Denrus tours?

[cinnamon]

Does anyone have experience of Denrus 2 day Value tour?

I understand it is a fixed tour for $265 with a maximum of 30 people.

 

If you took this tour, how many were on your bus?

Was it too many for an enjoyable visit?

Would you take it again?

 

Many thanks for any help,

Cinnamon

[2Xayear]

A FIRST RATE tour and worth every penny!!

We had 16 on our bus last week on it was just right. Our guide, Nadya, was well versed in russion history, spoke excellent english and "knew the ropes" getting us around and into the various venues. It was the highlight of our Baltics Cruise.

Take it again? In a heart beat!

We also were very impressed with the lunch stops both days. Far better than expected and a pleasant diversion to catch your breath. I will warn you though....you will be exhausted at the end of day 1 and looking forward to getting back on the ship for a rest. One couple also did the formal eveing in St Petersburg, at the end of day 1. Although exhausted, they did say it was terrific. I don't think I could have done Day 1, returned to the ship for an hour and then headed out again for the evening and then have another full day the next.

We were also blessed with sunny skies and warm temperatures both days. A bit of a rarity from Nadya's comments. BTW, crowds are in fact something else. After our visit to the Hermitage, Nadya advised that it was quite quiet that day. A quiet day and we could not believe the crowds. Leave your 'attitude' on the ship and just go out and take it all in. It's not North America but wow! What a fantastic city!!

 

Bob

[cinnamon]

Thanks very much for the comments, Bob. As I am not North American either that is OK. :)

 

We were not intending to do a trip in the evening as well, as I thought this would be too much. We are on Constellation next May and at the moment only one ship is scheduled to be in port that day.

An Aunt of mine told me that a few years ago when she went to the Hermitage if she had fainted there would have been nowhere to fall as the crowds were so large!

 

Anyone else?

Cinnamon

[jspirit]

Were they on time picking you up at the ship both days? Was there any worry about getting you back to the ship on time? Were you back at the time they predicted?

Did they get you into the highlights before the bigger crowds got there?

Any other comments, good or bad?

Thanks. Still trying to decide between the " Big 3" for next summer!

[GuideDiva]

Were they on time picking you up at the ship both days? Was there any worry about getting you back to the ship on time? Were you back at the time they predicted?

Did they get you into the highlights before the bigger crowds got there?

Any other comments, good or bad?

Thanks. Still trying to decide between the " Big 3" for next summer!

 

I know that itinerary very well and can assure you that if any tour can get back on time it is this one since it has been done so many times, more than any other in St Petersburg. Actually none of the tours are prone to being late with any of the specialty cruise tour companies because they know how to schedule properly for ship operations. The only visitors I ever see late are those with visas who go out on their own, it is hard to predict what traffic and getting lost effect their proposed plan.

 

The tour starts at 8 a.m. (Some ships dock later so the start time is adjusted)and for those who did not follow directions and take a longer breakfast, they will be taken by another car to join tour in progress but they miss some of the destinations depending on how late they are.

The second day is a little more flexible and starts between 8 and 9a.m. the precise time is based on the day of the week and agreement between the group members.

[thehen]

Let me echo Bob's sentiment as we shared the Value tour on August 5 & 6. Nadya and Nikolai were very prompt and extremely personable. She made note of the fact that they always anticipate port traffic and schedule at least an hour to get in to the ship. My experience - I could see the van waiting for us both days from the promenade deck forty five minutes before we were scheduled to meet. The two-day tour far exceeded my expectations. It was filled with fantastic sights and experiences. We were not inundated with 'souvenir stops' (actually two) - only when it was necessary to use 'the facilities', and this was a good thing! We spoke with a 'ship's tour' patron who was lamenting the fact that they were on their 5th souvenir/shopping stop! He was not pleased to be wasting his precious hours in St Petersburg looking for trinkets! Lunch was an absolute treat - wine with the traditional vodka shot was always on the table, and all of us commented on the pleasant and quiet restaurant atmosphere and great food. It was an efficient process, and, we really needed an hour to rest before proceeding on to the afternoon's activities. I can recommend Denrus and our 'tour team - Nadya and Nikolai, wholeheartedly.

[rundogrun]

Do they have a website? Or do you have an email? I starting to line up guides for our July 2008 cruise and would like to begin contacting some.

 

Thanks!

[thehen]

The website for Denrus is http://www.denrus.ru

 

You can find detailed descriptions of their tours and policies. Once you decide to book with them, they will ask you to secure your reservation with a credit card. This card will be charged about 30 days prior to your tour. (In reality, my credit card was charged about two weeks before our excursion.) Some people are apprehensive about this policy. I can assure you that from my experience, the company is very trustworthy. When we planned to take the tour, I made a reservation for four people. Shortly before we were due to leave for our cruise, two of our group had to cancel. I emailed Denrus, and asked to cancel the charges for the two, and within a day or so, received a reply that this had been taken care of - actually, received a note from the general manager saying that he was sorry and that "these things sometimes happen". Hoped that we would consider his company if we happened to travel to Russia another time. Overall, I would definitely recommend this tour and company to anyone.