We spent 2 days in St. Petersburg. Our original plan was to do some exploring on our own. Russia requires a Visa unless you are taking a tour with a licensed tour company. We did get our Visas but after talking with several folks on board, we decided that going on our own was not a good idea. No taxi companies or tour companies are allowed to pick up people unless prior arrangements have been made. There are private cars but we were not about to get into one of them. We decided to use ship tours and they were very good. The Hermitage Museum was normally closed on Sunday but they opened it for our ship. It was great because it was not at all crowded. We saw many of the sights around St. Petersburg. Except for the incredible palaces, it was a dirty and bland city with blocks and block of grey tenements. We saw a great deal of renovation of the tourist attractions, but the rest of the city was depressing. They welcomed Americans, especially our money. When we stopped at the ship that fired the 1st shot of the Russian Revolution, the band was playing American Patriotic songs for tips. One of the highlights of our stay was a singing and dancing concert in a theater where Nureyev danced before his defection. The theater was a shambles with broken seats and a torn curtain, but the singing and dancing were incredible. One of the best nights of entertainment we have ever had. During intermission, Bonnie had to use the rest room. They had a woman at the entrance selling toilet paper by the individual sheet.