On Sky now. Info about outside tours in St Petersburg

[trav25]

Some things we didn't know when we booked our Alla tour:

1. $3 (US) per person to take pictures in the Ysupov museum. The museum guards are strict. So have that cash on you.

2. Recommended 10% (guide) and 5% (driver) tips cannot be put on the credit card. Everyone in our bus used credit cards. You pay that at the end of the first day. So have Euors or dollars with you.

 

The Alla 2 day tour were jammed packed touring but they have it timed so well that we avoided crowds. Had the Hermitage to ourselves for a long time before the crowds came. Wonderful two days.

 

By the way, we are LOVING this ship and everything about it. The staff is unbelievable. Very, very happy!!

[derrick22]

Some things we didn't know when we booked our Alla tour:

 

Thanks for the heads up. Doing the Grand Tour with them.

 

Take care of the Sky.

 

We board her next month.

[Dauntless]

Some things we didn't know when we booked our Alla tour:

1. $3 (US) per person to take pictures in the Ysupov museum. The museum guards are strict. So have that cash on you.

2. Recommended 10% (guide) and 5% (driver) tips cannot be put on the credit card. Everyone in our bus used credit cards. You pay that at the end of the first day. So have Euors or dollars with you.

 

It's all in the print, you just have to read everything.

 

We also used them in SP on our cruise and have no complaints about how our experience went. The money we saved by going with them, as opposed to the ship was greatly appreciated and the money we spent was well worth every penny--or is it Ruble?

[Riley9]

How did the Alla tour compare to the Viking 2 day excursion? We are on the Sky in Aug-Sept.

[Peregrina651]

How did the Alla tour compare to the Viking 2 day excursion? We are on the Sky in Aug-Sept.

 

Keep in mind that it is hard to compare two things when you have only experienced one of them. Those who have experienced one may be able to share what they heard about the other but that is about it.

 

 

I know you don't want to hear it but your best bet is to read/skim as many threads as you can in this forum about the Homelands itinerary; answers to questions hide in so many different places. Also, you will get a more balanced and more complete picture of the situation. It is the one that Viking has probably sailed the most times, going back to their first season in 2015, so there will be plenty of comments but they will be spread out over the entire forum.

 

 

We did SP with another cruise line a number of years ago and the biggest reason to book a small group tour is that small groups move faster; there is less time spent on logistics. Bathroom breaks take less time; getting on and off the bus takes less time; fewer stragglers to wait for.

[Dauntless]

How did the Alla tour compare to the Viking 2 day excursion? We are on the Sky in Aug-Sept.

 

To answer your question, we chose a different excursion because after you do the included with Viking and then try to piece together something with their other options I just didn't feel the experience would be as rich or comprehensive. To get a more fulfilling experience with Viking the cost would be around double of going with a local private provider. After researching, the Grand Tour 2 day excursion seemed to be the right fit for us. If you do nighttime activities with Viking, that would be a good choice as most of the private providers need a certain number in order to run the tour and the prices for that seem to be comparable. But all providers can be researched on Trip advisor and the like for other peoples experiences and evaluations. Though no 2 people are the same, I try to look for reviews from US, thinking we might be of the same mindset.

[Vikingfan#1]

Some things we didn't know when we booked our Alla tour:

1. $3 (US) per person to take pictures in the Ysupov museum. The museum guards are strict. So have that cash on you.

2. Recommended 10% (guide) and 5% (driver) tips cannot be put on the credit card. Everyone in our bus used credit cards. You pay that at the end of the first day. So have Euors or dollars with you.

 

The Alla 2 day tour were jammed packed touring but they have it timed so well that we avoided crowds. Had the Hermitage to ourselves for a long time before the crowds came. Wonderful two days.

By the way, we are LOVING this ship and everything about it. The staff is unbelievable. Very, very happy!!

 

Thanks for sharing this good news! I'm on the Sky in a few weeks too! We signed up for the 2 day faberge tour with Alla in St. Petersburg. Did you hear any comments about that one?I was so torn about both of these tours. It does everything your tour did except for the Yusopov and St. Isaac's Cathedral. We're these places so significant/interesting/beautiful that we shouldn't miss them? We could always to the Faberge Tour at night. Did you do a night time excursion with Alla in St. Petersburg?

[jiminyC_fan]

We, too, used Alla in SP (thanks for the recommendation, Dauntless). The smaller size group was a HUGE advantage. Like Dauntless said, it is stated in the paperwork about the tips so read everything. The three couples on our tour were upset that we hadn't booked with Alla in a couple other cities. It was a great experience.

[trav25]

Thanks for sharing this good news! I'm on the Sky in a few weeks too! We signed up for the 2 day faberge tour with Alla in St. Petersburg. Did you hear any comments about that one?I was so torn about both of these tours. It does everything your tour did except for the Yusopov and St. Isaac's Cathedral. We're these places so significant/interesting/beautiful that we shouldn't miss them? We could always to the Faberge Tour at night. Did you do a night time excursion with Alla in St. Petersburg?

 

Yusopov palace was the least favorite thing we did. All of us agreed that was not worth it.

 

The rest was absolutely stunning! Super glad we went on a small tour. We got into the hermitage early and didn't have to wait outside at Catherine's Palace. That leaves more time to see other things. We loved the two day Alla tour.

That said, we wasted money booking the Viking Russian folk dances because, for us, we were exhausted and were getting ready for the next day all day tour. We stayed on the ship, are and went to bed early. Had to be outside passport control and waiting by 8.