Top 10 for 2009

The Christmas Holiday is over and media turns it's attention to year end lists. We thought we'd share with you the Top 10 ports where our clients visited in 2009.

1. The French Riviera
2. Athens
3. Monte Carlo
4. Rome via Civitavecchia
5. Naples and Amalfi Coast
6. Florence/Pisa via Livorno
7. Barcelona
8. Kusadasi - Ephesus
9. St. Petersburg
10. Marseilles

Newest Baltic Port - Oslo Norway

This week we have began offering tours in Oslo, Norway, making it our 20th port in the Baltic Region. Some of the sights visited on the tours include the Munch Museum, the National Gallery, the Opera House, the Viking Ship Museum, the Vigeland Park and more. If you are taking a Baltic cruise in the coming years, these tours are a great alternative to the mass market tours offered by the cruise lines.

Hermitage Museum - Amsterdam or St. Petersburg?

One of the most popular museums in the world is the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The museum's collection has more than 3,000,000 (yes that's 3 million) pieces. They have such a large collection that more pieces are in storage than are on display. Have too much art? Why not open a new museum? That's exactly what has happened. Starting this year the Hermitage has opened a satellite museum in Amsterdam. Every six months a new collection will premiere in Amsterdam. Just recently opened, it has already become one of the most popular museums in Amsterdam. So if you are going to Russia or the Netherlands and would like a private tour at the Hermitage, please let us know.

Berlin Wall came down 20 Years Ago!

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall came down. This week Berliners are celebrating that anniversary. The wall was 96 miles in length and created a city within the city. People living inside the wall (West Berlin) were not permitted to see their friends or family who lived outside the wall (East Berlin) for nearly 30 years. During that period 136 people were killed trying "break-in" to the free west.

Today, sites associated with the Berlin Wall have become popular tourist attractions. Those sites include Check Point Charlie, the Wall Museum, Brandenburg Gate and the East Side Gallery (a one mile stretch of the wall that remains and is used for murals). You can find these sites on a private shore trip from the port of Warnemunde / Rostock. Also, if you wish, we can arrange for a border crossing guard to provide an Authentic East German Stamp in your Passport.

Please let us know if we can be of assistance in planning your private tours to Berlin.

Visiting Vatican City

Many clients who are visiting Rome as part of a shore excursion ask if they can make a short stop at the Vatican just to see the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately this is not possible. The Sistine Chapel is a part of the Vatican Museums, which is an enormous complex of museums that contain Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman and Renaissance art. At the end of the museum visit you arrive at the Sistine Chapel. Due to the large size of the museum, you must plan a "minimum" of 2 hours for the visit. It is also important to note that Saint Peter’s Cathedral is separate from the museums so typically a visit to Vatican City is about 4 hours in length.

Many people know about the long lines to get into the Vatican Museums (up to 3 hours in high season). With our private shore trips, we can arrange a VIP entrance so that you avoid the lines. You will arrive at the museum, meet your licensed guide, and after passing security you immediately start your tour.

Special Note- The Vatican has a strict dress code. No bare shoulders, no shorts or dresses above the knee, and no bare midriffs are allowed. Please come prepared or you will be turned away.

Rotterdam Netherlands

In 2008 we introduced private tours in Amsterdam and now we have added tours from the port of Rotterdam. Options include visits to the Hague, the beach resort town of Scheveningen, the medieval village of Delft, where you visit the famous Delft pottery factory, and of course Rotterdam itself.

These tours are packed with art, culture, crafts, panoramic drives and more. Personal favorites include the Kinderdijk Windmills and the market square in Delft.

South Queensferry Scotland

In 2009 we had several request for private tours from the port in South Queensferry, Scotland. You asked for it and we have it for you. You can visit the site to see a selection of half and full day tours to visit Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling Castle, St. Andrews and more. We will also be adding tours from the Scottish ports of Greenock and Invergordon.

Winter Sale Prices

More and more people are taking cruises during the winter months. It's a great way to save money and see Europe without all the crowds. We are offering our clients a discount of 40 to 175 Euro off every tour between December 1 and March 31.

Not everything goes well all of the time..but we do our best to correct it.

We arrange private tours for thousands of clients each year. Our company (or any company) would be lying if they said everything always go smoothy. Not everything goes well all of the time..but we do our best to correct it if there is a problem with a tour we have arranged. Please read this review from one of our clients this past month.

"One of the very first things that one should admire about a person or a company is integrity. Mr. Steven Hurley and Travel with Friends certainly has that. Not everything goes well all of the time. When my wife and myself had difficulties with a tour in Barcelona, Spain that Mr. Hurley arranged for us, the details were verified and without question or delay the issue was resolved. A few days later, Travel with Friends had arranged another tour for us starting in Monte Carlo. Mr. Hurley went out of his way to assure that this tour went 'without a hitch' - and it did. Thus, via integrity alone, I would recommend Travel with Friends and would use them again." Walter F. Zoller, D.M.D. Titusville, FL, June 2009

You can read hundreds of reviews at the following link: Past Guest Comments

Russia Visa-Free Entry

For US citizens as well as many other people around the world, an entry VISA is required to get into Russia. To obtain this paperwork you must complete an application and send your passport to a Russian Embassy for approval. This process costs about $250 USD per person.

HOWEVER....the Russian government allows people who are visiting Russia by cruise ship to use a special visa-free entry if they have purchased an organized tour which is operated by a Russian company.

Your cruise line may tell you that you must purchase the expensive Russian tourist visa to get off the ship if you are not taking their big bus tour. This is not true. The visa they refer to is only for passengers who plan to go ashore unaccompanied by an authorized guide.

All of the tours that we arrange from cruise ships in St. Petersburg include the Visa-Free entry at no additional cost.

For more details, follow this link.

Acropolis Museum has opened in Athens

This week the long awaited New Acropolis Museum has opened in Athens. The museum has been under construction for 11 years and was originally planned to open for the 2004 Olympics. The museum features about 42,000 square feet of exhibition space. Treasures found on the Acropolis are featured and other treasures buried below the ancient Athenian city are visible through the museum’s glass floor. The impressive building itself is worth a visit. If you are going to Athens add it to your list of must sees. The museum is now included on our Best of Athens tour.

Private tours from Gdansk and Gdynia

You asked for it, and now we have it. Clients visiting Gdansk and Gdynia by cruise ship have been asking for a tour which visits the Stutthof Concentration Camp but also includes a visit to the Old Town of Gdansk. You got it, we've added a new 8 hour tour.

The camp became the site for some of the worst atrocities of WWII. Between 1939 and 1945, 127,000 prisoners were officially registered in the camp, HOWEVER those who were immediately singled out for execution were not registered at all, so there is no way of knowing the exact number or people brought to Stutthof. Today the camp is a Memorial. Let us never let something like that happen again.

The Turkish entry VISA requirements

One client asked the following about the Turkish entry VISA:

"I and some family members are doing a cruise with NCL in Oct. Our final stop is Istanbul and we arrive on Sun Nov 1st at noon and have time for sightseeing that afternoon and will stay on the ship that evening. We get off the ship on the 2nd and had planned to stay another night for additional sightseeing and leave on the 3rd. Your website has been an excellent source of information and once we get our ideas together on what we wish to see I will contact you about handling the family. I did notice that a VISA is required if we spend the night on land and it is available at the airport. Might it also be offered at the cruise port for purchase when we get off the ship or must we go to the airport to purchase it?"

Answer- If you plan to stay the night in Turkey (in a hotel) you are required to obtain a Turkish entry VISA. These are not available at the port. Most cruise ships can issue the VISA so you should ask your cruise line before your departure. Otherwise you can obtain it from the Turkish Embassy in USA before departure.

Postal address:
2525 Massachusetts Avenue,
N.W Washington, D.C. 20008

Telephone:+1 202 612 67 00
+1 202 612 67 01
Fax:+1 202 612 67 44

e-Mail: contact@turkishembassy.org

More Info- The Turkish government requires overnight visitors to obtain an entry VISA. However visitors who are visiting the country by cruise ship are exempt from this entry requirement. No entry Visa is required for a shore excursion however an entry Visa is required if your cruise starts in Istanbul. Entry Visas for Americans can be obtained at the airport in Istanbul upon your arrival. The cost is about $25 USD.

Private Venice Transfers

One reader wrote: "I am looking for transfer from Venice (VCE) airport to my hotel and two days later to my cruise ship. I see where you provide this service in Rome (Civitaveccia) but I can't find it in Venice. Do you provide such a service or, if not, can you make a recommendation?"

We can arrange private transfers in all port cities where we arrange tours. In certain cities we have set rates while others have many factors which affect the price. If you need a private transfer in Venice, or any other port, just ask.

YouTube

In 2009 Private Shore Trips is starting to introduce YouTube videos for our most popular tours. So far there are videos for Turkey and Greece. Coming very soon are Italy and France. Please check it out. Click Here to get started.