Ukraine

[dwlmg]

I agree with duquephart that losing Saint Petersburg is significant. The question would then be what is an acceptable alternative? I would like an extra day in Copenhagen and a day in Oslo. I would be OK with Oslo even though we are doing the Bergen to Oslo train after the cruise. There is a lot I would like to see in Oslo. To make that happen would require a pretty big shift in port call sequence so it is probably wishful thinking. If Viking were to throw in some OBC as well, it would be nice. We shall see.

 

Viking's tripmate insurance covers acts of war as an allowable cause. I suspect VIking's cancel for any reason will also be in play and vouchers will be offered. Whether vouchers include any premium is another matter.

[shorton]

Another factor is the mad scramble between cruise lines to get new ports in place. Only so much docking space in what was likely to be a very busy Baltics season. We are assuming that since our September cruise is a carry-over from 2021 and we are fully paid, we are stuck. It will be interesting to see what Viking decides to do. 

[mhb1757]

I think we are just going to have to admit that we are not meant to see St Petersburg. We had Russia and the Baltic Sea booked for June, 2020.  It was canceled because of COVID. We rebooked the same cruise for June, 2021, same result. Rebooked again for this June. We chose this cruise specifically because it gave us 3 full days in St Petersburg.  
Got the email last night that the itinerary would be changed. So no St Petersburg. I am anxious to see what choices they give us. Can’t imagine it would be worth the investment without St Petersburg. At this point I think I’d rather just do something entirely different but since this cruise was booked and rebooked with vouchers I’m not sure what options they will give us. But I’m not sure how they can pull off a “Russia and the Baltic Sea” cruise with no Russia. 

[Twitchly]

37 minutes ago, mhb1757 said:

I think we are just going to have to admit that we are not meant to see St Petersburg. We had Russia and the Baltic Sea booked for June, 2020.  It was canceled because of COVID. We rebooked the same cruise for June, 2021, same result. Rebooked again for this June. We chose this cruise specifically because it gave us 3 full days in St Petersburg.  
Got the email last night that the itinerary would be changed. So no St Petersburg. I am anxious to see what choices they give us. Can’t imagine it would be worth the investment without St Petersburg. At this point I think I’d rather just do something entirely different but since this cruise was booked and rebooked with vouchers I’m not sure what options they will give us. But I’m not sure how they can pull off a “Russia and the Baltic Sea” cruise with no Russia. 

This January they pulled off “Cities of Antiquity and the Holy Land” without the Holy Land when Israel said no at the last minute. I think the ship sailed with fewer than 200 people.  We jumped ship, so to speak. This was our second attempt to go to Israel. I wouldn’t say we’ve given up, but we put our vouchers toward a British Isles cruise, which seems like one of the safer bets these days.

[KarenTK]

Kind of in the same situation here - have been trying to make it to St P for multiple years. Seems this year isn’t the one, either!  But, we’ve decided we are ok with that.  Wherever Viking takes us, we will enjoy.  And we simply cannot see continuing to move vouchers and credits forward.  At this point we feel we need to just go.  To wherever that may be.  (All that said, I can certainly understand people cancelling, given that St P is the main focus for many.)

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, mhb1757 said:

I think we are just going to have to admit that we are not meant to see St Petersburg. We had Russia and the Baltic Sea booked for June, 2020.  It was canceled because of COVID. We rebooked the same cruise for June, 2021, same result. Rebooked again for this June. We chose this cruise specifically because it gave us 3 full days in St Petersburg.  
Got the email last night that the itinerary would be changed. So no St Petersburg. I am anxious to see what choices they give us. Can’t imagine it would be worth the investment without St Petersburg. At this point I think I’d rather just do something entirely different but since this cruise was booked and rebooked with vouchers I’m not sure what options they will give us. But I’m not sure how they can pull off a “Russia and the Baltic Sea” cruise with no Russia. 

 

While SPB is a great run ashore and will be missed, the Baltic has lots of other brilliant ports of call. We have booked the UK/Scandinavia after the World Cruise next year and if SPB is still deleted, we will simply enjoy the other great ports.

 

Stops in Latvia or Lithuania would be great replacements.

[janetcbl]

1 minute ago, Heidi13 said:

 

While SPB is a great run ashore and will be missed, the Baltic has lots of other brilliant ports of call. We have booked the UK/Scandinavia after the World Cruise next year and if SPB is still deleted, we will simply enjoy the other great ports.

 

Stops in Latvia or Lithuania would be great replacements.

Or an extra day in Copenhagen or Helsinki ( for Homelands).

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, janetcbl said:

Or an extra day in Copenhagen or Helsinki ( for Homelands).

 

I am always happy to spend an extra day or two in Copenhagen, but since it is well before/after SPB, the logistics are not favourable. It would require a number of arrival changes at other ports, which for 2022, may not be possible due to berth availability. If berths were available, they could be the least favourable for cruise ships.

 

An additional day in Helsinki is definitely a possibility, as are some of the ports in the Gulf of Bothnia.

[sabrefan]

I would like an extra day in Copenhagen, could add it on before ending in Stockholm. Had a cruise get canceled because of covid, the Vibrant Cities which I don’t understand why Viking is not offering this anymore.

[duquephart]

7 hours ago, janetcbl said:

Or an extra day in Copenhagen or Helsinki ( for Homelands).

 

Or Stavanger ----- so I can visit the sardine factory.

[MSEm]

We did the Viking Russian River cruise in Sept 2008.

1.  Great time to visit:  Very few tourist in Sept.

2.  Had to get Russian Visa:  5 pages. List every address you lived since birth.

 List every job stating employer, job duties, especially military service and duties.

3. We flew into Helsinki for pre-tour. Traveled as a Viking group by train from Helsinki to SPB. Make sure you get the 1" X 1 1/2" stamped entry/exit slip.  Do NOT Lose. You cannot get out of county without that little slip of paper. Our passports were collected on the train by Russian Customs.  I noticed everyone had this little slip of paper but not in my passport.  I asked our Viking tour guide. She immediately looked at my passport and told me and Husband, Retired US military officer; to follow her.

We went to the "Customs" train car. Lot's of arms waving and loud voices. Finally a "Customs" agent stamped and handed our guide the little slip of white paper. Our Viking guide explained the importance of the slip of paper.

3.  At the railroad crossing from Finland into Russia there were road block spikes. Vehicles could drive into Russia but not from Russia into Finland. 

4.  In Moscow we visited Red Square and the "GUM" Department store. "GUM" was filled with upscale boutiques. At each entrance to GUM was armed military security.  Inside were many men in gray suits with ear pieces and radios.  We tried to take a picture from the balcony but were stopped by a gray-suited man. NO PICTURES ALLOWED.

5.  Extended for 3 night at a Holiday Inn in Moscow. Hotel surrounded by 8 ft concrete wall with concertina wire on top. Armed guards at gate. Passports collected by customs when entering the hotel.

6.  On 12 floor with room overlooking the main street. Interesting to watch from the window. Also 1/2 block to grocery store. Armed guards at the "grocery" store and the McDonald's.  Always watched inside any store. 

Leaving Moscow:

1.  Had to "tip" transportation clerk in hotel to call taxi for airport.   

2.  In airport, went through 5 screening. 2 check while in the car.

3rd at entry door, before getting on elevator, before going into check in area.  4th check was having suitcases unpacked while we watched.  Any alcohol was removed.  NOTE:  No liquids purchased at the duty free stores allowed on the plane.  Before boarding carry-on bags, purses, etc were checked with removal of all duty free liquids ,including jams.

Enjoyed our trip and glad we went.  Viking did an excellent job and Viking tour guides very good. It was a learning experience.  Always watched when when off the ship.

 

[Redtravel]

On 2/24/2022 at 1:09 PM, KBs mum said:

We would have been happy to miss St Petersburg, getting a visa to be able to escape the minders (guides) was too expensive to justify for two days. They will show you the nice shiny bits, not the parts inhabited by the locals. 

Would rather have spent longer in Gdansk, certainly one day in Russia would have been sufficient, we found it quite oppressive. We were pleased to leave. 

When we went to St. Petersburg, we tried to use private guides. Getting the visa was a challenge. The real turn off was guides couldn’t get access to sites like the cruise ships. Cruise ships get into the sites before they open to the public. No lines.  Use the ship excursions.  

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

When we went to St. Petersburg, we tried to use private guides. Getting the visa was a challenge. The real turn off was guides couldn’t get access to sites like the cruise ships. Cruise ships get into the sites before they open to the public. No lines.  Use the ship excursions.  

 

We had the exact opposite experience as you. We booked a 2-day tour with Alla, which as an approved vendore, we did not require Russian Visas. Our daily tour ticket was our de facto Visa.

 

At the Hermitage, we had timed tickets before it opened to the public and as we left, we saw the ship's tours queued outside waiting to get in.

[Vineyard View]

24 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

We had the exact opposite experience as you. We booked a 2-day tour with Alla, which as an approved vendore, we did not require Russian Visas. Our daily tour ticket was our de facto Visa.

 

At the Hermitage, we had timed tickets before it opened to the public and as we left, we saw the ship's tours queued outside waiting to get in.

We had the same with TJ Tours. I arranged the small group of 6. Our two days in SPB with them were outstanding in every way. We were grateful we experienced this time with TJ in SPB.  I would recommend them in a heartbeat, as I have heard about Alla and a couple others. 

 

[philw1776]

11 hours ago, Redtravel said:

When we went to St. Petersburg, we tried to use private guides. Getting the visa was a challenge. The real turn off was guides couldn’t get access to sites like the cruise ships. Cruise ships get into the sites before they open to the public. No lines.  Use the ship excursions.  

Complete opposite of our experience with TJ Tours. Our guide got us into the Hermitage before it opened. Watched cruise ship tours including Viking in a long line. TJ Tours, Alla, etc. send you an email which is effectively your Visa. You as a customer do nothing.
NOTE: this is for 2 day OCEAN cruise (topic of this thread). River cruises require actual VISAs etc.

[Berlin Bear]

TUI Cruises (the German cruise line) has announced that they are making arrangements to replace St Petersberg with Klaipeda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Copenhagen and Visby (Sweden).

[janetcbl]

4 hours ago, Berlin Bear said:

TUI Cruises (the German cruise line) has announced that they are making arrangements to replace St Petersberg with Klaipeda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Copenhagen and Visby (Sweden).

Visby would be a terrific addition. Have visited once and would love to return….very different from the rest of Sweden!

Edited February 28, 2022 by janetcbl
So-called “spell correct”.

[sujaha]

On 2/24/2022 at 12:31 PM, KarenTK said:

@sabrefan  so in agreement with you.  Saddened and horrified regarding what is happening to the Ukrainians. Seeing or not seeing St P, and cruising or not cruising, is a total nothing in comparison.  

I could not agree more.

[crusinbanjo]

On 2/24/2022 at 1:53 PM, Mrs Miggins said:

So glad we did St Petersburg some years ago.  It is a really wonderful place with such interesting history.  You do not need a separate visa if you book with a company such as Alla.  Many Cruise companies give you incorrect information so that you book their inferior excursions. The young guides were so refreshing and open about the problems they had, at least whilst we were on the minibus.

In my airline days I worked with Ukraine International so I am deeply saddened by the awful news today.  

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.

[philw1776]

One other thing about private tours in Russia. They told us they much preferred being tipped in US currency. I usually get local currency but our private guides and other Russians really wanted USD. May 2018.

[crusinbanjo]

On 2/24/2022 at 5:05 PM, KBs mum said:

Those guides are not free to express all of  what they think, and are selected to have acceptable mindsets (or they can pretend to have) the tourist areas have more freedom than the non tourist areas, we found it oppressive because we purposely avoided the tourist traps as much as possible, and looked at how things are for the average person. Something we do everywhere. 

Did you not see the badly maintained roads that the tourist busses don't go on, or the nice landscaping that stops after the turn off for whatever Palace is being visited? Also the lack of 'life' in the city compared to others on that itinerary, or other ex soviet places? 

With our guide and driver we saw much of what you described, and did take note of some lack of daily life.. Our guide was dressed like a model, even with high heels on the days we were walking on cobblestone.  I asked her why and her response was, “because I can, this was not permitted before”.  I think that says about all of it.

[crusinbanjo]

10 hours ago, philw1776 said:

Complete opposite of our experience with TJ Tours. Our guide got us into the Hermitage before it opened. Watched cruise ship tours including Viking in a long line. TJ Tours, Alla, etc. send you an email which is effectively your Visa. You as a customer do nothing.
NOTE: this is for 2 day OCEAN cruise (topic of this thread). River cruises require actual VISAs etc.

We had the same experience. We used Anastasia 

[crusinbanjo]

7 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

One other thing about private tours in Russia. They told us they much preferred being tipped in US currency. I usually get local currency but our private guides and other Russians really wanted USD. May 2018.

Funny, we were asked to pay for our tour in US “new” $100 bills, apron arrival, which we did.  I was a little suspicious of that, but it did work out just fine. We did meet the tour company owner and paid her directly, almost felt like drug deal inside her Mercedes.  She promised us a great tour and did she ever deliver.

 

it is very sad to see what is happening now.

Edited February 28, 2022 by crusinbanjo

[philw1776]

We paid TJ tours AFTER 2 days of touring with credit card. But then we were in the tour office away from the ship. Lord knows what nefarious means they had in the basement of the building to extract $ from uncooperative payees.

Edited February 28, 2022 by philw1776

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, philw1776 said:

They told us they much preferred being tipped in US currency.

Oh well. We gave our Alla tour guide a huge wad of rubles at the end. Every day on board the ship it was like the mad quest at the currency desk for rubles. Got to be sort of ridiculous. Finally got a thick pack of them but then never used them, so gave them to the guide (along with - I think - some additional USD). 

Edited March 1, 2022 by AnyWayIsGood