We enjoyed the experience as far as on-shore excursions were concerned. On board, the room stewards were exceptional. The nightly music was great fun. The staff was polite and helpful. But the ship was no comparison to the 4 others we've been on. The Program Director in our opinion did not handle the illness on board properly. It seemed he just ignored it. Not our best trip by far.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Lost luggage. Viking people were very good at tracking it down and getting it on board the next day.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The food was not exceptional. Breakfast was good, buffet was good. Dining room was nice. Service was lacking. But I learned when I became ill on the fifth day, and later asked around, that there was a stomach virus running rampant on board which was not addressed. Some thought it was the food, but I don't think so, it seemed like a "stomach bug" to me.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The musicians who played nightly were excellent. The staff gave daily presentations on the Russian rulers from the 13th century to present day. Very well done and extremely interesting. Viking does not have a lot of on board activities, nor is it expected on the river cruises.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
As stated above, the musicians were the best we've seen on any of our five Viking cruises. Musicians brought in on the last night were very good too. We were treated to a wonderful Moscow Classical Folklore concert on shore.
Children's Programs
No children on board on Viking ships.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
The room stewards were excellent. Above and beyond, I would say, based on the fact that so many people were sick during the cruise. This was Viking Rurik's last trip of the season. I heard many express that the waiters might have been distracted by that - they were polite and seemed anxious to serve, but the service was actually not good. Often had to flag them down for service, ask for something and they never came back - that sort of thing. Very unusual for Viking.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
The ship was old. No comparison to Long Ships. We especially missed the nice lounge with wall-to-ceiling glass, comfortable couches. The stairs (I guess Russian design - I understand these ships were built in Russia) were very steep and the treads were very narrow. Everyone was holding on for dear life and stepping down sideways to keep from falling. Many of us simply used the elevator. Ship seemed clean and maintained. But I have a major complaint which I guess I should mention here. I became very ill, (projectile vomiting, diarrhea) on the fifth day of the cruise. A huge plus - never seen on other Viking river cruises - is that we had a doctor on board. I assumed that I had eaten something that didn't agree. I asked dr. if anyone else was ill. She said "It happens. Not the first, won't be the last". The next day, my husband got sick. Later, we asked around and found that many people were suffering with the same illness. All of them thought they were the only ones on board who were sick. We noticed that the staff had started wiping down the walls and bannisters. But nothing was ever mentioned about sickness on board. I can understand that they wouldn't want to cause a panic, but it seems that they could have acknowledged there was a problem and suggested that anyone not feeling well should see the doctor. I talked to people who thought they had food poisoning or something and had just stayed in their cabins. This was not food poisoning. (been there, done that). I believe it was a nasty 24-hr stomach virus that just swept through. And left us feeling like something washed up on the beach for the rest of the cruise. The Program Director should have done a better job of handling this situation.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was much like the other Viking cruises. Comfortable, well-maintained, no complaints there.
Ship tip
If you've been on other Viking cruises, lower your expectations for this one. Having said this, I might add that Russia is a wonderful country and the history is very interesting. Our experience was not all bad.
In port three days. Did excursions, beautiful palace, beautiful city, great Cosack dancers show, saw St. Petersburg from the water excursion, Swan Lake Ballet.
Thank you, grapesofglass, for your kind words towards our shore excursion program as well as the onboard service. While we are saddened to learn of your disenchantment with the ship and the regrettable handling of the onboard illness you’ve described, we are grateful to be in receipt of your feedback and are interested in learning more. Accordingly, please kindly reach out to us with your booking information at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so that we may address your comments in more detail and better understand how we could have made this the five-star voyage you had envisioned. We appreciate the chance to connect with you and hope to hear from you soon.
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