Alla Tour Questions - St Petersburg

[TAD520]

We have a group of 8 booked on a tour with Alla next month and she has suggested options for lunch, which are $25 per person for a set meal which will take around 40 minutes or so at one their prearranged restaurants or a packed lunch at $15 per head.

 

Alla has suggested on the first day a prearranged lunch option is better as it can be lengthy process trying to find somewhere to eat as prearranged tours get preference.

 

On the second day Alla has advised lunch options are much easier as when you are back in the city there are plenty of places to eat.

 

My question is firstly has anyone had experience of either the $25 dollar set meal, was it any good and was the turnaround quick and also the same for the $15 packed lunch option.

 

Any inside knowledge on this matter would be a help so we can agree the best option for our group.

 

Thanks,

 

Tracey

[jc75644]

We were in St. Petersburg, May 10-11, 2008, and although we did not use Alla, here is our experience. We used Anastasia for our group of 4 and after looking at the suggested menus for the restaurants, chose to avoid them totally. One in our group does not eat meat; another did not like any of the suggested entrees. And, we wanted to pack visiting as many places as possible into our tour. So, we brought from home, small insulated bags and extra plastic bags, ordered sandwiches, etc. from room service and took them along. And, as we traveled between stops we ate in the van. The result was that we were able to add the visiting of another palace to our schedule

[jspirit]

We were in St. Petersburg, May 10-11, 2008, and although we did not use Alla, here is our experience. We used Anastasia for our group of 4 and after looking at the suggested menus for the restaurants, chose to avoid them totally. One in our group does not eat meat; another did not like any of the suggested entrees. And, we wanted to pack visiting as many places as possible into our tour. So, we brought from home, small insulated bags and extra plastic bags, ordered sandwiches, etc. from room service and took them along. And, as we traveled between stops we ate in the van. The result was that we were able to add the visiting of another palace to our schedule

 

Did you have any problems bringing food off the ship? Do they check at customs ?

[Peregrina651]

Did you have any problems bringing food off the ship? Do they check at customs ?

 

We also brought our lunches (and something for our guide as well) from the ship. Nobody even asked what was in our bags.

 

We did not eat in the van. We stopped in the center of Peterhof town and ate at a little place in the center of the square selling drinks (coffee, sodas, beer)--it was quiet and unrushed and neater than eating in the van as we travelled.

 

My only caveat is that you make sure that you keep your meal chilled or that you bring stuff that won't spoil.

 

Day two, in the city, we ate in a restaurant along the Nevsky Prospekt (don't even know the name of it but it served a local crowd rather than tourist groups).

[jc75644]

It seemed that there were no restrictions about bringing the food from the ship. In my experience those restrictions seem to be when one is coming into a U.S. port.

[cruiseidaho]

jc75644- What is your overall impression of the experience with Anastasia? Our party of six is booked with them for Sept. 1. So far, I have been impressed with responses to emails and in answering all questions. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

[jcruise1234]

Hi COuld you please forward me the Anastasia web site- I see a lot of people talking about it, but can not locate it. Enjoy your cruise- Thank you

[mwdoug]

We (2 couples) were on a private Alla tour 5/10 and 5/11 and opted for the $25 meals both days. The first day we ate at a restaurant directly across the street from the Peterhof. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get the name, but it was located on the grounds of a hotel, in a separate building. The food was excellent, as was the decor. We had a shredded chicken and cabbage salad with figs as an appetizer, vegetable soup, a breaded chicken cutlet with fresh vegetables and potatoes, and dessert. The chicken salad was so good that my wife has made it twice since we returned home. The second day we ate at a place just off the Palace Square after our Hermitage tour. It is named the Hermitage Cafe, and again, the food was excellent. We had a green salad, hot borscht that was simply fabulous, chicken Kiev with potatoes and dessert. We were also impressed with the service in both places. Our table was waiting for us and we didn't have to wait between courses. For us the meals were a high point and also gave us a chance to rest a bit. Hope this helps.

[cruiseidaho]

Hi COuld you please forward me the Anastasia web site- I see a lot of people talking about it, but can not locate it. Enjoy your cruise- Thank you

 

I reached Anastasia at

www.anastasiaworld.com

email address is:

info@anastasiaworld.com

Good luck!

[TAD520]

We (2 couples) were on a private Alla tour 5/10 and 5/11 and opted for the $25 meals both days. The first day we ate at a restaurant directly across the street from the Peterhof. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get the name, but it was located on the grounds of a hotel, in a separate building. The food was excellent, as was the decor. We had a shredded chicken and cabbage salad with figs as an appetizer, vegetable soup, a breaded chicken cutlet with fresh vegetables and potatoes, and dessert. The chicken salad was so good that my wife has made it twice since we returned home. The second day we ate at a place just off the Palace Square after our Hermitage tour. It is named the Hermitage Cafe, and again, the food was excellent. We had a green salad, hot borscht that was simply fabulous, chicken Kiev with potatoes and dessert. We were also impressed with the service in both places. Our table was waiting for us and we didn't have to wait between courses. For us the meals were a high point and also gave us a chance to rest a bit. Hope this helps.

 

Hi mwdoug,

 

Thanks for your post. I am pleased that your meal was good. Our party have been a bit undecided as to the way to go. Whilst the idea of ordering from room service would be OK in theory, it only requires one of the 4 groups to forget and then the others would have to wait whilst they found somewhere to get some lunch from.

 

As we are a group coming together just for the tour I am minded to opt for the easier option and eat at Alla's suggested restaurant.

 

Thanks,

 

Tracey

[jc75644]

Hi Cruiseidaho,

We had a very positive experience with Anastasia. She is a young woman, perhaps 25-30 years old, very well educated, who speaks flawless English. She was extremely candid with us in answering our questions about the Soviet times. She was very helpful, always having coins available for the pay toilets and subway, and quickly making suggestions to meet any of our needs or wants. One example, my wife and I wanted to purchase a book from the gift shop at Catherine's Palace. It cost approximately $44 US dollars. I wanted to use an American Express card to charge it and while the gift shop did take charges, they then stated they didn't want to process any charge for less than $100 US. Anastasia immediately offered to pay for it and let us reimburse her in US dollars when we "settled up" at the end of our 2nd day of tour. I hope your experience with her is as good as ours was.

[cruiseidaho]

Hi Cruiseidaho,

We had a very positive experience with Anastasia. She is a young woman, perhaps 25-30 years old, very well educated, who speaks flawless English. She was extremely candid with us in answering our questions about the Soviet times. She was very helpful, always having coins available for the pay toilets and subway, and quickly making suggestions to meet any of our needs or wants. One example, my wife and I wanted to purchase a book from the gift shop at Catherine's Palace. It cost approximately $44 US dollars. I wanted to use an American Express card to charge it and while the gift shop did take charges, they then stated they didn't want to process any charge for less than $100 US. Anastasia immediately offered to pay for it and let us reimburse her in US dollars when we "settled up" at the end of our 2nd day of tour. I hope your experience with her is as good as ours was.

 

Thank you for the reply. I'm glad to hear that you had a positive experience with Anastasia. When most of what one reads on these posts are about Denrus, Alla or RO, I was beginning to question whether I made the right choice. Our party of six has booked her 2 day tours for much less than those quoted by any of the above three and we don't have to search for additional cruisers to make up a group of 10 to 16 or more. Thanks again.

[as19111]

We (2 couples) were on a private Alla tour 5/10 and 5/11 and opted for the $25 meals both days. The first day we ate at a restaurant directly across the street from the Peterhof. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get the name, but it was located on the grounds of a hotel, in a separate building. The food was excellent, as was the decor. We had a shredded chicken and cabbage salad with figs as an appetizer, vegetable soup, a breaded chicken cutlet with fresh vegetables and potatoes, and dessert. The chicken salad was so good that my wife has made it twice since we returned home. The second day we ate at a place just off the Palace Square after our Hermitage tour. It is named the Hermitage Cafe, and again, the food was excellent. We had a green salad, hot borscht that was simply fabulous, chicken Kiev with potatoes and dessert. We were also impressed with the service in both places. Our table was waiting for us and we didn't have to wait between courses. For us the meals were a high point and also gave us a chance to rest a bit. Hope this helps.

 

We too ate at this restaurant on the grounds of the Hotel Sampson. It is a lovely room and small. We had a different meal ($25 pp), as we requested an authentic Russian tasting menu. Our soup was a fish based broth with vegetables and salmon. For some it was too fishy, but for me, it was subtle. There was a chicken/vegetable and scalloped potatoes main course and fruit compote for dessert. It was very good. We also had a "quick lunch" on day 1 at Stolle ($10/couple). This is a Russian cafe with stollen pies in a variety of flavors including lemon, berry, salmon, rabbit, and mushroom. It was also very good.

 

We were on an Alla tour. I would take their recommendations, as they do this on a regular basis. The meals were quick, delicious, and a great experience.

[patkusps]

Tracey,

 

Sounds like the Alla lunches were a hit, however I will go along with whatever the group decides.

 

Patrick...:)

[TAD520]

Hi Patrick,

 

I am incliend to agree with your comments, I guess the decision for the group is whether we have the set meal both days or just the first day and a quick snack on the second.

 

I will send a note to the group.

 

Regards,

 

Tracey

[cruzky]

We were with Alla on May 24 & 25 and did the pre-ordered meal. It was $25 pp. I believe the name of the restaurant was the Vinery. It was right before Peterhoff and by an onion domed church. Food was OK. The food the next day at Stolle was much better.

 

Roseanna

[Ms.ETC]

We just got back from a Baltic cruise with Constellation and used Alla for our St. Petersburg tour. We had 10 in our group. The first day we ate a "box lunch" in the van en route to Peterhof, so saved time that day, and the food was ok. The second day we ate at a lovely restaurant in town which was great fun and of course better food. There are so many things to see and do, that saving that bit of time on the first day by eating in the van was worth it.

 

Sharon

[acruise4me]

We just got back from a Baltic cruise with Constellation and used Alla for our St. Petersburg tour. We had 10 in our group. The first day we ate a "box lunch" in the van en route to Peterhof, so saved time that day, and the food was ok. The second day we ate at a lovely restaurant in town which was great fun and of course better food. There are so many things to see and do, that saving that bit of time on the first day by eating in the van was worth it.

 

Sharon

 

We will be taking this tour next month. Is Peterhof very far away from the city? How long did it take you get there with the van? How long was the hydrofoil trip back?

[llund]

We just got back from a Baltic cruise with Constellation and used Alla for our St. Petersburg tour. We had 10 in our group. The first day we ate a "box lunch" in the van en route to Peterhof, so saved time that day, and the food was ok. The second day we ate at a lovely restaurant in town which was great fun and of course better food. There are so many things to see and do, that saving that bit of time on the first day by eating in the van was worth it.

 

Sharon

 

What type of box lunch did she serve. We are doing this on our tour with Alla in August.

[PLG3]

We chose an Alla tour for our two day visit to St Petersburg in Sept 07. The first day we ate lunch on the grounds of Peterhof. It was good meal but because we were a tad behind schedule (a couple were late disembarking from the ship), it was just a bit rushed. The second day we ate at Stolle, a chain of pastry shops around town. Excellent! Both meals were reasonably priced.

 

The real gem of the two days' meals in St Petersburg however was dinner on the first day. My wife and I decided we wanted to do something different on our over night stay in port. We had chatted with Alla about dinner out on the town for that night. After some discussion with Alla and our tour guide, Victoria, we settled on "The Idiot" restaurant. It was named after a Dostoevsky novel. We were a little concerned about the menu as it was described as "vegetarian". Well, that means they did not serve any meat. And we enjoyed a superb local meal - fresh sea food. Our waitress spoke only a little English and we spoke absolutely no Russian but we got along fine. The owner even brought us a couple of complimentary shots of vodka. And they were playing American blues and jazz as we entered and for the who time we were there. You can find a couple of interior "snaps" from the Idiot amongst a "few" pictures from St. Petersburg here -

 

 

Baltic cruise pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stoney_g/collections/72157605242491794/

 

Hope y'all have a great cruise!

 

Regards -

 

Paul in NoVA

[westcoastmom]

What type of box lunch did she serve. We are doing this on our tour with Alla in August.

 

We just finished the Complete Tour of St. Petersburg with Alla. On the first day, we had a boxed lunch on the tour bus. It included a bottled water, ham and cheese sandwich, a white chocolate bar, a pack of chocolate covered oreo cookies, a box of pineapple juice, liquid yogurt.

 

Second day was at a restaurant. We had cream of mushroom soup, a fish salad and (something like)chicken a la king over rice, dessert and coffee. Alcohol and sodas are extra.

[SRQfireman]

Just a heads up if you're trying to decide...here is one factor I found out about I didn't realize......they allow you ONE camera "pass" per museum *per couple*.... whereas DenRus says they issue ONE PER PERSON.....If you're not traveling with somebody in your household and you both want to take pictures to show each of your friends/family....tough luck...you got to decide who gets to use their camera......or.....pay $4.00 more PER MUSEUM !!....even though each person in your group pays the same dollar amount, they don't care that you're traveling with somebody that doesn't live in your house and you each want to take your own pictures for the agreed upon rate.I asked *twice* what would happen if I booked by myself...would they pair me up with another single person and we'd have to flip a coin on who takes the pictures and who has to pay more???? They wouldn't answer that question either time.

So just a heads up for those not traveling with somebody in their household and each want to take pictures without paying more.

Happy Cruising

[jpsykes]

no sure what the problem is --- that's exactly what they told me ahead of time. I'll be there in 30 days.

[Reebster]

They told me that for an extra $20, they'd get us an extra pass so that we could use both our still camera and the video camera. We paid it, they got us the passes, it was no hassle at all.

[hylasgirl]

I guess if you are a traveling single, that's a problem. I don't know too many couples where this would be an issue. I have found Alla to be very easy to work with... prices good... and not having to pay for a private tour until the 2nd day... well, enough said.