SPB or Alla

[Genessa]

I have received info on my requests from both Alla and SPB for our Emerald Princess cruise leaving July 28 from Copenhagen. I thought we would go with SPB, but when I got Alla's response I might change. She seemed more willing to work with us on finding another couple since our friends will only take the Princess tour and also immediately sent us an itinerary with changes that I had requested. SPB sent me back their own itinerary and just suggested to get on Roll Call. I appreciate all the help I have received on another thread and just wanted to verify that companies were equally as good.

 

we went with Alla last year and were very happy with her responses pre-cruise and her presence - she popped up several times during our tour - during our tour.

We had requested pricing and infor for 2 or 4 and when she found another couple who was interested in 4 she contacted us and then connected us.

 

Also - just as going with a group of 12-16 is mroe intimate and personal than a bus of 40, going with just 4 is so amazing!

[janisutx]

Our experience in May 2011 with SPB in St. Petersburg was perfect. Viktoria and her staff were so responsive. Our guide Elena was exceptional. I can't remember her last name but she is a school teacher and has a 9-10 year old daughter. There are a lot of Elena's. Her English was so easy to understand. I celebrated my birthday in St. Petersburg. Viktoria was kind enough to give me a box of chocolates. Even the van driver was wonderful. He loaned my daughter and me money for a bathroom break on day two. SPB's customer service was at a very high level. All ten of us were thrilled with our adventure.

[dogs4fun]

We used Alla last August and were just thrilled with our 2 day Grand Tour. We found Alla to be just delightful...very professional and extremely accomodating. :) Top notch operation!!

We also booked Alla for our tour of Berlin and she happily accomodated our wish to see the Pergamon Museum.

jill

[pugmom2]

I just sent in a final itinerary request to Alla. She has been very responsive to me, and also has said she will work with us to find another couple for the tour. I am really looking forward to this trip, especially St. Petersburg. I really appreciate the comment about Alla.:)

[Genessa]

I just sent in a final itinerary request to Alla. She has been very responsive to me, and also has said she will work with us to find another couple for the tour. I am really looking forward to this trip, especially St. Petersburg. I really appreciate the comment about Alla.:)

 

I forgot to mention that, as our tour progressed and our guide told us about different things we decided we wanted to see something we hadn't asked about prior. No problem, it was included.

Definitely being just 4 helped with that flexibility.

We even had extra time in the Hermitage, and our visit there was tailored not just to the "highlights", but to what those in our party were interested in.

We even passed a sign for an Annie Liebovitz photo exhibit and, on the spur of the moment, went in to see it.

 

Enjoy!

[cadreamer]

We have been to St. Peterburg several times via cruise ship and we have used Alla tours ever since we discovered her many years ago. We can only say the very best about her. She is a wonderful person who is fantasic to deal with. She has gone out of her way to find new and interesting things for us to do and see. She offers very personalized service and her guides and drivers are excellent. She is exceedingly accommodating. I highly recommend contacting her to explore touring possibilites.

[peterhof]

We used Alla last August and were just thrilled with our 2 day Grand Tour. We found Alla to be just delightful...very professional and extremely accomodating. :) Top notch operation!!

We also booked Alla for our tour of Berlin and she happily accomodated our wish to see the Pergamon Museum.

jill

 

Hi Jill,

 

We too looked at Alla and contacted them as well as SPb-tours. However, we especially wanted to visit the Diamond Rooms in the Hermitage as they house the private treasures of the Tzars.

 

Viktoria of SPb came back to us straight away and said that we could taylor their 2-day tour as we wanted and we were able to bolt on for our group a visit to the Diamond Rooms instead of a full tour of the Hermitage. Lots of other tour companies apparently offer to go to the Gold Rooms, but the Diamond Rooms are rather exclusive.

 

I and the rest of my group were very impressed with the efficiency and friendlyness of SPb and when one of our group had her passport and credit card stolen (her own stupid fault as she left her purse open!) Viktoria was with her all the time at the American embassy to get a temporary one and stop the credit card, using her cell. Viktoria even paid the $150 charge that the embassy made. Hows that for service !!

[gdayhoff]

Jill, Peterhof said it well--This just one of the many reasons why so many of us are singing the praises of Viktoria and SPB-tours.Just an outstanding person who wants to please

[dogs4fun]

Jill, Peterhof said it well--This just one of the many reasons why so many of us are singing the praises of Viktoria and SPB-tours.Just an outstanding person who wants to please

 

I am sure this is true. There are several good companies which service SPB and receive high recommendations on CC. I had also checked-out SPb tours when I checked-out Alla tours. I received a more favorable response to my particular requests from Alla.

Whichever company you use is, IMHO, a matter of personal preference. Everyone has different tastes and needs. For me, the company that best suited my needs was Alla Tours and I found Alla herself to be absolutely delightful. She went out of her way to make our trip memorable. BTW we also had a passport snafu which Alla fixed (although nothing as serious as involving the embassy). :)

I will be using Alla again in 2003.

jill

[crusingnut]

We are going on the Eurodam 6/27 to the Baltic which is better SPB or Alla for tours

we're sailing away,

We were on the same CA/NE cruise with you in Oct. Hope all is well with the two of you. We used spb-tours in St. Petersburg for 2 days. It was the highlight of our cruise. I can't say enough good things about them. Viktoria (owner) will alter the tours to suit you. If you end up booking them I'll give you our guide's name who was awesome! Have a great trip.

[ImaFrugalCruiser]

We are going on the Eurodam 6/27 to the Baltic which is better SPB or Alla for tours

 

We are also on the Eurodam for that date. We picked SPB but really cannot compare them to Alla as we have not used either one before. The reason we selected SPB, in addition to their great reviews on both CruiseCritic and TripAdvisor, was because we were able to get the Baltic Pearls Deluxe package but still join a small group for the 2 days in St. Petersburg portion of that package. Viktoria was incredibly responsive to all of our questions and more than willing to adjust the tour to match the group's requests. (She is now offering a 5-ports Baltic Pearls tour as well as the 4-ports one, so we have another decision to make!)

[Giantfan13]

We also did SPB's Baltic Pearl tour and we loved it. We saw whatever there was to see and we weren't rushed from place to place to make sure of this. We ate at a Russian restaurant for lunch one day and again, we loved it. They even adjusted the tour to take advantage of glorious weather on day one. We did ask Viktoria, IF IT WAS POSSIBLE, to make a stop at the Grand Choral Synagogue, which wasn't on the itinerary, and she gladly said if there was time, they would, and they did.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[crusingnut]

We are also on the Eurodam for that date. We picked SPB but really cannot compare them to Alla as we have not used either one before. The reason we selected SPB, in addition to their great reviews on both CruiseCritic and TripAdvisor, was because we were able to get the Baltic Pearls Deluxe package but still join a small group for the 2 days in St. Petersburg portion of that package. Viktoria was incredibly responsive to all of our questions and more than willing to adjust the tour to match the group's requests. (She is now offering a 5-ports Baltic Pearls tour as well as the 4-ports one, so we have another decision to make!)

Viktoria and her guides are great! If you happen to get Elena Levchenko as your guide, please tell her the "crazy group of 10 from Miami, FL" send our regards. Our driver was Andre he was wonderful. Have a great trip!