DenRus, RO, Alla = Late for Ship?

[kneecap]

I'm booking with Alla for my HAL cruise stop in St Petersburg.

 

I've read all the rave reviews for all the companies, but my only concern is if there is a flat tire or something and the ship leaves without us because we're on an indy tour.

 

Does anyone know if such a thing has ever happened? [i must be a little paranoid because I'm thinking of asking the tour company to have us back extra early just in case.]

[dbh62ark]

Kneecap, I understand you concerns, but I can assure you that Denrus and Red October have lots of back-up vehicles and back-up plans. It's actually illegal for them to let you stay in the country longer than your port call. It's possible that the tour operators could lose their license if you miss the ship, and they aren't going to let that happen. Tourists on cruise ships are allowed into Russia for a stay less than 72 hours without a visa only under the supervision of licensed operators. If any of the passengers had missed their ship, I can imagine that we would have heard about it on the boards. These tour operators have been operating for years without incident. I don't know much about Alla but read good things on the boards so am sure that she is responsible too. I would ask the tour operator what plans they have in the event of vehicle malfunctions, and I'm sure you will feel much better when you hear their contingency plans. I do hope you go independent because the quality of the private tours in St. Petersburg is much higher than the ship's tours. You can do a side-by-side comparison and see that you will not see nearly as much on the ship's tours.

 

Have a great cruise,

Donna

[SaylorGirl]

I agree with Donna, they have many ways of transporting you back to the ship, you won't have any problems.

[atlanta99]

We had a fantastic two days with Alla this past summer and would highly recommend sticking with her. She may not have access to a large fleet of vehicles like DenRus and Red October, but she struck me as extremely responsible and very attentive to the concern of getting back to the ship on time. I think her goal was to aim for getting back to the ship no less than an hour before departure to allow for traffic or other potential delays. The Mercedes van we had also seemed quite new and in great shape. Anything can happen, of course, but in the worst case I feel certain that Alla would do whatever was necessary to get everyone back to the ship on time. As Donna said, ask Alla directly what contingency plans she has for such a situation. I am sure you will get a quick reply that eases your concerns.

[itsjb1]

We did Red October last year. The guides are all in contact with the office by cell phone. At one point out guide got a call and there was a change of order of what we were going to see because one guided reported in about a traffic problem. They seem to be very organized and I can not imagine them not having you back in time.

 

As an aside, our driver in Rome told us that all of the private drivers are in touch with each other by phone. They are also aware and sometimes in contact with the drivers of the ship's tour busses. Thay know that the ship will not leave while a ship's tour is still on the road, so they try to be sure that there is at least 1 bus somewhere behind them.

[kneecap]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! :D

[pasantia]

whish one woul you recommend for a group of 12 in St.Petersburg

[Gram Cape Cod]

whish one woul you recommend for a group of 12 in St.Petersburg

 

There were 10 of us on an Alla tour last Sept. and she was wonderful! The Mercedes mini-van held 12 people, it was air conditioned.:cool:

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

I'm wondering what tip is recommended for a two day private tour - for the driver and for the guide. Please share how you tipped???

Cathy

[Gram Cape Cod]

I'm wondering what tip is recommended for a two day private tour - for the driver and for the guide. Please share how you tipped???

Cathy

There was a thread on this last year that recommended 10% for the guide and 5% for the driver. There were 10 of us and we combined it all in one envelope and gave it to them at the end of the trip. If they are exceptional give them more.

[xander]

We went with Alla, and i would highly recommend her tour, very responsible and organized. Our guide was Albina and we tipped her and the driver a little more than 10 % plus all our remaining Rubles. ( i recall they split it 60/40 in favour of the guide - can't remember where i read that). We had an amazing time in St.P and our private tour was worth every penny !!

[Coastaljen]

I understand your concern about being late. Up until my Christmas cruise I booked all cruise tours. Then in NZ and Australia I went with all private tours. Being a Type A+++++ neurotic type of human I did worry and kept questiong it when I booked them. All were with different companies, and they assured me they had never returned anyone late to a ship. It went amazingly smooth. From now on I will use reputable companies for private tours whenever possible. I have three private tours booked in Hawaii, one booked with Alla in Russia, and I am still hoping to find people to see Berlin with me on a private tour.

 

Happy travels!

[Peregrina651]

whish one woul you recommend for a group of 12 in St.Petersburg

 

We also booked with Alla Tours for our tour last summer. We could not have been more pleased with our dealings with Alla to arrange the tour and with our guide and driver. Alla was always prompt in answering our e-mails and the guides and driver she provided were top-notch.