Your Experience Eating during Private Tour of St. Petersburg?

[ColoradoJen]

Our group is trying to determine what is best. We will be touring with ****** and are trying to decide if we should bring food from the ship, or if we should eat in a Russian establishment. How much did lunch in a Russian restaurant cost? Was the food good? What would you recommend?

[TrainBonds]

Can only answer about the cost. Received reservation from RO today and cost was USD $17 per person one day and USD$21 the other. We are looking at eating in a St. Petersburg restuarant as part of the Russian experience, but understand others eat in the van to save time.

[SteveS]

We ate lunch with a Russian family on our Red October tour last summer. It was nice to meet them and lunch was good.

[DON M.]

Our group is trying to determine what is best. We will be touring with ****** and are trying to decide if we should bring food from the ship, or if we should eat in a Russian establishment. How much did lunch in a Russian restaurant cost? Was the food good? What would you recommend?
You will find ****** to be an excellent choice. Happy cruising

[SaylorGirl]

Our group is trying to determine what is best. We will be touring with ****** and are trying to decide if we should bring food from the ship, or if we should eat in a Russian establishment. How much did lunch in a Russian restaurant cost? Was the food good? What would you recommend?

I have always wondered if you should offer to buy lunch for your tour guides and drivers when you dine in a restaurant? I hope you have a wonderful time and want to hear all about it when you get back.

[thecruisechick]

SaylorGirl,


We always pay for the driver and guide. The group usually pitches in however when we are on our ****** Tour we will be "making" our own lunch as well as the lunch for the driver and guide. :) It's really a pesonal choice on whether you buy it or not but it's a nice gesture and they really appreciate it. And yes we still tip them. I look at it this way...I have done my share of ship tours and what we get for the money on these private tours is sooooooooooo much better and worth it.

[SaylorGirl]

SaylorGirl,


We always pay for the driver and guide. The group usually pitches in however when we are on our ****** Tour we will be "making" our own lunch as well as the lunch for the driver and guide. :) It's really a pesonal choice on whether you buy it or not but it's a nice gesture and they really appreciate it. And yes we still tip them. I look at it this way...I have done my share of ship tours and what we get for the money on these private tours is sooooooooooo much better and worth it.

Thats good to know even though we are going independent I think its good for those that are using groups such as RO and the 6 star group should buy lunch for the tour guides. It would seem rude not to.

[aqua]

We had expected to buy lunch for our Red October guide, but didn't get the chance. We brought food from the ship for the first day, and we did share that with the guide and driver. However, we ate at a restaurant the next day. We had all pre-ordered our meal and there was a table set for our group.The guide and driver went upstairs and we didn't see them during the lunch. As the price for lunch was added into our total RO bill, there really wasn't an opportunity to pay for them. But we guessed that they received a good discount at the restaurant because they brought the tourists there.