St. Petersburg - NCL Tours vs Denrus 2-day Value tour ---Your thoughts please!

Hello,

My husband and I will be going on the NCL 12-day Baltic Cruise in May. We are not usually the tour kind of people, but this time around, I think it is a must for St. Petersburg.

We are trying to decide whether to go with DenRus' 2-Day Complete St. Petersburg Value Tour for $295/person or go with a combination of 2 of NCL's tours.

We are not interested in doing a private van and driver tour, hence the decision to go with Denrus' value tour. We have no medical or mobility issues, and we can easily just go with the flow, so we feel we really do not need to pay a premium for a customized private tour. We are also people who like to get good value for our money (yes, you can call us "cheap" :o).

It seems that from a value standpoint, Denrus' tour is a better value - for $295, all you get from NCL is an 8-hr tour for day 1 and a 3.5-hr tour for day 2.

My questions:

- To those who have taken the Denrus *value tour*, what did you think of it? Please note I am only interested in the *value tour* and NOT the private driver tour.

- To those who have taken the NCL tours, what did you think of them? What tour combinations did you get for the 2 days you were in St. Petersburg?

- From what you have heard from fellow passengers/friends, which one is the better value (in terms of price, quality, etc)

- Any other opinions are most welcome - e.g. pros and cons for each option.

Thanks very much in advance for all your help and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions.

P.S. I've also posted this on the NCL board, but I think I would probably get a better response rate on this forum so I am posting here as well. thanks.

I took the DenRus 2-day Value Tour. I thought it was very well done and well worth the $295 I paid for it. I think there were about 24 people on our bus with one guide and a driver. The guide was extremely interesting and knowledgeable. The 2 of them knew how to work the system very well. The tour was everything that it was advertised to be on their website and I found the time spent at each location was very acceptable. They juggled the sequence around on the first day due to a foot race that had several streets and bridges closed down preventing us from getting to one of the destinations we had planned. But we just circled back to it at the end of the day. All-in-all, it worked out very well for me.

I am also having a hard time in choosing between a private tour and NCL tour. The quotation I got from Anastasia for a 2-day private tour for 3 persons (my parents and I) is US$500 per person which is far much more expensive than NCL excursions. I don't know whether the pros in joining a private tour justified the extra money I paid. The Denus tour seems to be another option.

Dinoman, just make sure you are comparing "apples to apples". Some of the sites listed on tours are photo opportunities not actually getting to enter the site and explore. I'm in the process of researching different tour packages for our May trip and finding the price differences are for those reasons. I'm waiting for Princess to post the excursions for our cruise to compare prices I've gotten from Anastasia & SPB. Good Luck.

We are also taking a Baltic cruise this summer - RCCL Jewel of the Seas. After looking at the RCCL tours, we also looked at Denrus and Alla group tours. Alla has a 2 day complete tour that is $300 per person and includes lunches. One in our group wanted to see Yupsov palace so we decided to go with Alla's tour. Both Alla and Denrus were very responsive to emails and questions.

I am also having a hard time in choosing between a private tour and NCL tour. The quotation I got from Anastasia for a 2-day private tour for 3 persons (my parents and I) is US$500 per person which is far much more expensive than NCL excursions. I don't know whether the pros in joining a private tour justified the extra money I paid. The Denus tour seems to be another option.

Here are a couple of key factors to consider:

1. If you had another couple join you on your private tour, there would be a little higher cost for a larger vehicle, but the other basic costs for the guide and driver are spread over a larger base of participants than only three people. Your net cost per person for the two days would drop to $340-400 if you had five or four people in your group. That will be nearly as good in costs as on comparable ship tours.

2. With the private tour, it is or can be custom to your interests, needs, pacing, etc.

3. With a private tour, you will save time on lines, being more schedule efficient, getting your questions answered, not feeling like you are on a "forced march" led by a drill sergeant, having a "flow" that fits the needs and ages of those in your group, etc.

4. Cruisingnut made great points on "comparing 'apples to apples'. Some of the sites listed on tours are photo opportunities not actually getting to enter the site and explore." There are different levels of what you "SEE". There is the "drive by", then the "photo op" stop and finally the going in and really getting a good understanding for why a certain cathedral, house, museum, etc. is so important.

Let us know more and we can provide added info.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

We are also in the same situation as the OP. WE are asking questions and emailing most of the private tour that have been mentioned here. As of now, it seems you can get a good two day tour, seeing all the important things and places for about $300 pp. It depends on what else you might want to add, or which of the private tour companies offer something a bit different. On the ships tours, everything is so set in stone, that it is robotic, and I hate that. My wife dearly wants to do a canal boat ride, and after chcking with the tour groups, a couple include that in their 2 day itinerary, and some don't. That would be one reason to go with one company over another. I asked one private tour if we can go to one certain place extra and she responded, NO PROBLEM, with no additional cost. You just won't get that from any ship excursion.

We only do ship excursions as a last resort, anywhere.

On the ships tours, everything is so set in stone, that it is robotic, and I hate that. My wife dearly wants to do a canal boat ride, and after chcking with the tour groups, a couple include that in their 2 day itinerary, and some don't. That would be one reason to go with one company over another.

YES, we found our canal boat tour to be well worth it. VERY ENJOYABLE! You are seated and seeing things from a different angle than just driving around. Being seated is helpful to rest up and relax after so much walking around, up and down steps, standing, etc. With our private tour through Anastasia, it was just the four of us on the large boat with our guide. No crowds or hassles. Just us! Very relaxing, informative and fun. And the views? It's like riding through history and on a high-level architecture/art tour. WOW!!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Many on our CC Roll Call for a British Isles cruise booked eCoach on our stop at Dublin, Ireland. It was a group tour with about 40 split between two buses. (Does that sound familiar?) Most of us had chatted on our Roll Call and somewhat knew each other. That was the best tour of our trip. There's something to be said for touring with other people. It's refreshing to hear and see what others spot. Not only did we have a great time on the tour, but we developed friendships that continued after the cruise. We ended up selecting Denrus Value Tour because it took us where we wanted to go the price was right and we would be with other people.

We did the Denrus 2 day value tour in August last year. We thought it was excellent, the guide was very knowledgable. Lunch with drinks was included on both days and was good value. We saw a great deal and the canal boat and metro ride were a bonus. Some of the group went to the ballet/folklore and said that too was excellent value. I would highly reccommend this tour.

Thanks for your advices and input, cruisingnut and TLCOhio. I know the cruiseline excursion is just 'canned food' and if there is 'fresh food' (so to speak) available and affordable I will definitely go for it.

I read about the DenRue Value Excursion that egit talked about from another thread in the forum and its positive recommendations. It includes almost every key locations except for the Catherine Palace. I think I would take this one.

Thanks for your advices and input, cruisingnut and TLCOhio. I know the cruiseline excursion is just 'canned food' and if there is 'fresh food' (so to speak) available and affordable I will definitely go for it.

"Canned Food" versus "Fresh Food"! That's a great example, phrasing. First time I had heard that wording contrast used. Either options can work and fit your needs, just depends what you can afford, like, have available, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

personally, I went with Anastasia. However, Denrus has a great rep in the business and the private company tours give you a much more enjoyable cruise with better bang for the buck. Plus, you won't stand in as many lines with the private companies. Denrus, if that is your choice is a wonderful company. Anastasia, we paid a little less per person and we were thrilled. Red October is another reliable company. There are two others out there. I can't say anything about, because I don't have enough feedback.

My vote is for the private Russian Company. They will give you a blanket visa and all you need is your passport and a copy of the information page of said passport and your reservation with the tour company.

If you try to do Russia on your own, it may be a bit of a nightmare. You will then need to get a visa. Transportation (hint, don't drive in Russia. Those people are crazy on the roads. We saw many accidents during our two days.)

So get a tour company and you will have an experience that is well worth the money. Plus the ship's tours are 50 people at a shot and the private companies are around 8 to 12. I'm a cripple and had very little trouble keeping up with the group and the guide spoke wonderful English.

Da Bear