Having sailed on the Rhine and Danube with Viking and having visited St Petersburg, Murmansk and Archangel on ocean cruises, we were keen to see more of the Russian interior. The booking process with Viking was simple tho' the Russian visa process was both expensive and time consuming - but no-one other than the Russians can do much about that! Thank goodness the ocean cruise lines have a waiver process for passengers using their own tours in Russia. The flight was good altho' we lament BA dumbing down their Economy product. Transfer to the ship was efficient and we were welcomed and processed by experienced Viking people throughout. It is apparent that all the big river ships in Russia are built to the same general design - the Viking advantage is that the key staff are non-Russian. Having said that, the mix of crew is very eclectic. 'Our' waiters were Philippino and Russian and all delightful and efficient. There is open seating in the restaurant but most people slipped into a routine of sitting at the same tables with their new friends. The cabin was clean and well equipped but some had a 'pole' in the middle to hold the deckhead up - very old fashioned. Balconies were big, too big really as they took up a lot of useful cabin space. The big issue with the balconies was that the ships are usually breasted up alongside each other in the big cites so you lose use of your balcony as it is overlooked by another alongside. This was a frequently mentioned complaint.

The cruise. As with all Viking cruises there were many included tours and several optional (extra) ones. Having to drive up to one hour in and out of the big cities was a pain (the traffic is always awful) and the crowds in the key favourites (Hermitage, St Catherine's, Peterhof, the Kremlin) were very wearing. But you have to do it - particularly if you are a fan of icons! Our favourites were the home visits, the Cossack performances, evenings at the Swan Lake ballet and with the Moscow Folk Orchestra (not to be missed). Once the 'cruise' started after three days in St Petersburg, the beauty and remoteness of Russia was fabulous. Khizi island on a lovely day was unmissable and every 'port' was accompanied by excellent lectures and surprising events - vodka tastings and Russian lunches for example. The whole trip was very immersive. We found it all fascinating but very wearing - not for the faint-hearted!

Wel done Viking for laying on an excellent ship, crew and programme.