Russia River cruise - please help me list the companies

[zone8grandma]

I am starting to research for a river cruise in 2015 from St Petersburg to Moscow. The plan is to take a Rick Steves tour starting in Tallin, Helsinki and ending in St Petersburg. Then the river cruise from StP to Moscow.

 

I am putting together a spreadsheet of the companies that do that. So far I have:

Gate1

Vantage

Ama

Uniworld

Viking,

A & K

Scenic

 

Do you have any to add? Have you done a Russian river cruise with any of them? (If you've posted a review, I've already read it - and thank you) Any information about things that are (or are not) included would be appreciated. Some include port charges and some don't. Transfers. That sort of thing. Thanks in advance

[H2Otstr]

We did this trip with Grand Circle. Enjoyed it very much.

 

Keep in mind that most companies have referral programs. You get an discount and the person referring gets a discount.

[Talisker92]

Dear Zone 8,

We just got back from a Russian River cruise with Vantage and really enjoyed it. Vantage puts you up in hotels in Moscow and St. Petersburg, so you do not have to be bused from the ship. The traffic in both cities is horrendous!.

Our trip story is on our website, but 4774Papa has one here. The link is:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1452155.

We are always happy to answer any questions.

Edited November 18, 2013 by Talisker92

[zone8grandma]

Thanks H2Otstr! I am adding Grand Circle to my spreadsheet.

 

Talisker92 Thanks for those links...

 

appreciate it

[alexandra cruiser]

but it was 5 yrs ago.Was NOT impressed with ship or food(but see they ve upgraded).The crew and ports were great and loved the experience.

Would go with AMA or Scenic,if money is not an object.Seems you really DO GET what you pay for.

Would avoid GrandCircle(had bad BB reviews and ship s seem less luxurious).Don t like that Vantage doesnt allow TA s to help, mine give cash back,,plus LOTS of help. So many details to consider, I know.Everyone is different,so its what YOU decide.GOod luck.;)

[Hydrokitty]

We did this trip with Vantage last year and it was wonderful. As PP said, Vantage is one of the few companies that puts you in hotels in Moscow and St Petersburg, which saves a lot of bus time due to terrible traffic problems in both cities. It also gives you time to sample some of the Russian restaurants and one in St Petersburg, the Soviet Cafe, was wonderfully inexpensive and had fantastic food and ambiance. Vantage leases the Lev Tolstoy for the river cruise and while an old ship, it was spotlessly clean, well-maintained and appointed, the food was good and the public areas comfortable. I will not comment on the cabins because we were fortunate enough to get upgraded to a full suite but only compaints I heard was that cabins were small. Tolstoy also has an indoor swimming pool, but nobody used it because it was green and in the bar!

[Hydrokitty]

but it was 5 yrs ago.Was NOT impressed with ship or food(but see they ve upgraded).The crew and ports were great and loved the experience.

Would go with AMA or Scenic,if money is not an object.Seems you really DO GET what you pay for.

Would avoid GrandCircle(had bad BB reviews and ship s seem less luxurious).Don t like that Vantage doesnt allow TA s to help, mine give cash back,,plus LOTS of help. So many details to consider, I know.Everyone is different,so its what YOU decide.GOod luck.;)

 

Poster is correct, Vantage does not deal with travel agents and for some this is a deal breaker. One difference we like is that Vantage incudes most of the shore excursions, which can really add up! Transfers are also included if you buy air from Vantage and if you do not, you can purchase transfers separately on many of their trips. this is new this year so I'm not familiar with how well it works.

[alexandra cruiser]

Scenic also inc.all transfers,tips,drinks,shore excursions and rooms look larger .

That s why I m giving them a try in June.

Vikings room were all very SMALL and we also upgraded to a suite(but it was far from luxurious).Bathroom smelled whole time like sewer.But think they now have new or upgraded ships.

yes, we stayed on ship in both cities about one half hr.bus ride from city center.

Re.of above probsl,still LOVED visiting Russia.Esp.the small ports in between both cities.People were friendly,food was pretty good,only sad part was many stray dogs.(fed them from ship)

[Hydrokitty]

Scenic also inc.all transfers,tips,drinks,shore excursions and rooms look larger .

That s why I m giving them a try in June.

Vikings room were all very SMALL and we also upgraded to a suite(but it was far from luxurious).Bathroom smelled whole time like sewer.But think they now have new or upgraded ships.

yes, we stayed on ship in both cities about one half hr.bus ride from city center.

Re.of above probsl,still LOVED visiting Russia.Esp.the small ports in between both cities.People were friendly,food was pretty good,only sad part was many stray dogs.(fed them from ship)

 

We loved the ports too...I was really disappointed to discover that vantage has dropped the Moscow/St. Pete cruise from their trips for 2015 opting instead for a land tour only. What a shame to miss places like Kizhi, which was my absolute favorite, and Mandrogi where Putin has his dacha and the shopping was fantastic! We saw the dogs too and our ship crew fed them. although to be honest (and I'm an animal lover) some of these "stray" dogs did have an air of "professional moocher" about them!

[ticktock01]

We are booked with Smartours for the end of May into June for their Cruise of the Czars. It is a 12 day river cruise on the Vasiliy Surikov from Moscow to St. Petersburg. They also do the reverse. It does all of the same ports as the other river cruises. The boat isn't as luxurious as some of the other boats, but the tour is about $2,000 cheaper than Viking.

We've toured with Smartours before and have always been very happy with them.

[simonpjd]

We did StP to Moscow with Titan. Saw wonderful things every day but problem was the food (awful - cabbage soup, pickled cabbage, meat wrapped in cabbage was the menu one night) and the sewer smell from the loo/shower room. The beds had no mattress as such - just a 2 inch thick bit of sponge. Even the Titan rep suggested it was worth a big complaint.

Titan refunded us £600 and said they would not use this company again (Orthodox Cruises) but we see they are using them again. If you see anything saying Orthodox Cruises look elsewhere.

But the trip itself is magnificent.

[Buck1949]

I am starting to research for a river cruise in 2015 from St Petersburg to Moscow. The plan is to take a Rick Steves tour starting in Tallin, Helsinki and ending in St Petersburg. Then the river cruise from StP to Moscow.

 

I am putting together a spreadsheet of the companies that do that. So far I have:

Gate1

Vantage

Ama

Uniworld

Viking,

A & K

Scenic

 

Do you have any to add? Have you done a Russian river cruise with any of them? (If you've posted a review, I've already read it - and thank you) Any information about things that are (or are not) included would be appreciated. Some include port charges and some don't. Transfers. That sort of thing. Thanks in advance

 

Hi there.

We are in the process of planning a St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise for 2015 also. Probably around the 1st or 2nd week of August. We have as many as 15 people that have expressed an interest in this trip.

 

I would love to see what your research reveals. I know from talking to 2 travel agents already that these cruises book very fast, and it has been suggested that bookings for 2015 be done no later than summer 2014 for best availability. That is hard to do especially when they want you to pay in full up front (most with the incentive to reduce the overall cost by several hundred dollars). We are past Uniworld travelers and absolutely love their service and attention to detail, so the are already at the top of our list......however they have not yet posted their 2015 itineraries/prices. Anyway, I hope to see more information here, or anyone is welcome to chat with me via e-mail (below my signature line).

[Viktoria]

How long is the flight to Russia from Boston or New York?

[Buck1949]

How long is the flight to Russia from Boston or New York?

 

From what I could find...it looks like the actual flying time from New York is between 13 and 15 hours (that takes into account one stop somewhere at a European City).

 

The actual flight time (assuming direct) is listed as about 9 hours 5 minutes according to http://www.travelmath.com

[evecolorado]

We'll be taking the SmarTours "Cruise of the Czars" from St. Petersburg next September. The boat is the Vasiliy Surikov. Does anyone know where they dock? I think it may be River Station (Rechnoy Vokzal). We will be arriving a day early and would like to find accommodation nearby.

[id4elizabeth]

To Buck 1949 - we went with Uniworld in 2012 and had a fabulous time. Loved the ship (but mind you we were in a Junior Suite), and the food was way way better than we thought it would be. Not that every meal was fantastic, but overall, much better than we expected. Our cruise director and our guides were wonderful. Sights fantastic. Ports wonderful. Service was great. Entertainment on board was good and we enjoyed it. If you've travelled on Uniworld before, then you would enjoy this trip too IMO. Some people don't like the "French" decor of Uniworld, but it was fine with us. Only negative I have is the traffic to and from town in Moscow and St Pete. As previous poster has mentioned, that is a reason to go with someone who puts you up in hotels in those two cities. However, the down side of that is you have to move, pack and unpack, and that process probably eats up a half day as well. On some of the long rides, I used the time to edit my pictures (all 5,482 of them) and take a nap. Have a wonderful trip.

[ticktock01]

We'll be taking the SmarTours "Cruise of the Czars" from St. Petersburg next September. The boat is the Vasiliy Surikov. Does anyone know where they dock? I think it may be River Station (Rechnoy Vokzal). We will be arriving a day early and would like to find accommodation nearby.

 

That is correct. The exact address is:

MS Vasilyi Surikov

Severnyi Rechnoi Vokzal

North River Station

52 Leningradskoe Shosse

Moscow, Russia

 

We are taking this cruise with Smartours, leaving next week.

[Buck1949]

We do not take the Russian River Cruise (ours is St. Petersburg to Moscow) until August of 2015..... but would really appreciate any information that you may feel would be of benefit to our trip. I assume that the itineraries are very similar, so any pointers about the stops....etc. would be more than appreciated.

 

Also with the current issues with the Neighbor next door (Ukraine) it would be interesting to hear if you noticed any residual effects/comments about that also.

 

Thanks in advance. Please excuse the extra info at the bottom of this posting... I am kind of heading up our get together on our upcoming NCL Med cruise.

[CPT Trips]

but it was 5 yrs ago.Was NOT impressed with ship or food(but see they ve upgraded).The crew and ports were great and loved the experience.

Would go with AMA or Scenic,if money is not an object.Seems you really DO GET what you pay for.

Would avoid GrandCircle(had bad BB reviews and ship s seem less luxurious).Don t like that Vantage doesnt allow TA s to help, mine give cash back,,plus LOTS of help. So many details to consider, I know.Everyone is different,so its what YOU decide.GOod luck.;)

 

Just went to BBB web site, Grand Circle has an A+ rating . . . PP may be relying on very old hearsay?

Edited May 27, 2014 by CPT Trips

[rogerdawhip]

Would avoid GrandCircle(had bad BB reviews

Grand Circle is rated A+ on Boston's BBB. They are not a member (i.e. BBB accredited) since they chose not to pay the membership fee.

Edited May 27, 2014 by rogerdawhip

[Host Jazzbeau]

Would avoid GrandCircle(had bad BB reviews and ship s seem less luxurious).

 

Could be a typo? Meant CC reviews?

[CPT Trips]

Guess we'll have to wait for poster to 'splain.

Mostly 4&5 star reviews on CC . . . And even several of the lower stars note many good points.

Just sayin' . . . Can't figure why one would denigrate a line they never used:confused: