Back from AMAKatarina Moscow to St Petersburg

[4774Papa]

We have booked an AMA cruise of Burgundy and Provence. We have friends that have done the same AMA cruise and it was great. Of course, it is not in Russia.

[shoshona2]

Hi Mike (MVPinBoynton),

 

One of the couples on our Katarina river cruise had just come off of a AMA European Cruise and when they walked into their cabin, they were in shock!! They even had a sewerage problem and the cabin smelled. It was taken care of promptly, but should have been attended to by the cabin attendant before they boarded the ship. I understand that when the ship goes into drydock in October, that a new sewerage system and air conditioning system will be put in. If the ship was completely rebuilt from the hull up, why wouldn't it be running without any problems? If one had a cabin on the lowest deck with only a window that didn't open, relief from the heat was to come into the small lobby to get cooler. Thank goodness, we could open the door to the veranda on our deck.

 

Sheila

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi Mike (MVPinBoynton),

 

One of the couples on our Katarina river cruise had just come off of a AMA European Cruise and when they walked into their cabin, they were in shock!! They even had a sewerage problem and the cabin smelled. It was taken care of promptly, but should have been attended to by the cabin attendant before they boarded the ship. I understand that when the ship goes into drydock in October, that a new sewerage system and air conditioning system will be put in. If the ship was completely rebuilt from the hull up, why wouldn't it be running without any problems? If one had a cabin on the lowest deck with only a window that didn't open, relief from the heat was to come into the small lobby to get cooler. Thank goodness, we could open the door to the veranda on our deck.

 

Sheila

 

That is so disappointing. As others have said and as I thought also, the marketing for this ship made it sound the like a super luxury vessel. AMA has really let its customers down on this one. I can't imagine the disappointment that couple had coming from one of their wonderful European cruises and having such a major letdown. This will definitely tarnish their reputation. Perhaps it will bring down their pricing for our next European river cruise.:D

[shoshona2]

Hi again Mike,

 

I know that a large group of us on the ship said they would NEVER book AMA again. All the President of the company had to do was send out letters to all those booked and say they were having problems and would allow us to cancel or give us some money back. They gave back the money to the first two cruises of the year when the ship wasn't ready. But the people had to experience all the things that went wrong. This river cruise cost us as much as a beautiful cruise on Crystal.

 

Sheila

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi again Mike,

 

I know that a large group of us on the ship said they would NEVER book AMA again. All the President of the company had to do was send out letters to all those booked and say they were having problems and would allow us to cancel or give us some money back. They gave back the money to the first two cruises of the year when the ship wasn't ready. But the people had to experience all the things that went wrong. This river cruise cost us as much as a beautiful cruise on Crystal.

 

Sheila

 

I can certainly understand the feelings and would probably feel the same way if I had had the type experience you had with the expectations everyone had.

[laverendrye]

Interesting points. I think other firms have had more problems on Russian river cruises. Viking gets good reviews elsewhere, but not so good in Russia. We liked our Vantage RR trip and others on our trip indicated that they had been on several Vantage tours, with the RR one at the bottom.

 

I've been following this thread with interest and I'm sorry to hear of the unfortunate experiences many have had with the AMA Katarina (aka MS M. Rostropovich). I think that the standard of service related by many is inexcusable for the prices charges. I was also most surprised to hear that the cruise only allotted a day and a half to Moscow. That is absurd.

 

I can only speak to my experience with the Viking Kirov in June 2010 and the contrasts between it and the Katarina are as between night and day. The accommodation, meals, tours, and passenger services on the Kirov were consistently first class. I think that most of the reviews of the Kirov on Cruise Critic attest to that. I do think that one of the reasons for this is that Viking owns its Russian cruise vessels rather than leasing them from one of the big Russian shipping companies as AMA and most of the other lines operating in Russia do.

 

As an example of Viking's customer service, I plan to travel with them next spring on the Mekong on the RV Tonle (this is a boat leased by Viking from Pandaw). A question arose on this board about an anomaly in the cabin description. Within a day, Viking replied on the thread to clarify the matter.

 

I wonder whether AMA pays the same attention to Cruise Critic as Viking obviously does.

[Kellie Poodle]

Hi again Mike,

 

I know that a large group of us on the ship said they would NEVER book AMA again. All the President of the company had to do was send out letters to all those booked and say they were having problems and would allow us to cancel or give us some money back. They gave back the money to the first two cruises of the year when the ship wasn't ready. But the people had to experience all the things that went wrong. This river cruise cost us as much as a beautiful cruise on Crystal.

 

Sheila

 

I agree. I will not book AMA again. Had I waited longer to book, I would have gone with Uniworld, but when I booked, I did not know they were putting a ship back on the itinerary.

 

We enjoyed our trip very much. We had no problems with the tours or the cabin. Our only complaints were the food and the WiFi.

 

I have a couple of itineraries that I'm interested in sailing on river boats, but both itineraries are with leased boats and I'm kind of snake-bit about doing a leased boat again.

 

Right now, as you can see, we are doing two cruise ship trips. 2012 is pretty much full for now. I'll keep watching CC for 2013 reviews.

 

Sheila: we hope to be in San Diego in mid-April. Wanna meet for dinner?

[Coral]

I was swayed the same way you guys were with the Tolstoy. They raved about their ship and it had only been in service for a year with them and there were no reports on CC about them when I took my May trip. Right before I left, I found a couple who had been on it and produced a video so after final payment, I saw a video of the ship and some sites which were very misleading as they spent several days in port before and after the cruise which made it look like they saw a lot more then we really did. The Tolstoy was also hyped as the best ship in Russia, etc.... I originally looked at Viking and Avalon. Right when researching it, Avalon had cancelled their "new and improved ship". I though AMA would be better than Viking (based on nicer brochures and a better copywriter) but after following people the past several years, I think Viking probably does a very good job for a river boat trip - one of my good friends did Viking in May and had no complaints (and her expectations are much higher than mine). I felt entirely mislead - especially about our time in Moscow.

 

The interesting thing is that I knew AMA in Russia would not improve. They did not respond to several of our letters to their company - even a basic acknowledgement form letter. This tells me a lot about a company. - I knew you guys going this year were going to get a very similar experience.

 

The only difference I have is that I think the American Chef consultant (Anthony?) was very fake. I think he plays a good cop/bad cop position in that "I really want to give you better food but I can't, my hands are tied - it is all their (Vodohods) fault" type position. My friends on Viking said very positive things about the food they were served (and as I said earlier - she has much higher expectations than I do). I actually don't see any role for him on the ships as he really didn't influence the food at all on our sailing - he just blamed the ship.

 

Words of wisdom for those going further. I definitely like cruising and I like land vacations. I did both in Russia (several years apart). Some places it just makes more sense to take land vacations. It really is much nicer to be in the heart of the city! I really wish I had stuck to my original gut feeling and did a land trip here and just did Moscow and St. Petersburg (I know the hotels are expensive but so is the cruise). If I wanted some smaller towns, there are plenty around Moscow and St. Petersburg that one can visit. And this way you can spend more then 1.5 days in Moscow. I would have skipped 3 small town ports to have spent an extra day or two in Moscow, literally! There is so much to see and do in Moscow.

[Coral]

I can't imagine missing Peterhoff Palace. Plus making the tours optional is just wrong.

 

 

There were several tours on our sailings (and have been confirmed that they still do this) where AMA took the cheap route doing. Most people had no clue as they had not been there before to know better. Sad. It is funny on my sailing they advertised in the brochures that they were the only river boat line to take people to a performance at the "Bolshoi" and there was an asterik that said "when open" or something to that affect. Guess what, it was planned to be closed the year before I went and for several years after for renovations. Very convenient.

[shoshona2]

Hi again Coral,

 

We all decided that it was cheaper for AMA to dock at the smaller villages than Moscow. Thus, they didn't allow more time in Moscow because they would have paid more port taxes. We easily could have skipped several of the small ports which only sold ticky-tacky items for tourists and had an extra day in Moscow.

 

Sheila

[MVPinBoynton]

There were several tours on our sailings (and have been confirmed that they still do this) where AMA took the cheap route doing. Most people had no clue as they had not been there before to know better. Sad. It is funny on my sailing they advertised in the brochures that they were the only river boat line to take people to a performance at the "Bolshoi" and there was an asterik that said "when open" or something to that affect. Guess what, it was planned to be closed the year before I went and for several years after for renovations. Very convenient.

 

Totally unacceptable. I certainly understand everyone's displeasure with AMA.

[franski]

Hi Island Cruiser,

 

Uniworld's new ship, the River Victoria, was berthed next to us in Moscow. One of our friends asked to see a cabin and it was so much nicer than our cabin on the Katarina. The people who we spoke to said the food was very good and they didn't have the problems we did. Uniworld had troubles with their first saililng since the ship wasn't ready. I believe they put everyone up at the Ritz Carlton for several days of sightseeing. Uniworld's website says something to the effect that the Russian ship might not have the amenities their European ships have. AMA made a mistake by all their advertising that their ship was the "best" ship on the Volga and very luxurious. As I said, most of the people we met will NOT book AMA again. People don't like to be conned.

 

Sheila

 

On our 1st river cruise - which was with Uniworld - the CD gave a talk about options with river cruising. He mentioned Russia - and was very clear to say that while it is a great experience to cruise in Russia, people should be prepared that it it not to the standard of their European boats. He explained that the company could not control everything - as the boats were leased. Just after that, Uniworld withdrew from the Russian market for a year or two.

 

As stated in previous posts, I planned for Russia expecting "high end camping". Was very excited to be able to get hotel style beds - without booking a suite. It is nice to hear from someone who has seen the River Victoria recently - and reassuring to hear that Uniworld seems to have resolved many of the issues reported on the inaugural cruise. It is really too bad that AMA couldn't have been a bit more "up front" with what to expect - or more responsive to the number of reviews posted here. I am sure that someone from AMA has read this forum. If they haven't, I am sure someone from another line has - and they all talk.

 

I feel so badly for those who travelled with AMA - only to be so disappointed in the experience. I do thank you all, however, for taking the time to post - as it helps those of us booked for next year. I now know what type of questions to ask in relation to optional excursions.

 

l~l <-- this is a virtual shot glass of vodka - raised in a toast to those who travelled the Volga with AMA, and survived the experience... <grin>

[Coral]

Hi again Coral,

 

We all decided that it was cheaper for AMA to dock at the smaller villages than Moscow. Thus, they didn't allow more time in Moscow because they would have paid more port taxes. We easily could have skipped several of the small ports which only sold ticky-tacky items for tourists and had an extra day in Moscow.

 

Sheila

 

I know that is exactly why!

[shoshona2]

Hi franski,

 

Thanks for the vodka toast! We appreciate it!!

 

Booked our Bucharest to Budapest river cruise with Tauck today for August 2012. If anyone has been to Bucharest and can share their experience there, I would appreciate it. We have a free day before our sightseeing starts with Tauck.

 

Sheila

[Kellie Poodle]

 

I feel so badly for those who travelled with AMA - only to be so disappointed in the experience. I do thank you all, however, for taking the time to post - as it helps those of us booked for next year. I now know what type of questions to ask in relation to optional excursions.

 

l~l <-- this is a virtual shot glass of vodka - raised in a toast to those who travelled the Volga with AMA, and survived the experience... <grin>

 

We weren't disappointed. Can I have some virtual vodka anyway ;)

 

We didn't get what was touted by AMA, but we were more interested in the sightseeing and we felt, for the brief time that we had, we got to see and do a lot of things that we never could have, had we stayed home in Texas and watched a video.

 

We had a nice cabin, great ship-mates and good weather. We had plenty of clean linens, lots of toilet paper, a friendly and accommodating crew and no sewage problems. I guess we must have had the best sailing of the entire season!

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi franski,

 

Thanks for the vodka toast! We appreciate it!!

 

Booked our Bucharest to Budapest river cruise with Tauck today for August 2012. If anyone has been to Bucharest and can share their experience there, I would appreciate it. We have a free day before our sightseeing starts with Tauck.

 

Sheila

 

Friends of mine just did that cruise with Grand Circle and raved about Bucharest. They were very disappointed that they didn't book any extra days there, since there is so much to do. Enjoy it.

[shoshona2]

Thanks for the update about Bucharest, Mike.

 

Sheila

[Rxgrad98]

Hi everyone. I’d like to second what franski said. A big “Thank you!” to everyone who took the time to post and offer advice. The information has been valuable. I’m relieved that I didn’t even consider AMA Waterways for our Russia cruise since I was’t very familiar with them, opting instead to go with Uniworld. I’ve always felt I can handle most situations or cultural differences as long as I was aware of them going in. I also don’t consider myself above a 3-star experience, but when I’m promised a 5-star experience, and more importantly I pay for a 5-star experience, then I expect a 5-star experience, and as I believe Sheila pointed out, you feel “conned” if it’s not delivered.

 

I think the biggest problem is that most of these cruise companies lease these boats, but lead potential customers to believe that they own and control every aspect of the cruise, and as we’ve all discovered that’s not true. I read all the Uniworld press releases about reentering Russia with the River Victoria and they made it sound like they own the boat and had total control over everything. Now through some of the discussions on this site, we know that they lease their boat from Mosturflot. I’m sure AMA was the same way with the Katarina. It was a shock when I read that AMA only had a total of 3(!) employees on the boat. It sounded like poor Marina was there to be the errand girl and group coordinator for all the AMA passengers, and the “chef consultant” was just a waste of space. Thankfully, I haven’t read hardly any negative comments about the Victoria; had I, and learned that there were only 3 employees of Uniworld on the boat, I probably would have canceled. To me, that’s not what they advertised. I’m sure this is why everyone who sailed the Katarina was given conflicting information and AMA Waterways couldn’t answer many of your questions - they didn’t know because they were not the ones operating the boat.

 

I think the real eye-opener is AMA’s response to the issues, or truly, their lack of response. I can’t believe that if they are leasing the entire boat, they don’t have more input and can’t change some things. I can’t believe the “that’s just the way it is in Russia - deal with it” mentality. Their lack of commitment to their customers is distressing. When Uniworld’s boat wasn’t ready for the first sailing, Uniworld put their customers up in a centrally located hotel, the Ritz. To me, that says that Uniworld is dedicated to their customers and will go above and beyond to make sure they have the best possible vacation. The Katarina wasn’t ready for it’s first cruise, but AMA didn’t do anything similar. AMA sounds like they don’t care. I was checking into a river cruise from Budapest to Bucharest and was considering AMA since I liked their itinerary and the price was reasonable, but after seeing their level of customer service, I’m no longer considering them. I don’t care if their European cruises are a different breed and run much better than their Russian cruises; I prefer to go with a company that cares about the product they are offering and cares about their customers satisfaction.

 

Again, a big “Thanks” to everyone who shared. Будем здоровы!!

 

Tim

[franski]

Kellie Poodle -

 

Absolutely willing to share the virtual bottle.... The party is often better when it's bigger.....:D

 

Fran

[Island Cruiser]

Tim, my response to your excellent post is amen. You nailed the issues! Pat

[MizzDEE MD]

Dee here...just posted my review so it should appear shortly. We were in cabin 235, a forward balcony cabin, and it was just fine. WE had NO problems with service (extra pillows, tissues, cleaning, T.P.) and everything we requested or needed was handled right away. There was one sour young girl at reception, but I think, frankly, she was overwhelmed and scared to death . The restaurant maitre'd was also sour and frowning, but when I had a problem in the dining room it was handled immediately and personally by her. She also hand delivered a specially prepared lunch to me when I was sick on the last day in Moscow and stayed aboard. Inna checked up on me as did anyone else who got the idea that I was ill. We certainly all had phones which were answered quickly at the desk.

 

I think most of the problems can be attributed to language difficulties and lack of training. The people were helpful, warm and engaging. The internet service is non-existant, but they did have an on board specialist, Dimitri, who was able to help me when the problem was solvable.

The best lesson I learned.......Russia is Russia, not New York or LA. Their lives are vastly different as are their lifestyles and when in Russia...you do as the Russians do. AMA's responsibility is to present their package fairly and deliver as promised. I found them to be poor communicators before I left on the trip and expected no more....so I was pleasantly surprised rather than bitterly disappointed with the improvements they made. Our guides were wonderful, even fabulous (Elsa).

 

The convenience of having things arranged for us was well worth the price of admission. Even an experienced traveler would be challenged in Russia on their own.

[shoshona2]

Hi Dee,

 

Good review. Wish we had your housekeeper! Irwin submitted a review, but it was rejected because it was too short or missing something. But, I've posted here all my thoughts after returning.

 

Sheila

[HDS]

I agree with Carol's and Sheila's recommendation for extra days in both St Petersburg and Moscow pre and post cruise to explore at one's own pace.

We thoroughly appreciated the convenience and the ambience of the river cruise but are very pleased we explored both cities independently. English language audio guides available at major venues offered a much more satisfying experience than the tours our cruise line provided.

With prior study of the Cyrillic alphabet, guide books and maps (especially of the metros) it was easy to use public transport and explore at our own pace. And well worth the effort.

Deb.

[shoshona2]

Hi Deb,

 

When we used the Metro in St. Petersburg and Moscow, people heard us speak English and gave up their seats to us. I thanked them and smiled. That would never happen in NYC or LA.

 

Sheila

[4774Papa]

Hi Deb,

 

When we used the Metro in St. Petersburg and Moscow, people heard us speak English and gave up their seats to us. I thanked them and smiled. That would never happen in NYC or LA.

 

Sheila

It would happen in the South, when men still give up their seats for ladies, or younger people give them up for older people.