Rare dronnygirl Posted November 6, 2017 #1 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Just thinking about a Baltic cruise next year but have a few queries.. we prefer DIY trips and don't like to be on coaches for a long time. St Petersburg - will possibly do the Alla tour but looks as though there are plenty of stops Gothenburg - has anyone visited this port, any ideas what to do there? Kalundburg - really don't want to travel all the way to Copenhagen, is there anything to do in the region? Any other tips for this region? Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonSchick Posted November 6, 2017 #2 Share Posted November 6, 2017 I did the SPB two day tour in St Petersburg. I suspect Alla is similar. Absolutely superb. Short journeys on a comfortable minibus with lots of stops and a couple of boat trips. We got to see a lot more than fellow passengers who went on a coach tour offered by the cruise line (including going in to places they simply drove past). We even got to go on the subway and visit a local farmers market as well as getting into an empty Hermitage museum half an hour before its official opening time. Sorry I can't help with the other ports but I'm sure you'll have a great memorable holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormy Posted November 6, 2017 #3 Share Posted November 6, 2017 In St Petersburg we did Alla Tours, their 2 day Grand Tour and can certainly recommend, we saw just everything. Yes Copenhagen is a very long way from where we docked, knowing, we would not have done the trip, not long enough in city, only got a little taste of the place, 90mins each way just a joke. Helsinki use the shuttle and then DIY, Oslo you can walk from the ship into city. Stockholm - again use the shuttle from the ship, we were very impressed with Stockholm, again not long enough to see everything. Warmunde - just walk from the ship, unless you want to see Berlin - again a long trip. We did Gdansk, again just use the shuttle. Karlskrona - use the tender then just stroll - naval museum very interesting. It was a great cruise and you must do it, we went last July and the weather was fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dronnygirl Posted November 6, 2017 Author #4 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Thank you. Does Marella actually sail into Stockholm? Would love to see the sail in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormy Posted November 7, 2017 #5 Share Posted November 7, 2017 The sail in is fantastic - passing all the islands on the way, after St Petersburg our favourite stop on the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dronnygirl Posted November 7, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Thank you - that is what I was hoping. I know that many ships sail to Nyasham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherrybabe Posted November 10, 2017 #7 Share Posted November 10, 2017 If you are sailing from Newcastle on 28th July then there are 4 of us who have booked the Grand Tour in St.Petersburg with Alla Tours. They gave us this years price for booking early. Itinerary is attached for info. 2017 St Petersburg GRAND group tour.docx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenmandy Posted November 10, 2017 #8 Share Posted November 10, 2017 How much if you don’t mind and can you pay in uk pounds ?? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherrybabe Posted November 10, 2017 #9 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Current cost is 285USD. Payment is made at the end of the 1st day in Russian Rubles. See info below from Alla website. "We do not require any deposits for our Group tours. Payment in full is to be made on the first day of your tour in St. Petersburg. (The only exception to this rule is if you have booked a tour in a Baltic port but you are not touring with us in St. Petersburg. In this case, we will be unable to collect payment from you in St. Petersburg and will require full prepayment). We require a 20% deposit on Private tours due one month prior to the start of your tour. This deposit is fully refundable provided that you inform us of cancellation, in writing, at least one week before the start of your tour. Your deposit is also fully refundable if, for any reason, your ship does not dock in port. If you have any questions, please contact us for more information. The remaining 80% will be payable on the first day of your tour in St. Petersburg. We accept two types of credit cards: Visa and Master card. We do not charge any extra fees for using credit cards. Please be aware that your total will be charged in Russian rubles. The amount will depend on the exchange rate on the day of your payment. Because of this, Visa/MasterCard Europe will most probably charge a conversion fee from Russian Rubles to the currency used at your bank. Additionally, please check to see if your credit card carries a foreign transaction fee (there are cards available that have no foreign transaction fees). Alla Tours does not charge any of the aforementioned fees - these fees are imposed by Visa/MasterCard Europe and/or your bank. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenmandy Posted November 10, 2017 #10 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Thank you very much most helpful Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormy Posted November 11, 2017 #11 Share Posted November 11, 2017 If you mention you are CruiseCritic member you get a discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dronnygirl Posted November 13, 2017 Author #12 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Hi Sherrybabe, Thanks for the offer but we are still undecided what to do. Really want to sail from Newcastle but we're dithering between Fire & Ice or the Baltics. June would suit us better for the Baltics but we are concerned as to how busy it will be due to the football in SPB. Really fancy Fire & Ice but the 2 day sea crossing worries me as I'm not a good sailor. What a dilemma! (I do realise how fortunate we are to have such a nice dilemma). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormy Posted November 13, 2017 #13 Share Posted November 13, 2017 Well yes, you do have a choice, but for me a Baltic Cruise has to be the best choice, you will certainly see a lot more and of course visit many more countries. We have done both and would recommend the Baltic first with the Norwegian Fjords coming a close second for that part of the world. St Petersburg can easily cope with football supporters and not all games are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k8ti Posted November 18, 2017 #14 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Hi Sherrybabe, Thanks for the offer but we are still undecided what to do. Really want to sail from Newcastle but we're dithering between Fire & Ice or the Baltics. June would suit us better for the Baltics but we are concerned as to how busy it will be due to the football in SPB. Really fancy Fire & Ice but the 2 day sea crossing worries me as I'm not a good sailor. What a dilemma! (I do realise how fortunate we are to have such a nice dilemma). We will be on the June/July Baltic cruise and I think that the football fans will not really impact the tours as they seem so well organized. It only dawned on me after booking that the world cup was in the same area. I am also looking forward to visiting Tallinn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormy Posted November 19, 2017 #15 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Somehow I cannot see soccer fans visiting Peterhoff Palace & Gardens or for that matter Catherine's Palace/Amber Room. They are not walkable from the centre of the city. You will have a wonderful time, we certainly did. Happy to help with any other queries you may have, we had lots before we did the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belfast Girl Posted May 13, 2018 #16 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Just thinking about a Baltic cruise next year but have a few queries.. we prefer DIY trips and don't like to be on coaches for a long time.St Petersburg - will possibly do the Alla tour but looks as though there are plenty of stops Gothenburg - has anyone visited this port, any ideas what to do there? Kalundburg - really don't want to travel all the way to Copenhagen, is there anything to do in the region? Any other tips for this region? Many thanks The ship is now docking at Copenhagen which is great news :p:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenmandy Posted May 13, 2018 #17 Share Posted May 13, 2018 We have booked Alla and thinking about Ho ho bus !! I don’t liked not being able to stay as long as I like in places . Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ormy Posted May 14, 2018 #18 Share Posted May 14, 2018 We never saw a Ho Ho bus, not sure if there is one ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitalsign Posted May 14, 2018 #19 Share Posted May 14, 2018 The ship is now docking at Copenhagen which is great news!!!! I don't think so according to Marine Traffic it's heading from Brest to Cherbourg currently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now