Baltic Cruise

[TeeRick]

This topic comes up here a lot.  There are 4 or 5 tour companies in St P as mentioned here.  We used Alla.  All do a great job and all see pretty much the same things over 2 days.  You cannot go wrong with any of them.  Hopefully most of these companies will survive until your cruise.  Russia is really being hit with COVID-19 as reports trickle out. So I would go with a company that would just take your advance reservation with little or no deposit required.

[dabear]

Another vote for ALLA tours. They were great. We prefer going with a smaller group, easier to maintain that a group of 40+. 

[cricketlover]

We used Alla tours last July and they were great. There were only 10 of us on the mini bus. Lunch was included on both days and the restaurants they used were really good. Our guide was wonderful.  Wouldn’t hesitate in using them again. If you do decide to book with them mention Cruise Critic and I think they will offer you a 10% discount.

[Cookiegirl1329]

We used Tours by Locals in St Petersburg.  Svetlana was our guide and Vlad our driver.  We were a group of 4 and were able to customize our tour to meet our needs and desires.  We saw everything the larger tours did but were able to add Jewish elements to the tour.  She also took us to two fabulous restaurants for lunch.  The two days with Svetlana were the best tour we have ever taken.  We have used Tours by Locals in many cities and never been disappointed.  They are more expensive because of the small group size, but so worth it!!

[joeysmom220]

And another vote for Alla!  They were great!  We did a two day tour and added on Fabrege Museum at night.  Great driver and guide for a group of 12!

[Jeaannie55]

I have always gone on the ships tours because of the peace of mind, but in St Petersburg used Alla tours for their 2 day tour, complete with an evening trip to the ballet.  Chose Alla for their itinerary and was not disappointed!  Very professional and helpful and I can highly recommend them!  St Petersburg is an amazing city and you want to make the most of it! 

[ChucktownSteve]

We used SPB tours for our Three day port of call in St. Petersberg on Azamara.  They were fantastic.  They said they would give me a discount if I posted on our roll call.  Everyone got that discount. They took care of all the Visas at no charge.

 

Then SPB said If we hit 16 people, they would comp one.  We hit two vans with 32 total so they comped two full tours.  I had them split it amongst all the participants.

 

We had the best tour guide too.  She had an art lit degree.  She walked us past the insignificant pieces and gave us great history and context on the meaningful artworks.  We cut the lines legally.

 

It was by far the best tour operator we have ever used.  No 50 person bus herds of slow people that you are reduced to waiting for.

 

Your spouse may feel secure booking through the cruise line but you'll pay through the nose and see less as slowpokes delay your travel.  SBP guarantees getting you back in time.   They also include lunches.

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by ChucktownSteve

[gfkcruiser]

We used Best Guides for a two day tour last August - fantastic.  Most likely all the tour companies are great.  A bit of flexibility with a small private group so would recommend.  

If you are going to Estonia - we did a private tour around the city and it was great - much better than just viewing the old town as many did.  

[frteach]

We were on the Celebrity 2 day tour of SP in July, 2018 which ended up with only 1 day because high winds prevented the ship from getting into the port. Very disappointing, but not that uncommon in the Baltic, I understand. Be prepared for anything when cruising, which is certainly what we are learning this year. Celebrity refunded half of the price to our account immediately since it was a ship tour, and we went on the 2nd day itinerary, which did not include some of the sites that I was looking forward to. I spoke to some passengers who had been on a privately arranged tour, and their guide took a poll at the beginning of the day to see what most of the people wanted to see, then went to the places that they could fit into the day. They didn't get an immediate refund, but had to wait for it to appear on the credit card that they had booked it on. Some also said that it was not going to be half of what they originally paid. The ship sponsored tours are more expensive, for sure, but I have been on both kinds, and I have never seen Celebrity tour groups being held back while other tours jumped a line. All the attractions depend on treating tours fairly, and all organized tours get consideration over those who are regular tourists to the city. Our guide told us that the Hermitage was opening early just for ship's tours, but I don't know if that was true or just bragging about her tour. Since you cannot do SP on your own at all, all the companies are professional and run great tours. "Celebrity" tours are contracted with local tour companies anyway.  I loved my Baltic cruise, and hope to go again and see what I missed the first time. You will love this beautiful city. 

[rollie]

Thanks everyone for your replies.  I post this for my DW, hoping it would help with her reservations.  

 

Rollie

[ipeeinthepool]

3 minutes ago, rollie said:

Thanks everyone for your replies.  I post this for my DW, hoping it would help with her reservations.  

 

Rollie

 

Maybe we need to set up a Zoom meeting for your DW.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

SPB for us as well. They were mazing. We set up through our roll call a small group of 8. And it was nice. Very professional. On time etc. We actually asked our guide to take us somewhere less traveled. She asked where? We all agreed to spend about 25 minutes in a grocery store. LOL. We all enjoyed it and had a great two day tour! Try to convince your wife to use SPC. She'll be very happy. 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Goodtime Cruizin

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 5/14/2020 at 7:37 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Please try to get her to change her mind.  St Petersburg was an amazing place being stuck in a much larger group waiting in long lines would be miserable.  I wish I had taken pictures of our group walking past all of the long lines with the Celebrity groups stuck in those lines.  There are a couple of very good groups in St Petersburg, SPB, Alla and TJ and all are very reliable.  But as I noted before SPB-Tours  treated us very well.  SPB and others are waiting for you as soon as you exit the terminal and are very easy to find.  St Petersburg was the highlight of the trip for us.  I understand her concerns and I probably wouldn't take a train trip to Moscow with a private group but the 2-Day tour in St Petersburg really isn't a problem.  At least with our SPB tour the afternoon stops on the second day were close to the port, they were well aware of the time constraint.

 

 

 

Rollie, those big tours are terrible.  We used Alla.  We pulled up at the Hermitage and waltzed right in.  Saw the miserable Celebrity group standing outside waiting.  There is so much to see, you don't want to waste time standing in line.  Then there are always the people who don't think the time to be back to the bus applies to them--they're special.  More wasted time.  I've never heard a report of one of these private tour operators missing the ship.  They know their business would suffer if they did.  Yes, on the second day, they scheduled stops close to the port.  They know what they're doing.  All the private tour providers handle the visa for you.

 

The other benefit of using one of the excellent private tour providers is they can do whatever you want.  We wanted to go to the ballet, but not the ballet they run for the tourists.  I worked with Alla, they got us excellent tickets to a different one right up front, and sent us there and picked us up in a cab.  I think we were the only Americans in the place.  Awesome experience.

 

I really hope you reconsider.  It's a trip of a lifetime, make the most of it.  I was going to skip the ballet because I thought I would be too tired after touring all day.  My traveling companion asked me how many opportunities I was going to have to see a ballet in St. Petersburg.  SO glad I went.  It was wonderful.

[ipeeinthepool]

Rollie,

This is one of the few topics on Cruise Critic that has everyone in agreement.  The smaller private tour operator are the way to go in St Petersburg.  

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Rollie,

This is one of the few topics on Cruise Critic that has everyone in agreement.  The smaller private tour operator are the way to go in St Petersburg.  

Loved our tour with SPB. Bus holds 16 but don't think we had that many. Comfortable seating with wifi included. Headsets and commentary at each site. It was indeed a trip I'll never forget. In all honesty I'll only book a tour through the cruiseline if they hold a contract with the tour operator which sometimes is the case.  

[DENIE]

We've had 2 different couples who highly recommended Alla tours, and our TA uses TJ tours....sounds like we will be in good hands whichever way we decide for our August 2021 Baltic cruise! 🙂

[rollie]

Ok, you guys did it.  My DH read this thread all the way through, and you convinced her.  I knew I could count on you all.  We've narrowed it down to SPB or All.  I'm sure we will be happy with ether one.  Thanks everyone.

 

Rollie

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, rollie said:

Ok, you guys did it.  My DH read this thread all the way through, and you convinced her.  I knew I could count on you all.  We've narrowed it down to SPB or All.  I'm sure we will be happy with ether one.  Thanks everyone.

 

Rollie

Congratulations on a smart move; you won't be disappointed. I can only vouch for SPB who I used in Germany and Russia but I'm sure Alla is equally as good. Tours are identical just done in reverse order to eliminate crowds at all the sites. Pricing is also competitive as I noticed a couple of price drops from one of the tour operators and SPB quickly matched it. I was actually the team leader on my roll call for both countries so can answer any questions you may have.

[manc]

We used Dancing Vears twice and we cannot praise highly enough the drivers and guide. Both trips werec3 day excursions tailored to our requests and interests. Brilliant 

[ChucktownSteve]

Another point you may want to consider is using a credit card that doesn't charge an international fee but gives you cash back.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Another point you may want to consider is using a credit card that doesn't charge an international fee but gives you cash back.

There are very few around at least in Canada that don't charge the FX fee of 2.5%. I had one but they reduced the cashback to 1.5% effective June 2 so I cancelled the card. 

[rollie]

3 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Congratulations on a smart move; you won't be disappointed. I can only vouch for SPB who I used in Germany and Russia but I'm sure Alla is equally as good. Tours are identical just done in reverse order to eliminate crowds at all the sites. Pricing is also competitive as I noticed a couple of price drops from one of the tour operators and SPB quickly matched it. I was actually the team leader on my roll call for both countries so can answer any questions you may have.

Thanks, I may have a few questions later, but they do have a great web site.  I posted this on our roll call page, but it's kind of slow.  Must be too early.  Still over a year out.

 

Rollie

[afto]

Another vote for Alla, but I think all of the well-known companies would do as good a job. Link to my detailed Baltic cruise review is my signature line, and this has details of our Alla tour in St. Petersburg (and Moscow), if you are interested. The Baltic has been our favourite cruise itinerary so far. Enjoy!

 

[ipeeinthepool]

On 5/16/2020 at 6:17 AM, rollie said:

Ok, you guys did it.  My DH read this thread all the way through, and you convinced her.  I knew I could count on you all.  We've narrowed it down to SPB or All.  I'm sure we will be happy with ether one.  Thanks everyone.

 

Rollie

 

Congratulations, even Putin is happy for you.

 

 

I'm sure you will be very happy.  Remember it's SPB-Tours.com (with a hyphen)

[catz0026]

all of your tour recommendations are fantastic and will definitely use when we go to St. Petersburg