned about the lack of info. There are several other ports that that I have also found the Viking Star reservation.... Stockholm, Copenhagen, Flam. I am going directly to the port site to find these listings.

 

Only 6 months til we go, I better contain my excitement.

 

 

 

D & J

[roothy123]

Roothy123

Thank you so much for the information! I have never been to St Petersburg, this stop is what motivated us to take this cruise with Viking. We want to make the most of our 2 short days in St Petersburg, so we will eat early and line up. :-)

We are viewing that fact that it turned out to be their maiden voyage as a plus. But I understand some travelers are concerned about the lack of info. There are several other ports that that I have also found the Viking Star reservation.... Stockholm, Copenhagen, Flam. I am going directly to the port site to find these listings.

 

Only 6 months til we go, I better contain my excitement.

 

 

 

D & J

I remember that the Copenhagen port website was easy to find, which is good, as there are multiple docking locations there. That may not be a concern to people who arrange private tours, but I'm a real DIYr and so I feel compelled to make sure I know how to get from the port to where I want to go via buses, water taxis, etc. In CPH we docked at Langelinie, which is the best location, as I could easily walk down to the Little Mermaid and then a little bit farther to the public water bus that goes around the city.

 

Stockholm is another city with multiple docking locations. We simply flew back from there, so I don't know much about that lovely city and its multiple docks.

 

Haven't been to Flam, just a couple wonderful other ports in Norway.

 

Baltic cruise was fabulous, but the frequent time changes, multiple currencies and what not were a little crazy! St. Petersburg was amazing, although after a while you get a little jaded by all the gold and glitter there! I would NOT over plan too much. (We did Alla's "comfort" tour and it was enough for me!) Anyway, enjoy - and don't worry, Viking will get it together and offer a great experience, I'm sure

 

Oh, and I suppose that if you have a free tour in SPB with Viking, they may stagger the tours so that you won't have a long line of people getting off at once there as we did with Oceania, which doesn't offer any free tours. The next day, by the way, was not as bad, as I think fewer people went off in the morning, plus the Russian passport folks were not inspecting and questioning as much as the day before.

Edited December 9, 2014 by roothy123

[roothy123]

Was curious, and decided to look at Copenhagen's port site. If you're on Viking Star May 21, it's listed from 8 AM to 10 PM, Langelinie quay (good location), along with an AIDA (German) ship. Here's link: http://www1.cmport.com/ships-in-port/cruise-ships/cruise-list-2015-2016

[Penkzilla]

Flam itself is pretty small with only one pier (which is thankfully right next to the train station). When we were with SBN last year it was unfortunately filled by Pullmantur so we had to tender over. Lovely mountains surround you in the fjord. My tip if you're looking to take the train is to pre-book as a group through CC. You need 10 people min which gets you a cheaper rate and priority boarding (believe they also reserve space on a specific car as well). Trust me when I say that even at 8am there were a ton of people waiting to rush onto the cars.

 

Also, the Aegir Brewery there was fabulous! Good beer and great surroundings (large central hearth and EVERYTHING is carved from wood). Really wish we'd been able to stay longer.

 

Sidenote for St. Petersburg: Try to get into the Hermitage during off-hours otherwise it can be an absolute zoo. The ship and local companies often offer tours when the museum is closed to the public.

[jkerr]

Yes we are in Copenhagen 5/21/2015. It seems that some ports it is easy to google and find the the scedule for 2015, and other not so easy. Again I appreciate the info and input regarding ports and places to see in port throughout the Baltics. This is our first cruise that is all cruise without a land portion and first Baltics trip.

 

 

D & J

[TERRIER1]

Yes we are in Copenhagen 5/21/2015. It seems that some ports it is easy to google and find the the scedule for 2015, and other not so easy. Again I appreciate the info and input regarding ports and places to see in port throughout the Baltics. This is our first cruise that is all cruise without a land portion and first Baltics trip.

 

 

D & J

 

This is one of the reasons why I do not understand why Viking will not post the port times. The ports know the times but Viking refuses to disseminate the information to the passengers. Very strange.

[juliesaddiction]

Very tempted to start booking private excursions so we have an assurance of seeing what we want to see, but still holding out a bit because I know that Viking has some ins and outs with excursions, especially in Russia and there will be some excursions you couldnt get with a private tour company, for instance getting into an area you normally couldnt and going to a place that is not open to the public. We had this happen in China several times and the survey hinted at something like that too. I know China is a different cruise, you are in a group that you stay with the entire time with the same leader.