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St. Petersburg Alla tours changes


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Is anyone using Alla tours for St. Petersburg? I'm getting a little nervous using them now after receiving an email saying they could no longer do early entrance to the Hermitage and hydrofoil ride. I know Alla has received great reviews in the past, but I'm losing confidence in them now. Any other companies I should check out?

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SPB Tours & TJ Travel. Or less well-known ones like DenRus, Best Guides, Anastasia, Red Oktober.

They're as well-respected as Alla.

As are others whose names escape me.

 

But.............

if Alla can no longer get early access to the Hermitage and can't include the hydrofoil (both of which are/were big pluses) then I strongly suspect that the same probably applies to the others - I doubt that Alla's changes were voluntary.

So it makes sense to ask the others specifically about those two things.

 

JB :)

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We are using Alla next month for St. Petersburg and I also got the emails you are mentioning. Whilst not having early entry will for sure be disappointing, I have a feeling that this may affect all tour companies, not just Alla. They stated in the email that is due to the museum's new regulations, not their own choice; if that is the case it should affect all companies. We are doing the Faberge tour which does not include the hydrofoil anyway but I thought that was just to save time over driving; due to bridge construction it would take longer than driving so they will not use it on all tours.

 

I wonder if Alla is just the first to email their clients and the other groups will be sending emails out shortly; that was the case with the change in payment methods with USD no longer being accepted. Alla sent out a notice and then within a few days all the other major tour companies also sent out notices.

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I agree with other postings in that this will not apply only to Alla - the Hermitage is a state owned museum and the Hermitage issue will apply to ALL tour companies in St. Petersburg, not just Alla. Alla is very conscientious and usually informs her clients well before the other tour companies do. Just like the revised payment process, Alla informed her clients before SPB or TJ - now those companies have also informed their respective clients.

I believe that Alla informs her clients out of an abundance of caution - the early entry to the Hermitage and the hydrofoil will most probably be a 'go' on almost all tours, she is just informing you that it is no longer guaranteed so that there will be no surprises should the Hermitage museum revoke the early entry on a specific date (and if they do revoke, no independent company will have early entry). If the other tour companies fail to inform you of the information regarding the Hermitage early entry and the hydrofoil route, they are, IMHO, "flying by the seat of their pants" and hoping for the best - what happens when the "best" fails to materialize? A change of which you were not made aware can happen and I am pretty sure that some folks would not be too happy. Over the past few years, unexpected changes to itineraries have occurred with some tour companies wherein, among other things, clients were not made aware of the changes beforehand - you have only to read the reviews on cruise critic and Trip Advisor).

I have used Alla several times in the past and will continue to recommend and use her tours - they are excellent. I have no qualms whatsoever about using her this year.

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I am booked with Alla Tours and I believe anything that occurs to Alla Tours will also apply to the other tours, like SPB & TJ tours. It is the government or state that is causing all the problems. First it was the change in only accepting Russian money, then we lost the special early entrance to the Museum. This is the first I've heard about the hydrofoil ride. I believe the Russian government has decided to make life a little more difficult for the tourists. This can backfire back on them! :confused:

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TravelingApor,

That's definitely one way of looking at things - but I feel it's a bit of oversimplification.

First, it has pretty much always been illegal to pay for goods, labor or services furnished or rendered locally in foreign currency. Historically, foreign tourism has never been a major source of income for Russia, and, as such, tour companies have been able to stay under the radar of the Russian tax services. Now it has changed.

Second, any restrictions on navigation may or may not be due to enhanced security measures related to FIFA Confed cup and world cup. Whether or not those restrictions will be applied it's still pretty much up in the air.

Early tours are at the discretion of museums (which, as it turns out, are primarily there to ensure public education and preservation of masterpieces, and any profits generated are an added bonus - think Smithsonian).

 

But yes, it does make things a bit more difficult for us tourists.

 

Perhaps Spbstan, a poster here who is apparently "in the know" on SPb tourist industry, may clarify the recent changes and their implications.

Edited by napoxoguk
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Here's the info I received from Alla which states the decision was made by the Hermitage Museum not Alla for the reason mentioned so it will affect all private tours. Certainly not looking forward to the crowds in late June.:(

Carole

Dear Friends,

 

We would like to share some important information about your St. Petersburg tours.

 

We sincerely regret to inform you, but the early entry to the State Hermitage Museum can not be guaranteed this tourist season. As it was communicated to us in the official Hermitage Museum memo, "due to an anticipated significant increase of tourist flow during the summer, 2017, the State Hermitage Museum can no longer guarantee a special early entry to any private company". We will do our best to arrange early entry for our guests, but as we are sure you understand, this is absolutely out of our control and can be regulated by the museum’s authorities only.

 

Thank you for understanding. Please feel free to contact your personal manager with your questions and concerns. We are always happy to help.

 

Yours,

Alla ToursTeam

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We did Alla 2 weeks ago in St Petersburg...a 2 day tour for 6 of us. Marvelous. I'm sure if they could that they would get you in early to the Hermitage. We were unable to do the hydrofoil, they said that the hydrofoil company was having a problem and if there was a bit of uneasy seas we couldn't do it..and they also said that it could have taken longer. Anyway...we loved the tour and our guide. I'm sure you will too.

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We paid by credit card and tipped in US dollars. Made sure the money wasn't ripped or crinkled. I got the email about having to use rubles while we were on our cruise and asked if we could still tip in US dollars and they said yes. When the guide charged the credit card she made sure we each knew how many rubles she was charging it for.

We did get early admission but not the hydrofoil.

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Payment doesn't need to be in physical roubles... It can be a credit or debit card, but the charge will be in roubles at the current exchange rate. The actual inter-bank conversion may take place at a later date, potentially (but not necessarily) resulting in a typically minuscule adjustment to the dollar/euro amount charged.

 

If you do it in cash - and decide to have cash on hand as you disembark -you are subjecting yourself to the same (minor) forex differences risk, but on top of that you are paying sizable markups and fees charged by your home bank.

 

If you do it in cash and decide to withdraw it from a local ATM - you set the rate at the date of withdrawal. The amount in your currency is immediately debited from your account. But then why not pay with your bank card in the first place?

 

Frankly, I don't understand where the surprise/frustration voiced by so many prospective travelers is coming from.

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As for TJ Travel, we used them two days ago for a one day St. Petersburg tour. We did not do early admission at the Hermitage but our tour guide for us in right at security and we did not stand in line to get in. And we did do the hydrofoil ride.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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This is timely, since I am just booking tours for our cruise at the end of July. It's interesting that the Alla website still shows early entry into the Hermitage as part of the Grand tour, as well as hydrofoil to Peterhof.

 

Here's the info I received from Alla which states the decision was made by the Hermitage Museum not Alla for the reason mentioned so it will affect all private tours. Certainly not looking forward to the crowds in late June.:(

Carole

Dear Friends,

 

We would like to share some important information about your St. Petersburg tours.

 

We sincerely regret to inform you, but the early entry to the State Hermitage Museum can not be guaranteed this tourist season. As it was communicated to us in the official Hermitage Museum memo, "due to an anticipated significant increase of tourist flow during the summer, 2017, the State Hermitage Museum can no longer guarantee a special early entry to any private company". We will do our best to arrange early entry for our guests, but as we are sure you understand, this is absolutely out of our control and can be regulated by the museum’s authorities only.

 

Thank you for understanding. Please feel free to contact your personal manager with your questions and concerns. We are always happy to help.

 

Yours,

Alla ToursTeam

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This is timely, since I am just booking tours for our cruise at the end of July. It's interesting that the Alla website still shows early entry into the Hermitage as part of the Grand tour, as well as hydrofoil to Peterhof.

 

I have been corresponding with an Alla representative regarding the Hermitage early entry and the hydrofoil. I hadn't noticed that the 3 day Grand Tour itinerary lists boat ride not hydrofoil. The 2 day Grand Tour does still list the hydrofoil. Alla has been very responsive and prompt in answering all my questions so I suggest you e-mail them if you need more information.

 

Here's Alla's response that details the Hermitage and hydrofoil situation:

As for the Hermitage, it is not that the early entries are not allowed. The thing is that due to the increased tourists flow, the museum cannot host all the tourists in the morning. It would be a giant mess. Thus, in some cases the representatives may change the early entry to the day entry for some dates in order to ease the situation inside. We always try to book the early entry, but as you understand, we no longer have any control over this. But this possible change will not affect your tour of the Hermitage in any way! You will still have the comprehensive and full excursion there.

 

Regarding the hydrofoil, it is not restricted. Due to several bridges reconstructions, the hydrofoil ride now takes up to 50 minutes instead of previous 30 minutes. And it is no longer feasible to use it in some tours. You did not received a message about that because your tour does not include a hydrofoil ride.
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I am in constant communication with Polina, however, my tour is not until July and she has not mentioned anything to me about my hydrofoil ride or the Hermitage. Not sure if I should approach her about it. What are TJ Tours, Best Guides & SPB Tours doing?

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I have just got back from a cruise with all tours booked with Alla. They really were outstanding and I recommend them. These restrictions will be imposed on all tour groups, so you are unlikely to gain from switching. Having spoken with people who did use the other tours, we all felt Alla had a slight edge - although they were all apparently very good.

 

Our guide, Anna, was constantly tweaking the agenda to make sure we avoided crowds and got the best experience, including negotiating with museum officials, so they will make sure you get the best of what it is possible to offer.

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We have just used TJ Travel - we did the Hermitage in the morning (last Saturday week. 20th May)), about 10am and the first few rooms were empty - it got busier towards noon and the more popular rooms but no queues to get in. We also went to Peterhof on the hydrofoil. Would highly recommend this company and no payment until the 2nd day (that was interesting - we swapped our dollars for rubles on the minibus at the port, then paid in rubles at the office; another couple, Australian, simply paid in dollars (US) at the office. We had each brought dollars especially for this trip and didn't want to take them home again and lose on changing them back The rules have changed recently and it all seems a little random at the moment! we tipped in rubles - not sure whether that is what they want or not!

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There seems to be another change, because Alla Tours just sent me this.:

1. CC will be in Rubles

2. Payment with foreign cash (USD, EUR and GBP). Please prepare the exact amount due and be ready to pay for the tours in the morning of your first day in St. Petersburg using clean and crisp bills. We would like to advise against purchasing Russian rubles ahead of time, as the exchange rate of the Russian Ruble is rather unstable at the moment. Our guides will be happy to assist you with money exchange in Saint Petersburg.

It looks like they are back to accepting foreign cash!

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  • 1 year later...

I am using Alla tours for a shore excursion in Warnemunde and Rostock (not Berlin). I can't seem to fill out the form online to authorize a credit card payment. I tried to call the US toll-free number given on the website, but after a few tries, the line gets cut off. What should I do?

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