martyap Posted July 23, 2018 #1 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I am looking at all three companies for August, 2019. Their group tours max at 16 passengers, 12 for Best Guides. Alla seems to be the highest in cost and TJ's the lowest......but all similar. Here is my question....... when I priced out ALLA their "private" tour (rather than the 16 person group tour), based on 8 passengers, did not cost that much more per person.....actually a total of $50pp including lunches. I am wondering if the more private option would offer more flexibility, less time wasted, etc than the usual 16 passenger group excursion. Would it be worth the extra few $$. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljandgb Posted July 23, 2018 #2 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Absolutely. Less time waiting to herd people. Less time waiting for everyone to go to the restroom, order lunch, etc, etc. This makes you more nimble, able to change plans on the fly. If you don't have 8 people traveling with you, you can post on your cruise's roll call here to find fellow travelers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Rosebery Posted July 23, 2018 #3 Share Posted July 23, 2018 The smaller the group the better. We were 6 and that was plenty.. With larger groups, you are always waiting for someone and you are obliged to use headsets to listen to the guides. You probably will only go to SPB once; make the best of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Second seating Posted July 23, 2018 #4 Share Posted July 23, 2018 We used Alla this summer and I posted a review of this. It is a few threads down. Second seating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted July 23, 2018 #5 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Agree with previous posts - a private tour will offer flexibility whereas a group tour is a fixed itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywes Posted July 23, 2018 #6 Share Posted July 23, 2018 We did a private tour of 6 people last week with TJ. It was fantastic! So flexible with the itinerary. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashland Posted July 23, 2018 #7 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Yes the less people the better...ours with just the two of us with driver and guide from TJ Travel...was just amazing...talk about flexibility...on the spur of the moment changed/added as we wanted to. A perfect 2 day visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhanson38 Posted July 24, 2018 #8 Share Posted July 24, 2018 When in Aug are you going we have room for 4 more people on out best guide tour in Aug Leigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyap Posted July 24, 2018 Author #9 Share Posted July 24, 2018 When in Aug are you going we have room for 4 more people on out best guide tour in Aug Leigh 8/23/19 Brilliance Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkat343 Posted July 24, 2018 #10 Share Posted July 24, 2018 We did a private tour with just two parents and our 3 year old son, and it was really worth it. We were able to skip through some of the sites to see the highlights (such as the first few rooms in Catherine's palace and then the Amber room) and stay longer at destinations our son was interested in. Given the fact that St. Petersburg is a once in a lifetime destination for most, I'd say go with a private tour if you can easily afford it to maximize your limited time in this gorgeous city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nnn Posted July 24, 2018 #11 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Private if you can afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 24, 2018 #12 Share Posted July 24, 2018 We would go with Alla or TJ Tours in a heartbeat and have long recommended those two companies. As to the size of your group, the smaller the group the better. In fact, a private guide/vehicle for a family group is the ideal way to tour. When we last were with TJ Tours we had a group of about 10 and our guide often made decisions after explaining options and asking us to vote :). This was especially nice when we had to decide where to eat lunch. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyap Posted July 25, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted July 25, 2018 We would go with Alla or TJ Tours in a heartbeat and have long recommended those two companies. As to the size of your group, the smaller the group the better. In fact, a private guide/vehicle for a family group is the ideal way to tour. When we last were with TJ Tours we had a group of about 10 and our guide often made decisions after explaining options and asking us to vote :). This was especially nice when we had to decide where to eat lunch. Hank Exactly what we decided....Alla for 8 of us Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhanson38 Posted July 25, 2018 #14 Share Posted July 25, 2018 8/23/19 Brilliance Sent from my iPad using Forums we are on the same sailing. there are only 12 people in our tour groups. Leigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyap Posted July 25, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted July 25, 2018 we are on the same sailing. there are only 12 people in our tour groups. Leigh You are sailing this August and we are sailing in 2019 Thanks Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vplsh Posted July 25, 2018 #16 Share Posted July 25, 2018 We did the small tour with Best Guides and there were only 7 of us, my husband and me along with a family of 5 from the same ship. We were able to get in and out of places quickly and didn't have to wait in any lines. I highly recommend them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Louise Posted July 25, 2018 #17 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Hi, We did the Grand Tour group tour with Alla. There were only 11 of us. Our guide was fabulous. We never had to wait for any of the others in our group. We had a nice van with free Wi-Fi. Highly recommend Alla Tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted August 3, 2018 #18 Share Posted August 3, 2018 I have been writing a report of our Baltic cruise we just returned from, in the NCL forum. I have a description of the 2 days in SPB. we did a private tour (family of 4) with TJ and I can not recommend it enough...it was really fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckycruiser Posted August 4, 2018 #19 Share Posted August 4, 2018 We did a TJ tour from the Zuiderdam in July of 2018 and we had 15 in our group. The group worked well together, mix of families with older children and couples. SPB is sooooooo crowded that everyone was dealing with a level of crowds no matter if you were with a private tour or a small group. Now I could have done without a 2 hour walk through St. Catherine's gardens in the high heat. We had a nice lunch the first day "in the countryside" and a terrible lunch the second day in the city. Both we paid for ourselves. The Mercedes van had AC but European AC is not American AC. I was glad we didn't do the hydrofoil. It seems great when reading about it, but I bet it was a hot ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted August 4, 2018 #20 Share Posted August 4, 2018 We did a TJ tour from the Zuiderdam in July of 2018 and we had 15 in our group. The group worked well together, mix of families with older children and couples. SPB is sooooooo crowded that everyone was dealing with a level of crowds no matter if you were with a private tour or a small group. Now I could have done without a 2 hour walk through St. Catherine's gardens in the high heat. We had a nice lunch the first day "in the countryside" and a terrible lunch the second day in the city. Both we paid for ourselves. The Mercedes van had AC but European AC is not American AC. I was glad we didn't do the hydrofoil. It seems great when reading about it, but I bet it was a hot ride. Yes the hydrofoil was pretty uncomfortable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manonabike Posted August 4, 2018 #21 Share Posted August 4, 2018 We chose Alla for SPB. It was just my wife and I and our 2.5yr old. We were able to tailor our itinerary in advance so we could see specific things, including Peterhoff with the Hydrofoil back (it was fine in June). We could be flexible for when the little one was bored or tired. Got to see everything we wanted in 1 day and the guide and driver were fab. They even sorted out the car seat so it was hassle free. Private all the way! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heliwoman Posted August 5, 2018 #22 Share Posted August 5, 2018 Just got back from the Breakaway and we did TJ Travels for STP. We had 21 people in our family and they were fantastic. The vehicle was a mini bus - plenty of room for everyone. The kids were ecstatic as there was WIFI on the bus. The tour guide, Daria, was wonderful. I highly recommend her - easy to understand; willing to stop and go were we wanted (ie more time at Peteroff and the water fountains). Bottom line: do a private tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittyloverCA Posted August 5, 2018 #23 Share Posted August 5, 2018 Just got back from the Breakaway and we did TJ Travels for STP. We had 21 people in our family and they were fantastic. The vehicle was a mini bus - plenty of room for everyone. The kids were ecstatic as there was WIFI on the bus. The tour guide, Daria, was wonderful. I highly recommend her - easy to understand; willing to stop and go were we wanted (ie more time at Peteroff and the water fountains). Bottom line: do a private tour. That is a big group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted August 5, 2018 #24 Share Posted August 5, 2018 We did a group of 16 in July, 2018 off the Eclipse with Alla. The group was interesting , fun and courteous with no waiting. Had a great tour , tour guide and highly recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twruger Posted August 6, 2018 #25 Share Posted August 6, 2018 We just returned from the cruise, and used Best Guides in SPb. I would recommend and use again in a heartbeat. Total of 10 people, think we paid $210 each for two days. I put some more details in this thread... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=56713918#post56713918 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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