Uniworld - Moscow to St Petersburg May 20th, 2011

[spyke5]

Rained one day in Moscow and has been simi cloudy off and on. Need jacket in mornings and evening if out on deck. Usually in 70s during the day. Now mind you I am from Colorado so this temp seems warm. I do see others in coats. 1% people or less are in shorts here. CrusinGrandma was wondering if you will be doing the circus in moscow. She forgot to pick up a book. I was a very fun show.. Well if you do she would love to pay you for getting here one time shipping and all.. Look at the metro map for Moscow your ship will be on the last stop on the green line north (top of the page). I am telling you this so you can go out on your own if you want. It is far faster than the busses and traffic. They come almost every minute and your 9 stops from all the attractions your want to see. Cost 28 kr per time you go in and out. You want to tour all stations ( a must see) only cost again if you go outside.

[cruiserdt37]

Here are the first photos of the River Victoria:

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150263867446005.368811.24331196004&l=a21e2fedd8

[Rxgrad98]

Hi everyone,

 

A HUGE "thank you" for all of you who post here. I'm booked on the 5/18/2012 sailing of River Victoria and have been searching the internet for reviews and this is the first I have come across, so all the information on Uniworld and Russia in general is greatly appreciated. I did have a couple of questions directed to Ron (seabee22) and Mark (spyke5).

 

Ron, you mentioned that the cabin was small. May I ask what category of cabin you were in? We booked a Category 6 because it was 161 sq ft, even though it was on the bottom deck; but last week we found out that we have been upgraded to a Category 4 room, which oddly, is only 135 sq ft. I'm also concerned that it's located right outside the dining room by the elevator. I'm afraid that it may be a congregating area, and thus noisy.

 

Mark, how are lunches done during the Moscow & St. Petersburg stays? I've read that it can take up to 2 hours just to get into the city center due to traffic and I can't imagine that they take you all the way back to the boat to eat lunch and then head back to the city center for afternoon sightseeing. You would spend most your time on a bus if that were the case.

 

Again, thanks everyone who takes the time to post and share their experiences.

 

Tim

[HDS]

Tim,

 

If you're next to the dining room everyone will walk past your door six times a day.

 

People who are obsessed with getting a particular table or just being first to the buffet will queue before meal time and talk while they queue. If the dining room is five minutes late opening, you will have a babbeling crowd on your doorstep.

 

We cruised with another company in 2008. Our best decision was to spend three days pre and post cruise in hotels in central Moscow and St Petersburg. We read as much as we could, learnt enough Cyrillic to decipher place names and signs in advance. On arrival we used maps to explore independently by public transport and walking. The main venues had English language audio guides for hire and we could view at our own pace.

 

The bus travel on cruise tours from boat to city centre was time-consuming and frustrating. We found the cruise tours crowded, rushed and superficial with more "shopping opportunities" than we needed. We are just not group tour people. We skipped the optional tours and did our own thing.

 

We loved the ambience of river cruising, watching the world go by from the deck and the company of our fellow cruisers. The ports along the river were interesting. Very pleased we made the trip and hope you enjoy as much as we did.

 

Deb.

[spyke5]

Moscow we did go back and forth on the bus and that did take time but they always offered you to stay and take a shuttle back later in the day and the metro is very easy and faster. St Petersburg is giving us box lunches so we can stay and take the next tour from town.

I to would come in early if nothing else to get adjusted to the time pluse you can see mor things. There is to much to see on any tour anyplace. I look at cruising as a preview so I know what I would like to come back and see again. Now or someday in the future.

As for the lower deck cabin it is on the very bottom where the gym, spa and laundry are and down steep stairs. I love my room but it cost out the nose room 403. Better laid out than the Jr. suites. CrusinGrandma will be back befor I will so she will give more info and I will follow up in July after the Baltic extinction.

One thing to think about. If you use a smart phone you can buy a sim card here to run the Internet for a month about 300 to 500 ru and it has been working pretty well. It is a brain drain to get what you want across so best to have someone who can translate for you when you go to a phone store..

[laverendrye]

I'm sorry to hear of seabee22's unfortunate experiences on the River Victoria. I suppose that some hitches can be expected on an inaugural cruise, but it really does seem that Uniworld was not ready to put this ship into full operation. Perhaps after the first season things might improve.

 

I know that there has been some criticism of the Viking Russian river cruises on this board, but my experience (Kirov, St. Petersburg-Moscow, June 2010) was excellent in all regards--accommodation, food, guides, tours and shipboard activities.

 

I think that part of this is that Viking was the pioneer in non-Russian companies to do these cruises, which they have been doing since 1997. Unlike most of the other companies, they actually own their ships which they purchased from the Russian owners when they began these cruises. Three have now been recently upgraded extensively and the fourth is about to be.

[Rxgrad98]

Thanks Deb & Mark for the replies. I was afraid the noise factor would be significant with a room by the dining room. I've thought of calling and asking for another room, but hate to sound so ungrateful with a complimentary upgrade, lol. I keep telling myself that other than to sleep, we won't be in the room that much anyway, so it probably won't be an issue.

 

The box lunches in St. Petersburg sound better than having to drive back to the ship. Just sounds like it wastes so much time to go back and forth that could be spent on sightseeing. We are going a couple of days early, but we're looking at spending two nights in Helsinki with a day trip to Tallinn. Maybe we should reconsider and spend it in Moscow instead. Like you Deb, we're not organized tour types either; we're interested in the culture and history, but we also want to see as much as possible and usually set a fast pace when we're touring.

 

Again, thanks for the replies. Mark, hope you're having a great trip and look forward to reading all about what your's and CruisinGrandma's thoughts were.

 

Tim

[seabee22]

Hi everyone,

 

A HUGE "thank you" for all of you who post here. I'm booked on the 5/18/2012 sailing of River Victoria and have been searching the internet for reviews and this is the first I have come across, so all the information on Uniworld and Russia in general is greatly appreciated. I did have a couple of questions directed to Ron (seabee22) and Mark (spyke5).

 

Ron, you mentioned that the cabin was small. May I ask what category of cabin you were in? We booked a Category 6 because it was 161 sq ft, even though it was on the bottom deck; but last week we found out that we have been upgraded to a Category 4 room, which oddly, is only 135 sq ft. I'm also concerned that it's located right outside the dining room by the elevator. I'm afraid that it may be a congregating area, and thus noisy.

 

Mark, how are lunches done during the Moscow & St. Petersburg stays? I've read that it can take up to 2 hours just to get into the city center due to traffic and I can't imagine that they take you all the way back to the boat to eat lunch and then head back to the city center for afternoon sightseeing. You would spend most your time on a bus if that were the case.

 

Again, thanks everyone who takes the time to post and share their experiences.

 

Tim

Tim -

Seabee here , - Yes I did say the rooms were small, however we were in a Cat 5 room - ( #222 ) deck 2 - last cabin aft - great location - however, since we are large ship cruisers - I felt the room to be too small to be comfortable. The bed took up 75% of the room.. and there was little space to walk around. Our friends had a balconey - cat 3 room ( deck 3)which was a bit larger, and actually had room to wak beside the beds. Still very small compared to any cruise ship I have sailed on. But this is a Riverboat.

Hopefully for all going on after us - the Victoria, and the Uniworld People will have learned a little from some experiance - and the conditions will improve... We are happy that we went - and saw what we saw..... Uniworld has been very gracious to us with a nice rebate for a future cruise in 2012 ........ My wife has recovered from her E- Coli and things are back to normal.

"Fair Winds and Following Seas" to all that that cruise. :)

[shoshona2]

Hi Seabee22,

 

So sorry to hear about your wife's illness. So glad she is getting better. Did anyone else on your river cruise get sick? What a bummer!!!

 

Sheila

[seabee22]

Hi Seabee22,

 

So sorry to hear about your wife's illness. So glad she is getting better. Did anyone else on your river cruise get sick? What a bummer!!!

 

Sheila

 

Sheila :

Nancy did get very ill the last three days of our trip. We did not eat anywhere else than on-board the Riverboat Victoria.... Since she does not eat Pork and / or any mystery meats, she ate mostly salads, and vegetables. ...

 

Our Doctor confirmed "Ecoli" from blood and stool samples the day we returned to Dallas. Others were ill also, but kept it pretty quite, so we all could leave Russia without any problems. One older gentleman was so ill at the ballet, that he had to lay down on some empty seats until we went back to the bus. I think the water on-board caused the problems, as the signs said everywhere - "do not drink the tap water" ... but what do they cook with and wash salads, and vegetables in ??? - "bottled water" - I do not think so ???? - anyway she is much better now - thanks to Rx's.

Seabee / Ron / Plano, Tx:eek:

[shoshona2]

To Ron,

 

What a nightmare! I'm so glad she is getting better.

 

Sheila

[spyke5]

I asked a guest who is in the 100'sand he was offered cat. 4 he said the sieve was much better downstairs and turned down the upgrade. You are on waterline there so I asked if he had good light and he said he did. I did peek into one of the rooms In cat 4. They are small. Everybody seems ok,I have not heard of anybody getting ill this trip. We all eat like pigs it's crazy.. Who is going to make my bed and get my meals when I get home? I will be so lost after this.

[sojac]

Seabee22,

 

Thanks for your comments. If signs say not to drink the tap water on the boat, is bottled water available without cost? Or does one have to pay for it? Also, do you know if ice is made from filtered water?

 

Sojac

[Rxgrad98]

Thanks for the info Ron & Mark. I checked with Uniworld and all the Category 5 & 6 rooms are sold out already for our sailing, so guess we're staying where we're at. I looked at the pictures that Uniworld has posted on their Facebook page of the River Victoria, and the Category 4 rooms do look small. Hopefully though we won't be in the room that much and when we are, we'll be too tired from all the sightseeing to care.

[shoshona2]

To Rxgrad98,

 

When we took a river cruise last summer, we were next to where the dining room was and were not bothered by any noise. Everyone eats at the same time and gets up early to eat before departing the ship. Dinner is only served at one time, also. Enjoy your upgrade.

 

Sheila

[Rxgrad98]

Thanks Sheila! That's good to know that noise wasn't an issue.

 

Tim

[cruzingrama]

Just got home about 21 hrs ago, but had a 3 hr nap so probably won't sleep tonite!! Have to go to work tomorrow :(

First of all, my apologies to you Ron, because after I read your review after returning home I thought, no way! Well I heard otherwise, that you were pretty much right on....

However, things have improved a great deal since you were on the River Victoria.

We arrived to the ship 3 hrs late because our plane in Atlanta had hydraulic problems and we had to get a new one. No problem, our room wasn't quite ready when we got there anyway. We got a bottle of champagne in our room the next day, for 'our inconvenience'.

Uniworld had brought in some of the top company people to oversea the staff. The one guy told us he was their from Uniworld headquarters in Switzerland when we got on board and he was there for 24 hrs, but when he was still there when we sailed we found out he was there for a month. There was a lot of staff running around. They were all over the top greeting us and wishing us well.

The dining staff was fairly efficient but one night it was really long getting served but it appeard to be the kitchen staff, so maybe somebody was sick down there. I didn't hear of anybody getting 'sick' on the ship, but while in Moscow, someone had to leave because of a ruptured apendix or diverticulum and had to remain in Moscow while their family continued on the cruise. Someone else had fallen in their room and wrenched her back and spent the night in an English speaking hospital in Moscow (good to know there is one, although the dr on the ship does not speak English). She came back to the ship and did fine, just moved a little slower.

I thought meals were good. I was not sure what to expect, but I certainly did not loose any weight! I really enjoyed the breads, and wine with dinner. Yes you can have complimentary wine or beer with dinner. The dining room is at the back of the ship, very light and airy and lovely to sit and watch the river go by. Food was good--things I wasn't familiar with at times but I tried trying them and most were to my personal liking.

Wait staff spoke English but somewhat limited. They seemed to be shy at first but by the end they were very friendly and we all enjoyed each other.

Our room had a balcony and the couple we were with were next door and there was a sliding glass so we could open up the balcony and go back and forth. We really enjoyed having our own wine on our deck watching the river go by. Didn't enjoy it as much when their was another boat tied up next to us but that wasn't most of the time. I felt the accommodation was very nice in our category room 322. Only the River Victoria has balconies in Russia at the present but I would venture to say that won't last long. They have set the standard that others will soon follow. As we crossed the other ships they looked dingy by comparison.

I'll have to come back tomorrow to talk about ports and excursions as my daughter called and I had to visit with her. Now it is late and I have to work tomorrow.

I'll address other specific concerns you might have as well. Later.

Lynette

[seabee22]

I asked a guest who is in the 100'sand he was offered cat. 4 he said the sieve was much better downstairs and turned down the upgrade. You are on waterline there so I asked if he had good light and he said he did. I did peek into one of the rooms In cat 4. They are small. Everybody seems ok,I have not heard of anybody getting ill this trip. We all eat like pigs it's crazy.. Who is going to make my bed and get my meals when I get home? I will be so lost after this.

 

Glad to hear no one is getting ill on your cruise .... maybe by now the crew and / or kitchen staff have learned to wash their hands, - or the salads and veggies are being washed in "boiled water " ????? - Good luck and good sailing - It is a wonderful trip if all goes well.

Seabee:)

[franski]

I wonder if the e-coli was connected to the outbreak in central Europe?? They had a significant outbreak - and it did take a bit of time to work things through.

 

Glad your wife has improved --> no one wants e-coli at any time, but it would have to be more concerning in a country where you don't speak the "common" language.

 

Uniworld was in the Russian market a few years ago - and then stopped cruising there. There has always been a disclaimer that it may not be to the standard that people have come to expect from Uniworld in Europe. Glad they decided to rejoin the market there. Competition will encourage all lines to "step it up".

 

We are going to Russia with friends. My friend wants to see the Hermitage - which we could do on a Baltic cruise --> but DH can't see Moscow from a "big" ship. Clean sheets, private bathroom and reasonable food are the priorities for us --> "high end camping" (if that is all that it turns out to be) is just fine for us. We want to see the countryside - and the local sights.

[seabee22]

I wonder if the e-coli was connected to the outbreak in central Europe?? They had a significant outbreak - and it did take a bit of time to work things through.

 

Glad your wife has improved --> no one wants e-coli at any time, but it would have to be more concerning in a country where you don't speak the "common" language.

 

Uniworld was in the Russian market a few years ago - and then stopped cruising there. There has always been a disclaimer that it may not be to the standard that people have come to expect from Uniworld in Europe. Glad they decided to rejoin the market there. Competition will encourage all lines to "step it up".

 

We are going to Russia with friends. My friend wants to see the Hermitage - which we could do on a Baltic cruise --> but DH can't see Moscow from a "big" ship. Clean sheets, private bathroom and reasonable food are the priorities for us --> "high end camping" (if that is all that it turns out to be) is just fine for us. We want to see the countryside - and the local sights.

franski ;

The e-coli was a type that is considered "travelers e-coli " - which means usually "unclean water - and / or unclean habits of employees servicing and / or preparing food"......... My wife did not drink any other than bottled water, - and even brushed her teeth with bottled water. We only ate on the Victoria ....... (from the 23rd ( Monday ) when we went aboard, to the 1st of June when we departed). She became very ill on the 29th of May.............and lost about six pounds before we got home.

 

The Sights and History were all wonderful - and the trip was good except that she became ill. The Hermitage was amazing, as was Peterhof Gardens - and Catherine The Great's Palace... (All which can be done on a Cruise Ship in St Petersburg, as you said ) . Moscow - and the other stops along the River are all very special..... The chance to see St Basils was the reason went !!!! ---

 

So, - go and Enjoy --- it is worth it after all. HOWEVER -- DO NOT DRINK THE WATER ON THE BOAT !!!!! - :eek:

Seabee & Shipmate :D:)

[Rxgrad98]

Hi Seabee,

 

Quick question: your tour to Peterhof, did it only cover the gardens or did you get to go inside the palace itself? Trying to decide if we want to take the optional tour through Uniworld, on our own, or hire an independent tour company. Peterhof and the Amber Room are at the top of my list for this trip, and I'd like to see more than just the gardens at Peterhof.

 

Glad to hear that your wife has recovered from her illness. I've been in her shoes before on vacation and it's a pretty horrible experience.

 

Tim

[seabee22]

Hi Seabee,

 

Quick question: your tour to Peterhof, did it only cover the gardens or did you get to go inside the palace itself? Trying to decide if we want to take the optional tour through Uniworld, on our own, or hire an independent tour company. Peterhof and the Amber Room are at the top of my list for this trip, and I'd like to see more than just the gardens at Peterhof.

 

Glad to hear that your wife has recovered from her illness. I've been in her shoes before on vacation and it's a pretty horrible experience.

 

Tim

Tim :

The Uniworld ( Boat ) "optional tour" was for the Perterhof Gardens and a Hydrofoil ride ( 30 minutes ) from The Hermitage w/ box lunch to the Palace and Gardens ... The tour did not include entrance to the Palace. We then went back to the boat via bus.... Totally worth the fee.....

I do believe the Palace at Peterhof is available for tours, but we did not have the time to even check it out... :confused: All of our tours were so rushed, my wife had little time to shop - and she was upset at the Hermitage - as everyone told her to wait to buy any jewelry until we got there - then we only had 20 minutes until the tour left to building ...:mad: - Seabee.

[shoshona2]

To Tim,

 

This Palace as well as Catherine's Palace with the Amber Room are MUST SEES!! If you don't see both, you will miss a chance to see two of the most beautiful sights in St. Petersburg.

 

Hire a private guide if you don't want to take the optional with your your company. Go to the Russian Ports section of this CC Board and check out private guides.

 

Sheila

[seabee22]

I asked a guest who is in the 100'sand he was offered cat. 4 he said the sieve was much better downstairs and turned down the upgrade. You are on waterline there so I asked if he had good light and he said he did. I did peek into one of the rooms In cat 4. They are small. Everybody seems ok,I have not heard of anybody getting ill this trip. We all eat like pigs it's crazy.. Who is going to make my bed and get my meals when I get home? I will be so lost after this.

spyke :

Are you on the Victoria presently ??? - A friend of ours has a brother on board this week taking the same trip we did..... if you are onboard - please look up MARTY GOLDSTEIN for me - and, tell him Carol said to say

Hello and have a Good Time.:)

Seabee

[cruzingrama]

Will add a little more to my review:

Sorry about your wife's e-coli, that is not fun. We tried to be careful and they did provide bottled water in our rooms (we heard that wasn't done the first trip).

We had light rain our first day in Moscow on our city tour, so pictures were dampened. It let up and stopped by afternoon but we were underground on the metro tour anyway. That evening we had a lovely concert from some locals with their folk instruments.

Second day was beautiful and pictures were much better with sunshine. Toured the Kremlin and evening went to the Moscow circus. That was really delightful.

Last day in Moscow we ventured forth on our own on the metro to Red Square and GUM. Had to be back on board for the Captains Welcome cocktail party. (we are such party animals)

While we were cruising there was a guest lecturer, a Professor Inna Gritsenko who spoke 5 days in a row, an hour each day about Russian history and politics, moving to present day by the last. Her final session was Q&A. She was very knowledgeable and the lectures were very well attended.

Uglich was our first stop on the waterways and it was good to get off the boat. Had a nice walking tour and those shops were really nice and I wish I'd have bought more stuff there. They had some really nice things. One note about shopping. You must have Rubles for the shops inside stores, by russian law, but vendors may choose to take other currrency or not. Most prefer rubles, and dont' like to give change. I swear I never saw such an issue with getting smaller bills. Even in one of the banks in Moscow the lady behind the cage would not even change a 500 ruble note! You must be creative in obtaining change. You will need 20 rubles for some bathrooms, and smaller bills for bus driver tips and tour guide tips.

Yaraslov was the place to buy your lacquer boxes, they had some very nice one. They would take your credit card! The puppet theatre was cute! That afternoon during our sailing we had a Russian Blini presentation by one of the cooks--got to taste also. They cannot get maple syrup in Russia so plan on their delicious jams for your pancakes!

On Sunday, Fathers Day, they had champagne for breakfast along with russian caviar. What a treat! Later visited a russian monastery and saw some real Russian orthodox monks. The service had just ended when we arrived. I had hoped to experience that. Then visited the house of childrens' Arts and Crafts. They did a cute presentation.

The next day we were invited to visit the captains bridge and visit with the captain through an interpreter. Got some nice photos there.

We had a late afternoon stop at Kizhi Island and that was really interesting to see how the peasants lived in the 19th century. That evening we had VODKA TASTING on the boat!

In Mandrogi we had the entire time to explore on your own. My DH and I were probably the only ones who took the brief ferry ride to the island to see the mini zoo, and wooden carvings of one of Pushkins own fairy tale poems.

Lunch was a picnic in the really nice covered patio with picnic tables. Grilled chicken and beef on schewers with asst salads and desserts. Local vendors walked around to sell beer and sodas, but tea and water were provided.

Back on board we watched the video the two photo lads had put together and it was pretty good so we purchased one. Has many shots of the places we visited (stock, when it was sunny) that we had not been able to get.

Then we were in St Pete and the trip was drawing to a close. We did all the available tours plus my friend and I toured the place where Rasputin was killed and the men went to the Peter and Paul Fortress. That night was the ballet.

Next day The Hermitage with the hydrofoil ride to Peterhoff Gardens and bus back to the boat. Captains fairwell cocktail party, followed by the fairwell dinner. I must say that if you ate at the back of the dining room, you didn't see much of the captain! But that was a nice place to eat with a nice view, even if you were docked on either side of another boat.

Last day you can't miss Catherine's Palace and then the canal cruise (perfect weather--not too hot or sunny and no rain!) puts a different perspective on St Pete.

Finish packing and last night on the boat.

Many good memories and met several new friends. With 191 passengers on board you could sit with a new couple every meal, but by the end you'll have some favorites. Many different countries, many Canadians and lots of Aussies. One couple from New Zealand, and several from S.Africa.

I'm sure I missed a few things. I may add later with questions or as my brain recovers from jet lag.