Baltic, Constellation, Aug. 26/06 advice...

[spearmint]

We are booked on Constellation Aug. 26/06 Baltic Cruise.

Air, Kennsington Forum Hotel 3-nights, and cruise from Celebrity. Any comments, pro or con, on that set-up?

Also, we notice that lots of input on these boards are for tours other than those available from Celebrity. Is there any problem with ship tours; do they give good value? Would appreciate any feedback or advice from posters. Thanks in advance.

[Jill_b]

Also, we notice that lots of input on these boards are for tours other than those available from Celebrity. Is there any problem with ship tours; do they give good value? Would appreciate any feedback or advice from posters. Thanks in advance.

 

Yes, there is something wrong with the tours ships sell. Since they only sell them for contract tour companies, most of what you pay is kept by the ship as their commission. So for a 45-50 passenger crowded bus tour you get to pay more than 50% of the selling price as commission. Private tours are smaller, personal and they do what you want. I used a program called Value Excursions which saved our group of 3 a lot of money while getting a much better tour. I felt sorry for the people stuck on the big bus tours because where ever they went, there were 2,000 other people on the same bus tour ahead of them. Our smaller group got in and around bypassing the mass ship tours.

[ShamrockFL]

I second this. An example for you of our Baltic cruise last summer - the ship tour to Berlin cost approx. $300 per person. We arranged for a private bus tour with guide, for about 20 people for about $100 for two of us. An exception was St. Petersburg. Our tour through Red October, whereas it was probbaly better that the ship's tour, cost us jonly a little bit less not mush savings, but a better tour.

[daju22]

I second this. An example for you of our Baltic cruise last summer - the ship tour to Berlin cost approx. $300 per person. We arranged for a private bus tour with guide, for about 20 people for about $100 for two of us. An exception was St. Petersburg. Our tour through Red October, whereas it was probbaly better that the ship's tour, cost us jonly a little bit less not mush savings, but a better tour.

 

Hello Shamrock,

 

Can you tell me which company you used for the Berlin tour? We'll be on the Aug. 26th sailing and would like to book a tour to Berlin. The ship's tour is 169 pp. Can't find this info on the internet. I've searched.

Also looking into tours for St. Petersburg.

 

Thanks alot for the info!

[ShamrockFL]

Hello Shamrock,Can you tell me which company you used for the Berlin tour? We'll be on the Aug. 26th sailing and would like to book a tour to Berlin. The ship's tour is 169 pp. Can't find this info on the internet. I've searched.Also looking into tours for St. Petersburg. Thanks alot for the info!

 

Sorry for the delay. I haven't been on here in almost a week. I'm sorry I can't tell you the company's name as we didn't do the arranging - just went along for the ride! However, in answer to a similar question - check the thread right above this at the moment "Berlin Worth It?" In there I posted the name and contact information for the guide who joined our bus group in Berlin. If you contact her, she may be able to give you the name of the bus tour operators. In St. Persburg we went with Red October and they were very good. We had them for a 2 day group tour which we arranged privately. It cost roughly the same as the tour from the ship, but I'm sure we had more control over when and where we went and we had a great time. Your cost for Berlin isn't that bad - much better deal than Celebrtiy was offerring. You'll have a ball. One other thing I would mention - if Copenhagen is one of your stops, make sure you go to Tivoli Gardens at night, not during the daytime. People who went during the day were very disappointed as there was virtually nothing happeneing. At night, we had a hard time covering everything - we ran from the pantomime to a big band concert, to an orchestra concert, to the parade, to the illuminations, and just managed to catch the last bus back to the ship at 11:15 pm!

[ShamrockFL]

Of course when I said the other thread was right above this one, that was before I posted - then this one moved to the top and away from the other thread. Duh!! The thread to check for the information on the guide etc. is "Berlin .....Worth It?" Right now the last posting on that was February 4th.

[daju22]

Thanks again, Shamrock,

 

Will try Tivoli at night.

[mcnyc]

What's the general feeling about doing all the cities on your own (except for St. Petersburg, of course). I'm traveling with my elderly family, and I'm not rather fond herding them from one place to another in a fast pace to accomodate the cruise tours, but I've never been to the Baltics before and wanted to get a general idea before I go full speed ahead on my own path.

 

Thanks.

[danoshea]

I am also looking for advice on this Scandanavian & Russian Cruise

I like to take it easy and do short tours so if anyone can tell me that has been on this itenary on Constellation the best way I can visit

 

Oslo, Stockholm,Helsinki, Talinn, Copenhagen, and Helsingborg in Sweden.

 

Would appreciate any reply

 

Many Thanks

[tiggrrr]

I second this. An example for you of our Baltic cruise last summer - the ship tour to Berlin cost approx. $300 per person. We arranged for a private bus tour with guide, for about 20 people for about $100 for two of us. An exception was St. Petersburg. Our tour through Red October, whereas it was probbaly better that the ship's tour, cost us jonly a little bit less not mush savings, but a better tour.

 

Whilst it is true that ALL the Cruise Lines add a mark-up to their tour costs, it is also worth remembering (and maybe it goes without saying) that when choosing an independent tour operator you should check that they have the relevent insurance and are officially registered to operate tours. Most are in Europe, though not all (of course this is not the case is other parts of the world, which was highlighted by the terrible incident in South America, where the independent operator wasn't insured and the vehicle not registered to be used as a tour vehicle). However, the Cruise Lines do ensure that the operators they use have sufficient insurance and adhere to a strict set of guidlines and rules when it comes to guide, driver and vehicle quality, to ensure all possible provisions for guest safety.

[sandyruth]

we will be on constellation 26 august,i believe all the ports are easy to navigate on your own ,most are walkable or you could use local transport.we will only do an organised tour in st petersburg because you have to!there will be many options when you arrive at each port,remember they are waiting to take you as its their livelihood sandy ps we are looking for pax to join us in SP

[elainec]

We are doing this cruise on 5/20/06 on the Constellation and met people on the CC roll-call board who were planning a 2-day tour in St. Petersburg with Red October. We joined that group and now have quite a large number going. We also found some people who will be joining us for a private tour with more of a WWII theme in Berlin using A Friend in Berlin (www.afriendinberlin.de). There are 6 of us going on that tour. We plan to do the rest on our own, except for in Helsingburg we will do the kayak tour from Celebrity.

 

We'll post when we return at the beginning of June so everyone can hear how it went.

 

Elaine