Viking Ingvar Review
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We chose Viking to be sure the ship would be nice. The ship was in good condition and met and exceeded our expectations. Going to Russia can be daunting. Once we got past the hassle and expense of the Visa, everything was fine. Customs was very easing coming and going. Viking sends one of their excellent shipboard guides to meet the group and that went very well. We were greeted with champagne and a great buffet dinner.
This cruise was well planned. The shipboard guides and local guides were informative, likeable, and very well educated about Russia and life in general. They gave afternoon cultural talks which were like the lectures from your best and most interesting college professors. We went into Moscow on our own one day and did the Kremlin Armory and Diamond Fund. Good choice and easy to do on the Metro. This was the only thing we did on our own. We do not take canned tours but all of these were excellent and even better than going on our own.
We paid dearly for the Private/Early tour of the Hermitage. Money well spent. We were the first in every room thanks to our wonderful Viking guide, Natasha...magical. Snow our first day but just enough to be fun. So much happened. To mention a few highlights: Waltzing in the Governor's Palace, Ballet in the Imperial Hermitage Theater, Sunset at the Catherine Palace, Strolling village streets. Great food and fun fellow passengers. And meeting so many friendly, hardworking Russians. One of our best trips.
Cabin Review
Veranda Stateroom
Better than expected. Glad to have balcony though only to check on weather and get outside, too cold to sit on. Bathroom as good as most cruise ships. Room kept neat and clean, soap, towels, etc. replaced when needed. They had the great Russian movies on the TV: Zhivago, Nicholas and Alexandra, and some classic Russian movies subtitled...nice attention to detail. Beds were comfortable and cabin was quiet (except for the morning the gale was blowing against our windows on Lake Lagoda). Ship handled it with no problem. It added to the excitement of the cruise.
Port Reviews
Moscow
Saw so much in such a short time with great narrative. Local Guide was anti-Putin and ship guide pointed out how nice it was that he could express himself honestly. This was a highlight, and our ship guide handled it so diplomatically. Sasha is the best.
Moscow
Great tour though we did the Armory and Diamond Fund on our own the day before. Sunny and cold most of the time. We dressed appropriately and loved it ...even being from South Florida.
Moscow
Small group. Great tour guide from ship with time on our own. Time of year meant no crowds. Got to see the setting sun behind St Basil's.
St. Petersburg
There was no extra charge for this as there was in the past. We were at the palace during the sunset...magical
St. Petersburg
Good overview with well planned stops for such a short time.
St. Petersburg
Great tour thanks to the Viking guide. No question she could not answer.
St. Petersburg
Again our Viking tour guide made this unbelievable. She was raised in the town during the Soviets era. She had stories from her mother and grandmother about the Nazi occupation and pointed out buildings built by Nazi prisoners of war. So the palace and grounds were fantastic but our guide made it the tour of a lifetime.
St. Petersburg
Have only seen Nutcracker with the Miami Ballet in the past. This was clearly a student troop but our tour guide let us know beforehand. So the performance was very good and the Hermitage at night was an experience of a lifetime.