TJ Travel Question

Hi, all.

Based on the advice I received on this forum, I booked a tour of Saint Petersburg with TJ Travel. Now, I need a sanity check.

Since I booked with them, I feel like their customer service has dropped off a bit. I purchased tickets to see the Mariinsky ballet (on my own) and wanted to double check that the transaction went through correctly. The email reply I received from the Mariinsky was a bit cryptic to me. So I asked my contact at TJ Travel what a proper confirmation looked like. Her reply was: "As for the e-tickets, actually I never book this theatre online, but I am sure they did everything correctly as they are very careful with their guests and the service they provide. So we have a lot of guests booked the tickets through the site and they all got what they booked."

Was this a reasonable answer? I then asked her if there were a way I could contact the theater to double-check myself. She said that she was sure they had an email address and phone number on their website.

I'm in the professional services industry, and I wouldn't answer a client this way. It is making me nervous about booking with TJ Travel. Am I being over-sensitive? Please slap me down if I am!

Also, when I asked what would happen if we weren't satisfied with the guide we were first assigned (I've had this happen once), I got this reply: "There was no cases like this as our guides are professionals , the best in the industry and we select them very carefully, I am sure you will enjoy her company." Is this normal?

...since you booked these tickets on your own, you would be the responsible party in my opinion. Your contact very clearly tells you that she doesn't book online so she doesn't know what their online paperwork looks like...sounds reasonable. We are using TJ in St.Petersburg the end of July and she (Olga) has been very cooperative with us and answered each and everyone of our questions thoroughly. I am sure this is their busiest time and quite possibly hand holding is not their strong suit but all the reviews of their tours come across as wonderful. Hope it works out for you.

We just came back from the Baltics, and toured with TJ Travel, and everything was perfect.

Our guide was wonderful, and the two days went perfectly.

We also did the ballet, but Olga booked it for us, and we were in the second row. She provided transportation also. It is entirely possible that she is unfamiliar with the US website.

There are some language issues that may be coming into play also. At first it seemed to me that she was telling me we had to dress formally for the ballet, but after a bit of back and forth it was cleared up. I think that may also be the case with your question about the guide. With all my research, I didn't come across anyone that was unhappy with their guide, so I hope you can rest easy about that.

I hope this helps.

Sorry, I know this is off topic.

But can I ask how much you paid for your tickets? Do you have to dress formally in the end?

Sorry, I know this is off topic.

But can I ask how much you paid for your tickets? Do you have to dress formally in the end?

Tickets were $100 each.

We did not have to dress formally. It turned out that we did not have time to go back to the ship, so we were wearing our clothes from the day of touring. I would have liked to be better dressed, and most people were, but certainly not formal.

It worked out just fine.

We used TJ Travel last year for a one-day St Petersburg tour. Everything worked out perfect. Our guide was Olga. Can't say enough good things about them. Would definitely use them again.

English is not their first language. Perhaps they don't have the language "filters" we do when trying to express themselves in our native language. I wouldn't be nervous. They've begotten a pretty good reputation in their short-lived existence, with many happy customers reporting on the boards.

I didn't use TJ Travel, but I also concur that you were not ill spoken to. The Russians have a way of speaking that is direct and to the point, with no frills attached.

I didn't do the ballet, so I will not comment on it, but the part about the guide was told just the way it is. You sign up for a tour and they use people who they believe to be highly professional. Sure some may be better than others and there is always a chance that you might not like your guide, but what would you like them to do about it??> They simply cannot change guides because you didn't like her and maybe the rest of the group does. They cannot put you on another tour with another guide as all guides are probably doing tours themselves.

I really think you are over thinking this entire thing. We very rarely hear from some one, back from St Petersberg, who said that their guide wasn't very good. Almost to a man and woman, everyone thinks their guides were 'the best', so you are fretting before you even start. Relax and I'll bet my bottom dollar than you will have a great time.

Cheers

Len

I used TJ Travel last year for a private 2 day tour for me and my mother and we really enjoyed it. everything about them is very professional right down to the driver. We had no waiting in long lines at the Hemitage and Catherines palace. In fact we are going over to St. Petersburg again this year and am using TJ Travel again.

Add me to the list of TJ fans. Less than one week back from our cruise and I have nothing but praise.

On a previous trip to St. Petersburg we booked our ballet tickets directly with the Mariinsky Theater...I seem to recall being a bit skeptical about the email confirmation I received but once there all went smoothly.

Have a wonderful time...you have made a great choice in booking w/ TJ.

Thanks everyone! I really do appreciate the feedback and have decided to chill out. I'm kind of amped trying to make this trip as perfect as possible for my Mom and realized that I may be getting a little overboard.

Since you booked the tickets yourself, I'm not sure why TJ would be responsible for checking them out. I think she gave you the best answer she could.

IMHO, this is like bringing a hamburger into McDonald's and asking them to cook it up for you - extreme example, but the same thing.

Having said that, we went with TJ this past June and were very happy. They went above and beyond.

Enjoy your stay in St. Petersburg. You will have a wonderful time!

Just got back and we used TJ for a 2 day standard tour. It was great. Sophie and Mischa were our guides and driver. They did a great job. The will flex the tour to your liking also (group concensus) - if your group is 10 or more, they will provide hearing assistance units so you can hear waht the guide is saying in crowded venues like the Hermitage etc. I'd ask them to provide them to you if your group is 5 or more- we had 7- it was perfect but the guide was sometimes hard to hear in the crowded venues. I highly recommend them.

we just returned from the baltic and TJ Travel was our guide in St Petersburg. Inna was our tour guide. She is a professor at the University in St Petersburg, speaks 5 languages, her English was impecable, she was very professional, extremely knowledgeable and gave us a tour of a lifetime. The bus was clean with a/c and the driver very cautious. We had absolutely no problems what so ever. Everything was done on a professional level including meeting Tattiana at the TJ Travel office on the last day of the tour to settle the bill. I cannot say enough about how they made our 2 day stay in St Petersburg a dream of a lifetime.

We returned from a Baltic cruise in June and we also had a wonderful tour guide, a professor at the university - was her name Maria? We had a great time. Unfortunately, my camera didn't work no matter what we tried! Would anyone be willing to share some photos of St. Petersburg ?

Thanks, port 345 --

I have just returned( August 8) from a 3 day visit to St.Petersburg. We (4 couples) privately hired TJ Tours for the Three Day Standard Program . The Visa was handled by the tour company and the vouchers for the days we were to be in St.Petersburg were e-mailed to us. We had explicit instructions as to how to proceed ashore from our ship, Oceania Insignia, and at no time did we meet any difficulty with that process.

The ship allowed and encouraged independent travellers to depart the ship when they were ready and it worked smoothly.

Our guide Viktoria and the driver Dimitri were professional, very helpful and always on time.

Our guide was very knowledgebale and we never had to wait in line anywhere.

We had audio devices when necessary so that we could hear the commentary amongst the crowds.

This tour is fast paced but easliy managed even for those with some walking difficulties. However, in the future we might have asked "how many steps" will we have to negotiate and if the use of the banister is allowed...in some of the palaces etc you cannot touch the railings.

The van was very new, had AC and held about 20 so we had a very pleasurable travel situation. Everyone who wanted a window or single seat was able to have one.

We also went to the Folk Lore Show through TJ Tours and it was fun and energetic, and although the building was not air conditioned it felt cool and the mid show appetizers were very tasty along with the adult beverages served. If you go to this show some local artists are showng their art,crafts etc so bring some cash...no credit cards accepted by some.

Our group decided to eat in small local restaurants and we had delicious Russian meals all three days...The guide and driver were included in the meals and we paid for them. It was very pleasant to have authentic Russian meals and we enjoyed the mid day rest.

The weather was very warm and many buildings are not air condioned so layering clothes was a good option. It rained only one day and that was The Hermiatge day so we did not get wet.

I absolutely can recommend TJ Tours in St. Petersburg based on my experience and would use them again if we return to that area.

Any questions, please ask.

We did not line up once and were shown into the Hermitage ahead of the Princess Cruise tour groups. The whole 2 days was packed and well thought out. The lunches were good. Maria was a really good guide with excellent English. Definitely recommend and use this company again.

We used TJ Tours for a private tour in Helsinki. It was excellent and our guide was wonderful. TJ Tours even included a visit to a Finnish home on our tour. This was something that no other tour company could do...TJ Tours went the extra mile! :):)

We toured with TJ in July and had an enjoyable time. I do agree with someone who mentioned that the cultural differences can cause confusion, but in the end I found they really aimed to please.

Nothing but positive glowing comments from me for TJ Travel :) :)

I will say, that our 2-day group tour through TJ Travel with Sophia as our guide ranks as one of our "top-2" private cruise tour experiences in all of our cruise travels. The other being a tour with Ivan of 'The Native Choice' team in Costa Maya some 8 years ago (he literally grew up with the Chacchoben Mayan ruins as his back yard). When you get a guide that knows the area, the history, is pleasant to be with, and perfect weather, you get an exceptional-magical experience. It is at tough combination and partially out of your control, but in both of these cases, the combination was perfect.

We went on the cruise because we wanted to tour St Petersburg, and the 2-days touring with Sophia made the entire cruise vacation for us. She is well schooled, spoke very good English, knew what she was doing and kept the group on pace and on track! The tour had the magical combination noted above. We heard from others on our cruise that toured with TJ Travel in different groups that were very happy with their guide in St Petersburg too.

I am pretty sure you will have a pleasant experience. :) :)

Just got off Crystal Cruise Last Thursday. We used TJ travel for a three day tour in Saint Petersburg. They were amazing. We had Elizabeth as our guide. Not only was she informative, but humorous as well. They met us the first day as we came through customs and were timely everyday. They provided lunch every day at a different Russian restaurant trying a different menu each day. At the end of our three days the 10 of us were so sad to leave her and so appreciative of all she did to make Russia come alive. Hugs and tears as we said goodbye. We had people from N Carolina, Los Angeles , NY, and Florida. The Florida person was a travel agent and was as thrilled as both my husband and I. Please don't hesitate to use them. Those who used the Crystal guides found they were difficult

To understand. Elizabeth teaches English and was great.

We used TJ Tours in June last year -- for a two day "hectic" tour. We couldn't fault them on even the smallest thing and would highly recommend them.

Barry

I can only add to another well satisfied customer of TJ Travel..We had an amazing 2 day active tour with just the two of us a guide and driver..Amazing VIP treatment and the flexibility to change it up on the spur of the moment...made for a trip of a lifetime !!!

Based on recommendations from the web side “www.cruisecritic.com ”, we contacted three travel agencies about a tour of St. Petersburg between June 13 and 15, 2013. Two agencies could not accommodate our dates. We went on the web side “http://st-petersburg-tours.ru/ “ and tried to book the tour. Unfortunately our ship (the Seabourn Sojourn) was not listed. I emailed the request and got instant replay even though it was midnight in St. Petersburg. We received all information and the application form for 72 hrs visas for St. Petersburg. The whole process over the email was very fast and really “painless”. All my questions were answered very fast by Ms. Olga. In St. Petersburg after unusual long passport control (warning to fellow travelers who are in a harry to get on land) we were greeted by our tour guide Ms. Elena and our minibus (Mercedes) driver Leonid. Our tour consisted of only three very friendly couples, which made our tour even more enjoyable. Our tour was exactly as described on the TJ Tours web side. Even weather cooperated (It rained only at night!). Ms. Elena was a friendly and very knowledgeable guide. Her British English was very good. Thanks to her and our driver we could see the highlights of what St. Petersburg can offer in such a short time. At the end of our tour we met Ms. Tatyana (principal of TJ Tours). Base on our experience we strongly recommend booking the ST. Petersburg tour with TJ Tours.

Based on recommendations from the web side “www.cruisecritic.com”, we contacted three travel agencies about a tour of St. Petersburg between June 13 and 15, 2013. Two agencies could not accommodate our dates. We went on the web side “http://st-petersburg-tours.ru/ “ and tried to book the tour. Unfortunately our ship (the Seabourn Sojourn) was not listed. I emailed the request and got instant replay even though it was midnight in St. Petersburg. We received all information and the application form for 72 hrs visas for St. Petersburg. The whole process over the email was very fast and really “painless”. All my questions were answered very fast by Ms. Olga. In St. Petersburg after unusual long passport control (warning to fellow travelers who are in a harry to get on land) we were greeted by our tour guide Ms. Elena and our minibus (Mercedes) driver Leonid. Our tour consisted of only three very friendly couples, which made our tour even more enjoyable. Our tour was exactly as described on the TJ Tours web side. Even weather cooperated (It rained only at night!). Ms. Elena was a friendly and very knowledgeable guide. Her British English was very good. Thanks to her and our driver we could see the highlights of what St. Petersburg can offer in such a short time. At the end of our tour we met Ms. Tatyana (principal of TJ Tours). Base on our experience we strongly recommend booking the ST. Petersburg tour with TJ Tours.

Welcome to Cruise Critic...So glad you had the same wonderful experience we had with Tatyana and her company TJ Travel..She, Julia and their entire staff of guides & drivers provide an amazing look at this city and the most you can expect to see in a limited amount of port time.

We just returned from the 12 day Baltic cruise. We booked the two day st. Petersburg tour as well as a tour in Warnemunde and Rostoc. The tours were executed perfectly. Our guides were well spoken with a tremendous inventory of knowledge. Their speech delivery was personal, not mechanical, deliberate and easy to understand. Anna was the guide in Germany and Elizabeth provided the guide services in Russia. The mixture of transportation employed was very appropriate. The lunches that were provided on both tours exceeded our expectations.

We booked TJ for our cruise in the Nlorthern Baltics. We booked the 4 city package, Berlin, Helsinki, 2 days in St Petersburg and Tallin. All of our guides were professional and knowledgeable. The visa process and customs was very easy in Russia and we were very happy with everything. I wouldn't hesitate to book them again and highly recommend them.