Help with St Petersburg excursions

[AnnieO2019]

I’m aware there is another thread discussing Seabourn tours v other tour companies in St Petersburg but I have a few further questions:

• Can anyone comment on or recommend any of the Seabourn excursions? (I can’t find many reviews) Are they very large groups? I’m attracted by the fact that they can start earlier than other tour companies. 
• Has anyone ventured out in St Petersburg on their own? I’d normally prefer to do this and would be happy to get the necessary visa but I’m concerned how far the cruise ships dock away from the city centre and if a number of large cruise ships are there at the same time it could be quite difficult getting transport.

 

[princeton123211]

We sailed Sojourn to St Petersburg in 2013. We were not impressed with the Seabourn tours when we read through them and wanted the extra flexibility of having our own private guide (we had a group of 10 total). We were extremely happy with our decision once we got there as it appeared that the ship tours were being done on medium to large sized busses and thats just not how we prefer to see a city for the first time. You could be different but it was your traditional large format tour with 30-40 people. 

 

We booked our tour through Abercrombie & Kent thinking they were one of the top tour operators in the world and it would be a no brainer-- turned out to be a massive mistake. A&K outsource all of their tours in Russia (I think because they cant officially do business there) so we ended up paying A&K a finders fee for booking us. Shame on us for not investigating more-- lesson learned.

 

That being said we were put with TJ Travel and they did a wonderful job. We had a Mercedes Sprinter van every day with driver (they use Mercedes E Class for smaller tours with a couple) and a separate guide who spoke fluent, intelligible English and knew her city backwards and forwards. We never waited in line for any of the museums or palaces we went to and they also included a boat ride on the Neva and we had the entire vessel to ourselves (which was a bit outrageous since it most likely could accommodate 100+ people). Meals were quite good and were served a la carte at various restaurants she chose with our consultation. You can book TJ directly through their website we later found out and it cost alot less than what we paid through Abercrombie.

 

Because your visa arriving by ship is contingent on having a local guide you cant really leave the ship at night unless you were on a tour. We simply spoke to our guide and for a little extra she escorted us out one night to see a few nice hotel bars and the night life. 

 

Would highly recommend taking your own tour and personalizing it. There is a lot to see in the 2.5 days you are there and we felt like we maximized every moment we had. 

[cuddles115]

Personalize your tour.  You'll enjoy St. Petersburg much more.  The palaces on the outskirts shouldn't be missed.  Also, naturally, the Hermitage. Although we haven't been in St. Petersburg for a few years, I understand that Seabourn usually docks on the English Embankment which is is the center of everything as opposed to most cruise ships that dock aways away. Unfortunately, you can't just wander around. Big Brother is always with you. St.Petersburg is a gem and you'll have a great time.

[SLSD]

OK. I think I can help.  We took the Seabourn excursions and enjoyed them. And this included the palaces on the  outskirts of the city.  We found our guides to be quite good.  We took three days of tours (but not the package of three days all set out).  We were on the Ovation, and the ship did NOT dock in the center of the city. It was a bit of a drive to reach the city center.  

 

Our tours had about 15-18 passengers.  We took the tour of the Hermitage first.  Our tour was early in the morning and we were the very first tour group to enter the museum.  This was important as there were not crowds and we were able to move through the museum easily and enjoy what our guide had to say.  

 

We took an afternoon tour on the same day of several cathedrals.  We highly recommend this tour, which included a walk through an area of St. Petersburg.  The cathedrals were truly awe-inspiring. 

 

On the second day toured  Catherine's Palace.  Once again, we were the very first tour group into the palace and enjoyed our tour.  

 

On the third day, We toured the  Peterhof Palace (my favorite) and enjoyed a lunch at a restaurant afterwards.  Again, we were the first tour group on that day.  While the lunch was fairly plain, we still enjoyed the experience.  

 

Our tours also included walking through the parks/gardens around the palaces.  We never felt rushed .  We were able to enjoy the experiences which also included a concert by a small choir at one site.  

 

I truly cannot fault the Seabourn excursions in St. Petersburg.  

 

Perhaps private tours would have been even better (we take private tours in some locations) but we throughly enjoyed our tours.  

Edited April 25, 2019 by SLSD

[SKP946]

We were aboard Seabourn Quest in St. Petersburg in 2015 and took 2 of the ships tours, one during the day by coach (only 2/3 full) which was excellent.

The highlight was a “Seabourn Event”, a late Evening tour of Catherines Palace that was closed to the public. We were divided into groups of about 10 persons with a guide and all given wireless headsets, then went room-by-room.

I’m a keen photographer so I kept one room ahead of our group and managed to take photos of each room with no others  there, (however I could still hear our guide through the headphones describing the room that I had just left)

We were also allowed to take (non-flash) photos of the Amber Room. (normally not permitted)

Afterwards we listened to a small orchestra  and watched a Ballet performance in the Ballroom while we sipped Champagne.

It was a most memorable evening.

Unfortunately this handheld photo of the Amber Room is not very sharp

[SLSD]

By the way, I neglected to mention that we were on St. Petersburg last June (2018 Ovation)   I described our tours above.  Our favorite of the cathedrals was The Church of the Spilled Blood. It was memorable and I think of it often. 

Edited April 25, 2019 by SLSD

[AnnieO2019]

Thank you all - very helpful. I’m so looking forward to this cruise!

[SLSD]

Have a wonderful voyage Annie!  We loved St. Petersburg.  You are probably going to Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn as well.  All wonderful ports.  

 

Tallinn is a great city to just walk the old town.  Stockholm is very walkable too.  Seabourn will have a shuttle to a very central area--and it is a very short walk to the old town part of Stockholm.  Be sure to see Vasa Museum which is a huge ship which sunk on its maiden voyage.  We also enjoyed a great classic smorgasbord at The Grand Hotel (which is very close to the shuttle drop off location).  

[Williwannago]

We visited St Petersburg with Seabourn in 2013, cannot believe it was that long ago. We got our visa’s which was a bit of a pain, but well worth it. Walking around town after dinner or touring the Hermitage at our own pace was our goal. If/When we visit next we will likely go with the tours.

Have a great cruise!