We had a brilliant river cruise on the MS Rostropovitch August 2019 from Moscow to St Petersberg. The ship is very clean and the staff are excellent! Our personal cruise girl Zenka (Jayne) looked after our every need from the minute we boarded to the second we left. She is only young but seemed very experienced and nothing was too much trouble. She ensured everyneed was taken care of and ...
From the moment I contacted Vodohod to book this cruise to the time we were dropped off at our hotel in St. Petersburg, we were pleased. Customer service was great. My emails to the company were responded to within a day. All my questions were clearly answered and the company sent me a letter of invitation for the entire pre and post cruise time we spent in Russia (so we could get our ...
We have travelled much of the world over the last 25 years, but had never yet been to Russia. We chose a river cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow in high season. The price was very reasonable, so we did not expect a 5+ star level of service and care. However, from the moment we boarded until our final disembarkation, we were both enraptured and enthralled with every facet of the cruise. The ship ...
I sailed on the Zosima Shashkov with Gate 1 from May 18-28, 2019 on a 10-night river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The word, Zosima, means “full of life” and this cruise was just that. A river cruise was a bucket list trip for me and Gate 1 delivered again. After 8 trips, I have confidence in their product and had no hesitation in booking this trip despite the complex Russian visa ...
I recognize that on any cruise there is a risk that bad weather can interfere with the experience. However, when problems occur, a reasonable cruise company is honest about the problems, mitigates the problems to the best of their ability, and takes reasonable action to remediate. On our cruise, high waves prevented our ship from reaching St. Petersburg. This had a major impact on the last two ...
Just came back from this cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg (Sep 4-15 in 2018, on Vodohod Georgy Chicherin, booked through Gate1). Me and my wife enjoyed every minute of the whole experience. The excursions in each port were great (the places visited, the guide, the logistics, the free time). We only wished we could have more time in Moscow (only 1.5 days as compared to 3 full days in St ...
This ship was renovated end of 2017 and beginning 2018. Our cabin all new carpets, bedding, new bathroom, no chipped furniture anywhere. I was worried after previous reviews. Our cost was half the fare on other cruise lines. Cocktails $8.00 aud. We had two English speaking guides, Sasha and Dasha, who were great. They made us laugh and were so helpful. Nothing was too much trouble, even to booking ...
We knew in advance that the cabins would be very small and cramped. However we did not know that the common area rooms were small and overcroweded and the low ceilings enhanced the noise. We were very disappointed that the air conditioning or fan system in each room did not operate properly. And most of us were very upset that the only room on the ship that had WIFI was the bar; no WIFI in ...
Itinerary great, view going along the river very nice. She is very clean but most definitely 3 stars. In fact when someone was complaining at the reception desk that is what the reception said " We are a 3 star ship". It is hard to get use to the cot size twin beds. The company Nexus that i booked with did not have any option to upgrade to a double bed. I think there might just be a handful on the ...
I chose a Russian cruise line deliberately, knowing it would be a more authentic experience than the more luxurious western style river cruise ships. Also Vodohod's Zosima Shashkov had single cabins at a sensible price.
I had realistic expectations of the 3-star experience: small cabins, plainer cuisine, etc.
My cabin turned out to be on the top deck, next door to a bar and the wireless ...