Volga River, Volga District, Russia

5Steve R 5:00 PM Aug 2, 2015

Imperial Waterways of Russia, MS Rostropovich
A Russian river cruise is a quirky sort of holiday. But we had such a good time, I would urge you to give it a try. The boat is well-appointed. Beds in the cabins are hard – not to everyone's taste – and rather narrow. There is plenty to do, if you are prepared to join in. We were offered a couple of introductory Russian lessons – which I would highly recommend. It is worth taking a little time to get to grips with the alphabet and to learn a few basic phrases. The name of the boat is a clue that music forms a large part of the entertainment schedule. We were treated to a Tchaikovsky piano recital; a few concerts of balalaika music; and other entertainers offered more contemporary options in one of the bars in the evening. The holiday was very well organised, bearing in mind that there were five separate language groups whose activities were, in the main, segregated. We attended a talk on traditional Russian handicrafts; and also took part in a slightly chaotic – but fun – session of matryoshka painting. Regrettably, we missed out on the pancake and vodka tasting and also on the tour of the boat's bridge. But there was something to do every day. Overall, the cruise merits a strong four-star rating. Experienced cruisers may be slightly disappointed by the quality and (occasionally) quantity of food on offer, particularly at dinner. Having said that, there were a number of themed evenings that more than made up for this. With a regular serving of four courses – and two substantial meals every day – you are unlikely to go hungry. The captain's dinner, on the second last evening, was especially lavish. I should add that there is a good variety of hot and cold items available for breakfast. Some of these are typically, and unusually, Russian – and worth trying. On days when lunch is taken on board, there is a generously-supplied hot buffet – again, with salads and other cold items available. One thing I particularly appreciated was the free availability of tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day. The daily program will tell you and what time you can expect the arrival of a portion of fruit pie. Moscow and Steve Petersburg were the highlights of the trip. A full day in each location gave us a taste - and sparked a desire to come back and explore further. If you are travelling a long distance to join this trip, you will certainly want to add on a few days at one end of the holiday - or both. The intermediate destinations were not overly exciting, but well-chosen local guides did their best to enliven things. You can expect to see quite a few churches. Mandrogui, the penultimate stop, is refreshingly secular. If your constitution can stand it, I recommend a visit to the vodka museum. Mandrogui is also the place to buy quality handicrafts. (You will find cheap-and-cheerful souvenirs in the flea markets at other stops.) The on-board staff were very hospitable and quite charming. Russia is a vast country, but you have to start somewhere. I am glad we chose to start here.

4bluehen6582 5:00 PM Aug 23, 2018

Viking River Cruises Waterway of the Tsars - Amazing Russia
Viking Russia River Cruise July 29 to August 10, 2018 Viking Ingvar Intro My wife and I have been taking Viking River Cruises for six years now. In that time we have taken five; Douro, Rhine, Rhone, and Danube, and we have just completed the Volga. Four years ago, our dear friends began to accompany us on these adventures. While we have thoroughly enjoyed the cruises that we have taken, some are better than others. The differences are a combination of the location itself, weather, river levels, and, of course, items under Viking control. Russia ranks high on our list as the best we have taken but I thought I would inform others, particularly those who have taken Viking long ships what they can expect to be different. Also, when we were seeking information on extra cost excursions provided by Viking, little was to be found so I thought I would provide some insights on the provided and extra charge excursions. Overall impressions Perhaps because I am American, Russia was so unexpected. Moscow is much bigger and modern than I expected. Saint Petersburg is all that is advertised. The ports along the way are interesting and add to the richness of the journey. The Viking crew is what we have come to know of the cruises; great food, impeccable cleanliness, friendly, gregarious, service oriented, knowledgeable and, most importantly, fun. I had tried to learn as much Russian in the weeks before the cruise and the crew took great patience and pleasure helping me with the language. It was fun. I discovered I knew little about the country and the people despite watching programs produced by Russian television and presented in Russian with subtitles on Netflix. The Viking guides did a great job of enhancing my knowledge and understanding of Russian history, including the impacts and impressions since the end of the Soviet area. A key reason I take these cruises is to get a deeper insight into history and how it colors today’s world affairs. The impressions the Russian guides provided were surprising, rich, unexpected and very enjoyable. Ship The Volga ship is different than the Long ships with which we were familiar. Danube. We like the long ships better but I don’t think the long ships work on the open water on the big lakes that are crossed from Moscow to Saint Petersburg. You will not find the large upper deck on the Volga boat. The outdoor seating is located on the rear of the boat near the exhaust stack. The noise from the stack is constant and it takes a bit to get used to. The dining room is different, also. The long boat galley is below so the dining area is one open room. The galley on the Volga boat is the center of the dining area so the room is broken in half. Nothing wrong with either, just different. If you are familiar with Viking River Cruise dining, you know that the tables are on a first come first serve basis. We have come to like this experience as it causes people to mix and the meal conversations to be richer. Most everyone we have met has interesting stories to share; places they have been, their past, their families. If you have never done a Viking cruise and this idea makes you uncomfortable, don’t be. Its just a group of people looking to have a good adventure together. The stateroom was like that on the long boat with one notable exception. There was a 4 inch support column in the center of the room with gussets from each side forming a perfect toe stubbing hazard. Ask your housekeeper to wrap a towel around the base. Other than that, the beds are comfortable and similar to those on the long ships. The only big problem with the rooms is that the walls do little to prevent you from hearing your neighbors. This was only an annoyance a few times but it is noticeable. After our first Danube cruise my wife and I decided that the balcony for the cost difference did not provide the value. The thing about river cruises is that if you are in your cabin to do anything other than sleep, shower and dress, you are missing out. So, on the long ships we reserve a non-balcony cabin. Due to the limited of public viewing areas as compared to the long ships, a balcony cabin on the Volga would have been of more use. We spent much time in the Parorama bar. The bathroom is similar the long boat except the shower is a bit smaller with a curtain instead of door. (and I don’t think the floor is heated. Maybe if you go to Russia in October it would be nice!) The housekeeping is excellent. The staterooms and the rest of the ship are spotless. Be sure to take a close look at the posters, and particularly the Soviet era propaganda posters, decorating the hallways. They are interesting and fun. The crew will translate them. Food Except for the first two dinners, me, my wife and our companions, agree it was the best food experience of all the cruises. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, all great. Soups-excellent. Entrees -excellent. Desserts -excellent. Excellent cheeses. The best smoked salmon I have had. I mentioned the first two dinners. This is the second time in as many cruises that the first dinners were not to the normal Viking high standard. Not meeting what we have learned is the high Viking dinner standard is unusual on Viking. Only other comment is an inconsistent wait staff. Let me explain. The dining area was divided into zones. One wait person in one zone seemed to mess up every order, such as, forgetting items ordered and who ordered what. This was not our experience in the other zones. In fact, the service was friendlier and more efficient than perhaps any other cruise we have done. When one becomes accustomed to a certain performance standard or level, a one “one off” experience stands out. Ports I learned on this tour that before the Soviet era, the Russian orthodox church dominated the lives of the people. In the Soviet era, the churches were either destroyed or converted to museums. In Moscow and Saint Petersburg the royal family built many churches. In other areas the merchant class built more churches. As a result, in most places, the church or monastery is the primary attraction. Moscow The first thing is trying to get your head around how big the city is. Russia’s population is 150 M people. Moscow has about 10% of the population. Make sure that you ride the Metro. It is very loud but the decoration should not be missed. Be sure to rub the nose of the dog statues, a tradition of the University of Moscow students for good luck. Also the GUM department store was very unexpected and be sure to have ice cream. The GUM department store is in Red Square with the Kremlin and the iconic Saint Basils church. A highlight provided by Viking is a trip to a folk group show, called Moscow. DO NOT MISS IT! Fantastic artists and show. (More on this below) Moscow - Kremlin and the Kremlin Armory The Kremlin tour is included but there is a charge for the Kremlin Armory. Touring the Kremlin is a “Can’t Miss” and helps with an understanding of the history. The Armory Tour was a bit of a disappointment. This is not because there are not things of interest and value in the armory. The tour was little more than a “drive by” with very little time to examine exhibits. Many of the tours in Moscow and Saint Petersburg felt rushed. We are unsure why this is: time of year? Local custom? Or Viking schedule? The museum staff in Saint Petersburg’s Catherine’s Palace would tell us to move on. There were many tour groups, so may have been the time of year. We go our photos but the time to study was limited. If you pay for the Armory Tour be prepared to see the highlights and move quickly. I am not sure I would have been happy with the armory tour even if there was no additional cost due to the limited time. Moscow - Sergiev Posad Monastery This is an extra cost full day tour. We took it to get out of Moscow and see some of the country. I think that was accomplished. The monastery was interesting …… The lunch at the local hotel was very good. We sacrificed the “Moscow At Night” extra excursion to do the monastery tour. I mention this because If you sign up to tour all day and then go out until after midnight and then get up for a tour that starts at 9 AM the next morning, you might be a bit exhausted. Uglich The first stop after Moscow. Buy your souvenirs here instead of Moscow and Saint Petersburg and bargain the price. Nice tour to some old churches and the site where the young heir (Alexander II) was murdered and a church constructed on the site of the murder. You can dress in medieval costume and get your picture taken, which we did not figure out until after we were on the boat. Yaroslavl Yaroslavl is one of the largest cities on the route between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. After a quick visit to yet another church you will travel to a wonderful local market, which my wife and I love to visit wherever we travel. Inside is mostly edibles. Viking arranges a sampling table. Outside are stalls for clothes and other items. Be sure to rub the nose of the bear for luck on the walk back to the bus. Kuzino The visit to Kuzino includes a tour of the Kirillo-Belozversky Monastery but the highlight of the visit was a trip to an elementary school. The tour in the school was led by a high school student who did a wonderful job explaining the school system. The students put on a short program. One cannot help buying the dolls and other items made by the students and families to support the school. These are the kinds of things one experiences on a Viking tour that I know I could not have arranged. These kinds of things can be overdone but, for the most part, Viking has this figured out. Kizhi Kizhi is a highlight. A UNESCO heritage site with 17th and 18th wooden buildings. Somewhat like visiting Jamestown or Williamsburg. Individuals practicing the skills that were needed in the 18th century; spinning, shingle making, beading, and other skills. A great day. Don’t be disappointed if the 22-spire wooden church is partly in restoration. It has been in restoration for 22 years and the anticipated completion of restoration is not for another 3 years. Mandrogy If you are familiar with South of the Border between North and South Carolina, then you will recognize Mandrogy. Ok, an exaggeration. It is a place where you can buy all the items you have seen and wanted to buy but missed. My favorite part was a street musician playing a hurdy gurdy and singing what I assume were traditional folk songs. I do not visit the Banya but those who did were very happy with the experience. Saint Petersburg I am not going to talk about the highlights; Hermitage, Peterof, etc.. They are all you have read about and more. We spent the money and got the special access and, though pricey, was worth the investment. We visited in the end of July and August. The museums everywhere, particularly Moscow and Saint Petersburg, are packed. You are not allowed much time to study anything so having the extra access was important. The biggest drawback in Saint Petersburg is the traffic. Expect an hour each way on every excursion and most of that time is spent sitting in gridlock. Saint Petersburg: Hermitage: Privileged Access While the most expensive of the extra tours, I am glad we did the excursion. The key tour venues are extremely busy and a the early access allowed us some crowd relief. You are moved through quickly so be prepared. A visit at a different time of the year may have been better but then it is a tradeoff of day length and temperature. The trip to the storage areas, a part of the extra access, added to the value. In summary, the extra early access had a cost but helped make the Hermitage experience better. Saint Petersburg: Peterof Palace and Park This is a favorite of mine. Our guide worked us hard to get us as far out in front of the crowd as he was able. As a result, after touring the again extraordinarily opulent palace, we toured the vast park with its many fountains. The fact that we got in early and finished the palace tour we were able to finish the park tour at a reasonable pace prior the opening of the grand fountain. The only downside of the plan was that the best viewing locations were taken by the time we returned to the main fountain. So we sacrificed the best view of the main attraction for essentially a private walk through a beautiful park. After the grand fountain opening the crowds surged into the park. All in all the early access was a good deal. Helsinki From Saint Petersburg we went on to Helsinki through a Viking extension. Viking did a good job with our transfer to the train, train arrangements and hotel in Helsinki. This was important as we were tired when we reached Helsinki from the 13 days of activities in Russia. Entertainment On board Of the 5 Viking cruises we have taken this was the best lounge music to date. A pianist/organist accompanies a singer. Moscow folk group The Moscow folk group was shockingly good. The performance takes place in a small community like theatre. I was absolutely blown away. This music is performed by highly skilled and accomplished musicians on traditional instruments. Most of the musicians have competed in international competitions and it shows in their work. Go just to hear them play the theme from Dr. Zhivago with balalaikas and more. Go. You will love it. Cossack Dancers You will have to pay to see the Cossack ensemble but well worth the charge. It is performed in a tent next to your ship, so there is no bus involved. This is a big plus that you will agree once you have experienced the traffic. These dancers and musicians are fun and exciting and you can’t help but join into the clapping and yelping. And the Viking provided shots of Russian Standard vodka helps to raise the spirits. Here to, great singing, great musicianship, and over the top dancing. Go. You will love it. Swan Lake Swan Lake was very good. The principal ballerina was excellent. She captured the show. High quality. The Jester was very good also. The various choruses were average and some need to work on their synchronization. The sets were beautiful, and the orchestra was spot on. The theater is beautiful and old and a bit warm on the night we were there. The capacity is small, so you need not worry about bad seats. The only criticism of the seats is that they were padded but still quite hard. Once again, this is provided by Viking, so you will be disappointed if you don’t go. It is not the best performance you will ever see but it will be in the top 5 of 10. Vocal performance On our final night was a female and male classical vocal performance with piano accompaniment. It was OK but I could have taken or left it. The pianist was the highlight and the male vocal was very good. Perhaps being our last night exhaustion had set in. Other stuff Flights Our flights were average. I am disappointed with Viking Air. We noticed that we did not have seats assigned two days before departure. In conversation with Viking they led me to believe it was my responsibility to get seats or have them assigned at the gate. I am a long time Delta flyer and was in disbelief that the tickets had been purchased by Viking via Air France and Delta could not assign seats. To make matters worse, Delta must have had some software issues going on. The night before our scheduled departure (Sunday) we received an email from Delta saying our itinerary was changed to Monday. So, here’s the bottom line: if you are traveling to Europe, the tickets are made about 30 days prior to departure. At this time, check on the booked airline web site for your seats. Change your seats if you are able and desire to. Viking is not assigning your seats. The airline is. We paid for Air Plus and I’m not sure it provided the service and value expected. Viking should have sent us an email alerting us that our tickets were purchased and to contact the airline if we desire specific seats. Tipping Policy My last point of conversation is the tipping policy for the Viking personnel. I believe the tipping policy on the Russia cruise was different than on those in Europe. In the Viking review that Viking requests prior to disembarkation, I commented that Viking needs to re-examine their policies. It may have been that since last year the policy for all of Viking changed or it could have been that Viking Russia policy is different than Viking Europe policy. As a multiple Viking traveler I don’t think it unreasonable for Viking to advise me of the differences in the tipping policy at some point after booking. I also think that the tipping recommendations should be in the local currency. Lastly, Viking promotes itself as a premium cruise line. Perhaps they should consider tips in their cruise fare, like SilverSea and other premium lines. The last thing I want to do at the end of the cruise is to figure out the value of the services provided by individuals. For planning purposes, the recommended tipping guidelines are $15 per person per day or $30 for a couple for the 13 days of the journey. This can be paid by credit card. There is a second recommendation of $5 per person per day, $10 per couple, for the Viking tour crew. This is paid only in cash. Maybe I have forgotten as I am prone to do at my age but I don’t recall this request on any other cruise. It may be a recommendation exclusive to Viking Russia. I have to say it is a bit odd. On some days they provided good assistance and on other days none and on the days they provided good assistance we were paying pretty hefty extra charges for the extra access. Finally, a good place to use up your left over rubles is to distribute them among you crew favorites in envelopes Viking provides. Miscellaneous We had a bit of a challenge obtaining the right Ruble denominations for non-Viking guide and driver tipping. At the time we traveled the exchange rate was 1 US dollar for 63 Rubles. 100 Rubles was about $1.60. It has been our practice when we travel to use an ATM on arrival to get the local currency. When you do this in Russia the ATM with drawls are in a minimum 1000 Ruble notes or about $16.00. So we ended up buying water bottles, etc. simply to break 1000 Ruble notes. If I had to do it over, I would have ordered 50 or so 100 Ruble notes (about $80) from the bank to have the correct currency for tips and other small items. (Even buying ice cream in the GUM Department store was a challenge as the vendor did not want to accept the 1000 Ruble note). Final thoughts and comments We had a great time. We always love traveling and exploring with our long-time friends. The Viking cruise was, all in all, a delight. I have discussed some blemishes and concerns in hopes that Viking might read this and further improve and so that you can be better informed about what to expect. To summarize, the journey itself is extraordinary and would be extraordinary on any other line. As a comparison to other Viking River Cruises, the boat itself was the least accommodating. The staff was Viking average meaning “very good”. Food was above Viking average. The cities and towns and the extra experiences, like the group Moscow that Viking provides, pushes this tour near the top of our list. We must like the Viking journeys as we keep coming back. I found little when I researched this journey. I hope it helps you with your decisions and preparations and makes your trip more enjoyable.