Viking 'Footsteps of the Cossacks' (Ukraine)

[Grandcruisevirgin]

It is 20 degrees warmer than I expected and it will only get warmer; it is in the 80s as this trip and the season gets started and will only get hotter. . It is too soon to give a report on ship board temps but so far I wish the public spaces were a bit cooler. But then again, temperatures are so subjective.

 

I am closely following your adventures, with my final payment for my September 2013 trip due at the end of the month. I'm seriously considering canceling, having a lonely time of it on my trans-Atlantic cruise in April, I'm not sure if I want to take on the Ukraine alone.

I'm interested in your impressions of the safety of the country. A lot of the Odessa time seems to be 'on your own,' not sure how comfortable I feel about that.

On the other hand - if I go, I'm thinking of booking the Kiev extension at the start of my cruise, so if you're doing that, I'd like to hear about that to.

Also - are the passengers mostly English speaking? My cruise is not billed as a 'multi-language' cruise. But, you never know who's going to be on board with you, do you?

Have a wonderful time, I look forward to seeing your pictures.

You are doing a great job reporting from the ship with a slow internet connection. You're my hero. :)

[loum140]

I have a couple of more questions: on the Danube boats in the reception area there was a 24 hr. self serve dispenser for hot beverages (coffee, tea, hot chocolate) and another one for ice water. Do they have this on your boat? Is there bottled water in the staterooms? Is water provided before your excursions? Thanks. Really appreciate your feedback. Hope you're having a wonderful time. Can't wait to read your impressions of the cities and tours.

[Peregrina651]

CGV, Odessa is beautiful and really not super touristy right now. The downtown area is not crowded and very pleasant to wander around. Tomorrow we will strike out on our own. I look forward to blending in with the crowd and checking out the shops. FYI, there are a number of single travelers on the ship, including one woman who is probably in her 70s--and it is not her first solo with Viking,

 

Marsha, yes there is a 24 hour caffeine station. Bottled water in the cabins (even though the water is potable) plus smaller bottles for the tours

 

The ship does not seem filled to capacity since will all fit in three buses--one tour group, one German-speaking and one English speaking.

[Kohola]

I have a couple of more questions: on the Danube boats in the reception area there was a 24 hr. self serve dispenser for hot beverages (coffee, tea, hot chocolate) and another one for ice water. Do they have this on your boat? Is there bottled water in the staterooms? Is water provided before your excursions? Thanks. Really appreciate your feedback. Hope you're having a wonderful time. Can't wait to read your impressions of the cities and tours.

This is Irena modeling the beverage area...on the Lomonsov this is located outside the lower dining room. There is a second identical machine behind her.

[loum140]

CGV, Odessa is beautiful and really not super touristy right now. The downtown area is not crowded and very pleasant to wander around. Tomorrow we will strike out on our own. I look forward to blending in with the crowd and checking out the shops. FYI, there are a number of single travelers on the ship, including one woman who is probably in her 70s--and it is not her first solo with Viking,

 

Marsha, yes there is a 24 hour caffeine station. Bottled water in the cabins (even though the water is potable) plus smaller bottles for the tours

 

The ship does not seem filled to capacity since will all fit in three buses--one tour group, one German-speaking and one English speaking.

 

Loving your reports! Hope you enjoyed your free day in Odessa. We were just talking about whether or not we would need to hire a private guide for our free day. I've been there before but not DH. How easy/hard was it to get around?

 

Capris? Jeans? walking shorts (Bermuda length)?

Edited May 5, 2012 by loum140

[Peregrina651]

As for dress, anything goes. Be comfortable. Shorts are okay, even for men. The only restrictions might be entering churches or synagogues--dress modestly please.

 

Let's get back to those coffee-machines. They are right outside guest rooms and they are noisy. If you want to sleep in, if noise outside your room drives you nuts, then you might want to think twice about booking rooms by the machines (which are on the 3rd floor). I guess same goes for the rooms that are along the corridors to the two dining rooms. Our C cabin is halfway down the main corridor on the third floor. Walk one direction to disembark and the other to eat. So simple and I still get turned around.

 

This morning we walked into Odessa on our own. We wandered around checking out the architecture. Getting a guide is really another one of those personal decisions.

 

Viking, take note. The QuietVox are great but all of the headphones are made to fit in the left ear ONLY. You can't use your own headsets because there is no jack. I don't hear out of my left ear and wearing it in my right is awkward and uncomfortable.

[loum140]

EEK! The coffee machine is right outside our door! That will make DH very happy, me less so.

 

Thanks for these tidbits of info. I'm living our upcoming cruise (in reverse) vicariously through your posts. Anxiously awaiting your impressions of Yalta. Have been longing to see the Swallows Nest for years - it's pictured in all the Viking literature so I'm sure we'll actually get close enough for a photo.

 

I plan to take copious notes on our trip but will probably post as a review when we get back.

 

Reagrds

[Peregrina651]

I guess it is too late to change cabins--but then again, it can't hurt to ask.

 

I do better posting as I go, while thoughts and comments are fresh in my mind. Still, I'm holding back so I don't spoil everything; there have to be some surprises.

[Kohola]

I guess it is too late to change cabins--but then again, it can't hurt to ask.

 

One of the advantages of doing multiple cruises is you automatically qualify for the best cabin available. On our last cruise we were given the room number to our third cabin before our suitcases had even arrived.

 

So I take it that the Alyona, Nastya or Katya are not on board?

[Peregrina651]

 

So I take it that the Alyona, Nastya or Katya are not on board?

 

Bob, I don't think so.

 

More cabin comments: Don't let the yacht-style shower throw you off. It is actually quite roomy. A nice shower curtain keeps your toilet and towels dry. The sink stays in the we area and is just a handy place--and you adjust the water temp using the sink faucet. My shower was plenty warm -- actually quite hot.

[Grandcruisevirgin]

As for dress, anything goes. Be comfortable. Shorts are okay, even for men. The only restrictions might be entering churches or synagogues--dress modestly please.

 

 

Viking, take note. The QuietVox are great but all of the headphones are made to fit in the left ear ONLY. You can't use your own headsets because there is no jack. I don't hear out of my left ear and wearing it in my right is awkward and uncomfortable.

 

Oh man...I am also partially deaf in my left ear...:(

Just got an email from Viking today about final payment due May 31 and calling soon to avoid long wait times on the phone.

I'm going to my travel club meeting Thursday to try one more time to find a cabin mate for this trip, if I can't I think I'll probably cancel and lose $100.

 

But if I do go, shorts shouldn't be a problem in late September, I don't inflict the sight of my legs on the people in my own country, there's no way I'd subject the Ukrainians to them, don't want to start an international incident! :o

[loum140]

One of the advantages of doing multiple cruises is you automatically qualify for the best cabin available. On our last cruise we were given the room number to our third cabin before our suitcases had even arrived.

 

This will be our 4th with Viking. When we booked there was no choice of stateroom - it was the only one available. I know about the automatic upgrade, in theory. Is this something I should ask my TA to confirm and request on our behalf, or wait until we arrive at the boat? :confused: (The website is showing availability in higher category)

[Kohola]

This will be our 4th with Viking. When we booked there was no choice of stateroom - it was the only one available. I know about the automatic upgrade, in theory. Is this something I should ask my TA to confirm and request on our behalf, or wait until we arrive at the boat? :confused: (The website is showing availability in higher category)

 

Normally up to four cabins become available because of last minute cancellations. They may or may not be an upgrade...but if your looking at getting away from the noise of the beverage service as well as the line that will form right outside your cabin for the various meals depending on which side of the vessel you're on...it's something to think about. Express your concern to Henry, the Hotel Manager, when you arrive. Remember your cabin may be an upgrade to someone else if you're willing to move to the lower deck.

 

I don't know how they determine whose has priority for any room upgrade, but a legitimate issue should get consideration over someone like us that received upgrades because we could.

 

Our last cruise to China, we swapped rooms from the 3rd to the 4th deck because of a cancellation, then moved more forward on the 4th deck, by swapping two guides to our old 4th deck cabin.

 

On our Russian cruise, they moved a single traveler from a multilingual ship to our English only speaking ship...upgrading from a single cabin to a double. In Russia, Viking has four vessels that travel in tandem within a day of so of each other.

 

Our first China cruise, a couple had a drain back up into their cabin...they were offered one of the cabins on the top deck as compensation.

 

The point is, the staff will do everything in their power to help you enjoy your cruise...in Ukraine this is most evident because Ukraine is not a typical vacation destination for most people.

[Peregrina651]

Loved Chersonese excursion in Sevastopol. Wish we had had more time there. I felt rushed. We weren't given a chance to explore the theater--we just stood there and looked at it (except for me who went wandering off to get closer.

 

Black Sea Band concert is fun --but way overpriced considering we paid the same amount to see Don Giovanni or the ballet at the Opera House in Odessa!!!! For what we paid, the CD should have been included--not sold at the door.

 

So, the yacht-style shower isn't so bad --except if you are showering first thing in the morning! Showering before 7am we get lukewarm. Later on, it heats up. There is plenty of room and there is plenty of pressure from the shower head. A curtain prevents the toilet from getting wet while the sink is a handy shower caddy. Actually, I've had worse on board shower facilities.

[travelling fools]

Loved Chersonese excursion in Sevastopol. Wish we had had more time there. I felt rushed. We weren't given a chance to explore the theater--we just stood there and looked at it (except for me who went wandering off to get closer.

 

Black Sea Band concert is fun --but way overpriced considering we paid the same amount to see Don Giovanni or the ballet at the Opera House in Odessa!!!! For what we paid, the CD should have been included--not sold at the door.

 

What are the prices of the tours and do you have to book them all at the first of your cruise or can you decide a day or so before each port?

Thanks for your updates !

[Peregrina651]

Just arrived in Yalta.

 

Included excursion to Bakchisarai was FABULOUS. Again, wish we had, had a bit more time to explore on our own. It is a small complex and easy to do but some alone time would have been nice--and not just for shopping. Do read the article that Thom mentioned; it was very helpful.

 

Price are included in the itinerary book that is sent out with cruise docs--but they are given in Euros, which is stupid since the shipboard currency is UAH!! I will talk more about them when I am not running out the door.

 

BTW, on board temps-- I've been comfortable. Never to cold and only occasionally to warm.

 

Our guide is Alla. Our driver is Yuri.

 

Internet has been sporadic.

[travelling fools]

Just arrived in Yalta.

 

Included excursion to Bakchisarai was FABULOUS. Again, wish we had, had a bit more time to explore on our own. It is a small complex and easy to do but some alone time would have been nice--and not just for shopping.

 

On other river boat cruises we would leave tour after getting highlights on what to see and where everything was and walk around on our own and return to ship either by walking or if on bus tour would ask guide what time to meet back at bus.Sometimes we found for us they would give us to much information that we would never remember or some people would drag it out with a lot of questions.Do you think this would be possible to do on tours on this cruise?

[Peregrina651]

Just arrived in Yalta.

 

 

On other river boat cruises we would leave tour after getting highlights on what to see and where everything was and walk around on our own and return to ship either by walking or if on bus tour would ask guide what time to meet back at bus.Sometimes we found for us they would give us to much information that we would never remember or some people would drag it out with a lot of questions.Do you think this would be possible to do on tours on this cruise?

 

Yes, depending on where you left the group and which city you were in.

 

Yalta. The included tour today was to see the Swallow's Nest from a lookout and then to see Lividia Palace. (BTW, you cannot get back to the ship on your own from here and I get the impression that you probably have to stay with in reasonable proximity of your guide while in the palace itself).

 

(Free toilets inside the palace but $$ for the WC on the grounds).

 

After lunch, we skipped the optional tours and just walked around town. It rained for the first time this trip. That did not deter us. We wandered as far as Katherine's Cathedral to see the golden domes. We did not ride the gondola to the lookout; you have to get off and on a moving cab--and forget that.

 

Yalta, a resort town, is really different from Sevastopol and Odessa. S was just chock-a-block with military (and really goes all out for the Victory Day celebration). Odessa is metropolitan and we really only get to see a small portion (the old downtown area). Yalta is laid-back. The streets are narrow and winding. The oceanside promenade reminds me of pre-casino Atlantic City (but stone not wood).

 

[Peregrina651]

Hello Everyone

 

 

2. Local water - I spent a week in Odessa prior to the Cruise and stayed in town for 10 days in 2008. The water is FINE! if you want to drink bottled water - there are plenty places to buy some available throughout the cruise (and they provide a bottle of water in your cabin every day free... and I am sure that if you ask for another - they will give it to you)

.

Going back to a very early post to update and confirm some information. A 2L bottle of water was in our room when we arrived. Every time we open it, a new one is put in its place, ready for use when the opened bottle is empty. Water on the ship is potable, even in the cabins. Bottles are handed out on the gangway as we leave for tours but not at other times.

[Peregrina651]

The chief engineer has wired an ear-bud into a headphone plug and I now have a right-earred earpiece. They persevered with a solution long after we said 'give up.' They really do want to make it right. :)

[travelling fools]

Make it right, Mike

 

One of my husbands favourite TV shows.Mike Holmes-make it right.

[Viking Cruises]

As for dress, anything goes. Be comfortable. Shorts are okay, even for men. The only restrictions might be entering churches or synagogues--dress modestly please.

 

Let's get back to those coffee-machines. They are right outside guest rooms and they are noisy. If you want to sleep in, if noise outside your room drives you nuts, then you might want to think twice about booking rooms by the machines (which are on the 3rd floor). I guess same goes for the rooms that are along the corridors to the two dining rooms. Our C cabin is halfway down the main corridor on the third floor. Walk one direction to disembark and the other to eat. So simple and I still get turned around.

 

This morning we walked into Odessa on our own. We wandered around checking out the architecture. Getting a guide is really another one of those personal decisions.

 

Viking, take note. The QuietVox are great but all of the headphones are made to fit in the left ear ONLY. You can't use your own headsets because there is no jack. I don't hear out of my left ear and wearing it in my right is awkward and uncomfortable.

 

Dear Peregrina651,

 

We’ve taken note of your QuietVox feedback and have forwarded it on to our European operations team to see if there’s a solution that can be found for you now. We always value your remarks and enjoy hearing from you and we hope that when you return home you will email us a summary of your trip feedback at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com.

 

We hope you are having a wonderful time in Ukraine!

 

Very best,

Viking River Cruises

[Peregrina651]

Aloupka Palace this morning; sail away party just before lunch. Last night after dinner, we left the ship to walk along the seaside promenade. When in Rome, do like the Romans and when in Yalta that means hanging out on the promenade. There were street musicians; there were folks just sitting along the quay side; there were vendors; the were families just out for the evening (especially since it was Victory Day Eve). The promenade was just a 10 minute walk from the ship. We had walked around during the day but wanted to see it at night as well.

 

The Aloupka Palace tour was just the right length of time and then we had time to wander back to the buses at our own speed. There was shopping for the shoppers and gardens for the strollers and gardeners.

 

It will take us 24 hours to get to Kherson at the mouth of the Dnieper and our next stop. This is our first afternoon 'at sea.' We had a sail away party with a band --not a steel drum in sight--and danced and watched the dolphins. There is no ship's photographer so it is not unusual to see the Hotel Manager Henry or one of assistants wandering around camera in hand.

 

Folks are walking around the deck promenade this afternoon. I'm sitting on my little Pullman bed, right by the window and see folks walking by but I can't hear them.

 

There are no phones in the rooms. Wake up calls are not a problem. They just come and knock on your door.

 

The ship is at 2/3 capacity and we are using just one dining room. Sometimes you end up at a mixed table and everyone muddles through the conversation.

 

Today is Victory Day in Ukraine and we hope that we will be close enough to shore to be able to see fireworks this evening.

[Peregrina651]

The food is TERRIFIC!! DELICIOUS! MOUTH-WATERING!! FLAVORFUL! Mattias has some wonderful recipes that I would like to try at home -- like tonight's salad of avocado, fennel and apples seasoned with nutmeg or his soups. I should be taking notes--and pictures, too--but I am not.

 

I admit to having a tough time adjusting my diet. There is just too much temptation (well it is vacation). The hardest part for me is getting enough protein and veggies to satisfy without the breads, sauces and potatoes that are part of each meal (and I must admit to a hearty appetite and a love of good food). Breakfast is the best meal of the day for me--there is plenty of protein and no dessert. Lunch is probably the most difficult for me since two of the three choices are usually a pasta dish and a sandwich (with the most mouth-watering descriptions, too) that I just need to stay away from. Dinner falls somewhere in between. Twice, I have simply ordered a steak. Tonight, it was like butter--and so flavorful.

 

So much for now.

[loum140]

Thanks for the tip about walking the promenade in Yalta in the evening. Sounds like a wonderful idea. Really enjoying all your observations. Ah yes, the food! Do they offer a lunch time buffet in the lounge option in addition to the sit-down in the dining room? That's how it was on the Danube - salads, finger sandwiches, soup, etc. That satisfied us. (Especially after the mid-morning sausage and beer tastings!!)