St Petersburg: advise abt DenRus "The Complete St Petersburg" tour

[salseros2003]

Next August we'll be to St Petersburg with Celebrity Constellation.

Looking around for alternatives to cruise excursion we noticed DenRus proposal for a 2 days program called "The Complete St Petersburg"-

 

It seems interesting including all the main attractions avoiding to choose 3/4 hald days tours as proposed by cruise ship.

 

Anybody did experience such program?

 

Thank you all for your advices

[Broch]

Here is the link to their cancellation policy. http://www.denrus.ru/cancellation_policy.html It is quite simple when you book you pay in full and if you cancel outwith 15 days from the tour date you will receive a full refund. If you read the full conditions you will see that you can get a part refund even if you cacel with more than 5 days before departure.

[salseros2003]

Thanks for your reply. We had looked at private tours but, without more Italian speaking people it doesn't make sense.

big step change would be to arrange a private tour in Italian but it costs 3-4 times more the collective one.

 

On DenRus site I found detailed cancellation policy and the same were forwarded to me by e.mail.

[Drifting Happily]

We sailed on the Constellation in July and used DenRus for their 2-day Complete St. Petersburg tour. We were very happy with the tour. It is in a bus, but a smaller one. We had 24 people and spent no time waiting for the group. As for DenRus, our guide was excellent, and we saw as much as was possible in the two days. The itinerary was planned to minimize traffic and crowds. Our guide was very knowledgeable and used 'Whisper'-type devices to speak to us in crowded places. One of the highlights, I felt, was the metro ride. The lunches were good.

 

DenRus' communication with us before hand was excellent. We did pre-pay about 30 days prior with a credit card. They e-mailed explicit directions for getting off the ship in St. Petersburg, along with a list of fellow passengers who had signed up for the Complete tour. As soon as we got off the ship, they gathered us up and started our tour. For the money, this is a fabulous option.

[FinelyRetired]

We sailed on the Constellation in July and used DenRus for their 2-day Complete St. Petersburg tour. We were very happy with the tour. It is in a bus, but a smaller one. We had 24 people and spent no time waiting for the group. As for DenRus, our guide was excellent, and we saw as much as was possible in the two days. The itinerary was planned to minimize traffic and crowds. Our guide was very knowledgeable and used 'Whisper'-type devices to speak to us in crowded places. One of the highlights, I felt, was the metro ride. The lunches were good.

 

DenRus' communication with us before hand was excellent. We did pre-pay about 30 days prior with a credit card. They e-mailed explicit directions for getting off the ship in St. Petersburg, along with a list of fellow passengers who had signed up for the Complete tour. As soon as we got off the ship, they gathered us up and started our tour. For the money, this is a fabulous option.

 

I ditto what Drifting Happily has said. Did this last summer. While the Van

held about 24....there were only 8 of us. Denrus will honor your reservation EVEN if there's only 1 of you! On our River cruise, we went with another Denrus group, so there were 12. I esp. loved the Metro ride. As we went against the AM rush.........I was amazed at the throngs heading into SPB as we left! The escalator DOWN was HUGE.....couldn't see the bottom. What a thrill. The stations themselves were extraordinarily beautiful, each different and more opulent. I understand now why they are called "The Peoples' Palaces."

 

I also booked a $40 evening folkloric show with Denrus. I was the only one who had booked and I had a driver, a guide & a Volga Sedan for the evening all to myself.

[sailaway5]

We also used Den Rus -- but a private tour (7 of us) in a van with driver and guide for the 2-days we were in St Petersburg. We saw all the main attractions plus some, by-passed all of the lines at Catherines Palace, Hermitage and Peteroff. Our price was probably about $80 to $100 higher per person for this private tour. They would allow us to change some of the itinerary if we wished, stopped for lunch breaks and and photo stops and shopping too. We rode the hydrofoil boat back from Peteroff to save time. The driver then met up with us after our visit to the Hermitage. We had lunch with a Russian family at their home (also prearranged by Den Rus). What a thrilling experience to visit the local people with homemade food (our guide had to interpret for us). The entire experience was one we will always remember. The Mercedes Van was very comfortable. Olga, our guide, used a microphone along the way to ensure we all could hear her. We had a very busy schedule, but feel we really experienced St Petersburg. Have fun planning.

[TLCOhio]

We also used Den Rus -- but a private tour (7 of us) in a van with driver and guide for the 2-days we were in St Petersburg. We saw all the main attractions plus some, by-passed all of the lines at Catherines Palace, Hermitage and Peteroff. Our price was probably about $80 to $100 higher per person for this private tour. They would allow us to change some of the itinerary if we wished, stopped for lunch breaks and and photo stops and shopping too. We rode the hydrofoil boat back from Peteroff to save time. The driver then met up with us after our visit to the Hermitage. We had lunch with a Russian family at their home (also prearranged by Den Rus). What a thrilling experience to visit the local people with homemade food (our guide had to interpret for us). The entire experience was one we will always remember. The Mercedes Van was very comfortable. Olga, our guide, used a microphone along the way to ensure we all could hear her. We had a very busy schedule, but feel we really experienced St Petersburg. Have fun planning.

 

Great summary on some of the advantages for having more of a smaller group, personalized tour. You got much more and the cost wasn't that much higher. The main thing is doing St. Petersburg and being careful on the ship tours that go out in the am, come back for lunch on the ship and then take another trip in the afternoon. It is hard to be as "time efficient" with that type of scheduling.

 

The hydofoil from the Peterhof to St. Petersburg both saves time and provides some interesting visuals. Below are some samples of the boat and sights as you enter the docking place in front of the famed Hermitage.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[salseros2003]

Thank you all for your replies.

[beckster11]

We were on Century last summer and booked the 2 day DenRus complete tour. We were very happy with the tour, learned a great deal, and the earpieces we wore allowed us to listen to our guide while actually enjoying the sights...not just trying to follow the group through the crowds. This made all the difference and would definitely be worth a bit of extra money if it costs more. It is a beautiful city and fascinating just to observe the people. Every place we went was crowded in June.

Enjoy!:)