SPB vs Allah - tour differences

We have narrowed our St. Peterburg tour search for a guide to the Duluxe/Grand tours by SPB and Allah - both have approx. the same tours with a small, but important exception for us - Allah seems to allow an extra half hour in the Hermitage, while SPB takes that half hour for St. Issac Cathedral. I really prefer 2 1/2 hours in the Hermitage over 1 1/2 hours in the Cathedral all things being equal. So:

1. If you took the allah grand tour did you actually get the extra half hour in the Hermitage or was it taken up by something else?

2. Is St. Issac's worth the extra half hour SPB gives to it?

Any help/insight/opinion is welcome:)

We have narrowed our St. Peterburg tour search for a guide to the Duluxe/Grand tours by SPB and Allah - both have approx. the same tours with a small, but important exception for us - Allah seems to allow an extra half hour in the Hermitage, while SPB takes that half hour for St. Issac Cathedral. I really prefer 2 1/2 hours in the Hermitage over 1 1/2 hours in the Cathedral all things being equal. So:

 

1. If you took the allah grand tour did you actually get the extra half hour in the Hermitage or was it taken up by something else?

2. Is St. Issac's worth the extra half hour SPB gives to it?

 

Any help/insight/opinion is welcome:)

If you want the extra time in the Hermitage, I believe SPB would rearrange things for your Deluxe Tour to give you more time there. I would ask them if they would do so. The Hermitage is massive, so no matter how much time you have you will not see everything. If you have a specific desire - e.g. French Impressionists, make that wish known.

St. Isaacs is definitely worth a visit. As I recall the schedules don't specifically list travel time between sites, so some of the time is spent traveling between places. You will want to spend time inside the cathedral, but an hour allotted to it is probably enough.

We have narrowed our St. Peterburg tour search for a guide to the Duluxe/Grand tours by SPB and Allah - both have approx. the same tours with a small, but important exception for us - Allah seems to allow an extra half hour in the Hermitage, while SPB takes that half hour for St. Issac Cathedral. I really prefer 2 1/2 hours in the Hermitage over 1 1/2 hours in the Cathedral all things being equal. So:

 

1. If you took the allah grand tour did you actually get the extra half hour in the Hermitage or was it taken up by something else?

2. Is St. Issac's worth the extra half hour SPB gives to it?

 

Any help/insight/opinion is welcome:)

St Isaac's Cathedral is very impressive

If SPB don't go into St Isaac's at all then it's a question of whether you want to see a mighty cathedral or more incredible art and internal architecture. Tricky one. After 2 hours in the Hermitage I was reeling from seeing masterpiece after masterpiece and while I would have enjoyed a further half hour, personally I was glad to see the cathedral in lieu of this, purely for a bit of variety. But who knows what I missed seeing ?

The good news is that whichever company you choose you will have a superb time as both get great reviews on here. All any of us can do with our limited time in this amazing city is hope to maximise every every minute and either will ensure you do this.

Not sure if this qualifies as help/insight or opinion :) but no matter, you will have a ball whatever you do.

Tony

I know that half an hour either way is no big deal, but both companies seem so great, I was hoping that I could say yes to one or the other for a specific reason instead of iny, meny, miny.....:D But if it comes down to more time in the museum or the cathedral, I will usually take more time in the museum. But I also understand that external factors such as traffic, crowds, etc. can effect time spent at each place.... I will get out the schedules again and see if there is any other nit picky thing I can use to make a choice:o

Ok my opinion is that you dont need an hour to see st Isaacs alone but in that time you should be able to go inside both St Isaacs and Church of spilled blood just to compare the two.One is decorated by mosaic and the other paint.I personally found these more of a highlight than the Hermitage.

the guides are mostly Art historians and can get very passionate about the art inside the museum.

only you know your own likes and preferences-if you prefer architecture to paintings and sculptures let them know-after all this is your tour and it's worth asking these questions of both companies-their responses will soon give you an idea of which is a best "fit" for your party

Lyn

Thanks Lyn - definitely a good perspective. I love all history and I love art - but I love old masters, not as much, say, 13th century sacred art - so 2 hours might be just right for the Hermitage - once you see the highlights. I have toured a lot of churches, cathedrals, etc. and enjoy it, but do I really want more than an hour in any church unless it is the Vatican or Notre Dame (both worth more than an hour). I hope to make a decision of some kind soon.

Hi, Just reading your post. Did you go on Roll CAll for your ship and cruise. If not you should. We did the SPB Deluxe tour this summer. We had soooo many people join up on the Roll Call site that our tour was only 239$/person I forget how many people were on our tour altogether but there were maybe only 20-25 people on the small van/bus. Don't remember. However we were never crowded and always had plenty of time to see everything.

They were excellent! I can't say enough good about them. Or go on SPB Roll Call and look for your cruise and see how many people are signed up.

Just a thought. Enjoy your trip. It was a wonderful cruise.

Ledris

Ok my opinion is that you dont need an hour to see st Isaacs alone but in that time you should be able to go inside both St Isaacs and Church of spilled blood just to compare the two.One is decorated by mosaic and the other paint.I personally found these more of a highlight than the Hermitage.

the guides are mostly Art historians and can get very passionate about the art inside the museum.

 

only you know your own likes and preferences-if you prefer architecture to paintings and sculptures let them know-after all this is your tour and it's worth asking these questions of both companies-their responses will soon give you an idea of which is a best "fit" for your party

 

Lyn

Agree...St Issacs and Church On The Spilled Blood are not to be missed !!!!

Both companies would be happy to make time adjustments as you desire. It's your tour, and they want to make you happy.

We used SPB-Tours for our visit last June and were very happy with all the exchanges we had with Anthony, whereas at the same time (November one year ago), my **** contact was telling me what I must do. I had just visited three years before that for almost four days with my sister, so I knew precisely what I wanted to do.

So, bottom line, use whom you feel most comfortable with but make sure that your preferences are number 1.

Edit for this PS: The forum for some reason put a star where the name of the other company you are considering belongs; weird?

There is a roll call started, but it is kind of slow at the moment - several folks already have their own larger groups of family and friends so I am waiting for it to get more active. And SPB has offered to put us with a group if our roll call doesn't pick up, so I am not worried about that. I just like to get things planned:)

Dalgirl

We are in the same position as you - a DEAD CC roll call (for a Cunard visit to SPB in May 2012).

I have read that these tour guide companies will team you up with other people - not necessarily with others from our ship, but just "others" --- but I wonder how well that would work?? It just seems to me that if the "others" come from say hotels, other ships - it would take ages to gather them all up I have been on some small tours elsewhere where people were collected from different hotels and it took a while - not that it really mattered as we could look out the window and see the city as we drove around to the various hotels.

Anybody got any thoughts on this aspect of St Petersburg tours??

Barry

Dalgirl

 

We are in the same position as you - a DEAD CC roll call (for a Cunard visit to SPB in May 2012).

 

I have read that these tour guide companies will team you up with other people - not necessarily with others from our ship, but just "others" --- but I wonder how well that would work?? It just seems to me that if the "others" come from say hotels, other ships - it would take ages to gather them all up I have been on some small tours elsewhere where people were collected from different hotels and it took a while - not that it really mattered as we could look out the window and see the city as we drove around to the various hotels.

 

Anybody got any thoughts on this aspect of St Petersburg tours??

 

Barry

In 2009 we used **** Tours. At the time, **** was the only tour company that would take individuals, BOOKED ON THE SAME CRUISE, and form a group for them (I think others may do that now but I'm not sure). We ended up with total of 9 people even though they said it could be up to 20 people. It was their standard tour, and we couldn't make any deviations, and I thought the two day tour was wonderful.

Unless another cruise ship is docked overnight at the same pier and at the same time as your ship, I doubt that they would combine people from more than one ship. And I really doubt that they would add people staying in hotels with people on ships. The port is very far from the actual city and major sites, and the tours start very early in the morning to account for traffic, etc. And most important, tourists staying at hotels don't have to worry about missing the ship on the second day of a two day tour!

I'm not worried about being paired up with other ships - we have taken excursions in the Caribbean this way and it never was an issue. The funny thing is we were all from CC:) I have heard from SPB again, and think that I will go ahead and give them our info. That way I guess I can start a group at the roll call (if others become interested) or not - I do appreciate SPB's continued interest - that is very comforting:)

We toured with SPB Tours and basically you can adjust the amount of time you spend in each place on the day, as you go along. (It was incredibly hot when we were there and there is of course no airconditioning in these old buildings. So we had extra stops at cafes in the Hermitage and at Peterhof, when we needed them.) The whole time is really totally flexible. Basically, you have a vehicle, driver and guide for the two days and adapt the tour as you go along!

We are doing a Baltic tour in 2012 - and I too was torn between the two companies - both look very good! Looks like SBP just updated their website and the two companies seem to offer almost identical tours in St Petersburg. Interesting though, one of the companies now has their name **** on this forum - I think that means they have been suspected of spamming....unfortunately, this is the company we chose for our tour in June :p. It seems that they have had a lot of positive comments about them..I hope these positive comments are VALID and not just spams!!!

We are doing a Baltic tour in 2012 - and I too was torn between the two companies - both look very good! Looks like SBP just updated their website and the two companies seem to offer almost identical tours in St Petersburg. Interesting though, one of the companies now has their name **** on this forum - I think that means they have been suspected of spamming....unfortunately, this is the company we chose for our tour in June :p. It seems that they have had a lot of positive comments about them..I hope these positive comments are VALID and not just spams!!!

if it helps our cruise critic meet and greet tours last year featured SPB ,the company whose name is asterisked ,Anastasia ,Best guides and Denrus

Everyone was happy with the tour company they chose apart from Denrus-that problem was due to a rude tour guide who the company should have replaced instead of brushing off the complaint

Bottom line the company you have booked with our friends thought was very good

Lyn

Thanks guys for the additional comments re the now ***** tour company..I think we' ll stick with them as well. While I understand there are rules...I agree that such rules are impossible to police..so what's to prevent a competitor from logging in and falsely singing the praises of the competition in the hopes that the competition will be identfied as a spammer..and have their name removed!! While a no name policy would be fairer...it would make it all the harder for us members to find legit companies...sigh ...it's a no win situation!

I've been leaning toward allah also, mainly because I like having a set amount of money to pay and nothing else to worry about (ie. finding enough people to make the price right on a tour). Plus they say their max is 16 people. I made a chart comparing all the different companies and came up with them being the one that covered the things I most wanted.

I'm not worried about touring with strangers, I've done that for ages. My cruises roll call has been extremely active, they already have a second group forming and the ladies who put it all together did a wonderful job, but for me that's too much of others determining what the group does. I'd rather pick the tour that suits me best and let the guides make all the decisions.

From everything I've read, you can't go wrong with most of the companies folks discuss here.

Sometimes you just have to go with your "gut" feelings. Read the posts by folks who have used these two companies in the past. I simply followed other posters who did much research and really knew what they were talking about and comparing. For me, it was very overwhelming to figure out on my own. Compare the logistics. For me personally, I don't like the $300 for either 2 or 16, because with several ships in port each day, I guarantee there will be many more than two people in your tour. If you are paying $300 you should have the ability to customize your tour as you like, not a "standard all size fits all tour". Finally, correspond with the two companies, and chose the one that fits your personality. Both companies are highly rated.

I would never assume there would only be two people on my tour, I just like that there won't be more than 16. And to me, compared to ship's prices, $300 for two days is a bargain and if I find a company that does everything I want to do with no more than 16 people then I'd rather sit back and let them do the planning. My part was researching all the companies and finding one that already was doing what I wanted. I have enough other planning to do for before and after the cruise, I'd rather leave this to professionals.

We took the Grand Tour with AllaTours just 3 months ago. Loved our tour and our guide was a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge on both Russian history and art history.

We DID spend 2 and a half hours in the Hermitage. I, too, LOVE the old masters. Even with 2 and a half hours in the Hermitage, we still felt we didn't have enough time. (we spent and entire day in the Louvre and the Vatican Museum...still not enough time for us)

We still had plenty of time in St. Isaac's to suit my taste.

You need to do whatever suits your taste.

Hope this helps.

jill

I'm all set with the Grand Tour with AllaTours. Now I don't have to worry about a thing. Even got on the list to attend the ballet at night. I love not having to think about a thing till I hear from them again in February.

I'm all set with the Grand Tour with AllaTours. Now I don't have to worry about a thing. Even got on the list to attend the ballet at night. I love not having to think about a thing till I hear from them again in February.

Hi there,

We are sailing on the NCL Sun May 22 2012 as well and I just picked up this Thread. I am interested as to what you are paying for your Grand tour and are you doing any tours with them in Berlin? If so what have they quoted on prices?

Cathy

The Grand Tour is $300 and includes camera fees and a bag lunch one day and a sit down lunch the other day. It covers everything I'm interested in, the canal boat ride, Yusupov's Palace, Catherine's, Spilled Blood, Peterhof gardens, Hermitage, Peter and Paul and St. Isaac's.

The ballet is $70.

And no more than 16 people in the group.

For me, just so much easier than forming a group first and then finding the right tour company

And even though they say they aren't available on Sunday's, my initial inquiry was answered on Sunday.

I've been reading people's reviews for months of the different companies, and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, it's a matter of what you're comfortable with. I'm comfortable with having them do the work.

ETA: About Berlin, I believe they have tours but I'm not interested in spending so much time travelling to and from, I think I'll spend the time in Rostock and closer to the port.

Hi there,

We are sailing on the NCL Sun May 22 2012 as well and I just picked up this Thread. I am interested as to what you are paying for your Grand tour and are you doing any tours with them in Berlin? If so what have they quoted on prices?

Cathy

Hi Cathy,

We sailed on the Sun just this past August. You will love the baltic itinerary. We sure enjoyed ourselves.

We used AllaTours for both Saint Petersburg and Berlin (we did all other ports on our own - no guide needed). I do know that AllaTours offered a discount when you booked both St. Pete and Berlin (If I remember correctly, something was mentioned about a four city tour discount offered for 2012. You might contact AllaTours to find out...she is wonderful to work with. Here is the web link: http://www.alla-tour.com/

Be prepared - It is a long drive from Warnemunde to Berlin. Our coach was comfortable (group of 12) and our guide was wonderful but it is still a long drive.