St. Petersburg - ??? Form a Tour Group to Cut Costs.. When.. How ???

[bobnsofi]

Hi All,

 

As with many cruiser's, we are 2, and have never visited St. Petersburg before

 

Seems the best way to experience St. Petersburg, is try to form and finalize a tour group of about 6-8 people before sailing, so that when you arrive in St. Petersburg, you have a "tour ticket" in hand to breeze through the arrival process.

 

If that "tour ticket" includes about 6-8 people, the cost of that "tour ticket" can be cut to around $150 per person.

 

So, unlike other ports, where you can meet and form a group of fellow passengers during sailing, St. Petersburg tour arrangements should be finalized before sailing?

 

It also seems reasonable that this "tour ticket" process should not be completed until shortly before sailing, so that you are able to challenge the cost with your credit card, if for some reason, the tour arrangement should go sour upon arrival.

 

??? For you all that have done this "form a group, cut costs"... what do you all recommend ???

 

!!! Thanks in Advance !!!

[CruiserBruce]

On Cruise Critic, and per board rules, arranging tour shares and other joint ventures like that, is done on your roll call. Many people set up tour groups with private venders that way. Commonly done. Surprised you haven't seen or heard of these, as you have been on the boards for awhile.

 

Here is the master list of roll calls:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34

 

Select your cruise line, then your ship, then your sailing date.

[dolfans0704]

Hi All,

 

As with many cruiser's, we are 2, and have never visited St. Petersburg before

 

Seems the best way to experience St. Petersburg, is try to form and finalize a tour group of about 6-8 people before sailing, so that when you arrive in St. Petersburg, you have a "tour ticket" in hand to breeze through the arrival process.

 

If that "tour ticket" includes about 6-8 people, the cost of that "tour ticket" can be cut to around $150 per person.

 

So, unlike other ports, where you can meet and form a group of fellow passengers during sailing, St. Petersburg tour arrangements should be finalized before sailing?

 

It also seems reasonable that this "tour ticket" process should not be completed until shortly before sailing, so that you are able to challenge the cost with your credit card, if for some reason, the tour arrangement should go sour upon arrival.

 

??? For you all that have done this "form a group, cut costs"... what do you all recommend ???

 

!!! Thanks in Advance !!!

 

Hi bobnsofi

Just a couple of comments on your post. First, the best way to put together a tour is through the roll call specific to your cruise date/ship. There are several highly rated tour companies mentioned on CC that previous cruisers can recommend. We recently returned from the Baltics and chose Alla Tours and it was excellent! Secondly, most private group tours are a max of 16 people and depending on whether it is a 1,2 or 3 day tour will the price be determined. The 2 day tour including lunch and entrance fees is on average $300.00. Lastly, the several highly recommended tour operators do not ask for payment nor a deposit up front. In fact on our 2 day tour will Alla, we did not pay until the second day of the tour. I would not recommend waiting until the "last minute" to get a group together. Most people secure a spot 6 or so months prior to sailing. Best of luck in your planning! This was one of our favorite cruises! :)

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

[John Bull]

You've gotten the wrong end of one or two sticks.

 

Yes, you must fix the tour in advance. The tour tickets will be e-mailed to you & you print them off. That gets you through immigration without a visa.

 

For most ships & local operators you can just book seats-in-van on a standard tour for your own numbers, the price is fixed, & it's the operator's problem to fill the other seats (max 16 for most). That's by far your simplest option.

 

But you don't pay anything in advance. You're not even asked for your credit card number, you pay when you're there.

 

So there's no advantage in delaying.

In fact, quite the reverse.

You need a tour operator ear-marked, and if you leave it too late you may well find they're fully booked. And if its going to be anything other than seats on a standard tour, you also need time to get a group together, and to agree arrangements with operator & sharers.

 

If things don't work out, you can cancel without penalty. Not suggesting you should be cavalier about this, cos it's unfair on the operator - but they are the ones who take the risk, not you.

This is all very different to tours in many parts of the world, but it's the way all (or most) SPB operators work.

 

If you're planning to share with strangers, eg through your RollCall (with 1300 posts I'm guessing you know about RollCalls), you'd be wise to get each to book for themselves direct with the operator so that you're not blamed for no-shows. Though I don't know whether the price will be hiked if you are short of your booked numbers, that hasn't happened to me. Our price was for 8 or more, I found a dozen, which gave me the comfort of same-price if up to four dropped out - though none did.

 

Yes, sharing will bring down the cost. But by $150? Only compared with a private tour for a twosome. Expect to pay very broadly around $300 per person for a two day tour in a group of 8 or more.

 

You may find that someone else on your cruise RollCall is already looking for sharers for a tour which suits you.

 

St Pete's is the jewel in any Baltic cruise - whatever way you do it, have a good one.

 

JB :)

[Got2Cruise]

We paid cash. No need for credit card or deposit. If you use any of the highly recommended operators from here on CC don't worry. They know that it will be reported on CC if something goes wrong.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[travelnnana]

We booked with SPB tours - you do not need a specific # if you book one of their standard tours

[Giantfan13]

Bob

 

You have gotten the jist of this already.

 

You need to get to your roll call ASAP and see if you can join an already formed group or try and start a new one. To join an already formed group you should do a little research on the several tour operators in St Petersburg. Where you got that $150 price, I would really like to know. As was said, most tours are about $300 PP for a 2 day tour, but each operator offers slight differences. If you just want to get on a tour, it won't make a difference, but if you are fussy about some things it might.

If nothing is available, again, see which tour operator you might want to use. We also used SPB Tours (http://www.spb-tours.com) and were extremely satisfied with them. You can even ask THEM if they can place you on a pre existing tour, maybe even with a group from another ship.

 

You did not say if you have already booked a cruise and when you may be cruising. The season is already under way, and all the tour companies are extremely busy, so if you are cruising this year, you have a lot of work to do.

 

And forget the CC, pay in cash and save a few dollars. There is nothing to write to your CC company about. You pay AFTER you tour.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[slamming50]

We are 4, my wife and I, our son, 12 years of age and mother in law. Would love to go with a smaller group. We have no visas. Please let me know.

[CruiserBruce]

We are 4, my wife and I, our son, 12 years of age and mother in law. Would love to go with a smaller group. We have no visas. Please let me know.

 

You really need to do some reading here. That would reveal your only choices, without a visa, are private tours, or ship excursions. There are several venders mentioned here with great recommendations.

 

You other thought is to check your roll call, and see what others have set up. The master list of roll calls is via link found back in post #2.

[onthebalcony]

We just returned from a cruise including St. Petersburg and Stockholm and we booked with Alla Tours. We had a wonderful 2-day tour in St. Pete and a 5 hr tour in Stockholm. If you book in St. Pete, you get a discount for Stockholm. There are also tours available in other Baltic ports.

 

Check out the website: www.alla-tours.com

 

We had a total of 48 people with 4 vans of less than 16 passengers each in St. Pete and saw so much more than what the cruise line offers. It was an amazing 2 days!! We had lunch in a restaurant the first day and a lunch on the hydrofoil on the second day going to Peterhof. Both lunches were enjoyed by all!!

 

Stockholm tour was a total of 22 in a small bus visiting City Hall and Vasa Museum as well as walking tour in old town and drive around the main part of the city.

 

Payment is in US$ on the second day in St. Pete which also included the Stockholm tour. Website is very easy to use and you can email Alla at any time and get a response within 24 hrs.

 

I would highly recommend Alla!!

[Alaskanb]

I don't know about other tour companies but on the Alla website there is a Roll Call section http://www.alla-tour.com/rollcall/

Just put in the dates you will be in St. P and find out what is available. We recently did the Alla Comfort tour --phenomenal!