St. Petersburg takes a bare minimum of three days. It far surpasses Buckingham Palace, the Vatican, or the Luorve. It was absolutely jaw dropping. If you are on this website, it is a must do, and soon. Akun was very clean and well designed. Russia limits the ships, so it is not as fancy as Europe. Room was good, bath was small but well laid out. Food far exceeded what I expected. Russian specials so good I never ordered the always available items. It was a real treat. Bars and snacks were ok. Entertainment was in short supply. But we did not miss it. No casino or sales. Service was better than several ocean cruises we have taken. The boat only holds about 200 people, so everything is fast. The whole trip is as well done as you would expect from a Scananvian company. Easy to disembark, board busses, and see the sights. Well thought out and presented. Felt very safe everywhere. Strongly recommend home tours, school tour, and especially the night cruise in Moscow. St. Basils, at night, in the rain, is one of my all time favorite photos. River stops were better than I expected. A little "canned" but still entertaining. I was expecting to be bored by a series of small towns. Moscow is ok. Night cruise really made it shine. We use primarily Smithsonian, Tauck, Regent, and Viking. Read Less

Everything about the cruise was great. The places visited, particularly St Petersburg and Moscow, were interesting. The guides who traveled all the way with us were knowledgeable and their talks on board were well worth attending as they gave a history of Russia. The stops along the way were generally very interesting, and the 'local guides' were also generally of a high standard. The food was wonderful throughout. The choice of ballet performance and venue in St Petersburg was most impressive. The organisation on the ship, and various transfers in St Petersburg and Moscow were extremely slick and trouble free. One unique event was the 'meet the neighbours' which was a drinks and canapes meeting in the corridors of the ship, and allowed us to meet and get to know our immediate neighbours on the ship. Wonderful idea!! We cannot fault this particular cruise, and as a result have booked twice again with Viking. Read Less

We wanted to see more of Russia than just Moscow and St. Petersburg, so we looked at the inland waterway between those cities. Most river cruise companies on this route stop at the same places but we chose Viking as it was the first foreign company to develop the route and operates its own boats, giving it greater control. The cruise includes three days in both Moscow and St Petersburg. In both cities Viking docks some way (around 20 km - 12 miles) from the city centre, so if you want to explore those cities on your own be prepared to use the Metro. In Moscow this is easy as the dock is a 10 minute walk from the Metro Station but in St Petersburg you need to take a public bus to the Metro station. This is easier than it sounds as route 119 (every 5 minutes) starts close to the dock and terminates at the Metro station. Details (including map) available at Helgi reception. Tip – buy stored value cards (Troika and Podorozhnik) to save messing with small change Viking offer a number of included and additional shore excursions. We took the Catherine Palace tour in St Petersburg (as this is difficult by public transport), the Moscow up close walking tour (as this starts with a good introduction to the Metro), the Kizhi walking tour and the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery bus tour (as the dock is some way from the monastery.) Viking gave us our tickets for the St.Petersburg Ballet performance in advance and we met the group at the theatre. If you are interested in the visual arts buy tickets on line and visit The Hermitage, General Staff Building and the Pushkin on your own. The Hermitage is worth a day and the other two half a day each. The include tours spend less than four hours at the Hermitage and do not cover the other two (although the extra paid excursions do.) The ports in between provide just the experience we were looking for. The visit to the Kirillov monastery was a high point of the trip and included a school visit hosted by a final year student (doing it as a summer vacation job). Having had school visits on tours to China in the early 1980s I was slightly cynical beforehand but this visit seemed genuine and was interesting. Other points: If arriving by train from Helsinki, the fare we paid from the station to the Viking wharf was RUB 2,500 A two day combined ticket for the Hermitage and General Staff building costs $24 on line; A one day Pushkin ticket including special exhibitions was RUB 1000 Viking offer a one day excursion to Sergiev Posad near Moscow. We did this ourselves by suburban train from the Yaroslav Station (the ticket machines speak English and tell you the time of the next train. On the platform indicator look for trains to Сергиев Посад or Александровка Try and learn the Cyrillic alphabet before you go. Viking provides excellent beginners classes on the boat - worth attending. Food on board was pretty good. German chef. Menu had local as well as international dishes. Bread could have been better Read Less

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We were very impressed reading the itinerary and all the trip offered. It was our first river cruise with scenic. The daily programs are explained every evening, before dinner. Svetlana armstrong, our cruise director was wonderful! Her eye for detail is exceptional, there was never a time she wasn't there for the guests: ensuring all understood the guidelines of what to do, where to meet, along with all the historical places we would be visiting. Every day was a wow! vadim palchun, our historian, program director, and guide was beyond an a++. Vadim"s intellect surpasses any historian we have ever met. Vadim greeted us every day with humor, patience, knowledge and passion for russia as he guided us thru his homeland. The palaces, the cathedrals, the museums, (don't miss the world war 11 museum) the ballet, the rivertours, the folklore show, & the phenominal old moscow circus!!! Was outstanding!!! Truly, surpassed our expectations! the only significant problem involved the limo service from home: to and from the airport, would not want to deal with this limo company again.. Read Less

We had been wanting to go on a river cruise. This was our first one and we chose this itinerary because the timing fit with other plans made. We enjoyed the small passenger feel. The staff worked hard to see that you were comfortable and had everything you needed. Some of the special things we enjoyed was the “Meet your Neighbors” event, where all your cabin neighbors met in the hall, drank champagne and had chocolates, and visited. Often we were greeted at the door after an excursion by staff with something to drink or warm washcloths. It was a very nice touch. We also enjoyed the Liars Club, which was hilarious! The cooking class was not at all what was expected. It was more of a comedy show and everyone had a great time. The Russian history lessons were very interesting and we were so impressed with the knowledge of our three guides. Our excursions were all well planned, informative and enjoyable. We would definitely travel with Viking again. Read Less

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 is very long, accommodating about 240 passengers. There are several dining rooms, lounge areas, bars, meeting rooms, large wide decks and even a shop. The suites are small, yet comfortable with large windows, cupboards and a small bathroom with sink, toilet and shower. Our bags fitted perfectly underneath the beds. We hung all our clothes in the wardrobe. The many staff are efficient, caring and professional. They all go the extra mile. Nothing was ever a problem to any of them. The meals were exceptional and abundant. Our Cruise Director, Victoria, was the best ever! She genuinely cared for her team of passengers and went way above and beyond all expectations. She taught us so much Russian history, while she made the cruise exciting and fun for everyone. Her assistant, Daria, was also exceptional in every way.The shore excursions were well organised and informative, with a broad variety of options. We enjoyed an amazing folk show in St Petersburg and another in Moscow. Victoria and Daria took us on a night tour of the amazing Moscow underground Metro. We went inside the Kremlin and enjoyed some amazing night shopping. There was no shortage of entertainment on board for everyone, while the land excursions took us to some of the most amazing palaces and places in the world. This was clearly one of the great highlights of our entire lives! Gary & Debbie Martin. Australia Read Less

We had dreamed of visiting Russia and decided to go with another pair of friends . We found The Volga Dream Program: 3 days in St. Petersburg, 6 days on board and 3 days in Moscow. Everything was perfect: the five-stars hotels, Grand Hotel Europe in St.Petersburg and The Ararat in Moscow, both are excellent and located in the best place of the each city. The boat was very good, the itinerary was varied. We visited small towns like Svirstroy where we were at old lady, who told us about Russian lifestyle and traditions and the unforgettable time we passed at the primary school and beautiful cities like Yaroslavl and Uglich. Time on board was very well planned: Russian and cooking lessons but the Prof. Ludmila Selezneva´s lectures were outstanding. I realized about my ignorance about the different topics of the Russian History, Art and Politics. I learned a lot thanks to Prof. Selezneva. The service was impeccable, our cabin was always clean and tidy on time and at the dining-room we've had the best waitress in the world: Luzmila. Congratulations to the Cruise Director Catherine Panfilova. Special mention deserve all the local guides; well prepared, high English Level and very helpful ladies. I recommend Volga Dream experience widely!! Read Less

We took our very enjoyable 1st ever river cruise - Viking’s River of the Tsars. The quality of accommodation, services, food, and tours was in all cases very good. Our chief disappointment was their disregard for a very simple way to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way by reducing their use of single use water bottles which they pass out by the hundreds daily. Despite repeated efforts after our return to learn why they choose not to provide reusable water bottles and water, we have been unable to get an explanation, in part perhaps because they seem to have no department to which environmental performance/sustainability is assigned. If attention to environmental protection/sustainability is important to you, please bring a reusable water bottle. The water on board is perfectly safe to drink, and is served at meals and in the bars. Also please REPLY TO THIS POSTING indicating if you too would be happier as a Viking customer if they provided a reusable water bottle and water refilling stations, so that their corporate decision makers can see that this is something that their customers value and want. Food service was very attentive and meals were tasty and well presented. The wine and beer served with lunch and dinner were of good quality. The tour guides provided from the ship were very well versed in information of interest, and their English was easy to understand. Some of the optional tours especially in Moscow could easily be done at substantially lower cost on one’s own using the very efficient and low cost subway system. Read Less

The Waterways of the Tsars is definitely the best way to see Russia. Viking knows how to pay attention to every detail! The service on the ship was excellent! Luigi and Rey in the dining room were perfection; they knew our names by the second day and had our drinks ready when we sat down. Valeriya kept our stateroom so neat and tidy - it made us feel comfortable after our busy days in the different ports. We like to stay active and were happy with the number of shore excursions. It was unusually hot when we visited; Viking had water bottles for us every time we left the ship and another beverage available when we returned. It was nice while in port in both Moscow and St. Petersburg to be able to walk off the ship and experience everyday Russian life. tWe loved the experience so much we booked another Viking cruise a week after returning from Russia! Read Less

This trip gave my husband and me an opportunity to explore St Petersburg and Moscow with the added bonus of seeing some pretty villages and scenery along the way. It was an added bonus that we could unpack our belongings and have a familiar comfortable room to sleep in each night. We were very lucky with sunny weather, and found the use of our own balcony a great treat so we were able to have a quiet chill out and watch stunning sunsets as we sailed past sunken churches and incredible locks. The ship was kept immaculately clean, the day to day running of trips and activities was very well organised and the staff were helpful, friendly and courteous. There was a varied food menu and a good choice of table arrangements to cater for different sized groups. After our evening meal we had the choice of cultural enrichment lectures, trips to the theatre ( the ballet in St Petersburg was well worth a visit), social quiz evenings, films screened in our room or quiet drinks with new friends in the bar. Read Less

My wife is a college history professor and this is one of the "bucket list" trips for her as we approach retirement. We had done the Danube river cruise on Viking several years ago with my sister and her husband but this trip we did alone which turned out wonderfully as we interacted more with others on the boat and met a lot of great people. We did the Helsinki addition at the front end which was perfect. A few days in a great city and it allowed us to decompress and adjust to the time change before boarding the ship in St. Petersberg. The ship was older but had been recently completely remodeled by Viking and appeared brand new. The Captain and crew on the ship, especially Margot the tour director were outstanding. Food and accommodations were exvellent. As always, Viking puts together terrific tour guides and first rate tours. Perhaps some of the highlights for us were attending the ballet in St. Petersberg and the Opera at the Bolshoi in Moscow. The river cruise took us to a number of locations that most travelors to Russia probably don't get to see and we had a chance to learn about the country outside of the big cities. Would highly recommend the cruise. Next up: Egypt and the Nile. Read Less

Volga Dream has a huge advantage over other Russian river cruises because the passengers stay in luxury hotels in the heart of St. Petersburg and Moscow. The days spent in these two major cities can begin early because there is no wasted time being driven in from the dock. Also, it is easy to walk to restaurants and other places after a day of touring; many special memories were made in the evening as we explored on our own. Beginning with securing a reservation, all of the Volga Dream team gave us excellent service. On board the ship, the meals were varied and always delicious. Our cabin and the rest of the ship was always clean. Our cabin was quite small because we chose the least expensive option. However, we did so in order to be part of the Platinum level tour group. It was well worth it to be in a smaller group and to receive some meals and other perks in the two major cites. On board, my wife and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. We were recognized and presented with a special gift. Other highlights on the ship involved taking Russian language lessons and attending each of the Professor's lectures. And, of course, seeing the beautiful countryside from the ship. We hope to return to Russia again one day. If we are able to do so, we will certainly be back on the Volga Dream! Read Less

Provided everything I wanted from the tour. Places and excursions were all the things I wanted to see and do at a pace I was happy with and not too rushed. All trips really well organised with knowledgable guides. Everything ran to time and appeared smooth and effortless. Ship provided everything required. The attention to detail and service was far better than I anticipated as this was my first time with Viking. Cabin was lovely, balcony was great as allowed private relaxation when cruising. Cabin staff discreetly attentive. Food was wonderful. Different menu every night with lovely regional dish options. For me the entertainment was more than sufficient as had not gone on this trip for lively evening entertainment. Gentle live lounge music and some quizzes which were fun. Can not fault this trip or the ship at all. Would definitely use again and recommend Viking to others. Testament is that most passengers had previously sailed with Viking, many more than once. Read Less

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This was our second cruise with Viking. The first cruise in China was very good. The ship was clean and looked newer. Our cabin was not overly spacious, but comfortable for the two of us. There were enrichment lectures that were informative, the entertainment was a singer and a man playing the piano every night. The service of most of the ship members was good, what you would expect, with the exception of the dining room. The excursions all seemed to include three churches, which got old. St Petersburg was nice, Moscow not so much. In between we stopped in small towns, toured the churches and looked at icons. But we did have one major problem. When we booked we let Viking know we have a special diet; for health reasons we don't eat meat or dairy products (vegan diet). They said it wouldn't be a problem and it wasn't last time so we were really looking forward to the cruise from St Petersburg, Russia to Moscow. We got on board and were encourage to buy future cruise credits. We signed up to buy four. At dinner the first night we asked to speak with the head waiter to let him know we were the passengers with the special diet. I told him that for us, enjoying good food really makes for a good cruise. I let him know instead of expensive meat and deserts, we like beans, black, pinto, kidney, tofu, steamed or grilled vegetables and potatos. He said oh, we have limited amounts of those. We were docked in St. Petersburg four days and a grocery store was within walking distance, if Viking would have cared to get these items. At our request, the head waiter would bring us the menu for the next day so we could see what we could eat and request additional items. Every night we would ask for some additional vegetables, rice, potatos or beans and almost every day we came to lunch and dinner and did not get any of these items. When we asked our server where are the vegetables we asked for, they would respond, the chef didn't make them. This went on day after day, until the ninth day. For lunch we were given a bowl of hot water with a few pieces of potato in it and a small bowl of rice. We asked for the vegetables we ordered and were told the chef did not make them. I left lunch hungry and it was six hours until dinner. At dinner I was so hungry, I called over the head waiter, raised my voice and told him what has been happening is unacceptable. Day after day we ask for inexpensive food that is easy to prepare and we come to the table and get nothing! How do you expect us to enjoy the curise when we are walking around hungry all the time? We have been on almost 20 cruises and have never had such poor food in quality or quanity. The last three days of the cruise, the food improved. The chef said at the beging of the cruise we would gain five pounds, I lost two pounds and had to tighten my belt a notch so my pants wouldn't fall down. UNBELIVABLE! Needless to say, we cancled purchasing future cruise credits. This was our second and last Viking cruise. At the conclusion of the cruise I filled out a survey and let Viking know about our unpleasent experience. We have been home well over a month now and Viking has not sent an email or called to explain the horrible service. Read Less

My sister and I choose this cruise due to our desire to see Russia. Our other motivation was Viking was offering free airfare in the year 2018 for this cruise. The ship shape is differ from the long ships Viking uses for their other river cruises. But once the cruise was started and we could feel the open waters we were cruising we understood the reason why. We absolutely loved our cruise. The biggest factor contributing to this result, other than the amazing Russian cites we visited , was the crew onboard the Akun. They went above and beyond to make sure each passenger was enjoying themselves. Those working the front desk went to great extremes to accommodate a special sightseeing request that my sister and I had to tour the Hermitage storage facility. The staff in the dining room were special. Very attentive, engaging and friendly. We developed a fond friendship by the end of the cruise. We hated to say goodbye to "our girls". Some of my fondest memories came from the home hosted visit in Uglich and a tour of the children art center in Kuzino. Although we enjoyed all the tour excursions. We arrived in St. Petersburg a few day prior to departure and the hotel arranged by Viking was centrally located to allow easy touring on our own. Plus there was always a Viking representative available during the day for tips regarding restaurants and sightseeing. Read Less

There aren't a whole lot of ways to "go see" Russia. Viking River Cruises seemed like an ideal way to see some of this big country. We flew into St. Petersburg a few days early through Viking & were met at the airport and whisked away to our very nice hotel right downtown across the street from St. Isaac's Cathedral. We spent some time exploring the city on our own, then went on a Viking sponsored walking tour as well. Finally we checked out of our hotel and Viking collected our luggage and bussed us (and other Viking Passengers) out to where the Ship was moored. We spent a couple more days in St. Petersburg exploring more of the city and surrounding countryside. We did Viking Bus tours, Walking Tours, and even a boat tour seeing all of the major sites in and around the city. Our Guides were all very knowledgeable and professional and had unique access to a number of the sites. The ship has appx. 200 passengers on board. Our cabin was spacious enough so we could easily unpack all of our clothes and not worry about re-packing and moving as if staying in a hotel. Our room had all the amenities of a modern hotel. The ship was very clean and the staff super friendly. Most all meals were on board the Ship and were bountiful and tasty with a wide variety of food choices, including Russian and regional dishes. Both Ala Carte and Buffet dining options are available. The cost of all your meals and drinks with dinner are included in the cruise price. There is no assigned seating for meals, so we dined with many different interesting people. Other activities while on board include informational lectures about Russia, both historically & current times, and Russian Language lessons. Viking offers several onboard fun activities like Vodka Tasting too. There is plenty to do while on board: there is a small gift shop, a small library, of course a bar/lounge with musical entertainment, an open air deck topside with a covered area, and a second lounge area at the stern. The crew and staff work hard so you feel like a pampered guest, and they succeed. The ship stops every day to visit interesting places along the way with shore excursions. We stopped at two open air museums (Kizhi & Mandrogy) with buildings that had been brought in from various parts of Russia, these were often staffed with period correct craftspeople who could answer questions, as well as sell hand crafted items. We also stopped at a small city (Uglich) where we went on a walking tour and visited a local Russian couple in their home to talk of their life in Russia. And we visited a larger city (Yaroslavl) for a walking tour, a visit to the food & craft market and visits to other sites. We visited many religious sites (Russian Orthodox), Churches, Cathedrals and Monastaries. I was surprised by the amount of religious art, treasure and influence that has survived in Russia. There are also ample shopping opportunities along the way & your guides will let you know where you can get the bes deals. Finally it was on to Moscow for the finish of our trip. We spent several days in Moscow, again seeing all of the major sites through walking tours, bus tours, and a boat tour. The only downside in both St. Petersberg & Moscow is the ship docks are outside the cities a ways, so you will be in for daily bus rides of an hour to an hour and a half to get from the ship to the city centers. Overall on this trip I feel like we saw the best parts (and a wide variety) of Russia. Both St. Petersburg and Moscow are large cosmopolitian cities with lots of attractions to visit. The Russian people were friendly and open and honest with us. The open air museums give a sense of what life in the countryside was like, and it helped to visit smaller towns and cities to see what daily life in Russia is like. We went to many museums and palaces and religious sites. The guides of Viking are terrific and knowledgeable as are the site specific guides they use. This was a very enjoyable and easy trip and I would do it again. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the two end destinations - St. Petersburg which we had seen briefly in the past, and Moscow which we had no special knowledge about. The ports in between were not "must see" destinations but were very pleasant places to spend a short amount of time. There is very little jaw-dropping scenery as there are in fjords, but the birch forests are calming and beautiful. The Viking ship was quite nice, with good room amenities, and staterooms seemed slightly larger than comparable ocean cruise staterooms. The food was good, but not varied, due to the small size of the ship and kitchen. The local specialties were well done and tempered to western expectations. The ship had a stellar housekeeping crew, both charming and efficient. The land tours, most which were part of the basic cost, were excellent, and the tour guides were also responsible for the learning and orientation sessions on the ship, which gave good continurity throughout the cruise. Read Less

Our 3rd Viking River Cruise was in Russia. On the Viking Truvor. The ship is nice, the rooms are nice.. It was exactly what we have experienced in the past. But food!!!! was a very different experience.. One we will try to forget very soon!!!.. The offerings were just plain cheap.. Canned tuna, TILAPIA!!! (Possibly the dirtiest and worst fish you can ever eat) Roast Turkey?? etc... If this is because of the tariffs imposed on western goods in Russia, they should have offer boil potatoes and soup.. In general the food was a disaster to say the least.. Talking with the crew, I found out that the menus are designed in their corporate offices, so I will say the Chef had nothing to do with it.. Even if he did poorly a couple of times.. The service was great but missed orders several times.. The entertainment was talented,,, but not for this venue.. Eventually people started calling the bar "The Nap Room".. Their repertoire was extremely elevator music.. Terrible.. Our room was always impecable thanks to the cleaning staff. Our excursions and enrichment were absolutely Fantastic.. We are now booked on Viking for Vietnam and Cambodia for December 2019. We are seriously considering canceling.. It is sad to see Viking slowly going down on the quality of the menus.. I would highly recommend visiting Russia, but not on Viking until they fix their food offerings.. Read Less

This is the best way to see the two major cities of Russia, Moscow and St.Petersburg and enjoy the ability to unpack, cruising through the countryside and lake/river/canal systems seeing some unique places and have specialist tour guides explaining it all. Four full days in the major cities gave time to see all the special places, plus the lunches provided downtown avoided wasted travel time back and forth from the vessel. Several evening entertainment programs were included like the Ballet and Moscow Circus. Comfortable coach transfers to all venues and guides who added to the valuable information The variety of food on offer at all meals, including late suppers was amazing and always fresh fruit to take anytime and a coffee/tea station on two levels. I suggest this cruise had more to offer than most other river options and being fully inclusive of everything except gift shop purchases meant very good value Read Less

I had wanted to go to Russia for 30 years and knew the Viking cruise would give me what I wanted, at least for a first trip. We were able to see the primary points of interest plus some unknown to me. And, going to a country like Russia, I wanted a prominent tour company handling the entire trip. Viking did great! We were met upon arrival, taken to the ship, and settled in before having our first excellent meal in the dining room. Our room, with veranda, became our comfortable home away from home for the next 13 days. Everything was delightful, though the shower/bath is very small. The ladies who took care of the room were delightful and helped with anything we needed. Dining was an experience on its on. The wait staff couldn’t have been better, nicer, friendlier, and more fun. We really enjoyed the time spent with them each day. The ship crew, front desk, etc., were not as friendly. They did their jobs. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and easy to visit with. They were always willing to answer questions. The tours were all very good, though very crowed. My biggest complaint was there being too many of us in a group. There were times when our guide would be two rooms ahead talking about something we weren’t seeing. This was especially true at Peterhof. The included tours were good for an introduction, but not for a detailed visit. Again, there were just too many tourist everywhere we went. Early fall would have been a better time to go. We were very disappointed when we arrived at Red Square. We found huge tents placed right in front of St Basil’s, making any kind of nice photo of the church and the square impossible, though we did get some telephoto shots that were good. We were also disappointed in the Kremlin—again, tents, and huge crowds of people made some photography impossible. Highlights were the river stops and the time sitting on the veranda and watching the scenery go by. It was very relaxing compared to the busyness of the city visits, though they were amazing. I would take this trip again if I could afford it, but i’d take the more in-depth tours. I do hope to go on other Viking tours. Read Less

This was our third trip with Viking and the second River cruise. Unfortunately this experience did not meet our expectations based on previous cruises. First the Good: The waitstaff in the Dining room was excellent. By the end of the cruise they knew who we were, more or less what we wanted and were overall attentive. One evening I lost an earring and just assumed that it was gone. When we came down for breakfast the waiter that we usually had came up and made some jokes (which he did frequently) about losing things and handed me the earring. I have no idea how he knew it was mine, but he did. The food was actually better than I had anticipated that it would be. There were always three choices (meat, fish and vegetarian) and there were three items that were always available (chicken, steak and salmon). Each of our group had one of these options once but otherwise had items from the menu and all were very good. The gal who cleaned the cabin did an excellent job and did so in a timely manner The information talks on the history of Russia were informative and comprehensive. The local guides (except in one case for us) were fabulous. Superb English and very knowledgeable. Most had been working with Viking for years and many had two degrees (one was a professor of Philosophy and chair of his department and did this guide activity in the summer to keep his English up and his mind sharp) The cabin had plenty of storage and a very nice balcony (more on that later) Suitcases fit under the bed with no problem and there were plenty of hangers for everything that we had both brought. Plenty of towels and they were admirably fluffy. The Not so good: The bathroom was tiny and the shower was simply a tiny quarter circle with a curtain and therefore the floor often got wet from the shower. (good thing we had all those towels) With that lovely balcony for most of the trip we could not use it as we were parked next to another boat and sitting on the balcony would have meant looking into someone else's room! St Petersburg was the Viking stockyard as there were always three or four boats abreast. The Viking administration had several issues that they SHOULD have known and SHOULD have dealt with. We were traveling with another couple and had booked one of the optional excursions in Moscow. The day before we got to Moscow and Sasha from Russia was doing the Port talk we noted that he did not give a time for our excursion. The Kremlin tour had been changed because there was a national celebration that occurs every year and the Kremlin was closed the day that we had originally been scheduled to go. Therefore they simply canceled our tour because the day had changed for the Kremlin. When we talked to Sasha he told us that he did not even know that there were people who had paid for that tour (turns out that there were several other couples that we talked to who had also booked it). They claimed not to be able to reschedule that tour and HE indicated that HE could not refund our money that we had to talk to the administration when we got home. We later booked another excursion so as not to be just sitting around and then when we got our bill, they forgot to credit the original excursion to the new one, that took several conversations. As this even is an annual event, the Viking administration should have KNOWN when it was and should have booked our Kremlin excursion on a different day to begin with. On one of our excursions, instead of taking us to a hotel or someplace for dinner (which we had on other Viking cruise excursions) they gave us a Ham and Cheese sandwhich to eat on the bus! Not very appetizing. There were multiple other groups who "cut the line" at the Hermitage while we waited almost an hour to get in. If others could have cut the line tickets, certainly Viking could do that for their excursions as well! There were several places that we went that Rubles were needed but Sasha from Russia had assured us that they were never needed that everywhere took either dollars, euros or credit cards! One of the tour escorts did two of our excursions, his English left a LOT to be desired. I could only understand about every third word, and EVERY time someone asked him a question, he apparently did not understand and gave them an answer that was only circuitously related (for example someone asked where the American Embassy in Moscow was located and his answer was that the American Embassy in St Petersburg had been closed) The final straw was the ride to the airport, we had an early flight so our bus was scheduled for 2:30 AM. we got up after like 3 1/2 hours of sleep and got out to the bus. There was a couple who apparently had overslept. Alexy (our tour escort for our bus) told us that he had called the room with no response. Eventually he actually went to the room and knocked on the door. The two people then were awakened and got up and dressed. We left 35 minutes late. The whole bus told him to have them go on the next bus, but he was determined to wait. Then he had the audacity to announce to the bus that in the 7 years that he had been doing this, this was the longest that he had ever had to wait! We did in fact make the plane but for several of the folks it was very close! In general the excursions were very well done. I really liked them all with the exception of the one island monastery. Read Less

We selected this particular cruise because we always wanted to see Russia! The timing was good for us and of course . . . it's Viking! This is our second experience and we will definitely return again. The ship was lovely and our accommodations spectacular! We particularly enjoyed sunsets at 10:30 pm and met some great people at dinner each evening. Service everywhere was fantastic, the ship was always clean and we enjoyed the food, wine and kind smiles and faces of every staff member. Our director was awesome and so accommodating with each event, activity. We always felt like we were treated to royalty. We really enjoyed the on board studies of Russia, past and present, and tried to learn the language in the classes offered. Fun! Loved the Russian lunch and dancing. Every shore excursion was excellent; guides always knowledgeable and patient. We learned so much! Yes, we will return again! Thank you Viking! Read Less