DenRus

[coffeecup]

Has anyone used this tour company? I am interested in how it compares to Red October, especially since I will be in a small group.

 

Thanks!

[cberge]

Has anyone used this tour company? I am interested in how it compares to Red October, especially since I will be in a small group.

 

Thanks!

 

Just scroll down on this board and you will see all kinds of threads comparing the two of them.l

[DON M.]

Has anyone used this tour company? I am interested in how it compares to Red October, especially since I will be in a small group.

 

Thanks!

The two most popular tour cos. for St. Petersberg for cruise critic members seem to be Red October and Denrus.

My initial correspondence last year was with both companies. The cost from both were very similar and had no bearing on my choice.

I decided on Denrus because of a few reasons. Very timely and fast emails in answering all questions and concerns. But, the most important factor, was the professional attitude towards flexibilty in what we wanted to do.

Having returned a few weeks ago, I am pleased with my decision to go with Denrus just as the people that have used Red October have reported similar good experiences. I dont think you can go wrong with either one.

[pungo3]

I just returned from the 7/14 sailing of the Star Princess. We used DenRus in St. Petersburg for a 2 day tour. There were 7 people in our group. The tour was fabulous!! I have been on numerous tours over the past few years and I can say, without reservation, this was the best tour I've ever been on. Our guide was Nadya and she is extremely knowledgeable and speaks perfect English. Our transportation was a 9 passegenger Mercedes van which was extremely comfortable. If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask, you may e-mail me: pungo3@hotmail.com. I don't think you could possibly go wrong using DenRus.

[Susnyk]

I just returned from Star Princess's July 22nd, sailing, and I could almost just copy Pungo3's note as my own. Our guide, with Denrus, was Nadya, and she was WONDERFUL!! All of us (7 people) agreed she must have been the best guide we'd ever had. Denrus was extremely pleasant to work with, right from the beginning. I couldn't say enough good things about them. I, too, will be happy to answer any questions - skuban@bellsouth.net

 

Susan

[Compass Rose Monica]

More kudos for Denrus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Monica

[lamwnfa]

We used Denrus for our June visit to St Petersburg...and had Nadya too. The tour was excellent and she was a wonderful guide for our group of 5.

[gnarfle23]

we loved Denrus and Ludmilla

 

deb:)

[BBWShowGirl]

We used DenRus for our July visit to St.Petersburg and they were wonderful. We had Oxana and she was great. I agree that DenRus was very prompt about answering emails and were very flexible. We only wanted to do 2 half day tours and they really worked with us so we could see what we wanted and not just the touristy things.

[ekp]

We are booked to tour with RO mainly because they had good reviews and they were able to connect us with another couple and now a third couple. Denrus didn't seem interested in helping us to form a group. Looking forward to the trip and the tour. I'll report back on the cruise.

[J18ktleo]

Does Denurs just take the persons you book with and not make you part of a larger group?

We are getting all our info for next year so I'm gathering all I can cuz by the time we're ready to book, all these postings will be long gone!

Also, we were looking at doing the 2 day with Denrus...anyone have any input?

By doing the custom tours, where did you gather your info on what you want to see?

And, most important, are the tours whilrwind? We did our own private tours on this last cruise for Berlin and Le Havre and although they were a wealth of info... we had no time to just peruse any shops or relax and take in the ambiance of the area (especially the Normandy beach tour...wow, was that a jam packed day!)

Thanks for your insight ;)

[Jill_b]

Does Denurs just take the persons you book with and not make you part of a larger group?

 

Checked my email on the ship and look at this forum. Denrus does what you want. I looked at their custom tours which are created around what you like and want to do, either in a small group or mixed in with a few others if you want to lower the price for each person.

I wanted to see all the normal must see things and also wanted to save money so I ordered a different type of tour that is half way between the big impersonal ship bus tours and the flexible custom tours. What I got is called a Value Excursion and it is a full 2 days of everything in a smaller group than the ship tours and we saved a lot of money. It did not go to Catherine Palace but I read several post here than people said they had Palace-Overload if they saw the Hermitage, Peterhof and Catherine Palace. This saved over $300 less for the three of us. We do not know the others in our van.

We are getting all our info for next year so I'm gathering all I can cuz by the time we're ready to book, all these postings will be long gone!

I booked not too much before the cruise because we had reservations on for the ship tour which I cancelled before we left.

Also, we were looking at doing the 2 day with Denrus...anyone have any input?

Yes, I think you are talking about the same thing we booked. We were a little nervous about it since it was so much lower in price but everyone on this board had nothing but good things to say about them. I ordered in on-line in a couple minutes. The one we are taking is called The Complete St Petersburg.

By doing the custom tours, where did you gather your info on what you want to see?

This Cruise Critic forum is the best place but after I booked with Denrus I sent many questions about the places we see and about the city and they answered all my questions from weather to what shopping deals there were and even about the quality of the water.

And, most important, are the tours whilrwind? We did our own private tours on this last cruise for Berlin and Le Havre and although they were a wealth of info... we had no time to just peruse any shops or relax and take in the ambiance of the area (especially the Normandy beach tour...wow, was that a jam packed day!)

Our tour is pretty fast paced but we wanted to see everything and there is no other way to see them in just 2 days. I wish we were there for 3-4 days. Shopping is a biggie for me and I liked the fact that the tour stops at regular shops and markets instead of how the other tour company stops only at their own store. I read that on this forum and I did not like that. I never would feel I got the best deal. I guess custom tours can be as fast or as slow and relaxed as you want them to be but if you want all the most popular sights in 2 days it is going to be a couple of long days.

Thanks for your insight ;)

You are welcome

J.

[42trvl]

We just used DenRus also, and were very happy. Our touring with them was effortless. Our guide Ludmilla and our driver were extremely efficient and well coordinated. Every ticket was ready, documents filled out, etc. and we had to do nothing except follow our guide. If you book them just for yourselves, then they will not add anyone else to your group. I also found that while we worked out an itinerary with them in advance, there was some room for flexibility once we were there. Certain tours will be scheduled for specific times, but once there you are able to take more or less time, within reason, according to your interests. When we asked to stop at certain places, shops or restaurants, they were more than willing to accommodate, but also realistic about any time or traffic issues.

[J18ktleo]

Thanks so much to both of you for all the info.

I also got all my questions answered by Denrus immediately...how amazing is that? :rolleyes:

Now all I have to do is wait for the next year to pass...but isn't the best part the planning (o.k., the second best part! ;) )

[VinTek]

We were with Red October off the Star Princess in St. Petersburg June 28-29. St. Petersburg was the highlight of our cruise and having lunch with a Russian family was the highlight of St. Petersburg for us. I don't know if DenRus offers something like this, but it's something to consider. I've read that some of the groups met with a retired aerospace engineer and her grown son. We wound up with a retired Russian ballerina and her first-year University student daughter.

[rodan]

To Jill B

How much per person was the 2 day value tour? Did you tip? what % ? I noticed that you mentioned that they put you in a van not a mini bus is that because the group they got together was rather small? I hope the group is not larger than 25. Finally-did you get right in to the crowded sites as do custom Denrus tours or did you have to wait like most of the ships tours (hermitage etc.)

 

Thanks

Irwin

[Begete]

We also used Denrus and were very happy with our tour. There were 24 of us from Cruise critic who booked together into 3 vans.

 

Our guide was Oxanna and we adored her. We had been advised to tip 10% divided 1/3 - 2/3 between the driver-guide, but we thought Oxanna did such a great job I think all of us in our van gave her a little more.

 

I think the 2 days came to just over $600 per couple with 8 people in the van, plus tip.

[BOGOman]

I just returned from a Baltic cruise, including a Denrus tour of St. Petersburg with Ljudmilla as the guide. We loved the tour and see no problem with hiring Denrus *except* for Ljudmilla. She's opinionated beyond belief, not only to share useful information but to dump on western values, bitterly criticize Russians for their achievements and terribly domineering. Examples of all this are too numerous to relate briefly.

 

We recommend that if you choose Denrus, want to develop a positive view of Russia and won't stand for someone trashing your Western values, then demand somebody else than Ljudmilla. If they won't or can't guarantee a more positive, culturally-friendly guide than her, I regretfully suggest you try the other reputable tour operators. This tour and respect between people of different cultures is too important to suffer someone who won't listen or respect you.

[Jill_b]

To Jill B

How much per person was the 2 day value tour? Did you tip? what % ? I noticed that you mentioned that they put you in a van not a mini bus is that because the group they got together was rather small? I hope the group is not larger than 25. Finally-did you get right in to the crowded sites as do custom Denrus tours or did you have to wait like most of the ships tours (hermitage etc.)

 

Thanks

Irwin

Irwin, our group of 3 just returned from the 2 day program called Complete St Petersburg and loved it!! We paid $225 per person for a full 2 day tour including lunches. I bought the tours on their web site and our tour tickets were emailed to us because we signed up to late to get them by mail. I was happy to see that they were an American company so the credit card was billed in Florida and not Russia. I don't know if that is a problem but I would have been uneasy ordering from another country.

 

We did tip, the amount I do not remember but I think it was $20 each, probably not as much as the driver and guide deserved however. Our van was a 15 passenger special touring van with large windows and easy entry and could not be confused with a mini-van. There was lots of space for our combined passengers of 12. It was more like a small manuverable bus that we could stand up in yet get into regular parking spots and zip in and around traffic. In the afternoon the drivers skills were tested as the traffic increased a lot but he did a great job. He did not speak English but took great care of us, helping us in and out of the van, being in exactly the best spot when we exited museums or churches and was a real gentleman. One thing that some people warned us about were Russian men being rude but we found anything except that, all we contacted were perfect gentlemen who could teach our men a thing or two about how to treat a woman. But wait until you see the Russian women! I saw some of the prettiest and best dressed young women I've ever seen on the streets in central St Petersburg and were ever we drove. We all wanted to go on diets and burn our "comfort" clothes when we got back to the ship. I can see why the men want to be gentlemen.

We got into Peterhof before it was even open to the public and were almost finished with our visit by the time the ship bus tours arrived and lined up. When we were scheduled to enter the Hermitage there was so little wait that when we approached the entrance I turned around to see the view and turned back and was alone! Our guide was looking out for me and invited me inside. While I love art, when I understand it, the hermitage is even more impressive as a historic building and it decor than the countless masterpieces on display. There are over 3,000,000 things to see there.

 

Overall I would have to say St Petersburg and our DenRus tour was the highlight of all my travels( I loved Paris also but this was right up there).

Our group was pretty homogenous and pleasant but there were signs of the Ugly American creeping in here and there. I was embarrassed by the way a few asked questions as challenges looking for arguments. One man asked our guide what it felt like to lose the cold war and be stuck in a 3rd world country. After an afternoon of being as patient and gracious as an angel she answered this one question with a smile "Most important to me is that we did not lose the manners war" and the rest of the group started applauding to her perfect answer. This guy complained to all of us how rude her response was but we all ignored him and soon he realized we were all, even his embarrassed wife, on her side. After that all was perfect and he did not ask any more stupid questions.

My only problem now is finding friends who are exhausted from hearing be rave about my trip;>) and how to return for a longer stay.

Jill

[VinTek]

Given how apprehensive your brother was about booking with an "unknown" tour company, how did he like your tour with DenRus? Just curious.

[MeditStPetersb]

... One thing that some people warned us about were Russian men being rude but we found anything except that, all we contacted were perfect gentlemen who could teach our men a thing or two about how to treat a woman. But wait until you see the Russian women! I saw some of the prettiest and best dressed young women I've ever seen on the streets in central St Petersburg and were ever we drove. We all wanted to go on diets and burn our "comfort" clothes when we got back to the ship. I can see why the men want to be gentlemen.

....Our group was pretty homogenous and pleasant but there were signs of the Ugly American creeping in here and there. I was embarrassed by the way a few asked questions as challenges looking for arguments. One man asked our guide what it felt like to lose the cold war and be stuck in a 3rd world country. After an afternoon of being as patient and gracious as an angel she answered this one question with a smile "Most important to me is that we did not lose the manners war" and the rest of the group started applauding to her perfect answer. This guy complained to all of us how rude her response was but we all ignored him and soon he realized we were all, even his embarrassed wife, on her side. After that all was perfect and he did not ask any more stupid questions.

....

Jill

 

For a moment there, I thought you were a person from Russia making remarks about the "the Ugly American" and of how they asked "Stupid questions", and no manners, etc...But I guess we are in a free speech society, and people can voice their own beliefs and opinions.

 

During our previous 2 trips to the Baltics, we really enjoyed St. Petersburg and lucky to have been assigned tour guides (from both Red October and Denrus) who were professional, and very good hosts. However, we just want to back bfetzner's report that he had a very rude, anti-Western guide Ludmilla (Denrus). We have talked to a cruiser who had Ludmilla as a guide during her July 2005 trip and indicated the same type of complaints (hostility, rudeness, anti-Western remarks, etc...). Likewise, we have talked to another cruiser who had Tatatia (Red October) as a guide also during this July 2005 trip, who indicated that she was also rude, hostile, made degrading remarks about American values/beliefs. Alas, they felt captive during the 2 day tour because they did not have independent visas.

 

The good news is that these 2 are the only unprofessional Russian guides we have heard of. Most were very good hosts and really made a difference on our impression of Russia and Russian people.

 

Pam and Lynn (sisters)

[Jill_b]

Given how apprehensive your brother was about booking with an "unknown" tour company, how did he like your tour with DenRus? Just curious.

Hi VinTek

He was not too crazy about going to Russia at all when the trip was planned and really only wanted to visit Scandinavia. After the cruise he invited the rest of the family to his home for dinner and share photos. I noticed he spent almost the entire evening decribing every detail in the photos and reciting the words of our guide in St Petersburg and hardly mentioned the other cities. From that I would say he was pleased but he never told me directly that I made the right choice. You know how older brothers can be;>) Next time he will probably say it was his idea.

Jill

[Mes]

We used DenRus for our August visit to St. Petersburg. Inna was our guide and she was wonderful. She related very well to all of us -- my nine-year-old son, my husband and me, and his parents. She was extremely knowledgable and pleasant, and DenRus was very easy to deal with. I'd gladly recommend them.

 

Mes

[sancarlos]

Has anyone used this tour company? I am interested in how it compares to Red October, especially since I will be in a small group.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Four of us were on Oceania's Regetta in July and worked with Natalie at DenRus for our 3 day private tour of St. Petersburg. She was very flexible in what we wanted to do and we changed our minds several times. Our guide was Eugenia and she was a delight. very knowledgable and made our visit outstanding. I would suggest to anyone that they ask for her.

[larablair]

How large was the vehicle used for the 2 day complete St. Petersburg value excursion?