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Reviews 2.7.

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I am happy to say that Eric has good…

I am happy to say that Eric has good knowledge of his field. Eric is quite good with customer service & helped me with booking my flights. I would definitely recommend Eric to all for booking flight or Hotel.

Date of experience : February 15, 2019

Ian. Best. Travel agent. At benzene. Travel ⭐

Ian. Was very very polight helpful n professional. N patient as i incurred small prob with my online account but he was patient bless him. N searched to find me the best deal with minimal wait time very nice. Gye. He. Deaserves. A bonus. Ect. Lovely. Gye. Hes a credit. To the comphany. Bless him thank you miss G. Mead for. This. Gentleman. I give him this. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+🌟

Date of experience : January 03, 2020

Superb travel agent

My wife and I booked travel to Australia for January 2019. I had forgotten this is the most expensive month. My usual carrier, Qantas, offered ridiculously expensive tickets so we did our own searching. The online search engines became frustrating, offering great deals one moment only to find they were not really available. And I'm not talking just about the "come on in" pricing they advertise that relates to a totally different time of travel. So in frustration I completed on online form and found myself soon talking with Ian from Benz Travel He was fantastic. Seriously. He is a great listener with good understanding and attention to detail. He is also persistent in working towards getting the right flights at the best price. And all the time, he is very polite and professional. We were very impressed. Needless to say, Ian found us just what we were after. His follow-up was also excellent. I have no hesitation in recommending his services and it is clear that Benz Travel has some very good systems in place, enabling excellent service.

Date of experience : December 22, 2018

I was dealing with Paul who handled by…

I was dealing with Paul who handled by booking in the most professional way. He couldn't do enough for me to ensure I understood everything about the booking. Very friendly. Thank you Paul. You're a credit to your company.

Date of experience : March 04, 2019

Disappointed customer

I’ve been a customer of Benz Travel/ Hoodaki for ages and I must say they have provided quality service in the past until my last flight ticket purchase. As a loyal customer, I was expecting to receive a better deal. Unfortunately, it was the exact opposite that happened. Unprofessional dealing from one of their staff, higher ticket price and poor advice are the reasons that made me decide not to purchase ticket from this company again. I must admit it was partly my mistake as I did not bother enquiring from other travel agents since I trusted them with my travel arrangements. As an advice to other customers, enquire from other travel agents before you book your flight.

Date of experience : May 28, 2019

Reply from Benz Travel

Hi Jerardo, We are sorry to hear of your disappointment in our services in this instance. The travel industry is indeed a very competitive industry and prices fluctuate from minute to minute. We constantly strive to remain competitive by keeping abreast of technology and negotiating with our suppliers. We do hope you at least offer us the chance to quote you on your next trip, thank you for the feedback.

Rubbish company, terrible customer services

A bad choice do not buy tickets from this company as they refuse to refund tickets that could not be used because of the pandemic. Forcing customers to take vouchers which have a specific life span so quite frankly stealing customers money if they can’t travel within the voucher time limit. Customer service is also disgusting as Myra was rude and only thought about her commission that she would lose if she refunded my ticket. Saying I would lose £210 of my money if I wanted my money back. DON’T TRUST THIS COMPANY NO GOOD BUY DIRECTLY FTOM THE AIRLINE OR A REPUTABLE COMPANY. This is not true as I have had printed confirmation from the airline that my refund has been made to you and I can upload it here as proof if you want me to but your company has still refused to pay me back my money. I would never have written this review if you had been honest enough to pay me back and not tried to force me to take a voucher.

Date of experience : June 13, 2020

Since the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent worldwide lockdown we have been working tirelessly to process customers refunds. Every booking is different. When you pay us for your travel arrangements, we then pay the airine/hotel etc. retaining only our margin. We do not, as is the common misunderstanding, ‘sit on your money’. Conversely, when you ask for a refund, we have to ask the airline/hotel etc to refund us, so we can then refund you. This is standard business practice. Where some of our suppliers have been processing refunds, albeit slowly, there are many airlines and suppliers who have not. There is an example of one major airline claiming it will take a year for them to refund monies back to us! Perhaps this will help you understand why many refunds are taking so long to process; we all have to show patience in these extraordinary times.

Travel Tickets with Benz Travel - Excellent Service

First time used Benz Travel, travel agent Victor was extremely helpful in finding the most suitable tickets for me. I got a very decent price compare to other travel agents. Will come back in future for travel tickets. Thank you Benz Travel.

Date of experience : January 09, 2019

Andrew I booked my flight with the assistant of Andrew Benz travel. He is extremely helpful. I am so happy now. He keep calling me about the fares and keep me posted and answers all of the relevant question. Well done Andrew keep it up. Hello benz travel please don’t loose him he is sooo good Regard Ajmaeen

Date of experience : March 17, 2019

Very efficient and very professional

Very efficient and very professional. Eric was very helpful. Made good suggestions. Made everything clear and precise. Many thanks for our smooth booking to Cape Town.

Date of experience : October 19, 2019

so far so good

so far so good. From the online chat service to the phone call and the follow up emails, I have had only a positive experience of Benz Travel. They not only found me a good deal on my flight but took the time to check that everything was just right for what we needed. Andrew was polite and helpful throughout.

Date of experience : June 23, 2019

If we could give this organization -10…

If we could give this organization -10 stars, we would. We booked travel (3 travellers) and paid over $10K CAD in Sept 2019. Pandemic hit, we were patient and tried to rebook but cancelled many times due to travel restrictions. Feb 3, 2021 after many many months of requesting refund, they agreed to a full refund. They then stalled in many ways, advising they were "chasing accounts" (who the hell is accounts??!!) for our money. They said that they had requested a refund from Air Canada on May 24, 2021, we have confirmation Air Canada refunded them April 6, 2020. They then asked for SWIFT banking information to deposit payment (refusing to refund our original payment type which was Visa). Fast forward to Feb 28, 2022 (after we got a lawyer involved) the lawyer Anita Hoxha with Citrus Holidays Legal, advised a refund would be issued. Here we are Oct 28, 2022, 3 years from booking the travel and 20 months after being promised a refund, with nothing. There are no phone numbers, no one calls you back, don't reply to emails. They are liars, have essentially stollen our funds (confirmation that Air Canada refunded them for our tickets, which they have not refunded us). We never travelled to Ecuador... and we would strong advise no one give this company or their parent company, Benz Travel, a single dime of money. DO NOT TRAVEL WITH THIS ORGANIZATION.

Date of experience : October 28, 2022

I bought a ticket for my family end of…

I bought a ticket for my family end of January 2adults and 2 kids London to Colombo on june for £2079 but airlines Emirates cancelled my ticket due to cronovirus situation my ticket was dealt with Richard he said he said he can refund me but charge me 250 plus 15 plus 1% commotion each person and that's more then 1300 end of the day I can only get 735£ tell me is that fair?i will take to this consumer court i request people to help me my money back......

Date of experience : March 28, 2020

Very reasonable flight and excellent service

Oliver was very helpful and patient while I was booking my flight. All the documents came ASAP as promised and I can't fault the price of my flights or the service I received.

Date of experience : September 28, 2019

we booked ticket to keith from benz…

we booked ticket to keith from benz travel and he is very patience and very helpful. thank you so much keith for helping us. highly recommended this travel agency especially to keith.

Date of experience : April 28, 2019

Fantastic holiday experience to Alanya Turkey

I have booked a family holiday to Alanya, Turkey with Benztravel. Overall experience was great and would definitely go back again. Thanks to our Sales Advisor Eric who was great in delivering the holiday package we were looking for.

Date of experience : August 28, 2019

Excellent service provided by Eric who…

Excellent service provided by Eric who was so helpful and had arranged a flight at very short notice for a reasonable fare. Thank you so much.

Date of experience : July 19, 2019

Good customer service

I booked tickets from London to Perth for my husband and I with Oliver who was very helpful and informative. He was very professional and the tickets were issued promptly. The service was very good.

Date of experience : October 20, 2018

Thank you Helen for your positive feedback. We hope your husband had a pleasant trip.

Oliver was very helpful

Oliver was very helpful, answered all my questions and helped me find the best fare from Manchester to Lilongwe. Oliver booked tickets for me and issued them straight away. Very good service! Thank you Oliver!

Date of experience : January 18, 2019

Please read

Please read: when you search for tickets via google if you come across this website called Hoodaki.com There is a number on the website 0207 318 8212 and this will take you to a totally different travel agent called BENZ travel. If you buy flight ticket they will ask you pay the ticket via email link ; please be aware not to fall for this scam.

Date of experience : July 25, 2019

Hi Georges, Hoodaki is indeed a subsidiary brand of Benz Travel LTD, an ATOL and IATA licensed agent who have been operating since 1984. Our telephone system sometimes will trip calls between brands depending on staff availability and the nature of the enquiry. We send out a payment link via email which then directs you to an online payment system which is 3D secure and PCI / DSS compliant. This system is also inline with GDPR regulations and stands as a level of security to our customers, so that sensitive data is not stored on our servers. We hope this clears things up for you, as rather than a scam it is a customer security safeguard. Thank you

dealing with paul he was patient and gave me flight details in a way I could understand his customer service is on point and he will always call to check progress and if you call him he doesn't take long before calling back let me just says hes always available. and also he was considerate about the fact that I was travelling with my child and was able to give me flights that wont make it awkward for me in my journey honestly if people had this man customer service skills customers would be happy at first I was sceptical but he was consistent through out. great great great five star aint enough.

Date of experience : January 15, 2019

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Reviews 2.7.

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Don’t use this company

I booked 8 tickets to fly to India for a family wedding for the 4th April with Hoodaki which is apart of Benz travel. I paid in full and tickets were not issues as promised. Then I received an email to say the flights have been cancelled due to the coronavirus covid -19. This was fine with me but I’m still no futher forward with my refund, I have been chasing the manager Austin who keeps asking me to wait for there reply.

Date of experience : 09 April 2020

Reply from Benz Travel

Hi, Your tickets were issued and have now been processed for refund as you requested. We have to work to the booking conditions of the respective airlines who state that refunds can take between 6-8 weeks to process. In normal circumstances we are able to process refunds within a 7-10 day period, however during these unprecedented times refunds are taking longer than usual to process. Austin has been in close contact with you on almost a daily basis, we would appreciate your patience at this time .

DO NOT USE BENZ TRAVEL

Booked my fathers flight to India for April 20 due to covid 19 was cancelled.Said Air India was giving free date change so had no option to put it on hold untill another date.Mean while my father speaking to his friend informed him that he got a full refund back.So I went on to Air India website and they have put up flights between march and April giving full refund back.Spoken to Benz Travel and said you can get refund less there booking fee and admin charge of £41.Air line is refunding the money but this travel agent ripping off its customers at this time due to what's happening with covid 19 should be helping there customers so once this is over there previous customers returning back.Not happy .

Date of experience : 13 May 2020

Since the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent worldwide lockdown we have been working tirelessly to process customers refunds. Every booking is different. When you pay us for your travel arrangements, we then pay the airine/hotel etc. retaining only our margin. We do not, as is the common misunderstanding, ‘sit on your money’. Conversely, when you ask for a refund, we have to ask the airline/hotel etc to refund us, so we can then refund you. This is standard business practice. Where some of our suppliers have been processing refunds, albeit slowly, there are many airlines and suppliers who have not. There is an example of one major airline claiming it will take a year for them to refund monies back to us! Perhaps this will help you understand why many refunds are taking so long to process; we all have to show patience in these extraordinary times.

They have put me off booking flights…DONT BOOK WITH BENZ

They have put me off booking flights for the rest of my life. Be aware of the positive reviews on trust pilot, they are written by the company themselves and are utterly fake. They take your money, confirm everything is booked and then call you randomly 4 days later to say prices have gone up. They always make sure they are covered as per their dubious Terms and Conditions. They are so unhelpful. Avoid ALOT OF stress ... just pay extra elsewhere for peace of mind.

Date of experience : 25 November 2019

Ms Patel, You were asked to pay a deposit to secure the booking, which you failed to pay in full at the correct time. By the time you paid the agreed deposit in full the flight price had changed by £30. A number of options were offered to you at this stage including a different flight option at the same fare. While considering these options the original reservation was then cancelled and we have since arranged a full refund. It is of utmost importance that deposits and balances are paid at the correct time as in turn we have to confirm reservations and services booked. This whole situation could have been avoided had the correct payment been made on time.

I AM VERY VERY HAPPY WITH MR THOMAS

I AM VERY VERY HAPPY WITH MR. THOMAS FROM BENZ TRAVELS WHO WAS SO VERY HELPFUL IN MY TICKETS. HIS ADVICE AND CALL BACK WAS OUTSTANDING. HE TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO SEE THE SATISFACTION OF MYSELF. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND A VERY GOOD AND EXCELLENT APPRAISAL FOR HIS PROMOTION IN THIS ESTEEMED BENZ TRAVELS.

Date of experience : 08 February 2020

Flights booked via emirates from…

Flights booked via emirates from Manchester to Lahore great experience Glenn looked after all my booking details. Stayed on the phone till I read confirmed and accepted all the flight details. Very professional and helpful

Date of experience : 07 January 2019

The customer service we received was so so nice and really thankful to Oliver for taking all our requests and I would recommend to everyone Benz travels.

The customer service we received was so nice. The advisor was so friendly and helpful and he tried his best to give me best deal and offer on tickets. I m so impressed with his hard work and dedication towards customers. Advisors name is Oliver.

Date of experience : 03 May 2019

Disgusted with this travel company who are based, or their business address, is in Mayfair, London. We arrived in Goa on Christmas Eve with our prepaid voucher, to be told that the suite was not available and that the hotel had emailed Expedia to tell them. Why Expedia? Because Eric at Benz Travel had told me he had spoken to the hotel, whereas all he had done was book the room through Expedia. Whilst in another hotel, a couple were frantically searching for a flight home to London as Benz Travel had not confirmed their flight. I say run for the hills rather than have anything to do with Benz Travel! 🤬

Date of experience : 12 March 2020

We are sorry to hear of your disappointment in our services, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. Clearly there was a mix up with the hotel reservation as we hadn’t booked your stay through Expedia. We always ask all our customers to contact us as soon as possible in the event of an issue in resort, which although you did not, thankfully you did take the matter up with the hotel, we therefore had course for recompense and your hotel costs have been fully refunded. Once again we apologise for the inconvenience caused.

The reservation team member Paul was…

The reservation team member Paul was extremely helpful .He did his very best and with great success,I purchased my tickets. Paul is a very reassuring gentleman .I would 100% recommend this site for passengers or any one looking for good deals. Perfect website.

Date of experience : 14 April 2019

Hi I have just booked a holiday with…

Hi I have just booked a holiday with Benz travel I am a older person and do not like using the computer to book and Especially to follow a link to pay money but I did it with the help of a very nice young man called Oliver I hope all goes well for me

Date of experience : 11 March 2020

I contacted customer services to find…about my ticket

I contacted customer services to find out my booking.I was told that they have issued the ticket but through different travel company. I staff on phone was not helpful and when I wanted to clarify he became rude and put the phone down.They even don't deserve on star.In future I wouldn't even think to do business with them.

Date of experience : 12 July 2019

What a firm this is.....Travango/Benz Travel.. Amongst others they trade under

What a firm this is..... Works under different names Travango being one of them. Shocking service, Cancelled my flight, Refused refund I waited over one year, Never called back when stated they would, Shoted down phone, Put phone down on me on me, Resorted to Charge back in end. Finally went to Aurbitration... Still refused to refund. My bank refunded me in end. Please Please do not use this firm....Over one year waited for refund... Never ever again

Date of experience : 08 April 2021

Benz Travel and Paul; knowledgable and thoroughly recommend

Paul at Benz Travel couldn’t have been more helpful booking our flights to India. He came up with various options on flights, prices and times, and suggestions and advice on what we should choose. I can not recommend them enough.

Date of experience : 15 February 2019

I have used Benz / Hoodaki over many…

I have used Benz / Hoodaki over many years. The staff are attentive, prompt , professional and understanding. They are competitive on price and I always feel they will try to find the best options for me - Tarsem Singh

Date of experience : 24 April 2019

Bad customer service

Bad customer service. I wanted to book flight but they rushed me into booking hotel as well. They refused to cancel the hotel immediately thereafter even though booking was 6 months in advance and the earlier confirmation only said non cancellation on flight. I don't recommend them

Date of experience : 30 April 2019

I had a wonderful experience with Benz…

I had a wonderful experience with Benz travel. A gentlemen called Glen was very helpful and very patient when my credit card wasn't working. He booked flights for me and was very respectful and polite all the way through. I would recommend to anyone.

Date of experience : 21 December 2018

Australian Holiday of a Lifetime

When we were looking for flights to Australia we spoke to Paul who was very helpful and found us a very good deal. Paul gave us Excellent Customer Service, spoke very clearly and he was easy to understand. Paul contacted us on two occasions to check that all the information/confirmation had come through by Email. Speaking as customers we think he is certainly an asset to your company, and would definitely recommend using your company for future holidays

Date of experience : 19 January 2019

The advicer Karen was very polite and…

The advicer Karen was very polite and very professional and her approach was to help the customers and has proper knowledge about her job. This type of customer advicer are Asset to the organisation. This is a true and fair opinion about Karen. Kirit Kothary

Date of experience : 02 May 2019

Great service!!

Booked tickets twice with Benz travel and found they were cheaper than other travel agents. Eric showed superb and impeccable customer service, very patient and also called to check next day if we had made the flight as it was really last minute. Great travel agents will be booking with them again soon. P Gill

Date of experience : 20 March 2019

Helpful and reliable

We have booked tickets to Canada through Benz travel. Paul was very helpful . Paul gave us all the relevant information and guidance to get the best deal.I truly appreciate his patience and I will use their service again.

Date of experience : 07 October 2018

Great and exceptional Experience.

Sales Advisor Pam was exceptional. The customer service was great and she was well informed with her responses to my queries. The service provided helped me to make informed decision about planning the family vacation and not forgetting the great price offered at the peak of summer! I am about to make further contact for her to support in securing ticket for another proposed trip. A wonderful experience in a nutshell.

Date of experience : 14 August 2019

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Reviews 2.7.

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Mark is very good and understood the costumer's situation very quickly and delivered the best result

Date of experience : 02 April 2014

Amazing customer service!

We have used Benz travel several times and always ask for Eddy. Really helpful and friendly, consistently finding us the best deals with great communication and fast service. I would highly recommend!

Date of experience : 21 March 2014

excellent service.

brad was a privilage to deal with .a great help and advice given. will be recommending your company to family and friends in the near future. thanks tahir ayub

Date of experience : 03 March 2014

Agent Kevin was excellent.

Initially, I was just enquiring coz my friend offered me a cheaper fare. But, as Kevin was checking for available cheaper price, he was so kind that I changed my mind. I, then, decided to proceed with my booking. Though there was a problem with the card verification, the transaction went through after I've contacted my bank. I would definitely use your services again in the future. Thank you.

Date of experience : 26 January 2014

benztravel.co.uk Professional Customer Services !!!! Recommended

I booked flights + hotels from london to new jersey in this summer 2013. Customer care executives are very supportive & professional while dealing with customer. They offered me comfortable flights & 4 star hotels at very attractive prices as compared to some other portals. Benz Travel Recommended to all for your travel needs because they saved me money & time also in the last holidays.

Date of experience : 27 December 2013

• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Our 60 most popular moscow trips. compare tour itineraries from 45 tour companies. 308 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating., popular moscow tours.

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some hotels could have been better

It was jam packed with every place I wanted to go and see. I especially love my photo of us setting out on the night time river cruise in St Petersburg and the Peter...

I really did not buy much and what I did buy was small gifts for others .

Johanna-Marie

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Too rushed. Optional tour rather too short

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