Russia Revealed: Moscow to St. Petersburg (2012)

I would caution anyone going on this trip beware of the boats up keep. While on this trip the next to the last night a water? pipe burst in the ceiling of our room flooding the entire room within a few minutes rather than helping my brother and myself out the crew seemed most worried about anyone else on the top level, most expensive from hearing me trying to get back into my room to salvage any personal property that I could. i was basically shoved into an empty room and told my belongings would be taken care of. They were not. And because of a pre-existing heart condition (afib) my heart began acting uo and I was rushed to a hospital in ST. Petersburg the next day. Less than 16 hours from departure time. No one from the ship or Grand Circle for that matter ever called the hospital to inquire about me or inform me what was I to do about returning back to the US I felt deserted and lost finally a wonderful nurse who spoke English helped to get back to our boat and if it had not been for a very helpful and somewhat aggressive Russian Dr. who rode with me in the ambalance back to the boat I'm not sure the crew in general and the main desk clerk in spacific I would have even been allowed back on board roughly 4 hours from flight time. This trip cost me so much more than the dollar amount that I will never use Grand Circle again, which mean I will lose the $600 credit that GCT gave me to use on another one their trips This was my third and last trip with GCT. So all I have to say is check the boat and expect nothing from the crew. Clark Taylor

Traveler: Clark Taylor from Ogden, UT traveled on September 02, 2010

My wife and I took this trip ( St. Petersburg to Moscow) on August 25th, 2011. We took out the insurance suggested by GCT and not by the agency (Travelguard) that we have always dealt with on our many trips overseas. Along with nearly the whole passenger list on this particular trip. my wife got very ill at the end of the trip and wound up missing the whole of Moscow. We put in a claim and it was refused because we did not read the VERY fine print on the policy, that ststed that we could only be re-embusred if we actually, physically left the ship. She was so very ill with a high fever that she missed all the included , paid for, tours and saw nothing of Moscow or the circus, or any of the included tours. etc. " We used all the facilities on board and so we do not qualify for a refund of the missed tours" is what we were told. . This is absured as the missed tours were included in the cruise price. and her fever did not allow her to get out of bed. I hold GCT responsable for recommending this group to us. and am now wondering if they are all part of the same group. The only way they would pay anything is if I had left the ship to go home or to a hospital. I am disgusted and would not use GCT or them again. She got ill because there was something in the air ducts of the ship that cause most of the passengers on that trip to become ill. The crew and tour leaders were wonderful, but all we tend to remember of the trip was how ill she was.

Traveler: Hillel Greenstein from Pikesville, MD traveled on August 25, 2011

Dining on the Tikhi Don:
• Charming and helpful wait staff – most spoke excellent English
• Fantastic meals and choices: For dinner: wine (2-3 glasses), appetizer (salad), soup, entrees (vegetarian, meat or fish, food and ½ servings options) and dessert.
• Breakfast and lunch buffets plus dishes ordered off the menus
• Casual dress code so you don’t have to bother with tux, a gown or jewelry.
• No assigned seating so you can meet everyone on the ship and eat with anybody you want.
• Table seating 2 -10 or more if you want.
• Fresh baked cookies at the teacoffeehot chocolate station every afternoon

Cleanliness:
• Automatic Sprayer for sanitizer before entering dining room
• Tour guides carried bottles of Purell”; bring your own, too
• Ship immaculate

Internet:
• There is internet and Wi-Fi. We had no problems finding available times.
• Daily news printed out – available in the library

Cabins:
• Exceptionally clean. Tidied twice daily. Large windows.
• Bathroom: Shelf for storage, shower, fresh towels, supplies, hair dryer.
• Excellent lighting, TV, twin beds, chairs, table, large mirror

Tours:
• Outstanding guides (for tours and entertainment)
• Wireless headsets fit over the ear. Suggest buying your own ear bud system to use if you don’t wear a hearing aid. Make sure ear buds will fit your ears. Some systems have small, medium and large ear buds.
• Take as many optionals as you can. St. Petersburg options especially beautiful.
• Attend all the entertainment and activities (top-notch) – you’ll be amazed.
• Cities are very westernized; small villages are warm and welcoming

Moscow traffic:
• Traffic jams are great for taking pictures
• A good excuse for guides to leave the buses and take the subway – do not miss riding them

Packing:
• Do bring clean (new) $1 bills for tipping and buying things – also new $20 bills for tips and exchanging money – no tears or marks on the bills.
• Let your charge card and banking companies know you’re traveling
• Warm down jacket, silk long underwear, gloves, headband, neck gaiter
• Waterproof poncho, rain jacket or umbrella, comfortable shoes
• Bonine or Dramamine (just in case).

Traveler: Stanley and Clara Bingham from Carthage, NY traveled on October 06, 2011

This was our first tour with GCT. We began the tour in St. Petersburg; sailed on GCT’s MS Rossia through the system of rivers, lakes and canals; and ended the tour in Moscow. The tour was a fascinating experience with some definite high points and low points.

High Points
• By far, the best thing about this tour was our Program Director, Maria Smurygina. She was extremely knowledgeable, attentive, and charming. We had taken several other tours in the past, and Maria was simply the most outstanding guide we have ever had.
• St. Petersburg is an incredible city. We could have stayed there for another week. There are so many interesting and beautiful things to see. We want to go back.
• The GCT staff and the ship’s crew were wonderful. They were always pleasant and ready to do anything they could to make our experience more enjoyable.
• We appreciated having the wide variety of optional tours. (More about that later in the Low Points.)
• The local guides that joined us for special tours were outstanding.
• The stops between St. Petersburg and Moscow were very interesting and educational.
• The wireless headset communicators are a terrific idea. They made it easy for us to hear our Program Director and guides regardless of the surroundings.

Low Points
• By far, the most disappointing thing about this trip was the food on the ship – always attractive, always presented by extremely pleasant servers, and always tasteless. The quality of the food was totally inconsistent with the quality of the other events and services. and with cost of the tour. A small investment in some common spices and learning how to use them to enhance the flavor of the food would be a great improvement.
• It was nice that the bars onboard the ship were almost always open. It would have been nicer if there hadn’t been so many times that there was no bartender on duty.
• Our first experience with the insanity of Russian city traffic was interesting and amusing. After that, losing several hours of exploration time each day became annoying. There’s probably nothing that can be done about that as long as every night is spent on the ship and the ship must dock where it does.
• It was not made clear to us, or at least we didn’t understand, that the optional tours were such an integral part of the experience and how much they add to the total cost. When all was said and done, the final cost was as much or more than other tours we had taken in the past. This was something we did not expect.

Overall, we were very glad that we took this tour. We learned a lot and we saw many beautiful and fascinating things.

Traveler: Jeffrey Bobbitt from Eureka, CA traveled on September 22, 2011

I could write pages about this most wonderful tripcruise, but many letters have been written already. It was a spectacular trip again. I was on the same cruise 10 years ago and all I can say is that Russia has 'blossomed' and is so beautiful that you want to stay longer at each place you visit. Don't miss the optional trips, enjoy everyone you meet in the towns and villages, delight your tummy with all the delicious foods, and hopefully you have Dasha as your most interesting and caring Program Director. Our cabin on the MS Rossia was very clean and comfortable with fresh towels every day. I still delight seeing my MANY pictures and remembering a most wonderful trip. Go and enjoy a most memorable trip.

Traveler: Irene Craig from Warren, MI traveled on September 08, 2011

Rossia: Cabins are comfortable but too much furniture to walk around easily
The reading lights are better than in many fancy hotels and the safe a nice touch
Cabin stewards kept the space clean even with all my clutter however they did speak little English other than “Good morning” as would have liked to talk with them more
Capt. Boris was great – nice to know he brought his naval competency and experience to the ship, but he was always there to wave as we departed for tours and always there to welcome us back. He understands much more English than he speaks.
Ivan, for 24 years old, manages the dining very well and is so personable
I love the variety of tables – from 2 chairs to 10 depending on how social you wish to be at each meal
The breakfast buffet and salad bar at lunch will please all appetites as well as dietary needs and desires
Wi-Fi just in the library is limiting along with only two computers, which are very slow. I found at 4-5 am there was no competition for a terminal. I understand that in 2012 perhaps the whole ship will have Wi-Fi capabilities.
I loved unpacking once and staying in the ship while docked in St. Petersburg and Moscow despite perhaps taking a few more minutes in traffic to get to sites

Packing list: It is well done but I would advise a warm coatjacket for the last 2-3 cruises in the season. It was in the 40’s and windy and my fleece jacket felt cozy
A raincoat is advisable rather than just an umbrella or poncho because of the wind again
Believe the literature about dress clothes for the captain’s welcome party and farewell – those who wished to wear more fancy dress could but 90% of us stayed in our regular touring clothes and felt just as comfortable

ToursPace: The pace seemed just fine with time while cruising to relax onboard and partial days while in the cities to be on our own and explore. The selection of optional tours was good but I would have liked a bit more description of the musical program in Moscow. I am not the fastest walker, but was able to keep up just fine. Nice to see that wheelchairs COULD be accommodated at certain sites.
Nice to include the Moscow Circus rather than have it as an optional tour—don’t miss Moscow at Night
I am not a fine art lover but I dare anyone not to be blown away with the treasures in the Hermitage and the architecture
Remember that the cruise goes through the two largest lakes in Europe and when windy there is some motion on the ship. Loved going through all the locks and watching the whole process on the cabin TV
The video tour of the galley was awesome!
Peterhof is amazing!!
The home visit was interesting to learn about small town life
Loved hearing the performance by the music school and meeting the students—nice with nasty weather and traffic that they were invited to the ship rather than us spend hours more sitting in traffic

Program Guides: All six women were very competent, knowledgeable, and funny and the evening programs and enrichment sessions they directed were worth attending. They truly changed my stereo-type of a Russian woman. I am sure that Natasha's parents would be so proud of her leading the session on how to drink vodka.
I have been on 3 previous O.A.T. tours and thought the Program guides were top notch but Violetta must be in the top 1% of Grand Circle guides. The other 5 guides were in their 20’s and related well to all the passengers who were 50-85 years old, but Violetta, in her 50’s, had life experiences as a child through the hardest times in Russia, as a parent, and working in many jobs , so those things related better to all of us. She was honest about her life and willing to share and answer all questions whether just talking in the bus during a traffic jam, giving the modern history lecture on the ship, or just one on one. Her sense of humor kept all of us in the Yellow group laughing and her sayings were worth writing down. She was so caring of each and every one of us – being sure we were physically healthy and attending to one person who had a severe medical issue on the bus one day. She kept the rest of the Yellow group informed of this person’s health issues so we were not in the dark and anxious. When I think of Russia-- Violetta’s face will always come to mind first – before even St. Basil’s. She offered and did help me identify some of my pictures weeks after the cruise. She is a GREAT asset to Grand Circle.
Helsinki-Tallinn Pre-trip: Seeing these 2 cities as sort of a comparison to Russia was nice. I would have liked a little more time in Helsinki and another included activity. The Orientation walk was good to point out restaurants and get our bearings. The city tour was great but then one whole afternoon and the next morning on our own could have been more productive. The 24 transportation pass is a good idea to ride the trams. I did explore the Helsinki Zoo on my own which was most enjoyable if a tad cool in the rain and breeze.
Tallinn was the jewel of a city as other people had told me. It is a charming city—especially the old town and so walkable from our hotel. Again the Orientation walk helped with Violetta being sure at each intersection that we knew the way back to the hotel and pointing out places to eat that other GCT folks has liked. Our local guide was great both on all the tours as well as at her lecture on the history of Tallinn and I have never heard anyone that is not a native English speaker talk so fast and relay so many facts without notes. The living history farm was fun even though damp, but the best was an informal walking tour that Violetta led in pouring rain telling about less well known bits of the history of Tallinn.
In conclusion, I would recommend this trip to everyone to get to know a country that we have only read about during the Cold War and I, at least, had many preconceptions about. By actually meeting and knowing residents of Russia today, you will feel very different about Russia and its people after the tour.

Traveler: Judith Mayer from Madison, WI traveled on September 17, 2011

We saw many beautiful churches, historic areas, art galleries, etc. For those of us that took the pre-trip to Kiev, the optional tour of the Chernobyl Museum and Babi Yar was very thought provoking. The Museum showed us the power that the Soviet Union was willing to use to put its citizens and eventually much of the world at risk from the nuclear contamination. The Babi Yar Memorial with the Nazis mass murders at the site, also reminded us how inhuman people can be to each other.
Recently NPR (National Public Radio)had a program about a museum in Moscow that deals with the Soviet Union Gulogs. With a reported 10 to 20 million people “lost” into the Gulogs, I think that this museum should be at least an optional tour if not a standard stop when the tour is in Moscow.
Though our program directors did a good job trying to help us understand the turmoil that people lived through for Mother Russia under Stalin, the visual testimony could be as mind-altering, as was the presentation at the Chernobyl Museum in Kiev. I believe there are Gulog survivors who might be willing to answer questions similar to our experience in the museum in Kiev.

Traveler: Robert Small from Tucson, AZ traveled on September 18, 2011

The trip was better than we expected.Seeing the Kremlin, Red Square,and the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg were great . The optinal tours ,especially the Moscow Circus, The Russian Dance Touring Group, and The Ballet were something we are glad we had the chance to see. We liked being on the boat and enjoyed our meal times where we hadgood food and great service.We also enjoyed Tallin, Estonia!We knew very little about this town but found it to be one highlight of the trip.

Traveler: Charles Bahlman from Kentwood, MI traveled on September 08, 2011

.My trip to Russia was a complete history lesson. I have been on many other GCT river cruises, but this one was a experience I will never forget.Seeing Moscow, the Kremlin, St Petersburg and the Hermitage were eye opening. Makes one appreciate how lucky I was to see places that were once forbidden with such a excellent guide (
Angie).
I don't know how I can top this one, but I'll have fun trying!!!
The only negative was the wait staff on the ship...they were not particularly friendly and in some cases, very rude.

Traveler: Patricia Nowakowski from Georgetown, TX traveled on September 22, 2011

If you love history, this trip is for you. Russian history spans many centuries including invasions from the Vikings, to the Mongols, to Ivan The Terrible, to the Romanovs, to Communism, and finally to Democracy. The Russian peoples' ancesters endured centuries of providing luxurious palaces and estates for privileged few. Communism was oppressive for them as well. Now Democracy is struggling to improve their lifestyle.
I appreciated the e-mail that my tour escort sent a few weeks before we departed for our Russian Tour. It was filled with helpful information as to what to expect when we arrived on board to begin our adventure. Layered clothing and umbrellas were essential bits of information.
The ship served well as a floating hotel. Our room was definatly not spacious, however they were cleaned and tidied twice daily.
Meals aboard the ship were very good and served elegantly by very friendly staff. The desserts that followed the meal were splended. The drawback was the language barrier. Most all employees on board did not speak or understand English. We found that a smile is the same in any language.

Highlights and Opinions:
Each cathedral we toured was beautiful and unique.
Each palace and residence was a marvel.
Red Square was impressive.
Local step-on guides were most knowledgable.
Read all the prepared materials provided daily.
The local venders take US funds and give change in $$.
The Hermitage and other museums have facinating exhibits of Russian History and National Treasures.
Be prepared to layer your clothing and have comfortable shoes.
Do not skip the Yusopov optional tour.
Enjoy the thrills of the Russian Circus. Skip the Ballet (unless this one is better than the one we attended)
Be prepared to be dazzled by the students at the Music Academy.
The lunch at Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow
was disappointing.
Check out the beautiful amber jewerly!
Grand Circle Travel has always provided great destinations and comfortable accommodations for us.

SCHAST'JA, ZDAROV'JA, UDACHI!
Dianne Hannigan

Traveler: James Hannigan from Cody, WY traveled on September 08, 2011

The ship Rossia was crewed by a fabulous group, special kudos to the housekeeping staff who cleaned the bathroom twice a day. The whole 2 weeks of our journey the weather was extremely hot, so we often showered twice a day and had fresh towels every time. Thank you Ira.

Our PD, Angelina, was excellent (as I have come to expect from GCT). She helped me out by buying an ACE bandage for me at a pharmacy after my ankle swelled up from the heat and walking.

Be prepared to hit the ground running in St Petersburg where the palaces and art are lovely but not air conditioned. Happily our bus was air conditioned so that helped when we were stuck in traffic, both in St Petersburg and Moscow.

Must see Peterhof and canal tour as options. I liked the monastery tour but my husband not so much. He enjoyed the ballet and russian show but I stayed behind to read and relax (the shows go pretty late into the evening by the time travelers return to the boat and have a late dinner.) Seems the pre show meal should be the dinner and the late meal the snack.

I totally loved the Moscow circus which is now an included excursion. I left my camera on the ship because we were told no pictures during the performance. But there were wonderful photo ops in the entrance hallway where children and people were having their pictures taken with real circus animals. We paid for a picture next to a huge beautifully costumed camel, if I had had the guy use my camera it would have been cheaper and a better quality print. But I'm happy to have the slightly overexposed 2 prints that were printed and ready for us to pickup at the intermission. Wish I had been able to take pictures of all the other animals and the adorable children next to them.

Hooray for captain Boris, hotel manager Olga, and the waiters. I wasn't too fond of the food but never went hungry.

I took about 1400 photos, loved all the sights. The itinerary was perfect.

Traveler: Ellen Ferguson from Damascus, MD traveled on June 30, 2011

It was not until I returned home that I realized how good this trip was! Perhaps I was kept so happily busy by Grand Circle learning about and experiencing Russia that I did not have time to stop and think about what an EXPERIENCE these two weeks were!

My on-board "complaints" about medicore food, brusque restaurant management, and sometimes cold resturant staff with limited English skills, quickly faded and somehow no longer seemed very important, as I thought about the trip as a whole, and what I learned. The program directors (mine was Maria) were excellent and I don't see how they could have been better. Simply put, Maria and the other PDs were the top.

Grand Circle has balanced the trip so I saw cities, small towns, and in-between cities, with expsoure to culture, entertainment, everyday life, etc. mixed in well.

I would call this a "study tour," rather than a vacation because I came away learning so much, and am enriched because of it.

Two words for people thinking about this trip: DO IT!

Traveler: JH Bufford traveled on September 22, 2011

My wife and I did the St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise on the Tihki Don (Sept. 9 - 23, 2011). We have taken many travel vacations during our 52 years of marriage, but this was the most enjoyable. Our Program Director, Masha was an excellent teacher, spoke English fluently and was very caring. The crew and cuisine on our ship were excellent and the ship very clean and our cabin comfortable. Our 2 favorite optional tours were Peterhof and Jewish Heritage of Moscow. The highlights of the latter was the very moving Concentration Camp sculpture and the film and museum in the Memorial Synagogue. The included tours were for the most part excellent. The exceptions was the Kremlin's Armory Museum tour which moved too slowly and the choice of the Hard Rock cafe for lunch was a poor choice. a Russian restaurant would have been better.

Traveler: Firpaulst Name Lapricest Name from Mt Pleasant, SC traveled on September 08, 2011

The program wonderfully balanced the splendor of imperial Russia with the lives of today's Russians. We evaluated several competing travel companies before selecting Grand Circle for our Russian vacation. No other firm offered the array of tours and cultural insights that Grand Circle provided.

Traveler: Frederick Tillery from Baton Rouge, LA traveled on September 04, 2011

Take this trip by all means! This was our 6th river cruise with GCT, and highly recommend this Russia trip to everyone who loves to travel. Why?
GCT trip means quality with value, caring, safety, discovery and learning.
- The hotel was MS Rossia...wonderful. Captain Boris, assisted by Hotel Manager, Olga and crew. When we went on shore excursions, Captain and Olga always waved to our bus and greeted us on our return with big smiles.
- Our fantastica Program Directors, Natasha for main trip , and Jenia for post-trip to Kiev.

We enjoyed so many amazing discoveries, activities and experiences each day on board, in the village, Kizhi Island(UNESCO), and in the iconic big cities of St. Petersburg(Catherine's Palace and ParkHermitage) and Moscow (Red SquareKremlinArmory). Moscow Metro - beautiful architectural gems, with marble structures deep underground, accessed by escalators. Also, fascinating tours, such as the Moscow art gallery-like New Maiden cemetery.
- Fishing and Vodka at Kizhi Island, with Captain and officers. And some more Vodka? Informative history of vodka and stylish etiquette, with tasting, on board.
- In addition, a doctor is on board (247). It was a relief.
- As all crew are Russian, we had opportunities to speak Russian; learned words such as Da! Da! (yes) PaKA paKA (Bye-bye); SpaSEEba (thank you).
- Well-managed meal plan for the Moscow evening Circus and National Russian dance shows. Early suppertake-out meal, followed later by late night dining service, with cheerful wait-staff...if you still wanted to have wine, food or ice cream before returning to your cabin. Wow! Have you ever been treated like that? And another GCT treat....
- We (6 people) missed the Hermitage Museum tour due to a flight delay; PDs arranged a tour for us. SpaSeeba (thank you)!

- Peterhof Garden and Fountain .."Versailles by the Sea" and
- Karelian Folk Show, with amazing string instruments are don't miss Optional Tours.
- Goritsy... Stroll, while discovering colorful, cute country houses and shop, maybe? PD Dasha showed us the way to explore. And delighted:
- Piano concerts (Tchaikovsky) on board by Dmitry, who was also one of our 3 photographers. Also,
- You can paint your own Matryoshka dolls.

About Money: ATM or Currency (cash) exchange rate: On 83011, exchange rate of cash at bank was better than the ATM conversion rate(no fee). Cash sell-rate of US $1.00 for Russian Rubles was 28.42. However, ATM rate was 26.82Rubles at the same bank.
- The banks in Russia accept only fresh dollar notes.
- Street vendors took dollars as well. They even give you change in dollars!

Travel Tips: - Call overseas regional office if there is flight delay, so they can arrange for pick-up.
- Dress in layers for best convenience and comfort for any kind of weather.

Post-trip to Kiev - wonderful, too.
- Hotel was conveniently located. About 84 people (2 groups) went.

Guess what - even though the hotel was roomy, I missed the MS Rossia. You can tell how well-facilitated its cabin was. You could organize all your belongings in your reachable cabinets and drawer-settings. Amazing!

- Visit the Chernobyl Museum. As Igor informed us, it is not located in the town of Chernobyl. The museum is safe - no nuclear risk!

And for the new traveler:
- A GCT cup of tea is of course the Program Directors. We had 6 PDs total, and they worked as a team, even off-season. They have a passion to work with GCT, and they shared stories of their family life, past and present, too, which you will not find in guide books. They are all educated and knowledgeable. Natasha went to school in Minnesota. In winter she teaches English at a University which she showed us during a trolley ride in Petrozavodsk. She also introduced us to a small town's everyday life, which was a real discovery. She bought bread and chocolate for us, which we all enjoyed eating after using her hand cleaner spray. Very clever! Now we also know how Russian small-town people park their cars (garage), and saw Moscow people park their cars on the sidewalks.

Talking about safety, Jenia brought that wash spray from MS Rossia to Kiev. "Here," she said as she handed it to us at the farewell dinner restaurant.

As Natasha (in her introduction e-mail) wished for us, we had an enjoyable and informative trip! It was an astonishing and remarkable trip. Thank you.

The way of traveling.....with GCT

Traveler: Koko from Cerritos, CA traveled on August 25, 2011

I did the pre-trip in Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia, and these two very different capital cities were a perfect appetizer to the main course, Russia. Helsinki was a little disappointing, being more modern than I thought, but some of us went to the fortress on the ferry boat and took the excellent English speaking tour. The old city of Tallinn was charming. Our hotel was in walking distance, and we did a lot of walking, exploring all the little streets of the old town after we had finished our tour. We ate in a couple of the old restaurants, and enjoyed the traditional pork dishes. We went to the Open Air museum, which was fine and enjoyed the farm visit where we had lunch and some impromptu entertainment.

We arrived by coach at our ship in St. Petersburg, and were welcomed with the traditional bread and salt and began speaking our first Russian word – Spasibo (thank you). Our exploration of St. Petersburg began the following morning with a city tour with Marina, our local guide, and included the magnificent St. Isaac’s Cathedral. After lunch we visited the Hermitage Museum, and we had the option to stay longer and get the later bus back, which we did, as we wanted to visit the upper floor with the 20th century art. There were so many palaces in St. Petersburg, and we visited Catherine Palace, which was spectacular, both inside and out, and one of my favorites. Those of us that took the Rivers and Canals tour were fortunate that it was Navy Day in St. Petersburg and we went on the Neva River and saw a submarine and two more of the Russian Naval ships. We saw even more palaces, from the wonderful vantage point of the canals and rivers. Another of the highlights of St. Petersburg was the optional trip to Peterhof. Igor, our excellent, knowledgeable program guide, told our group that this was one of the optional tours that was a must see. Our whole group went and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the different fountains and buildings. We also visited Yusopov Palace where Rasputin was killed and the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral where the tsars are buried.

Then we set sail, and our first visit was the small village of Svirstroy, where we had our home hosted visit with tea and piroshki. It was delightful to visit and meet with the lady of the house and see her home, and taste her baking. Then it was time for shopping.

Igor was always ready to share information with us on any and every thing. We learned so much from our sessions with all the tour directors on Russian History, modern Russian History, Fairy Tales, and enjoyed the many activities on board, which included learning to speak Russian. We learned how to make Pelmeni and Blinis, painted Matryoshka dolls, learned Russian songs and had a vodka presentation, all of which were well attended, particularly the latter. We also were privileged to have pianist Dmitry Krivonosov on board, who entertained us with a Tchaikovsky Concert one evening and two other concerts. Dmitry also doubled as one of the three photographers, who always were on the tours taking our photographs.

Kizhi Island, the UNESCO world heritage site was wonderful. As someone who loves to take photographs, it was a great place to be. It was one of the places I had read about and I was thrilled to visit it. There was also an opportunity for those that wished to, to fish with the captain and his officers, and quite a few people did, and then ate their fish at dinner time.

We also visited Petrozavodsk, on Lake Onega, in Karelia Province, where we saw a delightful folk show, the farming community of Goritsi where we visited the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, and Uglich where, Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible was murdered, and where the Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood was built. We also saw the Transfiguration Cathedral, which is an active Russian Orthodox Cathedral

And finally we arrived in Moscow. I was so amazed at the Kremlin and Red Square, with the beautiful St. Basil’s Cathedral at one end and the Gum department store opposite the Kremlin wall. I guess most of what I had seen of Moscow was on May Day parades with tanks rolling. The Kremlin itself was much larger than I expected, with its’ beautiful cathedrals, and the Ivan the Great Bell tower. The tour of the armory was a highlight, too. I did not expect there to be beautiful landscaped gardens within the walls either.

The Metro was also amazing, with the central stations being huge and artistic monuments. Some concourses had chandeliers, mosaics and sculptures. One even has marble from the original Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer. My friend and I even managed to use the metro on our own, with a map and our very few Russian words. We had initially been shown by Igor how to use it, where to buy the tickets and how much to pay.

I think all of us enjoyed our Russian River Cruise, the many beautiful and different churches and cathedrals, the stunning palaces and the people we met. The on board activities and entertainment were a lot of fun, and we did all but one of the optional tours – one never knows when one will be back again in Russia. If you are thinking about this trip, I would highly recommend it.

Traveler: Janet Maclaren from New Bern, NC traveled on July 23, 2011

We found the trip to be very well thought out and the river vessel was superbly maintained and staffed. Meeting Russian people first-hand was very interesting. We had been to St. Petersburg 11 years earlier and found the appearance of that city to be much better now than then. The positives of using the river vessel as the hotel in Moscow and St. Petersburg substantially exceed the negatives. This was particularly true in Moscow where the Metro stop was less than a 15 minute walk from the vessel's mooring point.

Traveler: Don Moore from Georgetown, TX traveled on August 25, 2011

GCT failed to meet our airline arrival in Moscow. As a consequence we had a horrendous experience with a Russian taxi driver who got lost and couldn't find the ship,and dumped us and our luggage on a dark side road around midnight. I am not faulting CCT for the driver's criminal activities. However,GCT insists they were at the customs gate until 10:45 and we didn't come out the only customs exit door! We gave GCT a time dated form from customs showing our exit at 9:31., Does GCT think we hid in customs from 9:31 to 10:45 to avoid being met by their agent? GCT continues to stonewall us by saying that they were there, and for some unfathomable reason we are lying! They offered us a $250 certificate, which is insulting in that it trivalizes the danger we put in,and the mental and physical stress we were put through as a consequence of failure to meet our flight. GCT continues to stonewall us by saying "take it or leave it" per Stacey Kerr in their Quality Management Dept."

Traveler: Thomas Flaherty from Walnut Creek, CA traveled on August 11, 2011

I loved every minute of my trip. All my preconceived notions about Russia were forgotten when we met the crew and our Program Director, Sasha. He is highly educated about his country, but seemingly also about our country. Therefore he really could explain differences and similarities between the two countries and ways of life. As a teenager, he was an exchange student in USA.

The gorgeous palaces and works of art fom the past are beyond belief. The renovated buildings are works of art also, but the day to day life of the average Russian seemed very drab, not in their dress or appearance, which was always very stylist, but the tiny living quarters. Sasha told us about the apartments or condos usually had only two rooms. Somehow most of us translated that into "2 bedrooms" in our mind, but no, he meant 2 rooms, plus tiny kitchen and bath. We even visited a home, "40's vintage iin a village along the river, and it had two rooms!! I guess you don't miss what you haven't had, but most of us thought it really showed how far they have to go to a higher standard of living. But such happy-appearing people! Their freedom somehow brings enough happiness for them at the moment. If they succeed in maintaining freedom, the higher standards will surely follow. If you could see the inside of GUM shopping mall, for that is what it is, not just one store as I had always imagined it, you would think the people were "rolling in money." I don't think we saw the apartments where the GUM shoppers lived!

Everything about the ship, the staff, the Program Directors, all six of them, the dining staff, the cleaning staff, were beyond any expenctation. The cleanliness was unbelievable. They cleaned and straightened up our cabins twice a day, not to mention actually washing the banisters and steps every day.

The long flight going and coming, especially the 1 a.m. breakfast on the last morining, were the onl unpleasant parts of the trip, but we will have to talk to the airlines about that. But a staff that feeds you at 1 a.m. is a jewel.

I hope to go on at least one more GCT trip, and I think a cruise it will probably be. Such an easy way to travel.

Traveler: Edith Bland from Corinth, MS traveled on August 25, 2011

As one who lived during the cold war I was most interested in seeing an open Russia. I could not have been more pleased. Not only in seeing the sights but also hearing a youthful view of contempory Russia. The program directer (Lena) provided an insight in growing up in a propaganda dominated society but also into where Russia is going today.

The optional tours offered something for everyone; a circus to a ballet, art to an open air view of past live styles and the villages between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It would have been impossible to include more.

Traveler: Ed West from Fairview, OR traveled on August 21, 2011

This was our 15th trip with Grand Circle and it is, as usual, and excellent travel. We enjoyed the boat. The food was great and so were the rooms. We had many surprises as how many churches we saw going from Moscow and ST .Petersburg. They were were amazing. I would always recommend people to go to Russian even though things do to seem to be expensive in shopping. Hope new travelers will enjoy it as much as us. I am getting ready for next years travel!

Traveler: Carina Baldwin from Roseville, CA traveled on August 11, 2011

A delightful trip. Staff most attentive, helpful and friendly. Pace very relaxing.
A great learning experience.

Only suggestion is that the tour guide pays closer attention to weather conditions and is flexiable with the itenerary.

Traveler: Alice Megan Miller from Woodstock, GA traveled on August 25, 2011

My father traveled most of the world when he was in the U.S. diplomatic corps and he always encouraged his children to do the same to get to know and better understand more people on this earth. So, we decided to take a trip to Russia with GCT in August as a birthday present to my husband and a tribute memory to Dad.

Yes, we had a wonderful time! Russia is the largest country in the world so we could not travel everywhere, but opted to take the GCT tour that started in St. Petersburg and cruised the Volga River to Moscow. St. Petersburg is beautiful and very European - it is called the Venice of the North because of all the canals and rivers running through it and all the gorgeous architecture. The Hermitage (which includes the Winter Palace) is the most famous museum in Russia with millions of pieces of art, sculptures, historical artifacts, etc. - so much that it most of it has to be rotated in and out of storage or travel to other museums. TIP: Be sure to stay longer at the Hermitage and take the courtesy bus back to the ship or you will miss too much as the guided tour is a zoo of too many people! Peterhof (definitely take this optional tour) with its elaborate gardens and fountains was compared by our guide to visiting Versailles in France. Both Catherine's Palace and the Yusupov Palace are unbelievably ornate with gold gilding everywhere and the Russian Museum (go here on your own) is immense. St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, and the Church on the Spilled Blood were all historical and inspiring. We even fit in a wonderful performance of "Swan Lake" by the Russian Ballet Academy.

Five days of cruising on the Volga River was lovely and serene. The peaceful and picturesque countryside reminded me of Alaska's inner passage - so similar because they are on the same latitude with very much the same climate and forests. Visiting the small towns on the rivers with quiet farmers, little churches, and monasteries dotting the lands was so different from the huge cities - relaxing and spiritual. Kizhi Island with its beautiful church nestled in the misty clouds is truly ethereal and inspiring.

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is huge and with 12 million people (New York City has only 8 million), it is the largest city in Europe. After waiting in tour buses in traffic jams for hours long, our nice guide taught us how to take the Metro downtown to shop, visit museums, and historical sights. I did manage to learn about 12 phrases in Russian, including bathroom, ticket office, hello, please, thank you, etc. but very few people speak any English (except in tourist stores). Yes, we did get lost a couple of times, but clutched our metro map and kept taking trains while trying to figure out Russian signs in the Cyrillic alphabet until we found our way back to the ship. Red Square is immense with the Kremlin, Historical Museum, GUM, Lenin's Tomb, Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, and St. Basil's Cathedral. Inside the Kremlin, we were excited to tour the State Armory Museum with a mind-boggling collection of jewels, coronation gowns and crowns, royal carriages, suits of armour, artifacts, and elaborate Faberge Eggs. In addition, 3 more impressive Cathedrals - Dormition, Annunciation, and Archangel Michael are within the fortress walls and were worth visiting to see the inspirational Icons. In other areas of Moscow, we toured the State Tretyakov Gallery which displayed mostly Russian art from the 12th through the 20th centuries. We learned that all healthcare and education, including college, in Russia is free and briefly got to see Moscow University. Although I am a history and art buff, but I think my husband finally got "museum'd out" so we opted to attend 2 Russian shows and the Moscow Circus - great acts and a lot of fun - must be where Cirque de Soleil recruits their performers.

As I said before, very few people speak English - yes, they are taught English in grade school through high school, but just like in the U.S. where we take French or Spanish in class, most of us don't remember any better than they do how to communicate with someone from a different country. Tourism in Russia is not as prevalent as in Europe where many more people speak English regularly. However, the people of Russia that we were able to meet were very polite and we did not feel unsafe anywhere (guns are not allowed in the country except for hunting). The one down feeling that I sensed was that most Russians seem sad. The average life expectancy for an average man in Russia is only 57 years old - can you imagine how depressing it would be to lose your father, husband, brother, etc. at that point in your life? Also, learning about the difficult history of Russia is overwhelming - they were invaded by the Vikings in the 9th-12th centuries, then by the Mongols (including Genghis Khan) in the 13th-14th centuries, then the "Ivans" (including Ivan the Terrible) took over ruling in the 15th-16th centuries, next the Czars and Emperors ruled from the 17th-19th century, spending their time having most of the lavish palaces, museums, and cathedrals built by impoverishing the peasant people, then the Soviets killed off the last Czar and imposed communism (with absolutely no freedom of choice) in the 20th century. If all this unhappy history were not enough, Russia was invaded in both WWI and WWII when 27 million people died in either the war or starvation. Finally, Gorbachev in 1985 tries to start restructuring with more openness in government, but the economy sinks for years. President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin (both former KGB) are now in power and the Russian guides that we had believe that the economy is finally improving, but tell us that the average family doctor only makes $10,000-$20,000 a year. Whenever I visited a Cathedral in Russia, I always bought (to help out the churches) and lit 2 candles. saying my usual daily prayers and then one extra one for these people who have suffered so much over the years, yet continue to be good hard-working people who are trying to make their homeland and lives a better future.

Spasibo (Russian for thank you in English letters) GCT for an wonderful and educational trip which I definitely recommend to others :)

Traveler: First Namebarbara Last curtiss from Greensboro, NC traveled on August 25, 2011

There was so much to see, so much to do, so much to learn and yet it was the most relaxing trip I have ever taken. Our tour guide Violetta was wonderful and informative and gave us such personal insight into her life in Russia. Everyone on the ship from the captain on down made our trip a successful one.
Thank you GCT.

Traveler: Deanna Kelly from Tulsa, OK traveled on August 11, 2011

This was our 1st GCT trip. We have always used our Am.Ex. travel agent to plan our trips and never traveled with a group. We are 'hooked' this entire trip was a pleasure from start to finish. A large part of the pleasure was the knowledge, education and fun provided by our GCT tour guides and the optional tour guides. We enjoyed the group of people we traveled with and the pace of the tours. The food was far above our expectations, and in abundance. The ship was clean and adequate, we would certainly enjoy more room but I would not have wanted to pay for excess space. The captain and crew were wonderful in every way, always looking out for our comfort and pleasure.
Each of the tour guides not only shared the history of each sitevisit but added their own personal experiences including their grandparents thru the communistic period.
One of the 'highlights' was visiting in the home of a russian family. The homeowners were very gracious, she had prepared a soup luncheon and homemade cookies. It was very tasty. She made us feel welcome
and before we left she sang us a song, she saw that we all enjoyed it so she sang 2 more. We were too tired to visit the school so we took a nap at that time. Everyone who visited the school expressed to us that it was the highlight of their trip, I'm sorry we missed that. This trip and education changed our pre-concieved opinions of Russia. We would recommend this trip and GCT to everyone. We will definitely be traveling with GCT or OAT in the future.

Traveler: Jimmy Mccubbin from Houston, TX traveled on August 25, 2011

Fantastic crew, service, tours etc. The food could have been served hot and not luke warm every day, but we were there to see and not for eating. Eating was a necessary eveil.

Traveler: Jack Benstock from Summerfield, FL traveled on July 28, 2011

My Program Director, Igor, as a walking encyclopedia and spoke perfect English. He was always available to help me (and any other passenger) to solve any little doubt or problem we may have. I was so lucky to be in his group..
I was amazed by the country, its museums, cathedrals, shows, and people, landscape EVERYTHING! And the cleanness of all the places I visited, including the Metro Station in Moscow.
DO NOT MISS the Moscow Circus, the National Russian Show, the Karelian Folk Show, and the Russian Ballet. These events were absolute highlights. And read the written material they give you every day!
Throughout the trip we enjoyed lovely weather including Kizhi Island that was a cloudy, rainy day which was perfect for the open-air architectural museum and reserve. A watershed jacket was sufficient to be comfort if you don’t like rain or do not want to get wet. I particularly love rainy days. Saint Petersburg welcomed us with a fog that kept us for more than 2h stuck in the middle of nowhere, but my Program Director, Igor, came up with a movie that apart for entertain us it also instructed us. The movie was THE SINGING REVOLUTION.
When we weren't out on tours or while we were cruising, the staff provided us with so many interesting activities like: an opportunity to learn to cook Russian food, learn songs and a bit of the Russian language, hear Russian fairytales, participate in one, became a choir singer in russian language and learn how to properly drink Russian vodka
The program directors, crew and wait staff (everybody!) were pleasant and really seemed glad to have us on board, to the point they all knew me by name. It was a joy. Local guides were very good too, all of them.
I want to thank Igor for all his patience with me, Giulia for her Russian Languages and singing lessons, Anna and Igor for the history classes, Evgeny also took time to talk to me and my friend about his social work, Natasia accompanied us to St. Petersburg downtown and share insights of her childhood, Ivan our hotel management always checking that our delicious food was of our liking, our photographers Sergey, Maxim and Dmitry that made me feel like a star always taking lovely pictures, our captain Boris and Olga waving us goodbye and being available, and all the staff always smiling and making you feel welcomed! All of them were proud and eager to share information about their home country and to correct any wrong impression a traveler might have. No question was off-limits.
Elizabeta Perkinson

Traveler: Elizabeta Bratt from San Diego, CA traveled on August 11, 2011

Another excellent River Cruise by GCT. This one rates right at the top of the list of European cruises we have taken. Been traveling with GCTOAT for many years to all seven continents and we haven't had a bad trip yet. Why look elsewhere for your travel experience when you have had the best!!!!. Excellent job refurbishing The Rossia

Traveler: Ron Gliot & Shirley Gliot from Sun City West, AZ traveled on August 11, 2011

I enjoyed every minuts. I had so mahy gaps in my understanding of Russia filled. My tour director, Igor, as a walking encylocpedia and spoke perfect English so it was easy to understand him. I was lucky to be i his group.

If you love history, this is for you To stand in the Kremiln, walk in Red Square, be in the room where Rasputin was poisoned was a thrill.

Take all kinds of clothes - weather had eveything but snow and hail. Surprisingly hot in Moscow

Ship clean and cabins comfortable - loved the bed. Food impeccably served and there was always a very American menu alternative available. Staff gracious and helpful.

Many educational events on board ship as well as concerts and dancing. Grand Circle Travel tours are a great value.

I do wish that tips for local guides and bus drivers could be included in the over-all price beforehand.

Traveler: Verna Koenig from Arlington Heights, IL traveled on August 11, 2011

Tom and I knew from our Great Rivers of Europe cruise we would be pleased with our ship MS Rossia crew and staff and the cruise itinerary. After we arrived at the Moscow airport, our Grand Circle greeter took us to the bus for the drive to the ship. As we boarded the ship, we were informed the restaurant had prepared a full dinner for us. This was the first of many delicious meals. For dinner there was always Wine, Appetizer, Soup, Entrees and Dessert. A choice of a vegetarian selection plus Grilled Chicken Breast or Salmon just in case the offered Entree was not ordered.

We left Florida's 90+ weather and were fortunate the weather in Moscow was warm and sunny. The week before we arrived Moscow had been cool and rainy. Our Program Director Anna, thanked us for bringing our weather with us.

Most passengers were not aware of the history of Russia since the break up of the Soviet Union. What amazed us was the country is rebuilding what was destroyed during the war. They are using original architectural plans to make sure their buildings, etc. are true reflections of the splendor of what had been. Needless to say we were very impressed with the fortresses, palaces, gardens, cathedrals, museums, gallery, and cemetery.

DO NOT MISS the Moscow Circus, the National Russian Show, the Karelian Folk Show, and the Russian Ballet. These events were absolute highlights.

Throughout the trip we enjoyed mild weather. The only exception was our visit to Kizhi Island. It was a cloudy, rainy day which was a perfect atmosphere for the open-air architectural museum and reserve. The buildings are unpainted and weathered and reflect the hard life the villagers endured. A small umbrella and watershed jacket was sufficient to be comfortable. Lucky for us it was not winter and 40o below zero.

Drop me a note (ferrill@embarqmail.com) if you want additional information andor to view our slideshow.

Traveler: Patricia Ferrill from Leesburg, FL traveled on August 11, 2011

This was a fabulous trip and really changed our ideas about Russia! We were able to observe city life in Moscow, St. Petersburg and in Kiev in the pretrip-which was also very interesting. Then on the river cruise, which we always enjoy, we were introduced to life in the smaller cities and towns. The program directors were excellent and knowledgeable and fun. Being in Red Square, the Kremlin and in front of St. Basil's Cathedral were "wow" opportunities. We learned so much about Russian history and life in Russia today, and we recommend this trip to anyone who loves to travel.

Traveler: Meredith Liemohn from Louisville, TN traveled on August 07, 2011

This trip was fantastic. I was really amazed at how Russia was after all the things that you hear about it. Our guide Igor was fantastic and was able to really give you a feel for the country. We were able to get a real feel of the country.The people on the ship were fantastic also. What a wonderful experience.

Traveler: Dale Lindberg from Chicago, IL traveled on August 11, 2011

I was in Moscow and Leningrad in 1985 while it was still communist. To see the changes of Russia now versus Russia 25 year ago was quite interesting for me. When I was there in 1985, river boatt cruises were certainly not an option. We traveled by plane at night "so we couldn't see anything". GCT has found a way to explore Russia in a very relaxed river boat setting.
If I were to give any tips for booking this trip, rooms 200 and 201 are the best rooms on the ship. They are larger than most, are at the end of corridor, on the other side of the elevator, at the front of the boat. There is a camera mounted on the front of the ship so everyone can watch the view from the captain's bridge and the locks that you will go through while navagating the river. If you are in room 200 or 201, you will not need the television to see where you are going. Just open your curtains and you have a front row seat. The other advantage is that the dining room is on the 2nd level at the other end of the boat. If you are on the dining floor, I suggest that you book rooms as far away from the dining room as possible. Remember, there are 220 people on the boat and everyone needs to get to the dining hall 3 times a day to eat. Traffic can be a bit noisy.
The capitain, hotel manager, cruise director, group guides and restaurant managers were wonderful. GCT has done a great job in hiring staff that is professional, courteous and knowledgeable. When we weren't out on tours or while we were crusing, GCT and the staff provided us with an opportunity to learn to cook Russian food, learn songs and a bit of the Russian language, hear Russian fairytales and learn how to properly drink Russian vodka.
The trip is very fast passed at the beginning and the end. The cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg have a lot to offer and you will be moving at a fast pace. The week long cruise down the river is more relaxed and excursions into town are only for a few hours versus all day. Your time will, however, be filled by activities on the boat.
If I were to make one suggestion for GCT about this trip, it would be to have the chef's do an internship in an American restaurant during the off season. I expected a Russian cuisine, but found there was just to much "Russian" style food. A wonderful salad bar and an option of hot dog or hamburger was offered for lunch and chicken and baked potato at dinner, but chopped herring and beet appetizer was not something I would order in a restaurant. On the up side, breakfast was marvelous everyday. There was a wide variety of fruits, cereals, juices, eggs, breads and meats. Great job on the breakfast! Did I mention the desserts? You will think you are at the Ritz Carlton.
I saw Russia in DecemberJanuary of 1985 and said if I ever had the opportunity to return again in the summer when sunset is at 10:30 at night rather than 4:30 in the afternoon I would do it. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to re-visit Russia and the river boat cruise was the ideal way to do it. Scratch one more thing off my bucket list!

Traveler: Shari Teeple from Kissimmee, FL traveled on July 28, 2011

I enjoyed this trip very much. Even as a seasoned traveler I was intimidated by the language and the visa requirements. By going on a tour this took the dread away. I enjoyed the sailing the most. The chance to meet Russians and ask questions and to get to know the people was the best possible way to know the country.
My only objection to tours is being hurried thru museums and other sites and not really "seeing". But I survived that part and made new friends.
The availability of AC outlets on the ship was a huge bonus. But don't forget the recharge cords.(I did!)
The program directors, crew and wait staff (everybody!) were pleasant and really seemed glad to have us on board. It was a joy. Russians may not be known for smiling but they did a lot of it.

Traveler: Hannah Mays from Cookeville, TN traveled on July 28, 2011

This was my first GCT trip. I'll be back for more.
. Everyone from my program director (Evgeny); the tour guides, Rossia's crew, bus drivers, etc. were attentive to our least wishes. I met some wonderful people on my cruise including a few GCT employees taking vacation along with us. They are so enthusiastic about GCT and they have every right to be.

. So much to take in: The Hermitage; Peterhof; Catherine's Palace; Peter and Paul Fortress; The Kremlin; Red Square, Moscow Metro (the brown line) etc. etc.
. Seeing Swan Lake in St. Petersburg; Karelian Folk Show; Russian Show, the New Maiden Cemetery, Jewish Moscow etc., etc.
. I learned what to look for in a good vodka, how to make blinis,
. We had wonderful weather and a great time. Still going through the 1,000+ pictures.
. Only down side was the early morning flight back to the US, but that wasn't GCT's fault.

I'll be back for more.

Traveler: Judy Levin from Arlington Heights, IL traveled on July 28, 2011

The Tikhi Don Captain and crew were outstanding. The cabins are small but after you get unpacked and put your suitcases under the beds they were very comfortable.
Mattresses were similar to the ones on the other riverboats and the bathroom is identical. Food aboard the boat was very good and very well presented.

The traffic in Moscow is horrendous, and so the bus rides into the city and back were long. We were not upset by this because it gave us a chance to see various parts of the city, both living and business areas. All the tours in Moscow were excellent and the local guides were very knowledgeable. The department store Gum, alongside red square is a very upscale mall with many stores.

The trip on the boat does not allow a great deal of time for each of the stops along the way but enough to get a glimpse of the
way the residents live. The stops were all worthwhile and interesting.

St. Petersburg is a magnificent city, and being able to stay there 3 days gives an opportunity to visit most of the more famous attractions. Catharine's palace, the hermitage, peterhoff palace with it's wonderful gardens and fountains, peter and paul fortress, the churches, and other sites visited were all outstanding.

Our tour director, Anna, lived up to, and in our opinion exceeded expectations we have about GCT tour directors. She was friendly, very organized, very knowledgeable and passionate about her country.

The Tallin, Helsinki extension was also excellent. Even though we would favor Tallin, both cities are very interesting. The hotels were excellent and well located.

We found the Russian people we encountered to be friendly and welcoming.

If you are looking for a riverboat trip that provides a very interesting itinerary, excellent guides, crew, food, etc., then this would be a good one to take...

Traveler: Franklin Gore from Altamonte Springs, FL traveled on June 02, 2011

My husband and I just retired and wanted to start retirement off with a bang, so we chose to go on the Russia Revealed trip. Well let me tell you, the trip exceeded both our expectations. Right from the start it met us with quite an experience.
We started with the pre-trip to Kiev. What a beautiful place. The hotel was extremely comfortable and staff, very friendly and accommodating. All day trips were so interesting, with so much free time to venture out on our own and explore. This is one reason why we chose to go with GCT The town is spotless. Then it was on to Moscow on the boat. The boat Tikhi Don and the entire staff where outstanding, right down to evening entertainment. Food was great and wait staff were so nice. Port of Calls going up the Volga were very interesting, had good times there. Optional tours were money well spent, don't miss out on any of them. St. Petersburg was great ad spotless. Couldn't give enough credit to the tour directors and especially the bus drivers each day. They were amazing. What a fabulous way to start our retirement. Wonderful people on board ship, lots of fun and laughter. We are planning our next trip for the coming year. Am looking forward to that.

Traveler: John Bzik from Slidell, LA traveled on June 26, 2011

We just returned from our HelsinkiTallinnRussian River cruise -- it was a really excellent overview of Russia. We chose to take the pre-trip to Helsinki and Tallinn, which we had mixed feelings about.

We were very disappointed in Helsinki. It has none of the charm of most European cities (few sidewalk cafes, not very attractive buildings) -- we would not recommend visiting Helsinki.

Tallinn, on the other hand, was a charming, medieval-feeling city, loaded with atmosphere. We loved the restaurants, and particularly loved the shopping for linens (good prices, too). Since Estonia's currency is now the Euro, that really simplified things for us, too.

The Tikhi Don, our cruise ship, was a great size -- 210 passengers; 100 staff. Our room was just roomy enough, with great individual reading lights, a flat screen TV, bathroom with room to store toiletries, and twin beds which could be pushed together to make a large bed. All staterooms have large windows for nice views of the riverside. The only negative about the bathroom was lighting which was inadequate for seeing well enough to put on makeup.

Food was great -- different, of course, but that's one reason for traveling -- to try different things. Portions were small, but since there were many courses, we were sated, but not stuffed (a good thing!). Service was impeccable, staffed by attractive young men and women. They all spoke English, were fun and interesting. Even though GCT says there is a small glass of wine at dinner, we always were served two or three glasses!

We went on most of the optional trips, and thought they were well worth it, with the exception of the farmmuseum visit in Tallinn (too expensive for the actual value). Art galleries, museums, palaces, etc., are a must! St. Petersburg is home of the Hermitage, with a world-class art collection.

Moscow was huge! With 12 million people, it is bustling, with gigantic apartment complexes everywhere, and constant heavy traffic. The Kremlin was an incredible visit; as was the trully awesome St. Basil's Cathedral (wow!).

Our program directors were excellent, and most of the optional trip guides were good to excellent, with the exception of a few young ones with a less-than-adequate command of English.

A great trip -- Russia is an amazing country!

Traveler: Georgene Falcon from Elizabeth City, NC traveled on June 11, 2011

WE loved this trip and would go again. Are only negative experience happened after we got home. Six couples travelled together and so far three of the six couples have had money taken from there bank account. A scammer got into the ATM machine that was used. Now it did not cost us anything our bank obviously has insurance for this purpose, but it was maddening. This has nothing that Grand Cirlce had to do with, but wondered if they could not get an ATM machine on board for the convenience of the customers. They would make lots of money on it and it would be hard to be scammed. I have seen them on other vessels.

Traveler: Roberta Ann Young from Freeport, IL traveled on July 08, 2010

Last year we did a river cruise, and I didn't paticularly like it, so had mixed feelings about this one.

This trip was wonderful. We were on Tikhi Don, and the crew was superb. All meals were excellent with a young and friendly staff. Our room was immaculate all the time, and the entire ship super clean.

Cabins are not very big, but once you start unpacking you realize there are a lot of nooks and crannies for your stuff. My only complaint was the bed - horribly uncomfortable.

Russia was a pleasant surprise. People were nice, country is very clean, and everything is interesting

The Moscow Circus was a delight, and highly recommended. The ballet we attended was fair, and that's being generous. Very much overpriced for the quality of the performance.

I believe this trip is over for 2010, but sure do recommend it for next year. Oh, we did very little shopping, but prices seem reasonable in Russia.

Traveler: Barbara Dixon from Huron Township, MI traveled on September 02, 2010

This is our 4th trip with GCT within 12 months. Russia Revealed is our the best trip with MS Rossia, a lovely ship, roomy cabin, warm and accommodating staffs and amazing food. There was always a choice of entrees including a vegetarian option and the staff worked hard to satisfy everyone. The food is very delicious.The afternoon freshly baked cookies at the coffee station were most welcome. The restaurant manager was outstanding. He visited all the tables frequently, listened, and had fun with us. The staffs included talented musicians and entertainers were wonderful. The Captain, ship manager and crew were very attentive to our needs with smiles. They were there to greet us when returning from a tour and thoughtful we were often handed a nice cup of herb tea or local cheese when coming back to the ship after a tour. GCT had many programs to intertain us, we painted matrushka dolls, made pelmeni, were taught an appreciation of vodka, visited the ship’s bridge, had living history lessons, lived music, learned to speak and read some Russian, very difficult for me, not so hard to get by . Written materials given out daily by the ship were great. Our mistake was not reading them right away. We enjoyed very minutes in this trip and will recommend to our friends to have this enjoyment and experience. Our program director (Irina) she was great. Our local tour (Natasia) was wonderful, full of knowledge about Russia’s history. We have learned a lot and understand Russian much better. Grand Circle provided not only a great tour but a great learning experience.

We arrived at St. Petersburg, visited St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest church in the city and still the third largest domed cathedral in the world. Inside is so beautiful, decorated with mosaics, icons, marbles and multicolored granites. Hermitage Museum located on the bank of the Neva, is Russia’s best gallery of world art. Catherine’s Palace was very beautiful, impressive, we enjoyed the famous Amber Room and Golden room. The Peter and Paul Fortress is outstanding, the burial place of all the Russian Emperors and Empresses. Peterhof Palace is very remarkable Grand Cascade, waterworks still operate and rely on a system of gravity over 200 years full of 150 fountains, statues, sculptures and beautiful gardens. Metro is very good experience, deep, clean and easy but need to hold on the rail. You are able to explore the city on the Nevsky Prospect, visit Kazan Cathedral and The Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood, The construction of the church almost entirely interior and exterior of the church was decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, please find your time to visit inside, also view the monument of Catherine the Great, Anichkov Bridge. My advice: don’t miss a thing; every palace is unique, and you can’t go to Russia without experiencing the ballet, was so lovely.

Cruising the rivers, canals, and lakes and traversing thru 16 locks were amazing, we locked at Svir Stroy, had chanced to visit home hosted for tea and Pirozhki which GCT had arranged for us. It was very good experience to learn more about Russian’s way of life.

Petrozavodsk is very nice, clean city, the capital of the Republic of Karelia. We visited the first Russian cannon, Lenin Square and World War II Memorial, we’re able to walk along the shores of Europe's second biggest lake, Lake Onega.

Kizhi Island is in the middle of the Lake Onega, located the Transfiguration Cathedral, made from aspen wood on 22 wooded onion domes, reflect a myriad of hues changing the color depending by the sun light. A spectacular sight and hard to believe it was done with wood. Over here you may find your little time for fishing with Captain. It was fun with your vodka reward!!

Goritsy is small city on the Sheksna River on the Volga-Baltic Waterway, has 2 monasteries and very famous: the Kirillo-Belozer monastery and the Goritsy nunnery, also known as the Resurrection Convent full of history. We could see this monastery from our ship, it was so beautiful sight, able to walk to Goritsy nunnery, not very far, we were unable to go inside due to repairing. seeing many homes were built with logs.

Uglich is a small, a peaceful, quiet town on the Volga River, north of Moscow, the last port before Moscow.The view of the two huge churches was breathtaking as approaching.. This place is good for shopping at the numerous vendors' stands between the town and the ship. The price is fair.

As we traveled by river, we could see the different world, seem looking into the people’s backyard and more simple as part of life. We enjoyed the passing scenery, at this time we could see people came out to swim in the canal, river, along the lakes due to unusual hot weather.

Moscow is on the banks of the Moskva River, quite busy traffic. We stopped at Christ the Savior Cathedral, the largest Orthodox Church in the world. The inside and outside building is magnificent. Red Square lies in the heart of Moscow, stands the Kremlin palace, GUM Department Store with elegant steel framework and glass roof, fill with designer stores, State Historical Museum housed in a magnificent dark redbrick building covered in ornate turrets and pinnacle and St. Basil's Cathedral is delightful array of swirling color and redbrick towers, with unique onion domes, Kazan Cathedral was the first church to be rebuilt in post-communist Moscow.The building is a cube topped with a cluster of domes and encircled by a gallery, Lenin’s tomb, a gleaming granite mausoleum. If you have time please get in line at once, your bag and purse will be searched “no camera” inside is dark, many steps. The State Armory is very interesting, able to see royal thrones, imperial carriages, the wedding and coronation dresses of Catherine the Great, Faberge eggs, diamonds and more. You may expore at the 3 levels underground shopping center, watch changing guards at Unknown soldiers. We also enjoyed the National Russian dance, Circus Show and city tour. We explored the Metro (subway), it was definitely worth looking. First of all architecture of Moscow subway is astonishing because each stop, each station is so nice, like museum, with huge patchworks occupying some walls, high ceilings and antique type chandeliers. Those magnificent interiors filled with marbles, granites, mosaic. During Soviet era amounts worth of millions dollars were invested in the construction of Moscow subway. I paid for 26 Rubles, ($1=30 Rubles)took the Green line near the ship dock then changed to Brown line (Circular line) got out every stop to take pictures then catched other train to go on. We spent 2.30 hours to enjoy the most beautiful, clean subway in the world. This Russia Revealed was absolutely fantastic trip in every way.

Traveler: Sunee Jiyamapa from Plymouth, IN traveled on August 05, 2010

We just returned from GCT's Russia Reveale river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I cannot say enough nice things about the ship, the guides, the great service, etc. Also, there is no internet service aboard. The fee is $10 per hour.Cleanliness is NOT an issue in anyway.The ship is literally washed from the hull inward with our maid even washing the door of our cabin daily.. We had cabin 300 , and it's a great one. The cabins near the restaurant are fine except at meal times when people congregate there waiting to enter the dining room or upon leaving it. Fantastic guides, beautiful scenery along the rivers and lakes you traverse. The meals are great and served beautifully in a beautiful dining room by the friendliest of staff . The people with whom you deal speak English, and all of the guides on our trip were teachers of English as a second language , which gives you some idea of their capabilities. An absolutely fantastic trip in every way.

Traveler:  The Wises from Johnson City, TN traveled on August 05, 2010

Really a great trip. The beer is great, and the Russian women are beautiful. That alone is worth seeing. Wear dark sunglasses so they cannot see where you are looking. I now understand much of the Russian History I studied as a kid.

Traveler: John Dorgan from Spring Hill, FL traveled on June 10, 2010

I always wanted to visit Russia, and see the real people, the average Russian citizen. This river cruise allowed us to view Russia from close-up and personal. From the moment I stepped on board the MS Rossia, I was treated with a feeling of warmth and Class. The crew, from the restaurant to the maids were Top Notch. The cabins were clean, roomy and very modern. The events on board were well done, witty, funny and totally interesting. I saved the food for last because this ships chef’s rival any cruise ship I have been on before.
What sets this cruise apart was the small group [200] passengers and you were always being looked after and there was always someone around to answer your questions or help you. The tours were great. Seeing Moscow at night was awesome and the photo opportunity’s were numerous. The small towncity’s we stopped at offered wonderful historical value and insight into the lives of normal people.
The beauty of the country is what also caught my eye. I came away with an new awareness of Russia and it’s people. I would do this trip again.

Traveler: Michael Didomenico from Winter Springs, FL traveled on May 27, 2010

We have taken about 4 or 5 rivercruises with GCT to date. This rivercruise rates among the top but I must say they were all excellent!

On board the Rossia, the food was probably the best of all our rivercruises.

The Captain and crew were very attentive to our needs. They were there to greet us when returning from a tour and especially thoughtful we were often handed a nice cup of herb tea when coming back to the ship after a tour. A lovely gesture! (We had encountered some damp days which in no way interfered with our enjoyment of this wonderful trip.

Our Program Director Violetta was superb in every way possible. Her informative talks about living in her Country were extremely interesting; we especially enjoyed hearing about her family's experiences during the siege of Leningrad.

There were many optional shows in Moscow; probably more than offered in other cities on other trips. We went to the National Russian Show and Evening at the Russian Ballet, Karelian Folk Show, Moscow circus and many others. All were excellent.

As someone else wrote, the Gift Shop onboard the Rossia is the best we have encountered on GCT rivercruises. We purchased a set of Matrushka dolls there which were excellent quality. Everytime I walk by these dolls in my family room, I remember this fantastic trip!

Each year we look forward to traveling on the rivertrips with GCT...they are beyond wonderful!

Don't miss this trip!

Traveler: Janet from Lilburn, GA traveled on June 11, 2009

What a marvelous trip! Even with the rainy weather, the trip was above and beyond what anyone could have hoped for. The food on the ship was OUTSTANDINGLY great and an unsurpassed variety. Sasha, our Director, was so very helpful with directions for the metro. All tours, both included and optional were well worth attending. I have been on many GCT and OAT trips and this was definitely up on the top of the list for greatness. Thank you all for making your travelers feel welcome, safe and taken care of.

Traveler: Sally B. from Lyons, NY traveled on October 01, 2009

• Really surprised that none of the stereotypes of Russia & the Russian people are true. They are exciting, interesting & attractive people. The country is vibrant & alive. One down side is traffic in Moscow, but they are working on that.
• Quality & workmanship of the Russian craftsman was outstanding. It didn’t matter if the building, statues or bridge was made in the 17th century, or last week, all were first class.
• The ship & crew was excellent. We were given opportunity to tour the bridge & engine room. All of our questions were answered & crew took time to explain the various functions & everyday operation.
• The crew & staff were exceptionally helpful, friendly and should be considered as our new friends.
• After 10 trips with Grand Circle travel I can never get used to the outstanding tour directors. The one for my group, Violetta, did an outstanding job. However since we interfaced with all of the others their knowledge of the area or subject that we were discussing is outstanding & they are a credit to their profession.
• The personal earphones made the tours so much better they need to be standard on all trips. It is really great to hear all that the local guide is saying without being in a bunch or trying to hear their words while an adjacent guide is addressing their group.

Traveler: Albert from Cherry Hill, NJ traveled on October 01, 2009

We've enjoyed all 8 trips we have taken with GCT. This one was no exception. Our PD was very knowledgeable and fun to be with.
We enjoyed seeing the palaces, museums, home visit, the Music School and all the entertainment aboard ship. Dmitry, our pianist, was a real bonus. We were impressed with the cleanliness of the ship. We would heartily recommend "Russia Revealed".

Traveler: David from Hutchinson, MN traveled on September 17, 2009

WOW!! What can I say? This trip was 5 star all the way. My sister & I have traveled extensively all over the world and I believe this is the best trip we have ever taken.

We found out that none of the stereotypes Americans think of Russia and the Russian people are true. They are not fat or ugly or grumpy. Russians are funny with a great sense of humor, open, friendly, the country is beautiful and clean and the food wonderful. We always felt safe and appreciated for traveling to their country. And, we were surprised to find that English is spoken in almost all of the shops and restaurants, and spoken very well.

Our ship, the Rossia was wonderful, clean and the staff always smiling, welcoming and helpful. Our chef, Dimitri was great and the food was 5 star all the way. All of the PD's were top rate and very knowledable.

Everything went just like clockwork without any glitches and all of the optional tours we went on were wonderful and well worth the money. GCT is to be commended on doing such a great job.

The morning we flew back to the U.S. we had a VERY early 4AM departure time. Our Captain, Boris, was on the dock, in the dark, in front of the buses, in his dress blues waving good-bye to all of us. I couldn't believe it! Everytime we returned to the ship from an excursion, he was at the gangplank, in his dress blues or dress whites welcoming us back onboard.

In my opinion, this is a "don't miss" trip.

Traveler: Sharon from Ajijic, Mexico traveled on July 23, 2009

One of the best trips we've taken. Arty was an amazing PD and he was great fun to be with. We were in the Yellow Group and all of them were wonderful companions. The beautiful palaces and cathedrals were awsome sights and the ship was a nice place to stay for the l4 nights. Thanks for upgrading us to the 3rd deck. We will continue to praise the trip and the GCT to our friends and anyone else that will listen to us. We took so many photos, it will take me a long time to finish my album but I'm working on it each time a can steal some time away from other duties. We are very please with the company and would not choose another one for a trip. It may be a while before we can take another trip, as I may face knee surgery soon. But as soon as I can get on my feet, we will be traveling again. Sincerely, Joyce and David Hart

Traveler: David from Chino, CA traveled on August 01, 2009

What a fantastic trip! A beautiful country with friendly people. From the start, our GCT program directors in Kiev (Alex D & Misha)) did everything to put us at ease and help us enjoy our experience.

Our ship, MS Rossia, and its crew were excellent. Without exception, each did everything they could to make our travels enjoyable. Specifically, the restaurant manager, Andrev, was outstanding. He visited all the tables frequently, listened, and had fun (he admitted he was a 'ham'). Our servers, Oksana and Alesya were attentive and hepful; the bartender, Mike, made great drinks and had a wonderful, sardonic sense of humor. The hotel manager, Ludmilla, seemed to be everywhere and we knew she, and Captain Boris, were always 'on top of things.'

When we first came on board, we couldn't figure out our room AC. When we asked for assistance, an engineer immediately came to help.

A word of caution about the ship though -- watch out for the onboard shopping! The shop had wonderful jewelry, matruyshka dolls, and all sorts of local items as the ship travelled from Moscow to St Petersburg.

The highlights for us were: Red Square and the Kremlin - we couldn't believe we were standing there; the Peterhof fountains - how beautiful; and the Catherine Palace - amazing! We were also impressed with the Russian countryside and how beautiful it was as we went from Moscow to St Petersburg.

One stop along the route was particularly interesting - Petrovodosk. There weren't any super sights here but just the experience of everyday life. We visited an open air market - a wonderful experience. We also stopped at a 'wedding palace' and saw several brides and grooms and their wedding parties. Watching a local carnival was also fun and interesting.

Alex D, our program director (along with Misha n Kiev), was exceptional. He personalized the trip by sharing his family's experiences under previous Russian governments - interesting and poignant. Alex was insightful and had a great sense of humor.

So, from start to end, Grand Circle provided not only a great tour but a great learning experience. Russia became a new country for us. Insights intot he culture and people and history wee never-ending.

Traveler: Russell from Tempe, AZ traveled on July 20, 2009

In the past when I was asked where I would like to travel, I would always reply anywhere except Russia. Over the years my ideas have changed. The Russia Revealed Trip is fantastic. It is truly a step from the past to the present.

July is probably the best time to go. We experience the "White Nights" in St. Petersburg. I got a beautiful sun set picture at 10:30 p.m.

My real interest was the Onion Dome Churches. I saw many, but my favorite is St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

Our Program Director, Igor Litvin, was remarkable. He was so knowledgeable in the history of Russia.

Don't miss the Russian National Dance Show in Moscow. It's a "Wow" experience.

The entire trip, ship, and crew were outstanding. Don't miss out on Russia.

Traveler: Nancy from Concord, CA traveled on July 09, 2009

Wow! What a wonderful tour! GCT's Russia Revealed is a great trip that I'd highly recommend, especially to those who have visited the major capitals of Western Europe.

Traveling Moscow to St. Petersburg is the recommended direction because it allows time to recover from the long trip from the U.S. while enjoying the less demanding Moscow sightseeing schedule. The restful rivercruise segment allows adequate leisure time between interesting shipboard activities and port stops along the route. The traveler is then adjusted and ready to enjoy the full program of visiting splendid museums and palaces in St. Petersburg.

GCT's tour content in both Moscow and St. Petersburg includes all the must-see tourism destinations. Most of the optional excursions were worthwhile and offered at a fair price. In Moscow, the after-dark tour of the city's famous sites was well worth the modest price for the optional. In St. Petersburg, the full-length performance of Swan Lake by a very accomplished ballet company was a highlight. Of course, the optionals to tour Peterhof Palace and Gardens and Catherine's Palace are "musts" on such a trip.

Our six program directors were capable and charming. Their commentary was colorful and interesting during transport to excursion destinations as well as during shipboard discovery lectures and relaxing times. These Russian citizens were proud and eager to share information about their home country and to correct any wrong impression a traveler might have. No question was off-limits. Each was fluent in English, and it was rare to hear an incorrect word choice or mispronounciation. Hats off to them!

GCT's MS Rossia is worthy of praise. Fully renovated in early 2007, the ship's decor is simple but pleasant and the cabins skillfully engineered for maximum utility of space. The bathroom featured a triangular shower enclosed with sliding plastic panels and a vanity area well appointed with enclosed storage space for one's essentials. Other cabin features included adequate closet space, a mini frig, cable TV, and a 110-volt outlet.

In general, the meals were excellent and always beautifully plated--especially the desserts!

The Rossia's staff of over 100 was always friendly and helpful. Captain Boris, Hotel Manager Ludmila, and Restaurant Manager Andrey all exhibited gracious "people skills" worthy of special praise. It was a memorable experience seeing a small part of Russia with them in early June 2009.

Traveler: Linda from Prospect Heights, IL traveled on May 28, 2009

We went on the first trip of the season. We left on April 30 and returned on May 1, 2009.

We were unable to see some of the stops along the way due to ice on the lake.

As usual, GCT Cruise Directors were able to come up with new and truly great discoveries.

We just extended our stay in St. Petersburg and ended up having an absolutely wonderful time.

This proves that the GCT Tour Directors are able to "turn on a dime" and make things happen.

We felt very special....we were able to see more of St. Petersburg one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

We were also honored to be in Russia during their version of "Veterans Day"....the day they took Berlin.

The Russian Vets were fantastic. We were honored to be a part of this great celebration.

Don't worry...GCT and OAT will always make your time with them memorable.

You never go wrong with these guys.

Traveler: Debra (Debbie) from New Orleans, LA traveled on April 30, 2009

This was one of the most enjoyable trips we've taken with Grand Circle. The crew, captain and trip leaders of the ship were helpful, accommodating and informative.

We were pleasantly surprised in Russia. It was not at all what we had expected. The places we visited were interesting and historical.

We would definately recommend this trip.

Traveler: James from Coshocton, OH traveled on May 28, 2009

Russia Revealed was my first GCT trip. I've take 2 OAT trips previously. I could not be more pleased with the trip. The shipboard accommodations were quite new and good with plenty of closet space and the food was delicious. There was always a choice of entrees including a vegetarian option and the staff worked hard to satisfy everyone. The afternoon freshly baked cookies at the coffee station were most welcome.

St. Petersburgh is a charming city, very Venice-like and the highlights, the Hermitage, Fortress of Peter and Paul, Peterhof are not to be missed. Moscow is busy with heavy traffic and a vitality that reminds me on New York.

In between these two cities were small villages, a provincial town that gave us a glimpse of non-tourist Russia and Kizhi Island, which was a highlight for me. The mood of the place, its remoteness and pastoral quality touched me.

I had never sailed through a lock before and really enjoyed standing on the deck and watching the process as we went through many locks.

Alex, our GCT tour guide was most knowledgeable and helpful. The shipboard activities such as blini making, matrushka painting and the evening entertainment were fun.

The personal earphones which we had for each tour made it so much easier to hear our GCT guide and the local guides and allowed one to move away from the group and still hear what was being said. This is a great feature and one that I hope to see on other trips.

Overall, I have a wonderful time; met delightful people and always felt well cared for by all the GCT personnel I encountered. I would highly recommend this trip.

Traveler: Paula from Peekskill, NY traveled on June 11, 2009

The review by Frank from Cincinnati on June 10, 2009 says everything I would have wanted to say.

But let me add a small point. In preparation for the trip, I learned the Cyriliic alphabet (well, I didn't bother with the "mute" letters). I thought this could come in handy when venturing out on our own.

It turned out that I behaved like a little boy who is learning how to read. During our numerous and slow bus rides, I entertained myself by reading signs on stores and businesses. It turned out that I could puzzle out quite a bit, the reason being that Russian has assimilated a large number of French words. Not only is the word for restaurant, "restauran" (or, in Cyrillic, pectopah), but an office is a "buro", a gallery a "passage", a bank a "banc", and so on. Some puzzling signs, such as "Kacca", should be read as "kassa" (for cashier counter).

My newly acquired knowledge did indeed come in mighty handy on the subways of Moscow and St. Petersburg, with their paucity of signs in Roman characters. And it helped pass the time on those interminable bus rides. And it seemed to impress our fellow travelers!

Traveler: Elio from San Diego, CA traveled on May 25, 2009

Best river boat I've been on - remodeled for Americans and very well managed. Excellent program directors for the pre-, main, and post-trip. Good itinerary with one exception: In Moscow, I didn't like having to choose between the art museum and Star City. I wanted to do both. I highly recommend this trip - for fun and educational value.

Traveler: Karen from Honolulu, HI traveled on May 09, 2009

This was our 1st GCT trip after 9 OAT trips (OAT did not offer this trip). The pace and feeling of the trip were a lot like our OAT Dalmatian Coast trip, wonderful sights, great ship, good food, terrific crew, excellent guides and too many people. For us a group of 16 is a good maximum. You just do not develop the close relationships with either your fellow travelers or your guides that you do on an OAT trip.

That said, GCT trips are less expensive, slower paced, and still very enjoyable, just not the same product as OAT trips. As long as you accept that and are prepared to make the most of the strengths of the trip, you will be fine.

Negatives:
As always, there never seems to be enough time in the museums and estates. We could have stayed twice as long in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, but I doubt our feet would have held out that long. The extra hour is a plus.

In both St. Petersburg and Moscow, the traffic is brutal on a daily basis and you often crawl along at 10 miles an hour. In Moscow, we spent as much time in traffic as we did sight seeing. Both cities have excellent subway systems, designed to avoid this problem. Had we used them as a group, we would have had a lot more time to explore and sightsee. Except for the day we visited the Kremlin, everything else could have been done on our own with a guidebook. Consider breaking away and doing your own thing in Moscow when ever you can. The Metro station is only 15 minutes walk from the boat dock.

It was easy to get money out of ATMs everywhere but hard to change the 1000 and 500 ruble notes they typically gave to you. The ship should offer a change service.

Laundry service on the ship is annoyingly expensive, like a hotel, and there is no real alternative except sink washing.

No internet available anywhere. No free or pay wireless services in St. Petersburg or Moscow in the area of the boat landing and none on the boat. The pay wi-fi service in Moscow required pre-arrangement so you could not just buy time with a credit card.

Service in the dining room was good but noticeably less responsive than on the MV Athena on the Dalmatian Coast trip. If you sat at a table after the first seating, you sometimes had to hunt down your own utensils. You had to ask for water, bread and coffee refills. Only one glass of wine was included at dinner. Bar service in the President bar was slow, particularly at happy hour.

Both the St. Petersburg and Moscow boat landings are a long way from the center of town.

Cost of the excellent optional trips was excessive. The Moscow Circus tickets were about $15, which means we paid $50 each for a bus ride. We could have taken the subway for $.66. 4 of us hired a licensed private guide with driver and Chrysler mini-van in St. Petersburg for $41 an hour. She picked us up at 9AM and dropped us off at 5:30 PM for two days. We paid for our own admissions and lunch. In the end, we toured twice as long and saw more places in a small group for about the same price as the 3 GCT optional trips scheduled for those days. The Star City optional tour was great but expensive at $100 and it took longer to get there and back than we spent in Star City.

The visit to Petrozavodsk was generally a dud. We walked the entire route of the bus trip in about 2 hours after we bailed out at the last stop and did not find much else to see. The Kindergarten was nothing but an excuse to take pictures of a few cute kids. Learning and discovery was nil with the exception of the optional folk show.

Positives:
St. Petersburg is truly the Venice of the North and worth of some serious wandering around. You could spend weeks there. Break away from the group and explore on your own. Use the subway or hire a private guide before you leave. The ballet was excellent and full length, not dumbed down for tourists.

Written materials given out daily by the ship were great. Our mistake was not reading them right away. We did not realize until 2 days after we had sailed that there was a complete description of all the landmarks along the route in our information.

The ship and crew were very enjoyable with the exception of the sometimes spotty service in the dining room. it was not bad service, just not what we had come to expect on a ship. Rooms were very comfortable but may people had trouble with noisy AC vents. We opened the window most nights and did not use the AC.

Local guides were very good, with the exception of the one in Petrozavodsk. They were knowledgable, spoke at a reasonable pace in understandable English and the headphone receivers were a real plus in allowing us to wander around and look at exhibits while still listening to the guide.

Program directors were all good, each different and with different levels of experience but all well educated, outgoing, and knowledgable. They worked well together and complemented each other's strengths. We wish the relationship had been closer as on an OAT trip.

Kizhi Island is a very unique place and was one of the highlights of the trip. We finally got a chance to do some walking. Don't blow off the warning about snakes. We got a picture of healthy Vipera Berus or northern cross-adder, right along he boarwalk.

The Moscow by Night Tour was well worth it and the most reasonably priced of the optional tours at $30 a head.

On the last day, abandon the tour at the Moscow State university overlook and explore on your own. We took the Metro downtown, walked around and then went back to the ship on the Metro.

Vodka tasting was unique. We had never considred "tasting" vodka before. We learned a lot.

The cruise part of the trip was very relaxing, lots to see along the way and a welcome break from the hectic pace in St. Petersburg. The ship board activities offered were creative and interesting.

Once you have completed this trip, you will have gotten all your tourist tickets punched. If you ever come back, you can focus on the things you did not do. Russia is like a thousand item buffet which you can only visit once. You will have sampled only a few of the very best things. This trip makes you want to return.

Traveler: Frank from Cincinnati, OH traveled on May 14, 2009

The Russia I found was nothing like what I expected! Not dismal and dark, the new Russia is -- in its ironic way -- very optimistic.

For me, the highlight of the trip was going to a Russain home for tea on Victory Day celebrating the anniversary of the end of World War II.

Tatiana's home in Svir Stroy was set up for two shifts of us American tourists, with the samovar and lots of goodies -- including piroshki -- ready.

She spoke about their experiences during the troubled times, and how they live in this rural village, and her hopes for peace in the future. She sang for us; then, after we left, she was planning to join the chorus for the town's Victory Day celebrations.

The program directors were our "family" for the trip, and we knew them well by the end. Natasha was our terrific group leader. But any one of them would pull us out of a jam, and forget about it afterwards. They would answer an unending volley of questions frankly and openly. They kept us from getting lost, fed us, entertained us, and got up at 4 a.m. (or earlier) to take us to catch our plane home, making sure we didn’t leave our suitcases behind, along with our precious Russian vodka.

Local guides were also impressive -- knowledgeable, articulate in English (and many other languages), passionate about the sights and museums we visited and open to our questions.

The ship's staff spoiled us (even catering to our yearning for ice cream late on our final night on board).

Did I mention that they are a handsome people, with a wicked sense of humor?

What is my only regret? I wish I had bought more matrioushka dolls and handcrafts. But I did fairly well, all the same.

Traveler: Carol from Palm Beach Shores, FL traveled on April 30, 2009

Wonderful trip--- I traveled on the same trip as Jane from California--- didn't know her but all I can say is "DITTO" to everything she had to say-------

It was the 10th trip with Grand CircleOAT and it was one of the best----

We were asked at an "Inner Circle" party-
"Which was our best trip?" I could not even begin to answer that--------because every one was a "best " trip--- each had it's own unique experiences---

Grand Circle and OAT are a great ways to explore this wonderful, fascinating world.

Traveler: Marie from Las Vegas, NV traveled on April 30, 2009

Kiev and the motorship Rossia from Moscow to St. Petersburg—where to start?? Amazing, awesome, beyond expectations: there aren’t enough superlatives to describe this great learning and discovery experience. I’m a “landlubber” who’s taken 12 escorted trips, so this was entirely new, but absolutely worthwhile.

I was privileged to have what I consider the best of the best of tour directors: Misha Smetnik, an absolute pro who in 2-12 weeks gave us more insight and appreciation of his country than any history book. He was bursting with energy and excitement every hour of the day, always leaving us with a desire to see and learn more. Yes, I could happily return to do this trip all over again!

The Kiev pretrip was great: from its fashionably dressed residents, to the wonders of its cathedrals and monastery caves, and its charming restaurants overflowing with folklore. The Chernobyl Museum and Babiy Yar are not to be missed, lest we forget such horrors that these people experienced.

In Moscow, we boarded the Rossia, a lovely ship with roomy cabins, warm and accommodating staff, and amazing food (each plate worthy of a picture). The staff included talented musicians and entertainers. We painted matrushka dolls, made belini and pelmeni, decorated cakes, were taught an appreciation of vodka, visited the ship’s bridge, had living history lessons, learned to speak and read some Russian, and sang and danced. Can you beat that for an excellent learning and discovery?

Off ship, what can top Red Square, the Kremlin, Christ the Savior Cathedral, the New Maiden Convent and Cemetery, the circus, and the magnificent metro stations of Moscow? By day the sights are amazing, by night stupendous! The a cappella Zlatoust Singers are a must—you will take home a CD to remember the thrilling sounds of Russia. Sorry we had to choose between optional trips to Star City and the Tretyakov Gallery. I did the first and my friend the second. We both came back raving about what we had learned!

Cruising the rivers, canals, and lakes and traversing some 16 locks were amazing discoveries in themselves, but , wait, we had an special discovery on this trip—ice in the lakes from Russia’s late spring thaw! Sadly, we were unable to navigate Lake Onega to reach Kizhi Island, but we sailed twice in the wake of an icebreaker to ensure the icy chunks did not damage our hull! What a beautiful sight the ice was on a sunny day! And, once we reached St. Petersburg, Grand Circle added events to make up for the stops we had missed.

As for stops along the river: Uglich is a charming medieval village dating from the 10th century with awesome sights and handcraft markets. We docked in Svirstroy on May 9, the day all of Russia celebrates its WWII victory. An arch of balloons greeted us at the dock, then children, townspeople, and veterans welcomed us. We were entertained at tea in village homes—what a feel-good experience we had!

St. Petersburg, of course, is amazing with its chock-a-block palaces and museums. My advice: don’t miss a thing; every palace is unique, Peter and Paul Fortress is filled with history, the fountains of Peterhof and the Hermitage are must-sees, and you can’t go to Russia without experiencing the ballet (some in our group even attended the Bolshoi in Moscow!). Believe me, you have not heard child musicians until you visit the music school in St. Petersburg—absolutely inspiring!

On no other trip have I received so many first-class, informative handouts, many in glossy full color. Now, besides my thousands of snapshots, I can bind these into a separate Learning and Discovery book.

In conclusion, you see I have overdone the superlatives. This is a trip of a lifetime, and you will feel very comfortable and welcome every step of the way. Don’t hesitate to go!

Traveler: Jane from Shingle Springs, CA traveled on April 27, 2009