OAT/Grand Circle vs Viking Russia River Cruise on-board activities

[CruzingCarol]

From the itinerary details on their websites, it appears that GCT offers more on-board activities (Russian language lessons, nesting doll painting, cooking) than Viking. Could those of you who have been on these cruises please comment on 1) whether Viking has any, and 2) the value of these activities?

 

Thanks!

Carol

[seveneleven]

I am a Carole and wonder about a Russian river cruise in 2013. The only line I have looked at is Viking since they mailed a brochure for 2 for 1 fares. I am not familar with the company you inquired about. A friend said the food is getting pretty bland in Viking.

[pacmom]

We did take a Viking Russia trip--not the best of their trips. There were 2 language lectures, a few history lessons, a cooking demo and a vodka tasting. Never taken an OAT trip so can't tell about them. Pat

[beverlyjack]

We took the Grand Circle Russia Revealed cruise about 8 years ago, when they were just returning to that route. At that time they we using a chartered ship. They have since bought and totally upgraded 2 ships of their own. The itinerary was excellent with many educational sessions, including one or two Russian language lessons, the most important part being the Cyrillic alphabet. Once you understand the alphabet, you can actually read a great deal of Russian. It would be actually very rewarding to try to learn the alphabet in advance. There was a three session presentation on Russian History, with each session done by a different program director each with their own opinions. The sessions were broken down to Czarist Russia, Soviet Union days and Russia of today. At one stop college students came aboard to discuss their lives and views. There were cooking and art presentations and one session learning to sing Russian songs. It was great fun.

 

Grand Circle uses only native Russians as program directors and places high priority on understanding the local culture and people on all their trips. We had one stop, I forget which city, where we visited a Russian woman for breakfast in her apartment, to get a better idea how people live.

 

Grand Circle does not do mass marketing or sell through travel agents. Their primary marketing is through referrals from current customers and direct mail marketing to people who have traveled with them or requested catalogs. We have taken 13 trips with them and their sister company , Overseas Adventure Travel, including 6 river cruises. We chose them first, for Egypt, based on price comparisons and continue with them because we like how they do things. Their web site is http://www.gct.com. We would be glad to answer questions on this trip, as it would awaken memories of it, via this forum, Email, phone or whatever. My Email is jackthetravelingman@gmail.com.

[4774Papa]

We did Russia with Vantage and it was great, including the food on the riverboat. Also, lots of on-board activities.

[Viking Cruises]

From the itinerary details on their websites, it appears that GCT offers more on-board activities (Russian language lessons, nesting doll painting, cooking) than Viking. Could those of you who have been on these cruises please comment on 1) whether Viking has any, and 2) the value of these activities?

 

Thanks!

Carol

 

Dear Carol,

 

We’re happy to hear that you’re considering a river cruise in Russia! It’s a destination that is particularly dear to us — it is where we got our start 15 years ago. Our roots in this wonderful country are deep, providing an immersive experience for our guests, all of whom enjoy traveling with a guide who is a local and a Russian expert. Many of these guides have been with Viking River Cruises for over a decade.

 

One of the most memorable onboard experiences for our guests is traveling with, and being entertained by, performers from St. Petersburg’s famous Mariinsky Theatre. To help you decide if that may be of interest to you, you can see a bit of one of their opera singers, Maya, performing with Viking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5W6sjFCbIU. And since your question was specific to onboard activities, we wanted to let you know that our Culture Curriculum℠ in 2012 includes: a few Russian language lessons; lectures and roundtable discussions about Romanov Czars, Vladimir Putin, and perestroika; a Russian cooking workshop; and participating in Russian tea time.

 

Additionally, our Waterways of the Czars itinerary also features a very special (and fun) home-hosted visit in the city of Uglich, which you can view here: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/russia-river-cruises/#At_Home_in_the_Country. And throughout your cruise you will have the option of dining on traditional Russian dishes – which is yet another way to truly experience the country you will have traveled so far to see.

 

For more information and additional videos about our Russian itinerary you can visit us online here: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/russia-river-cruises/. We’d also be happy to answer any other questions you may have at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com.

 

We hope you’re enjoying the process of planning a trip — and we sincerely hope you come to love Russia as much as we do! (And thank you for indulging us by reading this post and viewing the videos. We really are so passionate about the country that we sometimes can’t hold back!)

 

Kindly,

Viking River Cruises

[CruzingCarol]

Thank you everyone for all your comments. Looking at possibly doing this in Summer 2013, with my 23-year-old daughter. Yes, I've prepared her for the older crowd :-) Since there

is no night life on board, the daytime activities become a little more important. And a river cruise just seems like the best way to see Russia - the large cruise ships only stop in St. Petersburg.

 

Jack, I appreciate the details. You'll probably be hearing from me with more questions :-)

 

I looked at Vantage, but it appears that they use hotel accomodations for Moscow and St. Petersburg, and I'd rather not be packing/unpacking that much :-)

 

and thank you Viking for your response - I had also posted a similiar question on the Viking website, and received an e-mail from one of your travel consultants.

[4774Papa]

Thank you everyone for all your comments. Looking at possibly doing this in Summer 2013, with my 23-year-old daughter. Yes, I've prepared her for the older crowd :-) Since there

is no night life on board, the daytime activities become a little more important. And a river cruise just seems like the best way to see Russia - the large cruise ships only stop in St. Petersburg.

 

Jack, I appreciate the details. You'll probably be hearing from me with more questions :-)

 

I looked at Vantage, but it appears that they use hotel accomodations for Moscow and St. Petersburg, and I'd rather not be packing/unpacking that much :-)

 

and thank you Viking for your response - I had also posted a similiar question on the Viking website, and received an e-mail from one of your travel consultants.

Vantage's hotels are in the city center. In Moscow we were a mile from Red Square. In STP, we were a mile from the Hermitage. We were able to explore on our own, walking.

You may have to uppack a couple of times, but you won't spend two hours each way on the bus commuting into the city.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

cdeame, I think you have much to look forward to no matter who you cruise with. From my research, all of them have pros and cons, it's just a matter of which one has more pros for you. They all follow the same basic itinerary, many have similar ship accommodations. The more expensive cruises appear to have upgraded their ships, so your "digs" will be fancier and might include a balcony. As papa pointed out, with his cruise, they stayed in the city which gave them more of a feel for the city and more time in the city since they weren't commuting for hours each day. His cruiseline included a lot more tours that other companies offer as "options". He took the "Hyatt" version of the Cruise :) Some of the cruises are now using hydrofoils as a way of getting rid of the lengthy commutes each way, each day (as papa said, it can be as much as 2 hours each way). My 20 year old daughter and I are taking the budget cruise "Best Western" version, lol, :p. Our ship is charming, older, and the rooms are basic. Our tours our basic. Everything else is an option. Even with buying options, our cruise is cheaper. We're budget travellers, so it's perfect for us.

 

My Aunt took her first river cruise on Viking several years ago. She and her husband are well travelled, and they had a great time (this was before all the ships were refurbished). They said there were lots of onboard activities, but they didn't partake in many of them. They were more than content to chat with other cruisers and sightsee on the decks. Viking has some great videos on their website. They would be fun to watch for anybody taking a Russia cruise- no matter the cruiseline. But it would show you some of the options for onboard activities and show you what Viking is like as an option.

 

My daughter and I know we'll be the young 'uns on our ship. We plan to take part in our onboard activities (standard things: Russian language classes, Russian folk song singalongs, matryoshka doll painting, Russian history, etc) as well as the fun silly stuff (Pirate night, talent show). It all sounds fun and lighthearted and if it's not, we always have our Kindles, lol! As long as we can get our hands on some pop and chocolate, have a private bed and a shower and some nice people to chat with, we're contented cruisers. We're looking forward to meeting new friends and experiencing new cultures and having an overseas adventure. I hope you find the right cruise for you and your daughter!

[Travelntanya]

Carol, what a wonderful trip to experience with your granddaughter! I can only speak for GCT river cruises as my mother (69) and I (42) went on GCT in March of 11' down the Blue Danube. GCT is a company that caters to Americans and is run top notch. The boats are kept immaculate, food delicious and their staff knowledgable. On the downside, you will miss the opportunity to mingle with travelers from other countries (while on your boat) and your granddaughter will be the youngest on the cruise. The makeup of a GCT traveler (in my opinion) is: mature, American, and affluent/professional. Everyone was extremely nice and eager to learn about new cultures, etc. The included excursions where very good but a little slower paced than what my mother and I would have liked but we were aware of this and pre-planned side trips on our own after the included port excursion was over. Doing it this way made our tirp great. If we had not "broken off" from the pack a few times I think we would have felt like we missed some great sight seeing opportunities. We purchased our trip as a "last minute deal" from their official website (about 6 weeks from departure date) which really gave us a great value for our dollar. I'm sure you will have a trip of a lifetime with whichever tour company you choose.

[4774Papa]

We enjoyed the Russian food more than we thought we would. One thing, if you don't like dill. you probably won't like Russian food.

[CruzingCarol]

Vantage's hotels are in the city center. In Moscow we were a mile from Red Square. In STP, we were a mile from the Hermitage. We were able to explore on our own, walking.

You may have to uppack a couple of times, but you won't spend two hours each way on the bus commuting into the city.

 

Papa, That's definitely a good point. Another thing that concerned me on their website was the description of the cabins as "Can be used for single accommodation as one of the beds is a foldaway bed." My vision of a foldaway bed is not a very comfortable one - can you comment on that please?

[CruzingCarol]

Pixiegirl - when are you going?

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Pixiegirl - when are you going?

 

Our cruise is July 10th-21st of this year on the ms. Russ.

You asked about the foldaway bed... On our ship (and many of the Russian ships) have tiny little cabins with "cots" (they look smaller than a twin), one of which will fold up "murphy style" into the wall and let the remaining cot act as a sofa. The bathrooms are also unique with the showers consisting of a drain in the floor between the sink and stool, a pull around curtain and a shower that attaches to the sink! The more expensive cruise lines have newer ships with more standard cabin and bathroom set ups. I told my daughter to think of our room as a river floating camper from the 1970's or 1980's. ;) I'm trying to post some pictures for you... Keep in mind, these are from the ship my daughter and I will be on~ very much the budget cruise, but still with some charming spaces. If you can afford nicer accommodations, they are out there. K and I are spending several days in Amsterdam and London as pre and post trip extensions (done on our own). We are doing europe on a shoestring but we're giving our pennies a workout, lol! If you google the ship names of the Viking and Vantage fleets, you can see how their ships compare. I will say that ours is less than 1/2 of those other prices- if money is a factor. If not, enjoy the nicer ship! :) It's nice to have choices. Five to ten years ago, there wasn't one.

[beverlyjack]

Cdeame,

 

The ship that we were in in 2004 with Grand Circle was the Nicholay Cherneychevski(sp), which is basically the ship that Pixiegirl describe with the pulldown cots. The beds were really sheets of plywood with a mattress of thin foam. the bathroom was all in one toilet, shower and sink, with a drain in the floor. In 2004 most of the ships sailing the Russian rivers and on the Yangtze in China were of the same design, built in East Germany. Vantage actually chartered the same ship as Grand Circle at that time, probably so that they could make use of the crew members with some English skills. Despite the Russian design and furnishings, it was a wonerful trip. The ship was kept spotless, by the friendly, but non English speaking crew. For 2005 Grand Circle purchased the Tikhi Don and, for 2007, the Rossia, refitting them to Western European standards, apparently making two cabins out of three, adding real beds and and modern bathrooms, and an elevator. The result was larger and more comfortable cabins than those that they sail on the Rhine, Danube and Seine. As I said before, we would be glad to dig out our photos to refresh our memories to answer any questions that we can on the trip.

 

Jack

[CruzingCarol]

wow, that room does look cozy :-)

 

pixiegirl, I'd love to hear about your trip when you get back, and any thoughts your daughter has on making it as fun as possible for her age group. cdeaster56 @ yahoo . com

if you find the time

 

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time in Amsterdam and London. I was in Amsterdam with a friend last April for a week, and then we did the Gate 1 Holland and Belgium Tuliptime river cruise, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Hopefully you will have time for the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh museum - those were the highlights for me (along with the gardens, as it was prime tulip time).

 

And my daughter and I went with friends to London several years ago, our first venture

across the pond. Lots of great things to do and see there!

 

Still pondering all the options for this trip....

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

cdeame, I hope one day to be as well travelled as you. K and I will soon be off to a good start!

 

We'll be glad to share our experiences. I know half the fun so far has been reading about other people's trips, looking at their pictures, reading their opinions on things, etc. I'm in the process of making a website where we can post a daily blog and pictures for my hubby, sons and other family and friends who want to follow along. I'll be sure and post a link in case you and your daughter want to visit. Certainly I can e-mail you afterwards as well if you have any questions.

 

Since this is our first adventure out of the country, or even travelling together without "the boys", we're trying to approach things with a very open mind- and a lot of humor. We're truly doing this on a budget, so we know some of our accommodations and outings might hold some surprises. We won't allow ourselves NOT to have a great time! Barring any life or health altering disasters, we plan to smile and laugh our way through everything. Everything, except the solemn occasions, such as Anne Frank. K already knows I'll be sobbing my way through there and probably the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem as well. We've already purchased our tickets to the AF House, so we can avoid the lines. I'm re-reading her diary right now.

 

We're very excited. We plan to do all of the great "touristy" stuff, but also hope to find a few off the beaten path things as well. We plan to go the the Museum of Psychiatry in Haarlem, where each room represents a mental health disorder, such as schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, etc., so you can get a "feel" for what each disorder is like to individuals affected by them. We also talked about going to Leiden, which is where the Pilgrims lived before coming to America on the Mayflower. There is a small museum there devoted to them, including the prison cells where John Smith and some others spent time.

 

So much to see!

[beverlyjack]

Carol,

 

Here is an article that I came upon from about.com on the Grand Circle trip: http://cruises.about.com/b/2012/02/16/grand-circle-russian-waterways-ms-rossia-ship-tour.htm. Although it is an upgraded ship over the one that we took, we would be glad to answer any questions that we could.

 

Jack

[cpamama]

My husband and I just returned from our first Riverboat cruise--it won't be our last! We did Holland and Belgium in Springtime with GCT. Food, staff, rooms, everything was top-notch and just wonderful.

 

We are 64 & 65 and felt we were about the average age if not younger on that cruise. We did a lot of walking and everyone seemed to keep up. (We slept very well)

 

We spoke with many people who had been on 5, 6, 8 or more GCT cruises. Some had been on their Russian cruise and highly recommended it. It may be on our 2013 plans.:)

[mimi.pow]

My husband and I took a last minute Russia Revealed trip with Grand Circle July 25, 2013, and loved our experience with this most professional company. We had been on 1 river cruise before which we really liked with another company, but GCT beats everyone for its top notch service from beginning to end. And the in-home experience in Russia made us cry as the hostess told us of her and her husband's life in Siberia. We are so misled by untruths that led me to believe everyone sent to Siberia is being punished. Not true! Some, yes, but her husband was a pilot and they loved their life in Siberia. She sang 3 love songs to us and we had tea and pastries and visited her lovely garden.

 

Saint Petersburg is the MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY WE HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE WORLD. We read Peter the Great and Catherine the Great prior to leaving for this trip and it was most insightful to understanding the beauty of this city. We have been to Venice, Rome, Florence, Paris, Budapest, Amsterdam, and SAINT PETERSBURG IS JAWDROPPING. PETER THE GREAT OUTDID THOSE CITIES by taking the best of those worlds and combining it all into one incredible city. We had 5 nights there on the ship and then 4 nights in Moscow, with stops at 5 cities along the Volga in between. Moscow is also unbelievable with the Kremlin and its 7 churches (95% of Russia is Russian Orthodox) and the churches with their colorful onion domes take your breath away. You must see the Kremlin lit up with little white lights at night, which GCT took us to see aftr the Moscow Circus. They go above and beyond to make your trip a truly wonderful experience.

 

My only disappointing spots on this trip is that the standard cabin is a bit small if you or your husband are 6'3" (Tikhi Don). Also, Amsterdam is not the friendliest airport to have a 2-3 hour layover if you are unaware that the lounges are all locked up at each gate until just 45 min. prior to takeoff and you must go through security again taking off shoes, etc. If you do end up here, be sure you go to the one and only lounge in the center of the airport, and then go to the gate 45 min. prior. It is a big airport and a long walk. I was so unhappy when I had to either stand 2 hours or sit on the pipes along with baseboard.

 

One final note: Traffic on the highways in Moscow and Saint Petersburg are 10 times worse than L.A. or NYC, so you must be patient. The Russian people are the most patient people I have met in the world. And the most courteous…when on the subway during rush hours, every time a young man or woman offered me their seat.

 

Also, the reason Russian people don't smile at you if you're a stranger, is because they think that you'll think you're "funny looking." And vice versa. If they know you, they don't stop smiling and laughing, except when they think of war. They lost 2-3 million of their 5 million population in WW II, so Russians pray for peace always because they never want to experience what happened in the '40's. God bless America, Russia and the World in preserving peace and stop the killing.

 

Love GCT and will go again with them on my next river cruise!

 

Mimi