Frequently Asked Questions related to DenRus Value Excursions: 

1.) Q: Why should I book a DenRus Value Tour in St. Petersburg?
A: It is totally your own decision, but there are many reasons for your consideration. Please, consider for instance the following:
A) The crowd. - Do you wish to explore St. Petersburg as a member of a crowded and overpriced  bus tour of a minimum of 45+-passengers organized by your cruise ship, or would you prefer a smaller group of maximum of 30 persons, and quite often even less, organized by DenRus?
B) The Program. - Do you have time and desire to create your own Custom Tour program, or are you willing to accept the most comprehensive tour itinerary DenRus experts have created for the cruise passengers called “Complete St. Petersburg”, which includes all the major sites?
C) The price. - Do you want to save about $ 100 per person compared, for instance, with Princess Cruises’ similar 2-day program? There is no reason to waste $ 200 per couple for a program of lesser quality.

2.) Q: I cannot decide, should I book a DenRus 2-day Custom Tour, or a Value Tour called “Complete St. Petersburg”. What do you recommend?
A: It all depends on A) what St. Petersburg sites do you wish to see, your own selection of special venues, or the seven most famous and popular “must” sites; B) do you want to travel only with your own family and friends, or would you mind being a member in a small group of maximum 30, but quite often substantially less people? The difference is that Custom Tour is totally your own individual VIP-type touring opportunity including a program which you have personally created and approved. The “Complete St. Petersburg” is a limited size group tour, created by DenRus experts, which includes all the major sites of St. Petersburg (you do not need to think nor worry about what to include). It has a preset itinerary and you cannot request any additions, nor modifications to it. For you to better compare these two different tours, please, click “Compare a-B-C.”

3.) Q: Do I need a Russian visa in order to participate in your Value Tours?
A: No, you DO NOT need a Russian visa, provided you are a cruise ship passenger, and all you wish to do is to see, visit and tour the city under the guidance of DenRus licensed local guide. If you wish disembark and see the city alone – without our guide – then you need a visa.

4.) Q: Do the DenRus Value Tours qualify as visa-free tours permitting cruise passengers to participate without visas?
A: Absolutely. All DenRus tours and shore excursions for cruise passengers qualify as visa-free tours.

5.) Q: When is the Russian visa needed?
A: As a cruise passenger you are expected to obtain a proper Russian visa only, if you wish to visit the city or the country without any prearranged tours or excursions, if you want to go alone without a guide (for instance go to the home of your friend independently), if you want to spend overnight in another place than your ship’s cabin, and for some other reasons of similar nature.  

6.) Q: Is it true that the ships do not allow those passengers, who do not
participate in the ship’s shore excursion programs, to disembark?
A: Some of our guests during the earlier years have reported that the ships have tried to complicate the things for those passengers who have decided to arrange their own private tours. We have heard stories that the ship’s shore excursion staff has tried to scare these passengers incorrectly, that they will not be allowed to go ashore by the Russian immigration officers, and thus they will not be allowed to participate on their independent tours, or they will lose their monies since the Russian companies are not reliable, etc. Neither we at DenRus, nor our arriving cruise guests, have ever experienced any of the above problems, only heard stories about this scare tactics. It must be remembered that the cruise ships do not operate their shore excursions, they are operated by other Russian companies just like DenRus.  Any cruise passenger has a total freedom A) to chose his/her own Russian shore excursions company, and B) a right to disembark and go ashore any time, after the ships has been officially cleared, together with all the other passengers, and the ships cannot hold them back.

7.) Q: If we participate in a 2-day Value Tour “Complete St. Petersburg”, do we
have to return to the ship for the meals?
A: No. The “Complete St. Petersburg” tour includes two full course lunches with champagne and traditional Russian vodka shot, so no touring time will be wasted for back and forth travel to the pier. 

8.) Q: Is it true that there are huge crowds and endless lines in each location?
A: Yes, this is absolutely true. However, there are ways and means, how DenRus services can save your limited time. For all our Value Tours and all Custom Tours and individual passengers DenRus always prebooks a scheduled entry time to the venues. This does not cost you anything extra, this is just our standard service, but sometimes the venues cannot honor, what they have confirmed. When the time slots have been booked, it is highly recommended that the passengers keep up the original schedule as planned, since missing your time slot will move you to the end of the line. Another possibility is to schedule your entry earlier than the official opening hours. This is called “early admission” and the venues always charge an additional moderate fee for this benefit. It must be noted that there are early admission tourists in the museums and palaces every day during the summer season, so you are not alone. However, it is enjoyable to see the exhibitions before the really huge crowds arrive.

9.) Q: Can handicapped tourists participate in your Value Tours?    
A: Handicapped cruise passengers are welcomed to participate in all the Value Tours, for instance evening Ballet and Folkloric Shows, private Car Rental, but unfortunately we cannot accommodate handicapped passengers on our 2-day “Complete St. Petersburg” tour. We at DenRus pay a special attention to our handicapped guests, and we have accumulated a huge collection of thank you letters from our handicapped tourists. We can arrange any kind of a special transportation needed to accommodate for instance wheel chairs. Some of the venues have lifts, some do not, some have ramps, some do not, in certain places the toilets are too narrow and do not allow wheelchairs to enter, in some places this problem has been corrected. DenRus is the specialist in our city, and we know all these problem areas, and we create the programs accordingly.  If you are handicapped and you ask DenRus to create your special program, all these details, related to your final itinerary, are explained, negotiated and decided during the preceding correspondence between our staff and our handicapped passengers.

10.) Q: What are child prices on your 2-day “Complete St. Petersburg”?
A: Children 12 and over are accepted. Custom Private tours are more appropriate for families with children.

11.) Q: Can DenRus arrange evening entertainment for Value Tour passengers?  
A: Of course. Our selection of Value Tours already includes traditional Russian cultural evening entertain options like Classical Ballet and Russian Folkloric Dance and Music Shows. If you have something else in mind, we can arrange tickets to other theatres and concerts. Another extremely popular  idea among our guests of previous years has been an Evening Car Rental, where you have a driver and a guide at your service to take you just anywhere you wish, to a night cruise on Neva River or a canal ride, a local restaurant, bar hopping, night clubs, and much more.

12.) Q: What about tipping on your Value Tours?
A: As all over the world, it is customary also in Russia to tip your private tour guide and private driver after their work, provided it has been performed to your satisfaction. The recommended amounts should be in line with the western standards.