Scenic Tsar Review

-- / 5.0
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30 reviews

Changing our perceptions of Russia

Review for Russia River Cruise on Scenic Tsar
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Bri n Dot
6-10 Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Oct 2019
A food market at Saratov
Souvenir Shop window at Nizhny Novgorod
Herbs & Spices shop at the Kostrama Market
Church at the "Wooden Building Museum"  at either Kostrama or Varos
Just another church along the Volga
Some Street decorations, alongside Red Square, Moscow
A Re-purposed giant sculpture (Moscow River) - It was originally supposed t
They're everywhere, they're everywhere
One of hundreds of pieces of artwork in the Moscow Metro
Autumn Leaves, Moscow
The Gun that never fired a shot (Moscow Kremlin)
The Bell that never rang (its got a great lump broke off during the manufac

We chose this cruise as it was something outside of "tourists everywhere" which seems to be the case with most popular cruises. We also prefer the intimacy of River Cruising ships with their small number of passengers. WE also much prefer cruising where ALL excursions, gratuities etc are included in the overall price. We had traveled with Scenic once before and knew they were a high class operator.

Whilst the travelling between Australia and Russia (or for that matter, anywhere except SE Asia) is always an issue, the cruise itself (plus the several days in Moscow at the end) was an eye opener. I am not sure just what we expected, but it was not what we got. Friendly, helpful people (particularly those under 40 - we saw only one example of heavy handed officialdom), modern cities (although many had some run down areas) with all levels of shops from basic food shops and local markets through to luxury fashion goods, reasonable public facilities (but nothing at all for those with disabilities ) very efficient and frequent public transport, very good accommodation (we only personally used the higher end (4 star). Costs in Russia were similar to what we would pay in Australia, some a bit higher, some a bit lower eg. petrol started at about $1.15 AU per liter. Moscow Metro is about $1.40 AU per trip (anywhere to anywhere, so long as you stay on the stations), The main problem (particularly along the Volga River) was STEPS, steps and more steps as it seems the cities are almost always built on the "high side" of the river. Not only that, but many of them had no handrails. The (post Soviet) Russian people have a very deep sense of religion - many of the churches and cathedrals destroyed by the Soviets are now being rebuilt), and of their history, particularly the very high human costs in the various wars and conflicts throughout their history. The younger people we spoke to (all in the travel industry) had no hesitations in answering questions truthfully (as far as we could tell) about all aspects of living in Russia, it's more recent history (1900s ) and where they would like to see the future .

There appeared to be no restrictions on where we could travel, we were not required to carry any specific documentation (this said, the extent of our (costly) visa was exactly for the time we had pre-arranged, there was no provision for extending our visit.

Cabin Review

Ample Room, adequate (but not ample) storage, Very comfortable bed, good size balcony, shower a little cramped (but then we both carry a few too many kilograms)

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