Arrived in Moscow to be picked up by Viking. Headed out to the boat to eat and sleep. Moscow is a traffic nightmare. The activities were great once you got there. We saw the changing of the guard in Red Square and sampled caviar in GUM Department Store, the Kremlin, and walking tour. Those were the highlights of Moscow. Cruising down the river, we had plenty to do with touring and classes in Russian and their history. Highlights were Kizhi Island (wooden church) and Mandrogy (vodka tasting and the best shopping on the cruise). Next, we went to St. Petersburg. Pay extra and do the behind the scenes Hermtage. Trust me, it is pricey but so amazing. Also we loved Catherine the Great's Palace (bought some beautiful Champaigne glasses there with her seal, The Fortress, Peterhof, and the Church of the Spilled Blood. The train to Helsinki was only $42, so we added 4 days there, not through Viking, but on our own.
The cruise itself was nice, but not the best we have been on. The maid refused to change our sheets as we had moved our bed apart, and she would not do it. The bed was a small queen. My husband and I are king bed people. She did not speak English, and I finally had to go to the head of housekeeping. The food was OK-good, the wine not so great, but the beer was better. My husband got the drink package, and the premier wines were fine. The guides were fun, and the night of the vodka tasting, we were laughing so hard we were crying. I would really give this a 3 1/2 star review, but that was not a choice.