DenRus tours

[hobbess]

I think DenRus was one of the first St. Petersburg tour companies, way back in the early 2000s, to specialize in shore excursions. So, it became the most popular tour company doing shore excursions and there's lot of older threads here about DenRus.

 

But, now, there's less feedback about DenRus as Alla and SPB have become the two most popular tour companies here on Cruise Critic.

 

So, what happened to DenRus? Did they drop the ball or mess up or something?

 

Why did people here stop using DenRus and start touring with Alla or SPB?

 

Is DenRus still considered to be one of the safe choices like an Alla or SPB, where there's been no negative feedback about them?

 

Or, has anybody noticed any more negative feedback about DenRus since it was sold and they got rid of their staff last year?

 

I'm looking at a new tour company, but its staffed by the people who used to work at DenRus before it got sold. I figure if the people at DenRus were good, then this new company should be safe to tour with too.

[John Bull]

DenRus' reputation is still excellent. :)

They are also used by P&O & doubtless others, for ship's tours.

 

If you also follow any other forum, such as TripAdvisor, you will find that worldwide the emphasis on tour operators, places of interest, etc differs quite significantly. I guess this is due to responses on each forum being dominated by a number of regular contributors. Nobody's wrong, but each forum has its "favourites".

 

Most of the St P operators started out working for someone else before branching out on their own, the one you're considering fits that pattern.

Personally I'd book with a well-established & reviewed operator, & let others be the guinea-pigs for the newbies. Makes it more difficult for the newbies, but that's life.

 

JB :)

[prish]

I think DenRus was one of the first St. Petersburg tour companies, way back in the early 2000s, to specialize in shore excursions. So, it became the most popular tour company doing shore excursions and there's lot of older threads here about DenRus.

 

But, now, there's less feedback about DenRus as Alla and SPB have become the two most popular tour companies here on Cruise Critic.

 

So, what happened to DenRus? Did they drop the ball or mess up or something?

 

Why did people here stop using DenRus and start touring with Alla or SPB?

 

Is DenRus still considered to be one of the safe choices like an Alla or SPB, where there's been no negative feedback about them?

 

Or, has anybody noticed any more negative feedback about DenRus since it was sold and they got rid of their staff last year?

 

I'm looking at a new tour company, but its staffed by the people who used to work at DenRus before it got sold. I figure if the people at DenRus were good, then this new company should be safe to tour with too.

 

Denrus was once of the tour operaotors I contacted when I first started researching our Baltic cruise last year, however they never got back, despite a couple of reminders. I later heard that the company had changed hands and many of the old employees were laid off.

 

Not sure how it goes with them now but we do have a some people from our sailing doing St Petes and Berlin with Denrus, so looks like they're back in business.

[TeaBag]

This is upsetting t hear that Den Rus has been sold. We are booked with them for a 2 day tour Jun 6 and 7. I'm wondering if we should cancel.

[Giantfan13]

When we were looking to book our tour for St Petersburg, we contacted all the major players there, including Denrus. What we got back from Denrus was a sort of form letter to fill out, asking about what we preferred to do. After getting back several personal replies, I just eliminated Denrus completely. I also heard, in my research that Denrus used to use large buses also which packed as many people as possible into them. if I wanted that I would have booked with the ship.

Maybe that is why it was sold and the new owners have modernized Denrus. I never heard any bad reviews for them, only that they were very impersonal and that meant a lot to me.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[dana r.]

There are 2 things I didn't like about Denrus compared to the other tour guides:

 

1) It didn't use a hydrofoil to Peterhof when doing so would have saved you about half an hour in time.

 

2) It didn't early admission to the Hermitage.

[Pet Nit Noy]

There are 2 things I didn't like about Denrus compared to the other tour guides:

 

1) It didn't use a hydrofoil to Peterhof when doing so would have saved you about half an hour in time.

 

2) It didn't early admission to the Hermitage.

 

Here's a thread you may want to read before striking a well-regarded tour company off your list over the topic of the hydrofoil VS bus.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1616724

 

You'll notice that Post #1 makes a very, very strong case for going by car/bus to Peterhof rather than by hydrofoil. Of course, you haven't indicated whether your day would begin with Peterhof in which case this advantage is irrelevant.

[dana r.]

Here's a thread you may want to read before striking a well-regarded tour company off your list over the topic of the hydrofoil VS bus.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1616724

 

You'll notice that Post #1 makes a very, very strong case for going by car/bus to Peterhof rather than by hydrofoil. Of course, you haven't indicated whether your day would begin with Peterhof in which case this advantage is irrelevant.

 

But, I don't think Post #1 would apply to most tourist and shore excursions when it writes:

 

It is more convenient to drive by car to Petergof, so that you can enter the palace from the UpperGarden without waiting in line as we can arrange early admission inside, and if you take a hydrofoil you will have to rush through the park first to the palace and then do exaclty the same way back.

 

Most people aren't goining into the palace and only going to see the fountains and park.

[Pet Nit Noy]

But, I don't think Post #1 would apply to most tourist and shore excursions when it writes:

 

Most people aren't goining into the palace and only going to see the fountains and park.

 

A visitor can tour the house regardless of entering via the upper garden or the lower garden, although there is the additional issue of early admission. The guide was accurately pointing out her client that they would have the entire length of the garden to travel if they arrive via hydrofoil in contrast to a relatively short distance to the house if they arrive via vehicle. (And they'd be retracing their steps when leaving via the hydrofoil. As a result, they'd see the garden twice, although probably in a less rushed fashion leaving than the morning dash to the entrance.)

 

I am only trying to point our a subtlety that may affect your thinking about vehicle VS hydrofoil. The situation isn't a clear cut as you seem to think it is, unless you are only going to the gardens.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Pet Nit Noy

[Pet Nit Noy]

But, I don't think Post #1 would apply to most tourist and shore excursions when it writes:

 

Most people aren't goining into the palace and only going to see the fountains and park.

 

I don't know about most people. I'm writing about optimizing a visit which does include a visit to the interior. If visitors are pressed for time, Peterhof's gardens are more impressive than those of Catherine's Palace. The interiors of Catherine's Palace beat the interiors of Peterhof, but not by much.

 

In fact, unless the Amber Room in Catherine's Palace is a special destination for a visitor, I think the Peterhof is the better all-around experience.

[cruisemom42]

When we were looking to book our tour for St Petersburg, we contacted all the major players there, including Denrus. What we got back from Denrus was a sort of form letter to fill out, asking about what we preferred to do. After getting back several personal replies, I just eliminated Denrus completely. I also heard, in my research that Denrus used to use large buses also which packed as many people as possible into them. if I wanted that I would have booked with the ship.

 

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Granted it's been a few years (but then unless I'm wrong it has been a few years for you also....;)) but when we utilized DenRus we had an excellent private tour for 4. No large buses.

 

We were able to personalize our tour in several ways that were important to us, no problems whatsoever.

 

I suspect one reason DenRus became less popular was because new players came on the scene and either offered a slightly lowered price or more options. When I did St. Petersburg, DenRus and Red October were, I think, the only game in town. I do read these forums periodically and do not recall any significant trend of criticisms of them at later dates.

[TeaBag]

The subject of this thread was whether Den Rus is as good as it used to be since it seems to have been sold and its employees laid off. Could we please have some answers regarding this if anyone has any?

[John Bull]

The subject of this thread was whether Den Rus is as good as it used to be since it seems to have been sold and its employees laid off. Could we please have some answers regarding this if anyone has any?

 

Yes, that was part of the OP.

And before I responded that their reputation is still excellent I checked the web' including TripAdvisor.

 

Out of almost 300 reviews, just six - evenly spread over 6 years - rated it badly & the rest rated it excellent or very good.

And some of the six were classics - two rated it terrible even though they never actually took the tour, one of them because Denrus wouldn't (couldn't) accept the booking they lodged the day before the cruise. :rolleyes:

Another complained that the guide didn't go looking for her before entering one venue, when she failed to appear at the agreed time :rolleyes:. I rather suspect that the rest of the group was pleased that the guide didn't hold them up by searching for the selfish arrogant woman.;)

 

I found no other negatives on the web, and I've never seen a crossed word about Denrus on Cruise Critic - though I've hardly seen a crossed word about any of the St P operators, the port with by far the highest tour customer satisfaction I've ever come across.

 

No worries :cool:

 

JB :)

Edited April 23, 2015 by John Bull

[dana r.]

I don't know about most people. I'm writing about optimizing a visit which does include a visit to the interior. If visitors are pressed for time, Peterhof's gardens are more impressive than those of Catherine's Palace. The interiors of Catherine's Palace beat the interiors of Peterhof, but not by much.

 

In fact, unless the Amber Room in Catherine's Palace is a special destination for a visitor, I think the Peterhof is the better all-around experience.

 

When I'm talking about most people, I'm referring to cruisers on group excursions to St. Pete. When I looked at the different tour companies, it seemed that they went to Peterhof gardens only and then went to Catherine Palace for the interiors.

 

I don't know of any tour company that didn't do that for their most intensive shore excursion.

[Giantfan13]

When I'm talking about most people, I'm referring to cruisers on group excursions to St. Pete. When I looked at the different tour companies, it seemed that they went to Peterhof gardens only and then went to Catherine Palace for the interiors.

 

I don't know of any tour company that didn't do that for their most intensive shore excursion.

 

Agree Dana. We did inside Catherine's Palace and the exteriors of Peterhoff, along with an extensive walk in the gardens. I really do not remember anyone saying they saw the interiors of both places, unless it was by special arrangement.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[TeaBag]

Thank you for the reassurance Giantfan. The trip advisor reviews I read, although written very recently, were about tours taken last year. I was worried the sale was very recent and things would not be the same. I couldn't get their web site at all one night and became quite worried. However, it is up and running now so I will hope for the best. St Petersburg is the reason we are booking this cruise on Eclipse although we are looking forward to the other places as well.

[prish]

Thank you for the reassurance Giantfan. The trip advisor reviews I read, although written very recently, were about tours taken last year. I was worried the sale was very recent and things would not be the same. I couldn't get their web site at all one night and became quite worried. However, it is up and running now so I will hope for the best. St Petersburg is the reason we are booking this cruise on Eclipse although we are looking forward to the other places as well.

 

Teabag, the Baltics season for this year is yet to start, the first ships go there only early May. So the latest reviews you'll find, not just Denrus but the others also, will be for the 2014 season. IMO this year's reviews should start appearing by mid-May or so. And as someone mentioned earlier none of the top operators in Russia has got bad reviews, except for the odd ones here and there.

[harg56]

We have booked their 2 day Explore St. Petersburg tour for our visit in June. The tour description says max. Group size 16, so we are expecting a minibus. They have been very helpful throughout the booking process, although I must admit their website could do with updating. I contacted them using the pop up box that appeared on the website and received a reply the next day. Once I got all the answers to my questions I was happy to make a booking.