Private Tour Lesson Learned

[sippican]

WOW, you missed the subway, boohoo.

 

Not to slam you, but why don't you talk about what you liked on your SPB tour also.

 

We did a private 5 person tour through SPB. We even made the subway trip. You know what, its a subway. The only interesting thing was how deep the station was and the speed of the escalator.

 

I think a bus of 20 takes a bit longer than our van of 5. We saw all the promised sites and had no extra time left.

 

As far as the email, sure she could have gotten back to you quickly.

I know at my job when I'm really busy things do slip between the cracks.

I'm sure its happened to you also.

 

How was the rest of your cruise? I would be more interested in that then weather or not you got an email apology in a timely manner.

 

Just my opinion and you know, everybody has one :)

 

Rich

 

As others have stated, the subway is a highlight to some who appreciate the art snd cultural signifcance of it. Sorry, you did not, I cannot comment since we missed it. As you may know, it is against the law to take photographs in the subway, although I have seen a few, and it was something we were interested in.

I said the tour was amazing in every other way, so that's what we liked about it.. (and you may not have noticed that I take responsibility for not ensuring that we saw the subway by reviewing the itinerary with our guide.)

We did not have a bus of 20 :confused: but a van of 11.

Yes, I agree, things sometimes slip through the cracks at work. However, having been in a managerial position, I know that getting back to people who have a concern takes top priority. Especially if they make contact more than once, and even after I have their money. (Alll e-mails are promptly answered by SPb before touring, even during busy season.)

If you'd like to read about the rest of my cruise, here's a link to my review.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=106159

And here are my port reviews

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1673736

Have you posted a review your trip? Since we feel so differently, I'd be interested in reading it. Thanks for expressing your opinion, although the sarcasm (boo hoo) was not necessary to get your point across. ;)

[sippican]

We also toured with SPB the same week as Sippican and although on a different bus, after 2 days of intense siteseeing, I was glad that the subway ride wasn't brought up;) I am sure that it would have been fine, but having ridden on subways all over Europe (mind the gap!) I can't imagine it was all that - no matter how it is decorated, etc. I am sure it is a lot of subway trains, with a lot of people rushing around just trying to get where they need to go. We took the canal cruise and the ferry to Peterhop, and that was much more appealing to me. Everything that we did for those 2 days in St. Pete was fabulous and our guide, Maria, was very good. Thinking back I can't imagine what I would have wanted to cut short in order to ride on the subway. For anyone using SPB, you don't need to worry, you will have a great experience. And if you really want to go on the subway, you may want to bring it up to your guide early on the 2nd day.

 

Glad you enjoyed your tour too.

I was told the subway was part of every two-day package so I wonder why it was not included on yours either, oh well, as you say, it wasn't missed.

 

For any one who wants a taste of the SPB subway system to see if you are interested or not:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQv8DuFIvk

[bflowngs]

Assuming that Viktoria or her staff monitors this site, I was wondering if you have heard from them about your concerns??

 

We are off for our cruise this Saturday, and have printed off the itinerary for our tour in SPB. I will try to keep up with things, and will report back to this board. I would think the subway would be very interesting.

 

Did you take the deluxe tour with lunches included?? If so, how was the food???

[scubacruiserx2]

Glad you enjoyed your tour too.

I was told the subway was part of every two-day package so I wonder why it was not included on yours either, oh well, as you say, it wasn't missed.

 

For any one who wants a taste of the SPB subway system to see if you are interested or not:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQv8DuFIvk

 

 

For those who missed, or would like to see the Metro:

 

The trip down

 

 

Narva Station

 

 

Dostoyevskaya train

 

 

Avtovo Station

 

[sippican]

Assuming that Viktoria or her staff monitors this site, I was wondering if you have heard from them about your concerns??

 

We are off for our cruise this Saturday, and have printed off the itinerary for our tour in SPB. I will try to keep up with things, and will report back to this board. I would think the subway would be very interesting.

 

Did you take the deluxe tour with lunches included?? If so, how was the food???

 

Yes, Viktoria did e-mail me with an apology, and an explanation that the delay in responding was due to it being a very busy time for them. I appreciated her honesty in saying there was no reason that we missed the subway. The guide had the tokens. I was offered a gift ( which I do not feel right about accepting since there were 11 of us on the tour). This is a completely acceptable response IMHO, I regret that it took three weeks,

We did do the deluxe tour with lunches. Day one we went to a very busy small restaurant/cafe that served pastry-type sandwiches. We could choose two with a beverage. I had a spinach and cheese and an apple filling. They were good.

The second day was more of a sit down lunch, at a lovely restaurant near the summer palaces. It was the same for all: borscht and beef stroganoff. I don't recall the vegetable or dessert. It came with a beverage and you could order beer or wine at an additional cost. This meal was ok, nothing special, very "cafeteria-like" (in fact we ordered beef stroganoff onboard and it was much better!). I was glad the lunches were included. It was nice to sit diwn and catch our breath. The guide was very efficient in assisting with ordering and moving us through in a timely fashion.

Have a great trip!

[newlaxfan]

Our group, who also did the 2-day deluxe tour with SPB, missed out on the subway too. It was supposed to happen in the morning of the first day. We realized we didn't do it that evening and mentioned it to our tour guide the next morning. We were given the option of doing it that afternoon instead of one of the other visits, but opted to give the subway a miss.

[Herman The Cat]

Assuming that Viktoria or her staff monitors this site, I was wondering if you have heard from them about your concerns??

 

We are off for our cruise this Saturday, and have printed off the itinerary for our tour in SPB. I will try to keep up with things, and will report back to this board. I would think the subway would be very interesting.

 

Did you take the deluxe tour with lunches included?? If so, how was the food???

 

Would you be willing to share your itinerary? We are in the process of working/finalizing our itinerary and I want to be sure we don't miss any major things.

[mansibhatt77]

I honestly do not know how to explain how wonderful it was to do our tour with Alex’s Tours & Travel. My family consisting of my 26 year old brother, me and my husband at 35, and my parents at 60 did the 4 Baltic capitals tour which included Berlin, Tallin, 2 days in St. Petersburg, and Helsinki. Alex was wonderful to work with. He responded to emails right away with any question I had small or large. Over the course of planning this trip I realized he is a very genuine and honest person. He was also not at all pushy like some other tour company that kept contacting me even after I told them I had booked with someone else (SPD Viktoria kept emailing me and even offered a $15 discount if we went with her, but I was not happy with her pushiness and would not leave Alex after all he has done to save $15). He even helped us plan a visit to see a folklore show the first evening of the St. Petersburg tour and transportation back to the ship. All the guides were great and knowledgably, but the best was Elena in St. Petersburg. She went out of her way to make sure we were able to see everything on our itinerary. Even though circumstances on that particular day made other tour companies have to skip Catherine’s Place, we did not have to. We also loved that we saw exactly the same stuff the other bigger tour companies saw, but with a smaller group. We did not opt for a private tour, however still felt like it was pretty private compared to the numbers we saw with the other tour companies. When we left the ship there was a sign with our last names ( along with the names of others on the tour) on it, not a sign with a tour company name that was waiting for lots of people and then were dividing them up in groups. That was a nice personal touch. I would be wiling to talk to anyone that has more questions. Email me at mansi_shah77@hotmail.com

[Got2Cruise]

Hmmm. I am wondering if the guide is the same. I hope you addressed this in the survey at the end of the tour which has been confirmed that Vika takes very very seriously. I am really scratching my head how the subway was not done. It is the part of every "standard" tour. I loved my experience with SPb tours, but if the guide messed up, I would have taken money off the tip. There is no excuse for that. Our guide was in constant communication with Anthony and other guides all day via cellphone to make sure we used our time most effectively. Ask for Maria, aka Masha.

Our group, who also did the 2-day deluxe tour with SPB, missed out on the subway too. It was supposed to happen in the morning of the first day. We realized we didn't do it that evening and mentioned it to our tour guide the next morning. We were given the option of doing it that afternoon instead of one of the other visits, but opted to give the subway a miss.

[sippican]

Our group, who also did the 2-day deluxe tour with SPB, missed out on the subway too. It was supposed to happen in the morning of the first day. We realized we didn't do it that evening and mentioned it to our tour guide the next morning. We were given the option of doing it that afternoon instead of one of the other visits, but opted to give the subway a miss.

 

Wish we had realized we might miss it. Having that knowledge, I would have given up the canal cruise in a heartbeat. In hindsight, I don't think there is anything else I would have given up, but I wouldn't have known that before hand. Did you bring this to the attention of Viktoria?

 

Hmmm. I am wondering if the guide is the same. I hope you addressed this in the survey at the end of the tour which has been confirmed that Vika takes very very seriously. I am really scratching my head how the subway was not done. It is the part of every "standard" tour. I loved my experience with SPb tours, but if the guide messed up, I would have taken money off the tip. There is no excuse for that. Our guide was in constant communication with Anthony and other guides all day via cellphone to make sure we used our time most effectively. Ask for Maria, aka Masha.

 

When we completed the survey on day two, it still had not crossed our mind. Really, I wish I had carried a copy of the itinerary. But, I was also aware that the itinerary order is not cast in stone, and can be adjusted for traffic and the assigned entry times for Catherine's Palace, etc. Hopefully, Viktoria is now aware that this is not an isolated problem, and will take steps to prevent others from being disappointed.

All in all, we still had a fabulous time. We missed one thing - no big deal, but since there didn't seem to be a logical explanation, I though I'd pursue it, and the lack of a timely response was even more frustrating.

 

Although not as good as the real thing, it is fun to see the videos and photos :)

[sunshine 229]

For those who missed, or would like to see the Metro:

 

The trip down

 

 

Narva Station

 

 

Dostoyevskaya train

 

 

Avtovo Station

 

 

I see that you have photos of the subway so, was taking them not a problem? I am interested as some have reported that they were not allowed to be taken. I I am bringing my camera, and would love to get some shots of the stations ,if possible, but I have no desire to cause an incident by trying to photograph some forbidden area.

[goose30]

Always a good idea to dwell on missed opportunity when it is too late to do anything about it.

 

you had good times, remember them.

[Coolcruise02]

I see that you have photos of the subway so, was taking them not a problem? I am interested as some have reported that they were not allowed to be taken. I I am bringing my camera, and would love to get some shots of the stations ,if possible, but I have no desire to cause an incident by trying to photograph some forbidden area.

 

I just read were someone said it was "illegal" to take pictures in the subway. We were there in July and took many pictures with no problem. I would have thought our wonderful guide would have let us know if it was not allowed!

[scubacruiserx2]

We encountered no difficulties taking photos. Of course we were

discreet and wore "Russian camouflage".

[fille_canadienne]

Why didn't you say anything while you were still in SPb, why wait until you get home...Did you not look at your itinerary right there?

 

Guides are humans too, maybe she just forgot...While some stations like Kirovsky Zavod, Avtovo or Ploschad Vosstania are quite elaborate, other are pretty plain. It's not like she forgot to show you the Hermitage...

 

Did you go to the Russian Museum or Mariinsky Theater to see a ballet? There is also another smaller theater inside the Hermitage that used to be the tzar's private theater, it's absolutely beautiful and offers an amazing experience to go see Giselle or Swan Lake just like the tzar did! Don't be upset because of the subway, it's nice but it's not like you missed Fontana di Trevi in Rome :) There is so much to see in Saint Petersburg that you wouldn't be able to see everything on one trip anyway, you literally need weeks!

 

It's illegal to take photos in the subway, of course you're not going to be thrown into jail but you might be asked not to do that by a policeman... (I am originally from Saint Petersburg and go back at least once a year)

[sunshine 229]

Thanks for the comments about subway photos. I guess I'll just ask our guide.

It would be interesting to get some photos but not, to me, worth creating a problem if it is frowned upon.

[Got2Cruise]

Sunshine, after you go through Russian immigration, I don't think you will risk taking the chance of getting in trouble with the Russian authorities.:D If you want a picture, just "take" one from here.

Thanks for the comments about subway photos. I guess I'll just ask our guide.

It would be interesting to get some photos but not, to me, worth creating a problem if it is frowned upon.

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks for the comments about subway photos. I guess I'll just ask our guide.

It would be interesting to get some photos but not, to me, worth creating a problem if it is frowned upon.

 

Here is the link to the new rules concerning photos/videos on the Metro, http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=35300etro

You could always ask your guide or tour company ahead of time to get permission for you. Have a great trip.

[Coolcruise02]

We were there in July and our tour guide never said a word about NOT taking pictures. We did get some good pictures. Glad no police were around! :)

 

I guess the rules changed in March:http://rt.com/news/prime-time/photo-petersburg-metro-ban-393/

[Moomduck1]

While on tour with SPB, at the Peterhof, did you just tour the gardens or were you able to go inside the palace?

Thanks,

Chris

[TLCOhio]

While on tour with SPB, at the Peterhof, did you just tour the gardens or were you able to go inside the palace?

Thanks, Chris

 

Hi, Chris! You can tour inside the Peterhof Palace, but most rate location as more only "OK". The inside palace superstars are Catherine's Palace and the Hermitage. Below are are couple of examples for why those interiors are so spectacular. The "star" at the Peterhof are the outside gardens and fountains. Those are super world-class.

 

On private tours, here is my three cents worth. Slightly better than only two cents worth. The honest truth is that there are a number of very good to excellent private firms in St. Petersburg. Most people liked their tour and will beat the drums and say theirs are the "best". Of course, they have only tried one and do not have much real sense of "comparison". It is my suggestion to write via e-mail to four or five of the top firms, tell them exactly what you want, seek and love. See what you get back and which one is the "best fit" for your specific personal needs and travel style. Some people are very happy and satisfied with the basic, standard "formula" tour that is offered up. I am NOT a big fan, however, of "one size fits all".

 

Others, like us, want things to be a little more custom. In our "planning process", I asked lots of questions (after doing some advance reading and research) and got back many good replies (quickly) from Anastasia that helped me get my arms around the many options in St. Petersburg. Getting your trip "flow" and "pacing" is very important for St. Petersburg. We were super happy with how it all worked in having a great mix for what we saw and how it fit together. Another key factor is their "flexibility". Once in Russia and doing the first day, we asked about a couple of "schedule adjustments" and they got things done in a smooth and excellent manner. One item was a request to stop at a shop to buy a Russian-style military hat and I asked about getting an early admission at the Hermitage to avoid some of the bus/mass crowds at the regular hour. Making things custom and personal was very important to us. Some firms are flexible and very responsive. Others are not that way, nor interested or caring. You need to determine what you want and need.

 

Just like there are many different sizes, styles and types of shoes, the same is true with private tour companies. We don't all wear and have same types of shoes for all needs, occasions and purposes. Below are a few of my visual samples to get folks prepared for the great glories that are there in St. Petersburg.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 101,173 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 80,480 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Inside Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg with our personal guide from Anastasia, we view this spectacular reception “ballroom”, painted ceiling, gold, etc., at our pace and timing schedule.:

 

 

 

At Catherine's Palace, here is a small sampling of its historic and highly-detailed furniture.:

 

 

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many different and great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility. Even without the art items, these five palaces are so spectacular! This room is adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th-18th centuries, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.:

 

 

 

Here is a unique angle for the spectacular fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

 

 

 

One of the many fountains on the grounds of the Peterhof is the Orangery Fountain, depicting Triton fighting a sea monster. There is a cafe there with outdoor seating and super views where we ate outside and had our lunch.:

 

[Moomduck1]

Terry,

Wow, thank you for your quick response and for posting the beautiful pictures. I am even more excited for our trip next year! I will take your advice.

Chris

[TLCOhio]

Terry, Wow, thank you for your quick response and for posting the beautiful pictures. I am even more excited for our trip next year! I will take your advice. Chris

 

Glad to help!! Keep these good questions and comments rolling along!! Lots of great ideas and people are here on these boards and they are happy to help. Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and that experience.

 

On the Russian subways, we visited those "People's Palaces" during our day-trip to Moscow during our three-day cruise ship visit to St. Petersburg. I took pictures and had no problems or issues at that time. Didn't get a "free" trip to Siberia! Took a number of pictures with our guide in them and he didn't say no. Below are two examples. These underground structures are really spectacular looking! I am glad we saw them there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 101,173 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

The Russian subways are called the “People’s Palaces” with their marble coverings and unique designs for each of the different and many stations. This visual is from Moscow, but you have similar to see in St. Petersburg. Very interesting!!:

 

 

 

Here is another view of the subways in Moscow. It is easy to see whey they were called the “People’s Palaces” with their marble coverings and unique designs for each of the different and many stations.:

 

[sippican]

While on tour with SPB, at the Peterhof, did you just tour the gardens or were you able to go inside the palace?

Thanks,

Chris

 

We were not offered that opportunity with SPb, but we never asked either. The gardens are spectacular and we only saw a fraction of those. You will find that time is at a premium. The tour companies must prearrange tickets with some of the major venues then work around those times allotted for your group.

You must determine your priorities then work with the company prior to arrival, and with your guide as the tour progresses. In hindsight, we would have skipped the canal boat tour in favor of the subway or more time somewhere else. Also, be aware that early admission to the Hermitage does not mean a crowd-free environment, just a smaller mass of people. :)

[Moomduck1]

In hindsight, we would have skipped the canal boat tour in favor of the subway or more time somewhere else.

 

Could I ask why? My husband and I were going to make sure that our tour included this canal boat tour. We are very interested in why you would skip it. We are assuming you didn't really see anything much different than what you can see on the cruise ship?