DENRUS OR RED OCTOBER?? St PETERSBURG

[smoothsailin'51]

Can anyone give me feedback on these two tour operators in St Petersburg?? We have quotes from both but a review from someone who has used these people would be very helpful for us to make a decision.

[Jacqueline]

They are both fine and if you go to Baltic ports and do a search function you will find scads of info.

I would say email both with your requirements and see. I had a specialized idea of what we wanted to do - somethings that they do not usually do - and RO was more accomodating. But that doesnt mean that DENRUS isnt also an acceptable choice.

 

Jacqueline

Constellation 3/20/04

HAL Westerdam 7/30/04

Tahitian Princess August 2003

Grand Princess Western Caribbean 2003

Brilliance of the Seas Baltic 2002

Ocean Princess- Alaska 2001

Celebrity Zenith- Bermuda 2001

Grand Princess Med 2000

 

[Andee]

We had comparable quotes from both. When we wanted to make some minor changes to their suggested itinerary, Red October was very accommodating , and didn't change the price at all, but Denrus got snippy and raised the price significantly. We had two wonderful days with Red October.

[Hoser]

I wasn't able to find the cruise train fare from London to Harwich Port. Also does anyone know if there's a cruise train back to London or to Heathrow Airport? I have some quotes from private companies to take us from the cruise terminal directly to Heathrow on May 27 in the morning. The cheapest fare quoted is 164 GBP ( can't find that Br pound symbol on my keyboard) for 4 people and 200 GBP for 6. Not a bad deal. We're flying directly from Heathrow to Toronto Canada on Air canada. Anyone interested to join our family of 4 ( us and 2 adult children) for the cab ride to the airport?

 

I note that the cruise leaves at 6 pm on the 2nd day in St. Petersburg. Is there enough time for a 2nd day whole day tour? There's just too much to see and too little time. Looks like Red October has a standard 2 day bus tour Min 16 people and max 25 , I think) that covers everything for only US$ 250 or 260 pp, the best deal so far. But the 2nd day they drop you off at 4 pm back to the ship. Has anyone joined this type of tour before? Or we can really do a longer tour for the 2nd day? Thx.

[Lattemom]

We used Red October last July. They were absolutely wonderful and worth every penny. We were first off the ship, had wonderful lunches both days and had an excellent guide named Luba. :cool:

[HiltonHead]

My vote goes with Red October. We had a wonderful two days including an evening at the ballet. Laura was very prompt in answering all our questions.

[BenBar1]

We used Red October and were very pleased. We were a group of 7 (four of us were traveling together and we added a grandmother with her daughter and grandaughter). We saw so much more and had a wonderful guide. Helen, who provided great historical and cultural background. We never waited in any lines to enter tourist attractions (Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, etc.) All in all, Red October was just fantastic.

[desertheat]

We used Red October for our two days in St. Petersburg in June 2004 and they were wonderful. There were four of us in a mini van. Had an excellent guide and a wonderful driver. Let me tell you that working with Laura was wonderful. It was worth every penny to be able to see and do so much with such experienced and knowledgable people. You would think we hired a limo for those two days. The driver opened the doors for us, helped us out (or back in), gave us umbrellas when it rained, offered to take pictures of us and the door service to all the sites was unbeatable. They made the four of us feel very special. I definitely would book with Red October again.

[dbh62ark]

You might want to check the Baltic Ports pages because Denrus is being recommended more highly and frequently there by a lot of passengers. I've been in touch with both and found Denrus to be far more accomodating to date. Red October USA was not helpful at all, and I think that's a shame because this is the first year for the U.S. operations, and there are many reports that Mike, the owner or marketing person that contracted with Red October Russia to form a U.S. branch, is not nearly as helpful in his e-mails and is refusing to help put groups together. In my dealings with both companies, Red October USA has been about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, and Denrus has been a 9+. There's really been a significant difference. I've been on a Red October tour before (with a small group of family and friends) and was pleased, but I did not do the planning for that itinerary. This year, I am forming my own group for a return visit and handling the communications, so that's how I am able to compare the services of the two companies to date. I kept hearing great things about Denrus and decided to check them out, and I'm really glad I did.

 

I don't think anyone can say which company is better unless you've been on tours with both, so I suggest gathering your info and proceeding accordingly. There is a lot of great info on the Baltic Ports boards for the other ports in this area too.

 

Best wishes to you with your travel planning,

 

Donna

[Jack1]

We took a tour through DenRus and found everything organized and very professional. We were a bit worried because more people seemed to be booked with Red October but I liked the prompt and professional responces from DenRus. I believe both companies probably offer good service but we did enjoy our DenRus tour. JMHO. Faye

[Cally]

Red October was the best. Would highly recommend and would definately use them again. Have a great trip...it was one of my favorites.

[milette]

I'm helping DenRus (http://www.denrus.ru) with their web site, so you may take whatever I say with a grain of salt...

 

However, in reviewing many web sites, I have noticed that there is a LOT of mis-information being published as fact, and I hope that people become aware of it.

 

1. For a start, there is NO SUCH THING as a "Group Visa". This is fiction. It doesn't exist. There are only TWO ways you can get into Russia as a tourist:

 

a) as a cruise ship passenger, you may book your tour in advance through a REGISTERED agency -- and your confirmation will allow you to enter the country for up to 72 hours -- provided you spend the nights on the ship.

 

Some of the cruise ship sites tell you that you must book the tour through them, which is FALSE. Some tour companies claim to be able to do it, but may not even be registered, which has caused a LOT of people problems at the border.

 

b) anyone may apply for a regular tourist visa. Only hotels and certain companies are able to offer a legitimate letter of invitaion -- so be careful! The maximum stay is 3 months, but depends on the duration of your hotel booking. Again, if you are a cruise ship passenger, plan to stay less than 72 hours, spend nights on the ship, and have a tour confirmation from a recognized operator -- you don't need it.

 

NOTE: The Russian government has proposed the cancellation of the 72-hour entry system, so please keep your eyes out for news as to whether or not this goes into effect before your trip! It would be a shame to have to stay on the ship while everyone else is enjoying their shore excursions!

 

2. Some other things certain operators will tell you -- that only THEY have 'special arrangements' with major attractions so you don't have to wait in lines... This is FALSE! Some operators tell you they have special prices for major attractions -- This is FALSE!

ANY tour operator may register with the major attractions, but contrary to what you may hear, ALL registered operators have EQUAL rights to fast entrance and the SAME PRICES. Don't believe anyone who tells you different, because it isn't true.

 

For the 'no wait' entrances, the tour operator must purchase the tickets IN ADVANCE. To do this, the company will normally ask for a deposit -- which is very reasonable because the tickets MUST be paid for in advance.

 

Watch out! If the company does not ask for any kind of deposit -- it is VERY UNLIKELY that they will be buying your tickets in advance, and you WILL be standing around while the agent waits in line for you.

 

Also, WATCH OUT for tour operators that give you "Russian Price" tickets instead of the normal 'Foreigner Price" tickets. If you get caught using these, the consequences can be anything from getting kicked out of the attraction, to having the security or police called in and paying a stiff fine.

 

Prices for foreigners are up to TEN TIMES what Russians pay. YES, it isn't fair (unless you consider the average salary in Russia is $200 per month!), but YES it is completely legal. (Russian citizens receive a 'discount' -- which is how they work it.)

 

3. A big warning re. tour guides! There are all kinds of problems to watch out for! First, that the tour guide is EXPERIENCED. Some companies will advertise experienced guides, and then when you arrive, they'll put a STUDENT out to give the tour. This form of 'bait-and-switch' is the most common scam. Students charge a couple of bucks per hour -- while an experienced guide costs much more -- and the difference goes straight into the operator's pocket.

 

A second point is that for the major tourist attractions, the guides should be CERTIFIED AND LICENSED. If not, then you will have a second-rate tour, and may get hassled once inside the attraction. (The old ladies who 'guard' each exhibit KNOW the guides -- and if you are using an uncertified, unregistered guide, they have the right to kick you out!)

 

4. Regarding entrance fees -- make sure that the tour company arranges entrance to the toilets (some are NOT free!) -- and the right to take photos or videos wherever possible.

This COSTS EXTRA in most cases! If you take out your camera or video camera and don't have the right ticket purchased -- they can again throw you out or demand the fee on the spot.

 

Please also keep in mind that NOT ALL of the tourist attractions ALLOW photographs or videos to be taken. (This applies especially to churches.) The guide should explain what you are and are not allowed to do.

 

In general -- BE WARNED that many tour operators will try these and other tricks because they figure that the worst that will happen is that they give you your money back after complaining -- but keep the money from everyone else who doesn't know any better. They figure they'll never see you again, so they do not care if they ruin your trip or not.

 

Saving a couple of bucks on your tour and then falling into one of these traps is NOT the smart thing to do. Using forums like this to check things out in advance will definitely help.

 

If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I'm delighted to help anyone travelling to St. Petersburg.

 

Marty R. Milette

(A Canadian living in St. Petersburg for 7 years...)

[SteveS]

We were very happy with our RO tour last summer.

[NancyIL]

I wasn't able to find the cruise train fare from London to Harwich Port. Also does anyone know if there's a cruise train back to London or to Heathrow Airport? I have some quotes from private companies to take us from the cruise terminal directly to Heathrow on May 27 in the morning. The cheapest fare quoted is 164 GBP ( can't find that Br pound symbol on my keyboard) for 4 people and 200 GBP for 6. Not a bad deal. We're flying directly from Heathrow to Toronto Canada on Air canada. Anyone interested to join our family of 4 ( us and 2 adult children) for the cab ride to the airport?

 

I note that the cruise leaves at 6 pm on the 2nd day in St. Petersburg. Is there enough time for a 2nd day whole day tour? There's just too much to see and too little time. Looks like Red October has a standard 2 day bus tour Min 16 people and max 25 , I think) that covers everything for only US$ 250 or 260 pp, the best deal so far. But the 2nd day they drop you off at 4 pm back to the ship. Has anyone joined this type of tour before? Or we can really do a longer tour for the 2nd day? Thx.

 

About the train to Harwich: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=124874 and http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16203&page=16&pp=25 (see post #379 for train info).

 

I received 2-day itineraries from both Red October and DenRus that get us back to the ship at 5:00 p.m. on day 2. The reason for going with a private tour company rather than the ship's excursions is to avoid being on a big bus tour. I would definitely suggest trying to hook up with others before settling for Red October's bus tour.

[mtlcever]

I dont know where Milette is coming from! We did Red October for 2 days last June and they were wonderful and handled our visa issues for us. We DID NOT have to obtain a visa. They were wonderful, accomodating, reasonably priced, we paid at the end of our tour! If you have any other questions I will be glad to assist. I cannot recommend Red October enough!!!!

[EGG]

I also am wondering what M.Milette is talking about. The price R.O. quoted us included all the entrance fees. So it did not make of a difference what rate they were charged. (Big difference between that and the private tours in Italy.) The tour guide went into the museum with us and pointed out the highlights. We never waited on line, except for the one time we got to the site before it was open, since we were first off the ship. We had no problems with bathrooms since R.O. has clean bathrooms in their stores and they have several stores. Our guide asked us in advance when we wanted bathroom breaks and planned for a stop at the museum or at the R.O. store.

 

Yes there was a fee for photography in many museums, but we were told about that ahead of time, we were not surprised.

 

We did not have to purchase VISAs. R.O. handled that.

 

It was a wonderful tour and the highlight of our trip. R.O. gave us all that they promised and more. I highly recommend them.

 

Ellen

[MaseratiCruiser]

We used Red October in August of 2003 for two days and had the best tour of our entire trip. They had us in the Czar's palaces before anyone else was allowed in, so our small group of 6 had the whole place to ourselves! We had a guide named Helen and she was top notch. We also opted for the evening Russian Ballet and a lunch with a Russian family, both experiences were fantastic! I can highly recommend Red October with no hesitation.

[trudzie]

We did Red October in August, 2003 and it was the BEST! Highlight of our trip!

 

I agree with cruise4food, the amount of time we gained by going to the front of many lines was the best. I've since recommended them to others who have had the same GREAT experience. You won't go wrong with them.

[milette]

I also am wondering what M.Milette is talking about. The price R.O. quoted us included all the entrance fees....

 

Please note that I DID NOT SPECIFY any particular company in my posting. I was merely pointing out some of the problems you MAY encounter with SOME operators.

 

Red October and DenRus are not the only operators in town.

 

You'd be amazed at some of the stuff that gets pulled on people. Having lived in Russia for 7 years now -- every time I think I've seen it all -- some crook comes up with a new one.

[ellron]

I would appreciate it if anyone could provide me with a website or other information about Red October. I have reviewed the Denrus site and would like to do a comparison of these two companies. I will be in St. Petersburg July21 and 22, 2005 and would like to use the services of one of these companies.

 

Thanks

 

Ron

[2forTravelin]

We used Red October last year and had a wonderful experience. Our guide was Elena and she was very professional. This ended up being our favorite port.

 

Here is Red October's web site:

http://www.redoctober.spb.ru/RedOct1024x768/index.htm

 

Have a safe journey.

[torty]

We used Red October in August of 2003 for two days and had the best tour of our entire trip. They had us in the Czar's palaces before anyone else was allowed in, so our small group of 6 had the whole place to ourselves! We had a guide named Helen and she was top notch. We also opted for the evening Russian Ballet and a lunch with a Russian family, both experiences were fantastic! I can highly recommend Red October with no hesitation.

 

We are booked for an August Star Princess cruise which includes 2 days in St Petersburg. I have MS and use a wheelchair although I have some limited mobility. Because of this, we feel it would be advantageous to use the services of a company such as Red October or DenRus. So it was good to read your positive comments about Red October. We are particularly keen to see a ballet and have been in touch with Mariinsky Theatre who advised us that their ballet company and some others tour during August so we would be very grateful if you could advise us which theatre/ballet you saw. Did Red October make all the arrangements for you?