Collette: Heart of Russia cruise

[funtwotravel]

Collette has a new Russian tour that includes a 7 day riverboat cruise on the Vodohod Russian cruise line on either the MS Tolstoy or the MS Pushkin. Has anyone been on either of these riverboats? There is no mention of wine being included with dinner. We like this tour because the days spent in both Moscow and St. Petersburg are in a center city hotel instead of being 1 1/2 hour out of the city on a boat. Uniworld has a similar tour that is all on the riverboat. We have river-boated with Uniworld and it was fabulous. The Collette tour is significantly less expensive. I am concerned about the boat. Has anyone been on either of these riverboats?

[Hydrokitty]

We were on the Tolstoy in 2012 when it was chartered by vantage and it was fine. We were upgraded to a full suite so our room was very comfortable. I did hear from others on our trip that the cabins were small but nobody a said they were uncomfortable. There were blow dryers in every cabin and I know it's the least of your concerns, but the soap was fantastic! the public areas on the ship were comfortable and there were a couple of quiet places where you could sit and read as well as places where you could mingle. there was plenty of outside seating on the upper deck as well as outside seating on the lower decks. None of the cabins had balconies. there is an indoor swimming pool, but it was small and most of the time the water was green so I don't think anyone used it. the dining room was quite large with most tables seating 6-8. the food was not 5 star but it was more than adequate. we did have a choice of white or red wine with dinner every night. the service in the dining room was excellent, the ship was old but spotlessly clean and the cabin attendants were very good. I'm glad to hear you're staying in hotels in Moscow and st. Petersburg. we did too and believe me when you see the traffic in both cities you'll be so happy to not be commuting from the boat every day. My two favorite ports on the ship were Kizhi and Mandrogi. If you have any other questions you can e-mail me directly at chydro564@yahoo.com