My review tends to compare this trip with our previous Viking cruise on the Danube from Budapest to in November 2013. The high point of both was the Hotel Manager, Rebekka, who had the same role on both. Her brightness and that of her three escorts, Tatana, Polina and Julia, overcame the dullness of the Russian captain and his people and made every day special, even in the rain. I sensed surveillance or direct monitoring only twice. The food on this trip did not match up to the food on the Danube cruise. At most meals, only one of the daily offerings was at all special, whereas on the Danube trip it was almost impossible to decide among the choices. Russian logistics, perhaps. The best entertainment on the Russia cruise was the night that three crew members performed, and at that the best of the three was allowed only one number. The trip quiz was another good touch, as were the Russian history lectures. All seemed designed to deflect from the truly boring piano/singer duo. None of this matched up to the Danube cruise, where there were different entertainers at every stop. I didn't feel like we saw much of Russia, but at the same time it was clear that Viking was doing the best it could under the Russian circumstances. It was a shame that the port facilities in St Petersburg and Moscow were so far from the tour sites. On the Danube we rarely needed buses. Overall, it was a great trip - one that highlighted how superior the Danube cruise was.