Peregrina651

I forgot to tell you the weather here in Kyiv. It turned cold and rainy and the temps for the past two days have been in the upper 50s. That means that in the past 12 days temps have ranged from not quite 90 to barely 60. Good thing we threw in some turtlenecks at the last mi ute but we should have brought shorts as well.

BTW: for the visit to Lavra in Kyiv, no shorts and women must bring a head=covering.

We disembarked this morning and are now at the Radisson Blu, doing the post cruise extension. We loved the cruise. It doesn't have quite the 'wow' factor that China does but Viking still rises to the occasion and has pulled together an enjoyable while eye-opening package

About our hotel room--I haven't seen ceilings this high since I was in elementary school!! Actually, it is quite lovely. Think Marriott. It is much better than I was prepared for.

Kiev has been my favorite so far and a partial day here is just not enough.

More stuff just keeps coming to mind. Some of the places don't allow pictures inside (the churches in particular) and some museums charge a few UAH for the privilege.

ATMs at the airport. When you come out of customs. Make sure to let your card issuer know when and where you will be traveling.

The tipping situation is very confusing. The booklet that came with our docs says one thing and when we start asking questions on board to clarify how things are handled, everyone has a different answer. It is very awkward and we don't want to insult anyone by tipping too little and at the same time, we don't want play the Ugly Americans flaunting their wealth. It is really a delicate balance and some clear guidelines would be helpful. The tips for the hotel staff are pooled and dining room and housekeeping get a share along with the program director. But what about your guide and what about the bus driver? If you want to give extra to your cabin steward or someone in the dining room, what is reasonable?

BTW, any little bonuses should be given directly to the person and not put in an envelope with a name on it and then into the bin because it will not get to that person. Everyone has the same name --Svetlana, Natasha, Elena, Irina, Katya--it will not get to the right person.

Marsha -- yes, we are really enjoying this cruise--emphasizing the positive and glossing over the negatives. As I have said earlier in this thread, having done China with Viking and having read between the lines on various forums, my expectations were low for certain aspects of this itinerary. Ukraine has not developed its tourism infrastructure yet (and certainly not to the extent of China and other European countries). I have commented that I felt that I expected the food to be better than China (where I thought that chef did a lousy job of choosing what to cook with the quality of ingredients he had available) and it was much, much better. I did not expect the guides to be as well trained as in China, where one goes to a college program to become certified; in this regard, China has set the bar SO high that I will be comparing all future guides to this standard. Bottom-line: The food is great. The tours have room for improvement.

The lectures take place while we are cruising. They are not piped throughout the ship, so if you want to hear them, you will need to attend. Do not miss the vareniki demonstration and do volunteer to be one of Henry's "Country Cats." Alla's history lectures are not to be missed; they are only 45 minutes and they cover a lot of ground in that short time.

Internet has been good. There were only a couple of times when I could not connect or lost a connection.

BTW, I said that Alla was the head guide but I was wrong; the chief guide on this trip is Svetlana, who had the German bus. Natasha was the third guide; she was on the group tour bus (a group of bridge players traveling together

on a 30 day tour of Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Turkey).

Yesterday was Zaporozhye/Cossack Day. We were surprised at how really well done the Cossack Museum was--really worth the time. Alla pointed out the highlights and while I didn't stay with the group, I stayed plugged in listening to the descriptions.

The Cossack Horse show was a lot of fun. I'm not going to give s detailed description.

Shopping alert: There are local handcrafts for sale here. Some of it so-so, but there are a couple of painters whose work is outstanding--expensive but outstanding. I saw a plate I would have liked to buy but it was out of budget. The artist was right there selling her work. Another artist was doing wooden dolls that were painted with such details but her inch tall dolls were $25.

Today has been our 'at sea' day an we have been just as busy as on tour days.

DO NOT miss Alla's talks on the history of the Ukraine!! EXCELLENT!!

Don't forget DEET. Don't forget a HAT--the sun gets really strong on deck and it is only May. Ladies, tuck a scarf into your bag; you need to cover head to enter any church.

Tomorrow we are in Kiev and Monday the cruise is over. This time has just flown by and we will be sad to leave. This has been just a fun, wonderful, enlightening twelve days.

We sailed into the Dnieper River Delta this morning and through our first lock this evening. It has been a very busy day. We heard a lecture on Ukrainian history, then lunch on the Sun Deck before docking in Kherson. We toured Kherson for a few hours and I fell asleep on the bus because it was hot out--not because I was board. Tonight was Pirate Night in the dining room and then cruising through the lock.

There are bunches of singles on our trip and not all of them are in the CS cabins. There is a tour group on our cruise and about half of them are singles in double cabins. It makes it hard to figure out who has the singles. But everyone is so friendly that it doesn't matter.

Some more about the ship (description, not criticism). This is the smallest ship I have ever sailed on but the Dnieper and its locks limit the size of the vessel. There is no elevator and there is no pool--not even a hot tub. The steps are steep. There are four passenger decks--three decks of cabins plus the sun deck. Though there are two dining rooms, only one is in use right now. I haven't looked for an exercise room. There is a little shop for souvenirs. I find the ship cozy. It is showing its age but it is clean and well-kept.

What you say you are wearing during the day is perfectly acceptable in the evening. There is no need to dress up either on the boat or on the land in the evening although I would not suggest shorts for either men or women in the evening.

 

There will always be a few that feel they must dress up some more for the evening or feel more comfortable doing so, but it is not necessary.

Agreed. Casual and comfortable is perfectly acceptable.

There is both a breakfast buffet and a lunch buffet. Breakfast offers cooked to order as well as hot buffet items (potatoes, bacon, etc.). The lunch buffet is mostly salads and a light usually high carb entree item. BTW, Mattias makes the most wonderful salads.

You can leave the ship any night it is docked in port --Odessa, Sevastopol, Yalta and Kiev. We didn't in O and S because we were just exhasted with the time change but by Yalta we just really wanted a nice stroll after dinner.

The food is TERRIFIC!! DELICIOUS! MOUTH-WATERING!! FLAVORFUL! Mattias has some wonderful recipes that I would like to try at home -- like tonight's salad of avocado, fennel and apples seasoned with nutmeg or his soups. I should be taking notes--and pictures, too--but I am not.

I admit to having a tough time adjusting my diet. There is just too much temptation (well it is vacation). The hardest part for me is getting enough protein and veggies to satisfy without the breads, sauces and potatoes that are part of each meal (and I must admit to a hearty appetite and a love of good food). Breakfast is the best meal of the day for me--there is plenty of protein and no dessert. Lunch is probably the most difficult for me since two of the three choices are usually a pasta dish and a sandwich (with the most mouth-watering descriptions, too) that I just need to stay away from. Dinner falls somewhere in between. Twice, I have simply ordered a steak. Tonight, it was like butter--and so flavorful.

So much for now.

How do you handle liquid/gel needs which are greatly restricted for airline travel. from toothpaste to sunscreen to hand sanitizer?

 

Not every destination offers shops with the items that you need.

I'm sure we all have our own 3oz secrets :D

I pack liquid/gel/ointment meds in 3oz containers in a separate bag--and don't count it towards my limit. (Yes, that is stretching it a bit)

Maximize the space: use the smallest possible container for the amount needed.

I use whatever the hotel/ship supplies for soap and shampoo.

I use hotel shampoos as laundry detergent.

I have a short list of bare essentials.

All of my bottles hold less than 3oz/100ml

Aloupka Palace this morning; sail away party just before lunch. Last night after dinner, we left the ship to walk along the seaside promenade. When in Rome, do like the Romans and when in Yalta that means hanging out on the promenade. There were street musicians; there were folks just sitting along the quay side; there were vendors; the were families just out for the evening (especially since it was Victory Day Eve). The promenade was just a 10 minute walk from the ship. We had walked around during the day but wanted to see it at night as well.

The Aloupka Palace tour was just the right length of time and then we had time to wander back to the buses at our own speed. There was shopping for the shoppers and gardens for the strollers and gardeners.

It will take us 24 hours to get to Kherson at the mouth of the Dnieper and our next stop. This is our first afternoon 'at sea.' We had a sail away party with a band --not a steel drum in sight--and danced and watched the dolphins. There is no ship's photographer so it is not unusual to see the Hotel Manager Henry or one of assistants wandering around camera in hand.

Folks are walking around the deck promenade this afternoon. I'm sitting on my little Pullman bed, right by the window and see folks walking by but I can't hear them.

There are no phones in the rooms. Wake up calls are not a problem. They just come and knock on your door.

The ship is at 2/3 capacity and we are using just one dining room. Sometimes you end up at a mixed table and everyone muddles through the conversation.

Today is Victory Day in Ukraine and we hope that we will be close enough to shore to be able to see fireworks this evening.

 

I cannot even begin to imagine a 12 day trip with only a carry on. Good luck.

It can be done.

We will be here in Ukraine (with Viking) for 2 weeks. We use regulation sized rolling suitcases (ours come from LLBean) and we use the ship's laundry service. DH has packed 2 pairs of pants (dockers) 4 polo shirts and 3 button-down, 3 boxers, 3 pairs of socks (not even the quick drying nylon stuff), 1 light weight windbreaker, 1 gore-tex rain coat and one pair of shoes. I packed 2 skirts, 1 pr. jeans, 5 sleeveless/short-sleeved black cotton knit shirts of varying weights plus 2colored tanks, a raincoat, a very lightweight polartec, a very thin wool cardigan, sneakers, sandals, flip-flops. Plus we each wore an outfit (mine included yet another sweater). I prefer skirts to capris and at the last minute, I added the jeans in case I needed a pair of pants. We still had room for assorted accessories, a bag full of chargers and other electronic gear, dop kits and other items that could be checked at the gate if necessary. We each also had one 'personal item' where we carried meds, liquids, computers and anything else that we would not want to check at the gate if it were necessary. We also have another zip-flat personal side bag for the trip home.

(We did similar for our China trip; the only problem was that over-shopped and had to buy and check and other bag in order to get home. )

The chief engineer has wired an ear-bud into a headphone plug and I now have a right-earred earpiece. They persevered with a solution long after we said 'give up.' They really do want to make it right. :)

Hello Everyone

 

 

2. Local water - I spent a week in Odessa prior to the Cruise and stayed in town for 10 days in 2008. The water is FINE! if you want to drink bottled water - there are plenty places to buy some available throughout the cruise (and they provide a bottle of water in your cabin every day free... and I am sure that if you ask for another - they will give it to you)

.

Going back to a very early post to update and confirm some information. A 2L bottle of water was in our room when we arrived. Every time we open it, a new one is put in its place, ready for use when the opened bottle is empty. Water on the ship is potable, even in the cabins. Bottles are handed out on the gangway as we leave for tours but not at other times.

Just arrived in Yalta.

 

 

On other river boat cruises we would leave tour after getting highlights on what to see and where everything was and walk around on our own and return to ship either by walking or if on bus tour would ask guide what time to meet back at bus.Sometimes we found for us they would give us to much information that we would never remember or some people would drag it out with a lot of questions.Do you think this would be possible to do on tours on this cruise?

 

Yes, depending on where you left the group and which city you were in.

 

Yalta. The included tour today was to see the Swallow's Nest from a lookout and then to see Lividia Palace. (BTW, you cannot get back to the ship on your own from here and I get the impression that you probably have to stay with in reasonable proximity of your guide while in the palace itself).

 

(Free toilets inside the palace but $$ for the WC on the grounds).

 

After lunch, we skipped the optional tours and just walked around town. It rained for the first time this trip. That did not deter us. We wandered as far as Katherine's Cathedral to see the golden domes. We did not ride the gondola to the lookout; you have to get off and on a moving cab--and forget that.

 

Yalta, a resort town, is really different from Sevastopol and Odessa. S was just chock-a-block with military (and really goes all out for the Victory Day celebration). Odessa is metropolitan and we really only get to see a small portion (the old downtown area). Yalta is laid-back. The streets are narrow and winding. The oceanside promenade reminds me of pre-casino Atlantic City (but stone not wood).

 

Just arrived in Yalta.

Included excursion to Bakchisarai was FABULOUS. Again, wish we had, had a bit more time to explore on our own. It is a small complex and easy to do but some alone time would have been nice--and not just for shopping. Do read the article that Thom mentioned; it was very helpful.

Price are included in the itinerary book that is sent out with cruise docs--but they are given in Euros, which is stupid since the shipboard currency is UAH!! I will talk more about them when I am not running out the door.

BTW, on board temps-- I've been comfortable. Never to cold and only occasionally to warm.

Our guide is Alla. Our driver is Yuri.

Internet has been sporadic.

Loved Chersonese excursion in Sevastopol. Wish we had had more time there. I felt rushed. We weren't given a chance to explore the theater--we just stood there and looked at it (except for me who went wandering off to get closer.

Black Sea Band concert is fun --but way overpriced considering we paid the same amount to see Don Giovanni or the ballet at the Opera House in Odessa!!!! For what we paid, the CD should have been included--not sold at the door.

So, the yacht-style shower isn't so bad --except if you are showering first thing in the morning! Showering before 7am we get lukewarm. Later on, it heats up. There is plenty of room and there is plenty of pressure from the shower head. A curtain prevents the toilet from getting wet while the sink is a handy shower caddy. Actually, I've had worse on board shower facilities.

 

So I take it that the Alyona, Nastya or Katya are not on board?

Bob, I don't think so.

More cabin comments: Don't let the yacht-style shower throw you off. It is actually quite roomy. A nice shower curtain keeps your toilet and towels dry. The sink stays in the we area and is just a handy place--and you adjust the water temp using the sink faucet. My shower was plenty warm -- actually quite hot.

I guess it is too late to change cabins--but then again, it can't hurt to ask.

I do better posting as I go, while thoughts and comments are fresh in my mind. Still, I'm holding back so I don't spoil everything; there have to be some surprises.

As for dress, anything goes. Be comfortable. Shorts are okay, even for men. The only restrictions might be entering churches or synagogues--dress modestly please.

Let's get back to those coffee-machines. They are right outside guest rooms and they are noisy. If you want to sleep in, if noise outside your room drives you nuts, then you might want to think twice about booking rooms by the machines (which are on the 3rd floor). I guess same goes for the rooms that are along the corridors to the two dining rooms. Our C cabin is halfway down the main corridor on the third floor. Walk one direction to disembark and the other to eat. So simple and I still get turned around.

This morning we walked into Odessa on our own. We wandered around checking out the architecture. Getting a guide is really another one of those personal decisions.

Viking, take note. The QuietVox are great but all of the headphones are made to fit in the left ear ONLY. You can't use your own headsets because there is no jack. I don't hear out of my left ear and wearing it in my right is awkward and uncomfortable.

CGV, Odessa is beautiful and really not super touristy right now. The downtown area is not crowded and very pleasant to wander around. Tomorrow we will strike out on our own. I look forward to blending in with the crowd and checking out the shops. FYI, there are a number of single travelers on the ship, including one woman who is probably in her 70s--and it is not her first solo with Viking,

Marsha, yes there is a 24 hour caffeine station. Bottled water in the cabins (even though the water is potable) plus smaller bottles for the tours

The ship does not seem filled to capacity since will all fit in three buses--one tour group, one German-speaking and one English speaking.

It is 20 degrees warmer than I expected and it will only get warmer; it is in the 80s as this trip and the season gets started and will only get hotter. . It is too soon to give a report on ship board temps but so far I wish the public spaces were a bit cooler. But then again, temperatures are so subjective.

How was your flight?

How strong is the internet signal?

Looking forward to photos and your trip reports.

Enjoy and smooth sailing!

IMHO, the connection at Dulles cut it too close. My fault. I wasn't paying enough attention and should have requested an earlier flight. The flight to Vienna was long but I was in a drug induced slumber and could have cared less. Food was so-so; breakfast was a sandwich--ham and cheese on white bread with margarine/butter. We had plenty of time in Vienna and with arrival in Odessa at 1:40pm, IMHO, it is the best way to connect into ODS. We had to go thru screen again in VIE--bags through the scanners; bodies through the archway. No jetway to the ODS flight or at ODS. Get ready to walk the stairs. No problems with stowing our suitcases in the overheads on any of the flights and our bags arrived when we did.

Internet is as SLOW as molasses in Antartica. Patience is a must.

No safes in the rooms.

Bob, I am still looking for the cousins. Henry is Hotel Manager. Mattias is head chef. Alyona is Program Director. Alla is head guide and Svetlana and Natasha(?) are with her on this trip. More names as I get them.

Don Giovanni at the opera tomorrow night and Giselle at the ballet, the next. You can google the opera house schedule on line but it is some ticket agency with the information.

More to come as it spills from my brain--but NOT until tomorrow.

WE ARE HERE. And ready for two weeks of relaxation. Our cabin --and remember that I promised to make plenty jokes -- is smaller than my bathroom at home! Our yacht style bathroom can at best be described as cozy. Eventually, I will post pictures. Size not withstanding, the room is clean and that is more important than size!

Heads-up: Follow the weather forecasts on multiple website.

I depended on the 10 day forecast on weather.com to pack but now I see from checking a different page on weather.com and Weather Underground that temps are and are predicted to be another 10 degrees warmer. I'm off to add a couple more sleeveless shirts to my bag and maybe even a pair of sandals!!

Meteorology and baseball, the only professions where you can be right only one-third of the time and still make a million dollars!