Saturday, December 8, 2018: Forms and Shore Excursions

I've been filling out forms for next July's cruise on Seabourn. I was getting a bit confused since some of the forms were asking for our preferences on items I thought, by virtue of our Owner's Suite accommodations, were not applicable. These preferences related to my membership class, not with our accommodations. I finally found a partial listing of the amenities that come with the Owner's Suite. The first two of these, the internet and liquor packages, supersede those associated with my Silver membership class.

Premium Suite Amenities Include:

• Complimentary internet service throughout your voyage
• Enhanced in-suite bar setup with additional wines or spirits for entertaining
• A welcome bouquet of fresh flowers on embarkation
• A large customized display of succulent tropical fruits
• Soft, luxurious bathrobes
• A convenient Nespresso® machine and a variety of coffees
• Swarovski® binoculars for your use during the voyage
• Daily newspaper of your choice delivered to your suite or to your
• PressReaderTM app
• A complimentary private car airport transfer of up to 50 miles*

I also have been asking for input from Laura and Maxine about what shore excursions we might want to take at our port stops in Tallin, St. Petersburg and Helsinki. There are several optional excursions offered at each port. We will be in Tallin and Helsinki just one day, but three days in St. Petersburg.

We arrive in Tallinn at 8:00 am on July 22 and depart at 5:00 pm. The only input I've received from Laura/Megan so far is that the Tallinn excursion of Old Town & Chocolate Making sounded interesting. This tour is 4 hours in duration and departs at 12:30 pm.

Maxine, based upon her experience, suggested we might consider the following:

St. Petersburg:

We arrive in St. Petersburg at 8:00 am on July 23 and depart at 6:00 pm on July 25.

• Hermitage Museum
• 4.25 hour duration departing at 8:45 am on July 23
• Catherine's Palace evening performance
• 4 hour duration departing at 7:00 pm on July 23
• Ballet Performance
• 4 hour duration departing at 7:00 pm on July 24
• Maxine suggested upgrading to the Mariinsky Theatre and I have sent an email to Seabourn for more information on the upgrade
• Splendid St. Petersburg & Scenic River Cruise
• 3.5 duration departing at 8:30 am on July 23 or July 24
• Peterhof Tour
• 4.5 hour duration departing at 7:45 am on July 24 or July 25

While we would be exhausted by the end, here is one possible schedule for St. Petersburg,

• Hermitage Museum: 8:45 am to 1:00 pm on July 23
• Catherine's Palace: 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm on July 23
• Splendid St. Petersburg: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on July 24
• Ballet: 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm on July 24
• Peterhof Tour: 7:45 am to 12:15pm on July 25

Maxine noted that they offer a day trip to Moscow, but she strongly recommended not to do that, suggesting we would be better off doing Moscow on another trip.

Helsinki:

We arrive in Helsinki at 8:00 am and depart at 2:00 pm on July 26

• Ice Bar Winterland, Huskies & Helsinki Highlights
• 4 hour duration departing at 9:00 am on July 26
• Finnish Archipelago & Cottage Visit by RIB (rigid inflatable boat)
• 4 hour duration departing at 9:00 am on July 26