St. Petersburg tours: HAL vs Alla

Good afternoon from snowy Boston!!

DH and I will be sailing with my mother and a friend this June to the Baltics on m/s Zuiderdam. There have been many posts about St. Petersburg on this board but I didn't find any that compared private tours directly with one from the ship so I wanted some opinions.

On most trips [with a few exceptions of course] we DIY or hire private tours but with St. Petersburg we are seriously considering booking through HAL. The private company that had the best itinerary for us, and got great reviews on CC and Tripadvisor, was Alla but I still am not sure. One main reason is that DH loves the ballet and we plan to take HAL's evening excursion to the ballet which leaves at 7pm. HAL has the best price for this option when compared to adding it on with the private tours. I'm am worried that by hiring a private tour, we may not get back to the ship in time to change and leave on the ballet excursion [and grab a quick Lido dinner]. Most of the private companies states that if you add on the ballet through them you may not have time to go back to the ship at all in between. Does anyone have experience with booking a private day tour and an HAL evening tour later the same evening? Is it doable? I assume that HAL will get their own day tours back in time for the evening add-ons [and if they don't they SHOULD refund the evening excursion]. Since the private tours for the day are slightly less and their ballet add-ons are slightly more than HAL, it pretty much works out to the same price if we go all HAL or all private. Private day and HAL evening would be the least expensive option.

Another consideration is that the Alla tour I'm looking at goes to the Faberge museum, which I find pretty interesting, whilst HAL does not. Is this museum worth it? Are there any eggs to view at the Hermitage even if it's only a few. Alla also includes the subway which is of interest to me [and DH who studied in Moscow many years ago and said the subways in Russia are something to behold though he's never been to StP] and some time for shopping on Nevsky Prospect [HAL tour didn't mention this shopping time but I assume we can pick up a souvenir or two at the Hermitage or Catherine's Palace. We don't buy tons of souvenirs but do like to pick up one or two nice things from each of our trips].

I made a spreadsheet of the various tour options of interest and basically narrowed it down to the two below. Any thoughts/comments on which one is preferable? One benefit of HAL tours is that they will bump up our Mariner days through the onboard spending. I know the HAL tour will be a larger group but I'm not too bothered by that as long as we have a friendly, qualified guide and get to see the main sights. Thanks in advance!!

Holland America Line

NAME OF TOUR 2 Day Best of St Petersburg

Price for 2 day tour [pp] $309.95

Visa Waiver? YES

Appox lenth Day 1 ?

Appox lenth Day 2 ?

Time Day 1 7.45am - ?

Time Day 2 7.45am - ?

Hermitage YES

Church on Spilled Blood YES

Peterhof YES

Catherine's Palace YES

Peter & Paul Fortress YES

Lunch Day 1 YES

Lunch Day 2 YES

Canal Cruise YES

St. Isaac's Cathedral YES [Outside only]

Audio Guide YES

Faberge Museum X

Yusupov Palace X

Hydrofoil ride X

Subway X

Nevsky Prospect [shopping street] X

ALLA Tours

NAME OF TOUR Faberge Tour

Price for 2 day tour [pp] $285

Visa Waiver? YES

Appox lenth Day 1 8 hours

Appox lenth Day 2 8.5 hours

Time Day 1 8.30am - 5.30pm

Time Day 2 7.30am - 5.00pm

Hermitage YES

Church on Spilled Blood YES

Peterhof YES

Catherine's Palace YES

Peter & Paul Fortress YES

Lunch Day 1 YES

Lunch Day 2 YES

Canal Cruise YES

St. Isaac's Cathedral X

Audio Guide YES

Faberge Museum YES

Yusupov Palace X

Hydrofoil ride X

Subway YES

Nevsky Prospect [shopping street] YES

Good afternoon from snowy Boston!!

DH and I will be sailing with my mother and a friend this June to the Baltics on m/s Zuiderdam. There have been many posts about St. Petersburg on this board but I didn't find any that compared private tours directly with one from the ship so I wanted some opinions.

 

On most trips [with a few exceptions of course] we DIY or hire private tours but with St. Petersburg we are seriously considering booking through HAL. The private company that had the best itinerary for us, and got great reviews on CC and Tripadvisor, was Alla but I still am not sure. One main reason is that DH loves the ballet and we plan to take HAL's evening excursion to the ballet which leaves at 7pm. HAL has the best price for this option when compared to adding it on with the private tours. I'm am worried that by hiring a private tour, we may not get back to the ship in time to change and leave on the ballet excursion [and grab a quick Lido dinner]. Most of the private companies states that if you add on the ballet through them you may not have time to go back to the ship at all in between. Does anyone have experience with booking a private day tour and an HAL evening tour later the same evening? Is it doable? I assume that HAL will get their own day tours back in time for the evening add-ons [and if they don't they SHOULD refund the evening excursion]. Since the private tours for the day are slightly less and their ballet add-ons are slightly more than HAL, it pretty much works out to the same price if we go all HAL or all private. Private day and HAL evening would be the least expensive option.

 

Another consideration is that the Alla tour I'm looking at goes to the Faberge museum, which I find pretty interesting, whilst HAL does not. Is this museum worth it? Are there any eggs to view at the Hermitage even if it's only a few. Alla also includes the subway which is of interest to me [and DH who studied in Moscow many years ago and said the subways in Russia are something to behold though he's never been to StP] and some time for shopping on Nevsky Prospect [HAL tour didn't mention this shopping time but I assume we can pick up a souvenir or two at the Hermitage or Catherine's Palace. We don't buy tons of souvenirs but do like to pick up one or two nice things from each of our trips].

 

I made a spreadsheet of the various tour options of interest and basically narrowed it down to the two below. Any thoughts/comments on which one is preferable? One benefit of HAL tours is that they will bump up our Mariner days through the onboard spending. I know the HAL tour will be a larger group but I'm not too bothered by that as long as we have a friendly, qualified guide and get to see the main sights. Thanks in advance!!

 

Holland America Line

NAME OF TOUR 2 Day Best of St Petersburg

Price for 2 day tour [pp] $309.95

Visa Waiver? YES

Appox lenth Day 1 ?

Appox lenth Day 2 ?

Time Day 1 7.45am - ?

Time Day 2 7.45am - ?

 

Hermitage YES

Church on Spilled Blood YES

Peterhof YES

Catherine's Palace YES

Peter & Paul Fortress YES

Lunch Day 1 YES

Lunch Day 2 YES

Canal Cruise YES

St. Isaac's Cathedral YES [Outside only]

Audio Guide YES

Faberge Museum X

Yusupov Palace X

Hydrofoil ride X

Subway X

Nevsky Prospect [shopping street] X

 

 

ALLA Tours

NAME OF TOUR Faberge Tour

Price for 2 day tour [pp] $285

Visa Waiver? YES

Appox lenth Day 1 8 hours

Appox lenth Day 2 8.5 hours

Time Day 1 8.30am - 5.30pm

Time Day 2 7.30am - 5.00pm

 

Hermitage YES

Church on Spilled Blood YES

Peterhof YES

Catherine's Palace YES

Peter & Paul Fortress YES

Lunch Day 1 YES

Lunch Day 2 YES

Canal Cruise YES

St. Isaac's Cathedral X

Audio Guide YES

Faberge Museum YES

Yusupov Palace X

Hydrofoil ride X

Subway YES

Nevsky Prospect [shopping street] YES

Hi Bostonjetset,

I have toured with Alla several times both from a cruise ship (when I did not have a Russian visa) and when I arrived via air for extended visits (with a Russian visa). IMHO, there is absolutely no comparison between the quality of the tour that you will experience with your cruise ship vs Alla. In fact, the same is true if you book with other local operators - it is a much better experience with the local operator than it is with cruise ship tours. With Alla, the group is quite small (maximum of 16 on their group tours), more personal and more comprehensive. With your ship, you will be traveling with a large group in a big bus (sometimes 55 people) and you can only move as fast as the slowest person in your big group reducing the time you actually have for visiting the sights. Furthermore, the large buses cannot get close to the entrances of the sites you will visit - the smaller Mercedes vans that Alla uses can drop your guide & group much closer to the venues.

It might be a good idea to contact Alla via email and inquire whether or not it would be feasible to book the ballet through your ship - i.e., would you be back onboard in time to change and make it to the ballet. From my experience, there definitely won't be time to dine, change and make it to the ballet.

FYI: no matter the ballet venue that you select, you will not be attending a ballet during the customary ballet season - you will be with a bunch of other tourists and the best of the best (dancers) at any venue will either be on tour or vacation during the summer. The locals attend the ballet performances during the regular ballet season (fall) when the prices are lower - prices are increased during the summer tourist season.

Yes, the Faberge Museum is wonderful - the Imperial Egg collection is amazing. Although not the largest Faberge Egg collection in the world (9 of the famous Imperial Eggs), it is the largest Faberge collection worldwide and contains many other Faberge items. Also, the beautifully restored palace where the collection is displayed, Shuvalov Palace, is a work of art in and of itself.

Yes, the Hermitage does have 3 Faberge Eggs that I can recall, but I believe that unlike the original eggs in the Faberge Museum, only one in the Hermitage is the original (Spring Flowers Music Box) - the other 2 are reproductions. Just remember that the Hermitage is HUGE and you may not even view the Faberge eggs during your limited time in the museum - all tours follow a set itinerary in the Hermitage.

And, I know for a fact that you will see the exterior of St. Isaac's Cathedral on all of Alla's 2 day tours - you just won't visit inside if you book the Faberge Tour.

EXCELLENT advice from Dogs4fun. You should particularly pay advice to her comments about the number of people on the tour. We did the ALLA tour and going through the museums and churches with our guide and 14 other people worked well, but I can't imagine doing it with any more than that. The idea of touring these sites with up to 55 people is mind-boggling.

Just a couple of further comments on comparisons of the two tours which Dogs4fun didn't mention:

1) St. Issac's Cathedral -- We did a tour of the interior and it was fine, but probably my least favorite stop of all those we made. So you aren't missing out any anything by not going there (or by only seeing the exterior.)

2) St. Petersburg Subway -- I have been in the Moscow subways and the ones in St. Petersburg are equally, if not more, magnificent. We entered the Sportivnaya Metro station which has, as its theme, athletics. We rode one stop to the Admiralteskaya stop where the theme is Peter the Great, ships and the sea. The mosaics, stained glass, lighting, etc. in these stations were amazing.

3) The times they listed on our itinerary for our return to the ship each day were extremely accurate. Don't expect to get back much earlier, but also don't expect to get back any later. The guides and drivers will be ready for the day to end too!

I would recommend contacting Alla about the timing for the night tour. We did the two-day Alla comfort tour and were able to do an evening ship's tour (not the ballet, an evening canal tour) the night we spent in St. Petersburg. We didn't have a lot of time between tours, but enough to change and get dinner on the Lido deck. What made Alla's tour particularly worthwhile was that our 16-passenger van could go just about anywhere, while the full-size bus ship's tours were limited On our cruise, one group that took a ship tour missed the Church of Spilled Blood because there was no place for the bus to park.

Hi Bostonjetset,

I have toured with Alla several times both from a cruise ship (when I did not have a Russian visa) and when I arrived via air for extended visits (with a Russian visa). IMHO, there is absolutely no comparison between the quality of the tour that you will experience with your cruise ship vs Alla. In fact, the same is true if you book with other local operators - it is a much better experience with the local operator than it is with cruise ship tours. With Alla, the group is quite small (maximum of 16 on their group tours), more personal and more comprehensive. With your ship, you will be traveling with a large group in a big bus (sometimes 55 people) and you can only move as fast as the slowest person in your big group reducing the time you actually have for visiting the sights. Furthermore, the large buses cannot get close to the entrances of the sites you will visit - the smaller Mercedes vans that Alla uses can drop your guide & group much closer to the venues.

It might be a good idea to contact Alla via email and inquire whether or not it would be feasible to book the ballet through your ship - i.e., would you be back onboard in time to change and make it to the ballet. From my experience, there definitely won't be time to dine, change and make it to the ballet.

FYI: no matter the ballet venue that you select, you will not be attending a ballet during the customary ballet season - you will be with a bunch of other tourists and the best of the best (dancers) at any venue will either be on tour or vacation during the summer. The locals attend the ballet performances during the regular ballet season (fall) when the prices are lower - prices are increased during the summer tourist season.

Yes, the Faberge Museum is wonderful - the Imperial Egg collection is amazing. Although not the largest Faberge Egg collection in the world (9 of the famous Imperial Eggs), it is the largest Faberge collection worldwide and contains many other Faberge items. Also, the beautifully restored palace where the collection is displayed, Shuvalov Palace, is a work of art in and of itself.

Yes, the Hermitage does have 3 Faberge Eggs that I can recall, but I believe that unlike the original eggs in the Faberge Museum, only one in the Hermitage is the original (Spring Flowers Music Box) - the other 2 are reproductions. Just remember that the Hermitage is HUGE and you may not even view the Faberge eggs during your limited time in the museum - all tours follow a set itinerary in the Hermitage.

And, I know for a fact that you will see the exterior of St. Isaac's Cathedral on all of Alla's 2 day tours - you just won't visit inside if you book the Faberge Tour.

Thank you for the detailed reply! It surely gives us a lot to think about. I really want to see the eggs so this Alla tour may be the best option. I will double check with Alla regarding the return to the ship but they advertise a return of 5.30 and the HAL ballet tour leaves at 7.00 so that seems like a good enough amount of time for a change and a very quick Lido dinner. However, I have now read some reviews of the HAL ballet excursion on the HAL site and they were VERY poor. I can deal with 2nd tier dancers [i'm a regular opera/ballet goer so am familiar with the seasons however seeing a ballet in Russia outweighs the fact that it will not be the premier dancers] but the HAL reviews said the venue was not nice at all. Passengers reported being in a bland auditorium rather than one of the beautiful old theatres. I don't expect the Mariinsky/Kirov for the prices charged but at least the Alexandrinsky or the Hermitage would be nice. Maybe Alla would be worth the small increase in price for a better theatre. Do you [or anyone] have experience with this?

EXCELLENT advice from Dogs4fun. You should particularly pay advice to her comments about the number of people on the tour. We did the ALLA tour and going through the museums and churches with our guide and 14 other people worked well, but I can't imagine doing it with any more than that. The idea of touring these sites with up to 55 people is mind-boggling.

 

Just a couple of further comments on comparisons of the two tours which Dogs4fun didn't mention:

 

1) St. Issac's Cathedral -- We did a tour of the interior and it was fine, but probably my least favorite stop of all those we made. So you aren't missing out any anything by not going there (or by only seeing the exterior.)

 

2) St. Petersburg Subway -- I have been in the Moscow subways and the ones in St. Petersburg are equally, if not more, magnificent. We entered the Sportivnaya Metro station which has, as its theme, athletics. We rode one stop to the Admiralteskaya stop where the theme is Peter the Great, ships and the sea. The mosaics, stained glass, lighting, etc. in these stations were amazing.

 

3) The times they listed on our itinerary for our return to the ship each day were extremely accurate. Don't expect to get back much earlier, but also don't expect to get back any later. The guides and drivers will be ready for the day to end too!

Thanks for your reply as well! I've always found that train/subway stations around the world offer great architectural studies and make for great photo ops.

I would recommend contacting Alla about the timing for the night tour. We did the two-day Alla comfort tour and were able to do an evening ship's tour (not the ballet, an evening canal tour) the night we spent in St. Petersburg. We didn't have a lot of time between tours, but enough to change and get dinner on the Lido deck. What made Alla's tour particularly worthwhile was that our 16-passenger van could go just about anywhere, while the full-size bus ship's tours were limited On our cruise, one group that took a ship tour missed the Church of Spilled Blood because there was no place for the bus to park.

Thanks for the reply! I would hate to miss the Church on Spilled Blood! That is one of the highlights of the city. I can't go to Russia and miss the onion domes!

St. Petersburg tours: HAL vs Alla

It's not really HAL vs Alla.

It's any cruise line vs any local tour operator.

And the local operators win every time.

JB :)

Absolutely Alla over the ship's tour, without question. Alla is very easy to work with, I'd arrange the ballet evening with them and then you'll transition smoothly from your wonderful day tour into your evening program.

... Passengers reported being in a bland auditorium rather than one of the beautiful old theatres. I don't expect the Mariinsky/Kirov for the prices charged but at least the Alexandrinsky or the Hermitage would be nice. Maybe Alla would be worth the small increase in price for a better theatre. Do you [or anyone] have experience with this?

For all you know that bland auditorium was the Mariinky, just not the historic Mariinsky, but the recently built Mariinsky II.

I recommend you begin by checking out the Mariinsky web site. If you do, you'll find that the ballets are being performed in Mariinsky II as often as in the historic theater. We tourists want the glorious theaters of the Romanovs and Petipa-era, but the residents don't share our point of view; they want great acoustics, better sight lines, and comfortable seats!!

Right now, the Mariinsky site is showing only one ballet performance (July 12) the entire summer, and that performance is in the new theater. I'm confident more performances will be added. Since the majority of the attendees will be tourists, perhaps more of the summer ballets will use the historic Mariinsky. Here's a look at the ballets for this week and next:

February 14: Romeo and Juliet in Mariinsky II

February 15: As above

February 16: Jewels in Mariinsky II

February 17: Raymonda in Mariinsky

February 18: As above.

February 19: Petrouchka, The Firebird and one other in Mariinsky

February 21: Midsummer Night's Dream in Mariinsky

February 22: As above.

February 23: As above

If you absolutely want to guarantee seeing the historic Mariinsky, you can can take a day-time behind the scenes tour if you form a group and hire a private guide for your group alone. This guide will, in turn, have to hire a specially licensed guide to tour the Mariinsky. HAL won't offer this and even some of the licensed Russian operators won't do this (e.g. SPB) Certainly, none of the pre-set tours include a behind the scenes visit to the Mariinsky. We used White Nights Travel, #5 on Trip Advisor to accomplish this goal.

Since you're an veteran ballet goer, you'll have to re-adjust your expectations perhaps more than you anticipate. During our 2000 trip to St. Petersburg, we saw Swan Lake performed at the Alexandrinsky. Glorious theater, but mediocre dancing. No single female was up to the challenge of the dual Odette/Odile roles so two ballerinas handled the dancing. The lead male must have been drinking prior to the performance since he lost his balance a couple of times on shockingly easy steps. (I worried about the ballerinas each time he did a lift.) I contented myself studying the decadent opulence of the theater. Red velvet. Check. Lots of gold gilt. Check.

We don't regret the evening; the stories from that night's experience have been worth the time and money involved. But dancing of the caliber for which the Russian dance companies are famous? Not so much.

FWIW, many member in the audience of a summer performance will have transitioned from day time touring to the ballet without returning to the ship. If you tour in a decent shirt and chinos and if you're on a private tour where you can leave some things like a sweater in the mini-bus/limo, you'll be dressed just fine for a summer ballet performance. Dinner out in St. Petersburg would allow you to catch your breath before the ballet.

Absolutely Alla over the ship's tour, without question. Alla is very easy to work with, I'd arrange the ballet evening with them and then you'll transition smoothly from your wonderful day tour into your evening program.

Absolutely support that going with local tour operators is the best option in terms of quality and costs as well. Small groups are much more flexible and personalised, but the best choice for us was booking a private tour (for your family only). We had a great time with St Petersburg Private Tours agency http://www.tours-stpetersburg.ru in July, 2016. They arranged the cruise pick-up, visa support and 'skip-the-line' tickets to the museums. The last, but not the least: the costs were significantly lower than those in Alla for the same itinerary. Make your own research, it seems that the city has a lot of offers for cruise passengers & everyone can find himself/herself a good option.

St. Petersburg tours: HAL vs Alla

 

It's not really HAL vs Alla.

It's any cruise line vs any local tour operator.

 

And the local operators win every time.

 

JB :)

In

a

nutshell

St. Petersburg tours: HAL vs Alla

 

It's not really HAL vs Alla.

It's any cruise line vs any local tour operator.

 

And the local operators win every time.

 

JB :)

:D

I am sailing with HAL and Alla had the tour option that most interested me so that is why I mentioned those two specifically. Of course the others I checked [TJ Travel and SPB] had some good offerings as well but Alla seemed to check all the right boxes with the Faberge/Imperial Splendors tour.

Absolutely Alla over the ship's tour, without question. Alla is very easy to work with, I'd arrange the ballet evening with them and then you'll transition smoothly from your wonderful day tour into your evening program.

I will look into their ballet program and see if I can find any reviews from past customers.

For all you know that bland auditorium was the Mariinky, just not the historic Mariinsky, but the recently built Mariinsky II.

 

I recommend you begin by checking out the Mariinsky web site. If you do, you'll find that the ballets are being performed in Mariinsky II as often as in the historic theater. We tourists want the glorious theaters of the Romanovs and Petipa-era, but the residents don't share our point of view; they want great acoustics, better sight lines, and comfortable seats!!

 

Right now, the Mariinsky site is showing only one ballet performance (July 12) the entire summer, and that performance is in the new theater. I'm confident more performances will be added. Since the majority of the attendees will be tourists, perhaps more of the summer ballets will use the historic Mariinsky. Here's a look at the ballets for this week and next:

 

February 14: Romeo and Juliet in Mariinsky II

February 15: As above

February 16: Jewels in Mariinsky II

February 17: Raymonda in Mariinsky

February 18: As above.

February 19: Petrouchka, The Firebird and one other in Mariinsky

February 21: Midsummer Night's Dream in Mariinsky

February 22: As above.

February 23: As above

 

If you absolutely want to guarantee seeing the historic Mariinsky, you can can take a day-time behind the scenes tour if you form a group and hire a private guide for your group alone. This guide will, in turn, have to hire a specially licensed guide to tour the Mariinsky. HAL won't offer this and even some of the licensed Russian operators won't do this (e.g. SPB) Certainly, none of the pre-set tours include a behind the scenes visit to the Mariinsky. We used White Nights Travel, #5 on Trip Advisor to accomplish this goal.

 

Since you're an veteran ballet goer, you'll have to re-adjust your expectations perhaps more than you anticipate. During our 2000 trip to St. Petersburg, we saw Swan Lake performed at the Alexandrinsky. Glorious theater, but mediocre dancing. No single female was up to the challenge of the dual Odette/Odile roles so two ballerinas handled the dancing. The lead male must have been drinking prior to the performance since he lost his balance a couple of times on shockingly easy steps. (I worried about the ballerinas each time he did a lift.) I contented myself studying the decadent opulence of the theater. Red velvet. Check. Lots of gold gilt. Check.

 

We don't regret the evening; the stories from that night's experience have been worth the time and money involved. But dancing of the caliber for which the Russian dance companies are famous? Not so much.

 

FWIW, many member in the audience of a summer performance will have transitioned from day time touring to the ballet without returning to the ship. If you tour in a decent shirt and chinos and if you're on a private tour where you can leave some things like a sweater in the mini-bus/limo, you'll be dressed just fine for a summer ballet performance. Dinner out in St. Petersburg would allow you to catch your breath before the ballet.

Thank you for such a lengthy and detailed reply!! The Mariinsky II never even occurred to me but even that seems nicer than what was described in one of the HAL reviews [albeit from 2012] which stated: "Very disappointing, especially the venue, which was in a "tired" hotel and the concert hall (if you could call it that) was more like a high school auditorium or lecture hall, complete with writing desks. " Whilst I would OF COURSE prefer the velvet and gilt of the Romanov era, the Marinsky II would be acceptable; a hotel conference auditorium would not!

Truthfully I'm more of an opera lover than a ballet aficionado but we do attend the Boston Ballet at least once or twice per season. I am not so well versed in the dance moves that some 2nd tier dancers would bother me [and your drunk male lead may be quite entertaining! haha] but seeing reviews that state: "...we see that it is an amateur production, in a musical hall - not a ballet theater. " do make me apprehensive. I will say that the ONE good review on the HAL site was from 2015 whilst the multiple bad ones were from 2012 and earlier. Perhaps they cleaned up their act? I would love to hear from those who have had recent experiences. The Alla site does not state what theatres they use but on TripAdvisor they have gotten good reviews and a few mentioned the Alexandrinsky.

The other option is the folkloric show which, incidentally, got rave reviews on the HAL site and also got good reviews on TripAdvisor. Perhaps that will be fun? We have fabulous ballet in Boston and NYC so the folkloric show may be a more unique experience even if it's a tourist event. Anyone who has been to that, feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Absolutely support that going with local tour operators is the best option in terms of quality and costs as well. Small groups are much more flexible and personalised, but the best choice for us was booking a private tour (for your family only). We had a great time with St Petersburg Private Tours agency http://www.tours-stpetersburg.ru in July, 2016. They arranged the cruise pick-up, visa support and 'skip-the-line' tickets to the museums. The last, but not the least: the costs were significantly lower than those in Alla for the same itinerary. Make your own research, it seems that the city has a lot of offers for cruise passengers & everyone can find himself/herself a good option.

Thanks for the tip and the link. I checked them out and they seem to be for people staying in Russia with a standard visa rather than to passengers arriving by ship. I prefer not to go through the hassle of a Russian visa if there are so many options where I wouldn't need one. As this is my first time to Russia, I feel like all of the standard tours will show me the main sights that I want to see. I just need to make sure to fit in the eggs! haha

Would the ship have a folkloric show or ballet as their entertainment that night? I was in St. Petersburg last year on Princess and they had a folk show as the entertainment on the first night. I know HAL has theme nights (food etc.) so I wonder if they will have a Russian themed show.

And another here for private company over ship company. Went with Alla last year. Group of 16, with lunch on both days.

.

 

The other option is the folkloric show which, incidentally, got rave reviews on the HAL site and also got good reviews on TripAdvisor. Perhaps that will be fun? We have fabulous ballet in Boston and NYC so the folkloric show may be a more unique experience even if it's a tourist event. Anyone who has been to that, feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

 

 

 

Yes, it's fun.:)

Though its very different to ballet or opera, and I do wonder whether anyone has the breadth of interest to embrace both ends of the spectrum.

.

Unashamedly for tourists.

Held in an attractive but rather dilapidated venue (think "decayed decadence"). A large room rather than an auditorium, with a raised platform for the performers and the audience on dining-type chairs.

We did wonder what we'd let ourselves in for, but no worries -

The musicians, singers and dancers are excellent, as is the choreography, and the show is wide-ranging - from ballads to Cossack dancing. Lots of humour, from subtle to side-splitting.

Some audience-participation - I don't think you get that at the ballet :D

.

Absolutely no need to change into evening clothes.

If the routine is the same as for us (Alla), you won't go back to the ship - you'll be dropped at a bar at the end of the day tour (I think the folklore show starts earlier than the ballet).

Get some roubles for drinks / eats at the bar - the little interval canapés will do nothing to stave off hunger pangs :rolleyes

Then a rep collects you, walks you to the theatre, gets you in & leaves you.

Try to get there early for a seat front-and-centre, but avoid the front row if you don't want to be hauled on-stage.;)

At the end of the show, a driver will be waiting outside to take you back to the ship.

We thoroughly enjoyed it - but it's very different to ballet or opera.

JB :)

Good afternoon from snowy Boston!!

DH and I will be sailing with my mother and a friend this June to the Baltics on m/s Zuiderdam. There have been many posts about St. Petersburg on this board but I didn't find any that compared private tours directly with one from the ship so I wanted some opinions.

 

On most trips [with a few exceptions of course] we DIY or hire private tours but with St. Petersburg we are seriously considering booking through HAL. The private company that had the best itinerary for us, and got great reviews on CC and Tripadvisor, was Alla but I still am not sure. One main reason is that DH loves the ballet and we plan to take HAL's evening excursion to the ballet which leaves at 7pm. HAL has the best price for this option when compared to adding it on with the private tours. I'm am worried that by hiring a private tour, we may not get back to the ship in time to change and leave on the ballet excursion [and grab a quick Lido dinner]. Most of the private companies states that if you add on the ballet through them you may not have time to go back to the ship at all in between. Does anyone have experience with booking a private day tour and an HAL evening tour later the same evening? Is it doable? I assume that HAL will get their own day tours back in time for the evening add-ons [and if they don't they SHOULD refund the evening excursion]. Since the private tours for the day are slightly less and their ballet add-ons are slightly more than HAL, it pretty much works out to the same price if we go all HAL or all private. Private day and HAL evening would be the least expensive option.

 

Another consideration is that the Alla tour I'm looking at goes to the Faberge museum, which I find pretty interesting, whilst HAL does not. Is this museum worth it? Are there any eggs to view at the Hermitage even if it's only a few. Alla also includes the subway which is of interest to me [and DH who studied in Moscow many years ago and said the subways in Russia are something to behold though he's never been to StP] and some time for shopping on Nevsky Prospect [HAL tour didn't mention this shopping time but I assume we can pick up a souvenir or two at the Hermitage or Catherine's Palace. We don't buy tons of souvenirs but do like to pick up one or two nice things from each of our trips].

 

I made a spreadsheet of the various tour options of interest and basically narrowed it down to the two below. Any thoughts/comments on which one is preferable? One benefit of HAL tours is that they will bump up our Mariner days through the onboard spending. I know the HAL tour will be a larger group but I'm not too bothered by that as long as we have a friendly, qualified guide and get to see the main sights. Thanks in advance!!

 

Holland America Line

NAME OF TOUR 2 Day Best of St Petersburg

Price for 2 day tour [pp] $309.95

Visa Waiver? YES

Appox lenth Day 1 ?

Appox lenth Day 2 ?

Time Day 1 7.45am - ?

Time Day 2 7.45am - ?

 

Hermitage YES

Church on Spilled Blood YES

Peterhof YES

Catherine's Palace YES

Peter & Paul Fortress YES

Lunch Day 1 YES

Lunch Day 2 YES

Canal Cruise YES

St. Isaac's Cathedral YES [Outside only]

Audio Guide YES

Faberge Museum X

Yusupov Palace X

Hydrofoil ride X

Subway X

Nevsky Prospect [shopping street] X

 

 

ALLA Tours

NAME OF TOUR Faberge Tour

Price for 2 day tour [pp] $285

Visa Waiver? YES

Appox lenth Day 1 8 hours

Appox lenth Day 2 8.5 hours

Time Day 1 8.30am - 5.30pm

Time Day 2 7.30am - 5.00pm

 

Hermitage YES

Church on Spilled Blood YES

Peterhof YES

Catherine's Palace YES

Peter & Paul Fortress YES

Lunch Day 1 YES

Lunch Day 2 YES

Canal Cruise YES

St. Isaac's Cathedral X

Audio Guide YES

Faberge Museum YES

Yusupov Palace X

Hydrofoil ride X

Subway YES

Nevsky Prospect [shopping street] YES

We did a private tour with Alla in St. Petersburg, and two other group tours in Berlin, and Tallinn. Absolute best tours we have had anywhere. Our guide in St. Petersburg actually added more than I had customized for our tour. We met Alla herself after clearing through immigration in St. Petersburg, and she did her absolute best to make sure we had a great day. Our day went so well we doubled the tip for our driver, and guide, because they made sure we had a fabulous day. I never wanted to book another ship excursion after that. Go with Alla hands down.

Would the ship have a folkloric show or ballet as their entertainment that night? I was in St. Petersburg last year on Princess and they had a folk show as the entertainment on the first night. I know HAL has theme nights (food etc.) so I wonder if they will have a Russian themed show.

 

And another here for private company over ship company. Went with Alla last year. Group of 16, with lunch on both days.

Hmm that is something I never even thought of. Hopefully someone who has sailed this itinerary on the Zuiderdam will comment on whether or not HAL has this evening program on board.

Yes, it's fun.:)

 

Though its very different to ballet or opera, and I do wonder whether anyone has the breadth of interest to embrace both ends of the spectrum.

 

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Unashamedly for tourists.

 

Held in an attractive but rather dilapidated venue (think "decayed decadence"). A large room rather than an auditorium, with a raised platform for the performers and the audience on dining-type chairs.

 

We did wonder what we'd let ourselves in for, but no worries -

 

The musicians, singers and dancers are excellent, as is the choreography, and the show is wide-ranging - from ballads to Cossack dancing. Lots of humour, from subtle to side-splitting.

 

Some audience-participation - I don't think you get that at the ballet :D

 

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Absolutely no need to change into evening clothes.

 

If the routine is the same as for us (Alla), you won't go back to the ship - you'll be dropped at a bar at the end of the day tour (I think the folklore show starts earlier than the ballet).

 

Get some roubles for drinks / eats at the bar - the little interval canapés will do nothing to stave off hunger pangs :rolleyes

 

Then a rep collects you, walks you to the theatre, gets you in & leaves you.

 

Try to get there early for a seat front-and-centre, but avoid the front row if you don't want to be hauled on-stage.;)

 

At the end of the show, a driver will be waiting outside to take you back to the ship.

 

 

 

We thoroughly enjoyed it - but it's very different to ballet or opera.

 

 

 

JB :)

Thanks for the response!! It sounds like it could be a pretty fun time. I actually may appreciate both ends of this particular spectrum. Not sure I would run to a traveling folkloric show if one appeared in my town but it may be a fun thing to do on an evening in Russia. Sounds like it is a memorable time.

We did a private tour with Alla in St. Petersburg, and two other group tours in Berlin, and Tallinn. Absolute best tours we have had anywhere. Our guide in St. Petersburg actually added more than I had customized for our tour. We met Alla herself after clearing through immigration in St. Petersburg, and she did her absolute best to make sure we had a great day. Our day went so well we doubled the tip for our driver, and guide, because they made sure we had a fabulous day. I never wanted to book another ship excursion after that. Go with Alla hands down.

Thanks for the reply!! I'm definitely leaning towards Alla. How early does one need to reserve with them?

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Hmm that is something I never even thought of. Hopefully someone who has sailed this itinerary on the Zuiderdam will comment on whether or not HAL has this evening program on board.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the response!! It sounds like it could be a pretty fun time. I actually may appreciate both ends of this particular spectrum. Not sure I would run to a traveling folkloric show if one appeared in my town but it may be a fun thing to do on an evening in Russia. Sounds like it is a memorable time.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply!! I'm definitely leaning towards Alla. How early does one need to reserve with them?

 

 

 

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I booked as soon as our final payment was made. If this is your only trip in your lifetime to St. Petersburg you don't want to miss out on a tour because you waited. I had no problems working with Alla. Email, and questions were answered usually by the next day depending on your time difference. Just a great overall experience with them.

Hmm that is something I never even thought of. Hopefully someone who has sailed this itinerary on the Zuiderdam will comment on whether or not HAL has this evening program on board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply!! I'm definitely leaning towards Alla. How early does one need to reserve with them?

 

 

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Very simple, just go to http://www.alla-tour.com and follow the steps.

Thanks for the reply!! I'm definitely leaning towards Alla. How early does one need to reserve with them?

 

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Alla Tours has a toll free number that you can call and get all pertinent information from "the horse's mouth" as it were. It is listed on their website as 1-800-317-7060 Hope it helps!