Viking + Kirov + Moscow + wild fires

[Scudrunner]

We are scheduled for a St. Petersburg to Moscow trip Monday Aug 9th. With the record breaking heat and fires and smoke, I have visions of Beijing and coal smoke and respiratory problems. I called Viking to determine the status of possibly canceling the trip. Their response was "NO."

The choice is to take a chance on dealing with world breaking temps in Moscow on the 19-22 dates. Recent news stories showed cars in Moscow during daylight hours with their headlights on because of the smoke. I live Texas and last year we had 68 days of over 100 and it was not fun. But we had air conditioning. Has anyone dealt with high temperatures in Moscow since others have reported fire trap buildings and buildings without A/C. We booked with the intent of being as far north as Alaska during the hottest time in Texas, and now, it is hotter in Moscow than it is in Texas. Do the bus/motor coaches have adequate A/C? Any of the tourist buildings have A/C? Right now it looks like jumped out of the frying pan into the fire and are having second thoughts.

 

Scudrunner

[alexandra cruiser]

we went in Aug. and it was warm,but no fires....most places NOT air conitioned...like ballet and circus,shops,etc....but the tv last nite looked awful and most had masks on face due to fumes and smoke...did you get "cancel for any reason"ins...???that could help...if not, and ship going,you re stuck....had this problem with volcano....if you do go,,,bring masks and saline nose spray.,lozenges etc...to deal with smoke ,,,if its bad to be on safe side...sad, because it was a GREAT trip.....PS...maybe you can move dates somehow,,,due to medical problem,,,hint hint,,,,that you JUST got...if you get my drift...let us know what you decide...so sorry....:eek:

[TLCOhio]

we went in Aug. and it was warm,but no fires....most places NOT air conitioned...like ballet and circus,shops,etc....but the tv last nite looked awful and most had masks on face due to fumes and smoke...did you get "cancel for any reason"ins...???that could help...if not, and ship going,you re stuck....had this problem with volcano....if you do go,,,bring masks and saline nose spray.,lozenges etc...to deal with smoke ,,,if its bad to be on safe side...sad, because it was a GREAT trip.....PS...maybe you can move dates somehow,,,due to medical problem,,,hint hint,,,,that you JUST got...if you get my drift...let us know what you decide...so sorry....:eek:

 

Be careful in using TV as the true indicator for everything in Moscow. The TV camera will focus in on one area at one time and show you ONLY that small segment. Moscow is a big, big city of twelve million people and you are going to be there later in August. Right now, per AccuWeather, it should this for Moscow upcoming:

 

Tuesday 8/17/2010, Sunny, High Temperature: 67°F, RealFeel: 70°F

 

Wednesday 8/18/2010, Sunny, High Temperature: 74°F, RealFeel: 71°F

 

Thursday 8/19/2010, Sunny, High Temperature: 68°F, RealFeel: 65°F

 

Friday 8/20/2010, Intervals of clouds and sunshine, High Temperature: 62°F, RealFeel: 60°F

 

It looks like weather relief is coming. Relax, it will get much better.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Scudrunner]

I called Viking again, answer still “No” in light of the fact that there have been airline cancelations and diversions. The nightly news pointed out that people are wearing surgical/dust masks into the offices where they work. Do not go outside unless you wear a mask. The Viking response was the tour busses were air conditioned and are better than the typical public transit vehicles. The trip insurance policy does not apply because we will be living on the boat, not in a gutted hotel. We will arrive by boat, so airline diversions etc. are not involved. Leaving Moscow may be a problem. Viking’s optimism that the weather will change seems to outweigh any potential downsides like respiratory problems, canceled ground tours, walking sightseeing etc. In essence the reasons for the trip have been nullified by unforeseen circumstances with no alternatives offered. The environment in Moscow is toxic, to say the least and I do not share the optimism that Viking has. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[alexandra cruiser]

not sure if you ll check this site before leaving tomorrow, but have a good time,if possible...IF you decide to go....can always enjoy first part of cruise, then just go on bus,stay in ship,etc...in Moscow...sad,but better than nothing,,can even leave early,,,if that bad,,,just pay for airline change....let us know how it goes...sorry....:(

[Scudrunner]

I tried to verify the predictions on Accuweather and found them somewhat lacking. I flew my own plane for seveal years and had extensive experience with weather forecasts etc. Predictions that far out are unreliable. Instead, I went to wunderground.com (short for Weather Underground) and found almost up to the minute reports. The good news is that several reporting stations are available to get a better overall picture of the weather patterns. I don't recall seeing any forecasts. A better medium range indicator is the position and movement of the Jet Stream. Thanks anyway for your response. Try wunderground.com

[TLCOhio]

I tried to verify the predictions on Accuweather and found them somewhat lacking. I flew my own plane for seveal years and had extensive experience with weather forecasts etc. Predictions that far out are unreliable. Instead, I went to wunderground.com (short for Weather Underground) and found almost up to the minute reports. The good news is that several reporting stations are available to get a better overall picture of the weather patterns. I don't recall seeing any forecasts. A better medium range indicator is the position and movement of the Jet Stream. Thanks anyway for your response. Try wunderground.com

 

I agree that forecasts two weeks out are marginal, but they can work out, maybe, or just be good guesses. On wunderground versus AccuWeather, I have used both. On our Norway Coast trip last month, I had BOTH sites bookmarked, port by port. As I checked each, day-by-day, AccuWeather worked out to be much more on-target than wunderground. Things will vary in regions of the world for each one. That was our experiences last month and I was checking frequently. I was surprised there was that much difference. As they say in car ads . . . "MILEAGE WILL VARY"! Same for weather forecasts. That's why I will check two or three sources.

 

I love the historic weather info collection through wunderground. It's super helpful to get that history.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[alexandra cruiser]

your doing ok,,,,let us know...what a mess,,,,then news said ash from Chernobyl might get spread from fire and wind....hope cruiseline offers some help in rebooking or helping with flights,,,etc....so sorry....sad,because its such a great trip, usually,,,,:(

[alexandra cruiser]

wow,,,hope your cruise is not a total mess,,,first fires,temps,travel warnings,,now this...feel SO sorry for you...

We were on SeaDream last mo...and had fire onboard,,lost all power,inconvenient and cabins very hot, no dinner till barbeque at 10,,,but no injuries....

Let us know,,,when you get back....have been thinking about you and other passengers....:eek:

[Scudrunner]

Search on scudrunner for today and you will get an update.

 

I once had a friend who had the world summed up in a nut shell.

 

"Don't worry about a thing. Nuthin' is gonna be all right."

 

Scudrunner