pogo50

We went last May. It was wonderful! If the weather is nice it’s walkable from the ship and the tickets are under $10.  We went with Viking which was good because it was a rainy night. They gave us umbrellas and our guide took care of checking them during the performance. We dressed nicely, but it was not formal. Coat and tie seemed optional for men. The theater is beautiful and you need to walk around. Make sure you buy the translated program, under $2.00.  The opera was in Italian and the translation above the stage was Ukrainian. Read the translation before the show unless you are very familiar with the opera. Pretty drive through Odessa at night.   GO!

it was a public performance, not just for tourists!

The worst experience I ever had was flying out of Odessa. It was like I had gone back to the '50's to a rural airport with all the "modern" security.

Last year Viking did the pre in Istanbul, so we flew into Kiev mid day and were over jet lag. 

There was a very brief walking tour just around the port area that afternoon.

If you arrive early and want to rest in your cabin you might be up to the welcome talk. 

I find it's easier for me to power through the first day going to bed right after dinner.

We were there in May and we did not, generally do not, prepay the tips. The currency of Ukraine is Hryvnia. I got 5,000 H, which is about $180. I didn't realize that you don't tip the guides daily, as they travel on the ship with you and are tipped through the ship. Also, everything is very inexpensive, by US standards. I ended the trip with a lot of hryvnia left, and used it to pay tips at the end. 

On 6/9/2019 at 7:33 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Do the math but certainly pay in advance if your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee. 

I just came home from Ukraine on May 29. The reason for the amount of the tip is that you do not tip the guides each excursion. They travel with you on the ship, 5 of them, and are tipped from the overall tip paid. It's very nice because you don't get nicked and dimes each day and you get to know the women quite well, as they are on the ship all the time.

We are on the May 17 sailing out of Kiev. We only go as far as Odessa. Bucharest was not an option when we booked a year ago. We have been in Bucharest for the European Sojourn and the hotel and things to see in Bucharest were wonderful. I would go back again for all that we did not have time to see. Bucharest was worth spending time in.

We are booked for the dinner in Kiev and the Opera House in Odessa. I hope the cruise is better than the reviews. We are also doing the "pre" in Istanbul, and I'm excited for that. Anyone else going on the May 17th sailing out of Kiev?