Best St Petersburg tour with older guests?

[fluffybunny22]

My in laws just decided to join us on our Baltic cruise next summer and the tour I had planned for St Petersburg probably won't work for us now. My in laws are in their early 70's and my FIL is slower to get around now. I guess what I'm looking for might be a "comfort" tour. Who offers the best one? St Petersburg is really the highlight of the trip for us and I don't want to sacrifice not seeing everything. The in laws have done the Baltic before but somehow missed St Petersburg so they are also looking forward to this stop.

[dogs4fun]

The Comfort Tour is designed for slower walkers. Is it possible for your inlaws to do the Comfort Tour and you do a more ambitious tour that covers more sights?

[fluffybunny22]

3 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

The Comfort Tour is designed for slower walkers. Is it possible for your inlaws to do the Comfort Tour and you do a more ambitious tour that covers more sights?

I might bring that up with my husband and let him see the difference and discuss it with the in laws. This literally came up at 7:30 last night so the only thing I've had time to do was book their cruise before Princess' Sip and Sail Sale ended.

[fabnfortysomething]

contact several of the most recommended private tour companies and explain your circumstances

 

it may be worth designing a completely private tour for just your family

[kitkat343]

We were able to see everything in st. Petersburg with a 3.5 year old in tow thanks to a private tour for just our family.  We were in a  small enough group that we were able to skip all lines.   We also were able to identify exactly what we wanted to see ahead of time, especially in the Hermitage.  You will be able to skip through repetitive rooms (the highlights of Catherine's palace are the first few rooms, and the amber room) and have a small van that can be parked right next to the entrances.  You can skip souvenir stops if you don't care about them, and your family members can rest if they need to while you and your wife tour (there are cafes in most museums so they can rest if there's something they don't want to see, or you can leave them at a nearby cafe if your guide is okay with this).  My review of my trip in my signature line is mostly for families, but has some modifications for people with mobility limitations.     Best of luck, and I hope you get to see everything!

Edited July 17, 2019 by kitkat343

[flowslow]

We used Anastasia Travel for my family's St. Petersburg visit last May. We considered all possible options for the tour since we are a mix of kids, adults and older guests as well. They also shared a comfortable tour with us as well as a more relaxed tour. We opted for the more relaxed tour with some activities for the kids as well. We totally customized the tour to cater to the needs of my dad who is a slow walker but still enabling us to visit St. Petersburg's highlights and do some activities fun for the kids.  

[fluffybunny22]

1 hour ago, flowslow said:

We used Anastasia Travel for my family's St. Petersburg visit last May. We considered all possible options for the tour since we are a mix of kids, adults and older guests as well. They also shared a comfortable tour with us as well as a more relaxed tour. We opted for the more relaxed tour with some activities for the kids as well. We totally customized the tour to cater to the needs of my dad who is a slow walker but still enabling us to visit St. Petersburg's highlights and do some activities fun for the kids.  

I contacted them and so far they are the only ones who have gotten back to me with a price. They offered a half off discount if we booked and paid by the end of August. Do you happen to know their cancellation policy? What option did you choose for lunches? I'm thinking about doing the pre arranged restaurant lunches.

[Hlitner]

You need to understand that you will not see “everything” on a couple of port days.  Private tours with decent companies like TJ Tours or Alla can be customized if you communicate your wants.  But many attractions require a lot of walking, and folks with mobility issues need to be realistic.  Popular sites like Peterhof can only be explored via lots of walking.  Even museums like the Hermitage can involve a half mile (or more) of walking.  Mobility limitations mean limiting your options.

 

Hank

[GradUT]

If St.Petersburg is the highlight of your Baltic Cruise (as it was for us as well), I would plan on touring separately from your in-laws.  Any tour which would be slow enough for them will be too limited for you—you’ll miss seeing some interesting sites and probably will go too slowly in the sites you do visit. 

 

We did the Alla Grand Tour which was excellent and included everything I wanted to see!  They also offer a Comfort Tour which may suit your in-laws.  The Comfort Tour goes to fewer sites but does include Peterhof and the Hermitage (which are the “biggies”).  It also includes 2 lengthy city bus tours and 2 sit-down lunches.  

[flowslow]

23 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I contacted them and so far they are the only ones who have gotten back to me with a price. They offered a half off discount if we booked and paid by the end of August. Do you happen to know their cancellation policy? What option did you choose for lunches? I'm thinking about doing the pre arranged restaurant lunches.

 

They also gave us a good discount. I'm not sure about their cancellation policy, I think you could ask them about it. We did a pre-arranged lunch as well and we enjoyed the food in an Authentic Russian restaurant. The name I forgot already but I really think they know the best restaurants in St. Petersburg. 

[fluffybunny22]

3 minutes ago, flowslow said:

 

They also gave us a good discount. I'm not sure about their cancellation policy, I think you could ask them about it. We did a pre-arranged lunch as well and we enjoyed the food in an Authentic Russian restaurant. The name I forgot already but I really think they know the best restaurants in St. Petersburg. 

They did get back to me and the cancellation is 100% if you cancel at least 2 weeks in advance. I'm waiting for another agency to see if they can beat the price. My FIL is hesitant to do a non ship tour and has read the descriptions on the cruise lines website and said he could do it but I'm not sure what excursion he was looking at because the 2 day says the activity level is high and I know there is no way he could do that. I was wondering if being in a small group they would be able to drop us off at the entrance to the attractions or would we need to walk from the parking lot? 

[kitkat343]

The small private tour we did dropped us off right at the entrances, plus more importantly there were long lines for tour groups at all museums to prevent overcrowding at all entrances.  In a small group of two adults and one toddler we were able to skip all lines, not sure about maximum group size to skip lines.  

 

Another option would be for you to take a private tour, and your in laws to do whatever ship tour is for people with limited moblilty.  Their experience would be greatly diminished, but you would be able to see whatever you want.  It’s not ideal for them, but you shouldn’t have your in laws invite themselves on your vacation and then make it worse for you by forcing you to take a ship tour with them.  When I traveled with my mom, aunt and kids, I told my mom where we were going on private shore excursions. Most places she joined us, but some she wanted to do something else and went on ship tours those days.  

Edited July 19, 2019 by kitkat343

[flowslow]

23 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

They did get back to me and the cancellation is 100% if you cancel at least 2 weeks in advance. I'm waiting for another agency to see if they can beat the price. My FIL is hesitant to do a non ship tour and has read the descriptions on the cruise lines website and said he could do it but I'm not sure what excursion he was looking at because the 2 day says the activity level is high and I know there is no way he could do that. I was wondering if being in a small group they would be able to drop us off at the entrance to the attractions or would we need to walk from the parking lot? 

 

During our tour with Anastasia Travel, they dropped us off right at the entrance. Being in a small group gives you the flexibility to do the itinerary at your own pace. There were also instances when we felt we wanted to stay longer at a specific sight so we extended a little bit and adjusted the itinerary as we continued the tour. I loved that we did not feel rushed or anything. We just enjoyed the whole experience. 

[GradUT]

Your FIL should not be worried about taking a non-ship’s excursion.  The “pro’s” of an independent tour (e.g. Alla, SPB, TJ  Travel, etc) FAR outweigh the one minor “con” of having to wait to disembark after those taking ship’s excursions.  The independent companies know all about that and time their tours accordingly.  They will also make sure you get back to the ship on time.  They’d long be out of business if they didn’t!

 

Touring with a maximum of 16 people on an independent tour is so much better than the horde of 40+ people you can find on a ship’s excursion.

[flowslow]

17 hours ago, GradUT said:

Touring with a maximum of 16 people on an independent tour is so much better than the horde of 40+ people you can find on a ship’s excursion.

 

Yes! This is so true! It's very difficult to enjoy and appreciate the tour when you are with a loooot of people. Plus an independent tour costs way cheaper than a ship's tour.  

[Kate P.C]

On 7/18/2019 at 11:45 AM, flowslow said:

We used Anastasia Travel for my family's St. Petersburg visit last May. We considered all possible options for the tour since we are a mix of kids, adults and older guests as well. They also shared a comfortable tour with us as well as a more relaxed tour. We opted for the more relaxed tour with some activities for the kids as well. We totally customized the tour to cater to the needs of my dad who is a slow walker but still enabling us to visit St. Petersburg's highlights and do some activities fun for the kids.  

We did our St.Petersburg excursion with Anastasia as well. 8 in a group, 2 children and 2 elderly included. I like how attentive they were to everyone's needs, no fuss, no frustrations. 

[4Ollies]

I know TJ Travel (and I assume the other highly recommended groups) had a guarantee that if you missed your ship they would get you to your next port.  That might help your FIL if he is worried about missing the ship.  I would think either the smaller group tours the local companies offer or a private tour for just your family would be a great way to see what you want together.  Contact the groups and see who has the best prices for your trip and will customize the trip for your family.  

[vgRalph]

I would recommend the Relaxed tour with T.J. Travel as they provide a wheelchair whenever necessary for older passengers that cannot tolerate walking very long distances. They also have small groups and have an excellent reputation. 

[LondonTowner]

We’ve been to SPB twice and both times booked the Comfort Tour with Alla Tours, which was excellent. I had a manual wheelchair with me and didn’t eel hurried at all.

[Glide_Path]

I did a 2 day private with TJ's 2 years ago.  IMO a private tour is a must in your situation.  I had a 3 yo toddler and my 2 slightly mobility challenged in laws with me... with a private tour, you can see as much, or as little as you want.  You can take as many breaks for restrooms, meal as you want without slowing up the rest of the group.  Because you don't have to wait for 10 other people before moving on to the next location, you probably will see just as much as with a non-private group.  Back in 2017, I paid only $280 pp (x4 adults).  They did not charge my toddler.  TJ was very accommodating.  That was my experience back then, of course ymmv.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Glide_Path
price correction