SPB tours, Best Guides, Alla etc… any difference

[kazu]

We had the same concerns, so requested more information.

 

Comparing both tours side by side, they both spend the same amount of time touring the fountains/upper gardens at Peterhof, as they do at the other attractions.

 

The difference is that Alla provides a box lunch to eat in transit the first day, while SPB provides a sit down lunch at a restaurant both days.

 

The Alla tour is faster paced and gets you back to the ship earlier by saving time with the box lunch, while the SPB tour is more leisurely paced and gets you back to the ship a little later.

 

You will visit the same attractions for the same amount of time either way.

 

It is a matter of personal preference whether you would rather eat a box lunch in transit and get back to the ship earlier, or take time for the restaurant lunch and get back later.

 

Both these companies get very good reviews, as do the other companies mentioned here which are also highly regarded.

From what we have found out so far, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

 

Here is a link where you can check them all out on Tripadvisor

 

St. Petersburg Sightseeing Tours - TripAdvisor

 

 

Thanks. We too opted to go with Alla. Her box lunch is supposed to be actually quite nice (by Russian standards). We prefer the earlier arrival time as we have evening activities planned and her schedule allows us to do it.:D

 

Again, as long as you are happy with your choice, that is the main thing:D

[dolfans0704]

Thanks. We too opted to go with Alla. Her box lunch is supposed to be actually quite nice (by Russian standards). We prefer the earlier arrival time as we have evening activities planned and her schedule allows us to do it.:D

 

Again, as long as you are happy with your choice, that is the main thing:D

 

Excellent point you bring up here, kazu! We as well have evening plans scheduled through Alla and arriving back to our ship earlier will be most welcomed for a little extra R&R prior to our night out! I also heard that the box lunch on her tour is quite tasty! :) We are looking forward to a wonderful visit in SPB. Enjoy your trip!

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

[judyrabbit]

The difference is that Alla provides a box lunch to eat in transit the first day, while SPB provides a sit down lunch at a restaurant both days.

We took Premium tour with I Travel last June. They offered a proper sit down lunch on the first day and time for coffee-break or quick snack if necessary on the second day. At first we were a little uneasy about not having a proper lunch on the second day too, but it turned out the best way. We were so well-fed on the ship that we really were glad to skip a full meal and just had coffee in Peterhof gardens. The weather was hot and it didn't feel like eating at all, at the same time we had more time for touring.

[Miata6]

Am planning a Baltic in August on the Eurodam - I researched both Alla and SPbtours - I have chosen SPBtours - Alla provides a box lunch on the 1st day - there were negative comments about this on trip-advisor - it was not good and some said they ate in the van enroute to somewhere - SPBtours provides a pre-ordered sit down lunch on both days - Vikka - also donates $1 from each tour to an orpanage - many from our CC group are going with ALLA - but I decided to do what I thought was best for my DH & me. I imagine we will all be happy

 

The competition between Tour Companies in St Petersburg is apparently fierce, even to the dissemination of misleading information. We who live in capitalistic societies are used to it, and it is probably more subtle here than in Russia where it's a newer way of life. Having said all that, Alla says they serve three restaurant meals during their Grand Tour. By this July 12th, I will know for sure but right now, I'm repeating her representations to her clients. :}

[dolfans0704]

The competition between Tour Companies in St Petersburg is apparently fierce, even to the dissemination of misleading information. We who live in capitalistic societies are used to it, and it is probably more subtle here than in Russia where it's a newer way of life. Having said all that, Alla says they serve three restaurant meals during their Grand Tour. By this July 12th, I will know for sure but right now, I'm repeating her representations to her clients. :}

 

Hi Miata

We are booked with Alla as well for the 2 Day Grand Tour. Are you referring to her 3 Day tour where she serves the 3 meals in restaurants? I don't want others to be confused. Thanks for information and the clarification. Enjoy your cruise! We are leaving at the end of May and are very excited! :)

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

[Miata6]

Hi Miata

We are booked with Alla as well for the 2 Day Grand Tour. Are you referring to her 3 Day tour where she serves the 3 meals in restaurants? I don't want others to be confused. Thanks for information and the clarification. Enjoy your cruise! We are leaving at the end of May and are very excited! :)

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

Confused? Me? Always. :confused: Yes, I'm referring to the THREE-day ALLA tour and not the two-day. My error. :o At least the three-day people got some pertinent information. :{

Have a great trip and let us later travelers know what to expect when you get back. We are all equally excited.

[brentp]

 

Comparing both tours side by side, they both spend the same amount of time touring the fountains/upper gardens at Peterhof, as they do at the other attractions.

 

The difference is that Alla provides a box lunch to eat in transit the first day, while SPB provides a sit down lunch at a restaurant both days.

 

The Alla tour is faster paced and gets you back to the ship earlier by saving time with the box lunch, while the SPB tour is more leisurely paced and gets you back to the ship a little later.

 

 

I don't think this is 100% accurate. Reviewing the details on each website does show other slight differences which is more than simply how/where you lunch on one day.

 

It is true, Alla does provide a boxed lunch one day for 'lunch on the go' and a sit down Russian lunch on the other. SPb does a sit down Russian lunch on both days.

 

Alla's tour has a dedicated 1 1/2 hour stop for Shopping/Farmers Market which is not listed in the SPb's itinerary. SPb does mention the Farmers Market as optional during the City Tour time period, and then shopping simply as optional. I read this and imagine there will be some opportunities to shop throughout the 2 days at the various stops and they expect one to 'shop on the go'.

 

Both tours are very similar in duration starting and ending near the same time. One day 1 Alla shows onboard by 6:00pm, . . . and SPb simply says they leave to return to the ship at 6:00pm, so they likely would be back a bit later. That said, I don't think it is fair to say the boxed lunch is simply to get one back earlier, . . . the itineraries are different and I personally fell it is there to provide some time on Alla's Day-2 for the Farmer's Market and for shopping.

 

From that - if one were more interested in getting a sit down Russian lunch on both days (vs just one day), then they would choose SPb. If one were more interested in insuring dedicated time to shop, they would choose Alla.

 

Frankly we haven't decided yet and we are pretty confident either tour will meet our needs and I am sure we will enjoy either one greatly. That said, our first nod is to Alla right now. While we would like to have a traditional Russian lunch, . . . once might just be enough. Very similar to the traditional Scottish breakfast I had once, . . . :)

Edited April 8, 2013 by brentp

[Alaskanb]

I don't think this is 100% accurate. Reviewing the details on each website does show other slight differences which is more than simply how/where you lunch on one day.

 

It is true, Alla does provide a boxed lunch one day for 'lunch on the go' and a sit down Russian lunch on the other. SPb does a sit down Russian lunch on both days.

 

Alla's tour has a dedicated 1 1/2 hour stop for Shopping/Farmers Market which is not listed in the SPb's itinerary. SPb does mention the Farmers Market as optional during the City Tour time period, and then shopping simply as optional. I read this and imagine there will be some opportunities to shop throughout the 2 days at the various stops and they expect one to 'shop on the go'.

 

Both tours are very similar in duration starting and ending near the same time. One day 1 Alla shows onboard by 6:00pm, . . . and SPb simply says they leave to return to the ship at 6:00pm, so they likely would be back a bit later. That said, I don't think it is fair to say the boxed lunch is simply to get one back earlier, . . . the itineraries are different and I personally fell it is there to provide some time on Alla's Day-2 for the Farmer's Market and for shopping.

 

From that - if one were more interested in getting a sit down Russian lunch on both days (vs just one day), then they would choose SPb. If one were more interested in insuring dedicated time to shop, they would choose Alla.

 

Frankly we haven't decided yet and we are pretty confident either tour will meet our needs and I am sure we will enjoy either one greatly. That said, our first nod is to Alla right now. While we would like to have a traditional Russian lunch, . . . once might just be enough. Very similar to the traditional Scottish breakfast I had once, . . . :)

Don't forget to look at Alla's Comfort Tour where you get a sit-down lunch on both days. These types of tours can be overwhelming -- I like the idea of fewer places and time to contemplate. :cool:

[Giantfan13]

As I have said before, we used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg. I noticed that you mentioned about SPB Tours saying that they have no specific time and will leave to get you back to the ship about 6:00. On day one of our 2 day tour, we had magnificent weather. We were supposed to do the Canal Boat cruise on day two, but since the weather was so glorious and you never know what the next day will bring, they adjusted the itinerary to do the Canal Boat Cruise also on day one to take advantage of the weather. Can't say whether or not other tour companies would change their itinerary to do this, but we were so impressed that they did this and it worked out well. Yes, we got back to the ship a bit later than planned, but it also allowed us a bit more time on day 2 to spend at other venues like the Hermitage (yes, and some shopping). We went to the Famers market, but we were also taken to a Russian Supermarket to shop for anything and everything, including some great Russian Vodka.

 

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster995.jpg

 

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster996.jpg

 

We also mentioned that since we are of the Jewish faith, would it be possible to visit the Grand Choral Synagogue, that also wasn't part of our original itinerary. Since we had the extra time on the second day, we were able to make that stop and it was just a wonderful experience.

 

You see, the point I am trying to make is that no itinerary should be written in stone. They know their city as well as the weather and such. As I said, we were very impressed that SPB Tours altered things, to make our time in

St Petersburg that much better in any way they could.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[varoo]

I don't think this is 100% accurate. Reviewing the details on each website does show other slight differences which is more than simply how/where you lunch on one day.......

But you can't tell what you will actually be doing each day just by reviewing the sample itineraries shown on their websites.

 

The itineraries for your dates may be different.

 

If you really want to compare them, request the actual itineraries for the specific dates you are planning to be there from the vendors and compare those.

 

Also, as mentioned, they may make additional adjustments depending on the weather or to fit in specific requests by people on your tour that do not appear on the sample website itineraries.

 

They may switch the itineraries around quite a bit depending on which days you will be in St. Petersburg as different attractions are closed on different days of the week.

 

Attractions that are shown on day 1 on their website may actually be on day 2 for your visit, and the times and order of visiting the different attractions can vary as well.

 

The way to decide, IMHO, is to compare the schedules for the dates you will actually be there from the different vendors and read the reviews.

Then email the vendors with any specific questions or needs you have, compare the feedback you get from them to see how accommodating they are, and go with whichever one looks like the best fit for you.

Edited April 9, 2013 by varoo

[brentp]

Very happy to see people so passionate about the tour companies they have chosen and/or used. This is good for all of us and is likely why the top 2 are rated so very highly on TripAdvisor and here on CC. They are doing a good job and either will provide an excellent experience!!!

 

As I have said before, we used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg. I noticed that you mentioned about SPB Tours saying that they have no specific time and will leave to get you back to the ship about 6:00. On day one of our 2 day tour, we had magnificent weather. We were supposed to do the Canal Boat cruise on day two, but since the weather was so glorious and you never know what the next day will bring, they adjusted the itinerary to do the Canal Boat Cruise also on day one to take advantage of the weather. Can't say whether or not other tour companies would change their itinerary to do this, but we were so impressed that they did this and it worked out well.

 

Agree completely, all tour companies highlight that they may need to change their preplanned itinerary for various reasons; venue schedules, traffic, weather, etc.

 

In your case, this was a very fortunate change. We can only wish we will be so lucky in June. :) :)

 

But you can't tell what you will actually be doing each day just by reviewing the sample itineraries shown on their websites.

 

The itineraries for your dates may be different.

 

If you really want to compare them, request the actual itineraries for the specific dates you are planning to be there from the vendors and compare those.

 

Also, as mentioned, they may make additional adjustments depending on the weather or to fit in specific requests by people on your tour that do not appear on the sample website itineraries.

 

Exactly my point early, . . . which is why I did not feel it was completely accurate to say that Alla Tours was providing a boxed lunch simply to return the tour to the ship earlier one day. The boxed lunch is not the only difference.

 

For our particular dates - the differences I found were:

 

Lunches: Already discussed.

 

Shopping: Alla: 1 1/2 hrs of dedicated shopping time in the itinerary vs SPB having a simply statement that shopping was optional. This left the impression that shopping is to be 'on the go'. Not a bad thing and we have done this in many tours with success, . . . just a difference and likely how the hour for the sit down lunch was acquired.

 

Both are rated very highly. We're sure both will provide an excellent experience and we have not yet booked with either. In fairness, we are leaning towards Alla because of the dedicated shopping time, . . . which we noticed was a difference in the Berlin itineraries as well. :) :)

[varoo]

As I have said before, we used SPB Tours for our time in St Petersburg. I noticed that you mentioned about SPB Tours saying that they have no specific time and will leave to get you back to the ship about 6:00. On day one of our 2 day tour, we had magnificent weather. We were supposed to do the Canal Boat cruise on day two, but since the weather was so glorious and you never know what the next day will bring, they adjusted the itinerary to do the Canal Boat Cruise also on day one to take advantage of the weather. Can't say whether or not other tour companies would change their itinerary to do this, but we were so impressed that they did this and it worked out well. Yes, we got back to the ship a bit later than planned, but it also allowed us a bit more time on day 2 to spend at other venues like the Hermitage (yes, and some shopping). We went to the Famers market, but we were also taken to a Russian Supermarket to shop for anything and everything, including some great Russian Vodka..........

Thanks so much for posting this helpful information.

 

The main appeal of the sit-down lunch to us is the "sit down" part -- the opportunity to relax and enjoy a restful break in the middle of a day of rushing around; yet not needing to miss anything.

 

Getting back to the ship early is not a priority for any of our group.

We would rather have the extra time for the leisurely restaurant lunch.

 

We had originally considered splitting up so some could take the highlights or comfort tour instead.

But we really prefer to stay together and none of us want to miss out on any of the attractions that are offered.

 

From the feedback we received, the tour you describe looked like the ideal way for us to do it.

Now your post reinforces that opinion.

 

No doubts at all about time for shopping now.

Wherever we go, we like to visit the places where the local people shop instead of the tourist shopping areas.

 

The last time we were in Russia years ago we also visited a Russian department store, quite an interesting eye opener compared to what we were accustomed to seeing in US and western European department stores.

 

[Giantfan13]

The last time we were in Russia years ago we also visited a Russian department store, quite an interesting eye opener compared to what we were accustomed to seeing in US and western European department stores.

 

 

 

Exactly the point.

 

When we visited each port, even though we were just spending maybe 1/2 a day there, we wanted to at least feel we were part of it. that is why we exchanged money for each port, so we could use some of the local currency. sure we could always flash American Dollars at them and most would take it, but for us, that wasn't part of the charm.

In St Petersburg, we WANTED to eat in a Russian restaurant. Sure it was picked out and probably catered to a lot of Americans, but it was a Russian place and not just eating a boxed lunch. If that works for others, that is great, but we got what we wanted, a real experience in each port to intermingle with the people, on their level, if you know what I mean. Even if it was using some Krona's, Euros or whatever to buy an ice cream cone. It just helped us feel more like we WERE IN that particular city.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Reggiefan]

SPB, I had not given any thought to the issues you raised. But your comments make much sense.

[hencoll]

Interesting perspective and very much appreciated. It is amusing, . . . as detailed oriented tourists, at times decisions do get narrowed down to very small differences between the options, . . . when either option would very likely result in a similar positive experience. :)

 

Actually, I finished reading the thread (link below) you started on St. Petersburg this morning and must say, . . . very very informative. I know it was said there a lot, but the time you have taken to answer the questions is greatly appreciated!

 

SPB thread

 

Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, . . . this has gotten me to start to consider whether structuring a fully private tour to include some of your "top 5s" along with a few of the other standard tour stops might be a better (yet more costly) option for us. Most notably, some of the historical stops that provide more insight on the period from 1941 - 1944.

 

Thanks again,

 

Note to self - the tour guides are very tired and they probably don't want to hear "what are you doing tonight" again from yet another tourist. Very funny! :)

 

brentp, that is basically the approach we took. We are a family of 5 with 3 daughters between the ages 17-10. The price for a private tour for our family is not a whole lot more than what we would have paid per person for a group tour. In my opinion, the extra amount is worth it for the flexibility alone. Being able to customize our days, selecting sights that will appeal to all of us as well as throwing in some shopping for our teen and pre-teen makes it even a better value for us. :)

Edited April 10, 2013 by hencoll

[ConnieInNewJersey]

I used SPB in St. Petersburg and Alla in Stockholm. I was not interested in shopping and I did enjoy the sit down lunches.

 

Both companies will modify a private tour to your specs as long as time allows. I basicaly did SPB's Baltic Pearl tour with a couple of additions.

 

You can not go wrong with either company. :)

[dimka448]

We also were in between Alla and SPB tours and what made us to go with SPB is the free time after first day in St Petersburg (Norwegian Star cruise, beginning of July). There are 4 of us and we booked private 2 day tour plus tours in Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm. The price and itinerary were identical. Both company seems to be very professional. Communication was great. What was different is that we want to spend time on our own after first day tour program is finish. Since some of us speak Russian, it is easy for us to navigate around the city or our own. Both companies advised us that we still need someone to accompany us since we do not have a real visa, but the price for that was way different. Alla tours want to charge us $180 extra with 3 hours minimum. Spb wants $25 per hour. Considering what we really need is a driver to bring us back to port, I think $180 (or $90 per couple) is a little excessive. We might not even need 3 hours extra - I would assume we will be tired enough after the entire day of exploring the city and we will need to be ready for the second day early wake up, but even if we want to have a dinner in Petersburg or just walk around by ourselves, we do not want pay so much extra just to drive us back to the ship.

In any case, I think going with either company you will not go wrong.

[kazu]

We also were in between Alla and SPB tours and what made us to go with SPB is the free time after first day in St Petersburg (Norwegian Star cruise, beginning of July). There are 4 of us and we booked private 2 day tour plus tours in Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm. The price and itinerary were identical. Both company seems to be very professional. Communication was great. What was different is that we want to spend time on our own after first day tour program is finish. Since some of us speak Russian, it is easy for us to navigate around the city or our own. Both companies advised us that we still need someone to accompany us since we do not have a real visa, but the price for that was way different. Alla tours want to charge us $180 extra with 3 hours minimum. Spb wants $25 per hour. Considering what we really need is a driver to bring us back to port, I think $180 (or $90 per couple) is a little excessive. We might not even need 3 hours extra - I would assume we will be tired enough after the entire day of exploring the city and we will need to be ready for the second day early wake up, but even if we want to have a dinner in Petersburg or just walk around by ourselves, we do not want pay so much extra just to drive us back to the ship.

In any case, I think going with either company you will not go wrong.

 

Wow - lucky you - able to speak Russian. That really does put you in the driver's seat. Have a great time in St. Petersburg:D

[brentp]

First - our prayers for those in and around Boston and those that traveled to Boston during yesterday's events. We know a number of people that attend/run in the marathon, all are OK that we know of. Puts things into perspective once again, . . .

 

Just wanted to pass along, we completed our evaluation for our June cruise and have made our initial decision. Our needs are for St. Petersburg, Berlin (from Rostock), and Stockholm (although, we are still considering this on our own).

 

Highlights of what we looked at and our 'decision tree':

 

- Of the 7 company's websites, 3 did not list the ability to combine Group Tours in Berlin, and Stockholm with a 2 day tour (group or private) in St Petersburg. These 3 were eliminated; iTravel, Best Guides, & DenRus. We did not contact them for additional data.

 

- Group versus private: Private tour was considered and, frankly our true desire! We wanted to take a reduced set of the 'intense tour sites' and add a few 1940 era siege sites. Cost became the issue right away. For 2 people, this option more that doubled the cost for a 2-day tour. For 5 or more people, . . . this should seriously be considered.

 

- 3-City Group Package Price: For the 4 remaining, all were requested to provide details on their group offerings. First consideration was given to package pricing. Uklo Tours was eliminated here for they did not offer discount pricing for a multi-city package.

 

- Reputation. The 3 remaining were researched on past tour participant comments. Frankly, all 3 were get rave reviews. We did not find a single comment that we could take seriously that cast any doubts. We would be happy to take a tour with any of these 3 companies.

 

- Itinerary Review. The detailed itineraries for our dates were compared side by side in a very detailed spread sheet. The 'grand, deluxe, intense all highlights' tours were used so we can see as much as we can with the 2 days we have. Not much to differentiate the 3 from our perspective. They all list approximately the same time at each site and none of the 'differences' were major concerns.

 

- Total Tour Time. Total tour time listed, differences started to emerge. It should be noted, we understand that the itineraries and times are subject to change based on weather, traffic, etc. However, what is listed is what we have to go on. Alla lists 18.5 tour hours, SPB lists 19 tour hours, and TJ Tours lists 20 tour hours. From digging deeper, Alla likely is trying to complete day-1 touring by 5pm to enable evening options to start at 6pm. Not a bad thing, but likely explains some itinerary differences. SPB was next, and it was noted that 2 1/2 hours are spent for sit down lunches. TJ Tours is the longest and it was noted 1 3/4 hours spent for sit down lunches. Interestingly, the longer tour days with less lunch time appealed to us, so we are giving the overall edge to TJ Tours here. While we were confident we would see each site equally with any of these operators, . . . the extra time with TJ could be the difference between feeling rushed or not. Best case scenario, the additional time could be used for some non-itinerary sightseeing (maybe too optimistic here). This said, someone else looking at this same data may make a completely opposite selection for alternative reasons (like, wanting to have an evening option on Day-1). :)

 

- Berlin/Stockholm. A detailed review of the Berlin Stockholm tours was conducted. All 3 offer very similar tours. Descriptions were almost identical. All hit the the major sites we are interested in. The very small edge here goes to both Alla and SPB. Their itineraries were (nearly) identical and very detailed while TJ's were more a higher level summary.

 

- Communication. All were very quick to respond to requests. No edge here, other than TJ Tours was asked to provide more details for the Stockholm tour (again, only high level summary initially provided). A much more detailed itinerary list was sent within hours and this made us comfortable working with them. Responses were very personal.

 

Our Final decision: TJ Tours is getting our booking based on the above. That said, I think we would be happy with any of the remaining three.

 

Enjoy!!

 

-

Edited April 16, 2013 by brentp

[dolfans0704]

Our prayers go out to those affected by the events which occurred in Boston as well. Thank you, Brentp, for taking the time to provide the details of your research on the available tours in St. Petersburg. TJ has received raving reviews amongst fellow CC members and I am certain you will have a fabulous experience. :)

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

[Giantfan13]

I also concur. Be sure to give us the 'details' when you return.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[tasteddy]

I'm stil worried about the cruise information (MSC) which says you can't leave ship without being on their tour.

Do they make you wait?

[Nitemare]

I'm stil worried about the cruise information (MSC) which says you can't leave ship without being on their tour.

Do they make you wait?

 

Just head for the exits. They may tell you that their tours leave first, but no one here has reported experiencing any actual delay in getting off the ship for a private excursion

[John Bull]

I'm stil worried about the cruise information (MSC) which says you can't leave ship without being on their tour.

Do they make you wait?

 

Some cruise lines try (unsuccessfully), most don't.

Ignore any announcements etc which might tell those not taking ship's tours to meet in a given place at a given time - and tell others on your tour to do the same. Go to the gangway early & disembark when the gangway is opened.

 

The intention of some cruise lines is to get their tour groups to the immigration line ahead of the privateers. They have no right to control immigration lines - and in any case it's totally pointless. :rolleyes:

Because privateers are off the ship, through immigration, into their minibuses (vans) & driving out of the port before ships' tour groups have even assembled on board.:)

 

IMHO the misleading, & in some cases such as Celebrity totally untruthful, information put out by cruise lines in order to sell their St Petersburg tours is quite disgraceful. But once you've made your choice they're very unlikely to give you grief.

 

JB :)

[andybfk]

I have been very hesitant to write this review for a number of reasons. Mostly because, in general, I greatly preferred our experience with private tours to what I heard from groups on the ships tours. And I don't want to scare anyone or dissuade them from there decision. However, when we were researching private companies all I ever read were positive glowing reviews of the top companies. So much positive, we had no real way of deciding on who to go with. So, I want to provide another perspective. Like I said, overall, we would stick with our decision to use a private company over the ships tours. But, we were very disappointed with several aspects of one of the more popular tour companies. The company we choose was SPB and here is the reasons why

 

- Pre-cruise communication was very good and response time was extremely quick. Usually, the following day. However, we had to have our paperwork fixed 3 times (and you'll see later, it still wasn't correct). It felt like it was a very sloppy response, like in an effort to respond quickly, attention to detail was lost, and there were numerous mistakes each time.

 

- Incorrect Paperwork / Meeting Times. This was probably the biggest issue. Our paperwork had incorrect meeting times listed on them. For not just one, but multiple tours. Had we adhered to what our instructions listed, we would have been 2 hours late and thus missed our tour to Berlin. I hadn't noticed this before we left, because I honestly didn't look with that much detail to see when our boat docked in Germany. I assumed, the specific instructions that were sent to us included a specific meeting time. Only the night before did we really look at it and realized it seemed a little late. Our plan was to just disembark ASAP and wait around if we were too early. Thankfully we did that as our tour bus was full and ready to go 2 hours before the time on our tickets.

 

- False Advertising. 2 of our tours we felt were misadvertised. In fact, our own TOUR GUIDE agreed with us and felt as though SBP was misrepresenting the tour she was giving!!! I'll split it up into two reviews

We signed up for the evening fun tour in St. Petersburg. While it was fun, we did not feel like it lived up to the description it was given. We spent a total of 15 min walking down Nevsky. Another 20 min was spent in some department store and that was it. This was the primary reason we signed up for this