Gate 1 River Cruise to Russia - Know anything about it?
 

My father-in-law is thinking of doing this cruise with his son (my brother-in-law). I don't know much about this company or their Russia river ship - the <b>MS Russ</b>. The rooms seem small - 105 sq ft. and I'm not sure there's a separate shower in the bathroom. Is it a wet room?

Here's a link: http://www.gate1travel.com/cruises/ships/ms-russ/

Anyway, any information would be helpful.

I just took a quick peek at Gate1Travel website. Says ship has been refurbished 2011. Cabins are very small but they typically are on river cruise ships. It would definitely be pretty compact in one of them; however, where it will be 2 males occupying the cabin, I am sure they will be able to handle the smallness. The bathroom will probably be small also. We did a river cruise Dec. '09 and our cabin was small (larger than 105 sf) but we were able to fit all our luggage in the cabin and they had lots of built-in shelves over the beds. Bathroom was really small but we made do w/ that also.

I would do a comparison of several river cruise lines and see how large the cabins are, what is included for the cost of the cruise (sightseeing tours, wine/beer at dinner, etc.). There are a lot of newer ships on the market now so you may find larger cabins also.

There are a couple of things to be aware of w/ river cruising. One is the water level. If there has been a lot of rain then the water levels will be high and the ships are unable to transit parts of the river. If this happens they have to use busses to transport passengers from one place to another. However, I am not certain of a Russian river cruise and if this would be a problem. We did a Danube cruise and didn't encounter this. I am only giving you the scenarios of what I read on the Cruise Critic Boards, these are not my own opinions.

I have read mixed reviews about Gate 1 travel. I checked them out myself and they do not offer as many inclusions in their cruises as other river cruise companies. By this I mean they may offer limited sightseeing tours through the cruise line, you will end up paying extra for optional tours. This can add up to more money than if you find a company w/ tours included. Viking and Uniworld may offer more options and they should check these companies out also.

I would suggest that you go to: www.cruisecritic.com and look at the river cruise boards. If you are not familiar w/ that site, when you get on it, look for the Boards category at the top left side, click that open, then scroll down and look for Special Interest cruising, then river and canal cruising. You will find a lot of suggestions, reviews of cruise lines, etc. there. This is what I did when researching our river cruise. You can post on the boards but have to register to do so; otherwise, you can just look at the posts.

Let us know how you make out as I would love to do a Russian cruise. We loved our first river cruise and can't wait to do another one. It is totally different from ocean cruise but we loved the intimate atmosphere of the ship, the friendliness of our fellow passengers, etc. Dining is open seating and you sit wherever there is room at a table. Some people do not like this but we did because we had an opportunity to sit and enjoy conversation with many different types of people. Good luck.

May

I looked this up on cruisecritic but there is no information.

My husband and I are taking a Viking River Cruise to Russia in October. But the Gate 1 is the one my father-in-law is looking at. Viking is quite a bit more expensive.

Only used Gate 1 once for a trip to Spain. It is not first class, but all of their arrangements were flawless. They booked our flight, hotel room (equal to a Holiday Inn, but older}. We booked our sightseeing at the hotel-big mistake. Gate 1 was way cheaper for the same exact trip-dollar to euro conversion and a cut for the hotel. If you do not need fancy rooms, but want value, Gate 1 is pretty good.

Gate 1 has a questioable rep fake touts on the boards frquently including Peru here

Cheap rotgut econo middleman with low qality tours cruises usually.

Cruisecritic.com for reviews providers of quality

Affordabletours.com great comp site

We used Gate One for 2 week Greece and Turkey. First week was bus tour of mainland. Excellent guide, accomodations, no complaints. 2nd week was cruise of the islands on Aquamarine, a Greek cruise ship. Pretty bad. So, there are good and bad with Gate One. Guess that can be true of all companies. We also want to do a riverboat cruise in Russia, so am interested in the responses here.

1965 - What was bad about the cruise?

We have River Cruised with both Gate One and Viking. The Gate One cruise was through Germany visiting the Christmas Markets, The Viking was also at Christmas time.

Viking has slightly nicer accommodations, but Gate One was OK. Tours were equal in my opinion. We, too, are looking at the Gate One Russian Cruise for 2012. It's a fraction of the cost of the Viking cruise, yet offers pretty much the same itinerary.

If you do decide to go with Gate One, please report back. There's not much information about this particular cruise.

I think my concern about this cruise for my father-in-law and brother-in-law is that the rooms seems very small - 105 sq ft. All of them. Ad there doesn't seem to be a separate stall shower in the bathroom. In the diagram I don't see any. I think I read somewhere that the shower head is over the sink.

<b>For those who have gone through Gate 1 for their cruises - was that your experience with their ships? </b>

I think there is a difference between the ships they use for Western European river cruises vs. Russia.

There is a caveat on their web site:

"As Russian river cruise and tourism industries are relatively young, you will certainly find the physical conditions there are lesser when compared to those of Western Europe. Ships are recently renovated 20-30 year-old vessels. You will find that cleanliness and onboard services are up-to-date."

Gate 1 does not own the ship/boats - they just sell you the tour.

I found a positive review here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...st_Russia.html

Kenav-The service was bad at all meals, both Lido and MDR. There were 7 of us seated together at dinner. Had 3 menus between us. On lido for buffet there was no water available and often the iced tea dispenser was empty.Was told to go to bar and ask for a glass of water. Was given a juice sized glass. It was spring break so were some high school groups. The bar staff served them alcohol until bar closing w/o asking for ID's. The shore excursions were disorganized. During the lunch times several groups played cards in the eating area and there were often no tables to eat at. There was an area where they could go for cards and games during that time, but the staff would not ask them to move just until lunch was over. Many diners had to place their trays on a table's edge and eat standing up. Staff was mostly not friendly. We've cruised with Carnival, Princess, Orient Lines,Grand Circle,and have land toured with Trafalgar, and have never had any complaint with any other travel company. We're not at all hard to please.

1965....which crusie was this on? Was it the Russian Cruise with Gate One, or a different gate One cruise?

Thanks for the info.

Jim_Tardio-It was a 2 week Greece and Turkey land tour w/ cruise. The first week was the land portion, and it was just about flawless. The 2nd week was the cruise portion. We still very much enjoyed the whole trip, and didn't let the disappointment in the cruise ship and staff spoil it for us. I give Gate One credit for booking a very good tour guide, accomodations, transportation for the land portion. This was 3 years ago, so things may have improved in their cruise bookings.We hope to take a Russian riverboat cruise in a year or two.

quovadis - How do you know that "Gate 1 has a questionable rep fake touts on the boards frquently including Peru here"?

We just completed a St. Petersberg to Moscow river cruise with Gate 1 June 21st. While the trip wasn't First Class, it was certainly worth the money.
Yes, the room was small. Yes, the shower head is above the sink. But these are minor inconveniences in my view.
The food was pretty good, especially if you like cucumbers. lol. We had assigned seating at lunch and dinner. Breakfast was buffet. (Get there early -- it gets crowded) The service was good but don't expect much in the way of English being spoken. But that's part of the fun of travel, right?
We traveled with 2 other boats most of the time so there were plenty of people hitting any stops. We were very well organized into English language groups.
About the boats. They were the same size. Maybe the rooms were larger but I doubt it.
I recommend the trip with Gate 1. The price was so much better, the tours were well done, the service was good, the food was acceptable.

dwr437

dwr437-May we ask what the cost was? Small inconveniences are a good trade for a good trip and at a good price.

Thanks dwr437 - I will pass this information on to my father-in-law.

Room size on Gat 1 boat - 105 sq. ft. for a double. Room size on the Viking River boats - at least 160 sq. ft for a double. So there IS a difference in room size.

1965 Non-stop Singapore Air from Houston to Moscow, domestic flight to St Petersberg, travel insurance, cruise, transfers and taxes came to just over $6,000 for two people. Does not include on-board tips.

Our Viking River cruise price -

Cruise: $1999 pp = $4,000
Flight NY - Moscow (non-stop); St. Pete - NY: $597 pp = $1200
Trip Insurance = $365
Visa = (If going through a company) $340. Much less on your own.

Transfers to ship/airport - if you do this through the cruise company = $320 for 2 people both ways. If you get your airfare through Viking the transfers are free. We didn't, though. Not sure if we're taking their transfers both ways.

$6250 approx, total. This does not include anything we may do on our own but does include all the meals, wine with meals, taxes and tours that come with the cruise.

kenav, think you got a good deal w/ Viking. You got great air prices also! Think I would pick Viking over Gate One if we were booking right now based upon what others have said. Doesn't mean if you book Gate One you won't have a good cruise, just depends upon a person's expectations.

Luv2 - Yes, we did get a great air price. The price has already risen to $750 pp.

Viking had had a special for July or August at $1999/pp and I called about it. Then decided we wouldn't go because the airfare was so high for that time. I told my customer rep that if they had the same deal for September or October, (best available cabin) to let let me know as we were very interested.

Five days later she called me with this offer. It is not on their web site, nor in the emails or vouchers they send to everyone...yet. I'm guessing that as the date gets closer they will offer better rates than what they are offering now. At least that's what I've heard cruise lines do. For those of you who are cruise enthusiasts (we are novices), is this generally the way it goes?

dwr437,

We are going in September on the MS Russ with Gate 1 as well. Can you provide some answers for me?

1- What time is dinner? We are planning to do a private tour on our leisure day in St. Petersburg and would like to know when we should get back from the tour. Need this information to arrange with our agent.

2- What attractions does Gate 1 visit on the provided city tour in St. Petersburg?
-Does it include an inside visit of St. Peters & Paul Fortress?
-Does it include an inside visit to Church of Spilled Blood?

3-How much time did they spend at the Hermitage?

4-What kind of electrical outlet does the ship have?

Sorry for the many questions. It's been frustrating to find any reviews/info about the Russia river cruise with Gate 1.

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.

Twee

Hi Kenav,

I think that is how they generally work. We booked GCT 2 weeks prior to cruise departure. I had been surfing around for good prices and GCT called me and said they had special offers. We booked as it was too good to pass up and we can pack and be ready at the last minute as we are retired. However, prices are a lot higher than they were in '09, especially air. I am going to call Viking to see what they might have. We would like to go in Oct. and could possibly do Nov. but I would like it to be warmer this time. I do think that if you can wait til the last minute you will get better deals. Some people don't like doing this. Once you book the cruise I don't think they will honor a lower price. At least this is what I have read. I am talking river cruises, not ocean cruises.

Have fun.

thuyrnald - Why don't you call Gate 1 and ask them those questions? Hopefully, they will be able to answer them.

Luv2 - I think the difficulty with getting a last minute cruise booking is the airfare will inevitably be higher. That's why the deal we got for the river cruise was so great. Four months ahead of time, and so the airfare was OK. We are not retired so we can't just go at any time. I'm much more flexible than my husband as he has certain very very busy seasons and those times are out for us.

I took my son and dau-in-law to Egypt on Gate 1. It was great and inexpensive. The hotels were five star. The Nile river cruise boat was dated and not at all like your new ocean cruise ships but it seemed like they were all the same. Clean and comfy and fun. First class guides and great service. I had been on the trip before with another company (local Egypt travel agency) and it was about the same. I'd go with Gate 1 again. I was just on a trip to Peru with Globus. We thought they were great but there were people who said they would never travel with them again. One man's wine is another's vinegar. By the way I check aother company selling the same cruise and it was $500 more. It said the rooms were 85 - 90 sf. Google MS Lenin.

kenav, you are correct about getting air at a decent price at last minute if you book a cruise. However, the absolutely fantastic thing about our river cruise booking at the last minute was GCT included the air on Lufthansa. Couldn't get it any better than that.

Air is insane right now. Don't think it's changing anytime soon. Guess if you are lucky you might get a decent price. I am checking prices every day. We may wait til next year for our river cruise as there are lots of new ships and a few new itineries I have seen.

smallmaryc - Glad your river cruise turned out so well. Guess the river boats in Egypt just are what they are.

What were the complaints form your fellow passengers on the Globus tour in Peru?

luv2 - Air is insane, as you said. Getting a good rate through GCT sounds like it was a great break for you. Airfares, I fear , will not go down anytime soon. Guess you have to figure out a cheaper way to do the other things on your (anyone's) trips as the air will take up so much money.

Just got home yesterday from Gate 1 river trip between Moscow and St.Peters burg. In a nutshell, I would have to say that, generally, things on board the ship were awful. Things on shore were very good to excellent.

This is my third river cruise,the other two having been with Uniworld and Avalon. Both were great, especially Uniword.

First of all the boat. We were on the M/S Lenin. VERY small cabins. The beds are actually built in cots, so if you have back problems this could be a problem. The bathroom is also the shower meaning there is no shower stall. You close the bathroom door and turn on the sink faucet and here is a shower head you use to shower. The whole bathroom gets quite wet. I was alone in my cabin. I wondered how those who had two people to a cabin managed.

Very few of the staff spoke English. It became easier to get your own coffee or tea by yourself rather than struggle through trying to communicate with them what you wanted.

Food was horrible! It is hard to even describe. Assigned seating was mandatory at both lunch and dinner. I found no one on board who liked that - everyone seemed to want to be able to eat with other people in order to get to know them better. Breakfast was the only opportunity for this.

The M/S Lenin was about twice the size of the other two boats I went on with Avalon and Uniworld. Gate 1 boats held about 280 people; the others were 1/2 that.

The other two river cruises I went on had complimentary wine and beer for dinner. On Gate 1 you pay for this. Additionally, you cannot drink the water in the cabins, so you need bottled water. Gate 1 gave you bottled water only for dinner. At breakfast and lunch they conveniently sold bottled water. As I said, the food was eating, not dining.

Speaking of having to buy stuff. The only "amenity" in the rooms was soap. So you had to purchase your own shampoo, lotion, and other toiletries unless you brought them from home. Be sure to do that, as the prices are quite high for theirs. Uniworld and Avalon provided these and they were of excellent quality.

The entertainment were the same four people over and over again. The cruise director was quite officious.

The tours on-shore were very good to excellent. There were wonderful tour guides and we saw some very interesting places and events. About half of the tours were included; the others were optional at quite high prices.

I don't think I would take Gate 1 again (but I never say never). If you are going to use them, you will need to evaluate how important creature comforts are to you. You will need to determine how important the food is and the size of the cabin; how important it is to have staff who speak English. You will also need to evaluate how many of the optional tours you will take to see how much that adds to the tab. Also, evaluate if you drink wine or beer with dinner, how much extra you will pay for this.

My brother-in-law and father-in-law did this trip in July. My FIL hated the food too. BIL said is was OK. BIL liked the guides very much.
Yes, rooms were very small, but they knew that going in.

The Gate 1 is an agency and the boats are not owned by Gate 1 so there are various groups on board - from various countries who have been booked through individual agencies.

Prices are much lower for this Gate 1 trip than for Avalon, Viking or Uniworld. So I'm guessing that "travel 16--" must have chosen them for the lower price?

You get what you pay for??

Unfortunately, I let someone else book this trip for me. The person had never been on a river cruise and had never been to Russia, so he had no expectations. He really wanted to go to Russia and he chose this company. I think it was due more to the dates (he has quite a few commitments) than it was the price, although if the price had been way too high he may have decided not to do it.

As I said, you have to evaluate creature comforts, add-ons, and how important to you good food is. As one person at my table said, "This is the first vacation where I will lose weight because the food is so bad."

Having made these evaluations myself, it is doubtful (but I never say never) that I would use Gate 1 again. If I did, I would ask a whole lot more questions and do more due diligence and not rely on someone else to make the plans. You live and you learn.

One other thing I didn't mention in my prior posting was that on two different occasions with two separate people, I saw them sit on a deck chaise lounge and have it break under them. The lounges and chairs were made out of that plastic material. Apparently they were not hurt, but the potential was certainly there. I suggested to Gate 1 that they have crew members check out the deck furniture from time-to-time.

The tours were wonderful and that is really the point of travel - to see new things. But I like a little bit of "nice" too.

Thanks travelami! I just received an email from Gate 1 offering this same cruise in the fall and 2015 and I wondered how it was, food, cabins, etc. Most of reviews were negative 2011 so glad to hear you had a good experience. I am still not sure I want to go to Russia right now w/ all the tensions between Russia & Ukraine. Did you have any safety concerns or feel unsafe?