Red October and Denrus guides

[Aliasfan]

I'm thinking about booking either Red October or Denrus for our upcoming Baltics cruise on the Constellation. I was wondering the name of the some of the guides people have used and if they were good. I read that some were very good, while others just okay.

[cruisintwinsmom]

I haven't used either, but there are numerous other links that discuss these 2 tour companies. Look in the search.

[Aliasfan]

I have read many reviews but was looking for the actual name of the guides

[cruisintwinsmom]

Maybe someone will come through with some names for you!

[42trvl]

Maybe if you try a search on this thread? I remember some time ago a rather lengthy discussion of the specific guides by name. You're right in focusing on that. I don't think you'll go wrong with either company, although from what I've gathered and learned while in St. Petersburg is that Red October is more of an "operation." We had a knowledge of the city and very specific things we wanted to do (I've been there before), so it was not too bad for us, but we were less than thrilled with our guide from DenRus, named Ludmila. The company was fine and came through in every way - we loved our driver and were very comfortable, and she might be fine if you didn't know any better or "question" her plan. She is very knowledgeable with good English, but likes to stick to her plan and isn't the most flexible...

[Bill S]

Aliasfan: we used Red October last summer and our guide was Alanya, but she asked us to call her Helen. Very competent, attentive and didn't let any other guides push her around. We had a group of 6 and we all thought she was great. Hope this helps!

[mycruz]

Aliasfan: we used Red October last summer and our guide was Alanya, but she asked us to call her Helen. Very competent, attentive and didn't let any other guides push her around. We had a group of 6 and we all thought she was great. Hope this helps!

 

We had the same guide, she was terrific. She really watched out for us, was always on the lookout for pickpockets, gave us the code and moved us through crowds like we had been doing this forever! I will never forget those two days, I don't think we could have had anyone better.

[Aliasfan]

Thank-you Mycruz and Bill S. for your very informative input. Helen sounds like a wonderful guide. How far in advance did you book Red October? My cruise is in June 20007. I went on a Med. cruise in 2004 and booked my guides about a year in advance and didn't know if I should do the same for the Baltics.

Thanks again, Scott

[lamwnfa]

Our group of 5 booked with Denrus and our guide's name was Nadya. She was awesome.

[dbh62ark]

I was in a group of 3 vans, and note that Denrus used at least two Helens in 2005. We had a Helen, another Helen (this is pronounced ee-lee-ah-nuh in Russia), and a third guide named Oxsanna. Our Helen was excellent; she is a tall blonde who also works as a translator. Her husband makes custom shoes, and she also has a son. That should help identify my Helen, and she's great.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[AndrewM]

We had a knowledge of the city and very specific things we wanted to do (I've been there before), so it was not too bad for us, but we were less than thrilled with our guide from DenRus, named Ludmila. The company was fine and came through in every way - we loved our driver and were very comfortable, and she might be fine if you didn't know any better or "question" her plan. She is very knowledgeable with good English, but likes to stick to her plan and isn't the most flexible...

 

We spent 2 days with Ludmila on our DenRus tour last July. I fought with her on occasion and I could tell she hated me with a passion but it was 2 days I don't regret at all. You describe the woman I remember so we must have had the same guide. I've detailed my 2 days with Ludmila here:

 

http://www.hwired.com/baltic/stpetersburg1.html

[cadreamer]

There hao been a lenghty discussion of Ludmilla on another thread, but in case you don't find it, I would repeat my recommendation to be sure you do not get her as your guide. Since you have so much time to plan, I would think you could and would get the best.

Andrew M - I don't think she hated you personally as much as she is just neagtive about men in general. She was very snide with my husband. Don't get me started----

[mycruz]

Alayna did ask us to just call her Helen she said it would be easier for us to remember. I think the guides try to make it easier for us than to have to remember names that can be difficult.

[cruisemom42]

We toured with Den Rus last season and had Eugenia (spelled Evgenia) -- she was fantasic. Excellent English, good storyteller, and was able to get us around this very crowded city and packed itinerary and made it look effortless. The ONLY drawback I might mention is that she doesn't have a very loud or carrying voice. It was fine for our small group of 4, but it might be a bit difficult to hear her in a large group in a packed location such as the Hermitage.

 

She (and the driver) were both also very good with my 12-year-old son.

[Marilyn08]

We also toured with Eugenia from Denrus on our May 15 cruise. It was a group of 6, and she and driver, Alexander, were wonderful. She speaks beautiful English and is extremely interesting. Her knowledge is outstanding and she is very personable and energetic. She brought us to 2 excellent restaurants where we ate delicious meat, mushroom or shrimp pies and then Chicken Kiev and salads. We learned so very much about Russian life. Just wish we had a bit more time for souvenir shopping - especially at the market at the Church of the Spilled Blood. We seemed to run out of time at this point. Alex was a superb driver. Always felt safe and he really knew how to get around traffic. What a wonderful tour of St. Ptersburg!! :)

[VinTek]

Our guide with Red October was named Polina, and we found her knowledgeable and more than compentent. When there were problems, such as the people at Montplaisir deciding to close early, she raised hell with the people in charge to get us in. She is a professor at the University of St. Petersburg during the off-season.

 

We also met a guide named Ekaterina Chistjakova, who trains other guides at a university during the off-season. Young and pretty, she is very smooth and charming, more "modern-school" than Polina. I know of her because she guided my parents on their tour the week prior to our own arrival in St. Petersburg and she made a point of seeking us out. I personally think I prefer Polina, who was very honest (but diplomatic) about the changes Russia has been through over the past decade. I think Ekaterina is more conscious of being "politically correct." However, my parents and their group thought very highly of Ekaterina and had a wonderful time with her.

[JodiBB]

We had Dymetri with RO and we liked him a lot...very knowledgable and was an art history major, so he REALLY knew the artwork in the Hermitage and other museums! He was an older gentlemen, so he was a bit stern with a dry sense of humor, but his knowledge of the Communist vs. "Modern" Russia was amazing since he lived through both eras and talking to him about the differences was extremely worthwhile.

[Sea42]

Hi,

We also used DenRus for our days in St. Petersburg in May of this year. Our guide was Nadya. I was very happy with her. She was very easy to ask questions of, had a wide range of knowledge on various topics and had many interesting stories. I would definitely recommend her.

Carol

[spearmint]

There hao been a lenghty discussion of Ludmilla on another thread, but in case you don't find it, I would repeat my recommendation to be sure you do not get her as your guide. Since you have so much time to plan, I would think you could and would get the best.

Andrew M - I don't think she hated you personally as much as she is just neagtive about men in general. She was very snide with my husband. Don't get me started----

 

So, does you indicate when booking that you do not want Ludmilla? Or do you specify other names instead?

[cadreamer]

I think I would just request some of the names that have been recommended by the posters on this thread.

[ONLY-NCL]

My cruise is in June 20007.

 

We are also planning this cruise in June 2007. (22nd) What date are you going on.

[Guest newhampshire]

We were on May sailing of Star Princess and booked with Red October. Guide's name was Elena and she was great. Very knowledgable about all the places we visited. Only snag, traffic was horrible in St. Petersburg and we were afraid we might miss ship but she called another Red October van that was ahead of us, and we walked the last block to the port gates and the other van took us to the ship so can highly recommend Red October. Other people on Star also went with Denrus and Alla and didn't hear any complaints from them.

[Juliadlf]

We were on May sailing of Star Princess and booked with Red October. Guide's name was Elena and she was great. Very knowledgable about all the places we visited. Only snag, traffic was horrible in St. Petersburg and we were afraid we might miss ship but she called another Red October van that was ahead of us, and we walked the last block to the port gates and the other van took us to the ship so can highly recommend Red October. Other people on Star also went with Denrus and Alla and didn't hear any complaints from them.

 

I'm curious as to what time were you suppose to be back at the ship per your itinerary? It would help us to know so that we can make sure we start back early enough and not run into the same issues.

Thanks

 

Julia

[easy22]

i could not imagine that any guide could be better than Anna at Denrus. we just got back from St Petersburg. she is an older lady, much experience. she was a teacher, now retired. she used to work for Russian government agency assigned to accompany VIP visitors. i cannot get over how much history this woman knows off the top of her head. and she is so passionate about it. a real "storyteller" which i enjoyed very much. we could not believe how fast she moves and wove us in and out of other tours to see the most we could possibly see in the 2 days allowed. she can be a taskmaster in this regard but it is for your own good.

 

we did a private van of 8 and were so glad we did. we got to plan the itinerary and stay longer or leave earlier based on our own interests. did not have to wait for stragglers etc. did not have to wait in line. Anna got us right to the front everywhere.

 

whatever company you use and whichever guide you get, it's so much better than the ship's tour and cheaper too by the way with 8 people. who knows what guide you'd get on the ship's tour?

[Scott Cyn]

I just returned from the Baltic and visited St. Petersburg on June 8 and 9 of this year. We had a great experience in St. Petersburg.

 

I had read a number of threads on this subject before making my decision to go with Red October over Denrus. They are both very good and I could have gone either way. But part of my early e-mail discussions with Red October focused on who the guide would be. I gave them three names that were acceptable to me, those being Irina, Elena or Dmitri. I had read good reviews here on CC about all three of them. I also specifically told Red October I would not have Tatiana. I had read several reviews of her indicating she had attitude and I'm not a big fan of people in my employ having attitude.

 

Red October at first tried to pacify me and assure me "that you will have one of our professional guides. Believe me, you'll be very pleased." I told them I wanted more of a commitment and they came back saying "Regarding the guides: We do understand and keep your preferences in our files. Either Irina, Elena, or Dmitri will be confirmed for your dates. It will be closer to the date of your arrival." This was all in e-mail exchanges about six months before my visit.

We ended up with Elena and couldn't have been happier. She was friendly, knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy spending time with us and showing us her city. There were four of us in our group and we spent two days peppering her with questions about daily life, both now and during the Soviet era. She patiently answered all our questions. We also made several seat-of-the-pants changes to our itinerary (like, "Let's skip the Yusopov Palace and spend an hour in that street market") and she was flexible and gracious.

Scott