Viking Sineus - Ukraine

[jpalbny]

53 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Just thinking out loud. I wonder if there is also now a possibility of doing a B2B with the Bucharest to Budapest itinerary.

 

That would be fun.

 

Plus you could fly RT in and out of Budapest. To start the Ukraine trip, just get a one way ticket from Budapest to Kyiv on WizzAir. They fly direct from Budapest, into the smaller airport in Kyiv, which is closer to the city. 

[Horsedds]

We Began in Odessa.  We did the Vienna pre-extension, partly to break up the air travel for my non-flying-loving husband!

[Nanna Fru]

On 11/4/2019 at 4:05 AM, Glorybe said:

Good to know about the temperatures you had in September as that is the month we will be there in 2020. Knowing what to pack to be comfortable is always a concern. Was there rain during your visit?

Hi, sorry we have been away with no internet access. To answer your question, yes we had some rain, but we packed rain jackets and ponchos and a small umbrella each and we managed fine. Pack layers, as some days were fabulous and sunny and warm, and I wore cropped pants and a tee shirt, and others definately needed  a jacket or jumper. Spare shoes in case of wet and muddy excursions are a must! I hope you love the trip.

[tweeter15]

On 1/21/2020 at 9:46 AM, highland cruiser said:

Have really appreciated all these posts and reviews on this cruise.  I am still reading all of it.  

We have a booking reserved for May 2021.  We were given room 300.  Has anyone any information about this room.  It is right by the reception area I think.  Noise issues?   It is close to the restaurant which may be a good thing!!

We have traveled on 2 other Viking cruises and many ocean cruises  (although not Viking)  Haven't been to this part of the world and are looking forward to visiting these places.

Thank you for any other bits of information that you feel useful.

 

We are tentatively booked June 3rd 2021 in room 301, which is right next to restaurant.  If we decide to book, we will get room changed.  Don't want to listen to people chatting on the other side of the wall!

[highland cruiser]

46 minutes ago, tweeter15 said:

We are tentatively booked June 3rd 2021 in room 301, which is right next to restaurant.  If we decide to book, we will get room changed.  Don't want to listen to people chatting on the other side of the wall!

When we booked for our May 2021, we asked our TA to change rooms.  We were given 308 which is down the hall a bit.  Hopefully you will be able to do the same.  

[Glorybe]

What is the minimum amount of Ukrainian money that I should buy for this Dnieper River cruise? Did you exchange your money for UKrainian money when you arrived (we will arrive in Kiev)? 

Thanks for a reply.

[pontac]

20 hours ago, Glorybe said:

What is the minimum amount of Ukrainian money that I should buy for this Dnieper River

 

I think only you can answer that. It depends on what you want to buy. We got a little Ukrainian money so we could buy coffees on trips.

 

On our first day we had a walking tour and our local guide pointed out places that changed money.

 

Remember all your meals drinks, coffees on board are included

[highland cruiser]

We usually exchange when we get the the country we are going to!  Find an ATM and use it. I also am over buying a lot of things when I travel!  Just sometime a small Christmas ornament for our “travel tree” gives me something to remember the trip fun.  If I have a few coins or small bills I just bring them home for the grandson! 

[4774Papa]

We have been to Ukraine twice, once four days in Kiev and a few years later, on a cruise to Odessa and Sevastopol in Crimea.

 

Loved the people there and enjoyed visiting the sights.

 

I have read on other blogs that Ukraine is undergoing significant economic pressures and that crime has increased.  It wasn't a problem when we visited in 2011 and 2014.  Just be careful where you go on your own.

[jpalbny]

39 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

I have read on other blogs that Ukraine is undergoing significant economic pressures and that crime has increased.  It wasn't a problem when we visited in 2011 and 2014.  Just be careful where you go on your own.

 

We didn't see anything like that when we were there last May. Felt very safe, and we went all over Kyiv and Lviv on our own. 

[4774Papa]

2 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

We didn't see anything like that when we were there last May. Felt very safe, and we went all over Kyiv and Lviv on our own. 

Still, it is wise to exercise care.  I believe that I read this report on the Rick Steves travel website.  Check it out if interested.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe

 

[Nanna Fru]

On 2/11/2020 at 8:55 AM, tweeter15 said:

We are tentatively booked June 3rd 2021 in room 301, which is right next to restaurant.  If we decide to book, we will get room changed.  Don't want to listen to people chatting on the other side of the wall!

The restaurant is completely separate to the rest of the ship, the sound is pretty well isolated, so I don't think it will disturb you. The staterooms are quite well soundproofed, we only ever heard people outside our door on a couple of occasions. Plus you will most likely be in the restaurant at the same time as everyone else. Its not like on large cruise ships, there is only one dining time. 

[Nanna Fru]

On 2/15/2020 at 2:07 AM, jpalbny said:

 

We didn't see anything like that when we were there last May. Felt very safe, and we went all over Kyiv and Lviv on our own. 

Ukraine is definitely in a significant degree of turmoil, but we wandered around by ourselves in town, and felt very safe Just exercise the same degree of caution you would anywhere. The cruise ship will not take you to places that they feel are not safe for guests and their staff. Also, on excursions, with a tour guide, they know the locals, the area etc. 

[Nanna Fru]

On 2/13/2020 at 4:24 AM, Glorybe said:

What is the minimum amount of Ukrainian money that I should buy for this Dnieper River cruise? Did you exchange your money for UKrainian money when you arrived (we will arrive in Kiev)? 

Thanks for a reply.

We didn't use much local currency. We found it easy to withdraw local currency at the airport, I think we got about $100 Aus and were able to use that for mostly souvenirs or coffees. But the tour guide will point out ATM's or money exchanges as you walk around each place.  Most places also took credit card for souvenirs or shops, but remember all your food and coffee / tea etc is included on board the ship. When you use the ATM's be aware of the correct buttons - the guides will always help you.

[pontac]

On 2/10/2020 at 9:55 PM, tweeter15 said:

We are tentatively booked June 3rd 2021 in room 301, which is right next to restaurant. 

 

301 is not 'right next to restaurant'. It's separated from the restaurant by the staircase and elevator. People talking in the restaurant shouldn't be audible to occupants of the room. And as @Nanna Fru says, the restaurants is only open at meal times and you will be in the dining room yourself at those times.

 

That said, however, if you are worried about noise outside your room and it's possible to move, say to 308-315, as these are in the middle away from stairs at either end, then do so. The area immediately outside the restaurant has the self serve drinks and cakes bar at which guests may congregate and chat while getting their drinks outside restaurant hours.

 

We found little noise from other guests, certainly not like in hotels. On board  guests were well travelled, mature and considerate of others.

[highland cruiser]

3 hours ago, pontac said:

 

301 is not 'right next to restaurant'. It's separated from the restaurant by the staircase and elevator. People talking in the restaurant shouldn't be audible to occupants of the room. And as @Nanna Fru says, the restaurants is only open at meal times and you will be in the dining room yourself at those times.

 

That said, however, if you are worried about noise outside your room and it's possible to move, say to 308-315, as these are in the middle away from stairs at either end, then do so. The area immediately outside the restaurant has the self serve drinks and cakes bar at which guests may congregate and chat while getting their drinks outside restaurant hours.

 

We found little noise from other guests, certainly not like in hotels. On board  guests were well travelled, mature and considerate of others.

Agree with this post.  River cruising is much different from other types of cruising and guests are well travelled.  We enjoy chatting with people from all over the world.  One of the best perks or traveling.  When we booked we were given room 300 to hold our booking until we confirmed.  Our TA easily moved us midship.  On Viking other ships, we never heard noise from either side of our cabin.  Even when we were right next to the reception area. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Even one cabin from the front end should be as quiet as any other – and more convenient to all the public areas at the front of the ship.

[Horsedds]

My experience with the Sineus was that it was completely quiet and comfortable!  And we were in the lowest floor with no balcony, just a big window. Loved the ship!!

[Horsedds]

As to currency- we changed about $30 (all I had with me) the first day. Even with buying a beer and souvenirs at the car museum, some tea at “the Jewish place”, admission at the great gate, and a few snacks and pay toilets, we did not run out of local $ til the last day, when we had only one subway fare’s worth of local money. We just walked....

[H2Otstr]

Did this ship offer massages on board? We have moved our 2021 cruise to June of 2020. 

 

Also, were there many optional excursions offered? 

[pontac]

19 hours ago, H2Otstr said:

Did this ship offer massages on board? We have moved our 2021 cruise to June of 2020. 

 

Also, were there many optional excursions offered? 

 

Not aware of any massages; there's an on-board doctor but I'm not aware of any facilities for massages, there's no spa or gym.

 

Usual Viking options; a free tour at stops and optional tours. But the 2020 cruise is a new route so you'd better check with 'My Viking' for details of the 2020 tours as they are not stopping at some ports they did in 2019 and are calling at new ones.

[Cristoff]

My wife's family lives in Ukraine and we happily go there. I was in Lviv (very beautiful architecture), in Kiev (I don't like this city too much because it's very noisy there and people are too busy with their affairs, it's very rare to meet people who are ready to help you), Dnipro (a very beautiful embankment near rivers, jogging there in the morning is one of my favorite activities), Odessa (a very interesting city, there are many excursions in English). This year I want to visit Pripyat. Remember the series Chernobyl from HBO? This year I found Chernobyl guided tours from Kiev. It would be very interesting for me to visit the ghost town. I read a lot about these excursions on the Internet and really hope that I can get there. I believe that Ukraine is a very interesting country, a country with an exciting history, there are a lot of places that you want to visit, but unfortunately, it’s very difficult to find high-quality excursions for foreign tourists.

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, Cristoff said:

but unfortunately, it’s very difficult to find high-quality excursions for foreign tourists.

 

It is kind of a chicken and egg story. Building a tourist industry does not happen overnight -- and it doesn't happen without planning and government support (not necessarily monetary but at the very least the acceptance of the idea that that tourism is good for the city/state/country).

 

 

 

 

[Glorybe]

On 2/28/2020 at 3:36 AM, Cristoff said:

his year I found Chernobyl guided tours from Kiev. It would be very interesting for me to visit the ghost town. I read a lot about these excursions on the Internet and really hope that I can get there.

In your readings about tours to Chernobyl, did you read about radiation levels still a problem in that area or about concerns for visitors' health/safety? I too am interested in a Chernobyl tour, but I was wondering if radiation effects are still a concern?

 

[jpalbny]

28 minutes ago, Glorybe said:

In your readings about tours to Chernobyl, did you read about radiation levels still a problem in that area or about concerns for visitors' health/safety? I too am interested in a Chernobyl tour, but I was wondering if radiation effects are still a concern?

 

 

Chris and I will do this next time. We did look into it, but there was so much to do in Kyiv, that we didn't have time.

 

From everything I have read, the level of exposure is minimal. They say you get more radiation from the Transatlantic flight, than you will on the tour. They say that the radioactive waste is well-contained by the sarcophagus.