Best Overall Cruise in Russia

Hi all -

I'm looking for some advice for a river cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg (or vice versa) for July 2012. We are planning to go with both sets of our parents, one set is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

There seem to be a few choices, Viking, AMA, Golden Ring - are any of the companies or ships clearly better than the others? Are some ships newer, nicer, do they have better food or tours - or are they all very similar?

Also - some are offering airfare discounts, is it better value to book airfare through the cruise company or to book on our own? We live in Western Canada, so we would have to fly to somewhere else to take advantage of the offers I find on the websites.

Any advice would be appreciated - I have done a river cruise on the Yangtze, so I'm familiar with what it's like - but I didn't book the trip so I had no prior info before I got on board :)

Hi,

We are booked on AMA's brand new ship (which was completely redone right down to the metal) and will sail for it's first cruise next week. AMA promises to have photos of it on their website after that cruise. Kellie Poodle, who posts on this board, is taking it in June and promised to report back. We are booked for September. So if you wait a little while, you can read our reviews. Golden Ring has some artist renderings of the Katarina. I believe it is almost sold out for 2011 just from "word of mouth".

Sheila

and was very happy,,,,I liked the small towns,,,time in Moscow,,and St.Petes,,,had a professor onboard for lectures,,,vodka tasting party...many inc.excursions,,but AMA didnt have Russian cruises at the time,,so can t compare...but have booked an AMA for Prague,,,they get good reviews too....you d probably have a great time on either,,,never heard of Golden Ring,,,like companies with long track record,,so do check up on them...like BBB and CC review...:)

I personally was not overly impressed with AMA. I was on their older ship but it wasn't the ship that disappointed me.

I would look at the itineraries and pick the one with the most days in Moscow and St. Petersburg. I would also look to see if any of them use hotels in both of these cities as opposed to the river boats as we wasted a lot of time going back and fourth to the ship for lunch and dinner. The year I went, Vantage used hotels and spent more time in Moscow and I wish I had chosen that instead.

We just booked with Uniworld on the River Victoria - sailing May 30th 2012. We got a pretty good early booking discount by paying in full up-front. Booking with deposit only also gets a discount - but not as generous. Lots of opinions on why people will or won't do that (ie: pay in full) --> you can make up your own mind.

Uniworld does have brochures with CDN pricing now - so you can go on line with them and request one.

As far as air goes, we are going to wait and decide later on whether we want to book with Uniworld - or on our own. Uniworld includes transfers on day of arrival and departure - even if you book your own air.

We would have travelled with Uniworld, Viking or AMA, but wanted to see who would give us the best rate. I was leaning towards Viking and Uniworld - as the trip is 1 night longer (figure if we were going that far, we would sooner stay an extra day...)

We wanted hotel style beds, and "proper" bathrooms - and all 3 of these companies offered this. Jumped fairly early, as AMA has some sailings completely booked already in 2012, and Viking has already sold out some of the categories on the dates we were interested in.

We don't have the same options here in Canada as our neighbours to the south do. Not sure about Western Canada, but we have TICO here in Ontario (Travel Industry Council of Ontario). If we went with companies such as Vantage, or GCT - where we have to book directly with the company in the US - we would not be covered by TICO if something happens to the company (ie: went bankrupt before we left, or after we got there...) For that reason, we will not even consider them

I've contacted Uniworld - and have received an email back with some information already. I've talked to the parents and they've indicated that a balcony on the ship would be nice (although not a deal breaker) - do any of these ships offer balcony staterooms, rather than windows that open, without having to upgrade to a suite?

The pre-booking discount is a nice bonus - it's something that hubs and I could do, but I'm not sure either of the parents could swing that.

Thanks to all so far who have replied, I'm looking forward to reviews from those who are sailing this summer.

Hi all -

 

I'm looking for some advice for a river cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg (or vice versa) for July 2012. We are planning to go with both sets of our parents, one set is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

 

There seem to be a few choices, Viking, AMA, Golden Ring - are any of the companies or ships clearly better than the others? Are some ships newer, nicer, do they have better food or tours - or are they all very similar?

 

Also - some are offering airfare discounts, is it better value to book airfare through the cruise company or to book on our own? We live in Western Canada, so we would have to fly to somewhere else to take advantage of the offers I find on the websites.

 

Any advice would be appreciated - I have done a river cruise on the Yangtze, so I'm familiar with what it's like - but I didn't book the trip so I had no prior info before I got on board :)

The choices are many. Basically you choose between the budget tours and the better tours.

We chose to go with Vantage for a few reasons.

Vantage has very good cc reports.

Vantage provides excellent in center of city hotel (instead of spending 1.5 hours on a tour bus commuting in Moscow or St. Pete traffic from the riverboat)/

Great tours and pre and post tours (Kiev and Baltics)/

Gate 1 is the cheapest, bare bones.

Uniworld, Vantage and AMA are on top. Grand Circle is not bad, but try to get your money back if you have to cancel.

The River Victoria does have balconies in Category 1, 2 & 3 (as well as in the suites) but it is a bit of a price hike to get into them.

The website gives the prices.

The AMAKatarina also has some balcony rooms - again, a bit of a hike price wise to get into them.

If you are looking at AMA, they market in Canada through GLP Worldwide.

No early booking incentives with AMA that I could find.

To Franski,

When we booked AMA, there was a 5% early book discount.

To Coral,

AMA told Kellie Poodle that they would be running a boat on the canal into Moscow to save people going back and forth to the ship. When she returns, I would be interested to know if that is true. We've been to St. Petersburg before and do not plan to return to the ship for lunch. We will also do the same in Moscow.

Sheila

 

To Coral,

 

AMA told Kellie Poodle that they would be running a boat on the canal into Moscow to save people going back and forth to the ship. When she returns, I would be interested to know if that is true. We've been to St. Petersburg before and do not plan to return to the ship for lunch. We will also do the same in Moscow.

 

Sheila

That will be a smart move (to not return to the ship) during lunch and even dinner when possible. Though - that was not my only issue with AMA (but a big one). Fortunately for me, I had a high school trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg (Leningrad back then) which was exceptional and it definitely out-shined AMA on how we toured these cities. And even factoring in the difference in years - my high school trip was done so much better, we saw so much more and it was far less expensive.

For us - contrary to the info we were sent, we only spent 1.5 days in Moscow. We arrived after lunch the first day and the second day, we did a canal boat trip around the Kremlin/Gorky Park area and the ship catered the food for the boat (the boat we were on, along with the ship were owned by Vodahod). So that day we did not return to the ship for lunch - I stayed in port and took people to Red Square that evening so we could walk around as they scheduled us to go there when it was closed the following day (they could have easily changed things around - they changed enough other things around and could easily have changed the underground subway/train tour to the following day and we exited at one point steps from Red Square when it was open and only I knew it as I had been there before.). They did not make it a point to even try to visit Red Square when it was open our first day there (next day they knew it would be closed) - I did correspond with someone who did a Viking trip the year before we did and they made 4 tries to go to Red Square before they got there when it was open - but they kept trying which was impressive. Here we were steps away and they didn't even tell people where we were (and from the view - you couldn't see St. Basil's Cathedral at that moment so most didn't recognize the other building on the other end).

There were several situations where I thought they fell short and should not have or could have easily changed things. Live and learn. I will return sometime for a 3rd time and will be doing a land trip there. I truly love Russia. So much to see and do.

It sounds like I should be making decisions based on things other than the actual ship - it almost sounds secondary to everything else you have mentioned.

Some factors that I need to consider - my parents are quite mobile, my dad and I just returned from a land based trip in Europe, and although he's arthritic, he can keep up the pace. My inlaws though, move a lot slower - and transferring back and forth to the ship for meals is not something I had considered. When we've done ocean cruises we've never returned to the ship during the day, opting to make the most out of our time in ports.

My inlaws also speak and read Russian - so it is a benefit to us if we are exploring the cities without a guide or group.

Staying on the ship vs. hotels in the city centers: Is it a pain to have to pack up your belongings and do the bus transfers? Again not an issue for me and hubs - we spent no more than two nights per hotel on our last trip - but for my inlaws, it could be a concern.

Thanks again for all the advice!

Hi Coral,

Thank you so much for posting re your AMA Russia River Cruise. It must have been a big disappointment for you. I am awaiting the reviews of the June cruise. We have been on 17 Tauck tours -- some on small ships. They do a fabulous job, but we booked AMA because Tauck wasn't doing this cruise. Tauck has a tour by train from Moscow to St. Petersburg but I didn't want to do it that way. AMA was getting so many good reviews we decided to take their new ship.

Sheila

Hibiscus 3,

We stayed three extra nights in hotels in Moscow and St Petersburg pre and post cruise and are very pleased we did. We could explore at our own pace, not being herded along in tour groups with 30+ others.

English language audio guides were available at most venues. With good maps, we found the city centres easy to navigate and the metros easy to use. We don't speak Russian but could recognise and decipher Cyrillic characters in place names.

Don't know if you've realised that the river ports are a long way from city centres; more than an hour by (tour company) bus and probably 40 minutes by public transport. Walk and metro in Moscow, bus and metro in St Petersburg.

The "all-day city bus tours" used lunch boxes in Moscow and a restaurant lunch in St Petersburg to save time returning to boat.

We enjoyed being on the river very much are very pleased we have seen a little of Russia.

Sheila -

When we travelled with AMA on the Danube, they directed our TA to contact GLP worldwide --> the company that markets AMA in Canada. We looked into booking with AMA for our Tulip Time cruise this year - but there was no past passenger discount, and no early booking discount at the time we inquired. To be honest, I didn't bother to contact them and ask about the cruise on the Volga, as there is nothing on their website - and the GLP connection to AMA doesn't even show 2012 prices yet. The main AMA site shows multiple sailings completely sold out. We are happy with the package that Uniworld has put together, and just hope that their Russian tour is an enjoyable as their European ones are.

Fran

Hi franski,

I'm beginning to find out that there are some perks that are for U.S. travelers only. Have a great trip and please report back on this board so we can read all about it.

Happy traveling,

Sheila

Hi Coral,

 

Thank you so much for posting re your AMA Russia River Cruise. It must have been a big disappointment for you. I am awaiting the reviews of the June cruise. We have been on 17 Tauck tours -- some on small ships. They do a fabulous job, but we booked AMA because Tauck wasn't doing this cruise. Tauck has a tour by train from Moscow to St. Petersburg but I didn't want to do it that way. AMA was getting so many good reviews we decided to take their new ship.

 

Sheila

I have heard Tauck does a fabulous job and I would like to travel with them some day.

I am probably biased as I had been to Russia previously and was surprised that a relatively inexpensive trip to Europe back then proved to be a much better tour. Having not had that experience, I would probably have a better outlook on the trip.

While 18 years ago I did study Russian (and can barely remember anything), I don't think it is that difficult to navigate not knowing the language and I had no problems the first time I went and had had no Russian language background. The locals were very helpful (both times) in giving directions.

I wish I had gone in earlier and stayed later this last time (or, more specifically - I wish I had just done a land trip and did the train between Moscow and St. Petersburg) but the American visa process is a lot more difficult compared to the Australian visa process and Amadeus wasn't helpful back then on deviating dates. They also did not offer any pre or post hotels. It is funny as I am the one who always says "fly in early - a day or two- for a cruise out of Florida" and the one cruise that I didn't do that was one that I was flying clear across the world for.

Hi Coral,

We also always fly in a day or two earlier, but since we have been to St. Petersburg twice before, we decided to go in the same day. The Visa process for Russia is really the worst I have ever seen. My DH just finished filling in all the blanks and will await receipt of AMA's part of the process. I was concerned about what happened to you in Moscow. Don't want to go all the way there to see two sights.

Tauck is wonderful. We went with them to Egypt and Jordan the end of 2009 and are booked for India in March 2012. They do a great job and they are terrific with giving you info via phone as needed. I called AMA twice to ask why there weren't any photos of their ship which will launch next week and got a story that they won't have any photos until after the ship sails because they want things to be perfect when they do something. We haven't paid the rest of our money so I want to really check this trip out.

Thanks for your help.

Sheila

Hi Coral,

 

We also always fly in a day or two earlier, but since we have been to St. Petersburg twice before, we decided to go in the same day. The Visa process for Russia is really the worst I have ever seen. My DH just finished filling in all the blanks and will await receipt of AMA's part of the process. I was concerned about what happened to you in Moscow. Don't want to go all the way there to see two sights.

 

We saw more then 2 sights in Moscow. I just thought it could have been better organized.

If you send me an email (address in my signature) - I can send you an overly long review I did of the trip.

Hi again Coral,

Check your inbox.

Sheila

Ama has a brand new ship, the AmaKatarina that started sailing this year. The reviews for AMA are always amazing. I love them. I was looking at Russia for next year also. I like that you are on the boat in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. No need for the back and forth with hotels. Ship seems to have a lot of balconies.

checking in while in my RV in dusty, hot West Texas with my netbook.

AMA leases a canal boat in Moscow to take you back to the ship. While on the canal boat, they serve you a hot lunch. That impressed me a lot more than Viking having us on a bus.

As for hotels, the main reason we enjoy river cruising is the fact that we don't have to pack and unpack constantly. Any line that kept guests in a hotel as part of the tour would not make my list of viable companies.

When we made our reservation Uniworld had not announced that it was floating a boat in Russia. We came down to two choices: AMA and their brand new boat with the huge staterooms or Viking with their little rooms and strange pricing programs. "Two for One" at the same price as everyone else is no bargain where I come from. Further, I would have had to pay a lot of money a lot earlier to get wine included on Viking.

The final factor in our decision to go with AMA was our TA, who specializes in river cruises. She recommended AMA over Viking for us. We got an early discount and a senior discount via the TA, which AMA did not offer when I called directly. We actually did better (a lot better) booking via the TA.

As for spending more time in Russia, I was not up to dealing with getting extra invitations to supply for the visa. Just getting a visa for the river cruise was enough for me.

We sail June 23 and I promise to post my review.

Ama has a brand new ship, the AmaKatarina that started sailing this year. The reviews for AMA are always amazing. I love them. I was looking at Russia for next year also. I like that you are on the boat in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. No need for the back and forth with hotels. Ship seems to have a lot of balconies.

Having done both - hotels and river boat, I can tell you 4 hours per day in St. Petersburg in a bus is not that desirable.

In the past, the reviews that have been more positive have been those who have done hotels in these cities.

To each their own but I have actually done both.

We did Amadeus/AMA a few years ago to Russia. Personally I would not recommend them based on my trip. We missed a lot due to their poor scheduling of events. I would also recommend river cruises that use hotels to avoid the long bus rides. I haven't kept up with which companies use hotels but I would research those and put that at the top of my list to maximize time in ports.

You all have me curious. We are sailing the River Victoria with Uniworld in June and wonder about getting back to the ship by boat or bus. I know the subway is another option as the station isn't that far from where the ship is docked. That is how we plan to get back to Moscow city centre on our free day.

I will post on my thread for the River Victoria when I return.

Lynette

We saw more then 2 sights in Moscow. I just thought it could have been better organized.

 

If you send me an email (address in my signature) - I can send you an overly long review I did of the trip.

Hi Coral,

Can you please send me your review I sent you a email. Thanks this really helps me out.

Janet