scubacruiserx2

Here's a video clip from the Moscow Times of the St. Petersburg Metro

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/doors-refuse-to-close-on-st-pete-metro-video/481941.html

SO as this other person the link at the bottom of your post?Gennadiy Chentsov?

Was he good? There will only be 2 of us- do you think it makes any difference which we use???

Yes it is Gennadiy . He's very good . We have used him when stayed , but not from the cruise port. We like them both but they are like apples and oranges. When we use Gennadiy its always a verbal contract , very informal. We presume that you are cruising , right ? If so , you may want to contact both. List your requests like:

Pick- up and return to the port.

Visa covered ?

Agree upon itinerary

Agree on cost and payment

Written proposal

Contact tour guides and see who can best fulfill your needs. You may want to call both to confirm your "fit". Also Gennadiy is a man and DenRus uses lady guides.

All the best

Scubacruiser, what company did you use in St. Petersburg? And did you like him?

Thank you for your question and welcome to the thread. We did our Baltic cruise on NCL in the fall of 2006. On the Cruise Critic roll call we met 2 other couples who wanted a tour independent of the cruise ships tours. There was a lot of misinformation and fear tactics used at that time to discourage cruisers. The 2 main players at that time were Red October and DenRus. We found several things that cause us to choose DenRus:

1. Their insurance policy

http://www.denrus.ru/about-denrus.html

2. At the bottom of the page we read that they are a local company head quartered here in Florida . It's local for us so there would be greater accountability - if necessary (it wasn't , we have been totally happy with them).

3. They were able to answer all our questions and eliminate our fears. This was all done over the telephone by speaking to an American , Stan , who works for them in St. Petersburg. The phone call was a local call for us ( 7 digits) because they are in our local area code. For others , you dial 1 + 561 459-5534. Their hours are 3 am to 11 am EST because they are 8 hours ahead of us.

After choosing DenRus , another couple and us agreed on a custom tour to see certain things not available on their " Complete St. Petersburg" tour. Also , we wanted to avoid a " cattle boat" tour . This is an expression that divers use for a mass dive with people of various skill levels. The other couple that we met on CC chose the complete budget tour. As it turns out , they got a private tour as they were the only ones on it. DenRus did not cancel their tour or raise their prices - even for 2 people. All 3 couples felt that DenRus have exceeded our expectations and were very happy. Our guide even honored my strange request. On the return to the cruise ship I asked our guide to stop at a liquor store. I had seen a vodka bottle shaped like an AK-47 on the internet. After a few phone calls she found one ! It was almost full sized and held a lot of vodka. As I looked at the gun case , I thought how strange (and heavy) it would be going through customs, so I chickened out.

So, we have used DenRus on all of our trips but now it's mostly DIY when we go. We have also used another guide , when we stay, who is very good also and at a good price.

http://www.guide-petersburg.com/

We found another guide service for those considering a 2014 cruise. For the price of a bus tour you can have a private guide for 4 people including pick-up and return to the port. The cost for the guide is $680 for 4, with meals and admission excluded , for a 2 day - 20 hour tour. She suggests $150 for 2 days p.p. for a total of $320 p.p. She also does 1 and 3 day tours .

http://www.toursbylocals.com/TBL/WebObjects/ToursByLocals.woa/1/wo/ts66eyh1mdEldAxfb771Eg/0.19

Wonderful pictures - thanks for posting this thread and giving some ideas for attacking St. Pete. I have been agonizing how to see this city - land vs. Baltic cruise. We can't afford the cruises that spend three days there and avoid tours in favor of DIY when possible. We have done Moscow DIY prior so know that Russia isn't that daunting. Haven't thought about considering a land trip to St. Petersburg with cruise - brilliant. The Hermitage is just so huge we'd need one day there alone.

Thank you for your kind words. Please don't agonize - we are here to help . When we fly we like a pre- stay, cruise and a post- stay. This year its London , Norway and St. Petersburg. Our longer stays we like apartment rentals. If you have done Moscow then St. Petersburg should be a snap. We agree with your assessment of three day cruises to St. Pete. They are usually premium cruise lines that exceed our budget. A more affordable option may be a budget cruise like the one Royal Caribbean offers. They have a 7 day cruise from Copenhagen with 15 hours in St. Petersburg. Maybe a Copenhagen/Baltic/St. Petersburg sandwich ? A visa would cover both visits.

We recently toured St Petersburg and I'd say the last poster summed the difficulties up quite nicely. We were over an hour and a half waiting in line on the cruise ship to even get into the port to be checked in by immigration which was another long wait. Fortunately, we were with TJ Tours and they handled the delay expertly, they made sure that we got to see everything we'd hoped to see.

 

When first planning our vacation we were thinking of driving ourselves around in St. Petersburg and now we know for certain that this would have been madness. I've never seen traffic like that even in the mean streets of LA during rush hour. Luckily for us the driver was like some sort of Ninja. We'd be at a complete snarl and then like magic we'd be out of it. I never even saw the openings he slipped into to get us from point A to B. In addition he obviously knew all the back streets and where to park and wait for us in a city which appeared to have millions of vehicles and no parking places.

 

The guide was charming and knowledgeable and answered all of our questions, even the awkward ones that guileless Americans ask like "Do Russians like Putin"? (They do). she was always interesting and informative, not just relating history, but also current affairs and how the people of St. Petersburg live, their hopes and dreams, etc.

 

Even though we went in May all the sites were nevertheless crowded. The guide said that it would be getting much worse with little wiggle room as the summer progressed. In hindsight it was genius to go in May when temperatures were a bit cooler, flowers were in bloom, tourists were fewer and it's actually the least rainy month as well.

 

St. Petersburg is a charming city and anyone touring the Baltics should be sure to see it! I'm certain there are other great tour companies, but I can say for sure TJ's was super excellent in every way! As a matter of fact, I registered at this site just to say so. I can well imagine how it could've been a pointless nightmare without them.

 

In addition all three cruise ships I've been on were excellent too. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and their crew provided superlative service.

 

Happy Trails!

Thank you for honoring us with your first post and welcome to Cruise Critic ! We are so glad that you enjoyed your visit to St. Petersburg and thumbs up for TJ's . It sounds like you had a small group. We have always advocated smaller , private groups. Our largest was 4 people and a guide and driver. While everyone has their own travel style we prefer to keep it small. BTW not everyone in Russia likes Putin .

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/thousands-protest-putins-rule-in-bolotnaya-march/481563.html

The Summer traveler to St. Petersburg will experience three T's : Traffic , Temperature and Time.

With the increasing popularity of St. Petersburg , traffic has become a major problem. A bridge closed for repair , and many cruise ships = buses and traffic which results in lost time.

With Winter the major player in Russia many places are not air conditioned. If you're stuck in traffic , at least you're in the A.C. while you wait.

Time , or lack of , is the real culprit. Waiting on the ship , crowded immigration , traffic , crowded sights and a three - day or less visit only further limit time. But there is a better way.

We advocate a pre or post cruise stay - in the off season. We like early May before season or late September/ October post season. Spring is nice and not too cold and the same for Fall with it's colors. With the nice temperatures comes less traffic and crowds. Most of our traveling is on the Metro. No delays even when traffic is at stand still. Walking is faster than traffic sometimes and more enjoyable. When you stay there is less hurry because you have more time and can see more. If choose to cruise instead , please consider one of the first or last cruises to minimize , and manage the three T's.

Thank you for your informative review and great pictures, keep up the good work ! Which camera are you using ?

We found a group that offers free walking tours (including White Nights). We have not used them yet , but we booked a dacha/banya tour in September .

http://www.sputnik8.com/en/st-petersburg-free-tours

Any visitor to St. Petersburg this year should consider a stop at this Soviet icon . The ship is to be moved , for repair , in August or September. The story is below the photo.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=37355

Beautiful pic of the dolphins! We visited Cozumel in August on our Allure cruise and did a private bar hop tour to the "other side of the island" for my 50th birthday. :eek: It was spectacular! Visited 4 bars where we were welcomed with a "shot" and views to die for. Truly amazing that this area of Cozumel still exists. Our guide Tom was a great guy and had a fabulous day off the beaten path.

Thanks for bringing back a great memory...;)

We are glad that you enjoyed Cozumel. It is our favorite place to dive and with 30+ trips , our most visited place outside of the U.S. So much so that we are starting a new thread. Cozumel: Dolphins , diving and driving.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1850190

http://www.geocam.ru/view/cam1289x7871_peterhof_museum_webcam.html[/quote]

 

 

спасйба! Joulupukki

Hi scuba

Wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to you in providing such beautiful photos and valuable information on this thread. I have been a "loyal" subscriber from your very first post and it has been the highlight of my research! I begin my travels this Saturday and will report back upon my return. Safe travels and thanks again for all your dedication!

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

Hi Dolfans

Have a great trip ! We look forward to your report . Can't resist posting this photo from Cozumel ( from one Dolfan to another). After one of our dives last week we saw a pod of 10 wild Dolphins and a couple of the guys jumped in with a mask and fins. I took a video , but forgot to turn off the filter and it turned out with a red tint.

Good news ! The Palace Bridge is open.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=37324

A funny thing happened in Cozumel Sunday. After a welcome unplugging from the TV and internet , and a weeks worth of diving , we chose to drive around the island to the "other side". It is full of secluded beaches with rough surf.

After many miles of beaches , we decided to stop at an oasis for some liquid refreshment.

Up in the T-shirt roof we spied a soccer jersey that looked out of place. It is for Zenit , the team sponsored by Газпром (Gasprom). The largest natural gas producing company in the world.

It seems that we can't get away from St. Petersburg.

We had planned to take our oldest grandson on the May 7th NCL Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg. But plans got changed - so we went to Orlando.

Typhoon Lagoon

Surface diving Shark Reef. Click on picture for video (When diving with sharks , look out for Manta Ray shadows ).

Ride the Crush 'n' Gusher in this video clip.

After Typhoon Lagoon , we tried indoor skydiving with the grandkids.

Getting ready for our flight.

We are taking a break for SCUBA diving with friends in Cozumel tomorrow, enjoy your weekend and Bon Voyage !

It's for sure no water inside the museums. We had small backpacks and we were asked to carry them in front. In Peterhof palace they don't allow taking pictures so we had to put the camera into the locker too. Vests were OK.

Thanks for the info upgrade Judy,

We thought these kids outside of the Hermitage were so cute.

They were lined up like little dolls.

We thought this guy , in front of the Hermitage , would fall into the river. Click on picture for the video.

One of the things that Cruise Critic does is to link people. We have met and made a number of friends by sharing shore excursions and experiences. Unfortunately , the only people that most visitors to St. Petersburg will meet is their guide and driver. Of course there is nothing wrong with this , but staying in St. Petersburg allows you to see and do more and allows you more time and opportunities to develop relationships.We hope that others will be encouraged to visit St. Petersburg - maybe post cruise. When we stayed in May 2009 , We met Doug Pullar , owner of The Other Side gastropub and his Russian wife. When we first ate there in 2011 - we missed connections. We got his phone number and arranged a meeting. He brought his young daughter along- asleep in her stroller. We had a great visit with Doug and he gave us a nice gift. When his daughter woke up , she seemed kind of shy hiding behind her dad. So I tried to engage her. Taking my wedding ring off , I held it balanced on a table with one finger and snapped it sharply with the middle finger of the other hand. It spun rapidly on edge , like a gyroscope , for about minute. When it slowed , I rapidly snatched it up and spun it again. She became mesmerized . Adding a couple of coins spinning only increased her delight , so much so ,that she wanted to give it a try. After several unsucessful attempts , I got her to balance the coin , on edge with her finger. Striking it with my finger tip produced the desired result . Many giggles latter , she was bouncing around like we were old friends. She was so cute and reminded us of how we missed our grandchildren - triggering a long distance phone call.

Thanks again for more helpful info. Glad to hear a purse is okay. I can always transfer valuables to it from our vest pockets if need be.

 

Did you go to the Russian Museum? Reviews of it seem pretty positive. If you went, what was your impression?

No , we have not , but it's the first thing scheduled on our first full day , later this fall. It's next to Spilled Blood so - we're looking foward to using a up-graded camera for both.

Thank you so much for posting all these photos & giving so much info. i have just read through everything. My husband & I are in SPB for 3 full days at the end of June & we booked a private guide & driver to take us around. I wonder if you recall what the rules are at the Hermitage & at Peterhof, at Catherine's Palace, etc regarding taking in purses, small backpacks, water containers. I have read that some places do not allow you to wear 'outer' garments which I presume means coats but does it also mean vests with pockets which is what we wear to carry our personal items.

 

Any info would be helpful in advance.

Congratulations on your 3 day trip to St. Pete. I'm sure that you will love it ! Russians seem to follow certain traditions and laws. The coat check is no exception.

http://www.passportmagazine.ru/article/1430

Inside - No coats. No food or drink carried around. There have been problems in the past with a liquid attack.

http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/05/hm5_1_48.html

Purses for ladies (small bags for men) are acceptable indoors. Backpacks are usually tourists. I don't know for certain if backpacks or vests are permitted or not, so I would ask your guide for clarification. We carry our valuables zipped-in our jackets and remove them to pant pockets at coat check. My wife doesn't carry a purse, but I have a man purse that will serve as camera case this year. Outside like Peterhof is no problem for water etc., but inside we leave it in the jacket at the Гардероб.

We had another gray day weather wise , so we decided to go to Smolny Cathedral to take some pictures. We had visited Lenin's office in 2009 , but didn't get to see the cathedral. After the Metro ride , we chose to walk the remaining distance. Along the way we saw this statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the chief of the soviet secret police- The Cheka.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Dzerzhinsky

In the Smolny garden we found this bust of Karl Marx.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx

Also one of Engels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Engels

We later found out that a similar bust of Lenin and Stalin had been removed from the garden. After we took our pictures of the cathedral , we went to see Kresty (crosses ) Prison.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kresty_Prison

Here's a picture of a window in the prison with the prison across the river.

This strange sphinx is a monument is the Victims to political repression memorial.

It is said the the one side of the sphinx faces the side where a beautiful ballerina once lived. The skull side faces the prison across the river.

I thought the billboard in the background , captures the "New" vs the "Old" theme of modern Russia.

We were really excited to see a rock concert in St. Petersburg. We had great seats. 7th row , center aisle , dead center. We didn't know the name of the opening act but we really enjoyed them.

A throng of camera people sat up next to us in the aisle , snapping many pictures and videos. This made me feel much better about bringing DW's camera. We took some quick videos , but I urged her to save the battery for the main act, Blackmore's Night . There was a long intermission between acts , and I noted some extra security people. Jackets with men talking into their cuffs is always a giveaway. I explained to my wife how Deep Purple was one of Medvedev's favorites rock bands and Richie Blackmore had been that band's former guitarist. I half expected The President's attendance. As the first song began , my wife started filming this video clip.

We were instantly blinded by a bright flash light and a warning. We were not the only rascals as we noted others doing the same. In each case, the offender was marked by a red laser from above , on the back of the head ,followed by a brief encounter. And then a funny thing happened. People walked down the aisle , to the stage , carrying flowers. They each had a turn , presenting their flowers , and exchanging a greeting to the singer. The pattern had formed and was repeated after every song ! On some of the songs , we had a sing along (In english) ! So, the moral of the story ? In Russia, bring flowers and meet the star ! No photos please.

Candice and Richie

Definitely Grand Turk. We had a great dive for 2 with Blue Water Divers and a great lunch for 2 @ The Osprey Hotel. The blue line on the horizon is a 6000' deep wall - Fantastic !

Turning toward the river I noticed a new museum not listed in the guide books. The S-189 Whiskey class submarine.

If you would like to see any of these sights , just ask your guide to ride along the Lt. Schmidt Embankment when leaving or returning to the cruise port. Turning inland , toward the Metro , I walked down Bolshoy Prospect.I like the traffic lights that count down.

A little further was this Fire station.

I found this poster for a Elena Vaenga concert interesting

And this one , for the Circus , amusing.

The next morning , DW's ankle was still giving her some trouble , so she asked to rest and elevate it while I went for a walk. There is something very liberating about walking around , on your own , with no guide . It was a grey day , not very good for photo's , but nice for walking. I walked down to the Neva and the English Embankment. This is where some small cruise ships (The lucky ones ) will dock.

Across the river I saw the tall ship МИР (Peace or world) and a church that I had never seen before. I decided to walk over the bridge and explore.

After crossing the bridge and turning toward the church , I found this

14th century BC sphinx.

The front of the church

While composing this photo , I heard a scrape , scrape , scraping sound. When I went to see what it was , I found this lady sweeping with a stick broom , who had just aroused a bag lady from her slumber . I felt like I was in The USSR .