We are on the Jewel of the Seas l2th July and looking for other couples to join us on 2 days of touring - we want to visit the major tourist places including the synagogue. Not particularly interested in shopping.
Just saw your post and had a question for you. Do you have a vise for Russia. Word is you have to take the ships shore excursion or have a visa before they will let you off the ship. There are too many restrictions at this port and even with a tour group you can not walk freely into a store without permission from the tour guide.
JJAMES is correct on the visa. The blanket visa provided for cruiseline excursions has limitations. You will not be allowed to even disembark without an individual visa other than the excursions.
One other thing you should do if you get an individual visa... Make about a gazillion copies and leave the real thing in the safe in your cabin. This is an acceptable practice and safer. You will be asked repeatedly for your papers. If you give the real thing to an official there you'll never see it again. There is a black market for for such doccuments there, how are you going to get it back once the official pockets it? You're not. Give up a copy and move on. They'll give you the same advice aboard the ship.
I have been to St Petersburg twice. Both times I did a tour with DenRus. They are excellent. They are a Russian authorized tour company and they will get the visa for you to go on their tour. They will meet you right outside the clearing station when you get off the ship. When you get off the ship you will need your passport. You go through an area where they stamp your passport and give you "like a day pass". It is collected when you return to the ship. I sailed on Celebrity both times. On the first day of the cruise Celebrity collected your passport "Only" if you hadn't already made two copies of the first two pages of your passport. The cruise line returned the passports a couple days later after they made the copies for you. There are some beautiful sites to see in St Petersburg. Don't miss the Church of Spilled Blood. I don't believe St Petersburg is quite as restrictive as some people still believe it is.
Using a company like Red October, you do not need to obtain a visa on your own. We used them, create3d our own itinerary via emails, and had a great 2 days off a Celebrity cruise to St. Petes...cruise lines like you to think you can only go with them...not true, if tour is registered with the City ...we were sent paperwork with which to leave the ship...also the ship packed lunches for us on full days of touring.
Thanks for all the information. Would like to find some other people on same cruise to make up a tour. We dont mind which company. They all sound good.
