St. Petersburg 2 day shore excursion tour on celebrity constellation

[boulders]

The 2 day tour with Celebrity is $305 per person. It includes an inside visit to Peterhof, which none of the outside vendors I've looked at do. It also includes lunch in local restaurants.

 

The 2 day (private) tours from vendors I've seen recommended on cruisecritic are in the $270 per person range. Those tours take up to 16 people.

 

An 8 hour private car and guide booked through Celebrity is $850 for all 3 of us ($283 per person) including admittance to the 2 sites I want to visit in St. Petersburg.

 

I suppose I've had a bad experience with my shared private tour in Rome where I invited another family along. The guide kept speeding us along to see every single site without explaining what it was we were seeing. I just wanted to linger and look at a couple of places. I'd had a leg injury a few months prior and couldn't keep up with the guide, so she would speed off without asking whether I was ready to go. :(

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The 2 day tour with Celebrity is $305 per person. It includes an inside visit to Peterhof, which none of the outside vendors I've looked at do. It also includes lunch in local restaurants.

 

The 2 day (private) tours from vendors I've seen recommended on cruisecritic are in the $270 per person range. Those tours take up to 16 people.

 

An 8 hour private car and guide booked through Celebrity is $850 for all 3 of us ($283 per person) including admittance to the 2 sites I want to visit in St. Petersburg.

 

I suppose I've had a bad experience with my shared private tour in Rome where I invited another family along. The guide kept speeding us along to see every single site without explaining what it was we were seeing. I just wanted to linger and look at a couple of places. I'd had a leg injury a few months prior and couldn't keep up with the guide, so she would speed off without asking whether I was ready to go. :(

 

The reason most private tours do not visit inside Peterhof is that it is all about the gardens and the fountains there. Our private guide said that they do not go inside because it is very similar to the Catherine Palace which we did go inside. With a limited amount of time to see things, choices have to be made. I thought that was a good choice.

 

My guess would be that you could hire a private guide for the three of you who would take you exactly where you want to go for less than what Celebrity is charging. Celebrity has to add its profit margin to what the guide is charging for the tour. Have you actually had a conversation with any of them? They're all very accommodating.

[boulders]

The reason most private tours do not visit inside Peterhof is that it is all about the gardens and the fountains there. Our private guide said that they do not go inside because it is very similar to the Catherine Palace which we did go inside. With a limited amount of time to see things, choices have to be made. I thought that was a good choice.

 

My guess would be that you could hire a private guide for the three of you who would take you exactly where you want to go for less than what Celebrity is charging. Celebrity has to add its profit margin to what the guide is charging for the tour. Have you actually had a conversation with any of them? They're all very accommodating.

 

I have had conversations with private tour providers in St. Petersburg. The prices are more than Celebrity's. For example, Anastasia's one day shore excursion for 2 people is $764 and for 4 people it's $1060 rather than Celebrity's $850 for 3. I personally would rather spend more time in one place rather than running around trying to see everything.

[kseattle]

We have scheduled the St. Petersburg 2 day tour package with Celebrity Constellation on 7/25-7/26/12. We have also scheduled the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Russian Court Evening @ 6:30 PM on 7/25/12.

 

How was the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Russian Court evening? I am considering it as well for our visit next month.