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Does st petersburg cruise terminal have cafe


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I recently booked Scandinava and Russia cruise.  Looking at booking an excursion of Catherine's palace in morning which is over at 12 pm then we have an afternoon excursion for canal cruise leaving at 130 pm.   

Since not able to wander around on own in st petersburg I'm wondering if there is a cafe or somewhere to get light lunch in the cruise terminal instead of going thru security and customs to do lunch in wdj.

Anyone know?

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I don't recall seeing a terminal.  But we were the first ship to use the new port over near the Soviet era apartment buildings.  Did have a good gift shop inside customs.  And they ran a fueling barge arm into the Emerald Princess and ripped off a lifeboat plus put a big slice down the sides of two more.

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I don't recall seeing any coffee shop inside the gift shops once you passed Security/Customs. But on your first tour, why not ask your guide to allow you to go into a store or coffee shop to pick something up to eat on the way back. Depending on the guide, some are nice and some aren't....hopefully you'll get one that's flexible.  I know they have a script to follow and you're not allowed to wander on your own.....but if your tour takes you near a food/coffee shop, the guide should allow you to get something.  Our guide in Moscow refused to let us do any souvenir shopping.....then I found out that another group told their guide that if she didn't let them souvenir shop..they wanted to go right back to the ship and she could forget about her tip.......they were allowed to souvenir shop.  The group was adamant that they shop.....so she became flexible and allowed them.  Good Luck!

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I just booked an Oceania cruise that includes three days in St. Petersburg and haven't looked at anything.  But I'm wondering if there are tours that include a 'traditional' lunch.  I'll keep reading this thread as I'm already excited a year out 🙂

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1 minute ago, clo said:

I just booked an Oceania cruise that includes three days in St. Petersburg and haven't looked at anything.  But I'm wondering if there are tours that include a 'traditional' lunch.  I'll keep reading this thread as I'm already excited a year out 🙂

Most of my tours included lunch, but they were all day tours. The OP is on a half-day tour.   Are you going to Moscow?  I was in St. P for three days and the tour company had the option of going to Moscow. It was a long day, and an early one...but so worth it....except for the lack of a souvenir. I do have pictures. I did buy a book on Moscow when I got back to St. P.    I was on Royal C.  I love Oceania...such pretty ships! 

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11 minutes ago, clo said:

I just booked an Oceania cruise that includes three days in St. Petersburg and haven't looked at anything.  But I'm wondering if there are tours that include a 'traditional' lunch.  I'll keep reading this thread as I'm already excited a year out 🙂

 

Clo, we had a "traditional" lunch as part of our tour of the Hermitage and Catherine's palace.  Lunch was in a building next to the latter.  It was a long time ago.  

 

Op -- I also don't recall a cafe in the terminal, but we were there many many years ago. 

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4 minutes ago, ldubs said:

Clo, we had a "traditional" lunch as part of our tour of the Hermitage and Catherine's palace.  Lunch was in a building next to the latter.  It was a long time ago.  

 

I'm kinda guessing that one will never see, on a cruise line visa, anything "traditional."  I know that we could get a true visa that would allow us to do our own thing.  From what I've read the visa has a few steps but isn't hard to do.  I'm going to think about this.  Thanks.

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1 minute ago, clo said:

I'm kinda guessing that one will never see, on a cruise line visa, anything "traditional."  I know that we could get a true visa that would allow us to do our own thing.  From what I've read the visa has a few steps but isn't hard to do.  I'm going to think about this.  Thanks.

 

Ok, then I guess we didn't have a "traditional" lunch.  🤔

 

All I can really remember is the soup and the really potent alcoholic drink.  

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Our experience was once you have been through security once you are just waved in and out when you show the paperwork.

 

If you want to go back on the ship for lunch I don’t think this will be an issue with time or hassle.

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10 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I recently booked Scandinava and Russia cruise.  Looking at booking an excursion of Catherine's palace in morning which is over at 12 pm then we have an afternoon excursion for canal cruise leaving at 130 pm.   

Since not able to wander around on own in st petersburg I'm wondering if there is a cafe or somewhere to get light lunch in the cruise terminal instead of going thru security and customs to do lunch in wdj.

Anyone know?

There are 4 terminals at the Marine Facade (passenger port). There is a cafe on the second floor of terminal 3. There are also vending machines in all of the terminals that sell snacks, coffee, soft drinks, etc.

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No idea which terminal jewel ots will dock at but probably easier to get to cafe in terminal 3 then getting on and off ship and to do wdj for lunch.  Thank you for this info.

 

In response to other person yes, if select full day tours they will include lunch

We are doing 2 separate excursions so no lunch with ours.  We thought doing the 2 separate excursions was a better way to customize what we want to see and do.

Sounds amazing cannot wait to see in person.

 

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9 hours ago, clo said:

I'm kinda guessing that one will never see, on a cruise line visa, anything "traditional."  I know that we could get a true visa that would allow us to do our own thing.  From what I've read the visa has a few steps but isn't hard to do.  I'm going to think about this.  Thanks.

 

A bit OT but do not be discouraged by the nay-sayers who tell you not to get the visa on your own. (e.g., that there are no signs in English, too hard to get around on your own, etc.). It IS possible. 

 

Regarding lunches on your own, if you are on the cruise ship tour then lunch is definitely in a hotel dining room or restaurant mainly for tourists. If you go on a private tour (sort of the 'halfway' option: you go with a private guide but you don't have to go through the steps of getting your own visa...), some will take you to get the traditional meat pies at a place like Stolle -- which isn't exactly off the grid, but the food is great. Guides in Russia can be stubborn and like to stick to their favorites, so you may have to be rather firm about what YOU want to do.

 

Russia's not my jam, but there are a couple of posters on the Northern Europe ports of call forum here who can help those that want a more independent experience in St. Petersburg....

 

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9 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

another group told their guide that if she didn't let them souvenir shop..they wanted to go right back to the ship and she could forget about her tip.......they were allowed to souvenir shop. 

 

Very rude of them to force the guide to stop for shopping if that wasn't a part of the tour.

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1 hour ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Very rude of them to force the guide to stop for shopping if that wasn't a part of the tour.

Well, A. There was no tour itinerary that the payees knew about, B. They were not rude...they simply stated, no shopping portion, no tour, no tip, and C. Aren’t you judgemental!!

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2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

A bit OT but do not be discouraged by the nay-sayers who tell you not to get the visa on your own. (e.g., that there are no signs in English, too hard to get around on your own, etc.). It IS possible. 

 

I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.  I had actually looked into getting a Russian visa a while back.  It requires a "letter of invitation" (if I remember the term correctly) but that's done through companies that that's what they do.  Supposedly not a biggie.  Then with that you apply for the visa.  We're going to have three days there and I don't want to spend my entire time traipsing around with a bunch of tourists eating restaurant food 🙂  Your post has inspired me to do lots of research.  I'd read once that SP was really the only worthwhile stop, not Moscow but I'll now look into that.  Mom, you're my newest hero 🙂

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11 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

except for the lack of a souvenir.

This got referred to downthread.  What was that about?  Not that I particularly care.  And re the book I chuckled.  We've started buying books of special places when we travel.  Figure when we're in our rockers in "the home" we can look at all the pretty 'pitchers.' 🙂  We got a book on Gaudi' several years after the fact that's in German.  But we just wanted it for the photos.  And it was cheap.

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15 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I recently booked Scandinava and Russia cruise.  Looking at booking an excursion of Catherine's palace in morning which is over at 12 pm then we have an afternoon excursion for canal cruise leaving at 130 pm.   

Since not able to wander around on own in st petersburg I'm wondering if there is a cafe or somewhere to get light lunch in the cruise terminal instead of going thru security and customs to do lunch in wdj.

Anyone know?

We were on the Explorer in June and were in St. Petersburg.  There are a few gift shops in the terminal but I don't recall any type of café.   Ask your tour operator if your morning excursion includes any snacks, otherwise, just pack some.  We did full day tours that included some type of meal.  St. Petersburg is beautiful but has a very different vibe from all the other ports we went to in the Baltic.  Everywhere else was lively, St. Petersburg was a bit more glum for lack of a better word.  Really watch for pickpocketing in St. Petersburg.  We knew one person who had his wallet removed from his cargo shorts at the Hermitage.  Have a great trip!

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12 hours ago, clo said:

But I'm wondering if there are tours that include a 'traditional' lunch.

I'm sure that you can eat where/what you wish if you book a private tour or DIY. We favor Georgian cuisine and St. Pete offers a variety of restaurants that serve Georgian. We really like traditional favorites such as pelmeni, vareniki & pirozhki. Also enjoy solyanka (but I am not a fan of borscht).

 

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25 minutes ago, clo said:

This got referred to downthread.  What was that about?  Not that I particularly care.  And re the book I chuckled.  We've started buying books of special places when we travel.  Figure when we're in our rockers in "the home" we can look at all the pretty 'pitchers.' 🙂  We got a book on Gaudi' several years after the fact that's in German.  But we just wanted it for the photos.  And it was cheap.

I don’t know what downthread is. But about the books.....they take better pictures than I do and I look forward to going through them when I’m in my rocker too.  Maybe my great-great grandkids won’t know what a book is, I’ll have to explain it to them.....😂......oh look...Granny’s tablet has layers to it.....🤣🤣

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4 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

Well, A. There was no tour itinerary that the payees knew about, B. They were not rude...they simply stated, no shopping portion, no tour, no tip, and C. Aren’t you judgemental!!

 

The way you told the story they were rude. You may not have given us all the facts and you may not know all the facts but if they told her that she could forget the tips if they didn't stopped somewhere for souveniers they were rude.

 

Can't we assume that the tour guides in Russia has a itinerary they shall follow? You say that the payees had not been given a tour itinerary,  right? Then they were not promised a "souvenier stop" and it was rude of them to demand that the guide should change the itinerary she probably had to follow. I hope the guide wasn't fired, or since we are talking about Russia that something worse happened to her...     

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17 hours ago, clo said:

I just booked an Oceania cruise that includes three days in St. Petersburg and haven't looked at anything.  But I'm wondering if there are tours that include a 'traditional' lunch.  I'll keep reading this thread as I'm already excited a year out 🙂

Have no clue about the cruise line excursions (we avoid them like the plague) but plenty of the private tours in STP include lunch.  In fact, on our last visit we spend 2 days with a small tour group of 10 run by TJ Tours (who we recommend).  On the 2nd day our little group (and guide) was walking around Nevsky Prospekt (the main consumer street) browsing shops around lunch time.  Our guide suggested we all choose one of the nearby café/restaurants for lunch.  After looking at some of the menus (just like at home) we all decided on a restaurant where most of the couples went off on their own and we had lunch with another couple.  This place had a large menu and you could have such Traditional Russian delicacies such as a burger/fries, Club Sandwich, etc.  Or course they also had the usual borsht and some other Russian dishes.  I recall there was a pizza place next door.  Times have changed in parts of Russia.

 

Speaking of private tours, these are used by many cruisers.  The licensed tour companies provide the necessary Visa (actually it is a Visa Waiver), vehicles, guides, etc.  Instead of being crammed into a large bus with 50+ cruisers you can book your own tour (for as few as 2 if you please) or join with a few others on your cruise.  The decent tour companies (TJ Tours, Alla Tours, etc) all have decent web sites and they will even organize small groups from your ship...so all you need to do is sign-up for a tour online.  TJ provided us with a new 20 passenger Mercedes mini-bus for just 10 of us.  We had an licensed English speaking guide and an English speaking driver.  The cost of our private tour was actually less then similar cruise line tours.  When we told TJ Tours that we wanted to go to see Swan Lake (there was a performance of the entire production the night we were in STP) they arranged good seats and picked us up in a private car (just for DW and me).  They drove us to the theater, gave us our tickets, and our driver was waiting for us after the performance.  The cost of our little tour for 2 was about $10 per person less then a similar cruise ship excursion (on a large bus) and we had better seats :).

 

Hank

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3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

This place had a large menu and you could have such Traditional Russian delicacies such as a burger/fries, Club Sandwich, etc. 

LOL!  Sounds just too-too 🙂

 

Thanks a LOT for all this detail.  I'm looking forward to the research being the info-junkie that I am.  Did you go to Moscow?  I understand it's a long day.  I've also been told that it's not worth it...in some people's opinions.  But we all know about opinions, don't we?

 

Again, I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this.

Cath

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