Impressions of the ship: It is brand new inside - refurbished from head to toe. The outside, however, is the same (oldish) ship that every other tour company uses. It seems that the Russians built one basic hull for this purpose, and there are many in service on the rivers. I didn't feel that any of the Viking or Grand Circle ships that we saw docked alongside ours were nicer in any way. One advantage of the Uniworld redo is that the outside decks were converted into large balconies on the top two levels by cutting the windows into a large sliding door. These are the only Russian river cruise ships with a balcony.
Except for the large balcony, the cabins are smallish, about 2 1/2 feet longer than the length of the bed. This is on a par with other river cruise ships, as the size of the ship is limited due to the width of the locks it must pass through. The cabins are spotlessly clean, very white, and decorated simply. There is a small desk and chair in the standard balcony cabins. The bedding is very high-end and comfortable.
Cabins contain a hair dryer, small safe, and 2 US 110v outlets, so there is no need to bring a converter unless you are using a high voltage curling iron, for example. All floors, except the Onega deck, are accessible by elevator. Otherwise, the stairs are steep.