Uniworld - Moscow to St Petersburg May 20th, 2011

[cruzingrama]

Seabee~~I see you are doing a TA from Barcelona to Galveston. WE did that on the Voyager OTS last Nov. It was the 'funnest' trip we'd done yet. Love those sea days.

Enjoy.

[id4elizabeth]

Question for those of you who've just returned, can you tell me whether the beds on the River Victoria come apart to form two twin beds instead of one queen? The pictures make it look like the beds are on a platform of sorts and you could not separate them. Unirworld assures me that they come apart, but would love to hear from someone who's actually been on this riverboat. Thanks.

[cruzingrama]

Question for those of you who've just returned, can you tell me whether the beds on the River Victoria come apart to form two twin beds instead of one queen? The pictures make it look like the beds are on a platform of sorts and you could not separate them. Unirworld assures me that they come apart, but would love to hear from someone who's actually been on this riverboat. Thanks.

 

Yes! They do. Mark will be able to assure you of that when he returns

[spyke5]

They do come apart and there is room under them for your bags. The skirt is held on by Velcro making it easy for even large bags.

[seabee22]

Seabee~~I see you are doing a TA from Barcelona to Galveston. WE did that on the Voyager OTS last Nov. It was the 'funnest' trip we'd done yet. Love those sea days.

Enjoy.

Hello from "Hot" N Texas -

Read your review on the Victoria - and your trip.

Really happy things well better for you than us... The first cruise on any boat is tough, and we did love the trip and the sights..... just was bummed out about the disorganization, the door falling on my wife... and her getting ill. Otherwise, we had a great trip as well...

YES - We are going on the new CCL Magic in Oct. for the T/A - really looking forward to being at sea !!!! - which is my favorite thing to do ..................

Have a Happy Summer --

SEABEE22 / Ron / Plano, TX:)

[Rxgrad98]

Hi everyone,

 

Question for cruzingrama, spyke5, & seabee22. How did y'all spend the leisure day in Moscow? Uniworld's brochure says that shuttle service will be provided. Is it a continuous service or only run at certain times? Did any of you or others on the boat that you know of take the metro into the city center? There's some places that we want to see that aren't covered by the tours provided by Uniworld. We also have to get to Hard Rock Cafe. Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Tim

[seabee22]

Hi everyone,

 

Question for cruzingrama, spyke5, & seabee22. How did y'all spend the leisure day in Moscow? Uniworld's brochure says that shuttle service will be provided. Is it a continuous service or only run at certain times? Did any of you or others on the boat that you know of take the metro into the city center? There's some places that we want to see that aren't covered by the tours provided by Uniworld. We also have to get to Hard Rock Cafe. Any info is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Tim

Hi Tim :

We were lucky that we were placed in the Ritz Carlton Hotel the day we arrived, ( Friday noon ) as the Victoria was not ready for us to board until the following Monday - so we were already downtown - across the street actually from RED SQUARE. The first day, and a couple of afternoons were free so we just walked around. WE did not do the Metro at all - although some of our group did, and some rented a private car to take them to the ballet...... etc.

Enjoy...

Seabee:)

[spyke5]

I spoke to several people who took the metro on their own and all did fine. I goes every minute almost. The shuttle has a set time to pick you up at a set location to get back to the boat. I am pretty sure that Crusingrandma and here clan went to the hardrock and will be able to give you more info.

[cruzingrama]

Yes, we did go to the Hard Rock. Actually it is located on Arabat St and we saw it the day we went on the tour of the 'Metro and Arabat St'. We did take the metro from the boat on our free day. The metro stop is located about a 10-15 min walk from the ship through the park and under the main road and through the other side of the park (keep going to the left side.) There is a shopping mall there with a grocery store in the underground level where you can stock up on wine, vodka, chocolate, you know, the main food groups for travellers!!

Anyway, Mark is right, the metro comes every minute or so, and you have to buy a ticket first. It will cost 28 rubles for one way. Go ahead and buy your return at the same time so it will cost you 56 rubles. The lady didn't speak English, but we got our message across somehow. I guess she deals with enough of us 'boat people'. Go 9 stops, count them, and you will be close to Red Square, get a map to find it. Watch out for the pick pockets! Our friend Dick found one hand IN his pocket, but slapped him away. He had it timed so he would be off the car immediately.

We just walked around red square, had lunch in GUM and then went back, but it was easy and I wouldn't hesitate to do it. We'd done the tour of the metro and had seen all the fancy stops so didn't need to do that.

Lynette

[cruisecriticmember]

Well at least one can meet everyone on a river cruise ship in the first 2-3 days whst with open seating at all meals and so few passengers. Also with almost everything pre- planned by the cruise company there's less need/interest in discussing things before departure. That IMhO is why the threads seem so bare compared to the big ship cruises here on CC.

[paul929207]

Well at least one can meet everyone on a river cruise ship in the first 2-3 days whst with open seating at all meals and so few passengers. Also with almost everything pre- planned by the cruise company there's less need/interest in discussing things before departure. That IMhO is why the threads seem so bare compared to the big ship cruises here on CC.

Keep in mind that the Ocean cruise ships often have 3 or 4 or 5% of the passengers on the Roll Call. For a 200 passenger river boat, this is 6 to 10 people.

[id4elizabeth]

Cruzingrama or anyone else - Two questions about the Moscow dock and one on the St. Pete dock. First, we are going several days early to Moscow and will be taking a cab to the dock for the Uniworld cruise. From Google Maps I see a pretty decrepit looking terminal building and ships lined up all along the pier all the way up to some industrial docks. Do you have any suggestions as to where to have the cab drop us off? In relation to the old terminal building, where was the River Victoria?

Second question, you mentioned that you got to the Metro from the Moscow dock going through the park and under the road. Is there a tunnel under the 8-lane street? It looks formidable to cross. If you walked straight through the park from the old terminal building, which way was the tunnel? I see on Google Maps where the Metro is to the left on the other side of the 8-lane road, but can't see the tunnel, so any info you have would be great.

Last question about the St. Pete dock - do you know, how was the Metro to get to from the boat dock?

Thanks!

[Rxgrad98]

Thanks for the info Lynette, Mark, & Ron. After reading all the info on the boards, I'm ready to go NOW!!! Lol.

 

Tim

[seabee22]

:)

I have read a few of the comments on "other Russia Riverboat threads" - and I must say they were very disturbing to read all the bad comments directed toward each other.. WOW !!!! -

 

There has not been one bad message from and / or to anyone who ventured onto this Thread, -( even if they were not on Uniworld). I was shocked to read the comments posted by some on the AMA Board with Kellie, and am happy they did not come to this thread....

 

This Cruise being done - ( May 20th - June 1st ) this thread should probably end - and everyone go to their own cruise thread... all I can say is thanks, - and it has been a pleasure for me to have communicated with all of you.

( we just booked another Uniworld - Riverboat Cruise / "European Holiday Markets" Cruise - December, 2011 - new thread started )

Seabee -

[id4elizabeth]

Please DON"T stop this thread! For those of us booked on upcoming dates, this thread has been invaluable! I can't thank everyone who's posted their expeiences enough. Please don't go away!

[shoshona2]

Hi id4Elizabeth,

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. It is a wonderful board with very nice people exchanging ideas with one another so that everyone can have a great cruising experience.

 

All you have to do to keep this thread going is to wait several days, search for the thread and ask any more questions you want answered.

 

Happy cruising. Warning -- river boat cruising is addictive!!!

 

Sheila

[HDS]

Elizabeth,

 

I hope someone with current information for your ship will respond soon. My information is based on a 2008 cruise with another company. We love watching the world go by from a river boat but are not satisfied by the large-group tours the cruise ships provide. We were very glad we had pre and post cruise days in Moscow and St Petersburg to explore independently.

 

The eight lane road between Moscow dock and Metro is formidable, especially when it has ten or twelve lanes of traffic running in its eight lanes. We crossed it at peak hour without any drama, I think via an underground passageway. It was a pleasant 10-minute walk to the Metro and 20 minutes back because we took a different exit.

 

When we arrived at the Moscow pier our driver cruised slowly along the dock till he found our cruise ship. I recognised the ship because prior to the cruise I had learnt enough of the Cyrillic alphabet to recognise names e.g. ships, hotels, streets, etc. I am very glad that I did, it made our independent explorings much easier.

 

In St Petersburg our ship docked at Salt Pier. We caught a bus from the stop across the road from the dock to the nearest Metro - 10 minutes drive through the suburbs plus waiting time. We stopped to watch the bus turn around and noted its departure point before entering the station.

 

I can see that you are doing pre-trip research and wonder if you have seen the map and advice on using the Moscow Metro on Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com). I found it very useful.

 

Do be alert to pickpockets everywhere but especially on the Metros. They operate in groups and are extremely good at what they do. They jostle you, push your arms away from your sides, grope your pockets and handbags and exit the train before it leaves the station.

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip. If you want more, and more recent, information I can refer to some people who are cruising in Russia right now. Lucky things!

[id4elizabeth]

Thanks so much HDS - very helpful info. I will go check out Trip Advisor right now! We too plan to spend several days in Moscow and St. Pete before and after our Uniworld cruise and try seeing things on our own. In Moscow, I really want to see Sergeiv Posad and it's not offered on the Uniworld cruise, so we will attempt getting there pre-cruise. We'll be staying at the Hilton Leningradsky becuase of our Hilton Honors points, and the train station to Sergiev Posad is across another one of those 8-lane highways from this hotel. Have not made up our minds about where to stay in St Pete. Do you have any suggestions?

 

I've gotten several books and audio CDs on Russian language and boy that Cryllic alphabet is quite a challenge, but I'm working on it...

 

Thanks again!

[cruzingrama]

The tunnel under the road from the river terminal is under the road, that is why you don't see it from above. It is wide and well lit, and no trouble to find. After exiting the terminal, which, by the way our bus always had to pass a security checkpoint with a gate, so I don't know why a taxi couldn't gain access at that point to take you directly to the ship. We also had to pass through a very loosely organized security check just to get on the ship. WE always 'beeped' and nobody stopped us to look, though the guard was standing right there.

After you cross the road under the tunnel take the walkway that goes across the park and go around the shops. Just look for the big red M that is the Metro logo. This is in Moscow. I believe someone told you to take the bus to the Metro from St Petersburg dock. We never tried it because we took all tours from the ship. Enjoyed all that we took especially the canal ride. It really gave you a new perspective on the city.

I hope that helps.

Seabee, just in case you pop back in to lurk, enjoy your xmas markets tour. That is on our list to do next. We have done a tour on land, but think the river as your hotel is much the better way to do it. I'm glad you are still traveling by river after your not so stellar maiden voyage on the River Victoria, she really has improved her service, probably thanks to you at least in part.

Lynette

[sojac]

Thanks, all, for your comments about the trip. I'm scheduled for the 19th of July and am looking forward to this adventure, both on the boat itself and the excursions that are offered. I also hope to spend more time in the Hermitage and visit the Pushkin museum in Moscow. Traveling by myself, I'd welcome company on these ventures.

 

Silly, but practical question: are bathrobes provided? A Uniworld agent wasn't sure about this, but didn't think so. Bathrobes are bulky and as I want to pack as many essentials as possible into a limited space, it would be good to know the answer to this.

 

Best to all,

Sojac

[freddie]

sojac - There are loads of very compact bathrobes for travel. Try Googling "travel bathrobes" to get an idea of the variety. I have a couple of them, one of which I purchased at a shop in the Duty Free boutique area at the Copenhagen airport.

 

Please report back on your experience on this cruise, as we are planning to do a Moscow to St. P. cruise within the next couple of years and are trying to decide amongst Viking, Uniworld, and AMA.

 

Cheers, Fred

[seabee22]

Hi id4Elizabeth,

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. It is a wonderful board with very nice people exchanging ideas with one another so that everyone can have a great cruising experience.

 

All you have to do to keep this thread going is to wait several days, search for the thread and ask any more questions you want answered.

 

Happy cruising. Warning -- river boat cruising is addictive!!!

 

Sheila

Hi Sheila :

Seabee here .....

I have not heard from Kellie if she was able to secure a Red Russian Hat for me - have you had any contact with her since she returned from her trip? If she was not able to get one - can I count on you as my back up ?

My Son really wants one - and my Grandson loves his ??????? :confused:

I should have bought a couple extra as they were only about $15.00.....

[seabee22]

Please DON"T stop this thread! For those of us booked on upcoming dates, this thread has been invaluable! I can't thank everyone who's posted their expeiences enough. Please don't go away!

 

Actually I guess a "good thread " can go on without anyone monitoring it.... as this has been a great source of information for lots of people going on the trip.......

 

I will not be on all that much - but will lurk once in a while... any direct questions anyone has can contact me by email as well..

seabeepope@yahoo.com

 

Seabee22:)

[HDS]

Elizabeth,

 

Our St Petersburg hotel, on Fontanka Canal, was OK but not well-located and certainly not Hilton standard. St P. streets, away from Nevsky Prospect, were not well lit and we weren't keen to stroll out after dark (mid-October). Luckily the hotel had a good dinner chef. In high summer street lighting isn't an issue as it doesn't get dark.

 

Our Moscow hotel was a short stroll from a restaurant strip near the Bolshoi theatre but I can't recall seeing a similar restaurant strip in St Petersburg. The area around the Mariinsky theatre didn't sparkle for us.

 

Again, Tripadvisor has hotel reviews.

 

You might be interested in a St Petersburg Guest Card offering entry to some (not all) museums and the usual tourist restaurant ec. discounts. It was promoted as a new attracion in our newspaper this morning. Website is spbguest.ru/indexeng.php. Hope I have transcribed correctly. It might be a waste of money or it might be value for money.

 

Have fun,

 

Deb.

[id4elizabeth]

Thanks HDS - location is something I'll defintely consider while in St. Pete. We don't go until mid-Sept, so it may not be light very late in the day. There are a couple hotels right on Nevsky Prospect so I'll check them out further. Great tip -- thanks!