A Port per Day: Fun or Exhausting?

[Celiac Cruiser]

I am looking for reviews of the Viking 2 day Ultimate Tour. Everyone seems to be pushing the private companies and I want to hear from those who did the Viking tour. Now that you have done it, would you recommend it?

Thanks

[Fpacifico]

We are just back from the 15 day Viking Homelands itinerary (with a three day Iceland extension) and yes the port a day can be tiring ... but many of the days in port are relatively short and you are back on the ship with time to relax, read, or take a nap before dinner. The longer days are spaced out enough to allow for recovery time if needed.

 

We love Viking's "destination focused" cruises and generally feel that unlike the bigger lines the ship is NOT the destination. We did one big line cruise years ago and although we had a nice time the ports seemed little but "afterthoughts" to the activities on the ship. The theater productions, casino, midnight buffets, and alcohol fueled limbo contests were the focus more than the ports of call. Probably an age thing but I prefer to focus on the wonderful and culture rich destinations that are the focus of Viking's itineraries.

We are also doing the Iceland tour in may/June, how was this tour

[CharTrav]

We did the 2 day ultimate in StP and liked it. I wrote up a review of all the excursions we did inc that one. I'll search for it and provide a link here or you can look for it.

 

 

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[Celiac Cruiser]

Thanks CharTrav. I been trying to search for your review but got lost with all the posts. What key words would I use in the search to find your review?

Thanks.

[CharTrav]

Thanks CharTrav. I been trying to search for your review but got lost with all the posts. What key words would I use in the search to find your review?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Here it is. Which is the complete revu of all the excursions we did ultimate St: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2197664

 

 

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[Celiac Cruiser]

CharTrav,

I think I found your review of the SP Ultimate 2 day. It seemed like you were OK with it but not overjoyed. I was interested to learn more about the ballet performance. Was it put on just for the cruise lines in port or was it a 'real' ballet performance?

[AFL Kiwi]

We have done the Homelands cruise and took the St Petersburg 2 day inclusive and were very pleased with it.

 

At St Catherines Palace I would say we were the first tour through and had no issues with seeing the inside and out. It would have been nice to spend a little longer outside but that is very weather dependent.

 

The visit to Church of Our Saviour of Spilled Blood was very busy with alot of other tours there when we arrived but in saying that we had ample time to see inside the Church, have a toilet stop and take photos.

 

The evening at the ballet was just for ourselves and we saw Swan Lake. My husband found the first half a little slow but enjoyed the second half. It was also a treat to come back to the boat and find that we had been left a late supper in our rooms by Viking. A nice touch.

 

Day Two started the Hermitage Museum and again we were one of the very first tour groups through at 8.00am. The Museum does not open until 10.00am and when we came out you couldn't move for people waiting to get in.

 

Peterhof Palace again was a wonderful place to visit. Although it was again busy as we had done the Museum first, we had no issues with the way were treated. The fountains and grounds are just wonderful and the Palace itself, although busy, was well managed.

 

The hydrofoil ride back across the Gulf was a relaxing way to finish the tour.

 

Lunch was included both days and was in keeping with Russia.

 

We enjoyed the tour and felt it was value for money and we got to see all the main sites with very little hassle.

 

Enjoy!

[Celiac Cruiser]

Thanks AFL Kiwi, I appreciate your review. It is good to hear that you had an enjoyable experience.

Cheers.

[stretchcruz]

We have booked with Alla Tours in St Petersburg...a private tour for 6 of us. I'll let you know how it goes, but it was very economical and should be flexible with only 6 of us. Wanted to be with a smaller group...

[CharTrav]

CharTrav,

 

I think I found your review of the SP Ultimate 2 day. It seemed like you were OK with it but not overjoyed. I was interested to learn more about the ballet performance. Was it put on just for the cruise lines in port or was it a 'real' ballet performance?

 

 

It was a real performance but not the A team. Don't know if it was just for cruise groups. But don't think so. There was a room during intermission for Viking folks to get champagne but you had to be clearly marked as a Viking passenger to go in which is what makes me think it wasn't just for us.

 

 

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[Celiac Cruiser]

Thanks CharTrav.

If you were asked by a friend who is going to St P for the first time, would you recommend the Viking 2 day, a private tour 2 day or just pick a few Viking tours individually?

[CharTrav]

The reason why we picked the ultimate was because we figured we would never visit there again. Although we're not that old; hubby recently retired and I'm still working full time but assuming I'm on my last project that I'll stick with until my part of it's finished. Nevertheless, he doesn't have the travel planner gene and I simply didn't have the time to spend on researching excursions or private tour companies (had been working flat out right up to and including the day before we left, even putting in an hour or so from home in the middle of packing!!) So we took the lazy path. And didn't regret it.

 

Should we sometime in the far future decide to do a Viking River Russian cruise ending in St Petersburg then we'll know what we want to do. But frankly, as far I'm concerned, that won't be until Putin or anybody like him is out of the picture. It was fun being in Russia but my nerves were jangling the entire time and I honestly breathed a sigh of relief as I tracked the Star on Google map's GPS (no Internet required) and watched as we crossed the boundary out of Russia.

 

 

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[Celiac Cruiser]

Thanks Char Trav. I want to see Russia but will also be relieved once we are clear of their territory. (My grandparents escaped from Ukraine in the early 1900's and I grew up with a keen awareness of the dangers.)

 

I appreciate your candid reviews. They have been very helpful.

 

Cheers!

[Vineyard View]

We used a private tour. I sent emails to 3-4 different companies. I Went with the one that would allow just 6 people, would be flexible in the itinerary as no 'canned pre-planned' itineraries had everything we wanted to do. The two days were excellent. We were able to maneuver in and out of places much more quickly and easily than a whole bus full of people can do...we were at Hermitage first thing (super important), we ate at small authentic non-touristy restaurants, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the people. We learned so much from our excellent guide about the history, the people, the culture.

I was apprehensive of Russia prior.....(turned out that compared to Cairo it was a piece of cake)....honestly, there was not any point where I felt worried or uncomfortable while we were on our two day tour. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

[CharTrav]

Thanks Char Trav. I want to see Russia but will also be relieved once we are clear of their territory. (My grandparents escaped from Ukraine in the early 1900's and I grew up with a keen awareness of the dangers.)

 

 

 

I appreciate your candid reviews. They have been very helpful.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

You're welcome! Just remember that you cannot do a tour on your own unless you have a Russian Visa. With just your national (US?) passport, you must be with either Viking or a private tour company.

 

 

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[Lucky Granny]

I think it's a personal opinion. I am one who uses the ship as a floating hotel, the destination is why I am there. There are several Viking excursions that do not last long. The excursions are also rated by activity level so you might choose the easy ones if you think you will be overtaxed. We did the Viking Homelands and found the excursions easy, for the most part, to take part in as the buses were waiting right at the dock. I found the whole thing a bit tiring, but that's because I can't make myself go to bed when there's fun to be had, so waking up in the moring was a struggle. All depends on you. You are also free to cancel once you get on board. I choose cruises by how few sea days, but that's personal opinion.

[stretchcruz]

Vineyard which company did you use?

[Lucky Granny]

I think it's a personal opinion. I am one who uses the ship as a floating hotel, the destination is why I am there. There are several Viking excursions that do not last long. The excursions are also rated by activity level so you might choose the easy ones if you think you will be overtaxed. We did the Viking Homelands and found the excursions easy, for the most part, to take part in as the buses were waiting right at the dock. I found the whole thing a bit tiring, but that's because I can't make myself go to bed when there's fun to be had, so waking up in the moring was a struggle. All depends on you. You are also free to cancel once you get on board. I choose cruises by how few sea days, but that's personal opinion.

Edited December 15, 2016 by Lucky Granny
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[Vineyard View]

Stretchcruz, I just reviewed my notes. We ended up using TJTours. They were the most flexible. They were fine with changing up their established itineraries by substituting a canal boat tour for one of the small museums and it was great. They agreed to cap at 8 people, offered up a Cruise Critic discount, and all I had to do was go onto the roll call and gather 3 additional couples. I would highly recommend them. They (as well as other tour companies) will send you the necessary forms prior to your departure so that they can secure your visa. That is included in the cost. We were quoted USD and did pay at the end of the two days in dollars plus tip. They were waiting for us when we disembarked - first morning meet was real early and it allowed us to go through the Process of entry into Russia and get to the Hermitage prior to any of the bus tours.

 

And has been said, it's a personal and comfort level choice to go private or not.