Petropavlovsk tours on your own?

[Daneboy]

We will be at PK in Sept. on the Millenium. This port has less info of any port I have ever gone to. Can we get off the ship without a Visa? Are there any tour companies that anyone has used? If no one has any info why does Celebrity stop here. Certainly someone has stopped here and can contribute some ideas. Thank you; Doug

[Keith1010]

Doug, you need to take a tour to get off without a visa.

 

Keith

[ECCruise]

Is Petropavlovsk like St. Petersburg (visa required) or Vladivostok (where we did not need a visa?). Silversea seems to indicate you do NOT need a visa if you stay in town.

Edited February 20, 2016 by ECCruise

[WAVTAM]

Petropavlovsk is the last cheap fuel stop before the Bering sea.

Despite all the concerns for Visa, this is just a Russian money maker. Check the official sites and NO visa is necessary. Because of being a tender port and Easter Sunday when we where there, we just elected to tender ashore and actually had a great time at local Orthodox church service.

[patty1955]

It's been a few years since we were there so things might have changed. There was a big debate on our roll call about rather you needed a visa or not. The debate continued on board the ship. On our cruise, nobody was allowed ashore without a visa unless they were on a Celebrity excursion and even then it took an hour or so just to go ashore. We were told that the Russian authorities took the carefully organized passports and dumped them out on a table to go through.

I wouldn't do a tour on my own. The pier wasn't near anything, very few people speak English and nothing is written in English. We didn't even find a souvenir shop. The place is exactly like you'd expect when you hear the phrase "Soviet Russia"

On the plus side, everybody we talked to who went ashore had a great time. The people on the dog sled excursion said they got free vodka (lots of it). Our excursion took us to the town and we got to visit a church. The people were very nice and we enjoyed the experience.

I don't know if this link will work, but this is our photo album from Russia http://s1073.photobucket.com/user/Patricia_Lenhart/library/Transpacific%20Cruise/Petropavlavsk%20Russia?sort=3&page=1

[bubbachief]

Doug, you need to take a tour to get off without a visa.

 

Keith

 

Unless things have changed, we did not have to have a visa in Sept 2014. It took a while to get off the ship because of Russian customs, but we just walked around the town. It was a Sunday and not much open, be enjoyed seeing the town. Since it was a Sunday, lots of locals out and about and that was interesting to see.

[Cruzin Carol]

We were there last year and you do not need a visa. The tours were allowed off first and we could not get off until 1:30 PM. Everything was delayed. The Russian authorities looked like they were in the KGB and dragged their feet. We were even 7 hours late leaving because they claimed they were missing passports that they actually had. You have to turn in your passport even if you don't leave the ship. It is a very unhospitible, unwelcoming place. No one makes eye contact or speaks English. We just wanted to say we had been there. We walked around town for a couple of hours the went back to the ship. We were going to do a tour but there we not many attractive options and they were very expensive. Everything and everyone looks like they were still in the Cold War. The cruise director even recommended to stay on the ship.

[wander]

We went to Petropavlovsk several years ago - very interesting and welcoming experience. Not sure why things have apparently changed.

 

My husband went on a wonderful trip up into the mountains/forests in a WWII military truck. Fantastic scenery and quite an adventure. The vodka flowed freely for the whole trip as well.

 

I did a bus and walking tour of the city. Excellent guide who spoke quite good English. Shopkeepers - no English. However, they let all the high school students who were taking English out of school for the day to act as question answers, translators for shopkeepers and being friendly in general. They were most willing to try to answer our questions about life there. The girls were very visible and most interested in talking with us. The boys hung around in small groups and tried to be invisible. When asked they would converse, but they certainly were not looking for conversation.

[Dick in Falls Church]

Fall of 2014, no visa necessary. My wife and I both got off. she walked around a bit, and I walked through much of the town. Some interesting photo displays near the theatre. Not a great deal of communication--but really didn't try since my Russian is very, very rusty (and much forgotten). Could read most of the signage at the various monuments. Found some of the warning signs interesting--"Danger Zone in case snow falls off the roofs" (or words of that meaning).

 

Of course, what happened a couple of years ago, or last week, doesn't mean it will be that way today, or tomorrow.

[Daneboy]

Fall of 2014, no visa necessary. My wife and I both got off. she walked around a bit, and I walked through much of the town. Some interesting photo displays near the theatre. Not a great deal of communication--but really didn't try since my Russian is very, very rusty (and much forgotten). Could read most of the signage at the various monuments. Found some of the warning signs interesting--"Danger Zone in case snow falls off the roofs" (or words of that meaning).

 

Of course, what happened a couple of years ago, or last week, doesn't mean it will be that way today, or tomorrow.

Thank you Dick in Falls Church. We shared a taxi tour with you and your wife in Funchel several years ago. Doug & Rae Jean

[Orlando Vic]

We will be at PK in Sept. on the Millenium. This port has less info of any port I have ever gone to. Can we get off the ship without a Visa? Are there any tour companies that anyone has used? If no one has any info why does Celebrity stop here. Certainly someone has stopped here and can contribute some ideas. Thank you; Doug

 

Doug,

We are on the May 2007 cruise and I have done some research and have information I can share with you. Please send me an email to: vogilvie at earthlink dot net Please also put "Petropavlovsk" in the subject line.

-Vic

[tomcruiser1234]

Doug,

We are on the May 2007 cruise and I have done some research and have information I can share with you. Please send me an email to: vogilvie at earthlink dot net Please also put "Petropavlovsk" in the subject line.

-Vic

 

We are also on this cruise and would like any info you have gotten. We would like to just walk or take a taxi for the day on our own

 

Please post because others on our roll call have asked the same questions

 

Thanks

[DrivesLikeMario]

We went to Petropavlovsk several years ago - very interesting and welcoming experience. Not sure why things have apparently changed.

 

My husband went on a wonderful trip up into the mountains/forests in a WWII military truck. Fantastic scenery and quite an adventure. The vodka flowed freely for the whole trip as well.

 

I did a bus and walking tour of the city. Excellent guide who spoke quite good English. Shopkeepers - no English. However, they let all the high school students who were taking English out of school for the day to act as question answers, translators for shopkeepers and being friendly in general. They were most willing to try to answer our questions about life there. The girls were very visible and most interested in talking with us. The boys hung around in small groups and tried to be invisible. When asked they would converse, but they certainly were not looking for conversation.

 

What a fantastic experience! This is what cruising used to be like - a real cultural immersion! I would love to experience both of your tours!

 

Carol's passport control guys would be great to see and would confirm the usual stereotype of KGB-type serious Russians. We would have a blast laughing about that (not in front of them though - I value my freedom!). :D