Alla Tour Questions - St Petersburg

[scamper01]

I have decided to go with Anastasia because they answer me in a very timely manner. If it is my email that is a problem with Alla then it will be too difficulty to correspond with her. Anastasia's 2 day tour including the folk dancing the first night is $528.00 a piece for our group of 3. I do not think that Alla can beat that price. I had been checking my spam for replies with no luck. Appreciate all the helpful feedback.

[kristacpa]

My family and I are just returning from the Crown Baltic sailing on July 9th, and we had an opportunity to meet Alla on the morning of the second day of our tour. Seems she likes to get out to the dock and say hello, and thank you, to each of the tour groups that she has departing each cruise.

 

She and my mother had a bit of a hard time connecting at first via email, but once they did, her detailed and informative responses were timely. She admitted that their internet/email service is not that reliable, but she delivered a fabulous tour. We'll be posting a review shortly...

[cruisinsusin]

While I'm sure that all of the tour operators discussed on these boards do a good job, we had an amazing 2 days in St Petersburg with Alla tours and Elena. We always had good luck in contacting Alla with mailto:allaushakova@aim.com and even confirmed last minute plans while on Century ( and she replied to my email within a few hours).:rolleyes:

[kalyn]

We are also on the Crown and booked with Alla for 9/11/08 and our pass is even more difficult because it is written in Russian where your itinerary is listed, other than that it looks the same. :confused:

[amd92602]

We had lunch the first day (for $25) at Vienna restaurant. Everything was great. The second day we went to Stolle pies. We had salmon pie, cabbage pie, apricot pie, strawberry pie and a bowl of borscht. Everything was wonderful! You'll have a great meal, enjoy!

[Math teacher]

When you pay for your Alla tour, make sure you have new, crisp and non-marked bills to pay with. A person in our group didn't have fresh bills and had to charge her fee to her credit card. Also, the standard tip is $10 a day per person for the guide and $5 a day per person for the driver. At the end of the first day they take you to a large tourist gift shop which accepts foreign money...however, I think they padded the conversion and we paid more, but prices were reasonable and marked in both local currency and american dollars.

 

The tour was great, but very rushed. Great bargain for two days though. Others on our cruise paid more for just a few hours and had to sit on the ship second day in port because they had not made other arrangements or excursions, (they had booked via the cruiseline excursion.)

 

Enjoy Russia. You will be glad you are in a large tour bus as the other drivers there are crazy!

[SeaJae72]

I fell for Carnival's scare tactics and pre-booked their excursions for St. Petersberg. However, now that I am reading these posts it looks like I may have more tour options for St. Petersberg. Looks like the majority of people used Alla Tours. Did you feel safe? I've heard scary things about tourists getting robbed on the road in Russia. Also, what price range did you spend? Which tour do you recommend (comfort, moderate or strenuous)? Hopefully Carnival will let me cancel my pre-booked, pre-paid tour!! YIKES!

[Peregrina651]

I fell for Carnival's scare tactics and pre-booked their excursions for St. Petersberg. However, now that I am reading these posts it looks like I may have more tour options for St. Petersberg. Looks like the majority of people used Alla Tours. Did you feel safe? I've heard scary things about tourists getting robbed on the road in Russia. Also, what price range did you spend? Which tour do you recommend (comfort, moderate or strenuous)? Hopefully Carnival will let me cancel my pre-booked, pre-paid tour!! YIKES!

 

ABSOLUTELY you should book with Alla Tours. Quick, find your roll call and see if there are any groups already formed with space for you. Roll call is the only place on CC that we are allowed to post 'tour shares.' Find your Carnival roll call here (also a great way to 'meet' other people who will be sailing with you). http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=150 Look for your ship and then find the thread with your sail date.

 

Otherwise, contact Alla immediately and book your tour. Prices depend on what you are seeing and how many are in your group. She also offers a package (no customizing) called "Complete St. Petersburg" where she puts the group together. http://www.alla-tour.com/?module=articles&id=25

 

Comfort, moderate and strenuous are just suggestions, a starting point for making your own plans. Look at what they suggest. Decide which of those places you want to see and how many you want to squeeze into each day. Alla will help you make your plan and then based on what you want to see, how much time you will be spending and how many in your group, she will give you a price.

 

Do not tarry. The private companies fill up quickly. But first, make sure that you can cancel your shorex.

 

As for safety, it is no worse than any other large European city. Besides which, for most of the time, you will be touring inside this palace or that museum.

 

Have a great trip!

[leenie29]

I fell for Carnival's scare tactics and pre-booked their excursions for St. Petersberg. However, now that I am reading these posts it looks like I may have more tour options for St. Petersberg. Looks like the majority of people used Alla Tours. Did you feel safe? I've heard scary things about tourists getting robbed on the road in Russia. Also, what price range did you spend? Which tour do you recommend (comfort, moderate or strenuous)? Hopefully Carnival will let me cancel my pre-booked, pre-paid tour!! YIKES!

 

We did the Alla strenuous tour with people we met on the roll call and had an amazing time. It was very safe and we had no problems during our 2 days. We probably saw a weeks worth of sites in 2 days, tiring but so worth it. It ran around $350 for the 2 days per person for a group of 8 including 1 camera pass. We also did a prepaid lunch on day two ($25 per person and well worth it) and a quick lunch at Stolle pies on day one (about $15 for the 3 of us for pies and sodas). Alla added another couple that we met on board so we started with a group of 6 and ended up with a group of 8 which was a perfect size. The people who did the ship's tours were really unhappy because they spent more time in gift shops than they did at sites and paid way more than we did. Many people that did ship's tours wished that they did private tours because we saw much more for far less money. Do all you can to get on a private tour and you will be very amazed with your St. Petersburg experience.

 

Eileen

[DMaugle]

SeaJae72- Alla was great for our group of 16. Safety is no more a concern here than anywhere else in the world. We took a modified Comfort tour, we added the subway and a food market. Our cost was $340 pp w one in the group free which dropped the pp cost to $318.75.

The private tour has the same drawback as the ship's tour, if even one person disregards the time to get off the ship, doesn't have their paperwork together, or can't stay with the group you 'll be waiting around, the good news is you will have 1/3 or less people to worry about being inconsiderate. The smaller the group the better in this regard. Good luck, DMaugle

[RJB]

Alla is very safe. Just as the ships tours are. We used them last summer for a 3 day tour and it was wonderful. You can see and do much more for less money that the ships tours. We were a group of 6. No waiting for a slow group of 40 people to show up and get on and off the bus. A private tour company is just so much better than the overpriced ships tours.:)

[Wendalls]

I fell for Carnival's scare tactics and pre-booked their excursions for St. Petersberg. However, now that I am reading these posts it looks like I may have more tour options for St. Petersberg. Looks like the majority of people used Alla Tours. Did you feel safe? I've heard scary things about tourists getting robbed on the road in Russia. Also, what price range did you spend? Which tour do you recommend (comfort, moderate or strenuous)? Hopefully Carnival will let me cancel my pre-booked, pre-paid tour!! YIKES!

 

We also just got back yesterday from our cruise - and our tour with Alla was WONDERFUL. We met people through our roll call, and Alla, who is adorable, took care of putting us together. You an also put a post on her page directly, with your ship, how many you are, and want in your group, and what tour you would like. Irina was our guide, and she was great. We spent the first day touring the sites in the city, including the early admission to the Hermitage, and the second day visiting the two Royal Summer Palaces, Peterhof and Catherine's Palace. Be sure to see the fountains at Peterhof.

 

Have fun!!!

[Mary Ellen]

We've just returned from a Baltic cruise where we used Alla for a 2-day Comfort tour. Highly recommend - as we did FAR better than those who used the ships tours.

[LHT28]

We did the Alla strenuous tour with people we met on the roll call and had an amazing time. It was very safe and we had no problems during our 2 days. We probably saw a weeks worth of sites in 2 days, tiring but so worth it. It ran around $350 for the 2 days per person for a group of 8 including 1 camera pass.

Eileen

 

Was that $350. total pp for 2 days or per day?

 

We have done SPB before so just want to see the things we missed the 1st trip so a custom tour would be good for us.

 

Here's hoping I can find others that just want to see some of the sights we want!;)

[ncsongbird]

I'll put in another vote for Alla's Comfort Tour. The main advantage is the early admittance to the Hermitage which is amazing. We had about 1 hr. before the crowds arrived, entering rooms that were virtually empty. It allowed us to appreciate the intricate designs on the floors, walls and ceilings as well as hear our guide. And we were able to cover a lot of ground. What a difference when the tour groups showed up. It was hard to move through the rooms but by then we were almost through. We felt almost guilty when we talked to others who took the ships tours and even some of the other private tours. We saw much more and the timing of our stops often allowed us to be there without all of the crowds.

 

We had a group of 9 which was a good size. We met though the our CC roll call board. Irina was our guide and Victor our driver. Irina was wonderful, easy to understand and she always kept taking a head count so we stayed together and kept moving. She would call Victor to pick us up whenever we got finished with a site. You can customize the comfort tour as well as Alla's other private tours. We added a visit to a local fresh food market.

 

We took Alla's suggestion and had a prepaid lunch for $25 the first day at a little restaurant named Vienna. It was very good and consisted of a vegetable appetizer of tomatoes, thin cucumbers and cabbage slaw. Then a delicious chicken soup with carrots and large pieces of chicken, a main dish of turkey with gravy, and for dessert ice cream with strawberry sauce. Well worth the price and the rest. had a clean bathroom. Our second day we ate at Schtolle's Pie which was cheaper and delicious as well.

 

St. Petersburg was eye opening. It was in better shape than I would have thought, people and cars where more modern looking, and it is evident that a lot of restoration has been undertaken since the war. I would love to go back for a longer visit.

[ROCruiser]

We did Alla's Complete tour for $300pp. It should be no more than 20 people and we ended up with only 16 in a mini van. It was a little tight but we survived. I think private tour is the way to go because we didn't have to be in the long lines with huge crowds. It seemed that when we went into the palaces it was empty and nice and by the time we leave the Carnival groups will be in or still waiting in line. The complete tour included lunch for both days and the hydrofoil ride. Lunch on the first day was a sack lunch of pancake wrap with something like chicken, eggs(?), yogart drinks, water, juice, cookies, chocolate. Lunch on the second day was at a nice restaurant with salad, steaming hot clear mushroom soup, grilled chicken breast with rice, and dessert (cake) with coffee or tea. It was very safe and our guide kept head counts wherever we went.

 

The minor problem we had was with the camera pass on the 2nd day when our guide told my 17 year old son to give up his camera pass to another person whom she thought was without a pass. We opted to pay full price for our son instead of taking the $30 discount for students so that he can take pictures. We had one pass between my husband and I and he should have his own. She finally stopped asking for the pass when she realized that the gentleman already had a sticker. It was minor but unpleasant.

[P&C]

I have been trying to get Alla for several weeks now, three emails registration and posting on her site. No response. What am I doing wrong? Is there a hint to getting an answer? We would like to do the 3 day all go tour with a small group of fellow cruisers. I have even put up the first roll call post to try and get some interest. Her tours appeal to me and all the postive feedback from these boards. Love hearing your recounts!!!! Pat

[yaletown605]

I am having trouble getting a response too. Lat week, someone from Alla Katya responded immediately. Now I have sent two message and still nothing. I wonder why?

[postalgrrl]

I was having trouble last week with getting emails from Alla. I finally received an email and Katya said that they were having "a breakdown in sevice". I think it was with their new messaging system. Maybe they are having the same trouble again. I just waited a few days an emailed them again using both the new service and the regular email addresses.

Hope this helps.

[tiqittaq foo]

I have no problems getting responses back from Julia of ALLA yesterday. If you use your personal account (you can register if you haven't) you should have no trouble contacting ALLA. Good luck

[Mary Ellen]

Was that $350. total pp for 2 days or per day?

We were a group of 6 doing Alla's Comfort Tour (modified - added subway and I 'think' the hydrofoil back was also something I'd asked for). We paid total $350/pp for the 2 days, not per day. Lunches were additional, about $15/pp/per day (this also covered our paying for our guide's meal - at our suggestion). The first day was a cafe at Peterhof. We had open face sandwiches, fries and soft drinks. The second day was at a 'pie shop' near the Hermitage. Our guide suggested we each get a 'sweet' and 'not sweet' pie. The blueberry pies were outstanding! I think one of us tried the apricot pie, but I don't remember any comments on that. Everyone loved their choice of chicken and "red fish" (salmon) pies also. There were other selections, but those were the 2 we picked. Again we also had soft drinks. Both places were quick, as we didn't want to take too much time from touring, but a welcome break.

[LHT28]

We were a group of 6 doing Alla's Comfort Tour (modified - added subway and I 'think' the hydrofoil back was also something I'd asked for). We paid total $350/pp for the 2 days,

 

Thanks

I keep seeing people paying over $1000. pp for the tours so wanted to clarify the prices.

 

I looked at the website for Stolle pies DH was salivating over the sweet ones.:D

 

 

Lyn

[Mary Ellen]

Thanks

I keep seeing people paying over $1000. pp for the tours so wanted to clarify the prices.

WOW! At one point we thought about doing a tour for just the 2 of us (DH has problems walking) and it would have been $600/pp for the two days. Pricey yes, but the ships tours would have been $400/pp for two days, still better for us to do a private tour in our situation.

[reddogranch]

I had an experience with Alla Tours July 3-4, 2008 that I have been reticent to post, but after 4 weeks, the story needs to be told.

My wife and I were on the Crown Princess last month and with 5 other passengers, signed up for a 2 day tour of St. Petersburg with Alla Tours.

My motivation was twofold; I wanted to avoid the large group size of the cruise line tours and I was also looking for a private tour company in St. Petersburg to recommend to my clients. ( I have been a cruise travel specialist for the past 11 years and this was our 52nd cruise.)

We had an great tour guide named Angie who was very knowledgable,

personable, and had a great command of the English language. She was a total delight. At the end of our 2 day tour Angie took us to a local shop to purchase those necessary souvenirs. With Angie's help I purchased a Russian chess set ($460) at the shop. The clerk wrapped up all of the chess pieces in box and we went back to the ship. For the remiander of the cruise I kept the pieces in the original box and did not open them until we got back home. Much to my suprise when I opened up the chess set I discovered that 2 pieces were missing. (I kick myself for not having personally counted all of the pieces as they were packed.) At any rate, I emailed Alla Tours immediately and asked them if they could help me by contacting the store and explaining the situation. One week went by, and then two and no response from Alla Tours. Finally I got a response that they were having trouble with their emails, they would get back to me. Another week went by and no response. After the 3rd week Alla told me she was having trouble reaching our tour guide and that she would get back to me soon. A 4th week has gone by and still no response or willingness to help a client. Alla

Tours told me they had no relationship with the store they took us to. When I realized that Alla really did not want to get involved, I change my approach and only asked if they could tell me the name of the store they took us to and a phone number of email so I could contact them. Alla has refused this very simple request, and it has left me wondering about the company's integrity. Consequently, I contacted Visa and began the process of challenging the charge. Both Visa and myself have been unable to find out the address, phone number etc of the merchant and it is not printed on the charge slip. Visa is now going to get into a "p-----g contest with the merchant's bank, all because Alla Tours won't give us the necessary information, let alone try to help me retrieve the 2 missing pawns.

Private tours are the way to go in St. Petersburg, just choose one of

Alla's competitors. If you want more details please feel free to reach me at

rrodriguez@cruiseone.com .

[moomax6]

We were in SPB June30/July 1 for a two day Alla Tour. On the second day on our way back to the ship our Alla guide, Ekaterina, took us to a shop on the way back to our ship. I pulled out the receipt and it says on one receipt Northern Venice and another one has more information that is attached but written in Russian. Since we don't have the Russian letters on our keyboards, I'll try to get as close as possible:

HU GOHN MENEXOB M. O.

SEVERNAYA VENECIYA-CEB.BEHE4HR

CN6.,HA6.KAH. [PN60EAOBA, 131

NHH 781600171391 TEN; 714-432

ID TEPMNHANA; 55513858

 

U = a letter like an upside down U

N= a letter that looks like a reversed N

R = is written backwards

6 = looks like a 6 but combined with a 5 - straight top

 

I don't know if this could be the same shop but if it was on a corner and you had to walk down a step or two to enter, it may be. A young man walked around with us and there were at least three or four rooms, one room with all stacking dolls in the first room to the left of the front door, laquer boxes, etc. etc.

If you wrote the note by hand you would have a better chance of matching the Russian letters. Our guide gave us her business card and you may try contacting her at: esamarina@yandex.ru

I am disappointed to hear of your lack of response from Alla since she was so good about communicating when we were setting up our tour.

Hope this may help you - Good luck.