ms russ

[4774Papa]

I don't remember exactly, but I think we went through 27 locks.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

27 locks~ Holy cow!

 

I'll start looking more into tours once airfare is booked. I'll be so glad once that is done. We discovered that my 12 year old son will need surgery next week, so it's been a bunch of doctor visits this week and lots of checked written out. Looks like I'll have to wait for the taxes to book air, so a few more weeks yet. :(

 

After this incredibly stressful year, I can't wait to travel and be carefree for a few weeks! :D

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Where did everybody go?

 

For those who have already taken the cruise~ what was your best moment on the ship and best moment off of the ship? What was the most exciting port or tour for you?

 

For those still waiting to go~ What are you most looking forward to on the ship? Which tour/port are you most excited about?

 

On the ship, I'm most excited about meeting and talking to people, learning where they're from and what brought them to Russia. Same with the cruise staff, finding out about what they love about Russia and what their dream vacation destination might be. I just want to "absorb" the whole experience and make the most of every moment.

 

As far as ports~ Moscow thrills me. I want that picture of me grinning in excited disbelief in front of St Basil's. If I can take in a show at the Bolshoi... I don't know if there would be words to describe how I'd feel.

 

After seeing Coral's pictures, I can't wait to see the wooden church on Kizhi Island.

 

And I'm VERY excited to see the Hermitage! And then there's the locks...

 

Guess I can't pick one thing. :o

[4774Papa]

Where did everybody go?

 

For those who have already taken the cruise~ what was your best moment on the ship and best moment off of the ship? What was the most exciting port or tour for you?

 

For those still waiting to go~ What are you most looking forward to on the ship? Which tour/port are you most excited about?

 

On the ship, I'm most excited about meeting and talking to people, learning where they're from and what brought them to Russia. Same with the cruise staff, finding out about what they love about Russia and what their dream vacation destination might be. I just want to "absorb" the whole experience and make the most of every moment.

 

As far as ports~ Moscow thrills me. I want that picture of me grinning in excited disbelief in front of St Basil's. If I can take in a show at the Bolshoi... I don't know if there would be words to describe how I'd feel.

 

After seeing Coral's pictures, I can't wait to see the wooden church on Kizhi Island.

 

And I'm VERY excited to see the Hermitage! And then there's the locks...

 

Guess I can't pick one thing. :o

Having done the Russian river cruise, the high points were many:

1) The home hosted meals (we had one on the River cruise and one in Kiev) were special. We were able to get something of the feel of the people there and through our guides and managers.

2) Moscow was a special place in my mind, prior to the trip, while not as attractive a city as St. Petersburg, it was the heart of Russia. Going to Red Square and the Kremlin (especially the Armory) was special.

3) St.Petersburg was filled with wonder, I think Peterhof's fountains and grounds were awesome. The Hermitage was great, wish we had more time there.

4)Best Swan Lake ever seen in St.P and loved Russian Army folkshow.

5)Loved hearing from all three Baltic countries about how much they love their freedom.

 

On the downside:

Take some Imodium, since many had intestinal issues.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Thanks, Papa! That is my one regret with the Russ tour~ no home visits. To me, that would be awesome, right up my alley. I used to have a penpal in Russia, years ago. I'd love to find her and visit, but I don't know if that would be possible or not. She used to live in Belgorod, south of Moscow. It's with her descriptions of Russia in the late 80's, early 90's that I enter Russia with. I know it's so very different now, but that will be my basis of comparison.

 

Thanks for the Immodium suggestion. I do have some IBS issues anyway, and such drastic changes in awake hours, routine and foods are bound to make things act up!

[denny girl]

http://www.gate1travel.com

Just received an offer from Gate 1. If you`re thinking about Russia this might make you jump! $250 per person off the cruise price.

Seems the same as the Travelzoo offer we used. Applied to all sailings using the promotional code on the offer.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

That IS a great offer! Too bad we're already booked... :( That extra $500 would have bought a few options~ and a LOT of Diet Pepsi!

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

I just downloaded a great book onto my Kindle! It's called: Cruising in Russia, by Morten Spangsberg Nielsen, just published in December of 2011! It's an "everything you wanted to know about the Moscow~ St Pete's River Cruise"! It's VERY good and only $9.99. Includes lots of pictures and practical information. One thing I learned is that, according to the author, in his 30+ Russian River Cruises, he hasn't heard of a case of theft on any of the RC ships. Obviously, that doesn't mean you quit being cautious and smart, but it also means I probably don't need to rush online to buy an expensive portable room safe, either. Pickpockets in the cities and on the metro are another matter...

 

Just an FYI!

[4774Papa]

I just downloaded a great book onto my Kindle! It's called: Cruising in Russia, by Morten Spangsberg Nielsen, just published in December of 2011! It's an "everything you wanted to know about the Moscow~ St Pete's River Cruise"! It's VERY good and only $9.99. Includes lots of pictures and practical information. One thing I learned is that, according to the author, in his 30+ Russian River Cruises, he hasn't heard of a case of theft on any of the RC ships. Obviously, that doesn't mean you quit being cautious and smart, but it also means I probably don't need to rush online to buy an expensive portable room safe, either. Pickpockets in the cities and on the metro are another matter...

 

Just an FYI!

There is a small book that I purchased for our trip: "Russia by River." It describes the entire route by mile marker. It is out of print, but sometimes you can get used copies on Amazon.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Yes~ I was going to get that book until I found mine. I liked that it was still very recent and that I could get it on my kindle. It goes into Russan history (enough overview to get a basic understanding without feeling like school,lol) and the particular histories of each stop on the way, tells about the different rivers and canals, points of interest and what to expect (and not) of your cruise tour: such as most River Cruises do not include a tour of Peterhof Palace, only a tour of the park.

 

I'm really enjoying the book. I still might get the other when I'm finished with this- just to fuel my obsession with this trip, ha ha!

 

Thanks Papa!

[Coral]

I wasn't impressed with the Russia By River book. I tried to loan it to others on my trip as I wasn't using it and others were not interested in using it either.

 

In our situation, it was reversed from the direction we were going and that made it difficult to follow but if it was the opposite, I probably would not have used it as I gave up using it on the first or second sea day. If you do not have very good eyesight, I definitely don't recommend the book as the text is very small.

 

I will be curious about the book Pixiegirl found.

[Coral]

 

I'm really enjoying the book. I still might get the other when I'm finished with this- just to fuel my obsession with this trip, ha ha!

 

Pixiegirl - I hope you have electricity and are inside and warm! Check in when you have time. We are fine in Lincoln and hope the roads get cleared today.

 

Theresa

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

All is well, Coral. We got a good foot of the white stuff- and it's soooo heavy! I'm still waiting for trees and lines to snap. We're warm and digging out. Our friends out in the country had a harder time of it with power outages and deeply buried (drifted) roads. My 17 year old and his buddies took a truck and chains out and were pulling folks out of ditches most of yesterday morning. My daughter had stayed with a friend in York so she could get to work, but most of the downtown businesses went ahead and closed yesterday. We were supposed to head to Grand Island today, but think we'll stay closer to home. Plus my 12 year old had oral surgery in Lincoln (St E's) on thursday, and his throat is a mess. He must have caught a virus on top of the raw throat (they said they nicked it putting the oxygen tube in). Never a dull moment around here!

 

Wasn't that quite a storm? I'm glad you're safe and well. Thanks for checking on me! :)

[Coral]

All is well, Coral. We got a good foot of the white stuff- and it's soooo heavy! I'm still waiting for trees and lines to snap. We're warm and digging out. Our friends out in the country had a harder time of it with power outages and deeply buried (drifted) roads. My 17 year old and his buddies took a truck and chains out and were pulling folks out of ditches most of yesterday morning. My daughter had stayed with a friend in York so she could get to work, but most of the downtown businesses went ahead and closed yesterday. We were supposed to head to Grand Island today, but think we'll stay closer to home. Plus my 12 year old had oral surgery in Lincoln (St E's) on thursday, and his throat is a mess. He must have caught a virus on top of the raw throat (they said they nicked it putting the oxygen tube in). Never a dull moment around here!

 

Wasn't that quite a storm? I'm glad you're safe and well. Thanks for checking on me! :)

 

Your son and buddies are brave! I am sure many appreciated their efforts! Hope your 12 year old gets better soon.

 

I am staying inside today and depending on if my neighborhood gets dug out, tomorrow possibly also. Thankfully we had electricity the entire time and have stayed warm.

[shoshona2]

Hi Coral,

I send you warm wishes from Los Angeles! Glad your electricity stayed on. Saw the awful photos on TV and hope the rest of the winter will be gentle for you.

 

Sheila

[Coral]

Hi Coral,

I send you warm wishes from Los Angeles! Glad your electricity stayed on. Saw the awful photos on TV and hope the rest of the winter will be gentle for you.

 

Sheila

 

Pixiegirl and I have had an amazing winter so far. Before yesterday I think we had 6 or 7" of snow this season. It was 70 and 60 for most of last week which is unheard of for us in February. Then whammy!

 

Yesterday we got between 12-14" of snow which is the top 3 for all time snow records for a 24 hour period.

 

No major accidents and the sun is out today. We will just have this snow around for awhile it looks like.

 

I could easily get on a plane to LA right now :) Thanks for your thoughts.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

I'm ready to go to LA!

 

More snow today. My daughter was in a rollover accident this morning and totalled her car. She hit a patch of ice, slid off the road, hit a snowbank and then flipped over twice. The good news is, she's ok. The bad news is, the car only had liability and now we have to buy another car. This could seriously impact our ability to do this cruise this summer. I'm really bummed and keeping my fingers crossed that we can figure something out before we have to cancel the cruise. :(

[travelfirst]

That is disappointing but good that your daughter is fine.

[shoshona2]

To pixiegirl,

 

After seeing the photo of your daughter's car, I can only believe that someone was watching over her. Thank goodness she survived without serious injuries. You can always go to Russia some time in the future. Your child is so much more important!!

 

Sheila

[Coral]

I'm ready to go to LA!

 

More snow today. My daughter was in a rollover accident this morning and totalled her car. She hit a patch of ice, slid off the road, hit a snowbank and then flipped over twice. The good news is, she's ok. The bad news is, the car only had liability and now we have to buy another car. This could seriously impact our ability to do this cruise this summer. I'm really bummed and keeping my fingers crossed that we can figure something out before we have to cancel the cruise. :(

 

It was pretty slick this morning (and afternoon and evening). I was walking on campus and almost fell a dozen times.

 

I am so glad she is ok! Someone was watching over here from above! She flipped 2x! OMG!

 

I would encourage her to see her doctor tomorrow. She may feel ok today but the pain may come in a few days. Just make sure she is aware that pain can be delayed.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Yes, K is very lucky. I know that her seatbelt (and very possibly angels) saved her from serious injury. The hood of her car was crushed and the front windshield shattered. The seatbelt kept her from hitting anything. Fortunately, the field she rolled into was empty and the snow cushioned her impact a bit. She is pretty sore today, and occasionally light-headed, so I scheduled a doctors visit for tomorrow, just to be on the safe side. This is all coming after buying a car last month following my son's accident in Dec (he was T-boned in the WalMart parkinglot on his way to work)! Kids are scary! My youngest turned 13 today, so now I have 2 teenaged boys. :eek:

 

K is so upset about the trip being in jeopardy. I told her I hadn't given up yet. Perhaps we can still do it, we might have to see if we can change the dates and go a bit later- late July/early August. I'm not going to cancel or change anything yet, until we can think things through. It stinks that our budget is so tight, but it is what it is. :)

[exbodcon]

Had a wonderful trip on the MS Russ last year and have some photos taken on board at

and of the ports of call -

Moscow -

St. Petersburg -

and the stops in between at

 

A wonderful experience with very friendly staff and very interesting excursions.

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

I love your pictures, exbodcon!

 

K is doing much better after the accident. We've been talking, and I think we're going to see if we can switch dates. I was looking at the St Petes to Moscow run on July 21st. I'm bummed because it's a day shorter doing the St Pete to Moscow run, AND we're no longer in the white nights of June. But if we can still do the trip, I'm a happy girl! There are other Moscow runs we might have chosen, but after all this time, I've really become emotionally attached to the ms. Russ! I've looked through the pictures so many times and fantasized myself in those places so often that I feel traitorous looking at other ships, lol!

 

K and I will be making some final decisions in the next couple of days

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Well, we're still planning our trip, but are going to see about postponing it from mid June until late July~ just to give us a little more time for "fund-raising". Hopefully, Travel All Russia can do an easy switch. :D

[Coral]

Well, we're still planning our trip, but are going to see about postponing it from mid June until late July~ just to give us a little more time for "fund-raising". Hopefully, Travel All Russia can do an easy switch. :D

 

Let us know how it works out.

 

I traveled in Mid-July the first time and we still had a ton of light at night. We got in our first night about 10 pm and went for a walk and it was still pretty light out.

 

Hope K is well!