St. Petersburg, Russia - Shore Excursion

Hello,

We are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Russia at the end of July. There is 5 in our group and we would like to see the main attractions as well as some shopping at local shops (my grandmother would really like to find a Russian nesting doll while we are there). I have looked at all the shore excursions that RC has to offer, but non of them seem to fit. I have gone onto blogs and other forums and a few have mentioned Ludmila Tours that offer a private tour that tends to cater to the tourist needs and liking. Has anyone gone on this tour or another tour guide company other than the tours that you book through RC??? We leave in about 7 weeks and I really would liked to have booked our tour weeks ago, but I have been getting the run around from RC. Thanks!!

Ashley

Hello,

 

We are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Russia at the end of July. There is 5 in our group and we would like to see the main attractions as well as some shopping at local shops (my grandmother would really like to find a Russian nesting doll while we are there). I have looked at all the shore excursions that RC has to offer, but non of them seem to fit. I have gone onto blogs and other forums and a few have mentioned Ludmila Tours that offer a private tour that tends to cater to the tourist needs and liking. Has anyone gone on this tour or another tour guide company other than the tours that you book through RC??? We leave in about 7 weeks and I really would liked to have booked our tour weeks ago, but I have been getting the run around from RC. Thanks!!

 

Ashley

Welcome to Cruise Critic....You will find much more info on the Ports of Call Board Europe then Northern Europe & Baltics ( more than likely your thread will be moved there) but just a quick answer we used TJ Travel for our private 2 day tour (just the two of us)...amazing customized tour. We were on RCI Jewel of the Sea but made all our own arrangements..Very easy to do and the tour company handles all your necessary paperwork for you and e-mails you everything you will need to get off the ship and NO payment is needed until the middle of your 2nd day of touring (just the way they do it in Russia..amazing I know). Some one will provide you with a list of all the major private tour companies...e-mail them all and then it will be easy to make a selection based on their responses..It was for us TJ Travel gave us a trip of a lifetime based on what we wanted to do and how much time we wanted to do it and the flexibility to change it up at the spur of the moment...I and many will recommend a private tour over any ship offered excursion..Enjoy planning the wonderful trip you have ahead of you with all the great information you will get on these boards....Google TJ Travel St Petersburg Russia for their website

Hi Ashley

We just returned from the Baltics on RCCL Brilliance of the Seas and had a fantastic tour experience with Alla Tours in St. Petersburg as well as tours with her company in Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn at a great package price. We visited all the "must see" sites on the Grand Tour and had an opportunity to do some shopping on the second morning of the tour for about 45 minutes. The souvenir shop was quite large, well priced items and a large selection of nesting dolls and the faberge eggs. Alla was very responsive to our emails and her touring groups are small (max 16 people) with early entrance to the Hermitage as well as experienced tour guides/drivers that get you around the sites in a very efficient manner. You get so much more for your money as opposed to the ship's tour. You may want to check on your roll call to see if others have formed tours with Alla or one of the other recommended tour guides on this board. Enjoy your cruise! :)

Dolfans from Miami

We used Denrus and we're very pleased with the 2 day tour they gave us. I would strongly suggest using a private tour company. You will see more, avoid long lines, and they will customize your itinerary if you wish. The market at the Church on the Spilled Blood is the best place to buy souvenirs and nesting dolls.

Hello,

 

We are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Russia at the end of July. There is 5 in our group and we would like to see the main attractions as well as some shopping at local shops (my grandmother would really like to find a Russian nesting doll while we are there). I have looked at all the shore excursions that RC has to offer, but non of them seem to fit. I have gone onto blogs and other forums and a few have mentioned Ludmila Tours that offer a private tour that tends to cater to the tourist needs and liking. Has anyone gone on this tour or another tour guide company other than the tours that you book through RC??? We leave in about 7 weeks and I really would liked to have booked our tour weeks ago, but I have been getting the run around from RC. Thanks!!

 

Ashley

We too used Alla Tours. The price was half of the ship tour and we saw more. No payment was needed until we were on the tour.

Go to Trip Advisor and check our tours in St. Petersburg. There are a number of operators, like Alla, with top ratings who will provide what you want.

We are using SPB tours this summer in St. Petersburg and Berlin. :)

Hello,

 

We are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Russia at the end of July. There is 5 in our group and we would like to see the main attractions as well as some shopping at local shops (my grandmother would really like to find a Russian nesting doll while we are there). I have looked at all the shore excursions that RC has to offer, but non of them seem to fit. I have gone onto blogs and other forums and a few have mentioned Ludmila Tours that offer a private tour that tends to cater to the tourist needs and liking. Has anyone gone on this tour or another tour guide company other than the tours that you book through RC??? We leave in about 7 weeks and I really would liked to have booked our tour weeks ago, but I have been getting the run around from RC. Thanks!!

 

Ashley

NORTHERN Europe & Baltics - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

You can find lots of discussions of the various private Russian tour companies there.

Most of them offer similar itineraries and visit the same locations for the same amounts of time, with small differences between them.

We recently did the 2 day Deluxe Tour in St. Petersburg with SPB tours.

Here is a link to their website

SPB Tours | St. Petersburg

We picked this company

(a) because it was rated #1 on TripAdvisor,

(b) because of the prompt and detailed personal replies we received to our questions, and

© because it looked like it would provide the best fit for accommodating our group, which had a mix of ages and ability levels.

They stop at a number of places that sell Russian nesting dolls. In fact, if you just let them know what you want to do or see, they will make sure that you get to do or see it.

This was a very full itinerary so we really liked that this company provides a regular sit-down lunch in a Russian restaurant each day, unlike some others which provide only a bag lunch in transit on one of the days.

We were especially happy that we got to be seated at a table in a restaurant for our leisurely lunch when we observed a tour group from a different company needing to hold their bag lunches in their laps, trying to eat while we were bouncing along on the hydrofoil.

We were very pleased with SPB Tours and would recommend this company without reservation. We could not have wished for a better tour.

But as you can see, there are others who feel the same way about the companies they used. :D

They all get rave reviews, and I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them.

So go to their websites, look over their itineraries and compare them, email them with any questions you have, and pick whichever looks like the best fit for your group.

In case you don't already have it, here is a link to the forum for

 

NORTHERN Europe & Baltics - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

 

You can find lots of discussions of the various private Russian tour companies there.

Most of them offer similar itineraries and visit the same locations for the same amounts of time, with small differences between them.

 

 

We recently did the 2 day Deluxe Tour in St. Petersburg with SPB tours.

 

We picked this company

 

(a) because it was rated #1 on TripAdvisor,

Actually, SPB is rated #6 on Trip Advisor.

I do agree to look on the link provided by Varoo on this forum and compare the top mentioned companies. Email a few of them and pick the one that best fits your needs. For us, Alla was the perfect fit! :)

Dolfans from Miami

We (group of 16) used SPB Tours and everyone enjoyed the tour they took us on in Russia. Friends just returned from their Baltic cruise. They used SPB and were very happy with the company, also.