Are ALL St. P tours in smaller vans or cars?

[remydiva]

Considering a Baltic/St. P cruise on Jewel of the Seas and when checking the shore excursions, noted that they appeared very $$$ in that the prices were, for example, $1500/van rather than the usual $xx/pp that I'm accustomed to when booking tours through the cruise ships.

 

Pardon my ignorance in the matter, but do the cruise ships organize shore excursions in St.P or is only private companies whose names have been mentioned on this board? Do you have to make your own arrangements privately or is it through the cruise ship?

 

Thanks but I'm confused.

[Ashland]

Considering a Baltic/St. P cruise on Jewel of the Seas and when checking the shore excursions, noted that they appeared very $$$ in that the prices were, for example, $1500/van rather than the usual $xx/pp that I'm accustomed to when booking tours through the cruise ships.

 

Pardon my ignorance in the matter, but do the cruise ships organize shore excursions in St.P or is only private companies whose names have been mentioned on this board? Do you have to make your own arrangements privately or is it through the cruise ship?

 

Thanks but I'm confused.

We did a 12 night Baltic cruise on the Jewel in Aug...The ship organized excursions in St. Petersburg were more expensive and with a much larger bus load than the private tours..You have the option of doing either. The private tours will give you the flexibility of a tour based on the itinerary you're looking to do, the size of group your wanting to do it with and the price you're wanting to budget..Contact one of the private tour operators and they will give you all the info. you need..We used TJ Travel and would rate them very highly..Best of luck and enjoy this amazing city !!!!

[Giantfan13]

Ashland has given you some great advice. Most of the people who post here, almost to a man(or woman):) have done private tours in St Petersburg with any of the several independent tour companies. We highly dislike the ship's tours as they are fixed in stone with no fluctuations, they are much more expensive and they go with 2 to 3 times as many people as any private tour will have.

We used a company called SPB tours and our itinerary was adjusted for our two day tour, according to the weather, the traffic, the crowds. We got to see everything we were supposed to see but it was the flexibility that helped a great deal. We had magnificent weather on day one so they adjusted some of the outdoor sites to day one to take advantage of the weather. No ship tour will do that. We wanted to add something to our itinerary, no problem with an independent tour. Try asking the ship's tour to add something on. :mad::mad:

 

There are several major players in the St Petersburg tour company parade. ALL are very good and you will not be disappointed in choosing any one of them. WE all had a fantastic time on our crusie and in St Petersburg. You will have to do some homework, as to what you would like to see, and if you choose an independent tour company, which one. They are all about the same, price wise and such, but they all offer slightly different things and pick the one which helps you the most.

As I said in another thread, you should go over to the 'Roll Call' board for your cruise and see what others are doing. Maybe you might want to join in, or maybe you might want to form your own group.

Whatever you decide, St Petersburg is a magnificent city and you will simply love it.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Bet & Peg]

Hi remydiva ~ DH and I took a Baltic Cruise last July on the Constellation - had a fabulous time! When I first began planning I also found the St. Petersburg tours a bit confusing but I had also planned a private tour for 8 of us in Rome so it wasn't completely new.

 

The private tours tend to give one price per van/car and then its up to the person contracting them to decide (with-in reason!) how many people/couples will be involved. Many of the people sharing the tours "meet" on the roll call or perhaps are friends traveling together.

 

Planning for our cruise I had "met" another coupld on CC and we started e-mailing privately talking about a tour and what we wanted to see. We found we had similar interested and wanted an 8 people/4 couple tour - felt it was a good size for us. We wrote a few companies and decided on SPB.

 

Through SPB we found 4 friends traveling together and everything worked perfectly for all of us! One person in each couple was a camera person and our "better-halves" were fine with that! We all wanted to see museums and historical places but none of us wanted to speand all day in just one place. We wanted to shop a very little but, again not spend all day doing it! We also agreed, early on, that we wanted to go to the folklore show on our evening in St. Pete.

 

In the end, our cost pp was much less than a ship excursion and we had much, much more flexibility! The tour company arranged for our visa and everything was E-mailed to us - all we had to do was print the visa and present it at customs. When we paid the morning of the second day - they delt with each couple seperately as to cash/credit card.

 

To us it was the way to go - but that's a decision each couple has to make for themselves. We have friends who were int he Baltic the year before and they took all their tours through the cruise line - that's their way and they're happy with it. We just enjoy doing our own research and doing it ourselves - or with a private tour!

 

Whatever you decided - have a fabulous trip!!!

 

[if you're interested in itineraries just let us know - I'm sure many of us will share with you!]

[rich_cathybrock]

We did a 12 night Baltic cruise on the Jewel in Aug...The ship organized excursions in St. Petersburg were more expensive and with a much larger bus load than the private tours..You have the option of doing either. The private tours will give you the flexibility of a tour based on the itinerary you're looking to do, the size of group your wanting to do it with and the price you're wanting to budget..Contact one of the private tour operators and they will give you all the info. you need..We used TJ Travel and would rate them very highly..Best of luck and enjoy this amazing city !!!!

 

We are going to St. Petersburg for two days on the HAL Rotterdam in September 2011. I am looking into tour providers (wholly unfamiliar with the Baltic itinerary having done the Med numerous times, so I have plenty of experience planning private excursions, but none in this region) and was looking into TJ Travel. I got concerned about the notice on their web site which says Visa's are not required when touring with them. Was the process smooth without the Visas through TJ and how did you find their prices please? I have no idea what to expect for a two-day tour, but I am seeing $1200-$1400 for two people and that's pretty dear. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Cornishpastyman1]

We are going to St. Petersburg for two days on the HAL Rotterdam in September 2011. I am looking into tour providers (wholly unfamiliar with the Baltic itinerary having done the Med numerous times, so I have plenty of experience planning private excursions, but none in this region) and was looking into TJ Travel. I got concerned about the notice on their web site which says Visa's are not required when touring with them. Was the process smooth without the Visas through TJ and how did you find their prices please? I have no idea what to expect for a two-day tour, but I am seeing $1200-$1400 for two people and that's pretty dear. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Hello Rich and Cathy

 

Firstly, the visa process with TJ or any of the excellent independents you see mentioned on these boards is very smooth because you don't have to do anything once you've booked your tour. Simply being on an accredited tour takes care of it.

 

What to expect on your tour ? There are usually 6 or 7 'attractions' that a standard, 'off-the-peg' 2-day tour will hit. On mine in June we did these 6 :

 

The Fountains of Peterhof

 

The Catherine Palace at Pushkin

 

Peter and Paul Fortress/Cathedral

 

St Isaac's Cathedral

 

Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood

 

The Winter Palace/Hermitage State Museum

 

plus a bit of city sightseeing/orientation, several photostops and a ride on the underground metro.

 

On a more intensive tour you could add a visit to the Yusupov Palace, where in December 1916 Rasputin was invited for a drink, only for his hosts, rather rudely I thought, to murder him, or maybe a canal tour or a visit to the Choral Synagogue, or, or, or..... there is just so much to see and do that no-one does it all.

 

$1200 is dear but that's because it's for just 2. If you elect to be part of a group of say 10 you can get a very good tour for around $300 pp, and you have plenty of time to arrange that if you want.

 

The other thing to say is that all the tour operators will arrange pretty much anything you want so if you have a must-see attraction that does not feature in a standard tour, ask them about it.

 

My cruise was with HAL too so in case it's of any interest or help with your planning, the other ports I went to were :

 

Copenhagen

 

Tallin

 

Helsinki

 

Suomenlinna (Fortress of Finland)

 

Stockholm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NweRnGqZ1k

 

Royal Warship Vasa & the Vasa Museum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x45l1WMZOXA

 

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck, it's a wonderful cruise.

Tony

[fabnfortysomething]

We are going to St. Petersburg for two days on the HAL Rotterdam in September 2011. I am looking into tour providers (wholly unfamiliar with the Baltic itinerary having done the Med numerous times, so I have plenty of experience planning private excursions, but none in this region) and was looking into TJ Travel. I got concerned about the notice on their web site which says Visa's are not required when touring with them. Was the process smooth without the Visas through TJ and how did you find their prices please? I have no idea what to expect for a two-day tour, but I am seeing $1200-$1400 for two people and that's pretty dear. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

the term "visa" allways causes confusion.What TJ are referring to is that you do not need to apply for an individual tourist visa via the Russian Embassy. What they refer to as visa free travel or a blanket visa is a simple form they provide for you to pass through immigration.They will ask you for your passport information and will email you back a form to print out

 

this is the same whether you go through a ships tour or one of the independent tour operators.

 

 

btw pricing for 2 people will always be more expensive than a larger group because the basic costs of van and guide hire are pretty constant no matter the size of group.This is why most people get together a group on their roll call

 

Beware though that most cruise lines love misinformation and love to scare people into taking their own excursions by implying you will need a visa if you don't go with them.

 

If you want to go ashore on your own you will be required to apply beforehand for an individual visa however if you take a tour with an accredited tour company the above applies

 

Lyn

[Giantfan13]

We are going to St. Petersburg for two days on the HAL Rotterdam in September 2011. I am looking into tour providers (wholly unfamiliar with the Baltic itinerary having done the Med numerous times, so I have plenty of experience planning private excursions, but none in this region) and was looking into TJ Travel. I got concerned about the notice on their web site which says Visa's are not required when touring with them. Was the process smooth without the Visas through TJ and how did you find their prices please? I have no idea what to expect for a two-day tour, but I am seeing $1200-$1400 for two people and that's pretty dear. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Rich and Cathy

 

first of all, Hi neighbors. We are from West Hempstead and we did the Baltics in 2009 on NCL Jewel from Dover. As I have said many times, most of us who have done this crusie come back here to try and help others who are looking for advice, and help, for their future cruise. In other words, try and give back the way others gave back, to help us.

As several have said, the entire Visa question for St Petersburg is confusing as the ships really do not want you to book private tours thru the independent tour companies operating out of St Petersburg. Look over some of the pages here and you will find great info why most of us recommend private tours over ship's tours.

But, as far as the visa is concerned, all you need to do is book with any of the private tour companies and they will get the temporary visas for you. You will never see them, they will email you tickets to print out and that's all you need. same with the ship's excursions, they will supply all the necessary paperwork for your tour.

We used a company called SPB tours and they were simply significant. I've have sung their praises on this board for over a year now. Several have taken this advice, used them and have had the same marvelous time. All the tour companies offer the same deals with just some minor tweaking. Contact several of them and sit down and compare what each offers and see which one you like the best. Most people try and get on a tour with other couples to lower the cost. the price you mentioned is very high. Most people pay about $300PP but that is with some sort of group. Go to the roll call page for your ship, see if others have signed on and what they might be doing in St Petersburg. I was first on my roll call, and we formed a great group to do our tour. That is the best way to go. No tour carries more than 15-20 people so it is very manageable.

If you need any info, post it here or you can email me at Giantfan13@hotmail.com.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Bet & Peg]

Hi Rich & Cathy ~ Len's comments are 100% correct! Once we booked with the SPB we received via e-mail "visa" to print - all we needed to quickly pass through customs - took about a minute each!

 

As far as cost - there were 8 of us (4 couples) and we each paid $295 + tips for the guide & driver - can't remember exactly how much we paid each - we talked about it at the end of the first day and I think it was about guide $30 and driver $20 but might have been a bit more - they were both GREAT! [i thought it was in my notes but I can't find it!!!]

 

We also paid $55 pp for tickets for the FolkLore Show and we all felt it was well worth the time & expense. Our guide stayed with us through using our tickets to get into the palace for the show - she had explained everything to us - the show, refreshments during intermission, etc. And our driver was there after the show - right outside waiting for us to take us back to the ship. That's one reason we gave him more of a tip in the end.

 

Our van was great - don't know what make or model but it was plenty big for 8 of us - probably could seat 15/16 people so there was plenty of room to "spead-out"! When we stopped places we could leave our jackts, extra bags, etc. in the van since the driver always stayed with it. (note - I'm not suggesting to leave valuables but just the "extras") Even though the two days were very busy, the luxury of having the van "right there" made it much more relaxing! And having only 8 people getting in and out made things much quicker!

 

Also one of the advantages of the private tour was flexibility. We tended to all be "on-time" people! The second day we were to meet at 8:00am and I think we were all in front of the building by 7:45am latest!! So we were ready to roll early and our guide took us to an unscheduled Church (the naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas) where a regular service was in progress - it was fabulous to observe real life in Russia! We also stopped at the Post Office to buy stamps - My DH & I had postcards ready to mail - I don't remember how much the stamps were, but the cards were home before us (yes, we mailed one to ourselves - DH was a stamp collector!). Many people on these boards complain about how long ards take coming from Russia but I guess not mailed from the main PO!! These are things that just wouldn't happen on the ship's excursions! But, I admit, on the other hand finding the "right" tour company does take time and research that not everyone enjoys or has time for.

 

Whatever you decide - have a fabulous trip!!

[Bet & Peg]

Wanted to add to my previous post ~ the cost of the St. Pete trip included all admissions (except the added FolkLore Show) and all transportaiton including the Hydrofoil trip from Peterhof & subway ride. All we had to pay was for lunches and that had been pre-decided to be "quick" ones. First day we had bellinis - wraps of ham & cheese, just cheese, etc. Second day it was Stolle Cafe - Russian pies (pirozhki) filled with sweet (apples, cherries, etc) or savory (ground beef, egg, vegeterian, etc.). Our guide took us to a place to exchange $$ and suggested that we get about $40 per couple for food - we had plenty to eat at lunch both days and had some money left.

 

I had met a young Russian woman - Valentina - on the Connie, in July she was working in Cafe al la Bacio. She was from outside of St. Petersburg and had just finished University there. When I told her we had eaten at Stolle she said that was her favorite restaurant! and that we were lucky to have experienced a real Russian place to eat!

 

[Anyone going on the Connie - say Hello to Valentina from the crazy American who didn't want to leave - and gave her the Swedish star decoration for her birthday!]

[Giantfan13]

Way to go Peg. Help building up US/Russian relations. :D:D:D:D:D:D

 

Cheers

 

Len

[remydiva]

Thank you to all the follow up posters to my OP.

 

You have all made it much clearer (altho I'm sure to have more questions) and I'll be sure to post them. Oh, thought of one: Does the Hermitage still have the policy of no water bottles allowed? A friend said they put it in place after someone smuggled in acid and tossed it on paintings damaging them.

 

Thanks again and please, any more tips and advice, costs and comments most welcome.

[cccruisin]

We used Red October last September. They put 3 couples from our Emerald Princess sailing together and we had a van, private driver and private guide. 2 full days of so much sightseeing for about the same prices Princess was charging for per person as a busload. Was a great two days would always recommend Red October....

[STUR]

We are going to St. Petersburg for two days on the HAL Rotterdam in September 2011. I am looking into tour providers (wholly unfamiliar with the Baltic itinerary having done the Med numerous times, so I have plenty of experience planning private excursions, but none in this region) and was looking into TJ Travel. I got concerned about the notice on their web site which says Visa's are not required when touring with them. Was the process smooth without the Visas through TJ and how did you find their prices please? I have no idea what to expect for a two-day tour, but I am seeing $1200-$1400 for two people and that's pretty dear. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

My wife and I are Booked on the Emerald Princess August 9, 2011

We will be in st Petersburg August 14th and 15th

We have pre booked 2 day tour With ShoreTrips.com through A.A.A. Club in Dayton,Ohio

Private Tour Just for the Two of Us (Prepaid) Was $1208.00 Check them out on the internet

Also Booked Folkshow on the first evening For the Two of us plus Car and driver $303.00

 

We did book all our Shore Tours through them

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO

[rich_cathybrock]

Thank you both and thanks to the OP for such good advice! I have a party of three, and possibly a few more on my as yet largely inactive roll call who are interested in tour shares in St. Pete's. Going to check out prices from a few of the recommended vendors and will let you know how I do. I truly appreciate the advice!

 

Regards, and happy sailing!

[sammiedawg]

This board has excellent info about St Petersburg. We were a party of 8, we knew we wanted a private tour. We avoid ship tours almost everywhere.

We requested price quotes from the main companies- SPB, Denrus, Alla, Red October and put the info on a spreadsheet, trying to compare and contrast. Each company has multiple offerings- for example SPB offered active moderate and less active tours. There is not a huge price difference between companies but the active tours cost more than the less busy trips. Some include lunch in their price, some don't. Some include camera fees, some dont. Some spend more time in the Hermitage. The diffences are subtle and there is no right or wrong choice. Go with your gut and try to decide what is best for your group.

The companies discussed on these boards get good comments from regular posters. you could not go wrong with any vetted company recommended on these boards. If you are not sure about the company you choose, post again a specific request for comments about your agency. People will reach out and share their experiences.

We chose SPB active 2 day tour and we were so pleased. The process was very easy, no money up front. The owner email'd visa paperwork. The owner, tour guide and driver were waiting for us in the terminal and within 5 minutes we were on our way. We toured in a Mercedes mini bus for 2 days with a very professional guide and a driver who whisked us around. We paid either with cash or credit card the second morning. I would do it again with SPB in a heartbeat.

If your group is small, you may be able to recruit other passengers from your roll call board. Some but not all of the companies will pair you up with others. When you get the quotes you can do the math per person and decide what you are comfortable with.

[Giantfan13]

there is no right or wrong choice

 

Sammie said it correctly. while there are many choices, they are ALL good and you will be happy with whoever you decide to tour with. Do NOT fret about it very much. Just compare some of the minor differences and make a choice, or go with whoever your roll call likes, as a group.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[remydiva]

Can someone please explain what are camera fees? how much? do you need a ticket to use your camera in every place or just some places?

 

Great tour advice and thanks again.

[sammiedawg]

Some European sites require camera permits to take photos. Generally a few dollars.

We opted not to pay for camera fees up front in St Petersburg as all 8 of us would not be taking the pictures. Some museums and sites do not allow any photography- ex. the Amber Room in St Catherine's palace. Our tour guide advised us if photos were prohibited and he was to advise us if camera fees needed to be paid. I don't remember paying much of anything to take photos.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Can someone please explain what are camera fees? how much? do you need a ticket to use your camera in every place or just some places?

 

Great tour advice and thanks again.

 

There was no additional charge for photography in any of the places I went on my tour (Post #6). I don't know whether it was accounted for in the tour price on the assumption that most of us will take photos, and any charges only apply to the genuinely independent tourist. The Amber Room was the only place where it was prohibited and that is probably to prevent bottlenecks there (people posing alongside the panels or organising video shoots !) as your pass through the Catherine Palace at a brisk rate.

Tony

[Giantfan13]

Most tours will not charge you for the first camera. That is usually included with the rate you are charged. You will probably incur a 'camera fee' if you are using a second camera, for the same family. Like one person may want to do stills while another may want to video with a separate camera. Same can be said if you have a family and one of the kids wants to use a separate camera. If memory holds, it was something like $12 for every extra camera. I'm also sure they gave us a sticker to put on the camera at the Hermitage, to show that this camera was included. If you are then using another camera without a sticker, you will be locked up and sent to Siberia (no, just kidding , of course???)

 

Cheers

 

Len

[cruisingrammie]

We took a Baltic cruise on the Star Princess in July 2010. We booked our private tour with Anastasia Travel in St. Petersburg. We had them take care of our visas for the 2 days we were there. They make suggestions for what to see, but we asked for specific places and times and they were VERY accommodating! We had a running conversation via email until just prior to our leaving on vacation. We had a group of 6 in a van with a guide. What an amazing experience! Two of the group were high school students and we were able to get discounts on their admissions because of that. Your $1200 is DEAR! (especially for two!) We paid about that for 4 of us with Anastasia and that included all of our admissions, photo fees, and visa. We chose to buy our own lunches at local restaurants. Our guide, Elena, took us to great places to get local cuisine. And the cost was not that much. She also took us to many local places of interest that were not on the general tour routes. The only thing I might suggest is to make sure you take rain gear!