Golden Ring Russia Cruises MS Dneiper Princess

[Telopea]

We are booked for a Dneiper River cruise in the Ukraine on this boat in June 2011. So far I have not found any critiques on this cruise so would love to hear anything at all about it. The dates fitted so that was that. Anyone?:confused:

[Godeas]

We are debating whether to book the Russian (unknown) or Viking cruise in May 2011. Have you had any information on the Russian company?

[Telopea]

Am sure Viking has a better ship as Dneiper Princess is only rated 3 stars by their own company. I asked for a bit more info and this what I was given:

 

Is there a dress code for the dining room? [jeans?] - It could be casual, however most people will be dressed smart casual style.

 

Are the meals buffet or a set menu? - Only breakfast is buffet, lunch and dinner are several set menu options that you will need to choos from

 

Is wine or beer, tea or coffee provided or does it cost extra at meals? - tea or coffee for free, the rest is extra charge

 

What size is the room we have been allocated ? - 140 Square Feet

 

Are there floor plans for the cabins on any website? - I will try to get that for you.

 

In the cabins is bottled water supplied free of cost? - You can purchase the bootled water at extra charge.

 

Are shampoo or body lotion supplied? - Bring with you there is no shampoo or lotion in the room

 

Is there a hairdryer in the cabin? - you can ask for it on reception

 

Is there a safe in the cabin? - yes

 

Anything else we should know? - I will send you travel tips closer to the departure date.

 

We booked a junior suite in order to have a double bed- I guess the other cabins are even smaller.

Will post when I have more info.

The dates suited us and the cruise was relatively cheap so we have not wasted a lot of money- we have been spoiled with tours in the past so one economy cruise won't hurt.

Trust this helps.

[shoshona2]

To Telopea,

 

Just read your itinerary and it is great!! We took a Black Sea cruise around 2003 and loved Odessa, Sevastopol and Yalta. The Opera House in Odessa was being remodeled when we visited. It is supposed to be beautiful inside. Walking around the city is wonderful. In Sevastopol, we went to see the Panorama of the Defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. If it is not included, you must do this optional. On one of the free days that you are in Sebastopol, you also should take the bus trip to Yalta to the Livadia Palace where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met after WWII. Also, I don't know if your tour includes a tour to Balaklava where the underground secret submarine base is. It was open to the public right after we visited. Our friends who saw it after we were there said it was well worth seeing.

 

You can google any of the above sights to check them out.

 

I have always wanted to go to Kiev since some of my relatives lived there.

 

Have a great time.

 

Sheila

[Telopea]

Hi Sheila,

We are just back from a night away in Sydney [Joe Cocker and Georgie Thorogood and the Destroyers] and found a pile of mail waiting for me so was a bit slow returning to this site..

This is the optional list I was sent for the cruise:

1) Kiev, Cave Monastery – $43

2) Kiev, Visit to St. Sophia’s Cathedral – $45

3) Keiv, Ukrainian National Choir – $48

4) Keiv, Visit to Open Air Museum – $43

5) Keiv, “Kyiv by Night” boat trip with folk show - $55

6) Zaporizhzhia, Cossack Horse Show – $43

7) Sevastopol, trip to Bakhchisarai – $52

8) Sevastopol, Black Sea fleet Ensemble Concert – $52

9) Whole day bus trip to Yalta incl. visiting of Livadia Palace and Alupka incl. visiting of Vorontsov Palace – $95

10) Odessa, Visit to Fine Arts Museum - $50

11) Odessa, trip to Belgorod-Dnestrovsky – $69

12) Odessa, tour “Churhes of Odessa” – $45

13) Odessa, opera or ballet performance – $79

14) Vilkovo or Tulcea, trip to Danube delta – $62

 

Not knowing what tomorrow will bring we seize every opportunity to see as much as possible when we are away. Have been googling away since the trip was first mooted and also have my old copy of LP USSR so The Baltics [our tour prior to the cruise] and the Ukraine are well covered.

Thanks for giving the trip a thumbs-up - I don't really want to waste valuable travelling money.

I am a retired teacher-librarian so researching is 2nd nature and hence also the interest in museums and galleries and 'Kulture'].

Next week we are back to Sydney for a stage play [my choice- hub is the pop music fan] I can make many O/S people envious of the number of times I have been to Sydney Opera House productions.

Ooroo for now.

[shoshona2]

Hi Telopea,

 

Sounds like you really enjoy life as we do. If we ever repeat a port, I go on line and research some museum we missed the previous time. So glad to see that you are taking the optional tour to Yalta. In Sevastopol, the visit to the Panorama of the Crimean War was a "must see". It is well done in a circle and a fascinating exhibit.

 

We just booked a trip to India today. So, we'll be off again after we go on our Russian River Cruise.

 

Sheila

[HDS]

Good afternoon Telopea,

 

We (retired farmer and reacher) are also from country NSW and cruised the Dnipro and Black Sea with Viking in October 2008. We followed with a Volga cruise three days later. We are very pleased we made the trip and I posted a report here on our return.

We realised on these cruises that we are not large group tour people, finding it rather irksome to be pushed, in a group of 50, through a venue at breakneck speed and into the souvenir shop for a long leisurely browse, rather than wandering at our own pace. That disappointment rather coloured my original review. In retrospect, I'm grateful for what we have seen and will try not to dwell on what could have been included or substituted for the souvenir shop.

We enjoyed the ambience of cruising as the shores of sea, river and delta revealed their secrets to us, including a glimpse of the rare river dolphin, the companionship of fellow cruisers and crew and excellent on board lectures by our guides.

We found Ukraine fascinating and wished we had done even more background reading before we left. Odessa city centre and waterfront is being renovated and the buildings and avenues are stunning, including the Opera House. Walk a few more blocks and things are different, interesting and lived in, but not so smart. The country has a lot of challenges.

I would second Shoshona's remarks about the Panorama at Sebastopol and the submarine tunnels. I enjoyed the trip to Bakhchisarai, where we were shown the palace but not the monastery and glimpsed in passing how Crimean moslems live now.

We spent three days in Yalta so had time to explore. Russians still come here to soak up sunshine, think Terrigal circa 1950 but with a shingle beach. I'd give your trip there a big tick, especially Livardia and Alupkinsky Palaces. I detected a resemblance to Australian colonial architecture at Alupkinsky, particularly in the use of timber.

We also enjoyed the Black Sea Choir performance but probably a far cry from Joe Cocker.

I found the Cossack show very corny and dull, a few moments of excellent trick riding, some OK whip cracking and tedious attempts at humour at the expense of unlucky males plucked from the audience. Our shipboard guides had been at pains to explain that the "cossacks" were actors as all Ukrainian Cossacks had been exterminated after the revolution. I did enjoy our glimpse of the town of Z............, some interesting Art Deco buildings.

While our ship refuelled and revictualed at Kherson we were unloaded into a smaller ferry to travel delightful little canals lined with dacha, reminiscent of Australian coastal weekenders of the 1950s. Fishermen's Island, "the Dnipro village where real people live" was a disappointment. Cheap (moonshine) vodka and embroidered linen on sale, neither of which I needed. The village was so "real and lived in" that all the hostesses from the houses and the sellers of handicrafts joined us on the ferry for the return trip to their homes in Kherson.

Both these excursions were included in our fare and other people loved them. It's horses for courses.

Our overwhelming experience was Babi Yar at Kiev, a sobering and heart-wrenching visit to the massacre site and simple memorials to Kiev's Jews and prisoners of war during World War II. A lifetime memory.

I hope you have a wonderful trip, we are so glad we made it.

Remember that this is the opinion of one person, a self-confessed independent traveller who likes time and solitude to soak up the ambience of the venue, is not into slapstick/humiliating comedy or acquiring knick-knacks.

[Telopea]

Hello HDS and Sheila too,

Just had a couple of nights in Sydney [2 plays this time- Just the Ticket & Don Parties On- the sequel to Don's Party= by Australian playwright David Williamson set on the night of the last Federal election- was darned good]

Thanks for your rundown HDS- I'll look for your review.

Agree with you about souvenirs etc. We have been on many coach tours [max 40] and usually find galleries and museums noone else sees eg a special find a Da Vinci in Krakow.

It is good to hear about the quality of the options and special visits.

Whip cracking?= I can watch my neighbour anytime, horseriding?=all about the district are champion rodeo riders.

Will keep up my research and look forward to more comments from this site's participants- thanks...