How Will The Russia /Ukraine Situation Impact Europe Travels

[kazu]

3 hours ago, Walfam said:

 The Hermitage  was quite crowded over twenty years ago when I cruised there on the Maasdam.

 

2 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Once we got inside it was bearable but the entrance area was packed!

 

The first time I did the Hermitage it was on a HAL tour and there was a huge lineup and it was packed. (Before my time of private tours and sucked in by the “you need a shore excursion or a Russian visa or can’t get off).   The 2nd time we did it was on a private tour and what a difference.  We were there before the ships’ tours arrived (I believe we had a special entrance admittance but can’t swear to that).

 

It was not crowded and we got to enjoy it much more.

Very glad we went when we did.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

 

The first time I did the Hermitage it was on a HAL tour and there was a huge lineup and it was packed. (Before my time of private tours and sucked in by the “you need a shore excursion or a Russian visa or can’t get off).   The 2nd time we did it was on a private tour and what a difference.  We were there before the ships’ tours arrived (I believe we had a special entrance admittance but can’t swear to that).

 

It was not crowded and we got to enjoy it much more.

Very glad we went when we did.

I also remember a not crowded entrance for our private tour, though not sure if it was a special entrance or going in before the opening.

[bennybear]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

 

The first time I did the Hermitage it was on a HAL tour and there was a huge lineup and it was packed. (Before my time of private tours and sucked in by the “you need a shore excursion or a Russian visa or can’t get off).   The 2nd time we did it was on a private tour and what a difference.  We were there before the ships’ tours arrived (I believe we had a special entrance admittance but can’t swear to that).

 

It was not crowded and we got to enjoy it much more.

Very glad we went when we did.

Such great advice!  Our first time, we weren’t even allowed to go inside the churches on the ships  tours,  then we got dragged around the Hermitage in a huge group and weren’t allowed in the Treasury.  Next time we didn’t make the same mistake and  saw so much more on our private tour including the fabled gold room in a very small group.  

[crusinbanjo]

2 hours ago, bennybear said:

Such great advice!  Our first time, we weren’t even allowed to go inside the churches on the ships  tours,  then we got dragged around the Hermitage in a huge group and weren’t allowed in the Treasury.  Next time we didn’t make the same mistake and  saw so much more on our private tour including the fabled gold room in a very small group.  

Mrs Banjo and I booked a private tour for just the two of us.  We had a guide and a driver.  The guide got us into all of the major sights without any lines and the driver was always right where he needed to be to whisk us to the next site. With our guide we also rode the subway and had great seats at a show, (mostly for tourists), in the evening.  Driver waiting for us when we walked out.  2 days in St Petersburg, and two days with our driver and our guide. It was fabulous, somewhat expensive, but worth every penny.   We were also told the “you can’t get off the ship without a visa” story, but our guide emailed visas to us in advance and then she met us inside the terminal, no problems at all.
 

likely, we will never get to visit Russia again, so I am glad we did it the way we did.

[SDARCH]

@crusinbanjo Did you use Tatiana as your tour guide?

[crusinbanjo]

5 minutes ago, SDARCH said:

@crusinbanjo Did you use Tatiana as your tour guide?

Anastasia, it was a few years ago when we cruised on Prinsendam and I booked the. Pinnacle Suite.  So much fun

Edited February 28, 2022 by crusinbanjo

[SDARCH]

We had the same experience with a private tour.  Our guide, Tatiana arranged for the visas, met us at the port and had an amazing day worked out for us.  Took us to a wonderful spot for lunch.

I'm an Architect, strangely fascinated by soviet early and mid 20th century buildings....so the tour was based around that.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, crusinbanjo said:

Mrs Banjo and I booked a private tour for just the two of us.  We had a guide and a driver.  The guide got us into all of the major sights without any lines and the driver was always right where he needed to be to whisk us to the next site. With our guide we also rode the subway and had great seats at a show, (mostly for tourists), in the evening.  Driver waiting for us when we walked out.  2 days in St Petersburg, and two days with our driver and our guide. It was fabulous, somewhat expensive, but worth every penny.   We were also told the “you can’t get off the ship without a visa” story, but our guide emailed visas to us in advance and then she met us inside the terminal, no problems at all.
 

likely, we will never get to visit Russia again, so I am glad we did it the way we did.

We had a group of 10 that was put together from our roll call after DW and I picked one of the Alla tours and asked if any others wanted to participate. It was a small enough group that we all bonded. And small enough that our guide was also able to get us into places without lines. We were also able to do a few subway stops after our guide asked if there was anything anyone wanted to do which was not on the tour. And of course the driver was right there to pick us up where she told him to be.

 

Our Alla guide, Viktoria, opened her own agency SPB tours the following cruise season.

[YXU AC*SE]

4 hours ago, bennybear said:

Next time we didn’t make the same mistake and  saw so much more on our private tour including the fabled gold room in a very small group.  

 

This one ?    🙂   (and yes I am in the picture -- look in the mirrors -- but that's how small our group was on our private tour -- Rotterdam VI  in 2011)        Scott. 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by YXU AC*SE

[bennybear]

40 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Our Alla guide, Viktoria, opened her own agency SPB tours the following cruise season.

She is amazing, we even got a behind the scenes tour of the fountains at Peterhof, a visit and ride on subways, local food and markets, a hydrofoil ride, a canal ride…..  And her husband organized our Berlin tours.  
 

@YXU AC*SE I think that photo is the Catherine Palace which we visited as well, but I meant the amazing treasury in the Hermitage which  is a lottery and only allows 14 in at a time.  There are complete jeweled sets for horses!  

[canadarocks]

While I totally understand and appreciate the Hermitage and other St Petersburg experiences people are sharing (we did the same with a private tour company and I have memories that I will treasure forever)

 

Perhaps this isn't the time for Russia to be the focus.... JMHO

Edited March 1, 2022 by canadarocks

[bennybear]

34 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

While I totally understand and appreciate the Hermitage and other St Petersburg experiences people are sharing (we did the same with a private tour company and I have memories that I will treasure forever)

 

Perhaps this isn't the time for Russia to be the focus.... JMHO

Understandable,  I think there is so much loss in the last few years.    Of course,  this pales in comparison to the situation in Ukraine.  However, I am encouraged by the protest within Russia itself.  

[terrydtx]

9 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Understandable,  I think there is so much loss in the last few years.    Of course,  this pales in comparison to the situation in Ukraine.  However, I am encouraged by the protest within Russia itself.  

I will not be encouraged until Putin is arrested for his war crimes and either executed or sent to a dark hole prison for life.

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, bennybear said:

She is amazing, we even got a behind the scenes tour of the fountains at Peterhof, a visit and ride on subways, local food and markets, a hydrofoil ride, a canal ride…..  And her husband organized our Berlin tours.  
 

@YXU AC*SE I think that photo is the Catherine Palace which we visited as well, but I meant the amazing treasury in the Hermitage which  is a lottery and only allows 14 in at a time.  There are complete jeweled sets for horses!  

Yes, I totally agree with you on how amazing Viktoria was (and I'm sure would still be if the Russia situation was different.)

 

When we did our tour with her as our Alla guide in 2007, IIRC he she said she had 18 years experience as a guide. (And someone on our cruise who I spoke to who had done a Princess excursion said that their guide was only 18.)

[HappyInVan]

Today, I'll think about the children in the besieged cities. They'll be trying to sleep. What will tomorrow bring? 😧

 

As I look at the financial and oil markets, I think that we will have bigger worries than our Baltic cruises.

[Calnev1]

18 hours ago, crusinbanjo said:

  18 hours ago, SDARCH said:

@crusinbanjo Did you use Tatiana as your tour guide?

 

Anastasia, it was a few years ago when we cruised on Prinsendam and I booked the. Pinnacle Suite.  So much fun

We used Anna Karenina.  

[KroozNut]

On 1/26/2022 at 10:50 AM, OlsSalt said:

 

Satellite photos show those military bases and equipment on the Russian border have been in place for years, but recent ones got cropped intentionally for effect.. Just like our San Diego harbor bristles with heavy military gear including nuclear powered aircraft carriers on our own borders. Does this mean  we ready to invade Mexico? According to others in the intelligence community, they recognize the role for "theater" in global politics, or merely well-timed deflection from domestic matters.  

 

Hard for the layperson to sort this out, I agree. But "Wag the Dog" might be a good movie to put on your home screens right now.  And always, always follow your own gut instincts because this is your decision.

This one did not age well...😏