Alla versus SPB tours

Hi. Forgive my ignorance about replying and new threads but I'm little slow in grasping it all lol. I have read great reviews about both Alla and SPB tours specifically for Baltic Sea region so any replies very appreciated. Sailing on Celebrity Silhouette August 20th. Thanks!!:)

Hi. Forgive my ignorance about replying and new threads but I'm little slow in grasping it all lol. I have read great reviews about both Alla and SPB tours specifically for Baltic Sea region so any replies very appreciated. Sailing on Celebrity Silhouette August 20th. Thanks!!:)

I have used Alla Tours and the Grand Tour was wonderful. Guides speak excellent English and take very good care of you. The itinerary covers all the must see sights in St. Petersburg. Your tour ticket will act as your visa waiver (blanket visa, visa free).

I have not used SPB tours but both companies have excellent reputations and their tour itineraries are about the same. Check with both and see which company gives you good vibes (for me, Alla Tours gave me the best feeling prior to booking, answered all my many questions and was very helpful and professional). BTW - there are other reputable companies in addition to just the 2 that you listed.

We used SPB and were very satisfied. From what I read on the board both companies do a great job (as do a couple of others).

Thank you!!

:)

Thank you! It really is overwhelming. All the planning lol

Alla made a bespoke tour for us and our 2yr old that covered everything we wanted and it meant that if he got tired we could leave a site early or eat at a different time. Their communication in advance was great and we had a great time. Obviously cannot compare the tours but Alla replied to our enquiry without delay or chasing and with a better itinerary than the other tour operators.

Enjoy

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We took the Alla Grand Tour and were incredibly happy with it. I highly recommend Alla, but based on the reviews and comments I have read, SPB is also a quality product.

-John

Hi. Forgive my ignorance about replying and new threads but I'm little slow in grasping it all lol. I have read great reviews about both Alla and SPB tours specifically for Baltic Sea region so any replies very appreciated. Sailing on Celebrity Silhouette August 20th. Thanks!!:)

I seriously doubt you are going to find anyone who has first-hand knowledge of the tours offered by both SPB and Alla in St. Petersburg because few people have the opportunity to visit more than one time.

When I was planning our time in St. Petersburg last year, I made a little chart comparing the sights visited by each company (Alla, SPB and TJ Travel) and how much time they stated they spent at each location. The Alla Grand Tour had more of the sights/attractions we wanted to see and they stayed longer in the places that interested us most. So, I booked with Alla and I was not disappointed. They delivered what they promised and it was an EXCELLENT tour.

I suggest you do something similar in order to have a clear comparison of what each company offers on each of their tours. The tours are pretty similar, but I did find there were some differences between them.

I took SPB this May for my baltic cruise & used them for all my ports. I think whether which company you take will be a hit or miss. Really depends on the guide you get assigned.. lottery.

I was with a group of 70+ ppl (booked together for cruise discount (for every 8 cabins we get one free & those gets split between all of us) & tours) we had the option of just booking tour & not joining the tours.

My cousin opted the chinese guided tours & I opted for the english speaking guide. For the larger cities we had 2 buses each & for St Petersburg, we had 4 buses. Each night we would compare notes.

I had days when the english guides were better & the chinese guide just say.. go take photos.. this is XYZ. Then on other ports, it was the opposite. The chinese speaking guides were russians that studied in Beijing & their usage of the language was better than my native born cousin.. heh I was born in the USA.. so I had to make fun of him! I stuck w/ the english speaking guides. A GOOD guide would be someone who's enthusiastic about their country, city & want to share it w/ everyone--I got a couple of those!!! :)

Most disappointed was in Helsinki, the assigned guide's english level was not even average & the bus had a broken microphone. We'd skipped a couple of the stops because they arrived to pick us up late.

Overall, SPB did a pretty good job w/ the tours.. a couple of negatives.

I used SPB Tours for my recent Baltic Cruise ( June 19, 2016). I had a chance to speak with Vikoria, the president of SPB. I asked her how many guides she had and she told me she has 70 guides.I told her I was amazed that she was so quick responding to my email inquiries. She said that they get 300+ emails a day and she has 2 assistants who help her with them.

What I found good about SPB is the guide we had, Olga, was very well versed in everything , history, politics,etc. Our mini-bus carried 16 people and was equipped with WiFi . I took the 3 day tour and we saw everything. We even squeezed in a canal tour. We went to 3 different restaurants and they all served a different menu. We also had 2 opportunities to shop, both times at Babushka Stores, similar to the ones you find at the terminal.

When we finished the last day, Viktoria was waiting for us at the port terminal to bid us farewell and get any feedback.

SPB also provides tours for Berlin. The bus tour is $89 and includes a video providing background on the Berlin Wall and the events at the time of its erection. I had already booked a trip through the ship via train to Berlin. I don't think I got any better a tour but the train was faster and more expensive, $259.

I understand that SPB is also serving ports in the Mediterranean so when I go back there, I will look for their tours. In conclusion, I was very satisfied with SPB.

Might also want to consider Best Guides. Just returned from the Baltic on Zuiderdam and had a wonderful 2 day tour with them. I posted a lengthier post in the Best Guides Thread.

We used SPB a few years ago and were extremely satisfied with all aspects of the tour. Our guide in St. Petersburg, Julia, was outstanding. We also used SPB in Helsinki & Stockholm & were very pleased with those guides as well.

Susan

We also used SPB for our three days in St. Petersburg on our recent (June 19) cruise on Silhouette. Other than our being unable to visit Catherine's summer palace (not SPB's fault and they refunded us each $10 because of it), they delivered everything promised. We also took advantage of two of the evening excursions SPB offered (folkloric show and ballet) and enjoyed them both--especially the ballet). As said before, the guide is key--we had a very good one and he kept us moving (he was "mother duck" to our group of 16) and was entertaining and informative.