Great ideas. Is it OK with you if I copy your posts and add them to the St. Petersburg Port Review? I think everyone visiting St. Petersburg would benefit from them. As for me, I can't wait to come back.

Tom

Hi Tom, posting anything is fine but I should have used a spell checker or thought faster than my typing. I am still a 2 fingered typist so no only am I slow but not very accurate in my sentence structure sometimes. When you do plan to come back, let me know in advance and I will make sure you have a great plan laid out. I have lots of different interests so have explored much more than the normal museums/theaters and palaces over the years. I was talking to Ali the owner of Den Rus this morning about compiling a list of clubs and nightlife activities and I am going to ask my friends to contribute to the list and reviews. I have one I did last year on restaurants and cafes that has some pretty original observations. A friend compliled a list of recreational activities that would be interesting, everything from real Russian banyas to helicopter skiing to shooting ranges featuring famous Russian arms. I think there are 8 indoor climbing walls in the city for example.
In the summer months there are so many festivals and special events it is hard to keep track of them. Most are involving music or performance art but some recreational also.

Stan

Stan,
I think your offer to assist Ali in compiling a list of nighttime activities is great! We used DenRus for our private tours on our last visit and were quite pleased with the service, with the exception of the Nightclub tour. Our tour guide was obviously unaware of the SPB nightlife scene and had no idea where to take us and asked where we wanted to go. Well, obviously, we had "no clue", so we spent much of the evening just driving around looking for a place and actually ended up at Magrib, by sheer luck (at least it was active and was not fully reserved or closed for a private function). Your input would be an invaluable asset to their already fine services and be most appreciated by tourists.

Since you mentioned having done some restaurant reviews. Let me pick your brain. If you wanted to have a memorable lunch (a local spot, with great food, good service, etc) somewhere near The Hermitage or along Nevsky Prospekt where would you suggest?

Nancy

Stanj, you writing is excellent. I will post the information to the St. Petersburg port review. Any information you can share makes it easier for folks to decide what to do and maximize their stay in St. Petersburg. I really appreciate you willingness to do so.

Tom

Hi Nancy...do you ever sleep? It must be 3 a.m there.
A great restaurant near the Heritage? That is easy, the "Hermitage" restaurant directly across the Palace Sq from the Hermitage in the grand arched opening in the middle of the General Staff building. That is the long semi-circular building facing the Winter Palace. Half this restaurants window face the palace. It is probably the best location for a restaurnat I've ever seen...anywhere. It has 3 sections with 3 menus and 3 prices ranges; VIP, Business and Tourist. I do not like their naming convention but all three sections are very nice and quite a pleasurable dining experience. I attended a party that was staged at the VIP section and it was excellent....very very nice.
One of my favorite spots for a light lunch in a very pleasant environment is the mezzanine cafe on the second floor of the spectacular Grand Hotel Europe on Nevsky prospekt. Service is great, food is very good, (but just light lunches and deserts) in a 4 story garden attrium. Across the river is Aquarel, a fusion restaurant on a ship. Excellent if somewhat experimental menu fare. One new restaurant that impressed me but not as being Russian. It is more due to it innovative menu and interesting decor. The name is rather unimaginative however "The Spoon Cafe" and it is located on Bolshaya Morskaya, a block and 1/2 from the Hermitage. It borrows mostly from French, Japanese and Italian traditions. Dinner for 2 is about $30 plus wine, reasonable yet very stylish.
The best people watching besides in one of the many sidewalk cafes along Nevsky prospekt or Mal Sadova is the lowly SubWay Sandwich shop on Nevsky pr between the Moika and Griboedova Canals. It is a standard Subway chain outfit that is big, clean,and cheap and has elevated windows mounted booths overlooking the passerbys strolling Nevsky pr.
If outdoor terrace dining is for you...in good weather it is perfect... try the Renaissance Hotel. It is called the "6th Floor Terrace" and it has a spectacular view of St Isaac Sq and the cathedral. Only light foods and drinks however. Very romantic for late evenings also but it is open only until 11 p.m with is rediculasly early to close in SPb.
There are a few close in recommendations, all easy walks from the Hermitage with good views, food and decor(ok, not the Subway but what do you expect for $4 including drinks?)
Stan

Hi Stan,
Actually I am an early riser - but not that early. Cruise-chat is on Pacific time (Tom's time zone) and I live in Ohio which is on EST, which means it is actaully 3 hours later than c-c time.

Thanks for the valuable info - all great tips. I am certainly glad you found your way to this chat room. You have a wealth of great suggestions.

Nancy

Stan, Tom & Nancy,
I have been invited by my friends on the Star Princess to join them in the Baltics. So, I am considering this in the very near future, and have read your posts with great interest.

Stan, thank you so very much for sharing such excellent information on St.Petersburg. You are a gem being so kind.

Keep the info coming

Cathy

Hi Cathy
Which dates are you considering. I met a group of people on another nameless forum and I am meeting them for a evening tour of night spots on Sept 6-7.
What are your interests in the city? Most people want to see the "standard" sights which by any measure are not standard at all, including the imcomparable Hermitage, enough palaces to make you think that is the normal way of life people should have(or at least I do;> and the architecture that is some of the best examples of the work by some of the best Italian, French, Scottish, German and Swiss architects of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
I was helping someone decide on what to do the other day after they said they loved art and wondered if 2 hours in the Hermitage was too much! An art lover would probably kill to visit that museum and for good cause. If you are coming this year it might be best to come after the big crush, after August but the cruise season ends in mid September right in the middle of the very best time to visit. The weather is great, the lines are gone pretty much, prices go down on the airfares by as much as 50% and even restaurants bring out their "shoulder season" menus which are a relief to the pocketbook. But Summer is when most people have their vacations. Half the people I know here in St Petersburg are gone themselves off to the beach(Balck Sea or Turkey), their woodlands cabin called dachas or just gone without notice. At any given time in the summer fully 1/3 of the 5.5 million population is missing only to be replaced by an even larger group of visitors, mostly Russians from other areas of the country. And there a lot of other areas to come from in a country that spans 11 times zones!
Have a great voyage and I think you will like Star, the regulars on it certainly do.

Hello Stan,
Thank you for your prompt reply. Have not given this a lot of thought yet. I have some dear friends that work on the ship & they have asked me to visit. Amazingly it looks like I may have considered a good time to cruise being Sept. 12-22 based on your comments. Our overnight in St. Petersburg is mid-cruise if I believe (9/16 &17).
Usually when I travel to Europe I enjoy doing a highlights tour to get a feel from the place. From your descriptions I have plenty to see and am sure my days will be packed full.
Not really sure what my friend's work schedule will be as yet, but, hopefully they will be able to join me.
As I firm up my plans I will let you know.
Keep the info coming

Have a great day!!
Cathy

Hi Stan,
Just looked at the weather forcast as you said it was good weather....???
Today here in Connecticut it is hot & humid, will hit 100. Now that is a bit too warm for me, but, 54 seems cool for summer???
How will it be in for September??
Thanks!

Cathy

Hi Stan, I have been reading some of Tom's reviews. I think booking a highlights tour will be key. I would love to see the Hermitage, Church of spilled Blood, Peterof & of course shopping Nevsky Prospect.
Our overnight in St.Petersburg hopefully I will get out with my friends.
I will keep reading & of course have more questions.
Thanks!

Cathy

Stan,
I am officially booked for August 13,2005.
Cannot wait!!

Hello SunPrincess
Congratulations! You are going to need lots of film or CF modules so stock up now;> The two days in port will go by too quickly but with a little prior study you can get the most out of each sight and activity. Of course the highlight for many people is the Hermitage but I think only because that one they know most about. Yes it is amazing but so are many of the other sights and the general feel of the Imperial Capital. A decent map of the city center is a good starting point, and possibly a guide book. The guide books are all out of date unfortunately but a few are so attractive in presentation such as the D&K EyeWhitness series and the Knopf guide books are stunning. I am not so happy about the books by Rick Steeves which are hopelessly worng on many facts, addresses, names and such.
There is a lot of information on the internet but here again, only after scanning a wide range of sources will you be able to determine correct from misleading and intentionally false information. The history and lives of the people past and present are just as interesting as the grand palaces and museums. It is a pretty unique city that was created as grand experiment to alter the way of a gigantic nation's thinking and view of the world. As a result few cities in the world could boast of such an intense and varied history in its brief 300 years of existance. The fields of art, performance art, litrature, science, political history and theory, will never be the same for the world after St Petersburg's influence. If you have any specific or even general questions about the city, cruising or Russia please post so we can all share in the responses.
By the way, the long term weather report(just a wild guess based on being here many Augusts) is warm, a little higher humidity, probably no rain, and occassional light breezes from the Gulf of Finland. Expect daytime temps of 73-80F with 50% humidity. Nighttime due to the humidity will lower to a still warm 60s-70.
If you want specific information about shore excursions let me know also, since I am very familar with destinations, offerings and prices.
Welcome aboard!

Hi Stan,
Once again thanks for your response. NOw that I am official I need to start preparing. SO much to see & do I know. I appreciate all the help I can get reading port reviews & from local experts like yourself.
Off to work now, but, happy to hear from you, and I know I will come up with loads more questions.
Enjoy your day!

Cathy
Thanks for the weather update.

Hi Stan,
I am busy looking at information on the internet about the ports of call. Have been on the Star before, so at least that will not require orientation!
As for your St. Petersburg, I am debating on who & where to tour. I know you have mentioned some private companies(DenRus), do you have to have a group to book with them? I may very likely do some touring alone. I usually book the Princess tours, but, thought I may be able to customize using a private company.

Looking forward to your reply.
Have a sparkling day

Cathy

Hi Cathy
There are three ways to tour St Petersburg:
The most common is using the ship sponsored shore excursions. These as you know are usually large tour buses filled with 40-50 visitors on a fixed itinerary. These are also the least flexible and personal of the methods. For the money they are also greatly over priced.
The second method is using the services of an independent tour company such as Red October or DenRus Ltd and customize an small group itinerary just for your groups interests and desires. A "group" can be a sole visitor all the way up to a bus full of like minded people.The main distinction of the customized tour is that it is very personal and if the group is small enough it is by far the best way to interact with a new country or culture. The cost per person goes down to well below the cost of a ship shore excursion.
The last way of visiting requires a visa and is a condensened for of independent travel. In this case each person has a personal Russian visa and either heads out on their own, with map and guide book in hand or hires a guide or even full tour or a combination of both ends of the spectrum. For only two days in port, I like the second method due to its flexibility. It is more expensive for a single visitor, about the same prive with 4-6 people and cheaper with 8 passengers than the ship tour. Of the companies I recommend DenRus because they are an American-Russian company that uses western customer service standards, a true rarity in Russia where normally the "customer is NOT always right" and their reputation for flexibility and honesty. With others your choices of destinations are determined by the profitability for them such as R.O. will let you take the facinating canal cruise only if your party is 20 or more because they get a big discount from one large boat owner, to all others they say smaller boats are not safe. They restrict you lunch choices to restaurants that those places that offer a commission for bring a group and say all others are not safe to eat in. These stories are plainly false just their insistance than all visitors only shop at their own R.O. store. But all this being said, people who take their tours generally enjoy them. Any tour company will probably deliver a good overview of the city's highlights. If you do not wish to get your own personal visa, only a limited number of companies are authorized to escort ship passengers who do not have visas, the remaining majority require the visitor to obtain a visa in advance of landing in Russia.
It the fully customized tour is more than you would like to spend(if traveling solo), there is a new value program offered by DenRus. It is essentially a copy of the ship sponsored tour of fixed itinerary tours but at a 40%+ discount. That discount is the amount that the ship takes in commission in booking the shore excursions with the contract provider. Each year the tour companies bid on tours for the cruise lines and the winner becomes the tour company for the cruise line shore excursions. The last two years it has been Arctur for Princess and the two years before that it was DenRus.
So, as you can see there are choices to make.

Finding an existing or forming group of like minded people to have a custom tour with is a popular way of lowering the per-person cost to being well below the ship tours yet retaining the personal and custom traits of the custom tours. The tour company can find other to join or you can assemble a group on the message boards. The most popular size of a private group is 6-8. If you need contact information for any of the companies, let me know.
Have a great visit Cathy
Stan

Hi Stan,
Thanks for your update. I have made several postings about my cruise & visit to St. Petersburg in an effort to see if I can get a group formed. As for my friends on the ship it is doubtful that they would be able to take the entire day off due to their positions (MaitreD,Head Waiter,Waiter).I thought about purchasing a visa for this reason, but, do want to see the county.
I am waiting to get my tour book from Princess to better read about their tours.
I will also contact DenRus.

I am so looking forward to this
Will keep you posted.
Have a lovely day!

Cathy

Cathy, Nancy and I used Denrus and on the first day it was just the two of us in a small automobile with a driver and guide. While it was somewhat expensive, we were able to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time and I would highly recommend this as a viable way to do it. The ship's shore excursion leave little time for personal exploration and tend to take you from the ship to the sight and then back to the ship again without making any stops other than those that are scheduled.

Tom

Thanks Tom.

Hi Stan, Only about 1 month to go. Can't wait. Have not really had luck finding others online for a tour. Right now pre-reserved with Princess. But, that can change. I know you mentioned an evening tour someplace here.
Not sure how those run. My friends usually finish up work 9:30-10pm. Is that too late to try to plan something??
Thanks

Cathy