TJ Travel for St. Petersburg tours?

[Sharpe74]

We used TJ Ttavel tours on June 10th and 11th of 2010. Our guide was Marina.

 

She did a very nice job of getting us to all of the places and explaining the history behind everything we went to. We also stopped at the famous pie shop for lunch. We did the standard two day tour. T J tours are excellent in responding to your questions and very efficient. They met us outside of customs with a sign that says T J Tours. We arranged to meet our group two days before the tour so we could all go off the ship together. Had no problem getting off the ship with NCL Sun. We had eight in our group. T J has a board on their web site that you can advertise for more people. We are very satisfied.

 

Sharon

[TipTap]

Does anyone have any more recent experience of T J Travel? We are visiting StP in August and planning to use them.

We have just returned from a Baltic Cruise (Queen Victoria)

We were a group of 6 15/16 July 2010 and I cannot recommend this Tour company enough.

Olga was our tour guide - she was waiting for us at immigration with th Driver ...

The Mercedes transport was very clean with aircon - there was even bottled water for us.

We did the Active tour and Olga certainly made sure we saw everything without the hastle of having to queue.

We even had lunch at a Russian Pie Shop....something that you will not do on a cruise boat tour.

On speaking to other passengers - we certainly did and saw a lot more of St Petersburg than they did at a much better price...

So in all we had a fantastic Tour with an Excellent Guide and Driver at a very reasonable cost

[NCMtnBoys]

We have just returned from a Baltic Cruise (Queen Victoria)

We were a group of 6 15/16 July 2010 and I cannot recommend this Tour company enough.

Olga was our tour guide - she was waiting for us at immigration with th Driver ...

The Mercedes transport was very clean with aircon - there was even bottled water for us.

We did the Active tour and Olga certainly made sure we saw everything without the hastle of having to queue.

We even had lunch at a Russian Pie Shop....something that you will not do on a cruise boat tour.

On speaking to other passengers - we certainly did and saw a lot more of St Petersburg than they did at a much better price...

So in all we had a fantastic Tour with an Excellent Guide and Driver at a very reasonable cost

 

Wonderful! Glad to see the continued positive comments. We're booked with them for Sept 7th and can't wait...in fact, there are 38 folks on our roll call booked with TJ Travel, in three different organized tours.

[Ashland]

Wonderful! Glad to see the continued positive comments. We're booked with them for Sept 7th and can't wait...in fact, there are 38 folks on our roll call booked with TJ Travel, in three different organized tours.

Hmmm...There aren't even 38 folks on our entire roll call..;)..And only one other person besides me has posted that they are booked with TJ Travel..Doesn't change my mind though..I'm ready to go...blast off for adventure...:D

[Doughboy139]

I'm booked with TJ Travel for the 8th and 9th of August and I am more than happy with the way they have worked with me on what i want to see and do.....there is just 2 in my party and the price was reasonable. better than the ships excursions

[surreyfamily]

Can't recommend TJ travel highly enough. We have just had 2 fab days with them in St P and they were great. We did the 2 day active tour and added some bits without any problem. There were 11 of us including our 11 year old and we had a wonderful guide -Nina- who was very knowledgeable and very happy to share any info on real life in St P. Entry to everywhere was included and they stuck to everyhting that had been requested. Replies and paperwork were all in order. No qualms about recommending them at all.

[ellbon]

this will be my second time in russia. i am bookign with TJ because of all the extra ideas of palces and thigns to see/do including a sauna and lunch with a family.

 

i mention my love of vodka and so dinner is at the russian vodka museaum.. how cool is that.

 

i am waitng on the price. .single traveler but i will do it as it took 22 years to go back and i want to see and enjoy it all.

[RTanner]

We were in SPB in early June and used TJ and am very happy that we did. The group was small (14) and the price was comparable to every other tour company. Our tour guide (Nellila - "Call me Nelly") and our driver, Alexi, were fantastic. Very informative, accomadating (we got to visit the Siege Monument, something I would heartily recommend and something I am glad not to have missed) and professional in every way.

 

Both Julia and Tatyana were very quick to answer any and all questions we had. I usually got a response withing 24 hours! The toy bus was new, well appointed and comfortable.

 

Boyyom lionbe: YES, I would recommend TJ, with no reservations.

[Lvtocruize2]

We have yet to sail but booked TJ Travel a long time ago based on their individual and prompt responses. We received no 'form type' responses from Julia. Below is one of our emails:

 

Dear Julia,

 

 

The blanket visas are correct! I do have some questions about Day 1 since the times have changed from the original Day 1 schedule. Our visit to Fountain Park has been shortened by 30 min. We want to take a tour of Peterhof and see the gardens also.

I`ve checked your schedule & I`m sorry about this mistake. I`ll correct you schedule & prolong your visit to Peterhof Park.

Lunch is included in the schedule and will the guide suggest a place to eat? Our guide will surely help you with choosing the lunch-place. Usually our guests enjoy their lunch in a very nice cafe in the centre of Petergof park. (On Day 2, we do want to have lunch at Stolle Cafe (as you suggested). We're really excited about eating there because we have seen pictures on travel blogs and they also say the food is delicious!) Stolle cafe is really very nice & pies are really delicious. Sure you`ll like it. I`ll write this information in you schedule. There is a time gap on Day 1 between 3:30 and 5:00 (Catherine's Palace and return to the ship). What can we do in the extra time because after looking at the original Day 1 tour, it seems to take 30 min. to return to the port from Catherine's Palace? Sorry to say, but you won`t have a time gap. I`ll prolong your stay in Peterhof park for half an hour & it takes about an hour to return to the port from Catherine`s Palace! Oh, Brian said he does not need a chair and will make it just fine at The Hermitage. Thank you for offering the chair. You are always welcome.

 

 

Other ?s......We will pay for the tour in US dollars and to save space in my purse will you take US $100. bills?Yes, sure, we actually prefer 100 bills Julia, do you know at which port our ship will dock and how many other cruise ships will be in port on the same days as Voyager? We don't have the information yet about where it is going to dock, there will be another ship for sure- Norwegian Sun at the same time as your ship Approximately how long does it take to go through customs after we get off the ship? About 30 minutes from your ship ( as your ship is not so big)

 

 

 

Thanks so much and by the way, on Tues. we had 3" of snow here which is very unusual for Texas and it snowed big fluffy flakes all day long!!!

This winter you have is a real winter.- With snow. In St. Petersburg we have 1.5meters snow & it is also unusual for us.

Best regards,

Julia

[cruising22]

Hi we used TJ travel in June when we went on the Celebrity Eclipse. I mailed 5 companies and one of my criteria was that the tour must start at 09:30, TJ travel were the only company to pick up on this and after several mails we identified the itinerary we were happy with. They took care of visa arrangements and things went very smoothly when we arrived at St. Petersburg. We were met by Tatyana and then handed over to our guide Tatiana and Vladimir the driver. The took excellent care of the 4 of us and everything went very smoothly including getting into museums and other places bypassing all the queues. We were also very grateful to Tatiana when we went to the Hermitage as she asked us what we wanted to see and then did exactly that so were were not bored by seeing too much and not remembering what we had seen. TJ travel did not want paying until the 2nd day which we thought was very good and also gave a 5% discount for cash. I would thoroughly recommend them, a highly professional company also recommended by other cruises lines such as SeaDream Yacht Club.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did.

[turtle171]

Just returned from Baltic Cruise on NCL Sun. Was in St. P. on 8/9 and 8/10 and used TJ Travel. Our tour guide was "Nelly". Our entire group of 16 was unanimous in agreeing that it was an excellent tour. Everything was delivered as promised. Nelly was pleasant, helpful and energetic. Tatyana didn't collect the money until the 2nd day and was very fair and courteous with the process. I would highly recommend this company and our tour guide, Nelly.

 

 

We were in SPB in early June and used TJ and am very happy that we did. The group was small (14) and the price was comparable to every other tour company. Our tour guide (Nellila - "Call me Nelly") and our driver, Alexi, were fantastic. Very informative, accomadating (we got to visit the Siege Monument, something I would heartily recommend and something I am glad not to have missed) and professional in every way.

 

Both Julia and Tatyana were very quick to answer any and all questions we had. I usually got a response withing 24 hours! The toy bus was new, well appointed and comfortable.

 

Boyyom lionbe: YES, I would recommend TJ, with no reservations.

[theshoo]

We just returned (Aug.10-12, 2010) from a "three day active" tour of St. Petersburg with TJ. Our guide was Irina. There were at least three groups using TJ from our ship. We had 8 people in our group, which is the most we would recommend, so you can hear and move efficiently. Julia met all the groups at the dock to say hello and introduce our guides.

 

The real test of a company is what they do when there is a problem. When we discovered that TJ had not booked our entry into the Diamond Rooms at the Hermitage, as we had requested, our guide contacted Julia. Within an hour Julia met us on our tour and proposed a slight change in our itinerary to solve the problem. It was all handled professionally and efficiently. We got to see the Diamond Rooms and everything else we had planned. When we asked Irina if we could visit a local food market, she quickly arranged it. We could not be happier with TJ and our guide, Irina.

 

A warning, the three day active tour is ACTIVE. We were exhausted by the end of the three days, but we felt we had gotten a great overview of St. Petersburg. Most of us were in our early 60's and mobile.

 

In reality, all the guides are probably very good, as they are tested by the State in order to be licensed. We highly recommend TJ because they were very responsive in arranging the tour, had professional, friendly, efficient guides and drivers, and most important of all, when there was a problem, they immediately overcame it to our full satisfaction.

[NCMtnBoys]

How many of you paid CASH (U.S. Currency) at the end of the tour to save the 5%? I'm just wondering how "perfect" your bills were, as it's been stressed that the U.S. Currency needs to be free of defects, tears, markings, etc. We've got to go to the bank next week to get our money for this tour and I'd like to know how picky I need to be with the bills I'm handed, and hope that the bank has good enough bills for this.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Lvtocruize2]

How many of you paid CASH (U.S. Currency) at the end of the tour to save the 5%? I'm just wondering how "perfect" your bills were, as it's been stressed that the U.S. Currency needs to be free of defects, tears, markings, etc. We've got to go to the bank next week to get our money for this tour and I'd like to know how picky I need to be with the bills I'm handed, and hope that the bank has good enough bills for this.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I just did this yesterday (called the bank to explain what I needed) and altho' the bills were not crisp, they are "more than passable", I hope. The lady said she would need two days to get the $ ready. There are no wrinkles, marks, tears. Now my problem is how to keep them in the same shape as I received them due to the fact that we will have one day wandering around Stockholm to avoid jet lag. Our hotel does have an in-room safe but the room won't be available until that afternoon. So guess I'll carry all this $ in a passport holder which one wears around the neck and risk someone cutting my head off ;)

[ellbon]

the hotels all have safes that are behind the front desk.. i have used them many times.

[rdr525]

We also are using them for one day tour.

Got crisp $100 at bank. I used towork in the bank and large bills are usually much better then 10 and 20's. If u ask the teller they will look thru their bills and also ask the other tellers to pick out perfect money.

Please refresh my memory- how much (%) to tip guide and driver

thanks R

[Scoobs9]

We just returned from our cruise (Aug. 10-20, 2010) which included the two-day St. Pete's tour with TJ Tours. This company came highly recommended and a cruiser already had started a group from our cruise (thanks Lilian!!!). TJ met us as promised once we passed Russian Customs (no problems). The vehicle was new and the driver great, although the air conditioner fought hard to stay up with the 30C+ temps we experienced. Water was provided on both days and our guide, Kseniya, was both professional and knowledgeable (a degree in art really helped at the Hermitage). The tour is intense with many stops and is well planned out. We took our 10 year-old daughter and she loved the tour. Try the Russian baked pies (similar to a panzerotti) on the second day...very good! They were very accommodating with minor changes (IE. staying a bit longer at a site for pictures or buying souvenirs). When we lost someone at the Hermitage (they were suppose to meet us at the front doors and didn't), the problem was handled efficiently and they were found. As far as payment goes, it is a bonus not to pay upfront. You actually pay at the start of the second day. We paid cash for the discount and provided new USD bills (just need to be untorn and newish). Overall, would highly recommend for the service provided and the fee charged.

Scott

[Kaymar]

Just back from P&O Arcadia Baltic cruise. A small group of four of us used TJ Travel and just couldn't have been happier.

 

From our first enquiry, all reponses were very rapid and professional, they tailored an itinerary to meet our exact requirements and promptly provided all necessary documentation.

 

Our guide, Irina, was fantastic, the car was a new, air-conditioned, 6-seater Mercedes expertly driven by Igor. We saw everything we wanted and more, stopping as and when we chose, enjoying Irina's expert commentary in immaculate English at all times.

 

We paid $300 each at the end of day 2, in cash, with clean $ bills. Excellent value.

 

We could not recommend TJ Travel more highly.

[cruising22]

the notes I had were not new but in a reasonable condition i.e. no rips or tears but they had been used and I had no issue with these. Hope that helps and have a fabulous time

[Ashland]

We just got back from the Baltic cruise on the Jewel..Can't praise TJ Travel enough for the wonderful experience they provided..We were lucky to have Anna as our guide and Igor as our driver...AMAZING !!!! We had crisp fairly new $100 dollar bills and had the exact dollar amount..remember the 5% discount for paying in cash...However when we purchased something in the tent market by Palace Square the vendors took our used US dollar bills with no problem...

[elaine5]

we made up a group of 13 from cruisecritic. We had a wonderful tour, great guide, nice 18 passenger minibus. Would recommend TJ to ayone. Met some who took tour thru the ship--same price as TJ--boat tour got lunch--we paid ourselves (we chose cheap sandwich cafeteria), but we also go to go to Peterhof and ride hydrofoil back. On the ship, you had to choose Peterhof or Hermitage, but not both. It was a fabulous tour--I am so glad we did it. Elaine

[rdr525]

We used tj travel. Nellie was our guide. I found her very knowledgeble. We were on the same minivan as Elaine. I felt pace was just right. We didnt have lunch as on the ship's tour but we did get to see a lot more than they did and we weren't on a 40 seater bus waiting for everyone to catch up.

They were flexible since 3 of the group wanted to walk on Nevski Prospect; they sent another guide to accompany them The remaining 10 of us went back to the ship.

[NCMtnBoys]

Just returned last night from our 7-night Baltic cruise and used TJ Travel for our private tour in St Petersburg. Olga was our guide, Constantine was our driver and they were wonderful. Everything went smoothly as planned. I organized the tour through TJ and we ended up finding six other couples (14 people total in my group) through the Cruise Critic boards to accompany us. We had agreed ahead of time to all meet onboard in a designated area prior to disembarking for the tour so that we could disembark together and meet the guide together. This saved a great amount of time instead of having to wait for everyone to show up outside of Russian immigration. I will also add that there were two other TJ Travel groups booked with Cruise Critic folks from our Meet and Mingle thread (one group of 10, one of 16) who also all met in the same onboard designated area before disembarking the ship.

 

Our tour lasted 12 hours, and we had a city tour (with photo stops), an inside look at the Church of the Spilled Blood, a canal ride, a visit to the Hermitage, a stop for lunch at a pie shop (at our own cost), the hydrofoil ride to Peterhoff with a visit to one of the other buildings there, and a visit to a metro station to see the architecture. We also had three shopping stops.

 

I would definitely recommend TJ Travel, they definitely delivered on a great one-day tour.

[madra2112]

I would echo the previous contributors - We did the same tour as the NC Mtn Boys, exactly a week before them. Katya and Slava were our guide and driver and both were excellent. There were 12 of us on the tour, and the personal service was superb. Even little things like complimentary bottles of water in the minivan add to the feeling of welcome.

[C Toronto]

I just came back from a Baltic cruise with Princess and used TJ tours for a two day tour of St. Petersburg. They were a dream to work with. Olga replied to my request for information promptly. She hooked up the 3 of us with 2 other passengers for a small "Standard" 2-day tour. The arrangements were easy to make and connecting with our guide at the cruise boat port was easy. Our guide, Irina was wonderful - extremely knowlegeable - provided interesting information - lots of fun - worked very hard to accommodate our special requests and special needs. The driver Igor was also very accommodating and the small van was perfect. With 5 people the cost was $310 US per person, which was very competitive. I would definitely use them again if I.