Russia with Peter the Great Cruises

Our group of five left Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 19, ’05, for a 16-day cruise from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Moscow with Peter the Great Cruises (2610 East 16th St., Brooklyn, NY 11235; 800/828-7970 or 718/934-4100 or www.cruiseruss.com). We boarded the m/s Shashkov the afternoon of Aug. 20 and disembarked in Moscow on Sept. 3.

We chose Peter the Great because of ads we had seen in ITN. The cost of $3,367 per person included nonstop round-trip air from Atlanta; a one-way flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg; all transfers; a cabin on the ship for 14 nights; all meals; escorted tours in St. Petersburg, Moscow and the six communities where we stopped along the way, plus a variety of activities on board, ranging from language and cultural lessons to bridge.

The cabins were the typical small cabins of a river cruise, with the very compact bathroom — quite adequate for the nightly washing and overnight drying of laundry. (My husband and I each travel with one carry-on bag and a small personal item.)

All employees with passenger contact were gracious and exceedingly helpful. Those employees who were responsible for passenger activities spoke excellent English.

All five of us were amazed at the quality, variety and flexibility of the food service. None of us had ever seen an equal to the flexibility shown by the kitchen staff. Meals were served to accommodate all manner of coming and going for optional tours. One evening, the complete dinner was served three times because of tour schedules, the last time at 10 p.m.

Breakfast was a buffet, with vodka available, while all other meals were served. During the 14 nights of meal service, we all were amazed that there was a different salad course each night, always with attention given to presentation. A glass of wine came with lunch and dinner.

Four full days were spent touring St. Petersburg. Although we did three optional tours and feel the Kazak (Cossack) Show should not be missed, the included tours would be very adequate and give a good sense of this city.

The next six days were spent cruising the rivers from St. Petersburg to Moscow. There was a daily stop in a village or town with tours included. Each stop was unique in its history, specialties and crafts (flax and woolen items, woodcarvings, birch bark containers, jewelry, lacquer items. . .).

The scenery along the rivers was a combination of small, rural villages and industrial areas. The onion domes of the different churches never ceased to hold our attention.

The Russian citizens were friendly, very willing to give assistance and quite willing to talk of changes in their country.

Our trip concluded with 3_ days in Moscow. Once again, we selected a couple of optional tours, although the program offered was very complete.

My husband and I have done extensive traveling (all seven continents) and found the quality of the tour and completeness of services provided outstanding. If you are considering a Russian river cruise, Peter the Great Cruises provides a very good package. The scenery was beautiful, the cities, fascinating, and the people, gracious.

— MOLLIE DRAKE, Gainesville, GA