St Petersburg excursion

[neilm]

Guys just booked with SPB tourse for a 2day tour in St Petersburgh, these people were very helpfull and efficient instant reply to all my emails and very helpfull :)

[oldmovieguy]

We went with SPB last year, very efficient and friendly, good choice.

[J18ktleo]

We used SPG in 2010 and were thrilled with their service!

Have a wonderful time!

[TLCOhio]

The honest truth is that there are a number of very good to excellent firms in St. Petersburg. In my view, the first step is to write to four or five of the top firms, tell them exactly what you want, seek and love. See what you get back and which one is the "best fit" for your specific personal needs and travel style. Some people are very happy and satisfied with the basic, standard "formula" tour that is offered up by some firms. I am NOT a big fan of "one size fits all".

 

Others, like us, want things to be a little more custom. In our "planning process", I asked lots of questions (after doing some advance reading and research) and got back many good replies (quickly) from Anastasia that helped me get my arms around the many options in St. Petersburg. Getting your trip "flow" and "pacing" is very important for St. Petersburg. We were super happy with how it all worked in having a great mix for what we saw and how it fit together. Another key factor is their "flexibility". Once in Russia and doing the first day, we asked about a couple of "schedule adjustments" and they got things done in a smooth and excellent manner. One item was a request to stop at a shop to buy a Russian-style military hat and I asked about getting an early admission at the Hermitage to avoid some of the bus/mass crowds at the regular hour. Making things custom and personal was very important to us. Some firms are flexible and very responsive. Others are not that way, nor interested or caring. You need to determine what you want and need.

 

Just like there are many different sizes, styles and types of shoes, the same is true with private tour companies. We don't all wear and have same types of shoes for all occasions and every possible purpose. Below are a few of my visual samples to get folks prepared for the great glories that are there in St. Petersburg.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 79,039 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Here is an overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior in St. Petersburg. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in this historic city and was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, 1818 to 1858, under direction of a French architect. During Soviet rule, it was nearly destroyed and was made into a Museum of Scientific Atheism. It has been restored to its religious beauty/role. The cathedral's main dome tops out at 333 feet and is plated with pure gold.:

 

 

 

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, just one of many, many great galleries, art, design, etc.:

 

 

 

Here are some of the fountains and water at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.: : [/b]

 

 

 

As we entered Catherine's Palace outside of St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band.:

 

 

 

Private, personal tours can be worth it, especially in St. Petersburg. Here our group of four, with our guide, Jane or Zhenya from Anastasia, we are viewing one of the two da Vinci masterpieces (Madonna Litta or Madonna and Child) at the Hermitage after an early admission. There are only 14 such painting by this artist existing in the world. We did an early admission at the Hermitage, adding to the enjoyment in this spectacular place AND museum. It is both!:

 

 

 

Here is a wider shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac. Spilled Blood or the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ was built on the site along a canal where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 and its building was dedicated to his memory. Construction began in 1883 and was completed in 1907. This city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but this church harkens back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The Church contains over 7500 square metres of mosaics, among the most for any church in the world. It suffered much damage during the Russian Revolution and World War II, but was reopened in 1997, after 27 years of restoration. The results are beautiful!!:

 

[solway shipping]

Sorry to digress but what fabulous pics, may i ask what type of camera was used? Danny

[Jackhelme]

We used SPb two years ago. Great experience. Ask for Katia...great guide!

[TLCOhio]

Sorry to digress but what fabulous pics, may i ask what type of camera was used? Danny

 

I would not say you are "digressing". It's a smart question by an intelligent person!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. These pictures in the Baltics were taken in 2008 with a Nikon D50 or single lens reflex (SLR) camera. Have upgraded to a Nikon D3100 that shoots at a higher pixel level (14mp) and has a few other improvements. That D3100 camera with the basic Nikon 18-55mm zoom lens would run around $550 in the USA today. Just now, Nikon is coming out with a D3200 with some adding improvements, 24mp for this "consumer-level" of SLR. A good camera, but not at the top-pro, high-cost levels.

 

Lens are also important. Now have a Nikon 55-300mm lenses and a 10-20mm Sigma wide angle. That camera also has 1080HD video capability that works well with our new grandson and another grandchild due August 1. In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing and subject options. Here are a few basic, key photography secrets:

 

1. Shooting lots of pictures. That's easier with digital to do, learning as you are taking pictures. Show people only the "good ones!" and do not boring them with the average and/or poor ones.

2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different angles.

3. Involve people. Make it interesting. Get that human element/connection when possible.

4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to lessen the blurs in lower-light situations.

5. Editing: Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the croppings, etc. Narrow down to only your "best of the best" pictures before sharing.

 

See more details and ideas at: Baltics/Picture Secrets! Key Tips, Ideas, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

THANKS for asking! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 79,039 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 68,975 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[solway shipping]

Thanks Terry, a great camera used to its full potential i reckon! I have a bridge type camera at the moment but i'm undecided between upgrading to a nikon slr and a canon slr so you have given me food for thought for sure. The 3100 is about $640 in the UK (thats why manufacturers refer to the UK as "treasure island") Danny

[TLCOhio]

Thanks Terry, a great camera used to its full potential i reckon! I have a bridge type camera at the moment but i'm undecided between upgrading to a nikon slr and a canon slr so you have given me food for thought for sure. The 3100 is about $640 in the UK (thats why manufacturers refer to the UK as "treasure island") Danny

 

Good luck, Danny, in your decision. I have been a Nikon guy since late 1960's. Long, long time. Been very happy. BUT, Canon does a very good job, too. The digital camera technology has really zoomed up in recent years. Amazing quality and products. If buying now, I would wait and get the D3200 that is just coming out. BUT, a D3100 will work very, very well, too. It has 1080HD video capability that is good enough for broadcast quality TV use. I've done it twice on commercials I have done!! Lenses are very important, but good quality today for the costs.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 79,039 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Tiggertastic]

WE used SPB last year and they were fabulous - just check your papers before you leave - one of our party had the wrong date on the paperwork for the visa (it was dated the day before) and customs would not let her through

 

It was sorted but it held up everyone

[Diva Onboard]

For those of you who used SPB - did they provide you with a blanket visa?

 

For those of you who used any private tour company - were you concerned at all about getting back to the ship on time?

[J18ktleo]

Diva Onboard,

Yes, SPB took care of everything! They sent us the visa's by e-mail and we printed them off and had no problem at all (and I was wary as I'd read to horror stories of prior cruises!).

We had an amazing time and the young girl who did our tour (can't remember her name but she was fantastic!) was very concientious and even the second day, when we had so much crammed into the itinerary and we all agreed NOT to stop for a drawn out lunch/meal, we stopped in the middle of the city at a creperie (in a little kiosk in the middle of the road!), got lunch and ate it on the bus awhile later!

The tour covered everything we wanted. The nite of the first day we went back to the ship for dinner then she picked us up and we did a river cruise for White Nights, had the whole boat just for our little tour group of 8...was incredible! On the way she took us to see the subway...didn't miss any part of the city on the highlights list!;)

[VinTek]

I had no worries about getting back to the ship on time. Traffic can be notoriously bad in St. Petersburg, but we allowed ample time for our return.

 

We used Red October, and the highlight of our trip was a luncheon hosted by a Russian family. We lucked out and had our luncheon hosted by a retired Russian ballerina in her apartment. We befriended her daughter who spoke English (our hostess only spoke Russian) and correspond with her to this day. This was in 2005.

[mandream]

For those of you who used any private tour company - were you concerned at all about getting back to the ship on time?

 

We've never been concerned about getting back to the ship in time. Never had any issues.

 

In St. Petersburg we used Anastasia. Highly recommended.

 

Mike

[Diva Onboard]

Thanks Mandream, VinTek and J18ktleo - I appreciate all your comments.