Alla Tours

[basor]

Since many of us have used and were planning on using Alla Tours in Russia and the Baltic area,  I thought you would appreciate reading this message we received from them:

 

Polina - 03 March 2022 11:56 pm

Dear Friends,

We hope our message finds you well and healthy.

In this severest of times we feel it is necessary to tell you, our dearest clients, that Alla Tours staff doesn't support Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many innocent people are losing their lives, the world society is split, and all this is unacceptable. Every single second we pray for poor Ukrainians and wish this to be stopped immediately. And of course we are heartbroken that our meeting with you has fallen victim to hideous political conflicts - we are well aware that the itinerary for your upcoming cruise has been changed and the call in St. Petersburg, Russia is replaced with different European cities. We are very sorry that you have to miss this city! We are compelled to cancel your reservations for our St Petersburg tour, but please be assured that we are still planning on arranging tours in Warnemuende / Berlin (Gemany), Stockholm and Vysby (Sweden), Tallinn (Estonia), Helsinki (Finland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Gdansk / Gdynia (Poland), Klaipeda (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), and Oslo (Norway).

We do not require any deposits for / while booking. Full prepayment will be required one month prior to your arrival. You are more than welcome to make it with the help of our online payment system. We accept only Visa/MasterCard; no foreign currency conversion fee will be applied if you use a card in US dollars and/or Euros.

* Note: in spite of the fact that Alla Tours company was started in St Petersburg 16 years ago and specializes on tours there, since 2019 our company is based in EU (in Riga, Latvia to be more specific).

[jeanine]

We spent 2 memorable days with Alla tours! Will never forget docking right across from the museum in St. Petersburg, our wonderful guide met us dockside, we saw everything in St. Petersburg! Beautiful palaces, markets, restaurants, we had a private tour with a guide an driver! I pray they are ok! Our guide was educated and spoke perfect English. I think that there are many Russians who do not support this insane dictator! 

Edited March 4, 2022 by jeanine

[DENIE]

Totally agree!  We were scheduled on a Baltic cruise in 2021 that was cancelled due to Covid, but planned to tour St. Petersburg with Alla.

[china addict]

I met Anna personally about ten years ago when we used her company for a two day private tour of St. Petersburg, and I have recommended her to many friends.  She is extremely professional and I loved supporting a female owned business.  Our guide was a young graduate from their School of Fine Arts who spoke excellent English, gave us a revelatory tour of the Hermitage, and shared her grandmother's experiences during the darkest days.  Both days, Anna personally appeared to make sure all was going well and to encourage our feedback.  I will never forget the many things I learned during that tour, however, I have made the personal decision to never return to Putin's Russia.  Please support Anna's business all you can at other Baltic ports.  She and her employees are worthy of Oceania's loyalty.

 

[RJB]

59 minutes ago, DENIE said:

Totally agree!  We were scheduled on a Baltic cruise in 2021 that was cancelled due to Covid, but planned to tour St. Petersburg with Alla.

We have done two tours with Alla and would book again.  Wonderful guides and wonderful people.  Wish them all the best in the future.  

[alcpa1]

How courageous.

I applaud the well known Alla Tours Company.

 

[Dourobert]

We had a great 3-day tour of St Petersburg with Alla in 2018 (and in Riga and Klaipeda afterwards). Wish them and the many good Russians we have met on our two trips to Russia the best of luck in these trying times.  The other Russians, not so much.

[jps1030]

We too made a superb 3-day private tour in St. Petersburg with Alla in September 2019, and it was a really great experience. We had an excellent french-speaking guide Maria and a perfect driver whose name we don't remember.  The visits were tailored to our interests and we enjoyed this port of call very much.

[susiesan]

Right now the problem is those of us who have Baltic cruises for this year booked that included SPB which has been dropped, don't know where or if 2 other ports will be subbed for SPB .It's hard to plan shore ex in the other ports that All Tours services when you don't know your itinerary. it's been over a week since Oceania and NCL announced dropping SPB and subbing other ports and no word yet what those ports are. I will be using All Tours for excursions if I can once I find out where my cruise will be going.

[Hawaiidan]

4 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Right now the problem is those of us who have Baltic cruises for this year booked that included SPB which has been dropped, don't know where or if 2 other ports will be subbed for SPB .It's hard to plan shore ex in the other ports that All Tours services when you don't know your itinerary. it's been over a week since Oceania and NCL announced dropping SPB and subbing other ports and no word yet what those ports are. I will be using All Tours for excursions if I can once I find out where my cruise will be going.

RELAX.... there are bigger problems in the region that complicate everything..............consider that its not all about your wants.

[susiesan]

13 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

RELAX.... there are bigger problems in the region that complicate everything..............consider that its not all about your wants.

As this is a web site devoted to cruises, what else should I be talking about on Cruise Critic? What is wrong with wanting to go on a cruise in the Baltic region if it is going? I suspect the people in the region will need and appreciate the revenue that cruisers bring in. Political discussions get threads locked. Then those of us booked on cruises can't get any updated info. 

[basor]

35 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Right now the problem is those of us who have Baltic cruises for this year booked that included SPB which has been dropped, don't know where or if 2 other ports will be subbed for SPB .It's hard to plan shore ex in the other ports that All Tours services when you don't know your itinerary. it's been over a week since Oceania and NCL announced dropping SPB and subbing other ports and no word yet what those ports are. I will be using All Tours for excursions if I can once I find out where my cruise will be going.

We also have a Baltic Cruise booked for this Summer and I believe that the cruise lines have other, more important things on their plate right now......it is difficult for them to put together substitute ports until they know how the current situation and any other additional invasions may occur.    I am sure that it will not be a problem to book a shore excursion with Alla (not All) Tours when the new ports are organized.    We have been able to book last minute tours with them in the past when cruising the Baltic was very popular.

Edited March 4, 2022 by basor

[susiesan]

2 minutes ago, basor said:

We also have a Baltic Cruise booked for this Summer and I believe that the cruise lines have other, more important things on their plate right now......it is difficult for them to put together substitute ports until they know how the current situation and any other additional invasions may occur.    I am sure that it will not be a problem to book a shore excursion with Alla (not All) Tours when the new ports are organized.    We have been able to book last minute tours with them in the past when cruising the Baltic was very popular.

Although I like having my tours planned  well in advance, last minute may be the only way to go this summer. I suspect many, many people have cancelled already because of SPB being dropped, on my cruise roll call a number have announced they did. There should be lots of space available with Alla or other companies as the ships in the Baltic won't be very full if they go at all.

 

I have until April 15, final payment date, to see what is planned for ports.

[Aloha 1]

4 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

RELAX.... there are bigger problems in the region that complicate everything..............consider that its not all about your wants.

I fear it is 1939 redux.

[RJB]

5 hours ago, susiesan said:

As this is a web site devoted to cruises, what else should I be talking about on Cruise Critic? What is wrong with wanting to go on a cruise in the Baltic region if it is going? I suspect the people in the region will need and appreciate the revenue that cruisers bring in. Political discussions get threads locked. Then those of us booked on cruises can't get any updated info. 

+1

[Aloha 1]

18 minutes ago, RJB said:

+1

Yes, CC is devoted to cruises but it does not require any of us to put our concerns for humanity and the planet below our wishes to cruise to certain places.