St. Petersburg Prviate Vehicle thru Princess -questions, please

Hello,

Has anyone done the private vehicle thru Princess in St. Petersburg?

I know there are private companies and I will look into those as well, but am wondering about the ease of booking the private car thru the ship... But I have questions- how do we plan out the day with them? I'm thinking the advantage to using a tour company is that we would be able to communicate directly with them beforehand. But maybe I'm wrong- has anyone booked the private vehicle and can explain how it works? do you just get in the car and tell them what you want to do and they do their best to accommodate it but there's no pre-planning?

thanks!

If it is like Holland America's program, a few days prior to arriving in the port, you will receive a questionnaire from the shore excursion desk that is forwarded to the guide and driver. It will ask what you would like to do or see, and the guide will build an itinerary. Plus, you will review this questionnaire when you first get in the vehicle.

We did this with HAL in SPB and a couple of other ports. It has been a great experience.

I think you will contact a few of the highly recommended tour operators on this board you will be able to find a better deal than the ship operated option

A private tour for just your family with one of the major spb tour companies would be cheaper than the ships private driver option, but it is ultimately your decision. Also, the private tours include admission to all the major attractions, which I don't know if the ships private driver option includes.