St Petersburg tour

[bear59]

Has anyone used TJ Travel for tours in St Petersburg? They quoted me a decent price for a private tour but haven't heard anyone mention them on this site. Alla or SPB seems to get the most feedback.

[Sauer-kraut]

TJ gets a lot of mentions. You just need to use the search function here. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the tour groups for SPB, they all seem to get good reviews. I hope you have a wonderful time.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Has anyone used TJ Travel for tours in St Petersburg? They quoted me a decent price for a private tour but haven't heard anyone mention them on this site. Alla or SPB seems to get the most feedback.

 

 

One reason is that Alla requests that as you book you need to mention them and post on CC, so lots of free advertising and posts for them. Others don't request it, but are just as good!

[dogs4fun]

One reason is that Alla requests that as you book you need to mention them and post on CC, so lots of free advertising and posts for them. Others don't request it, but are just as good!

Alla, SPB and TJ all request that you post on Cruise Critic - in fact, all of these aforementioned tour companies offer a discount for members that post on their roll call. All of the major operators get many good reviews and I don't believe that one can go wrong with any of them. I always recommend that one contact several companies to see which is the best fit for you.

 

Has anyone used TJ Travel for tours in St Petersburg? They quoted me a decent price for a private tour but haven't heard anyone mention them on this site. Alla or SPB seems to get the most feedback.

TJ gets lots of feedback - do a search of the boards.

Edited February 28, 2016 by dogs4fun

[roaming_kiwi58]

As others have said, any of the major companies in St Petersburg will give you a good experience, and this includes TJ.

 

We used TJ in 2014 for a 3 day package. It was not a private tour, but there were only 4 of us. Great service. We had a brilliant 3 days, and it was so much better than our first visit to St Petersburg, which was part of a river cruise.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Alla, SPB and TJ all request that you post on Cruise Critic - in fact, all of these aforementioned tour companies offer a discount for members that post on their roll call. All of the major operators get many good reviews and I don't believe that one can go wrong with any of them. I always recommend that one contact several companies to see which is the best fit for you.

 

 

TJ gets lots of feedback - do a search of the boards.

 

 

Excellent advice! [emoji4]

[Pet Nit Noy]

As others have said, any of the major companies in St Petersburg will give you a good experience, and this includes TJ.

 

Here are some top tour companies on Trip Advisor in current order (2/16):

 

SPB Tours (Often praised on this board)

 

Alla Tours (Often praised on this board)

 

TJ Travel (Often praised on this board)

 

Tours in St Petersburg/Grazioso Travel (See note 1)

 

Insider Tours (See Note 2)

 

White Nights Travel (So far, I'm the only cruiser to have traveled with White Nights and posted on CC. Highest praise!!)

 

Best Guides (Often gets special praise for its tours with family groups)

 

Note 1: I'm going to make an exception to my general advice that all of the top companies on Trip Advisor are good choices. The "home" language of the Tours in St Petersburg web site is German. They do have an icon of the British flag that allows viewer to switch to an English language site. However, then, the site changes its name to Grazioso Travel. So what company is providing the tour service and more importantly, the visa-free entry? If someone has specific information about Tours in St Petersburg/Grazioso I'm perfectly happy to revise my hesitation. Until then, I'm "traveler beware" on this company.

 

Note 2: In 2015, one poster, Baxter69, wrote a reasonably detailed and definitely credible about this tour company. He participated a couple more times in the thread on the topic of cruise lines bullying passengers hoping to take private tours. All in all, Baxter69 seems like a solid poster -- definitely not a shill for the tour company. Yet his is the only CC post about Insider Tours even though it is so highly rated on Trip Advisor.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47269245&postcount=4

[Lucky Granny]

Just a curious question here: We have booked a tour of SPB through our cruise ship because some in the group were fearful of sending their passport numbers to Russian websites. The one local tour group we contacted ended our search by making this request. Is there no reason to be concerned? I'm just wondering if this is an accepted safe

practice.

[ljandgb]

I would think it's standard practice to give them your passport numbers. They have to arrange the tour visa for you. You receive an email attachment that you print out and bring thru border control when you get off the ship.

 

We did the same for our cruise this past summer. I was a bit hesitant, and dh was totally stressed by it, but I figured they've been doing this for awhile, it must be ok.

 

We had no problems, and to my knowledge my passport number has not been used for any nefarious purposes.

[lcumpire]

I believe that if there was a problem you would have read about it in CC and Trip Advisor. I gave them my passport number and have not seen a problem.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

I don't know how the travel company could issue you visas without it. I do understand your hesitation, but to get you through immigration they have to have it to issue your documents.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Just a curious question here: We have booked a tour of SPB through our cruise ship because some in the group were fearful of sending their passport numbers to Russian websites. The one local tour group we contacted ended our search by making this request. Is there no reason to be concerned? I'm just wondering if this is an accepted safe

practice.

 

This request is standard practice. The tour companies cannot process the tour tickets without your passport number. However, from my point of view, there is an issue with how that information gets communicated.

 

White Nights Travel, our otherwise excellent tour agency did not have an https web site. I was asked to send the passport number via email. I balked. Email is not the least bit encrypted. I offered to send the information via snail mail, an option since I had made my arrangements with plenty of spare time. The tour company did provide me with the snail mail address, but ultimately phoned me and I provided the number on the phone.

[Lucky Granny]

Thanks for such prompt replies! With so many people doing it, it much be safe. Sorry we weren't brave enough.....I know the private tours are better and cheaper.

[phxbne]

We used TJ for 3 days of private touring in July 2014. Our guide the first day was not so good (a bit robotic), but the one the next 2 days was awesome.

I realized afterwards that I should have paid a bit more attention as I planned things. It was my first time booking a private guide anywhere.....Emails were answered by different people, so it turned out that things I said in my first email (1 with mobility problems, 1 9 year old) never got passed on.....

In the end, the 3 days were great - we slowed the pace a little compared to what I see most folds doing, but did all we wanted.

The best thing - and why I chose TJ - was a matroshkya doll painting class! It was the 5 of us with a young woman whose job it was to paint dolls. We have some fun nesting dolls with 'professional' faces and very amateur bodies!

[Pet Nit Noy]

Thanks for such prompt replies! With so many people doing it, it much be safe. Sorry we weren't brave enough.....I know the private tours are better and cheaper.

 

 

I'm confused by this reply. Reading Post #8, it seems that your cruise is still in the future. The cruise season for northern Europe and the Baltics is some months away. Even if you have signed up already for a ship's tour, why can't you cancel your current arrangements and get associated with a private tour? Some private tour companies assist cruisers in joining a small group. That saves individuals the effort of creating their own group yet still gives them access to the benefits of private touring.

[Lucky Granny]

Thanks for your suggestion, Pet. Yes my cruise is in May and we could cancel. However, the members of our group who refuse to send passport numbers to Russia have not changed their minds. We might discuss it again, but I will stay with the group at this port.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Thanks for your suggestion, Pet. Yes my cruise is in May and we could cancel. However, the members of our group who refuse to send passport numbers to Russia have not changed their minds. We might discuss it again, but I will stay with the group at this port.

 

You're being place in the middle and I'm sorry that's happening. As I understand the problem, your group members object to sending their passport number to a website. How do they feel about giving their passport to the officials at passport control? They will have to do this! Their passport will be scanned and entered into the system.

 

The cruise ship's claim that you don't need a visa to tour St Petersburg shouldn't be confused to mean that cruisers will enter with no contact with Russian officialdom! The ship's excursion desk will have provided the SPB tour company with a list of participants -- along with their passport numbers -- before the port call. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, goes through passport control.

 

If your friends object to the Russian government having anything to do with their passport, your friends need to be prepared to stay on board the ship. If the issue is one of sending passport information to a web site, don't do this. As I've written, I was comfortable providing my information via snail mail or phone but not via email. (I don't have a FAX machine, but since FAX transmits on phone lines, sending a FAX would have been just as hack proof.)

 

I really do understand that everyone has a different comfort level when it comes to unfamiliar foreign travel, but I'm not completely certain your group members have got all their facts straight.

[dogs4fun]

 

The cruise ship's claim that you don't need a visa to tour St Petersburg shouldn't be confused to mean that cruisers will enter with no contact with Russian officialdom! The ship's excursion desk will have provided the SPB tour company with a list of participants -- along with their passport numbers -- before the port call. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, goes through passport control.

 

Yes, everyone must clear Russian immigration and your passport number will be given to immigration by the cruise line before you ever arrive in St. Petersburg. Your cruise line sending the passport numbers via web or email will be no more secure than giving it to a local operator through their website.

[Giantfan13]

Granny

 

There are always a couple of people that will never be convinced no matter how much they read or hear how safe it really is.

We have friends who will never do a private tour of anywhere, always preferring to take ship's excursions. No matter how much I have urged them to just try one, they refuse and they cruise maybe 3 times a year.

 

All you can do is keep trying. I know that most of the tour companies use encrypted emails, and really, what is going to happen if some one gets your passport number, which will never happen on going on a private tour in St Petersburg. It is much likelier that some one will get their debit card number stolen at an ATM, or get their pocket picked by all the professionals in some ports.

 

You do what you have to do, but everyone here went thru the exact same thing when we were asked for our passport numbers, we hesitated and then realized it is no big deal. If you take an excursion with the ship, they will take those numbers and do you really feel it will be safe with them, with over 1000 people on a ship's crew?

 

Hope you can change their minds.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Lucky Granny]

Thank you all for your replies. I have sent a group text and we will discuss again.

[Guest Nellsmom58]

Thank you all for your replies. I have sent a group text and we will discuss again.

 

 

Granny,

 

Ship tours are good, too, and have their merits, just as do private tour companies. I've always used ship tours in the past, and understand your hesitations. I am not advocating you use one or the other. Go with whatever makes you the most comfortable!

[Mr Piano]

When we were in St Petersburg, we booked our tours with Best Guides and were never requested to post on CC. We got excellent tours which were reasonably priced.

 

I have booked Alla for June in SPB, I have had no request to post on CC either