tkbd

Got back from a 7-day with Royal Caribbean. Played in the casino quite a bit, but I can't for the life of me find out where my casino points are. They swipe your card every time you sit down at the table.

First time with RCI, so just joined the Crown & Anchor Society with this cruise, but no casino points on our folio or profile?

Can someone point me in the right direction? I doubt I have a ton of points, but it would be nice to know!

If I remember correctly their group was somewhere around 30.

 

By the way, we have been on 5 European cruises and yes the more people on the tour the greater the probability is that someone can't tell time. However, maybe we've been lucky but have never run into that situation (either on private or ship tours).

 

Oh, look at that absolutely just drop-dead gorgeous .... ancient train! :)

Thanks for sharing!

we are British so both US dollars and roubles are foreign currency to us so a fixed price in dollars would be subject to conversion at the time of tour to roubles-likely to vary

a fixed price in roubles to us only involves 1 foreign currency conversion ie roubles to pounds which will be converted by our credit card provider who doesn't charge foreign transaction charges and at a better rate to us

Makes perfect sense! Sorry, new to the forum, probably could've saved you a response if I noticed your location! Thanks for your insights!

TKBD see my spreadsheet made to compare some of the City Highlights kind of tours operated by top local companies - how many people in a group, what sights are on the itinerary, the prices, etc. Here is the link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BgxA9lzzPpaV58Rhh-11N-JrsPu9vya7/view?usp=sharing

OMG. This. Is. Amazing! Thanks SO MUCH for sharing. <3

We did a tour with my wife and I. No real issues with awkward discussions. Be polite and friendly, they will be as well.

Oh yeah, you know I thought the same, but then we had a weird (although amusing and totally not dangerous) experience where, for some reason we got separated out, just the two of us, on a small Halong Bay cruise (only like 8 pax on the ship)....

Although we were with the group for all the other things, the two of us alone ended up with a guide for this cave (Cave of Wonder?) where every cave formation resembled a ... how do I say this.... a non-G-rated body part. Awkward! :D

Since then, I've decided it would just be nice to have another couple or two, as witnesses or something!

But point very well taken, I've actually been on very few tours (mostly indie travel), and mostly small foodie/walking tours of like 8 or less, at that.

On Celebrity everyone dashed off together.

 

We used SPB and had friends who took the ship tour. 2 day tour, similarly priced.

 

Main differences were that we had a subway ride and took the hydrofoil to Peterhof, leaving us more time there.

Did your friends find that their group was very large compared to yours?

Yeah, the subway ride I think is going to tip the scales for me to pro-3rd party tour. Gotta take the metro, omg!

when we did Baltic cruise a few years ago the St Peterburg companies quoted in US dollars and pay cash on 2nd day with new crisp banknotes

however recent changes mean they are only supposed to take local currency ie roubles

they still quote in US dollars but if you pay by credit card they say will be converted to roubles at exchange rate on that day

 

from this year the private companies wont be allowed access to port until an hour after the ships tours[some deal between port and large coach tour companies which will affect all ships not just RCL]

 

However I don't see that as too much of an issue as most ships are there 2 days so plenty of time to catch up and the smaller vans of private companies will be able to take short cuts to the sites

 

also the rush to get off the ship with thousands of your fellow passengers means more bottlenecks at immigration-getting off later will hopefully mean lines have died down a bit

 

As the previous poster pointed out these questions will be answered accurately once the ships start arriving this year

 

we are sailing July this year and have booked a private tour van for 5 of us and asked them for a quote in roubles and will pay on 2nd day with a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction charges

 

will let you know how get on!

Thanks so much for clarifying the situation with getting off the ship! I guess it's just our dumb luck that we're sailing in the middle of all these changes. I might beat you to it -- sailing late June, I just realized (husband planned the trip), on the Serenade.

I'm curious: why did you ask for the quote in rubles? Wouldn't the quote change by summer theoretically?

As no cruise ship has been in St Petersburg since about early September, what you are reading here is as current as it gets, for two of your questions.

 

The local companies are very busy and popular with the cruise ship pax. Yes, you can do the ship's excursions, with 40-45 of your new best friends, at least 2 of which will be unable to tell time, or get to the designated locations as directed, and will hold up the tour at every stop. You chose.

I know I'd even prefer less "new best friends" than the 16 in a van than seems the norm. Now you've got me thinking of going full private, but we're only 2 people, and in some ways that's weirder (pressure to answer questions and laugh at strange foreign jokes in my experience). But I do speak Russian, so now... ugh I don't know!

Hi everyone! Been reading up on the options for tours in Russia, but I still have questions!

Let's say I'm looking at any and all of the names that keep coming up (Alla, Best Guides, SPD, etc.) for 2-day shared group tours ....

We're sailing RCI this July, and this will probably be our only "structured" excursion, and Russia's a big deal for us, so I want to do this right. This'll be my 2nd cruise ever, but my husband's 1st!