‘Waterways of the Czars’

I went on a 14-day cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg in August ’04. This was my first trip with Uniworld (Encino, CA; phone 800/257-2264) and I was very impressed with not only Russia itself but the spotlessly clean ship, the wonderful food, the most gracious staff and the relatively modest price of the cruise.

We lived on board the ship for three days in Moscow and had several tours of the city and surrounding area with very knowledgeable local guides.

When we set sail for St. Petersburg, we enjoyed six luxurious days cruising through canals, rivers and lakes and passing through 18 large locks. On board the ship there were lectures on Russian culture, art and music and even language lessons. Each evening there was live music, dancing or just relaxing in the lounge.

Along the way we stopped each day in a small town or village to experience rural and village Russian life. We had an included tour at each stop and were able to meet many of the locals.

When we arrived in St. Petersburg, we lived on board the ship for the final three days of our cruise, again with several city tours.

The ship was the m.s. Maxim Litvinov and the cost of the 14-day cruise was a little over $3,000, including the cost of an upgraded cabin, round-trip airfare from Los Angeles and all transfers. If you arrange your own air travel, the cost of the cruise is about $1,700. After trying to arrange my own air, I soon discovered that it was much less expensive to book an all-inclusive cruise.

I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone. There were people of all ages and interests on our ship and everyone really enjoyed it.

FRANCES SYMONS
San Diego, CA