SPB tours, Best Guides, Alla etc… any difference

[hencoll]

I started to contact October/November of the previous year.It will be their peak season from now till September so they may be a bit rushed.If you contact them after that you'll probably get a more personal service with them having time to respond to your queries.

 

I found that they offered to honour the rates for the past season if you booked before January

 

Thank you. I will wait until late fall to contact the tour companies. :)

[phabric]

How far in advance of sail date should we be contacting the more popular tour companies? We are sailing June of 2013 and are looking for private tours for our family of 5 in St. Petersburg and Berlin. Is it too early for me to start emailing them now. We are trying to tailor our tours to fit DH and I as well as our 3 kids.:)

 

I am on the August 19, 2013 Princess' Baltic cruise. I have reserved our spots with SPB for their 5 cities Deluxe tours already.

[Alaskanb]

How far in advance of sail date should we be contacting the more popular tour companies? We are sailing June of 2013 and are looking for private tours for our family of 5 in St. Petersburg and Berlin. Is it too early for me to start emailing them now. We are trying to tailor our tours to fit DH and I as well as our 3 kids.:)

We are on a June 3, 2013, sailing and ours is already booked with Alla.

[hencoll]

I am on the August 19, 2013 Princess' Baltic cruise. I have reserved our spots with SPB for their 5 cities Deluxe tours already.

 

We are on a June 3, 2013, sailing and ours is already booked with Alla.

 

Thank you. So I guess it's not too early.

[fabnfortysomething]

Thank you. So I guess it's not too early.

 

yes you can book as early as you like if you know which company you want to go with-I was suggesting if you want to ask questions and tailor your tour then after September will be their "off peak " time when they will have more time to respond to questions which will help you narrow down your choice

[ksbear]

We had a great experience with palladium travel. They did a custom itinerary for our group of seven and were patient answering questions in advance. The driver and tour guide were good. I just posted a more detailed review in the "St. Petersburg with kids, independent or tour" thread.

Edited June 25, 2012 by ksbear

[rdnpdx1]

Overall, they are all basically the same as to showing you all the sights in St Petersburg. They all will have a set plan or you can draw up your own, to your liking. They all will accommodate you. price wise, I also think they are all in the same ballpark.

But they all do have their little 'quirks' that separate one from the other. Like some include lunches and some include the canal boat ride.

 

Customer service is also a big factor. Big outfits, like Denrus and Red October, do not have that intimacy between host and tourist that you will find with some of the other tour groups.

 

We toured almost 3 years ago with SPB Tours. We used them because, at that time, they did not charge extra for the canal boat tour which we really wanted to do, they also included 2 lunches, one which was a sit down at a real Russian restaurant, which we also wanted to do. But the main reason why we went with SPB was because of the tremendous customer service we received from Viktoria, the owner. She was calm when we needed calming. She suggested things to us, and she never failed to respond to every email we sent her, by the very next day.

Now that they have expanded their tours to other ports, it makes it more accommodating and you can save some money at the same time.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

We chose SPB for the same reasons, and had a great experience with them Viktoria and her staff are amazing.

 

Other have similar things to say about the one company they chose. Go with the one that feels right to you, that is responsive to your needs. For us that was SPB.

[2morecruises]

We recently returned from a 14 day Celebrity Baltic cruise (Eclipse, May 26th thru June 9th) and booked Alla's "2 Day Comfort Tour" for St P.B. thru our Roll Call were we created a group of 8, which turned out to be perfect.

 

We were warned by Celebrity beforehand to expect a "cold" welcoming while going thru Russian Immigration & that is exactly what we got. Boy, those people need a life. lol (just have your passport, the "Russian Landing Card" - given to you by Celebrity and filled out properly, plus the private tour operator's pre-printed confirmations with you).

 

Svetlana, our tour guide, was terrific. The transportation (12 seat Mercedes Van) was practically new. Encountered some traffic snarls but we had little trouble with crowds at the major venues. BTW, lunch was not included but the places she picked to dine were good.

 

Svetlana also mentioned to us that we were lucky the 1st day as it was just one of only 30 on a yearly average to have sunshine the majority of the day. But, we made up for that on the 2nd day when miserable weather occurred (windy, rainy, 48F) that included our Neva River Cruise, but Shea had arranged a boat with inside cabins that made it bearable.

 

You are sorta taken back by the price of the tour but afterwards you realize that it's worth every penny. Besides, how many times will you go to SPB ?? ;)

 

I highly recommend Alla. :)

 

Mike

Edited June 27, 2012 by 2morecruises
added info

[Loyal2RCCL]

We just came back from the Baltic cruise and used Alla. I've used her a lot in the past and have referred dozens to her and never had any complaints.

 

Alla is very prompt in answering all emails. Her guides are some of the best in the area and she was very accommodating to special requests etc.

 

Alla's prices are very reasonable ($300 pp for 2 full days of touring with lunch included each day, bottled water, photo permits, canal tour and subway ride as well as the hydrofoil from the Peterholf.) Alla also gets permission for early entry into most sights, so we had virtually no lines to stand in.

 

We also requested to be taken to a local restaurant at the end of the first day, and Alla arranged everything and was kind enough not to charge us for the extra time with the bus, driver and guide. We would have gladly paid for the extra time, but it was not necessary.

 

If you go with Alla, you won't be disappointed. Make sure you request Angie as your Guide.. she was fantastic... gave just enough information without overkill.

[Nitemare]

We were warned by Celebrity beforehand to expect a "cold" welcoming while going thru Russian Immigration & that is exactly what we got. Boy, those people need a life. lol (just have your passport, the "Russian Landing Card" - given to you by Celebrity and filled out properly, plus the private tour operator's pre-printed confirmations with you).

 

Mike

 

Funny, we found that saying "Good morning" to the SPB Customs agent in Russian made our entry very pleasant. And that getting back into the States was the most annoying transit of any border crossings we did during our cruise and extension.

[dogs4fun]

Funny, we found that saying "Good morning" to the SPB Customs agent in Russian made our entry very pleasant. And that getting back into the States was the most annoying transit of any border crossings we did during our cruise and extension.

 

Same here. The TSA agent was literally screaming at incoming passengers (re: getting in the correct immigration line) at Dulles. I was embarrased to be a citizen as I felt his behavior was a reflection on all americans. :(

jill

[bella crociera]

Can anybody tell me what the difference between the local tour operators in St. Petersburg is? Does each have their area of expertise or are they all more or less the same?

We went through SPB Tours on 4/5th June and cant fault them at all. They arrange visas in advance and we entered through immigration very smoothly. 16 of us in a van - very nice smallish group. The use of headsets for a clear commentary enabled us to keep in touch with the guide without having to be in a tightly controlled group. Our guide was superb - excellent command of english, comprehensive knowledge and flexibility to meet individual and group requests with patience and a sense of humour. We saw all that we had on our list over the 2 days including a visit to the city's most recent and deepest Metro station. We experienced local food at lunchtime but did not waste time with a 3 course lunch (who needs it after all the food on the ship?). The tour cost was amazingly good value for money and they didnot require any payment until the morning of the second day. At the end of the tour the owner, Viktoria made a special point of meeting us, which was just part of the efficiency and professional approach to the whole experience with SPB Tours.

[Cellagirl]

Funny, we found that saying "Good morning" to the SPB Customs agent in Russian made our entry very pleasant. And that getting back into the States was the most annoying transit of any border crossings we did during our cruise and extension.

:)

 

Can you tell us how to say Good Morning in Russian? ;)

 

Thanks

[Nitemare]

:)

 

Can you tell us how to say Good Morning in Russian? ;)

 

Thanks

 

Pretty much something like:

 

Strahs vyi tyeh

 

is how I said it.

 

I bet you can find a better pronounciation elsewhere on the Internets

[John Bull]

:)

 

Can you tell us how to say Good Morning in Russian? ;)

 

Thanks

 

An easy-to-learn greeting in Russian, courtesy of our Alla guide, is pronounced "blue yellow vase".

 

But best not to use it on the immigration officer.

It means I love you. ;)

 

JB :)

[Nitemare]

An easy-to-learn greeting in Russian, courtesy of our Alla guide, is pronounced "blue yellow vase".

 

But best not to use it on the immigration officer.

It means I love you. ;)

 

JB :)

 

That's not how I learned to pronounce that one.

[John Bull]

That's not how I learned to pronounce that one.

 

That's "vase" pronounced the correct way

Not the American way :p

 

And it worked on a girl in a shop. :cool:

Shame I hadn't learned any follow-up lines :D

 

JB :)

[Nitemare]

That's "vase" pronounced the correct way

Not the American way :p

 

And it worked on a girl in a shop. :cool:

Shame I hadn't learned any follow-up lines :D

 

JB :)

 

Pretty sure "I Love You" is pronounced totally differently than what you're writing here. I wonder what you told her!

[John Bull]

Pretty sure "I Love You" is pronounced totally differently than what you're writing here. I wonder what you told her!

 

Mebbe mixed up my colours.

Yellow blue vase, perhaps?

 

JB :o

[Nitemare]

Mebbe mixed up my colours.

Yellow blue vase, perhaps?

 

JB :o

 

I was taught: Ya Looblyoo Teebah

 

 

which when I typed that into Google, brought up this site that seems to confirm, although reversing the last two words.

 

Which do sort of end with something like "blue", so you may be part way there, or have a regional alternative.

Edited July 3, 2012 by Nitemare

[hurricanefly]

Cruised Scandanavia and Russia with Celebrity in 2011 and organised a private tour of St. Petersburg with TJ Travel, having contacted several other private tour operators. I was delighted with the decision to use TJ Travel as they were professional at all times and by far the quickest to respond to emails. By organising, through Cruise Critic roll calls, a maximum group of 16 we succeeded in reducing the cost considerably. TJ Travel ensured that we went to the busiest tourist attractions early in the morning and where there were queues we often got preferential treatment, by passing other private tour groups on occasions. In addition to the boat trip on the canal and the two Russian lunches we got a nice souvenir pack at the end of the trip. Therefore I have no hesitation in highly recommending them.

 

With regard to the comment made with regard to immigration officials in the US I would agree that US immigration officials leave a lot to be desired. I am from Ireland and have spent many very enjoyable holidays in the US and by and large have a lot of time for US citizens whom I met in the US, in Ireland and on cruises. However, I would have to agree that immigration officials and other workers at US airports do not come across as friendly or welcoming to visitors entering or leaving the US.

[HawaiiUK]

30 years since I learnt Russian at school, but I learnt it as

Ya tee (or 'vas' if you wish to be formal) loo-bli-you.

 

I'm hoping that booking a private tour I will get an opportunity to at least try out my awful grasp of Russian on some poor unsuspecting Russian trader!

 

Can I book a private tour to my liking (I know I want to try an authentic Russian restaurant, ride the metro and visit a market or similar) and see if anyone else would like to join in?

 

What's the rough difference between a truly private tour (ie 3 of us) and a group of say 12 or 16? Does the larger group actually make a substantial saving?

 

спасибо (Spa-seeba!)

[John Bull]

30 years since I learnt Russian at school, but I learnt it as

Ya tee (or 'vas' if you wish to be formal) loo-bli-you.

 

I'm hoping that booking a private tour I will get an opportunity to at least try out my awful grasp of Russian on some poor unsuspecting Russian trader!

 

Can I book a private tour to my liking (I know I want to try an authentic Russian restaurant, ride the metro and visit a market or similar) and see if anyone else would like to join in?

 

What's the rough difference between a truly private tour (ie 3 of us) and a group of say 12 or 16? Does the larger group actually make a substantial saving?

 

спасибо (Spa-seeba!)

 

If you want to do something "different", you'll need to find sharers ahead of the cruise, such as through your RollCall, because folk you meet aboard will already have arrangements made for St Pete's.

 

To give you a vague idea of prices for small groups, Alla quoted us $270 per person for a van with 8 to 16, $300 for 6, $355 for 4.

This for a standard 2-day tour.

I imagine it'd be the basis for any custom tour, with variations (up or down) for the different mileages & other out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Желтые "синей вазе :D

 

JB :)

[dutch lady]

We went with the recommendation of our TA, who had personally used DenRus, and so far we have been extremely satisfied with what's happened, a completely personalized tour for 4 of us for 2 days, quick and complete replies to all our emails asking questions and more questions :) and to top it off a nice discount because of our CAA membership.

 

I have a friend who used Den Rus in St Petersburg and they loved them also. I have sent 2 emails to them for information and have not heard a thing. How long did it take you to get your answers???

 

Thanks!!!!!

[Herman The Cat]

Is this the website for TJ Travel? Just want to make sure I have the right one.

http://st-petersburg-tours.ru/

 

I believe SPB Tours is spb-tours.com

 

And Alla?

 

I assume Red October is redoctober.us

 

Just want to make sure I have the sites everyone is talking about on these boards because there are a lot of tour and other companies with similar names.

 

I think I am going to contact each to see if they can do a custom 1 day tour and see what pricing they come back with.