Russian waterways cruises?

We're trying to decide between Grand Circle Travel's Russian Waterways
trip, which includes hotel stays in Moscow and St. Petersburg with a
river cruise between the two cities, and Viking River Cruises'
Waterways of the Czars, which has a similar itinerary, but you stay on
the boat the whole time. We have seen reviews that said that it takes
hours to get from the ship to the centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg
because of the traffic; does anyone know anything about that? We'd
also like to know what the rooms on the Viking ships are like.

Thanks for any info on either of these trips that anyone can give us.

Leo

St. Petersburg is built right on the Baltic Sea. (check out it's location on
Google Maps) It's not an inland city. The city is built right against the
sea. Large ships dock at the freight piers which are a few miles (like 4-5
as the crow flies) from the center of the city (probably a 20 minute drive
since streets aren't direct). Smaller ships can actually dock on the Neva
River, very close (less than a mile or two) to much of what might be
considered downtown. Close to the Hermitage, etc. Though understand that
other attractions like Catherine's Palace are way outside the city. A good
hour plus ride each way. However, nothing in the city proper was a problem
as far as driving or traffic. Nothing IN the city took hours of driving.

Don't know anything about Moscow.

--Tom



"LeoS" <lscanlon7@> wrote in message
news:f0b5c0ed-fe5c-4732-a1b2-b0286ae9687c@l64g2000hse..com...
> We're trying to decide between Grand Circle Travel's Russian Waterways
> trip, which includes hotel stays in Moscow and St. Petersburg with a
> river cruise between the two cities, and Viking River Cruises'
> Waterways of the Czars, which has a similar itinerary, but you stay on
> the boat the whole time. We have seen reviews that said that it takes
> hours to get from the ship to the centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg
> because of the traffic; does anyone know anything about that? We'd
> also like to know what the rooms on the Viking ships are like.
>
> Thanks for any info on either of these trips that anyone can give us.
>
> Leo

[Default] Thus spake LeoS <lscanlon7@>:

>We're trying to decide between Grand Circle Travel's Russian Waterways
>trip, which includes hotel stays in Moscow and St. Petersburg with a
>river cruise between the two cities, and Viking River Cruises'
>Waterways of the Czars, which has a similar itinerary, but you stay on
>the boat the whole time. We have seen reviews that said that it takes
>hours to get from the ship to the centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg
>because of the traffic; does anyone know anything about that? We'd
>also like to know what the rooms on the Viking ships are like.
>
>Thanks for any info on either of these trips that anyone can give us.
>
>Leo

Due to the horrendous visa requirements, I will not go to Russia. The
form is 3 pages long and reminds me of the DD76 I filled out to get my
Secret. Questions like "What professional, social and religious
organizations do you belong to?"

St. Petersburg is about 30 seconds from the sea. Moscow is a 3 hour
train ride.

Dillon Pyron <invaliddmpy...@austin.> wrote:
>
> Due to the horrendous visa requirements, I will not go to Russia.  The
> form is 3 pages long and reminds me of the DD76 I filled out to get my
> Secret.  Questions like "What professional, social and religious
> organizations do you belong to?"

Gosh, I think I'll put down a membership in the "Red Herring
Society" :-)


-hh

"Dillon Pyron" <invaliddmpyron@austin.> wrote in message
news:pbuh84p6e77smvut4d4qsah2gqsmtfii04@...
>
> Due to the horrendous visa requirements, I will not go to Russia. The
> form is 3 pages long and reminds me of the DD76 I filled out to get my
> Secret. Questions like "What professional, social and religious
> organizations do you belong to?"
>
Is that, perhaps, because you are from the USA? I am not but I still had to
fill in a form which, I suppose, was inconvenient but was certainly not
horrendous.

--
SJF

[Default] Thus spake -hh <recscuba_google@huntzinger.com>:

>Dillon Pyron <invaliddmpy...@austin.> wrote:
>>
>> Due to the horrendous visa requirements, I will not go to Russia.  The
>> form is 3 pages long and reminds me of the DD76 I filled out to get my
>> Secret.  Questions like "What professional, social and religious
>> organizations do you belong to?"
>
>Gosh, I think I'll put down a membership in the "Red Herring
>Society" :-)
>
>
>-hh
>

How about the NRA and HCI? Or MADD and the National Association of
Howebrewers?