This cruise enabled us to spend 3 days in Moscow and 3 in St. Petersburg and visit several remote locales otherwise difficult to get to. Crew were attentive and helpful. Menu selections were somewhat limited, but food quality was good. Cabin was small, but comfortable enough for our short stay. We were happy we made this trip, but unlike several cruises we've done, we will not repeat it. The deck plan shows a 360 degree promenade deck, but it was a working deck and not available to passengers.The cruise would have been better had we had an extra day in both Moscow and St. Petersburg (although we had been to both once before). Apparently Viking counts to and from travel days in the cruise total , even though our arrival was after 9 pm and departure 3 a.m. One surprising thing was that even though all passengers were English speakers, the captain apparently was not. I know this was Russia, but it still seemed odd. It was educational and interesting.