St Petersburg tours Celebrity Silhouette (30 June 2019)

[Petenviv]

we want to see Fountains at Peterhof,  Catherine’s Palace Amber room, Church of  Spilled Blood and general Panoramic sights but do not want to spend hours walking around artworks in the Hermitage. 
We are a recently retired couple from U.K.  I don’t walk fast enough to keep up with a large group but through research I know I can access the 4 sites on our list with my “wheeled walker” which is completely collapsible. Anyone looking for similar or can recommend best way to do this without it costing several hundred dollars/£
Hope to hear from you



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[dogs4fun]

Will you be arriving via cruise ship? If so, I would recommend posting on your ship's roll call - perhaps you can find interested parties to join you. Group tours are the most affordable option - you are most probably looking for a private tour. Private tour prices are based on the number of people in your group so for a group of only two people I would imagine what you want amounting to a rather pricey tour. If you can find others on your roll call to join you, it would bring the cost of the private tour down to a more affordable option.

[dogs4fun]

Ah, should have read your post more carefully - I see that you will be arriving on the Silhouette. If you have not already done so, you can  check your roll call here:

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2560023-june-30-2019-14-night-baltic-cruise/

Edited February 7, 2019 by dogs4fun

[Turtles06]

OP: unless the overly large font is necessary for you to read what you are posting, may I suggest that in future posts, it would be easier on the reader end for you to use the default font, or at least something not as large as the one you used here.  Thanks.

[Petenviv]

As it happens I do have visual problems but I wasn’t aware of setting the font like that. Would have been nice to have had some help re my questions rather than comments about the font to be honest

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

OP: unless the overly large font is necessary for you to read what you are posting, may I suggest that in future posts, it would be easier on the reader end for you to use the default font, or at least something not as large as the one you used here.  Thanks.

 

2 hours ago, Petenviv said:

As it happens I do have visual problems but I wasn’t aware of setting the font like that. Would have been nice to have had some help re my questions rather than comments about the font to be honest

I believe the post above was only intended to be helpful by making a suggestion that would probably garner more replies to your query so please don't take offense.  As you may be aware, many people read these forums from their smartphones. It is almost impossible to read such large fonts on a small smartphone screen - most would simply bypass such posts. Most of us on these forums simply want to be helpful. 

[trosebery]

If you don't find anyone on your Roll Call willing to share an excursion, you may be able to join a "Relaxed" or "Comfort" small group tour that may be the pace you're looking for. For example, this tour with TJ Travel:

https://st-petersburg-tours.ru/relaxed-excursion

 

It does spend some time in the Hermitage, but I wouldn't recommend skipping the Hermitage. It's not just an art museum: it is the Winter Palace and it's gorgeous. Here's my littlest in the throne room on our last trip:

[dogs4fun]

8 minutes ago, trosebery said:

I wouldn't recommend skipping the Hermitage. It's not just an art museum: it is the Winter Palace and it's gorgeous. Here's my littlest in the throne room on our last trip:

Agree - the Hermitage is much more than an art museum - the time spent here on a group tour barely scratches the surface. Alla Tours also offers a relaxed group tour, the Comfort Tour - specifically designed for those with mobility issues. This tour is an option if you do not find a private tour to meet your needs.

Edited February 7, 2019 by dogs4fun

[Petenviv]

That’s I’ll get back to Alla to check on their comfort tour. I appreciate what you say about The Hermitage but neither of us could manage to walk around for over 2 hours.

[dogs4fun]

10 hours ago, Petenviv said:

That’s I’ll get back to Alla to check on their comfort tour. I appreciate what you say about The Hermitage but neither of us could manage to walk around for over 2 hours.

I would recommend asking Alla where you can rest in the Hermitage while others in the group continue walking - let them know that you cannot walk around for 2 hours in the museum & would need a place/space for a "time out". Good luck! Hope you find what you are looking for.

[Petenviv]

34 minutes ago, maddocfamilyu said:

We were in St. Petersburg last summer with Best Guides and did a 2 day tour of the city and suburbs  - Peterhof and Catherine palaces, the Hermitage museum, the Spilled Blood cathedral and a boat tour. We were thrilled by the city and not so tired - the tour was quite easy.

 

yes Thanks we have decided to go for one of the “ comfort/ relaxed” tours and see how much we can manage....probably be the only time we ever go to Russia so daft not to try

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 2/8/2019 at 3:44 PM, Petenviv said:

yes Thanks we have decided to go for one of the “ comfort/ relaxed” tours and see how much we can manage....probably be the only time we ever go to Russia so daft not to try

I always try to have the attitude of not worrying about the things we don't get to see and just enjoy the things we DO get to see.  Sounds like you have a similar attitude.  Have a great trip - we only get to spend one day there on our cruise so I'm a little envious of your second day.

[dogs4fun]

8 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

I always try to have the attitude of not worrying about the things we don't get to see and just enjoy the things we DO get to see. 

Great attitude - makes one's life more pleasant & vacations more enjoyable to be surrounded by those with such an attitude.

[arsenalboy]

Hi Petenviv

 

I am also from Devon and on the Silhouette this coming May!

 

We did St P 6 years ago with Celebrity and what I can say was that the pace of all the tours was relatively slow i.e, standing around in churches/museums because of the crowds.

 

My recommendation would be that out of choice of ships tour or private tour, I would go for ships tour as this will be larger and by definition will move slower which might suit you.

 

Celebrity is a great line and you should find it very relaxing on board and no airports to navigate!

 

As others have said, join or follow your roll call on this web site to get more help. 

[fabnfortysomething]

the Hermitage has wheelchairs available to lend-however if both of you need them may need a "pusher" as I remember the one for my husband was not self propelled

 

I would definitely go for a private tour as smaller group will be better

you may be able to put together a group from your roll call looking for people who also want a slow pace

 

we had a group of 5 with TJ tours and it was fantastic and still around $300pp

[Kate P.C]

Hi. The good thing about getting a private tour is that you may be able to customize it to your own will and liking. There are many agencies that will do that, and you can tell them to skip the Hermitage museum visit and do something else for those 2 hours. Many people choose to avoid the Hermitage museum because it is so vast that you cannot do anything beyond scratching the surface on a short visit.

We ended up booking through an agency called Anastasia Travel, https://anastasia.travel/ and we asked them if we can change the Hermitage visit to something else, and they recommended a private 90 minute river cruise, with views of the palaces, parks, and the naval destroyer where the communist revolution is reported to have begun! They were attentive to our needs and made our 2 days enjoyable. Anastasia also covered the visa process, entrance into the attractions (with photo passes), lunch, and our car and private driver, Timur who was very knowledgeable. Our tour guide Victoria made sure we got in front of the lines, because we were a small group of six. 

Even though the Hermitage is worth seeing, there are other things you may enjoy in more, so don't have any regrets. Follow your heart and have a great time 🙂