Princess Private Van Tours

[buckeye7]

We are taking a Scandinavia/Russia cruise in July and we're trying to decide how to tour St. Petersburg. If we book a private van through Princess, do we get more flexibility with the itinerary or is it a set schedule? I'll also post on the Port of Call board, but I thought Princess people might know how Princess's private vans work.

 

Thanks for any help!

[alabama ghost]

We rented a Princess van, guide and driver several years ago and loved it. We had 8 people; pretty much set up our own itinerary within some guidelines that were sent to us. I don't remember a lot of specifics now, but it was a great tour.

 

The Baltic Cruise was our favorite ever and this tour was the best on the Baltic cruise. Our guide spoke excellent English, had been to the US, and was a university professor. We didn't have to wait in line anywhere and the personalized service was great!

[sallycruiser]

We used Denrus for a private tour on our cruise to St Petersburg..it was fantastic. there were four of us, and then one driver and one tour guide. We also stopped at alot of places and even had lunch at a private restaurant. We had then for two days and each day they were there waiting for us. We planned our agenda ahead of time with agency.

 

Hope you have a great cruise

[chipmaster]

We are taking a Scandinavia/Russia cruise in July and we're trying to decide how to tour St. Petersburg. If we book a private van through Princess, do we get more flexibility with the itinerary or is it a set schedule? I'll also post on the Port of Call board, but I thought Princess people might know how Princess's private vans work.

 

Thanks for any help!

 

I can't comment about northen Europe private tours, but in the Med there are a host of private operators that offer private tours, nice cars, guides if you like. Private tour operators generally market a "package" tour that has all the big attractions and a full day, but they are totally flexible to what you do.

 

I priced out Princess versus the local operators and I skip princess as they are a good 20-50% more expensive. THe only perk is in some ports they princess tours got to unload right up next to the gangway while we needed to walk another 50meters to find our van. I'll skip that premium thank you ;)

 

No question, private is the way to go to maximize your day in port!

 

Happy planning

[rusticfurnituremaker]

Take the time to arrange a private tour. It is SO easy. NEVER give Princess 500-800$ for doing virtually nothing!!! Princess adds around 50% commission to the cost! 'When you make your own arrangements, you choose where, when and how long you want to visit. Check the boards for recommended tour companies/drivers.

 

Also check the roll call for your ship. It is really quite enjoyable having a few others join your private tour. The cost is split and it is nice to have other cruisers to share the experience with.

[buckeye7]

Thanks to all of you for the helpful replies. I think private van sounds like the way to go. Thanks so much ~ I'm getting really excited now!

[Miss Jolly]

We used Alla for a private tour for 2 days and it was arranged in a similar way to the Denrus one mentioned above. It was fantastic and far more economical for our family of 4. By the way, despite what the cruiseline might say, you do not have to organise a visa if you are with one of the private tour companies. The most popular ones (in no particular order) seem to be Denrus, Alla and Red October. I suggest you contact each one and see which one suits your needs and price. Have a wonderful time as we did.

[PrincessNancy]

Buckeye7

 

When are you cruising? We are on the July 25th Baltic cruise. Go to the Roll Call for your cruise...we've got a tour group already set up; I'm sure that the people in your Roll Call have done the same. Check out the emails, find a tour that matches what you want to see, and join a tour!

 

Nancy

[malcbern]

My wife and I just signed up for this cruise and are looking for someone to do a private group. The two things of interest at the moment are the Hermitage (of course) and the Synagogue. We are open to others.

 

Two possibilities: sign up for a two day deal, hopefully we get to know the guide and can hit separate parts of town; or do a car/van the first day and a walking tour the second day when we have had an orientation.

 

I thought about this after going to the DenRus.ru and the Peterswalk.com sites