We are interested in taking a Russian River Cruise in 2007. I have read reviews here on the Viking tours. We have been looking at Amadeus and Grand Circle (OAT). Does anyone know anything about these or others and how they compare? We'd like as small a ship as possible, with native guides and decent food. Anything else we should be looking at? Thanks for any help.

Hi.. My wife and i are going on a Russian river cruise with Grand circle travel,in June 2007. We have been on three other river cruises with GCT and have nothing but the highest praise with them. Everything was first class.
I would certainly recommend them for this trip. FYI they do not use their ships as hotels in Moscow or ST.Pete, this is a plus since all the sightseeing is at least 1 1/4-1 1/2 hour away from the dock.

We went with Viking because of all the raves (and Rudy's trip report on this forum) and were thrilled in every way.

We did stay aboard ship the entire time, which was fine with us. No packing/unpacking, wonderful food, and excellent onboard entertainment each evening.

We started in Moscow and ended in St. Petersburg, where we had one full day and one half day free time. We hired our own private guide for those days, rather than do the "optionals" and were very pleased with that decision.

If you search, you'll find forums with reviews.

We went with Viking and preferred this cruise to all of the other river cruises we have taken, with Viking and others. The guides who traveled with us were exceptional as was the onboard lecturer from Moscow State University. The ship was larger than the typical river cruisers( 200 passengers)but had two dining rooms to compensate. Book the highest category rooms( A or B) to get a full, separate shower and a large room. The lower category rooms were like a train compartment. This itinerary was fascinating and was one of our favorite trips . The only regret that we and our friends had was not staying 2-3 days longer independently in hotels in both St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Thanks for all the reviews so far. Can you add optional trips with most of these cruises? I have only seen it with GTC. Amadeus was another we were interested in, but haven't seen anything about add-ons. I hear both plus and minuses for staying in hotels vs the ship. Can you tell me what the hotel accomodations were like and the food when off-ship? Thanks