Private Tours vs. Value Tours in St. Petersburg

[SF]

Would like to know opinions from those that have been to St. Petersburg in regards to.....is it worth the extra for a custom tour vs. one of the value ones offered by Denrus? The difference is about $200 per person. I'm wondering if it's worth that. I know on the custom tour we'd get to see everything we wanted as the value tour has most of the sights but not all. It's just that it's such a vast difference and when you multiply it by the number in our family it adds up fast. Is a private customized tour worth that difference?

[jcrandle]

I had posted of our experiences with the Value Tour, but I apparently ran afoul of board rules regarding forbidden topics and my post was deleted. I'll try again, without mentioning names.

 

We were two who booked the Value Tour on our August 11 & 12 visit to St. Petersburg. When we located the tour representative, we were told that we were the ONLY two on the tour, so we had a private tour for a value price. Other postings have indicated that the group sizes are usually in the 10 to 14 person range, which his likely smaller than the ship's tour.

 

The advantages of a private tour are mostly time (a private tour is likely to move more quickly due to smaller group size) and customization. Since we were the only two on the tour, Ludmilla, our guide, offered us the opportunity to customize the itinerary. However, since this was our first visit, the things we wanted to see were the ones offered on the Value Tour. We did take advantage of the offer on the second day, when DW decided to return to a previously visited shop for some amber rings. We would likely not have had this opportunity.

 

For my money, I voted for the Value Tour, and was pleased. I think I would also have been almost as happy, if our group size had been more typical.

[sumguy1]

You will see enough if you go with value tours. I think we were 24 persons in our group and it was just fine. The tour was well organized and enjoyable, so I would save the money for more souvenir shopping.

[virgenia]

I think the answer depends on how familiar you are with the sights in SP and how strongly you feel about seeing them. For us, the Value Excursion was just fine. We did not know that much about SP, so seeing one thing over another was not important. Our Value Tour took us to all the highlights except Catherine's Palace, which is some distance out of town. We had lunch at two nice restaurants. Our group was large--28 I think-- but our guide kept us moving and we saw lots and lots of sights. We also had Ludmilla and loved her. What an amazing fount of knowledge with perfect English. Unless the price difference is so minimal and you have definite must-sees, I vote for the Value Excursion.

[SF]

Thank you all for your opinions. Did the value tour include lunch or did you have to purchase it separately?

[jcrandle]

The value tour included lunch both days. The first day was at the restaurant in the conservatory at the winter palace, and the second at a downtown restaurant, the Tchaikovsky. Both lunches were pretty good. If you are a drinker, be sure and sit next to a non-drinker, as they serve a shot of vodka and glass of champagne at each lunch.:D

[spearmint]

I think the answer depends on how familiar you are with the sights in SP and how strongly you feel about seeing them. For us, the Value Excursion was just fine. We did not know that much about SP, so seeing one thing over another was not important. Our Value Tour took us to all the highlights except Catherine's Palace, which is some distance out of town. We had lunch at two nice restaurants. Our group was large--28 I think-- but our guide kept us moving and we saw lots and lots of sights. We also had Ludmilla and loved her. What an amazing fount of knowledge with perfect English. Unless the price difference is so minimal and you have definite must-sees, I vote for the Value Excursion.

 

Our experience is exactly the same with one difference. Our tour number was only 10, and we simply needed a large van rather than a bus. We chose to miss Catherine's Palace rather than take a more personalized tour simply because it was too expensive. We were not one bit sorry. In order to include Catherine's Palace plus everything else we saw, we really needed a third day, which unfortunately we did not have on Constellation. You will love the Value Excursion Tour, and, I know there are other good guides there, but if you get Ludmilla your knowledge of Russian history and art in general will really expand.:) Enjoy your tour.

[dbh62ark]

I'm offering an opposing point of view because I've been to Catherine's Palace and wouldn't want to have missed it. The sheer magnitude of the place is awesome, and the Amber room is amazing. We had 10 in our group, and the cost was only $15 per person higher than the value tour. In our private tour, we paid the $15 per person extra to go to the Gold Rooms, but we did not eat at a restaurant on either of our two days. I disagree with the statement that 3 days in St. Petersburg are needed in order to include Catherine's Palace; because we chose to eat in the van during our 2-day tour, we had plenty of time to see all the main sites and were not rushed. Tough choices have to be made regarding what to see and what to miss in St. Petersburg, and we were thrilled with our custom itinerary. In fact, it is now listed as a sample itinerary on the Denrus site. So I think it's at least worth checking into the cost of a private tour and checking to see if others on your roll call board are interested in sharing a tour with you.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[Carol1e]

I agree with the point of view of a private tour. We were just there in August & did the two day tour with Denrus with just my husband & I and it can't be beat. With just the two of us, plus the guide & driver, we went many places & got in much faster than any of the bigger groups. Our guide took us right in front of all the long lines, plus we ate lunch in two different local restaurants.

[dog]

Carol1e, I think this is what we're interested in doing.

Did you go in a car, with guide & driver, you and your husband?

How long was your day? Can you give me an idea of your cost? Did it include the 2 lunches for all 4 of you? And what did your private tour entail?

Thanks, J.

[scubacruiserx2]

We recently returned from the Baltics in Sept.. In St. Pete. we did a Custom Tour with DenRus. There were 4 of us, a guide and driver. At first we weren't sure about the cost, but we are so glad we splurged.

We were able to see so much without waiting in the long lines(hundreds of people waiting to enter, Hermitage, Catherine's Palace and Peterhof). If we wanted or needed to stop-no problem. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I spoke to the people who did the Value Tour and a 1 day tour, they were very pleased as well. Highly recommend them.

We also saw the Amber Room(included) at Catherines and the Gold Room (extra)at the Hermitage. You get a special guide from the Hermitage that explains the history of pieces and more information than you can digest. L Restaurants that locals visit, subway (Red Line), Folk Show and as rushed as the 2 days were we had time to savor the atmosphere of St.Pete.

Whatever you do enjoy!:)

[cruiselover61]

Would like to know opinions from those that have been to St. Petersburg in regards to.....is it worth the extra for a custom tour vs. one of the value ones offered by Denrus? The difference is about $200 per person. I'm wondering if it's worth that. I know on the custom tour we'd get to see everything we wanted as the value tour has most of the sights but not all. It's just that it's such a vast difference and when you multiply it by the number in our family it adds up fast. Is a private customized tour worth that difference?

 

Last year we was on a Denrus Tours and it was the highlight of our cruise. We got to see everything. Our guide and our van driver was great. There was 8 people plus the driver and guide this was a idea number.

[Carol1e]

Dog - Sorry I won't have time to go into detail because we are leaving for Maggie Valley in the morning for 3 weeks. We went in a car, as I said, with just us, the driver & guide. It was a very long day, very exhausting, starting about 6:15 & ending about 7:30 p.m. And we did the 2 day private tour with Denrus -- both days about the same length. The great thing about it is you don't have to follow any set guidelines & can go anywhere. Our guide was wonderful & I do have her e-mail address. The lunches are extra, our first day was in a local Russian restaurant, very inexpensive (and you do have to pay for your guide, usually not the driver), & the second day, in a more elaborate place, although still not highly expensive. How they work it is you do research on what you want to see, work it out by e-mail with Denrus, & they charge accordingly. I didn't have the faintest idea what to see other than, say, Catherine's Palace & the Hermitage, but they are a great help. One thing we did that lots of tours don't is go on a Russian subway (the terminal was beautiful) & a boat ride.

 

I don't check this site often any more since we got back from the trip & I am ashamed to say that I was going to write a report but still haven't gotten to it. If your trip is any time soon, I'll give you my cell phone & you can call since we won't be back for 3 weeks. I guess you're not supposed to do that openly on here but I am computer challenged so oh well......

Anyway, it is 863-255-9207.

 

Carole

[dog]

That's fine. I went back and read over some other posts re: private tours and understand it. I am getting the idea a car for 2 would be about $450-$500 US per day. I will contact Denrus for details in a couple of months. We don't go until the end of next summer.

J.

[sailaway5]

Dog - Sorry I won't have time to go into detail because we are leaving for Maggie Valley in the morning for 3 weeks. We went in a car, as I said, with just us, the driver & guide. It was a very long day, very exhausting, starting about 6:15 & ending about 7:30 p.m. And we did the 2 day private tour with Denrus -- both days about the same length. The great thing about it is you don't have to follow any set guidelines & can go anywhere. Our guide was wonderful & I do have her e-mail address. The lunches are extra, our first day was in a local Russian restaurant, very inexpensive (and you do have to pay for your guide, usually not the driver), & the second day, in a more elaborate place, although still not highly expensive. How they work it is you do research on what you want to see, work it out by e-mail with Denrus, & they charge accordingly. I didn't have the faintest idea what to see other than, say, Catherine's Palace & the Hermitage, but they are a great help. One thing we did that lots of tours don't is go on a Russian subway (the terminal was beautiful) & a boat ride.

 

I don't check this site often any more since we got back from the trip & I am ashamed to say that I was going to write a report but still haven't gotten to it. If your trip is any time soon, I'll give you my cell phone & you can call since we won't be back for 3 weeks. I guess you're not supposed to do that openly on here but I am computer challenged so oh well......

Anyway, it is 863-255-9207.

 

Carole

 

Hi Carole: I am too am interested in hearing more about your Den Rus tour as we are planning a private tour with them in July 2007. Was your vehicle air conditioned? Would love to hear more details about your experience. Thanks.

[KyCatfan]

We toyed with a customized tour but finally chose the Value Tour. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were the only two on the tour. Ludmilla was a wonderful guide and gave us so much insight into the Russian past and present. Yes we may have missed a few sights but after two full days of touring and experiencing some of the most beautiful palaces and churches, we left fully satisfied...but hopefully will be able to return again. Being the only two, Ludmilla did take us to some of her special places not normally on the tour that we will fondly remember.