Would u give up lunch for Xhr in Hermitage?

[aussi cruiser]

we went to St Petersburg with Oceania Regatta2006 for 3 days the boat docks right in the heart of the city went went to the Hermitage for 3 1/2 hours it was really worth it we could have stay much longer. We also went to Catherine's Palace, Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood and Peterhof, the magnificent residence of Peter the Great.

[Sekhmet]

Hi All:

 

Need some opinions please. I have 1 1/2hrs in Hermitage with a choice of additional 1hr if we eat a box lunch on bus. I've been to Louve, Rykes & other major musuems. Is passing up a nice Russian lunch worth it? We still wouldn't have time for the gold room?

 

Thanks Twojerseygirl

 

Have to agree with most everybody else - spend the time in the Hermitage. Another way to look at making a decision is to reverse the question. If you lived in New York and a Russian visitor asked whether or not to spend an extra hour in the Met, or a Londoner was asked a similar question about the British Museum - an hour in the BM or a pub lunch, I guess most would opt for the extra hour.

[cruiselover68]

I never had a single good meal in Russia ( I was there in 1987). They aren't known for their cuisine! It's Kiev this or Kiev that- some tomatos and cucumbers. Maybe even some pickled herring. Yuck. Do extra time at the Hermitage.

 

Hi Rebecca,

I cannot belive you are saying this, Russians were always very known for their cusine! I am Russian, actually from Ukraine. I wonder where did you eat in Russia in 1987? You should probably come right now in one of the Russian restaurants in New York and try food here, and then I will see what you will say.

[Tatka]

Hi Rebecca,

I cannot belive you are saying this, Russians were always very known for their cusine! I am Russian, actually from Ukraine. I wonder where did you eat in Russia in 1987? You should probably come right now in one of the Russian restaurants in New York and try food here, and then I will see what you will say.

 

Wow! I am also Russian from Ukraine... What city are you from? I am from Kharkov.:)

 

But you probably agree that Hermitage is worth 10 best lunches, right?

[alohavictoria]

Was there last year on "Connie". Get as much time as you can in the Hermitage. you won't be disappointed. And you definitely want to see the Gold Room.

[cruiselover68]

Wow! I am also Russian from Ukraine... What city are you from? I am from Kharkov.:)

 

But you probably agree that Hermitage is worth 10 best lunches, right?

 

Hi Tatka,

I am from Odessa, Ukraine. I've been in Kharkov so many times, very beautiful city. And of course I agree with you about Hermitage, all the time available you have better spend in the museum, still not enough time to see everything.

[Tatka]

Hi Tatka,

I am from Odessa, Ukraine. I've been in Kharkov so many times, very beautiful city. And of course I agree with you about Hermitage, all the time available you have better spend in the museum, still not enough time to see everything.

 

Thank you. :)

 

Odessa is a gem too. Visited this beautiful city while vacationing in Ochakov a couple of times. You can actually cruise to homeport. :D

[cruiselover68]

Thank you. :)

 

Odessa is a gem too. Visited this beautiful city while vacationing in Ochakov a couple of times. You can actually cruise to homeport. :D

 

Thanks Tatka, I know Galaxy goes there now in October. It will be actually great to visit my homeport that way, but maybe later time in the future. I was cruising a lot while I was still leaving back home. Few weeks ago I came back from my first Med cruise on Millenium, and it was best so far cruise I've ever taken. Cannot wait to go back again. Did you ever take Med cruise?

[Tatka]

Thanks Tatka, I know Galaxy goes there now in October. It will be actually great to visit my homeport that way, but maybe later time in the future. I was cruising a lot while I was still leaving back home. Few weeks ago I came back from my first Med cruise on Millenium, and it was best so far cruise I've ever taken. Cannot wait to go back again. Did you ever take Med cruise?

 

Yes, I did. On Splendor of the Seas in 2004. Western Med. It was great, but with only 7 days we were sooo exosted.. Can you imagine having Barcelona-Marseilles-Monaco-Florence/Piza-Rome-Naples one after another? Sea day was day #6!!!

 

We liked though.. but with three of us and cost of flying to Europe nowdays I am not sure when we can repeat this experience. Actually I really want to sail to Northern Capitals+ Norwegian Fiords, but skip St.Pete, as that city requires more than 2 days! ;)

 

Oh, my grandfather had 3 Med cruises before 1985(1) . First was in 1969 on "Bashkiria". They were at least 22 days each, and one 1-month long cruise. All from Odessa. He also sailed many times from Odessa in 90-ties to Northern Europe, Cannaries etc with Metropolis Tur.. It's all russian tours and they have own quality entertainers.. including famous actors, humorists, singers.

 

Here is their website http://www.mkruiz.ru/cruises/2007/index.htm I see they now sail from Sochi.

[cruiselover68]

Yes, I did. On Splendor of the Seas in 2004. Western Med. It was great, but with only 7 days we were sooo exosted.. Can you imagine having Barcelona-Marseilles-Monaco-Florence/Piza-Rome-Naples one after another? Sea day was day #6!!!

 

We liked though.. but with three of us and cost of flying to Europe nowdays I am not sure when we can repeat this experience. Actually I really want to sail to Northern Capitals+ Norwegian Fiords, but skip St.Pete, as that city requires more than 2 days! ;)

 

Oh, my grandfather had 3 Med cruises before 1985(1) . First was in 1969 on "Bashkiria". They were at least 22 days each, and one 1-month long cruise. All from Odessa. He also sailed many times from Odessa in 90-ties to Northern Europe, Cannaries etc with Metropolis Tur.. It's all russian tours and they have own quality entertainers.. including famous actors, humorists, singers.

 

Here is their website http://www.mkruiz.ru/cruises/2007/index.htm

 

Med cruises very port intensive, on my cruise in May we had like 4 days before first day at sea and our tours were usually from early morning up until late evening. But still I loved it, learned so much new from history. My favorite city was Rome. I am cruising like 4 times a year usually and only on Celebrity. Mostly Carribean and Bermuda. Med cruises usually expensive, but my cruise was for 10 days and the cost was OK. You went for only 7 days and that is hard to do without having couple days at sea. I actually also went on recent Med cruise to visit my friend who works on the ship. We had great time, also I celebrated my birthday on the ship.

I see your granpa cruised a lot in Russia. I left Ukraine for US in 1991, so these European cruises was not easy available for everyone. When we still live in Ukraine my parents went to US for a visit in 1989 and Iwas planning to

take European cruise, but the goverment did not let me since my close relatives were outside the country at the moment, crazy right. Well am glad that I do not have that problem here anymore and can go anywhere I want and when I want. Did you ever cruised in Russia?

I remember on all Russian cruises we always had someone famous actor or a singer. That was a great memories and I have met a lot of them.

Thanks for the website.

[Tatka]

I cruised in USSR in 1986 (as 14 years old) on Admiral Nachimov with my parents from Odessa to Batumi 10 days. It was a great cruise, although of course that ship couldn't be compared to modern ships! It also had class system (like Cunard) when people from lower class cabins had different restaurant. ( Yeah talk about equal rights ;) ) It sunk about 5 month after our sailing :( , I still think it could be us.. scary thought. I understand why so many people died.. lower compartments of the Admiral Nachimov were so cramped.. corridors were about 80 cm wide. :eek:

 

Also in early 90-ies we sailed twice (once as a honeymooners) from Moscow to Astrahan and back on rivership Komarno... Tons of memories, interesting cities Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Nizhniy Nivgorod, Samara, Saratov... Black caviar everywhere.:D Met couple of russian emigrants on the ship.

 

Oh.. my grandfather wouldn't have all these opportunities to cruise and go abroad (he visited 70+ countries), if he wasn't a lecturer in society "Znanie" ("Knowladge") . Him and grandmother could never have foreign trip together, because they're jewish and nobody would allow two potential emigrees to do this.. even though they didn't have any intent and still live in Ukraine.

 

I got addicted to cruising when I was about 9-10 years old and vacationing with grandparents in Yalta... I remember running to the port every morning to see whet ships docked there.. Once I so foreign ship doccked and couple of kids were stepping down from it. Boy, was I jealous!!! Of course all cruises taken by my grandfather and grandmother helped the cause too. :)

 

We arrived to US in 1996 and our first cruise was in 2003 on beautiful Century.. Since then we are seriously addicted and use all our vacation time (not that much!!!) to cruise.. So far it's 2 cruises a year.. mostly in Caribben, but also 1 California Coastal and 1 in Med.. My husband spends all his free time searching the internet for good deals, as we are limited to school holidays time for now.

[Pincus]

Tatka, you have said it very well:

 

"The Hermitage is worth 10 best lunches."

 

Enjoy~

 

Wow! I am also Russian from Ukraine... What city are you from? I am from Kharkov.:)

 

But you probably agree that Hermitage is worth 10 best lunches, right?

[cruiselover68]

Hello Tatka,

 

I was cruising on Admiral Nakhimov too, last time it was in August 1986 one week before it sank August 31, 1986. Can you belive how lucky we were, I think it was fate. I was 17 at that time couple years older than you. I knew some of the people who were on that ship as passengers and crew members on that horible day and died. So it is very sad memory for me, one of the guys who died on that ship was my friend he just started working maybe like 6 months as one of the stuff engineers and he was living in the same building as me.

It was a lot of different stories about what went wrong that day and a cause of this tragedy. It was later determined that both Captains of the Admiral Nakhimov and Captain of the Pyotr Vasev (that other ship large bulk carrier) had violated navigational safety rules. Despite repeated orders to let the Admiral Nakhimov pass, Pyotr Vasev Captain refused to slow his ship and only reported the accident 40 minutes after it occurred. Captain of the Admiral Nakhimov was absent from the bridge. A lot of people died because it was late night when the accident occured and a lot of them were already sleeping and everything happened so fast, ship sank in 7 minutes. That accident brings sad memories but all cruises on that ship and other ship I took in Ukraine were great.

You right this ship and others ships that we sailed absolutely cannot be compaired to new modern ships in US. I will never forget when in 80s the old Crown Princess ship was dock in Odessa port and we came to look at it, for us it was a huge ship (compare to ours ships) and we were also so jealous and wanted just for one minute to be there and observe the ship.

I cruised a lot in Ukraine, half of my family worked for the Black Sea Shipping Company in Odessa, diffrent positions, but mostly engineers so we all have a big love for ships, and it was always the best vacation for us was to go cruising.

I came to US in 1991 and my first cruise was on Century too we celebrated year 2000. That experince can not be repeated again, the way everything was just like all the crew on the ship said only can happened once in 1000 years.

What a memory. After that I started to cruise more and more. Have now a couple of close friends who are crew members and try to take my cruises, so I also can see and visit them at the same time.

My next cruise will be in July on Mercury, going to Alaska first time.

Where you are going next on the cruise?, maybe one day we can meet on one of the cruises.

[ldog]

When we were in St Petersburg I screwed up ? our shore excursions and we went to the Hermitage twice. It was the best mistake I've ever made. You could spend a lifetime there and not see enough.

 

I vote for the Impressionists.

[Tatka]

My next cruise will be in July on Mercury, going to Alaska first time.

Where you are going next on the cruise?, maybe one day we can meet on one of the cruises.

 

Thank you for interesting story.. It brings memories...

 

We sailed on Mercury in 2005 California Coastal.. she is very similar to old Century, but also has very small covered back pool. She has a bit more interesting main pool area with hot tubs spreaded in different places.

 

 

My next two are from NJ on Explorer of the Seas in August 9 days to Bermuda( permitting weather in August ) and Caribbeans and NY on NCL Spirit 8 days next April to Caribbeans.

 

It would be nice to meet one day.. :)