Baltic and St. Petersburg

I finally took advantage of the on-board booking extras to book
another cruise on HAL, this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not have to get a visa for
Russia if we only went on HAL excursions. Is that true? The website
says that visas are required. How difficult is this to do? I haven't
had time to Google the previous posts on tours to St. Pete yet, so I
don't know if I want to do a HAL excursion or not.

Also the lady says that the 7-12 year olds can sign themselves out
with the permission of their parents. Is THAT true? It seems
unlikely to me although it would be way more convenient for me if it
was so.

How likely is it that there will be other young teens on this ship at
that time of year?

Rosalie B. wrote:
I finally took advantage of the on-board booking extras to book
another cruise on HAL, this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not have to get a visa for
Russia if we only went on HAL excursions. Is that true? The website
says that visas are required. How difficult is this to do? I haven't
had time to Google the previous posts on tours to St. Pete yet, so I
don't know if I want to do a HAL excursion or not.

Also the lady says that the 7-12 year olds can sign themselves out
with the permission of their parents. Is THAT true? It seems
unlikely to me although it would be way more convenient for me if it
was so.

How likely is it that there will be other young teens on this ship at
that time of year?

Yes, if you are on an HAL excursion you will not need a visa. What they
did not tell you was that any of the other organized shore excursion
companies in St. Petersburg can take you and your group on an escorted
excursion with out you having to get a Russian Visa either. The touring
company will get a blanket visa for your group, itemized for each
individual and if staying less than three days while your ship is in
port, nothing else is required. If you want to tour on your own without
benefit of a tour company, you will need a Russian visa. If you look at
Alla tours web site or Denrus or Red October, you will find lots of
information on St. Petersburg tours other than what the ship offers.
HAving made arrangements with any of those ahead of time, will result in
no issues at all when getting off the ship.

(Rosalie*B.) wrote:

I finally took advantage of the on-board
booking extras to book another cruise on HAL,
this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The Baltic region is a GREAT cruise, wonderful ports. Does your ship do
Oslo, or does it have a stop for Berlin?. Also Talinn, Estonia is a gem.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not
have to get a visa for Russia if we only went
on HAL excursions. Is that true? The website
says that visas are required. How difficult is
this to do? I haven't had time to Google the
previous posts on tours to St. Pete yet, so I
don't know if I want to do a HAL excursion or
not.

The law is that you need a visa for Russia with the exception that if
you go to St. Petersburg by a cruise ship and stay 72 hours or less, you
can go on the group visa of your cruise ship or a licensed tour
operator. (The cruise lines won't tell you that second part.) We used
Alla and had a wonderful time with a small group and paid much less than
ship tours. Our guide later started he own company spb-tours with tours
in St. Petersburg and Berlin. Red October and Den Rus also come highly
recommended and have been used by others in this newsgroup.

Also the lady says that the 7-12 year olds can
sign themselves out with the permission of
their parents. Is THAT true? It seems unlikely
to me although it would be way more
convenient for me if it was so.

I can't answer that one.

How likely is it that there will be other young
teens on this ship at that time of year?

Much of the country will still be in school, so I would not expect too
many. There were some older teens on our Princess Baltic cruise in
August 2007.

I would recommend researching the ports on cruisecritic.com Also if you
want to get a group together for a private tour, your ship's roll call
on cruisecritic is a good resource. (That's what I did.)

Here's my cruise review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberre...?EntryID=33517

I will echo the other posters opinions re this cruise. also, we went with Alla's Tour in Stp petersburg, there were 11 of us, we customized our tour and it was so much better than the ship tour and less expensive! they took careof the blanket visa
we went late august with our 14 y.o. son and there was a nice group
for him to hang with.
enjoy
sheree

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...

I finally took advantage of the on-board booking extras to book
another cruise on HAL, this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not have to get a visa for
Russia if we only went on HAL excursions. Is that true? The website
says that visas are required. How difficult is this to do?

The visa process for Russia is daunting and most people are quite happy to
go with a tour company and stay with the ship. St Petersburg is not a town
that I felt like doing a lot of walking around in (and I even speak a little
Russian) it just doesn't feel good.

It is almost funy how they guard the ship to ensure that no one escapes! As
if anyone aboard would want to.

How likely is it that there will be other young teens on this ship at
that time of year?,

Hi, Rosalie,

We did the Baltics on the Rotterdam several summers back. The ship had
recently undergone the cruise line's signature upgrades and was so
comfortable and well-appointed. The kids' areas were very cool, and
yes, he (I think the grandchild up for this trip is a boy?!) will be
able to come/go as he pleases if you sign the consent for him to do
that. Adults and kids loved the NYTimes-sponsored library & coffee bar
with news, books, music, movies, maps, etc.

We did the trip in July--there were not many kids on the Rotterdam.
The Baltics isn't as big a draw for families as, say, the Med. And HAL
is the weakest of the mass market lines in attracting families and
younger couples, more so on their non-Caribbean and non-Alaskan
cruises and on their smaller ships like the Rotterdam. The adults in
our group averaged age 50, and we were among the youngest aboard. We
did see more kids spill out of the usual kid-friendly cruise line
ships we met in port. We have traveled to Europe with kids a number of
times in early June. As others indicated, because schools are not out
in Euro and in many places in the US, the kid count will definitely be
at its lowest point of the summer.

This child will have to be pretty independent, able to entertain
himself and happy with your company. Thankfully, the trip is port-
intensive, so there's not a lot of down time.

Ditto the answers given on the visa issue in St. P. We went with
Denrus on a custom tour. Whatever you do, I strongly suggest you don't
take a HAL tour. You will really feel like sheeple at the palaces and
Hermitage compared to the small group experience.

You have lots to plan...the ports are chock full of activities of
interest to the young and young at heart!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

D Ball wrote:

How likely is it that there will be other young teens on this ship at
that time of year?,

Hi, Rosalie,

We did the Baltics on the Rotterdam several summers back. The ship had
recently undergone the cruise line's signature upgrades and was so
comfortable and well-appointed. The kids' areas were very cool, and
yes, he (I think the grandchild up for this trip is a boy?!) will be

Thank you very much Diane - the last two trips have been with boys but
this one is with a girl who will be 12, almost 13. I do have another
grandson of an appropriate age, but he seems impossible for me to
schedule.

able to come/go as he pleases if you sign the consent for him to do
that. Adults and kids loved the NYTimes-sponsored library & coffee bar
with news, books, music, movies, maps, etc.

We did the trip in July--there were not many kids on the Rotterdam.
The Baltics isn't as big a draw for families as, say, the Med. And HAL
is the weakest of the mass market lines in attracting families and
younger couples, more so on their non-Caribbean and non-Alaskan
cruises and on their smaller ships like the Rotterdam.

We just got off the Statendam and I think there was maybe one child of
school age but it was during the school year and it was a long cruise
(26 days). ).

The adults in
our group averaged age 50, and we were among the youngest aboard.

There were a large number of obese and/or mobility impaired people,
but there were also quite large numbers of deck walkers, some of whom
did 5 or 6 miles every day (right outside our windows on the Lower
Promenade

We
did see more kids spill out of the usual kid-friendly cruise line
ships we met in port. We have traveled to Europe with kids a number of
times in early June. As others indicated, because schools are not out
in Euro and in many places in the US, the kid count will definitely be
at its lowest point of the summer.

Her school will be out (gets out June 5th) and I think ours will too,
but I know the Europeans will not be.

This child will have to be pretty independent, able to entertain
himself and happy with your company. Thankfully, the trip is port-
intensive, so there's not a lot of down time.

I had her for a week this summer and it worked OK. Her brother was a
joy to be with and was outgoing with adults on our trip. Her cousin
was able to entertain himself, but was shy and thought the other boys
on the trip were 'nerdy', so he mostly entertained himself and that
was OK.

Ditto the answers given on the visa issue in St. P. We went with
Denrus on a custom tour. Whatever you do, I strongly suggest you don't
take a HAL tour. You will really feel like sheeple at the palaces and
Hermitage compared to the small group experience.

I am good with a small group tour which I did on the last trip. But
this last trip said we had to have yellow fever shots and we DID, so I
was not sure whether this requirement for a visa listed on the St.
Petersburg port would be a sticking point also.

You have lots to plan...the ports are chock full of activities of
interest to the young and young at heart!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

Originally Posted by Rosalie B.

I finally took advantage of the on-board booking extras to book
another cruise on HAL, this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not have to get a visa for
Russia if we only went on HAL excursions.

Russia's parliament is currently considering relaxing visa requirements but it seems likely that only Europeans will benefit.

The Rotterdam will be calling at Tallinn on the way to St Petersburg and Helsinki on the way back. This is a good thing for you because teens usually enjoy these towns more than the wall-to-wall palaces and museums of St P.

There are useful port guides at http://www.DiscoverTheBaltic.com which are more honest than in the sponsored sites.

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...

I finally took advantage of the on-board booking extras to book
another cruise on HAL, this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not have to get a visa for
Russia if we only went on HAL excursions. Is that true? The website
says that visas are required. How difficult is this to do? I haven't
had time to Google the previous posts on tours to St. Pete yet, so I
don't know if I want to do a HAL excursion or not.

Also the lady says that the 7-12 year olds can sign themselves out
with the permission of their parents. Is THAT true? It seems
unlikely to me although it would be way more convenient for me if it
was so.

How likely is it that there will be other young teens on this ship at
that time of year?

Rosalie, while we also did an independent tour (Red October) and thought
they were great, many people on the ship absolutely raved about the ship
tours as well, particularly the tour that did the Subway System. And
recognize, that even if you're in a smaller group than the larger "ship
groups", there will still be 50,000 people in the Hermitage. So while
you're traveling in a smaller group, the places you visit are just as
crowded, since you go the same time all the other groups go.

As far as getting your own visa... I suggest not doing so. At least for a
first time visitor. The city is huge, complex, with fast moving traffic,
pick pockets, etc., a recipe for potential problems for someone going off on
their own. Or let's say you accidentally took a picture of something they
don't want you taking a picture of.... who's going to speak up for you? And
things like Catherine's Palace are long bus rides outside the city. So you
would still need to arrange getting to places like that. Just stick with an
independent group or the ship tours.

--Tom

"Mike" " wrote in message
ecom...
Rosalie B. wrote:
I finally took advantage of the on-board booking extras to book
another cruise on HAL, this time on the Rotterdam on June 12th.

The cruise consultant lady said we did not have to get a visa for
Russia if we only went on HAL excursions. Is that true? The website
says that visas are required. How difficult is this to do? I haven't
had time to Google the previous posts on tours to St. Pete yet, so I
don't know if I want to do a HAL excursion or not.

Also the lady says that the 7-12 year olds can sign themselves out
with the permission of their parents. Is THAT true? It seems
unlikely to me although it would be way more convenient for me if it
was so.

How likely is it that there will be other young teens on this ship at
that time of year?

Yes, if you are on an HAL excursion you will not need a visa. What they
did not tell you was that any of the other organized shore excursion
companies in St. Petersburg can take you and your group on an escorted
excursion with out you having to get a Russian Visa either. The touring
company will get a blanket visa for your group, itemized for each
individual and if staying less than three days while your ship is in port,
nothing else is required. If you want to tour on your own without benefit
of a tour company, you will need a Russian visa. If you look at Alla tours
web site or Denrus or Red October, you will find lots of information on
St. Petersburg tours other than what the ship offers. HAving made
arrangements with any of those ahead of time, will result in no issues at
all when getting off the ship.

Not necessarily true... we booked with Red October, and the ship tried
keeping us on the ship until all the excursions had left. They give you
some fluff about not being cleared by the local authorities, which is not
true. We finally showed the cruise director a letter from Red October
indicating that they might try doing that... at which point we were
"magically" allowed to leave.

--Tom