The second tour that we regretted booking was held in St. Petersburg on our last full day of the cruise. This two hour tour is called the St. Petersburg Historical Trolley Exploration and cost $55 per person. This was classified as a Premium Excursion and thus included for both of us. The activity level was listed as low and was deemed partially accessible. A couple people on our tour had walkers so their walkers got stowed in the back of the trolley.
Having had many trolley rides in our travels and no specific desire of what to see and do in St. Petersburg, we thought this excursion would be a light easy way to see the town. And for those people who got to sit in the actual forward facing trolley seats, it probably was a nice tour. However, they filled our trolley so full that about 10 of us were stuck sitting in the back of the trolley on sideways benches. Our only view was the faces of the people across from us. We could see nothing that was being pointed out by our guide. Our section was separated from the forward facing seats by a cloudy vinyl partition so only by the fact that our guide used a microphone did we at least get to listen to the explanation of what everyone else was seeing.
For the entire ride, it was either stare like a voyeur at the people across the trolley or stare at the reflection of the people down my row in the vinyl. Only to realize about 3/4ths into the ride that it wasn't a reflection but the actual poor gentleman in the last row of seats before the partition who started staring back at me. We were so packed in shoulder to shoulder on these back benches that the gentleman next to me literally had his arm wrapped around my shoulders in order to sit comfortably. Each time he'd try to reposition his arm, I'd get smacked in the back. I also learned that I make a very good pillow because the gentleman on my opposite side fell asleep leaning against my arm. And yes, he snored but thankfully wasn't a drooler. Sorry no pictures from this tour as I couldn't move my arms. The one place we stopped was some outdoor park/plaza and were given just enough time to walk across to the bathrooms and back. I'd say that was the most expensive trip to the bathroom I've ever had!
On a more positive note, one of the fun experiences we've enjoyed on American Cruise Lines is the fact that they include a scheduled opportunity for anyone, in small group sessions during designated times, to come see the bridge or as it's known on a river cruise, the Pilothouse. We've had the privilege of being invited to tour the bridge on many ocean cruises so it's very cool to see how the two compare. I would also like to commend our Captain who was routinely visible around the ship and happy to stop for a chat.
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