Jewel: Scandinavia/Russia

[madforcruising]

I just got back from the Jewel of the Seas baltic cruise and wanted to thank madforcruising, rubrrick, and everyone else on this thread who were so helpful with tips and hints for this cruise. It was by far my favorite itinerary, and it's going to take me a while to fully digest all the beauty and history we saw over the last couple of weeks.

 

St. P was truly the highlight but each of the cities had their own charm and uniqueness. I cannot think of a single port that could have been skipped, and the 4 at sea days in between were absolutely necessary.

 

I can't believe I had even been considering a land-tour in the early days of planning this trip! :)

 

 

I´m glad you had a great time. I´m looking forward to hear some more things about your trip, maybe a little review when you get time for this.

A friend is onboard right now for this itinerary and I´m looking forward to board the Jewel on 09/11 for the Transatlantic:)

[windjamming]

I´m glad you had a great time. I´m looking forward to hear some more things about your trip, maybe a little review when you get time for this.

A friend is onboard right now for this itinerary and I´m looking forward to board the Jewel on 09/11 for the Transatlantic:)

 

Absolutely- I will post a review as soon as I get a little more settled. Thank you for all your help, Gunnar, and have a great time on the Transatlantic!!

 

Have a crepe (chocolate) for me. :)

[windjamming]

My review is up:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=7677188#post7677188

[madforcruising]

Thanks for posting this.

 

Great review:)

[docg]

Absolutely! We were on the Jewel Aug 5. LOTS of different nationalities. Gotta say, though, that St Petersburgh was the HIGHLIGHT of the cruise. But, pay attention to what everybody says - from RCI to Rick Steves: you CANNOT get off the ship without 1) being part of an organized tour or 2) having your own visa. And, even Rick Steves, no lover of organized tours, says that unless you read and speak Russian, don't try to do it by yourself!

 

First, NOTHING is in English, and few residents speak English. Unlike other countries, where you can reason out some of the language, there's no way to do that for Cryllic. So, you can read street signs, shop names, or subway stops. And, believe me, if you don't have a Visa or are part of an organized tour, you won't get by the Russian custom desk.

 

Second, St. Petersburg, and probably the rest of Russia, as well, haven't caught up to the rest of the world in tourism. For instance, the ship docks like four miles from the port entrance, which is another 8-10 miles from anywhere you want to be. We never saw a "Tourist Information" office, and the tourist shops are mostly tourist junk. If you don't have a GOOD tour guide, you're going to have a miserable time.

 

We went with Denrus's 2-day tour. It was GREAT! There were 8 of us in a van with the same driver and VERY knowledgeable guide for both days. We saw Peterhof, Peter & Paul Fortress, Hermitage, Blood Church, and a bunch of other palaces and cathedrals I can't remember the names of. Our tour guide, Elena, knew what we should buy where, took us through entrances at an accelerated pace, bought the camera passes (included in the price), and got us to the lunches (two, also included). She knew EVERYTHING, and knew how to get through the places in the time we had available.

 

If you don't book any other tours (and we only booked Helsinki), I URGE you to contact Denrus, and not book St Pete through RCI. MUCH cheaper and MUCH better.

 

Steve Gabany

[NancyIL]

Another happy Jewel of the Seas Baltic cruise passenger in July 2005! We also booked a 2-day private tour in St. Petersburg with DenRus - and it was wonderful.

[windjamming]

Another happy Jewel of the Seas Baltic cruise passenger in July 2005! We also booked a 2-day private tour in St. Petersburg with DenRus - and it was wonderful.

 

Nancy, I don't know if you remember, but you were one of the people who advised me to go with a cruise when I was debating between a land-based Baltics tour and the Jewel last year.

 

Thank you for your great advice!!

[NancyIL]

Nancy, I don't know if you remember, but you were one of the people who advised me to go with a cruise when I was debating between a land-based Baltics tour and the Jewel last year.

 

Thank you for your great advice!!

 

I don't remember giving you great advice, but you're welcome!! :)

**OK - just did a search of your posts to find my words of wisdom! ;) Here's the link to that thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=177535