DenRus

[rodan]

Dear Larablair,

We also are interested in the value tour of St Pete so we wrote to Denrus and these were the basics: The cost is now $265 per person. This is an increase of $40 over last year (I guess the custom tours will also go up proportionately). The size of the vehicle and the number traveling will depend on demand. If lets say only 20 people are interested for a given date then they may use a van that holds 12 people each but if more are intested then they may go with a bus. They said that the maximum number of people on a bus would be 40. So I guess it depends how popular the value tour is on the date(s) you are in ST. Pete. If you are lucky interest will be low (a van with 12). I was disappointed to hear this but those are the facts. If you have any other questions about the tour then feel free to ask.

 

-Irwin

[sumguy1]

We are also interested in the value tour, but if they went on a bus; then the schedule wont be able to fit all places as planned. Lots of time will be wasted on waiting for people to show up, find the bus, counting heads, distibuting tickets etc.. But in a minivan, a guide is taking care of 6 or 8 and they can go fast and get things done, but one guide for 40 is a bad deal.. I would pass that feedback to them so they prepare alternative plans.. Their website is saying that this rate is not confirmed till Januray 2006.. I hope they plan it right.

[dbh62ark]

You also have the option of going with the customized itinerary, which I highly recommend. This far in advance, you can easily form a group on your roll call board. I don't know about the value tour pricing for Denrus but understand that it is designed to be competitive with the cruise lines's shore excursions but to offer a better experience for the $$. But the best experience in my book is still the private tours in St. Petersburg. Our price for the private tour was comparable to what shore excursions would have been, but we saw so much more (visited more sites and had more time at the sites) than the shore ex passengers and were able to customize the schedule to our interests.

 

Happy Baltics travels to all,

Donna

[dbh62ark]

Just to add to that statement above, I'm advised that one of the passengers in the group with the "unbalanced" man had to change their telephone number to avoid his abusive telephone calls (pressure tactics, etc.). And just for clarification, I can personally verify that Ludmilla worked for Red October in 2003 as a guide because she escorted my group that year. So this is not a Denrus issue.

 

And he'll have a hard time discrediting Denrus. Denrus just entered a contract to provide Russian travel services for Travelocity. It's a first-rate company and in my (educated) opinion is the best in St. Petersburg.

 

Happy travels to all,

Donna

[Sea Day Cruiser]

I've seen several mentions of a DenRus web site. Could someone please post the URL or a link to it. Thanks.

[kinghw]

I've seen several mentions of a DenRus web site. Could someone please post the URL or a link to it. Thanks.

 

http://www.denrus.ru/

[dbh62ark]

Yeah, I always ask the person who wrote the e-mail before I forward it to others, and I think the same applies before pasting someone else's words on a message board. It would make me feel very uncomfortable. I had a friend who indiscriminately forwarded e-mails from others, and I don't feel comfortable writing frank messages to her any more. When you're writing an e-mail to someone, you're writing it to that person and not for public broadcast.

 

Donna

[Juliadlf]

Aloha All,

 

I was advised via e-mail from Stan of Denrus that I should state a correction in the "Ludmila" posting. I think he may have e-mailed me requesting not to post it but I had already done so. He advised that it was not a statement from Denrus but a personal observation of the situation stated in a "personal letter" not intented to be broadcasted. The posting actually generated some interest by others to book with Denrus and gave readers another view on the situation and how it was delt with.

 

I guess it just takes one Hawaiian out in the middle of the Pacific to open a can of worms and ruffle feathers via the Internet!

 

Kehau

 

Since you've had your message deleted from the other posting, perhaps you should ask LauraS to delete your "letter from Denrus" message from this thread as well.

You wouldn't want to be named as a party to a libel suit. Just some friendly advice...

[elliened]

we are booked on a may 26th sailing on royal caribbean, and want to use denrus in st. petesburg. we are just my husband and myself so we were wondering just how expensive the custom tours are. we were planning to take the 2 day value tour but are concerned as to how tiring it is with all the stops listed and if we should just take a couple of smaller tours each day.

we are both in good health but are in our 70's and wondered if those of you who have done this already feel this tour is ok for us. also we were interested in the ballet on the first night. do the tours arrive back at the ship in time to do an evening excursion and has anyone out there seen this particular program when you were there? we would really apprciate any feedback you can give us.

[Jill_b]

we are booked on a may 26th sailing on royal caribbean, and want to use denrus in st. petesburg. we are just my husband and myself so we were wondering just how expensive the custom tours are. we were planning to take the 2 day value tour but are concerned as to how tiring it is with all the stops listed and if we should just take a couple of smaller tours each day.

we are both in good health but are in our 70's and wondered if those of you who have done this already feel this tour is ok for us. also we were interested in the ballet on the first night. do the tours arrive back at the ship in time to do an evening excursion and has anyone out there seen this particular program when you were there? we would really apprciate any feedback you can give us.

We took the Value Excursion but most people who do independent tours create custom tours that include just what they want and at what level of activity. We were on tight budget so we choose the Value Excursion instead. We went on the evening performance excursion and had plenty of time for dinner on the ship and changing into a little more formal clothes so don't worry about missing dinner or the bus to the theater.

 

I think the shorter excursions are fine for people who have limited interest in the history and beauty of the city. This is because the 1/2 day excursions return to the ship in the middle of the day so at least 2 hours of valuable sightseeing time is wasted getting to the ship and returning to the city on the afternoon excursion. Why not just suggest a moderate activity level major sights customized tour. I am sure they know exactly how to give a great tour at what ever energy level you want.

[elliened]

thank you for your input. we are really interested in seeing as much as possible also. does the value tour see catherines palace? also was the evening excursion worthwhile seeing? how strenuous is the value tour in terms of the walking and resting? sorry for so many questiions but since you have done it i feel you can help us make some decisions. we too, have just a certain budget for this trip. thanks again.

[elin]

We were on Oceania Regatta, and did 3 days in St. Petersburg with DenRus. We had Nadya for our guide.

I can not say enough good things about her and about DenRus. That was the highlight of our trip.

I am dying to go back to Russia and would ask for DenRus and Nadya in 2 seconds.

Make sure you see Catherine's Palace, Peterhof and Yusopov's Palace (as well as the Hermitage etc.).

Elin

[bonsaitron]

hi .is anyone able to help ?

We are booked on RCI to the baltic in august .We would very much like to do a tour in ST Petersburg but have 2 children who will be 11 and 9 when we travel and are concerned that a 2 day tour might be too much for them.We did rome in the summer last year and they both coped allright there.

we are thinking of booking with denrus or red october any suggestions as to the best itinery.

 

 

many thanks

 

Allison:)

[Jill_b]

hi .is anyone able to help ?

We are booked on RCI to the baltic in august .We would very much like to do a tour in ST Petersburg but have 2 children who will be 11 and 9 when we travel and are concerned that a 2 day tour might be too much for them.We did rome in the summer last year and they both coped allright there.

we are thinking of booking with denrus or red october any suggestions as to the best itinery.

 

 

many thanks

 

Allison:)

The good thing about the custom independent tours is the schedule and itinerary is anything you want. After reading all the reports and trip advice last spring we choose Denrus because they were often cited as being more flexible and we found an option that fit our budget. I asked Red October for a quote but it was lot more for fewer items than we desired and they were not as flexible. They told me some things that were not true to talk us into booking a less interesting tour. It was also easier to book on-line with Denrus.

 

The pace of touring is fast enough and the "gee-wizz" factor was high enough that I would think the 11 year old would be thrilled but the 9 y year old might get tired of seeing so much art, palaces and formal parks. There were not that many other kids on our ship so it seems that the Baltic cruises are not as popular with young families as other resort type areas. One thing to consider is the museums and palaces have lots of very well behaved Russian kids who appeared to love the museums and palaces. Your 9 y.o. would problably meet a few at each stop and be thrilled with meeting new friends. Normally I dread a lot of kids in Museums in my home town due to the noise and rowdy play but the kids I saw in the museums were all perfectly mannered and interested in what was on display.

 

One thing that might be a concern is we did not see Catherine Palace but after seeing the two other Rastrelli palaces, the Winter Palace and the Grand Palace, we were quite happy to gain the extra 4 hours for more variety in other activities than going all the way to Pushkin where Catherine Palace is. For some that would be a drawback but we felt if was a positive trade off. We could have created a custom tour to include a completely different mix of sights. It is hard to figure this out on your own because there are just too many sights to choose from. I love museums and St Petersburg is a museum fan's heaven. I read recently on a web site that there are 255 museums in and around the city. Denrus' Olga T. was very helpful in lots of friendly chatty emails answering questions, making observations and suggesting several versions of the types of things we were interested in until the budget thing ended up being the deciding factor so we selected the Value Excursion by the name of "Complete St Petersburg". I could not have imagined a better tour regardless of price, or nicer people to deal with. We saved enough to get a set of Lomonosov China.

Without a doubt this was the highlight of our cruise, or any cruise I've been on. The other ports were nice pleasant clean cities but St Petersburg was a fantasy world not like anything I've ever seen before. If I did it again by ship it would be on a ship that stayed 3 days instead of our 2 days.

[sandyruth]

we go on celebrity on 26 aug 06 and i have emailed denrus but havent heard yet ,please is the visa included in the price?will it be the same for us brits? it sounds very good value but tiring which is fine as we want to see as much as poss please let me know if you have any comments about this trip:o thanks sandyruth

[Jill_b]

we go on celebrity on 26 aug 06 and i have emailed denrus but havent heard yet ,please is the visa included in the price?will it be the same for us brits? it sounds very good value but tiring which is fine as we want to see as much as poss please let me know if you have any comments about this trip:o thanks sandyruth

If you did not hear from them in a day write again because I found that sometimes our mail did not get to Russia. Everytime they got my letters they responded in hours.. If you use a regular tour company for a shore excursion the visa is taken care of for you. It really is not a visa but being booked on an organized tour and supplying passport information to DenRus before the tour was enough to get through passport control at the port. At the port be sure to make a photo copy of your passport page that has your information and photo because just giving the officers the copy and your tour tickets from DenRus is all that is required. They handed each of us a red card to keep with our passports while off the ship, but that was all that was needed. We got through passport control in just a couple minutes.

[thespook]

If anyone has used Denrus previously, can you tell me how to get them to respond to left voice mails and sent emails? We booked a tour on line for the 5/6th of June in St. Petersburg. Originally got a quick response saying that the tickets are sent out via email. I got that response on the 24th of May and the email said the tickets would be sent out on the 26th of May. I havent heard anything else from denrus in response to multiple queries to them. I even sent an email to the shore excursion and incoming tourism coordinator in St. Petersburg but still have yet to hear anything from Denrus. My deadline for cancellation is the 21st of this month. Any and all information will be appreciated. Thanks

[thespook]

need help on information regarding tour tickets.

[Juliadlf]

If anyone has used Denrus previously, can you tell me how to get them to respond to left voice mails and sent emails? We booked a tour on line for the 5/6th of June in St. Petersburg. Originally got a quick response saying that the tickets are sent out via email. I got that response on the 24th of May and the email said the tickets would be sent out on the 26th of May. I havent heard anything else from denrus in response to multiple queries to them. I even sent an email to the shore excursion and incoming tourism coordinator in St. Petersburg but still have yet to hear anything from Denrus. My deadline for cancellation is the 21st of this month. Any and all information will be appreciated. Thanks

 

Are we misreading your posting? Are you sure about the date you got the response as the 24th of May?

I got that response on the 24th of May and the email said the tickets would be sent out on the 26th of May.

Today is May 7th.

If you meant April then I would call them directly and not continue with trying with email since your emails are going unanswered.

Could be they are not receiving your emails or your not receiving their responses for some reason...

 

Good luck.

Julia

[GigiT]

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!

 

Hi, when would you go? We're planning to join DenRus on 6/17& 18, but would like to have more members from our ship ..Rotterdam arrv. SPB on 6/17 & 18. tks,

[dbh62ark]

If anyone has used Denrus previously, can you tell me how to get them to respond to left voice mails and sent emails?

I think all of the Russian tour companies respond promptly, so the suggestion to just give them a call is probably your best bet. If you don't have the company in your address book, check your bulk or spam folder. I've read numerous reports from board members regarding many overseas tour operators that could not make contact due to filters set up by e-mail providers.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[thespook]

Hi Julia,

Appreciate your response to my query. I resent another emai to DenRus regarding our tickets today, May 8th. I still havent heard anything in respone to my queries. The only time I received a rapid response was when I booked the tour. Then I received 2 quick emails from Stan Jacox saying that he would be sending the tickets via email on the 26th of May. I havent received any tickets, or a response to voice mails, emails, and a direct email to a manager at Denrus. My wife would really like to make this tour as it it our 40th anniversary and I really dont want to disappoint her, but I have no control over the company who is booking this tour for us. If anyone knows how I can get a response, please let me know. My last resort is a direct call to the company, and I will have to make that shortly to find out whether or not we will be able to do the tour. May have to book with Red October to be able to do it. Thanks to all for the information.:confused: :confused: :confused:

[maxcat500]

Hi Julia,

Appreciate your response to my query. I resent another emai to DenRus regarding our tickets today, May 8th. I still havent heard anything in respone to my queries. The only time I received a rapid response was when I booked the tour. Then I received 2 quick emails from Stan Jacox saying that he would be sending the tickets via email on the 26th of May. I havent received any tickets, or a response to voice mails, emails, and a direct email to a manager at Denrus. My wife would really like to make this tour as it it our 40th anniversary and I really dont want to disappoint her, but I have no control over the company who is booking this tour for us. If anyone knows how I can get a response, please let me know. My last resort is a direct call to the company, and I will have to make that shortly to find out whether or not we will be able to do the tour. May have to book with Red October to be able to do it. Thanks to all for the information.:confused: :confused: :confused:

 

I too was initially working with Stan a few months ago. However, he moved into a different part of the company and another tour organizer took over my account from him. Her name is Olga T. and she has been extremely prompt and responsive. I hope I don't get in trouble for this, but her email address is: OlgaT@denrus.ru Not sure where you are in the US. I'm in the NW and St. Petersburg is 11 hours ahead in time. Hope this helps!

[evoni]

If you meant that you you should have gotten your tickets by April (you put May in your post above) I also suggest contacting Olga. I'm working with Olga T too and have found her very prompt in responding to emails. Just received this last week from her so don't expect her to be able to reply until tomorrow.

 

P.S. Please kindly be advised that we are having Bank Holiday (Victory Day) on May 9, so we are working on May 6 (SAT), and do NOT work on May 7-9, on May 10 - back to normal!

 

 

Diana

[Juliadlf]

Hi Julia,

Appreciate your response to my query. I resent another emai to DenRus regarding our tickets today, May 8th. I still havent heard anything in respone to my queries. The only time I received a rapid response was when I booked the tour. Then I received 2 quick emails from Stan Jacox saying that he would be sending the tickets via email on the 26th of May. I havent received any tickets, or a response to voice mails, emails, and a direct email to a manager at Denrus. My wife would really like to make this tour as it it our 40th anniversary and I really dont want to disappoint her, but I have no control over the company who is booking this tour for us. If anyone knows how I can get a response, please let me know. My last resort is a direct call to the company, and I will have to make that shortly to find out whether or not we will be able to do the tour. May have to book with Red October to be able to do it. Thanks to all for the information.:confused: :confused: :confused:

 

Hi again. Since you aren't suppose to receive your tickets until the

May 26th, you still have a few weeks to wait to get your tickets. If you made a mistake in your post and meant April, then I would suggest you call DenRus directly to inquire. As someone else just posted, it appears its a holiday in Russia and the offices are closed and won't open again until

Wednesday, May 10th. Here is a website link to a contact number here in the US. http://www.denrus.ru/contact-denrus.html for when you do call.

 

Julia