?? about Grand Circle's Tiki Don ship

[Sandi149]

Hi,

 

My mom will be going on a Grand Circle tour to Russia this summer and will also be on the Tiki Don River cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg. I would appreciate it, if anyone can tell me how this ship is? The good and the bad.

 

Thanks. :)

[joek]

Sandi,

 

The GCT Tikhi Don is great. The staff and tour guides are from all parts of Russia and former Soviet States, speak English very well and are extremely caring and helpful. We were on the St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise last September and had no complaints other than the long commute from the river ports in Moscow and St. Petersburg to the city centers. That is no longer a problem because hotels in the city are used now instead of the ship.

 

The food was quite good and if you read through these river cruise posts, you'll see that all of the ships have buffet breakfasts, lunch with buffet or choice, and dinner with choice of meat, fish or vegetarian. River cruising is real nice, open seating allows one to sit with different groups or whomever you want. You didn't say whether your mom is traveling alone or not, but there's no problem, singles are always made welcome by Grand Circle travelers.

 

There are two lounges on the Tikhi Don, one smaller one up in the bow with floor to ceiling windows to watch the approaching river and shores, and a large one on the top deck where meetings, lectures and entertainments are held. On our cruise, there were a pianist who played classical and modern music, a young man and woman who sang and played an accordion and a balalaika, and another singer. Something every afternoon and evening.

 

There is quite a bit of walking on the tours, but again, you can pick and choose the extent of what you want to do. The Tikhi Don holds 160 passengers and these are divided into four groups, each group keeps the same guide throughout the trip, but all the guides help everyone on the ship and on the tours.

 

There is a Doctor on board, didn't speak English, but a staff member interpreted for us when we had to get treatment for a bad cold. Unfortunately, almost everyone on the cruise came down with colds, even though we continually wiped all contact surfaces with disinfectant wipes.

 

Russia was fantastic, much nicer than we expected. The younger people all work hard, most have two jobs and they're always rushing along, very much like NYC. We're originally from Long Island and Staten Island and at times worked in the city, so we could imagine ourselves being in NYC....except for the onion domed churches on the skylines.

 

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Read through these threads and you'll find many tips and aids.

 

Esther and Joe

[Sandi149]

Thank you so much for your reply. I'm going to print out what you wrote and give it to my mom.

 

Thanks again. :)