BooBooTX

Hi Lirio. There are no skip-the-line tickets, and there can be long waits in queues for admission. This was especially true at the Kremlin, for both the Armory and the Assumption Cathedral, and at Catherine Palace. Also there is a fair amount of standing during some tours such as the Kremlin Armory and the Hermitage. At the Hermitage, Uniworld does provide early admission tickets to try to avoid the biggest crowds. There are no day-long bus tours on this cruise. In Moscow there is a choice for a half day City Tour by bus. This includes leaving the bus to visit Red Square. In St. Petersburg there is again a choice for a half day City Tour by bus, which includes photo stops.

Russia is not particularly friendly to those with mobility issues. Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg is cobblestoned and very uneven. Lifts were not available in the Armory, which required many stairs. I'm not sure about the availability of lifts in the Hermitage or Catherine Palace. The big museums require a fair amount of standing because of the crowds. Even so, a few people on our cruise who had mobility challenges simply opted out of certain activities like the Armory and the visits to the Metro stations (many escalators and getting on and off trains); and took advantage of the separate tours for Gentle Walkers when offered.

Hi suspaul. I use Frank at quick-passport dot com

His office is on Augusta in Houston. I like that I don't have to mail my passport anywhere - just drop it off and collect it from him. He also did a super fast passport renewal for me a couple of years ago.

In 2015 I was on Avalon Cambodia to Vietnam and used a local (Houston) passport/visa service for my Vietnam visa, and it was simple. I am just back from Uniworld Imperial Waterways of Russia and initially was going to use the Uniworld-referred visa service. But when I looked closely, the price quoted wasn't the final price, as there were additional charges for things like return mail, etc. that really increased the total cost. I simply returned to my local passport/visa service and, again, obtaining my visa was simple. In fact, when I had my visa photos taken at Costco, I forgot about the "no smile" rule, but the Houston service didn't mind that I was smiling and had no problem getting the visa.

As I recently mentioned in my review of my Russian cruise, I chatted with several other passengers who had used the Uniworld-referred visa service. It seemed that the total cost paid by each couple for their visas had ranged widely. And it was considerably more than what was charged by my local service. Also, one lady told of receiving a visa with her name misspelled and having been told to simply use a pen to correct it! Of course she wasn't comfortable with this so had to get a supervisor involved to get it corrected.

I would not consider using the Uniworld-referred service.

My brother and I have just returned from Uniworld’s Imperial Waterways of Russia which began in Moscow on July 6 and ended in St. Petersburg on July 18, 2017. Here is a mini-review.

This is a 12 night cruise beginning with 3 days docked in Moscow, cruising and visiting villages for 6 days on the Volga-Baltic Canal (which is actually a series of rivers and canals), and 3 days docked in St. Petersburg. The cruise also operates in reverse, beginning in St. Petersburg and finishing in Moscow.

A visa is required for an American tourist to visit Russia. Uniworld provides a link to a visa service, which at first glance seemed to be priced competitively with other visa services. However, when we looked closer we found that there were a number of additional charges that would be incurred that made it too expensive. We opted for a local provider. In speaking with fellow travelers who used the Uniworld-referred service, it appears the total cost paid for visas varied considerably from one couple to the next. Also, one lady who used the Uniworld-referred service received a visa with her name misspelled, and was advised by the service to just use a pen to correct it(!) Of course she was uncomfortable with this and ultimately had to engage a supervisor to get the visa corrected.

We found the arrival at the Moscow airport to be efficient, and we were promptly greeted by a Uniworld representative. (Side note: the Ladies Room at Arrivals was not a pleasant experience.) In speaking with fellow passengers, it seemed that there was a wide range of experiences with transport to the ship. Some were transported almost immediately by sleek private car; others had an hour or more of milling about waiting for a coach-type bus, and several reported being crammed into a rickety van with luggage haphazardly strewn about their legs and a driver who couldn’t locate the ship.

In Moscow, the ship was docked at the Northern River Boat House which is not centrally located, but it is accessible by Metro. The daily bus ride into the city took about 20 minutes. Likewise, in St. Petersburg the ship is docked outside of the city but it is very close to the Metro, and about a 20 minute bus ride from the city center.

The ship can accommodate about 200 passengers. Our group of about 160 guests was geographically diverse, hailing from Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Dubai, America, the UK, etc.

The River Victoria is owned by the Russian government, and all members of the crew are Russian. The wait staff is primarily made up of university linguistics students who are fluent in English. Other crew members who interact with guests are all fluent in English. The only Uniworld employees were a couple of “Uniworld Representatives”, and our two Cruise Managers, Olga and Dasha, who were terrific. Sadly, tips to crew are not included in the cruise fare, so tipping is addressed at the conclusion of the cruise. This is a departure from Uniworld’s policy for European cruises and one I hope they will change. Tips must be in cash, but are accepted in rubles, dollars or Euros.

It is my experience that cabins on river cruises are usually a bit smaller than on ocean liners. I thought that my cabin (#305) on the River Victoria was comparable to the four other Uniworld cruises that I have sailed in Europe, but my balcony on the River Victoria was considerably larger. The amenities, furnishings and layout were also similar to my other Uniworld sailings. There is one US (110) electrical outlet and several European (220) outlets.

For the 3 docked days in Moscow and 3 docked days in St. Petersburg, my starboard-side cabin was unfortunately facing the dock in both cities, resulting in a total of 6 out of 12 days having a miserable view, no privacy and a not very useful balcony. My brother’s port-side cabin (#306) was riverside, giving him not only a lovely view of passing river traffic, but also much improved privacy. For this reason, assuming the docking arrangements stay the same, I would strongly recommend a cabin on the port side.

Breakfasts and lunches were served buffet style, with table service for dinners. Afternoon tea was offered several times. There are a couple of 24 hour coffee stations offering cookies, fruit and other snacks. A couple of days, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, shore excursion schedules did not allow for returning to the ship for lunch. On those occasions, lunch was “on your own” but compensatory credit was applied to everyone’s shipboard account. In one port on the rivers, a delightful picnic lunch was prepared by the crew.

We were very pleased with the quality of the food. In addition to American and Continental offerings similar to other cruises, local foods were usually on offer. Also the evening menu included vegetarian and “traveling light” options each day. The Restaurant Manager was always on hand and available in the dining room. Each evening with dinner, a red and a white wine was available at no charge, and several nights we were served Russian wine. Other wine offerings included French, South African, Australian and Spanish.

Shore excursions were included in the cruise fare, and guides used portable audio headset systems. All of our guides spoke English very well and were easy to understand. When possible, a special tour for “gentle walkers” was offered. There were optional “bespoke” tours offered in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which ranged in price from $59 to $89 per person. In addition, there were several offerings of “Do As Locals Do” walking tours offered as an alternative to bus tours. These tours on foot were free but limited to 20 participants, and were led by a cruise manager. We did two of these walking tours and were pleased we did. Also included in St. Petersburg was an evening ballet performance of Swan Lake at the Alexandrinsky Theater.

There is a good amount of free time to explore ports on your own. We found the cruise managers and the concierge to be very helpful in making suggestions to suit our personal interests, and in making bookings for us. We found St. Petersburg and Moscow to be very easy to get around, in large part due to the excellent Metro services.

For those with mobility issues, there are some locations in Russia, such as the Armory within the Kremlin in Moscow, that have many stairs and may not be suitable. Also we noted that many of the coaches used for excursions had rear stairwells that were extremely steep and could prove challenging even for relatively fit people. The front stairwells on these coaches were more manageable. The ship has just one elevator which is quite crowded at certain times. The elevator is not centrally located, so cabin selection is critical if access to the elevator is important.

The pace of activity could be rapid when docked in Moscow and in St. Petersburg, owing to the relatively short time to see so many sights. During the 6 days of cruising, the pace is considerably slower as port calls are usually only a few hours each day. While cruising, the ship offered a good assortment of entertainment options such as cooking demonstrations, Russian lessons, vodka tasting, a bridge tour, a class in painting nested dolls, etc. Also, for those looking for a bit of exercise, the concierge hosted morning stretching each day, and “active walks” in many ports. There were onboard musicians who offered nightly entertainment.

A Russian history professor was onboard to offer a series of enrichment lectures. Her topics ranged from Russian history to Russian culture to Russian politics, and we found her thoroughly enjoyable. Lectures took place every day when the ship was sailing, and one additional day in St. Petersburg.

We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and the opportunity to experience both the cities and villages of Russia.

Sorry just saw that umbrellas are provided. Guess I'm just so excited that I didn't pay attention!

Hi keenmolly. We are departing for our Avalon Mekong cruise next week!! Now down to the last few questions about what might be available on the ship. Hope you can help. Do you recall if there were umbrellas or ponchos on board? Also any binoculars? Lastly do you remember if shampoo and conditioner were available in the cabins?

We are sailing same direction as you so hopefully we will have the same cruise director, who sounded great. Thank you again for recommending Avalon, as we wouldn't have considered them for this otherwise.

I am just off this Uniworld Cruise ending August 3. While I would rank it fourth among my four Uniworld cruises, I was not nearly as disappointed as cigloo. Our Cruise Manager Luis was very good. He was always around, very eager to help and keep us happy, knowledgeable and fun. I was also impressed with the front desk staff who went to lengths to solve some problems I experienced.

We found the dining room staff to be excellent, attentive and extremely friendly. Absolutely nothing was too much trouble for Silvino the Restaurant Manager, and he was truly proactive about meeting special dietary requirements for the night we enjoyed dinner at a winery. It seemed he knew everyone's name in the first day or two and was always checking to see that we were happy. I agree with cigloo that the food on the ship was not great, and we were told that the chef had been with them only 3 weeks with no previous cruise experience. The chef was never present in the dining room. The egg station at breakfast was a disaster with every omelette served raw, even with repeated reminders to PLEASE cook thoroughly. And the young lady only prepared one egg dish at a time which created long lines.

I was also not thrilled with all the busing but recognized that to be a geographical necessity.

Many of these differing viewpoints seem to highlight how critical the managerial staff is to the experience. The only manager in common between cigloo's cruise and mine seems to be Pedro the Hotel Manager. I also found him to be a bit aloof and not interactive with guests. But our Captain, Cruise Manager and Restaurant Manager were friendly, visible and all that I have come to expect from Uniworld.

Hi Keenmolly. Well, you sold us! We are all booked for this trip with Avalon in November. Until we read your review, we had never given Avalon a thought because we have only had experience with Uniworld. But we prefer Avalon's itinerary and the benefits of the smaller ship.

What did most folks wear on the ship in the evenings? Are there any facilities for laundry on the ship? Would you advise bringing small gifts for children? What style electrical outlets in the cabins (European?). Are there any vegetarian options at meals? Thanks for all the information and for persuading us to give Avalon a try!!

Hi keenmolly. Thanks so much for your review. We are considering this cruise for November. Would you be kind enough to give any information about cabin selection? Some posts have indicated that forward cabins are noisy and that the afternoon sun is a problem for some cabins. Thanks!

I would definitely get my TA involved. I had a traveling companion back out of a Uniworld cruise. My TA was able to get the name changed to another traveler for no fee at all. I know I was very lucky. But I am lucky to have a great TA.

We are booked for end of July on Queen Isabel. Does anyone know if there are self-service laundry facilities on the ship? Or if no self-service, if there is on-board laundry service? Thanks!

Hi Cruisemom. May I request a copy of your Herculaneum notes as well? Also, we will be in port in Sorrento. Any advice about traveling to Herculaneum from Sorrento? Many thanks in advance. v dot casey at outlook dot com

Can you tell me if there were binoculars in the suites? The web site says there are, but the Cruise Guide suggests you bring some. Thanks in advance.