orlenda

On 4/13/2020 at 3:49 PM, ptrpanpens said:

Many booking sites, airlines and tour companies are also dragging their feet on refunds. I got my refund from AZ for a May 14 cruise that I canceled on March 9, but it took about a month and I got 50% FCC and 50% refund. 

 

Refunds will take even even longer once more cruises past May 11 are cancelled.

 

good luck. Azamara makes many mistakes normally and esp during this period, probably due to the volume they are processing. So hopefully yours will get sorted out. Glad I didn’t have to fight it out with them.

 

 

What notice did you receive re Cash Refund for May 14 cruise?  The official memo says cash refund only on cruises up to May 11/20.

We also used Best Guides Group this past Aug. Our tour arranger was Kira who answered all my questions promptly via email

Our tour guide was Lisa and the driver was Alexander. They both were excellent. It was my husband and myself on the tour and everything went smoothly. With a few exceptions we stayed pretty much to the prearranged tour. Some exhibit tickets were pre-purchased, the ones that weren't, meant waiting a few minutes while Lisa purchased them. We rarely had to line us, had early entry to the Hermitage, that was great, especially when you saw the lineups as we left. The worst lineups were at Catherine's Palace. Must of been many hundreds of people lined up but we were taken right to the front of the line and only had to wait a few minutes to get through the gate. Lisa was very knowledgeable of SPB and Russian history. She prepared us for the exhibit we were going to visit with historical information so that what we saw was so much more interesting and relevant. Both Lisa and Alexander had a great sense of humour. Lisa stayed with us throughout all the exhibits and places we toured and provided us with information about whatever we were viewing. Yet she didn't crowd us, she let us wander but made sure we didn't miss anything. Because of a health issue they were very considerate with our need to rest occasionally. We invited Lisa and Alexander to join us for lunch on the first day, which was interesting because we talked about SPB and Russian social, political info etc. The second day, we brought along picnic lunches and had them at the park at St. Catherines Palace. The third day was so full with the Hermitage and Peterhoff that we passed on lunch and instead returned a little earlier to the ship. Payment was in US cash at the end of the third day. No hassle, their great service earned them a well deserved gratuity.

I've been meaning to post this review ever since we returned and am glad I finally did as it brings back great memories of a beautiful city and a wonderful guide and driver. I would not hesitate to recommend The Best Guides Group. Mary Lou