Experienced river cruisers (we had done three before this one- Danube and Rhine (both on Viking) and the Douro (Uniworld)) will find familiar things to like on the Waterways of the Czars journey, but overall our experience did not hold up well to our five star experiences in Western Europe with Viking and Uniworld.

The negatives:

The big one is that for both Moscow and St Petersburg, the ships tie up about an hour out of city center so if your idea is to enjoy a night time stroll after dinner in Red square or at a Moscow club before returning to the ship, forget about it. Every day in these two cities required many hours on the bus just getting to/from city center attractions. On free days we took the subway which was a cab or shuttle ride from the boat. That of course is part of the adventure. Toughing it out on the bus is one thing; it also means you have significantly less time to spend enjoying attractions (e.g. less time in the Hermitage). The city tour option takes you by the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and St Isaac's but not inside. Luckily we went there by subway for our free time one afternoon. They are both amazing, but the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is a lifetime don't time. Google it up and see what I mean. Read more