Red October - visas?

[lysolqn]

We've booked a two-day tour of St. Petersburg with Red October and have been told by Laura that the tour tickets she sent to us are sufficient (along with our passports) to get us off the ship. Yet, I've read in several posts on this board and others that Celebrity will only permit the disembarkation of those passengers taking ship's tour excursions or those who have secured individual Russian visas.
Which is it?
I'd hate to travel all the way to St. P only to find that without visas we won't be permitted off the ship.
Would appreciate some feedback from those who've used Red October recently. Did you have individual Russian visas or did you just use your Red October tickets to get off the ship? Did you encounter any problems with the cruiseline or with the immigration authorities?
Thanks!

[Andee]

We used Red October in July, 2003, on an Orient ship, not Celebrity. RO obtained a group visa, and we had no probem getting off the ship with just our passports and the tour tickets they sent us.

[birders]

We used RO in June 2003, while sailing Celebrity Constellation. Believe what Laura of RO tells you. Also take her advice to get down to the exit early and don't let the cruiseline folks tell you that you have to wait til the ship's excursions have disembarked! Laura's instructions will give you lots of detailed advice.
You will have a fabulous tour.

[gdayhoff]

We were on Celebrity Constellation Aug.2003 and also used RO.I agree that Laura will tell you how to handle it.If not ask her about your concerns.We have no problems at all.We walked off the ship at 7:30.Not a question was asked.At the Russian check point they check your passport and check your name off a list that was provided by RO.RO was there waiting for us.Atmost it all took all of 5 minutes.
Enjoy

[SueMo]

Our TA told us that on the Constellation last summer they had two lines to disembark... one for those going on Celebrity tours and one for those who had individual visas. If I have the RO tickets, which line do I take?

[japiscopo]

To solve the problem you are asking about, I'm getting an individual visa for our Radisson Voyager trip. We are also doing a 3 night post cruise trip to Moscow, so I know we'll need the visa for there. I just feel safer knowing I have a visa. Even the hotel operations at Radisson agreed with me that its a good idea to get one. I also would hate to get to St. Pete or Moscow and not be able to sightsee. We've booked RO for 2 of our three days in St. Pete and hope to do 1 shopping excursion with the ship on the third day. If the excursion is full, I can at least get off the ship with my own visa. I'm going to use Zierer Visa Service to get my visa. It's costly, but for my peace of mind, its worth it.

Good luck and good cruising.

[gdayhoff]

Suemo---We were on the Constellation last Aug and did the Baltics We did St. Pete with RO.Can't say enough good things about RO and Laura.Believe me there was only one exit on the ship for all the ports.Everybody went thru it. A question you need to ask yourself is where your T/A received her/his info.If it came from your cruise line it's understandable.Your agent receives it's commision from the cruise line and not RO.With the visa requiements at St. Petersburg like they are, there is a monetary advantage for the cruise lines and they are doing all they can to protect it and therefore trying they best to discourage independent tours.
Enjoy--A wonderful cruise

[lysolqn]

Sounds like RO has it down to a science and getting off the ship w/o an individual visa shouldn't prove to be a problem. Thanks.

By the way, for those of you who cruised the Baltic in May/June, how was the weather and what kind of clothing did you pack for daytime?

[shoshona2]

Hi,

we were there in August 2003 and were glad we had layered our clothing. Europe had just had a terrible heatwave. It was even 95 degrees in St. Petersburg. It broke when we arrived and dropped to 59 degrees and rain when we were sightseeing. Take a windbreaker type jacket and layered clothing along with a folding umbrella. If it gets warm, you can take off the jacket. Go on line the week before you leave and check the weather in all the ports. You can always buy a sweatshirt if the weather is cold.

[birders]

lysolqn: We were in St. P mid-June last year. One day in St. P was rainy, the other brilliant sunshine, which made for fabulous visuals and photos of the gold-leaf domes on the cathedrals and palaces! Wear layers. I recall a T-neck, lightweight and thin but cozy sweater (my all-purpose travel cozy layer!) and a windbreaker.

Our Baltic cruise was weeks 2 and 3 of June. Layering is the key. I think it was mostly in the 50s and with a high in the low 60s for temps.

[jeanb]

We plan to use Denrus. Will we be able to get off the ship early in order to meet our tour?

[KathyMG]

We are planning a tour with Red October in July. You DO NOT need a Russian Visa if you are ONLY going ashore with an organized tour, either the cruise line or a licensed Russian travel agency. Red October qualifies. If you set foot on land on your own, to go to dinner, or whatever, you must have a Russian Visa. To get a Visa you have to request an invitation letter from Red October, which must be submitted along with a voucher from them and your visa application to the Russian Consulate.

Hope this helps.
Kathy

[TrekCruiser]

My family and I are sailing the Baltic on Holland America in June. We've already booked our St. Petersburg tours through Red Octobor on the advice of a good friend who recommended them. She also suggested I check here to see if anybody has had an experience with Holland America not allowing them off the ship in St. Petersburg without a Russian visa. I feel relatively confident that the Red October people wouldn't make any money if their clients couldn't get off the ship (since you don't pay for your tours until after you are already on the tour), so why would they tell you you don't need a visa if you really did? Any thoughts?

[TrekCruiser]

P.S. My Mom wants to know if anybody had a problem with mosquitos in St. Petersburg?

[2forTravelin]

I called Holland America's excursion help number and asked if we could leave the ship in St. Petersburg without a Russian visa as long as we had proof that we were on a Red October tour (the proof being the excursion tickets that Red October sends out). I was informed that there would be no problem with our leaving the ship.
Sorry, I don't know about the mosquitos.

Westerdam in:
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2004;6;24;17;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/img]

[hermelinda]

I see everybody commenting of Red October but I do not know how to contact them.
Do I need to make bookings in advance before embarking?

[aqua]

Yes,you need to make reservations! Here is the email address that my family has been using: [email]redoctober@peterlink.ru[/email]

[TrekCruiser]

RED OCTOBER Land-Sea Travel
Dobrolyubova 9, of 10
St. Petersburg, Russia 197198
Telephone: +7-812-238 14 66
Fax: +7-812-325 40 05
[url="http://www.redoctober.spb.ru"]www.redoctober.spb.ru[/url]
Email: [email]redoctober@peterlink.ru[/email]
[email]rols@redoctober.spb.ru[/email]
[email]roctober@mail.wplus.net[/email] - Galia Fedatova

I've been corresponding directly with Galia Gedotova at [email]roctober@mail.wplus.net[/email] and she/he? has been extremely helpful and has always responded to my emails within 24 hours.

They have arranged two days of tours in and around St. Petersburg which they have exclusively tailored to our specific requests to visit the Hermitage, Catherine's Palace and several of the other palaces and cathedrals as well.

The tours are small, private tours with your own private tour guide. There are 4 of us (my wife & parents included), so we are getting a small van exclusively for the four of us. No huge buses -- no cattle calls, no waiting for other people. And they even promised us a no-smoking vehicle and tour guide!

Some friends of mine used Red October last year and can't stop raving about how wonderful they were.

So far, I concur.

~ Cruise Trekker
2004 - Holland America - Baltic (June 2004)
2002 - Holland America - Alaska
2001 - Holland America - Eastern Mediterranean
2000 - Holland America - Western Mediterranean
1999 - Holland America - Panama Canal
1998 - Celebrity Cruises - Alaska
1997 - Wingsong - Tahiti
1996 - Carnival Cruises - Caribbean
1995 - Majesty Cruises - Burmuda

[TrekCruiser]

Oh, yeah... Yes, you should book in advance because they have to send you the tickets that allow you to disembark in St. Petersburg. They are similiar to the excusion tickets you get onboard. You need those tickets and your passport to get through Russian passport control.

You also send Red October all your passport details in advance so they can arrange their group visa in advance. They have to do this 5 days prior to the ship's arrival so your name(s) will be on a list when you get to the passport control booth.

The tour guide meets you in the terminal after you clear Immigration.

Best of all, you don't pay in advance or provide them any credit card information in advance. You pay them when you get to St. Petersburg.

[hermelinda]

Thanks for the advice and comments on Red October.
But I got the impression that one should be ready to pay 200/300 USD per day and person and I can't afford.
I just have one day in St Petesbourg and ready to pay up to 150 USD.
Any suggestion?

[2forTravelin]

I would suggest you email Red October and ask for a proposed one day itinerary and a quote. You'll never know the cost unless you contact them.

Westerdam in:
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2004;6;24;17;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/img]

[shoshona2]

We didn't notice any mosquitos last year in St. Petersburg, but the CDC suggested a diptheria shot before going there. If it has been 10 years since your last Tetanus/Diptheria shot, you really should get one before traveling. I also agree, using Red October was a wonderful experience. We were able to visit Peterhof and Catherine the Great's Palace the two days they were closed to the public. Red October arranged this. Our guide was terrific. We even did lunch with a Russian family which was a very interesting experience.

[msiowa]

[B]hermelinda[/B] Last summer we did 2 complete days [I]plus[/I] the ballet one night with Red October and it only cost us about $375 per person. We were a group of 6. I thought that number worked very well - no crowding in the van; a good number for sharing different insights and ideas about what we were seeing.

Our group "met" here on the Baltic Board. Not only did the Red October experience really enhance our time in St. Petersburg, but our seemingly disperate group had a great time together. (Hi George & Sara and Suzie & Alex!!)

If you can get a group of 6, it really makes Red October affordable (more affordable than putting together similar coverage from ship tours) and it's so enjoyable to have your own tour guide and travel around in a van (vs. a bus with [I]lots[/I] of people)

Have a great cruise. This one is really special!
Joanie

[TrekCruiser]

To Hermelinda: The 1st day tour of St. Petersburg I booked thru Red October is $160 per person and is a full 8 hours of cathedrals, palaces and museums. Day 2 is another $170 and another set of palaces and cathedrals. With Red October you can create your own tour and just see what you want to see and limit the cost by making a shorter day of it. They'll do whatever you want. And the 8 hour tours are comparable to what Holland America is offering pricewise, but without the cattle calls, herding people on and off buses, etc.

[TrekCruiser]

I'm looking forward to the Red October tours in St. Petersburg. On the advice of friends (and Red October) we canceled plans to go to Moscow on one of the two days, because EVERYBODY says that one day in St. Petersburg is not enough. Plus it gives me the excuse to return to Russia for a visit to Moscow on some future trip to Europe!

Having lunch with a Russian family sounds great. I told Red October we'd love to have lunch with some Star Trek fans from St. Petersberg because I've worked on the show and been associated with Star Trek since 1987, and they said they would try to arrange it! Galie told me his/her? daughter loves Star Trek.

Except for one, every cruise my wife and I have sailed on have been Star Trek cruises (on a work-related basis), so we're looking forward to this Baltic cruise, which will be our first "real" vacation in years.