page W Posted June 28, 2006 #26 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Hello, I see several people (John CH and namam 305 and maybe more) are interested in tours in St. P on the Regatta sailing Aug. 1. A friend and I would love to share tours on Aug. 4 and 6 and maybe attend a ballet or other show at night. (We are taking the ship's Moscow tour on Aug. 5.) Of course, we want to cram in all the good stuff on Aug. 4 and 6, and you may be interested in tours all 3 days. I have been in contact with Red October, and Galia says she may have others interested in these days. Olga with DenRus says we need to set up our own group. Also, we would be interested in sharing a taxi in Gdansk, maybe to find an English speaking driver to take us on a tour. Any ideas? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerinde Posted June 28, 2006 #27 Share Posted June 28, 2006 My husband and I are also on the August 1 Regatta. A number of us who have been exchanging information on another thread are booked with Alla Tours. She has been extremely responsive and received many positive reviews. The link for her website is http://www.alla-tour.com/ I believe her email address is posted on the website but if not I can post in another message. We have been trying to get interest in a tour in Gdansk. I checked out www.toursinpoland.com , which was recommended on one of the threads, and sent an email. At present they have a van that would accomodate 8. I was looking at tour #2. My email is sunflowerinde@yahoo.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCH Posted June 30, 2006 #28 Share Posted June 30, 2006 We will also be on the August 1 Regatta cruise. My wife and I would like to join others on a DenRus or Red October tour. John Hale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerinde Posted July 3, 2006 #29 Share Posted July 3, 2006 We have 6 confirmed for tour in Gdansk with toursinpoland.com. Need 2 more to fill van for 8. Price in euros - 50 per person. Contact sunflowerinde@yahoo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerinde Posted July 7, 2006 #30 Share Posted July 7, 2006 The groups I have been working with are now full. Thanks to all who contacted me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvpadreschargers Posted July 7, 2006 #31 Share Posted July 7, 2006 We just got back from Oceania's Baltic Cruise on Tuesday of this week - we would definitely recommend Red October. Our group consisted of 10 people and Red October worked out perfectly for us. We did an 8:30 to 5:00 tour on the first day, 8:30 to 4:30 on the second day, and 9:15 to 3:30 tour on the final day. It was wonderful having a van take us where we wanted to go - rather than travelling with 50 other people on the bus. It was obviously much more personal. The price per couple for the three days was $800. If we had done ship tours for that length of time, it would have been much more expensive. I met people on the ship that had four people in their tour - that ended up being $1200 per couple - but they also attended a ballet one evening. I would recommend Red October to anyone. Our guide, Tatyana, was outstanding. She was extremely knowledgeable. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandbag7 Posted July 8, 2006 #32 Share Posted July 8, 2006 We also just returned from the Regatta on July 4. We used Alla, an independent, and were very pleased. We were a group of 4, and the cost for three days was $900.00 per couple including both treasure rooms of the Hermitage, and visits to Catherines Palace and Peterhof as well as numerous other sites. All entree charges were included including the charge for camera use. We rode in a Mercedes Van with the guide and driver; by travelling in a smaller group than the usual 8-10 that is characteristic of Denrus and Red October, I felt we were able to travel quicker and see more; we also were able to add sites (like Kazan Cathedral) when time allowed. We also were able to see some sites (a market and a famous cemetary and monastery) which probably would not have worked with a larger group because of the need to have multiple consents. Prior to booking with Alla I checked with Denrus and Red October; both were considerably more expensive for a small group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandbag7 Posted July 8, 2006 #33 Share Posted July 8, 2006 I should add that our tour was from 9 to 7 on the first day, 9 to 5 on the second and 9 to 4:30 on the third; if you wanted a shorter tour, I'm fairly certain Alla would adjust her pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cranium Posted July 13, 2006 #34 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Have you finalized your St Petersburg private tour? We are 2 interested in doing a private tour of St Petersburg. We are on the same ship and sailing.Hi, We are on the Regatta sailing on August 1st. We are interested in sharing a private tour . We have contacted Red October and would like to share with another couple or two. Let us know if you are interested. Dodieray@aol.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sancarlos Posted July 13, 2006 #35 Share Posted July 13, 2006 MIKE IN DENVER I would very much contact DenRus and see if they can arrange something for you. Ask for Eugena is she is available, she is wonderful. I am formally from Evergreen, hope you enjoy the cruise to the Baltic as much as we did last year. This year Greece on the Natical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimrealestate Posted July 18, 2006 #36 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I am not a fan of Oceania and one of the primary reasons is the overpriced, overcrowded, lousy tours they offer. I wish I had known about this site prior to my cruise. If I had I would have booked a private tour at every port. We missed a lot on our Northern European cruise because I had not arranged things prior to the cruise. The Oceania concierge was lame. He told us their were no car rentals twice - both cases we got off and found a rental within walking distance of the ship. I don't think he ever was off the ship! Oceania works if you take the time prior to your cruise to plan your port excursions. Bravo for thinking ahead and have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funoverdue Posted July 19, 2006 #37 Share Posted July 19, 2006 My husband and I are also on the Regatta Aug 1 sailing. We have contacted both DenRus and Red October about custom tours of St Petersburg. We are interested in the following: CatherinePalace Hermitage Spilled Blood Cathedral GrandPalace of Peterhof Peter and Paul Fortress St Nicholas Church St Isaac’s Cathedral Yusupovs’ Palace As time is very short.....immediate response required from couples interested in joining us to form small group. Please e-mail ..... jvan1000@hotmail.com Based on the the response by both, we are inclined to book with DenRus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedevil Posted July 25, 2006 #38 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Just back from the Insignia cruise to the Baltic - July 10-24 - and we used Red October. It was great. Before the cruise we were in contact with the company to develop a tour that meet our expectations. I would suggest groups in St. Pete's of 4-6 because it gives the guide more leeway when getting you in and out of the really busy sites...Like the palaces and churches. If you are a small group.....if the guide is good.....you don't spend much time in the really long lines. And be prepared if you take a large tour to stand in line and be treated like a small herd of cattle. Red October worked out 3 days of tours and they were able to change a few things once we got there due to the huge crowds caused by the G-8 meeting delaying port entry for other cruises. We started very early...that is one trick because most cruise tours start after 8:30am. At most sites we were through our visit and getting back in our van when the 15 buses pulled in the parking lot. Bring a small hand fan....it gets very stuffy in the buildings.....Even when it is cool outside. One of the hightlights was having lunch in a local restaurant on the last day. It was the resturant our tour guide meets her friends after work and the food was great. Much better than the "tour" arranged local resturant on the first day. Our guide, Victoria, was knowledgeable, excited to tell us about her town, and spoke very good english. Our driver was very good and we always felt safe during the visit. On the first morning in St. Pete's be downstairs at the gangway around 8:00-8:30am (check your ship's daily paper and be there at the time they list disembarkation) and you will beat the HUGE crowd getting off the boat. This was the only day that we got caught in a long line to get off the boat. TIP- if you are on a private tour, once you get off the ship on the first day, there will probably be a long line of people (if you were not first in line) for the O tours (they will have O stickers on their shirts) go around that line to the right and there is a customs line for just crew and private tours. That will save you 30 minutes your first day in St. Pete's. Cons - It cost a little more than the Oceania cruise. Beware of the "boxed lunch" (this goes for all St. Pete's tours) They have to stop at the souvenir store for you to pay the balance on your account (But the items were reasonably priced, a hat we bought was being sold in the ship's boutique for twice as much and there was free vodka samples. You won't be with 50 of your fellow shipmates;) Pros- More flexible and tailored to our interests Due to the small size of our group of 4, we were able to by-pass many of the long lines. One on one chats - Victoria told us about growing up under soviet rule and how things have changed, she made us feel like we understood what being Russian was, her love of St. Pete's and Russia gave our tour a special feel. You could hear what the guide was saying and ask questions. No waiting for the last 2 people who took forever to get off the bus or were late in the morning. (heard horror stories about folks who made a large tour go really slow because they kept wandering off) Our guide took us to a shop off the beaten track and we found wonderful Russian folk art we did not see anywhere else. St. Pete's for many is a once in a lifetime visit - spend a little extra money and get the tour that you will enjoy and fulfill your expectations. I would recommend Red October but DENRUS has gotten good reviews too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverroad Posted July 25, 2006 #39 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Sharon, Thanks for sharing your experience & for the helpful tip about getting off the ship in St. Petersburg. We are on the Aug. 3 Insignia sailing & have a private tour booked with Alla. I was wondering how it worked getting off at the same time as the ship's excursions & now I know. We'll be prepared! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gailoterson Posted July 25, 2006 #40 Share Posted July 25, 2006 For those of you who booked a private tour, about how far in advance to you contact the tour group? I am booked for next June and wanted to know when I should contact someone. CJ cruiser feel free to chime in here. I am counting on planning this with you. Also, how many people would you recommend to form a small group? I was actually thinking that we should try to find a group of 6-8. Any opinions would be appreciated. Gail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedevil Posted July 26, 2006 #41 Share Posted July 26, 2006 For those of you who booked a private tour, about how far in advance to you contact the tour group? I am booked for next June and wanted to know when I should contact someone. CJ cruiser feel free to chime in here. I am counting on planning this with you. Also, how many people would you recommend to form a small group? I was actually thinking that we should try to find a group of 6-8. Any opinions would be appreciated. Gail We started contacting tour companies about 4 months before the July 2006 cruise. For example the months of June - August are considered high season in the Baltic and if you wait too long....you might be out of luck. It is wise to expect the unexpected. We were glad we had already booked Red October when the G8 Summit in St. Pete's changed the plans of other cruise lines and suddenly there were double the number of ships in port with the Insignia. Folks from those ships were scrambling to schedule/reschedule tours....... Do some research before you contact a tour company and have a list of the things you want to see. For example, if we had it to do again, we probably would have skipped the piers in Gdansk and spent more time exploring Old Town. We had a group of 6 for one tour but for St. Pete's and rest of the time we were just a group of 4. In my opinion, the best size is 4-6 due to the size of the van needed for transport and it is easier getting a smaller group in and out of the buildings. The larger your group, the more likely you will end up having to wait in lines and you have less flexibility when asking to change things. Also, if you want to eat in local restaurants, it is easier to accomodate smaller groups. It does make it a little cheaper to have a larger group but you lose flexibility and the tour gets a little less personal. We also asked our guides (and driver in St. Pete's) to join us for each local meal. It was a great time for getting to know about their families and personal experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gailoterson Posted July 26, 2006 #42 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Thank you Sharon for your response. Gail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
more from les Posted September 29, 2006 #43 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Quick question for those of you who went on an Oceania Baltic cruise this season - where did your Oceania ship dock in St. Pete? I have now read that there are four possible dock locations depending upon the size of ship (and clout of the cruise line?). There are also rumours of a new cruise ship terminal - any information on that would be useful too as we plan our 2007 cruise to the Baltic on Regatta. Thanks Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sboca Posted October 1, 2006 #44 Share Posted October 1, 2006 What is the Email address for Red October. My husband and I are taking this cruise July 14 2007. Also what part of the guided tour did you like the best and what part would you eliminate. Thanks for your response. I find these boards so helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.