hematite153 Posted May 14, 2018 #1 Share Posted May 14, 2018 We're going to St. Petersburg but will only be in port for one day and have small children (4 & 7). Our first instinct was to do a half day tour booked through the cruise line simply because it was the easiest thing to book. However, we're worried about the need to manage a group tour with our small children -- we'll do our own thing in all other ports. So, I started looking at private tours. However, it seems that all the private tours are set up to be long days or multiple days. Is it possible to book something private for our family for just half a day? Or, should I just go back to our first instinct and book through the cruise line? (The pricing I'm getting suggests that we will pay nearly 5 times as much to do a private tour which is the opposite of what I was reading before I started looking.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Huntingdon1701 Posted May 14, 2018 #2 Share Posted May 14, 2018 If you're doing a custom tour on your own, then you will pay quite a bit more. Most of the other 'private tours' are selected from standard packages and with small groups built up from roll calls - so not really 'private' but much smaller and intimate than a ships tour. It's always a bit more tricky with small kids unfortunately. You could see if anyone else is in a similar situation on your roll call and see if they'd share a bespoke half day tour with you. There were several families on board when I did this and I imagine they all had the same challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted May 14, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Thanks for the response. There wasn't any roll call yet for our cruise. So, I started one, but I suspect that's not likely to work out quickly for me. Perhaps we'll just book the best of the ships tours. I started looking at custom tours after having several people tell me that they did it partially because it ended up being cheaper than the cruise line offerings. If anyone else has any other ideas (i.e. knows a company that specializes in tours for families with small children), please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizasantaana Posted May 14, 2018 #4 Share Posted May 14, 2018 We're going to St. Petersburg but will only be in port for one day and have small children (4 & 7). Our first instinct was to do a half day tour booked through the cruise line simply because it was the easiest thing to book. However, we're worried about the need to manage a group tour with our small children -- we'll do our own thing in all other ports. So, I started looking at private tours. However, it seems that all the private tours are set up to be long days or multiple days. Is it possible to book something private for our family for just half a day? Or, should I just go back to our first instinct and book through the cruise line? (The pricing I'm getting suggests that we will pay nearly 5 times as much to do a private tour which is the opposite of what I was reading before I started looking.) Check out Best Guides. They're the only tour operator I found who will do a custom tour with small children in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted May 14, 2018 #5 Share Posted May 14, 2018 When are you sailing and what ship? If one of the major cruise lines, and it is a short time out, I'm surprised you couldn't find a roll call ... but stranger things have happened. Maybe you'll be lucky and get a quick response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkat343 Posted May 15, 2018 #6 Share Posted May 15, 2018 We travelled with a 3 year old and chose a private tour for just our family. It was more expensive but we were able to see everything over 2 days. Contact all the major spb tour companies to price out a private tour for just your family (alla, best guides, spb, denrus). My 3 year old had such a wonderful time he wants to go back so his little brother can visit St. Petersburg and Stockholm. (I was pregnant with the little one on this trip). There’s a ton for kids to do on the baltics, and my signature line review has a lot of info on what you can do with kids. Your best option is a private tour for your family to control the itinerary. If you can’t afford that, best guides has a family tour. A ship tour should be your last option, since it involves waiting on lots of lines - they stagger entrance of ship tours to prevent overcrowding. A private tour for just your family can skip through these lines (I’m not sure if a 16 person tour can skip lines too). All of the other cities were easy to diy. Have a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judijmn Posted May 15, 2018 #7 Share Posted May 15, 2018 someone on our trip used TJ tours for a small group because her parents' health is an issue. They had a great time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted May 16, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted May 16, 2018 When are you sailing and what ship? If one of the major cruise lines, and it is a short time out, I'm surprised you couldn't find a roll call ... but stranger things have happened. Maybe you'll be lucky and get a quick response. MSC, end of July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashland Posted May 16, 2018 #9 Share Posted May 16, 2018 someone on our trip used TJ tours for a small group because her parents' health is an issue. They had a great time We did a private tour (just the two of us with a guide and driver) with TJ Travel...absolutely amazing !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted June 4, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Thanks for the Best Guides referrals. They really do seem like they have a good offer for children. Do I need to worry about them being under SPB with the recent fraud report? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare fabnfortysomething Posted June 4, 2018 #11 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Thanks for the Best Guides referrals. They really do seem like they have a good offer for children. Do I need to worry about them being under SPB with the recent fraud report? completely separate company and it turns out that SPB fraud report may be false news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted June 14, 2018 Author #12 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Thank you everyone for the advice. We're booking a half day family tour with Best Guides and it looks like it's going to be a good match for our needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SightCRR Posted June 15, 2018 #13 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Email them and tell them you want to go here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g298507-d3396387-r238447163-Grand_Maket_Russia_Interactive_Museum-St_Petersburg_Northwestern_District.html They will know of the place. Word looks like market but it is a model train of Russia and not a market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted June 22, 2018 Author #14 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Email them and tell them you want to go here:https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g298507-d3396387-r238447163-Grand_Maket_Russia_Interactive_Museum-St_Petersburg_Northwestern_District.html They will know of the place. Word looks like market but it is a model train of Russia and not a market. We had actually decided that this didn't look like it would be good for our kids. Do they get to play with it or is it only a viewing exhibit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
napoxoguk Posted June 22, 2018 #15 Share Posted June 22, 2018 It is a viewing exhibit that can easily turn into a scavenger hunt. IMHO, a great place for children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SightCRR Posted June 22, 2018 #16 Share Posted June 22, 2018 (edited) Viewing only. sightcrr Edited June 22, 2018 by SightCRR Remove button pushing. I was thinking of the one in Hamburg, DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted June 23, 2018 Author #17 Share Posted June 23, 2018 I know that SPb Tours is well regarded and has thousands of great reviews on TA but why do you say that Best Guides are under them? They are a separate business. Their website included SPB in the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted June 23, 2018 #18 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Their website included SPB in the title. I believe that spb is referring to the city ... Saint Petersburg. Best Guides is a totally separate company from SPB tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hematite153 Posted June 23, 2018 Author #19 Share Posted June 23, 2018 I believe that spb is referring to the city ... Saint Petersburg. Best Guides is a totally separate company from SPB tours. Good to know, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ult_ Posted June 26, 2018 #20 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Very interested in taking my kid to the Grand Maket that has been discussed here. I've yet to see any tour groups that include it though. Anyone know of any? Or would we have to do a private tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted July 5, 2018 #21 Share Posted July 5, 2018 I presume SPB is an acronym for St Petersburh - like NY :) Exactly :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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