Review - Waterway of the Czars-Viking Surkov 8/6/2006

[WarEagle76]

Viking River Cruises – Viking Surkov

Waterways of the Czars – St. Petersburg to Moscow

August 6, 2006

 

This was our second cruise with Viking River Cruises, the first being to China May 2005.

 

Departure: Flew from Atlanta to St. Petersburg via Frankfurt on Lufthansa. Flight was uneventful and easy connection. No immigration, no passport check and only had to go six gates to catch flight to St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, not as simple on the way back. Also, others on the cruise had to change terminals in Frankfurt and while easy, were concerned about making their connections. Note: No entertainment (not even audio) on either Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to St. Petersburg or Moscow to Frankfurt. Flying back from Moscow through Frankfurt, had 2 hour wait for extra security check (all items in all carry-on bags checked) upon arrival in Frankfurt which was being performed in the concourse for all flights to the U.S. Made our flight by 10 minutes, but then waited an additional 45 minutes for 70 passengers as the captain said would be easier than finding and pulling off the checked baggage for those passengers.

 

Mass confusion at St. Petersburg regarding entry forms. Lufthansa had no forms on the flight, so upon arrival 150 passengers were scrambling around small tables trying to fill out forms you must complete before going through immigration. Forms were in Russian and a small laminated card (one) on each table gave you the translation. Must be handed to agent upon entry and kept with passport until leaving Russia. After going through passport control, collected luggage and waited about 30 minutes for other arrivals. Exchanged money for Roubles at airport and then boarded buses for boat.

 

Took about 30 minutes to get to boat arriving about 4PM. Showed to room and luggage arrived shortly after. We had room on third deck. Storage in the cabin was adequate and asked for more hangers which arrived promptly. Empty suitcases fit under bed. Bathroom was a trip (as pointed out in earlier thread by lotoarmy) in that you had combination sink/toilet and a hand held shower. To shower, you pull a curtain around to protect the toilet area and door, and the drain is in the floor of the area covered by a rubber mat. Those in the larger cabins on deck 4 had a separate shower from what we were told. After a couple of showers, was easy to get used to and was no problem. Window opened for fresh air. We were in cabin 309 – Category D.

 

Money for purchases on board is stated as units. 1 Unit equals 1 Euro with 1 Euro equaling 35 Roubles (you’ll sometimes also see this as Rubles). No money is used on board with all items charged to your onboard account. Exception was last full day as your account is closed at midnight prior to last full day so account can be settled. Any items you which to purchase is done with currency. Money can be exchanged or withdrawn from ATM at numerous times during trip, including at the airport upon arrival. On first day of tour a specific stop was made for those wanting to exchange money. Everyone we encountered (we found one exception at the circus in Moscow when attempting to purchase a program and they would only accept Roubles. Other vendors at circus accepted both) accepted U.S. Dollars, Euros, and Roubles. Not sure if this would apply if you are going off on your own, but we found it to be the rule. All vendors had calculator and when you advised what currency you wanted to use, they entered the amount into the calculator and presented it to you. You can in many places bargain, especially with street vendors. Some stores would not bargain.

 

Mix on board (177 total passengers) was 40% Americans and remainder mix of British, Australian, Canadian and a group of 8 from Malta. All spoke English. The Peterhof, a sister ship accompanied us on our entire journey and was made up of guests speaking other languages. Daily briefings were held to discuss the next shore excursion and if available, options. Language classes (including the Russian alphabet) were held twice; think of it as Russian 101 and Russian 102. Also, while in transit from St. Petersburg to Moscow, lectures were held discussing Russian history from the Romanovs to the present.

 

For our ship, on our first morning there were 6 buses each with a different number, two of which were reserved for groups of individuals touring together. The bus number you choose is your bus number for the entire trip. The Viking River assigned tour guide assigned to the bus remains with you for the entire cruise. If you meet someone you like the first night on board and would like to do the day tours with, make sure you both get on same bus first morning.

 

Upon arriving at ship, you turn in your passport and return airline tickets and transfer voucher. At any port, you may retrieve your passport (in case for example you want to exchange money) and return it upon boarding the boat.

 

There is one key per room (and it is huge). Upon leaving the ship, you turn in your key and then pick it back up when returning. This is how they track who might be missing prior to leaving for the next port. Be careful not to lock your traveling companion in your room. It happened to one couple!

 

A daily newsletter, the Viking News, is placed in your room each evening outlining activities for the following day. The newsletter is also posted by the shore excursion desk on deck 3. Also around the shore excursion desk on deck 3 are other informative postings including a map of the entire trip and information about the cities and towns visited.

 

 

Observations

 

The boat is in great shape, clean, well kept, nice layout, and comfortable public. There was a large sun deck with nice chairs (you’ll see when compared to some of the other boats you will see on the river).

 

We really lucked out with great weather. Cool in the mornings (60s), usually somewhat warmer in the afternoons (low to mid 70s). One overcast day but no rain until the morning we boarded the bus in Moscow for the trip home. It stayed light out until 9:30-10PM at night and was light again at 6AM in the morning.

 

This was definitely a trip for those who enjoy cruising on waterways. This trip included 16 locks and cruising on the Neva River, Lake Ladoga, Svir River, Lake Onega, Lake Rybinsk, Volga River and the Moscow Canal (and I’m sure I missed a few).

 

If taking USD for purchasing or exchanging, the dollars must be in excellent condition with no marks, rips or “wear and tear” in order to be accepted. I went to bank about a week before the trip with a list of what I wanted and advised that they needed to be newer bills. They called me two days later and I had all newer bills and never had a problem.

 

Except for us and a few others, almost everyone on the ship was retired. Several individuals had a hard time on some of the excursions as there is a lot of walking involved and in many cases steep stair cases. I don’t remember seeing an elevator in any of the places we visited. I will say that for those who had a hard time, the Viking staff was very accommodating without impacting the tour for others.

 

There is entertainment on board in the evenings, music with vocals, dancing, a crew show (not to be missed), and a passenger show.

 

Food was good, some nights excellent. Breakfast had a nice buffet with usual items and could order omelets, pancakes, French toast, etc. if desired. Early riser breakfast was available in Panorama lounge with juice, coffee, fruit and breads usually beginning at 6AM. Lunch usually included salad and sandwiches along with choice of two hot entrees. Dinners included starter item, soup, entrée (two choices) and desert. Several nights had option choice of Caesar Salad and chicken breast. Late snack is available nightly. Coffee and tea are always available at a station located on Deck 4. We did not envy the chef as he had to cater to a number of different tastes based upon the nationalities on board, but heard very few complaints about the food. There are two dining rooms and you are assigned to one of them. The larger is the Neva, the smaller one the Svir. We think we figured out that those on deck four were assigned to the Svir. One night was a Pirates dinner with several of the guests dressing as Pirates. Afternoon Tea was held a couple of times. We went to the first one and the history and importance of tea in Russia was discussed. Also available for an additional charge was a vodka tasting and a caviar tasting.

 

Dress on board varied widely. Some tended to be dressier than others at dinner, but for the most part men wore pants and a shirt with a collar, and women wore pants and nice tops or sweaters. Some men wore jackets on occasion and some women wore dresses or skirts and tops. Toward the end of the cruise, dress seemed to become more casual.

 

Since there is a refrigerator in the room, many bought soft drinks and beer at stops along the way as drink prices on board were a little higher than you would normally find at home. Did not have a problem finding soft drinks (even Diet Coke was readily available which was a problem finding in China last year).

 

Highlights

 

Peterhof Grand Palace– Optional excursion but one of our favorites. If you’ve not been there we felt well worth the time and money

Kizhi – almost spiritual feeling walking around this site

Nikulin Moscow Circus – Very enjoyable outing and excellent acts

Uglich – Interesting little town with excellent market. This was the best place to buy souvenirs. There is a good watch store on the square. We bought one and it is still working.

Yaraslovl – Stop made at market and then at a store specializing in Black Lacquer boxes, and also had impressive room displaying various boxes. If you are interested in the collectible black lacquer boxes from Russia, I suggest you read the information at www.lacquerbox.com . Other, cheaper boxes are available at all markets during the trip, but the real collectibles have specific details which identify them as the collectibles.

Amoury – Faberge eggs, carriages, period clothing, excellent museum with great presentation.

 

Surprises

 

Mandrogy – extra stop not listed in itinerary. A business man rebuilt this village during the 1990s as it had been destroyed during WW II. It was kind of like a theme park setting. Interesting arts and crafts building where you see Russian crafts being made. Several of us went to look for Moose at the Moose Farm but never saw any and called this our “Wild Moose Chase”.

 

Hermitage – Very crowded. Several large cruise ships were in St. Petersburg at the time which added to the crowds. Interesting in that with the number and value of the items, did not seem to be climate controlled, nor were some of the items protected from being touched. Windows were open in many rooms and in some rooms we were very warm. Very different from other palaces and museums we visited.

 

Crew

 

We felt the crew was excellent and as some always ask, I’ve listed the main crew below. I will also say that Gabi, the Cruise Manager was outstanding in every way. Andrej, the Restaurant Manager was very funny and accommodating, and Irina, our cabin attendant was excellent.

 

Captain – Genadj Ivanov

Hotel Manager – Heinrich Sciuk

Cruise Manager – Gabriella (Gabi) Amacker

Restaurant Manager – Andrej Trofimov

Executive Chef – Andreas Glaschke

 

Between two of us, we took over 1,000 pictures and 389 have been downloaded to shutterfly.com. While not labeled, if you want to see them, go to:

 

http://gwilcox815.shutterfly.com The password is stoney.

 

Steve

[cliffdweller]

Steve,

 

Thank you so much for posting your review and the wonderful pictures. My friend, Pam, and I leave in just over two weeks and this is so helpful. She is due here for dinner in a few minutes and we will enjoy going over this together. We're very excited about this trip - haven't been on a river cruise before, so it will be quite different. We're still puzzeling over the adaptors.:confused:

 

Thanks again,

 

Pat

[WarEagle76]

I would take what you have and they'll probably be able to help you. We were OK except instead of the outlet being flush to the wall like ours, theirs was a round indentation. Reception was able to provide an adaptor and we were fine. Worse case, tell Pam that the Salon charges 25 Units for a wash and dry:D .

 

One other thing I forgot to add was that a videographer chonicles your journey. At the end, you can purchase the video. You have a chance to view most of the completed video the next-to-last day and decide. I had my doubts, but it turned out to be very good and we purchased one. They were 35 Units for DVD and I believe 25 Units for VHS.

 

Steve

[Pam in CA]

Steve, thanks for the great review -- incredibly helpful! Pat and I went over the adapters/converters and I'm pretty sure we're OK. :) We're going to have a GREAT time.

[lotoarmy]

Steve, makes me want to go again. Glad to know that Viking is consistantly good! As you know from reading my post, we had the same great time. Gaby and Andrej were great! The only thing we had a little more negative than you was the cold weather and Viking even made the best of that. Can't wait for another trip with them.

[WarEagle76]

lotoarmy, thanks to your review we had a heads up on some things, specifically the shower! We, too would like to take another Viking River cruise sometime in the future but have other places we're planning to go where they don't cruise so will have to wait...unless that is they offer a deal that is too good to refuse.

 

Steve

[cliffdweller]

Hi all,

 

Steve, I'll try to keep Pam from getting her finger in the live socket and needing a trip to the hairdresser!!!

 

Thank you both for your reviews of this trip - both have been extremely helpful - we're much better prepared than we would have been.

 

As for the weather - I am currently on a business trip to TX - at almost 7:30 here it is 104 and being a bit cool in Russia sounds good right now. I'm only going to have 4 days at home before leaving on this adventure, so will transition in Boston.

 

Sorry for the delay in posting - internet access here is dicey -

 

Pat

[Coral]

I wanted to say "thank you" for your fabulous pictures! I am looking at them right now.

 

Question for you - I am looking at the same flights you are and to upgrade to business class looks to be $1200 or so. Would it be worth it? Were you pretty tired the first night?

 

Theresa

[cmthomas]

Be careful that the price is not for "each way." Otherwise it sounds like a great price. If it is each way it might be worth doing on the overnight flight so you can possibly get some sleep rather than staring at a seat back about 6" away for 8 hours!

 

Clarence:)

[Coral]

Be careful that the price is not for "each way." Otherwise it sounds like a great price. If it is each way it might be worth doing on the overnight flight so you can possibly get some sleep rather than staring at a seat back about 6" away for 8 hours!

 

Clarence:)

 

Thank you. Actually they quoted me regular coach price and I looked it up on Luftansa's website and the price they quoted me was the same price as the airline's site. So I assume they are giving me the same price. I then looked at the airline's price for Business class and came up with that price difference. So my TA is going to check with Amadeus on Tuesday and see what they are charging for Business Class. I am assuming it is the same as the airline's site. I have never been able to successful fall asleep in Coach seats before and this is a long flight for me. I flew to Japan earlier this year and because I am tall - it was the longest 20 hours of my life. Right now - it looks like it is going to take 15 hours (with connections) to get me to St. Petersburg and about 23 hours with connections to get me home.

[WarEagle76]

Glad you enjoyed the pictures. The weather gods were with us on this trip so taking pictures with some light vs. in cloudy/rainy weather made it easier. Regarding the upgrade, if you can afford it, do it as you will probably sleep a lot better and feel more refreshed upon arrival. Carriers do have special Business Class fares to/from Europe in many markets usually with a 50 day advance purchase and at least 7 day stay. Beware though, unlike regular Business Class fares that are much higher, the special ones are non-refundable. From Atlanta, we can get business class to most destinations in Europe for around $2,700 round trip using these special business class fares. So if you are looking at comparing a normal coach excursion fare, $1,200 might not be too far off. When we booked, Viking River had a special $599 round-trip coach fare so we jumped on it (it allowed us to buy an extra black lacquer box or two). I will say that we were more comfortable on Lufthansa's flights in coach to/from Russia than we were on United's flights to/from China.

 

Steve

[canalfront]

Took Delta coach nonstop to Moscow, bought a ticket on Aeroflot on to St. Petersburg. I called the Aeroflot office in Seattle, WA, and spoke to a very nice gentleman named Richard who is American and who sold the ticket over the phone and mailed it to me within a week. Our return flight was on Delta nonstop Moscow to Atlanta. I had purchased noise-cancelling headphones from Radio Shack, and they were a true blessing -- had no trouble sleeping on the flights with these.

 

All was great on the boat -- the major problem is the traffic in the big cities, Moscow especially. The buses were trapped in traffic a LONG time after the tours returning to the boat. Be forewarned.

 

Also, this is NOT a trip for handicapped people. We had a lady in a wheelchair on our bus the whole time, and it was a problem. No elevators anywhere, and the toilet facilities at times were impossible for handicapped use.

 

Viking does a wonderful job -- we highly recommend the experience -- just know that traveling from the boat to and fro is SLOW. In Moscow we took the METRO into town for a private tour one morning and had great success with saving travel time. Not too far of a walk from the boat to the station.

[cliffdweller]

Hi Everyone,

 

Pam and I are off today on this great trip - just wanted to say another thank you for all the input. I'm sure we'll have a wonderful experience.

 

Pat

[WarEagle76]

Pat/Pam are you back yet? How was your trip?

 

Steve

[Pam in CA]

Pat and I had a GREAT time... and are planning on another riverboat cruise in China in the next couple of years.

 

To add to your review, here are some of my impressions:

 

* Yes, the key is HUGE. It's also heavy. Bring a bag to carry with you on the boat because it's almost too big to put in a pocket. They use the key as their "security" system -- you give it to them when you disembark the ship and pick it up as you reboard.

 

* The Russian boats are, to put it kindly, utilitarian. The Surkov was built in 1984 for the Russians. This was during Soviet times when they were building concrete block buildings that were functional over form. Unless you have a suite or deluxe cabin, you'll have a 30" bunk each that's pretty darned hard and another 30" between the bunks. Pat and I each had single cabins so that we actually had more space per person than those in the standard cabins. The single cabins are right outside the Panorama bar, which we found very convenient as they served an early breakfast starting at 6AM every day. They also had tea with cookies and cakes every afternoon. I've posted a photo of my cabin below.

 

* The boats are definitely not handicapped-accessible. The stairs have very narrow and steep steps, making it tricky going up or down unless you're used to them, young, or are a gazelle. We had one gentleman on the boat who used a wheelchair for excursions but was able to up and down the stairs, albeit slowly. The guides were great with him, helping him out on the tours. I give Galina (our guide) a lot of credit for that. She was like a mother hen.

 

* While the shower is functional, you can get tired of it in a hurry. The shower curtain wraps around the sink area, protecting the toilet and shelf above the toilet but you're still left with a wet bathroom afterwards. Because you use the sink area in front of the toilet as your shower area, there's a shower mat that's pretty rough on the feet as well as slippery. I wound up putting my towel on it after my shower because it was so uncomfortable. The hot/cold water regulator is non-existant. If you're taking a shower and someone flushes next door, by the time you hear the flush, you're feeling a sudden increase hot water, which can be very hot. The deluxe and suite cabins have separate showers.

 

* We had cloudy/rainy weather for almost the entire trip. It was sunny the last two days in St. Peterburg. We took the optional tours in St. Petersburg of the Canal cruise and Peterhof. Both were great tours and well worth the money.

 

* We also had six buses. The tour guides were: Julia (the head guide), Natasha, Tatiana, Galina, Tanya and Igor. They boarded the boat with us in Moscow and stayed with us right through St. Petersburg. The first day, you board one of the buses and then stay with that bus number (41 - 46) for the entire trip. However, we started out with Tanya and after several instances the first day that we were unhappy with, we went to Gabi (the Cruise Manager) and asked to be changed to Galina's bus. We were very happy with the change and were glad we did it.

 

* Gabi is extremely entertaining while being very professional. She's absolutely delightful.

 

* While some people dressed up for dinner, most kept on the same clothes as they wore during the day. I brought a lot of clothes I'd planned to wear for dinner that I never wore. I think I didn't change every night because I wasn't looking forward to taking the shower. We did get dressed up for the Captain's dinners but just wore black pants with nice tops. I wore a dress for the Captain's farewell dinner mostly because I didn't want it to go to waste.

 

* There were pick-up bridge games during just about every "free" morning or afternoon so if you like to play bridge, there seemed to be plenty of people looking to play.

 

* The food was "interesting" and beautifully presented. The portions weren't large but everything was tasty and with several courses, you didn't go hungry. I found the ice cream outstanding and the dessert the last night, an orange cream with chocolate, incredible.

 

* Kizhi was a surprise. We loved it. It's about a mile and a half walking tour but we found it very interesting. We loved going into the home and seeing how the farmers lived decades ago and so far from anything commercial.

 

One thing to note is that the first night in Moscow, 16 people didn't get their luggage. Eventually, all except three received their luggage but that's a pretty poor percentage. One lady had only her jeans and T-shirt for the entire cruise and Viking did not make any offer to clean them. That was the only sour note of the entire trip. So, if you're taking two suitcases, mix up your clothing and make sure you have a change of clothes in your carry-on.

 

The Moscow traffic was horrendous -- absolute gridlock every single day. It took people arriving at Domodedovo airport over four hours to get to the boat. We arrived at Sheremetyevo at about 4:30PM, finally got through passport control by 5:30PM, were met and taken to the bus and boarded the boat by 6:15PM.

 

Taking the cruise the first/second week of September worked out very well for us. It was unusually warm for them -- 60's and 70's -- and the summer tourist crowds were, for the most part, gone. It was still busy at the Hermitage and Peterhof but apparently, not nearly as busy as it normally is in the summer. I wouldn't chance going later in the season as it could be quite cool.

 

As mentioned, Pat and I had a great time. We knew before leaving that the boat wouldn't be luxurious and that it would be tiring with all of the tours and walking. The absolute best part of the cruise was the people we met. It's open seating for all meals and we made a point to try to sit with different people at every meal. From the start, everyone was VERY friendly, open and welcoming, from the crew to all of the passengers. If you walked down a corridor, people greeted you and said "Hello!" even if you'd never seen them before. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. And would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Pam in CA]

Here's a photo of the shower. You can see the shower "head" being used as a faucet for the sink. To take a shower, you move it to a peg up on the wall, draw the curtain around you, and turn on the sink water. Efficient but not luxurious since the shower head kept on pointing downwards and didn't stay up for a "real" shower for very long. I noticed that my cabin steward tightened the nuts during the cruise and it stayed up longer after that.

[WarEagle76]

Glad you had a good trip and made it back safely. You didn't mention the adaptor so I'm assuming it worked out OK and you were beautifully coiffed the entire trip:D. If for China you choose Viking, it is quite different in that their boats are very new, all balconies, and more like a cruise ship cabin. Welcome home.

 

Steve

[Pam in CA]

Oh, silly me! I didn't include the photo of the adapter. :) Let me correct that. I brought a 1:3 outlet plug that I got at my local supermarket (Stop 'N Shop) that worked perfectly.

[Tenngal]

Pam,

What was the single supplement amount was you had to pay to get the single cabin on this cruise? I'm looking at booking mine that way.

[cliffdweller]

Great post, Pam. I'd only add that we were impressed that everything seemed to run like clockwork. They were absolutely always on time to the minute - very impressive.

 

There was no single supplement which is why it was so attractive to us. Not all Viking boats have single cabins, however. I think they are only available on those in the Ukraine and Russia. Be aware, there are only 7 or so and they go quickly. We booked a year out and I think we got the last two.

 

Good luck - it is a fabulous trip.

 

Pat

[Coral]

Thanks for all the comments - I am referring to it for my Amadeus Russian River cruise.

 

BTW - Amadeus Tolstoy in Russia also has a few single cabins.

[Pam in CA]

Pam,

What was the single supplement amount was you had to pay to get the single cabin on this cruise? I'm looking at booking mine that way.

Absolutely no single supplement. :) Pat and I each paid the per-person rate even though we had single and separate cabins (across the hall from each other).

[tommui987]

Thanks for the review.

 

My wife and I will be on the Kirov in June 2007 and looking forward to it.

 

This will be our third on Viking having been on the China and Budapest/Prague trips and looking forward to being in St. Petersburg again. In our NCL Baltic cruise, we had Red October take us around and probably will get them for at least one day there.

 

Thanks again.

[WarEagle76]

tommui987, we'll be looking forward to your review next summer. It really was an interesting trip and while we enjoyed Moscow and St. Petersburg, some of the smaller towns (Kizhi and Uglich) surprised us as well. We're going to Prague (independently - no boats!) this Thanksgiving, any suggestions?

 

Steve

[2Bob]

Hi, wanted to add a bit about a similar cruise we did on Litvinov from St P. to Moscow. I think most, if not all, of these Russia cruise ships must be very similar, so our experiences are probably applicable to most of the ships. Anyway:

 

We did Litvinov cruise during white nights (June/July) this year (2006).

 

Loved it.

 

Not being 'cruise people' we didn't expect (or want) luxury, black tie dinners etc.

 

We found cabins adequate, food more than acceptable (and plenty of it) drinks cheap and we could buy drinks ashore and stock the mini bar for even cheaper (vodka from supermarket $5.00 or so a litre) crew great especially the cruise organisers.

 

Shore excursions were as promised (and great) and very well organised, passengers (40% US, 20% Australian, 20% UK and rest Canadian and NZ all (well mostly) good fun and mostly still active! (We are 56 and 60 and reasonably able but 'she' has a bad knee (in hospital at the moment for a total knee replacement) and 'she' found stairs and lots of walking a bit trying but didn't complain.

 

Might do it again in a year or so when the knee has settled down! Will definitely do another river cruise when we can find the money! Loved the relaxed atmosphere, little dressing for dinner etc and a good chance to see Russia which would be hard to do any other way. Just don't expect the 'normal' cruise carry on (thank heavens from my point of view but each to their own)!

 

We organised tickets for Marinsky and Bolshoi ballets (over the internet) before going and the tickets were delivered to the ship as promised and the seats were great (not cheap though) and the crusie people organised mini bus (there were others doing the same thing) and even had dinner for us at 11:00pm when we got 'home'. Can't ask for any more than that I think.

 

Although we didn't book air tickets through Uniworld they had our names on list at the arrival airport and provided bus to the ship which we had not expected. They also arranged taxi (at 6:30am) to airport when we leaving. We had to pay for mini bus to ballet etc and taxi etc but they organised it no problem and with a smile.

 

On Litvinov there was no pre-ordained seating for meals which meant you could meet lots of interesting people. Similarly the tour buses were 'first come best dressed (well not in my case as far as dressing goes...) so you could meet more people.

 

We had 30 degrees (celsius) tempatures most days (June July) and only 2 days when we carried umbrellas and/or jackets and then didn't really need them, which we found quite surprising but I think this was a pretty hot year for europe.

 

I have photos taken from cabin window of sunset at 11:30pm and sunrise at 3:00am, just a matter of rolling over in bed and resting camera on window ledge and taking the photo, of course waking up at 3:00am was a bit of a problem...

 

Can't wait to do a similar trip again, retirement here we come (I wish..)!

 

Oh yes, tipping, on Litvinov they provide a suggested scale for all crew members. Can't really remeber the exact cost but I think it came to something like $US500 for the pair of us all up. I have to say that in the greater scheme of things it didn't seem like a lot and hearing about the living conditions and salary for Russians in general certainly didn't cause us any concern to pay it. I guess the concern is the 'how much' not to look a cheapscape but also not to get ripped off... Anyway, as I said I really can't remember how much it ended up as, whatever it was irt was well deserved. Nicely organuised in that you just left envelopes at reception (or gave money directly if you wanted to).

 

Finally, 'she' (I can say that at the moment because she is in hospital for knee op and won't see this) had to visit the onboard doctor one day when pain from bad knee got too bad (I had gone on shore excursion... no point in us both missing out...), any way the doctor didn't speak any english and 'she' no russsian and all the cruise organisers were ashore 'guiding' the rest of us. The upshot of it was that that they managed to communicate via sign language and 'she' got a couple of very big needles that made the pain go away and bring the blood pressure down and was happy! Another passenger was carted off to hospital after a minor heart attack too, but ended up back on the ship a few days later. I guess Russian health service isn't too bad!

 

MUST does:

 

Peterhof, Hermatage, Ballet (either include on tour OR do you own if thing if you are keen), Red Square, Underground and not to forget the 'official' vodka tasting session on board - very few attended - silly them.

 

Don't bother:

 

We didn't like Moscow Circus, if animal lovers this is a bit of a 'miss'