3 days in St. P, doing 2-day tour - what to do on the 3rd day?

[TLCOhio]

Enjoyed reading your tour arrangements and comments. I have been researching options and am very interested in Anastasia. I wonder if you could tell me if you found Yusupov's Palace very different from the others or generally worthwhile. When I contacted Anastasia she suggested that if we wanted to do that palace, we would be rushed if we tried to include the others, and perhaps we should omit Peter & Paul Fortress as you seem to have. It also appears that you didn't do the Metro station. Is this so? I think if you do the hydrofoil, you tend to miss the chance to do the Subway, but I may be wrong. You also said that you took a boxed lunch from the ship on the second day. What did you do on the first day and was there any problem with taking one from the ship? I also appreciated your comment about feeling like you had a nice balance with your activities while in St Petersburg. Would you change anything if you were to do it again? I know we all have different tastes and interests, but any feedback is appreciated. Thanks so much, Linda

 

YES, Linda, you're getting it well! With a private tour, you can blend and balance things to fit YOUR needs and interests. That overall "flow" is important! Some riding and sit down, then walking, etc., etc.

 

We knew we would do the subway in Moscow, so it wasn't as important to do that in St. Petersburg. It was a choice of Peter & Paul Fortress versus Yusupov's Palace. We had seen burial places for dead rulers in Spain and Vienna, so in Russia, it was not as high of a priority. Yusupov's Palace was interesting because this family was so super, super rich and powerful during the times of many, many Czars, plus this was where Rasputin had been killed. Yusupov's Palace was very interesting to see and different than just another church or palace during our time in Russia and other Baltic capitals. It was like a large, private home, which it was, plus being a "party central" of the rich and powerful. Its scale is large, but not too overwhelming. Plus, it was not that crowded when we were there.

 

We didn't take a lunch on the first day as we grabbed a quick bite to eat in the gardens of the Peterhof, which also worked out well. Trying to carry in lunch boxes there would not have been practical. That way it didn't take too much time and provided a brief sit-down break. With our box lunches from the ship, we had two extras for our guide and the driver. My only "do over" change would be to take more pictures, especially more close-ups and people shots. For the three days in Russia, I probably took 800 pictures, but you can always do more and better.

 

Overall, our plan worked super well with a super great guide and perfect weather. Who can ask for better? And being in a small group of only four people made it work so well. And don't be shy with a private guide! Ask questions. Let the guide know what you are seeking to to learn, experience and hear. They enjoy being helpful and having happy travelers.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Sailmore]

Hi Terry,

Thanks for the quick reply. You have been extremely helpful. It is wonderful to get your first hand experiences. My husband and I hope to join a fairly small group, likely closer to 6-10 people, but I think this will still give us a nice number. I have been in touch with another CC member and we have been discussing the various options. I will direct her to your information in this forum and I'm thinking she might have some additional questions for you. I hope this is okay. Maybe next year we will be helping others.

Thanks again,

Linda

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry, My husband and I hope to join a fairly small group, likely closer to 6-10 people, but I think this will still give us a nice number. I have been in touch with another CC member and we have been discussing the various options. I will direct her to your information in this forum and I'm thinking she might have some additional questions for you.

 

THANKS for the kind comments and keep the questions rolling! Don't be shy. There are no "dumb questions", only those not asked.

 

YES, a group of 6-10 people can work well for these types of private tours in a city such as St. Petersburg with its so many great options. Having only four in a group is ideal and like being in Heaven. A little larger group can still work fine . . . IF . . . most all are on the "same page" for what to do, the pace, general interests, etc. It is important that the larger group know what you're doing and where you are going, why, how, etc. The group should talk in advance and communicate any special interests for things to do and seek while hitting the key highlights. Two of us were big into taking pictures. There were some special shopping stops we wanted to do. The guide knew those interests and needs. If the guide gets tugged and pulled with too many conflicting needs and demands, it can get confusing and/or frustrating for the guide and/or those in the group.

 

Planning, research, thinking ahead and good communications help make the actual private tour much more successful. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[Sailmore]

Hi Terry,

I hear what you are saying about the research and communication. Sometimes I think I get too caught up in the details, but hopefully when the time comes to actually do the tour everything goes smoothly. At this point, the biggest challenge has been to try to determine how to maximize our time but not go into overload. I have really appreciated feedback from the tour companies and comments from you and others on these boards to help make these decisions. I feel confident we will have a nice group of people to team up with and am looking forward it.

Thanks again,

Linda

PS Once I get everything organized I plan on letting my DH know what he is in for!

[TLCOhio]

Hi Terry,

I hear what you are saying about the research and communication. Sometimes I think I get too caught up in the details, but hopefully when the time comes to actually do the tour everything goes smoothly. At this point, the biggest challenge has been to try to determine how to maximize our time but not go into overload. I have really appreciated feedback from the tour companies and comments from you and others on these boards to help make these decisions. I feel confident we will have a nice group of people to team up with and am looking forward it. Thanks again, Linda PS Once I get everything organized I plan on letting my DH know what he is in for!

 

THANKS, Linda! Don't forget that with a private tour, versus a packaged, mass Plan A or B from the ship, you can adjust on the "fly" and/or call an "audible" adjustment to add a little more time here and lessen there in another place once on the actual day of the trip. There are reasonable, understanding limitations on how "flexible" you can be, but you get the overall picture and private tour advantage. Of course, if the ship departs at 7 pm and you must be back on board at 6 pm, even a private tour can't do that much "magic" to solve this reality and challenge.

 

Look forward to more questions. Go to your library and get a good visual book such as Eyewitness in order to consider and think about your many great options . . . in advance! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[belle907]

Hi Terry,

 

Enjoyed reading your tour arrangements and comments. I have been researching options and am very interested in Anastasia. It is very difficult to determine who is "the best" when most comments are positive. I believe the price with Anastasia is likely a bit lower and felt additionally reassured by your posiitve review as well as some of my feedback from her. I wonder if you could tell me if you found Yusupov's Palace very different from the others or generally worthwhile. When I contacted Anastasia she suggested that if we wanted to do that palace, we would be rushed if we tried to include the others, and perhaps we should omit Peter & Paul Fortress as you seem to have. It also appears that you didn't do the Metro station. Is this so? I think if you do the hydrofoil, you tend to miss the chance to do the Subway, but I may be wrong.

You also said that you took a boxed lunch from the ship on the second day. What did you do on the first day and was there any problem with taking one from the ship? We are on RCL, but likely will find it similar. It does seem to make sense for timing.

We will only be in port 2 days, so will just try to enjoy what we can there. I also appreciated your comment about feeling like you had a nice balance with your activities while in St Petersburg. Would you change anything if you were to do it again?

I know we all have different tastes and interests, but any feedback is appreciated. Maybe next trip we will get to Moscow!

Thanks so much,

Linda

I'll add my feedback with Anastasia.

 

We chose to do Yusopov's Palace vs. Peter and Paul Fortress since my daughter had studied Rasputin in school the 2 years before the trip. Everyone on our group enjoyed seeing it since it was so different from the other palaces we had been to. The small theater inside was really interesting to see.

 

We didn't do the hydrofoil and did a subway ride. The stations were so pretty even tho they were undergoing refurbishment this past July. Once again our group was glad we rode the subway system and could see a selection of the real people of StP. One lady riding the subway started talking to our guide telling her she was glad she was showing us 'her city' and hoped we enjoyed our visit.

 

For our 2 days, 2 of the 3 families in our group bought lunch and the other family brought food from the ship with no problems. We were a group of 12 (3 families in total) that I formed from our cruise meet thread. It was the perfect size group.

 

We are going back July 2010 and I have already contacted Anastasia about doing another 2 day tour for us and she has already sent us ideas to start our planning. This time it will most likely just be 6 of us on the tour since my brother and his family will be joining us.

 

Hope this added info helps you.

[Sailmore]

Thanks everyone for the help. This has been terrific hearing from everyone. The really nice part of all this planning and fretting over what to do, has been the reassurances from everyone about what wonderful experiences they have had. Too often you hear negatives and reports of less ideal outcomes. I don't recall reading anything like this. It is especially helpful to get your insights to the logistics and helpful tips that you found made your tours work well for you. Also nice to hear about Anastasia tours specifically. As you have said, with a smaller group and a good tour guide I think you can make things work for you.

I'm thinking from what you have said, it might be a good choice to go to Yusopov's Palace after all. I think all of us have some idea about Rasputin, it might be fun to hear more of the stories!

Thanks again,

Linda

[belle907]

Thanks everyone for the help. This has been terrific hearing from everyone. The really nice part of all this planning and fretting over what to do, has been the reassurances from everyone about what wonderful experiences they have had. Too often you hear negatives and reports of less ideal outcomes. I don't recall reading anything like this. It is especially helpful to get your insights to the logistics and helpful tips that you found made your tours work well for you. Also nice to hear about Anastasia tours specifically. As you have said, with a smaller group and a good tour guide I think you can make things work for you.

I'm thinking from what you have said, it might be a good choice to go to Yusopov's Palace after all. I think all of us have some idea about Rasputin, it might be fun to hear more of the stories!

Thanks again,

Linda

You are most welcome for the info. Here are some pics from inside Yusopov's Palace.