Viking 'Footsteps of the Cossacks' (Ukraine)

[id est]

Let me add a few notes from our July cruise experience:

1. For sauna lovers: unfortunately it is closed for the entire season

2. Viking now sells cruise vouchers with an open date onboard. It is pretty much the same feature Royal Caribbean and other ocean cruise lines do. Basically you just pay $100 pp. less if you book the next cruise onboard. The onboard credit can be used to cover any expenses including cruise voucher.

3. No sense to use debit/credit cards and ATMs. Cash $$ or euro can be exchanged almost everywhere with much better rate. Just do not forget to show the passport or any id.

4. And do not miss vodka tasting! :D It is real fun, delicious appetizers and actually beneficial experience.

If there are any questions: just ask. I’ll try to respond as soon as I can.

Edited August 1, 2013 by id est

[Peregrina651]

Agreed! The vodka tasting was a lot of fun--and I'm really not much of drinker. I went for the social and not the contents of the shot glass and I thought it was a really fun evening. So did my husband, who drank his and mine! (He slept like a baby.

 

The evening is nicely timed so that you aren't drinking five or six half-shots in 10 minutes. The shots are poured one round at a time. There is a lot chit-chat and even some singing between the shots and the time just flies by even though it takes like an hour and a half for the whole thing.

 

They serve a plate of delicacies along with the vodkas. Watch out. The items on the plate tend to be flavorful and spicy and do not contain added sugar the way most pickles do that we buy in the US. The palate tends toward spicy and pungent--lots of spicy pepper and pungent vinegar in the pickle brine and the strongest onions my husband has ever tasted.

 

[silkismom]

Do I see pickled herring there??? If so I'M IN!! I was raised on it and when we lived in Denmark I discovered other kinds than the stuff in sour cream. Yummm

 

I've started reading thru all these posts again. DH will be sad the sauna is closed!

 

How is the breakfast at the Radisson Blu--pre-cruise, enough to last us to dinner? How is Austrian air? Horrid seats? Is there some booze included to compensate? Also Ukrainian air from Odessa to Vienna??

 

I thought of some other questions, of course they have left my pea-brain right now.

[hvsteve1]

Here's a question for those of you who have done Russia with Viking...

 

How large are the tour groups that leave the ship, in other words, how many people get on a bus with each guide? Are the buses filled to capacity for the trips in Moscow and St. Petersburg?

[id est]

Do I see pickled herring there??? If so I'M IN!!

Yes and you can always ask extra. I love it too :)

 

How is the breakfast at the Radisson Blu--pre-cruise, enough to last us to dinner? How is Austrian air? Horrid seats? Is there some booze included to compensate? Also Ukrainian air from Odessa to Vienna??

Unfortunately I do not know since we did not book pre/post cruise extensions and did our own air. The taxi in Odessa is very affordable: we only paid 42 hryvnas (~5$) from seaport to the airport.

Edited August 5, 2013 by id est

[id est]

Almost forgot: if you order something in the Sky or Panorama Bar try thoroughly explain to the bartender (Victoria or another girl) exactly what you need. My wife asked Margarita and got martini 2 times. :D

Apparently they do not make it or maybe do it differently even though it is listed in the drinks menu.

[Peregrina651]

Here's a question for those of you who have done Russia with Viking...

 

How large are the tour groups that leave the ship, in other words, how many people get on a bus with each guide? Are the buses filled to capacity for the trips in Moscow and St. Petersburg?

 

Sorry but this thread is about Viking's 'Footsteps of the Cossacks' cruise on the Black Sea and Dneiper River in Ukraine and not about any other Viking itineraries.

 

There are many other threads dealing with Viking's cruises in Russia and you should be asking your questions there. Look for such threads in the both the river roll calls section and in the river cruising forum. You should find plenty of people who have been on the various itineraries in Russia who will be able to answer your question. Or else, start a new thread.

[Peregrina651]

 

How is the breakfast at the Radisson Blu--pre-cruise, enough to last us to dinner? How is Austrian air? Horrid seats? Is there some booze included to compensate? Also Ukrainian air from Odessa to Vienna??

 

 

The breakfast buffet at the Radisson Blu is HUGE and includes hot and cold offerings as well as an omelet bar. There are various stations in the room so make sure that you walk all the way to the far end of the room to scope out everything that is available. Don't worry about not making it through to dinner; there is a McDonald's right by the ship plus there will be a buffet luncheon on the ship when you arrive.

 

Austrian Air was wonderful. I can say that because I popped a sleeping pill and slept the whole flight. ;) All kidding aside, I believe that Austrian Air gets good marks in general. Even Ukrainian air wasn't all that bad. However, be prepared because you will be taken by bus to and from your airplane. No jetways.

[Peregrina651]

Almost forgot: if you order something in the Sky or Panorama Bar try thoroughly explain to the bartender (Victoria or another girl) exactly what you need. My wife asked Margarita and got martini 2 times. :D

Apparently they do not make it or maybe do it differently even though it is listed in the drinks menu.

 

Yeah, okay. That is a problem that you can point out to the Hotel Manager on the ship. Is it still Henry? That is the kind of thing that he wants to know about so that he can figure out what went wrong and fix it ASAP. (Yes, id est, I know it is a bit late to be telling you this but other readers may benefit).

[Kohola]

Here's a question for those of you who have done Russia with Viking...

 

How large are the tour groups that leave the ship, in other words, how many people get on a bus with each guide? Are the buses filled to capacity for the trips in Moscow and St. Petersburg?

The first morning you choose a bus...number of buses directly proportional to the number of passengers which equates to around 30 people per guide. The guide on that bus is the one you will have for the duration of your trip so pick wisely.;)

 

On some of the optional excursions more than one group may be combined with a guide. Learn some Russian which is useful in the Ukraine as well, not only to be polite but to read signs as well.

[id est]

The first morning you choose a bus...number of buses directly proportional to the number of passengers which equates to around 30 people per guide. The guide on that bus is the one you will have for the duration of your trip so pick wisely.;)

 

On some of the optional excursions more than one group may be combined with a guide. Learn some Russian which is useful in the Ukraine as well, not only to be polite but to read signs as well.

They had all of us already assigned to certain buses at the first day. However it is not a problem to change bus later. Tours are pretty much avarage quality, kind of wikipedia information. Unfortunately not even comparable to the european guides. By the way if I am not mistaken all of the tour guides are from Sevastopol. So expect to get the best tour in there :)

[silkismom]

Honestly! What do people wear at night on the ship? Starting to think about putting clothes aside to pack.

[hvsteve1]

They had all of us already assigned to certain buses at the first day. However it is not a problem to change bus later. Tours are pretty much avarage quality, kind of wikipedia information. Unfortunately not even comparable to the european guides. By the way if I am not mistaken all of the tour guides are from Sevastopol. So expect to get the best tour in there :)

 

Thank you for your answers. While I realize this is not exactly the forum for the cruise I am contemplating, it appears to be the most active Viking Russia forum and time is of the essence as we are currently booking and I assume that the size of tour groups is similar regardless of which of the two routes you take on the same ships. The purpose of the question is, if the buses are jammed full every morning, it could be a deal breaker as my wife can't be crammed into a seat every morning riding from the ship. Thirty people on what appear to be 40-44 passenger buses means she will have room to stretch out an maybe put up her feet so she won't be in pain when she gets off an hour or two later. Thanks, again, for taking the time to give me answers.

[Grandcruisevirgin]

Hi all, does anybody remember what symbols are on the atms? The card I hope to use is in the following networks: plus, co-op, allpoint and star.

Thanks

[Peregrina651]

The first morning you choose a bus...number of buses directly proportional to the number of passengers which equates to around 30 people per guide. The guide on that bus is the one you will have for the duration of your trip so pick wisely.;)

 

On some of the optional excursions more than one group may be combined with a guide. Learn some Russian which is useful in the Ukraine as well, not only to be polite but to read signs as well.

 

On our trip, there was no changing buses. The passengers broke down into three groups--English-speaking passengers, German-speaking passengers and a large tour group-- and that is how the buses were assigned. It was not possible to change buses if you didn't like your guide. The German-speaking escort did not speak English and the tour group pretty much filled their bus.

 

In other words, yes, sometimes there is the ability to change buses but not always. It just depends on the passenger mix on your particular cruise.

[Peregrina651]

Honestly! What do people wear at night on the ship? Starting to think about putting clothes aside to pack.

 

I wore at night what I wore during the day (skirts and tops). I'm a' pack as light as I can' person and I did not bring any fancy clothing for dressing up for dinner. I was fine. Hubby follows the same pattern-- dockers and button-downs. Other people liked to change for dinner and did so. In any event, there are no formal nights and there is no need for glitz and glitter or even for a sports coat for the men (not even for the opera where a button down shirt will be fine).

[Amicruzer]

Hello All,

I have a friend sailing on the 8/31 Footsteps of the Cossacks. She would like to do the Jewish Heritage Tour but, has been told she can only book it on board and that its in the afternoon. There are certain synagogues she would like to see so she thought if she knew which ones were visited on the tour she could see the others in the morning. Has anyone done this tour and can you help me out? Thanks:)

[id est]

On our trip, there was no changing buses. The passengers broke down into three groups--English-speaking passengers, German-speaking passengers and a large tour group-- and that is how the buses were assigned. It was not possible to change buses if you didn't like your guide. The German-speaking escort did not speak English and the tour group pretty much filled their bus.

 

In other words, yes, sometimes there is the ability to change buses but not always. It just depends on the passenger mix on your particular cruise.

I assume you were on the "international departure" cruise. There are 2 such cruises left this year: August 20th and September 11th. All others are 100% english speaking.

[Peregrina651]

Hello All,

I have a friend sailing on the 8/31 Footsteps of the Cossacks. She would like to do the Jewish Heritage Tour but, has been told she can only book it on board and that its in the afternoon. There are certain synagogues she would like to see so she thought if she knew which ones were visited on the tour she could see the others in the morning. Has anyone done this tour and can you help me out? Thanks:)

 

Your friend will arrive in Kiev on Saturday and will only be able to see exteriors if she tries to see them that afternoon since the synagogues are not open to visitors on Saturday. Sunday morning there will be a guided tour of Kiev with a visit to St. Sophia and the Monastery of the Caves. Optional cruises in the afternoon and the ship departs that evening. There is not much time in Kiev.

 

I did not do the Jewish Heritage tour in Kiev and my Footsteps file with the descriptions of the tours is packed away getting ready to move so I can't even go look it up for you. The Jewish Heritage in Kiev tour does include a visit to Babi Yar, which is outside of town.

 

Your friend should go armed with the addresses of the synagogues she wants to see. You can find them with a Google search.

 

Finally, don't worry about booking the tour. She can do it when she arrives on August 31.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Peregrina651

[Peregrina651]

I assume you were on the "international departure" cruise. There are 2 such cruises left this year: August 20th and September 11th. All others are 100% english speaking.

 

Yes, we were on one of the dates that was marketed in the German speaking countries as well and about a third of the people we sailed with were German-speaking. Since our date was not fully booked, they did not open both dining rooms and a couple of nights, we ended up sharing a table with German speakers since seating in the dining room is first come, first served. It made for some very interesting dinner table conversation.

[Amicruzer]

Thank you for the information. Do you happen to know the cost of the optional tours? :)

[Grandcruisevirgin]

Thank you for the information. Do you happen to know the cost of the optional tours? :)

 

I just realized that since I'm arriving in Kiev on Friday, Sept. 20, the optional Jewish tour of the pre-cruise extension will also be on a Saturday.

Is this optional Jewish Kiev tour also run on the first day of the cruise? (That would be Sunday, Sept. 22 for me.) I'm so confused.

I'm back to thinking about doing the Chernyobyl tour on that Saturday, Sept. 21, but it seems like that (9 hours) would be a very long day. Maybe I should just do the walking tour with Viking that Saturday morning and take it easy the rest of the day, as I most assuredly will still be jet-lagged. :confused:

[id est]

Thank you for the information. Do you happen to know the cost of the optional tours? :)

It is between 35 and 50 euros. You'll get the booklet from Viking by mail with all itinerary info. Just keep in mind all optional tours unless it is an Opera/Black Sea Band are done by the same tour guides.

[id est]

The Jewish Heritage in Kiev tour does include a visit to Babi Yar, which is outside of town.

It is not in the center of the city but still in town and actually in only 15-20 minutes drive by subway from "Dnipro" station where Lomonosov is docked. You'll need to change train at "Zoloti Vorota" and exit at "Dorogozhychi". Babi Yar memorial is in a park right next to the subway station.

Edited August 7, 2013 by id est

[Peregrina651]

Thank you for the information. Do you happen to know the cost of the optional tours? :)

 

The tours are various prices. The most expensive ones were the concerts at 540UAH per person. After that, my memory fails me.