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Terms and Conditions

Booking conditions for inclusive package bookings made with Cruise Nation - Please read this document carefully.

1. Your holiday contract

When we package your holiday for you we act as agents of Hays Tour Operating Limited (ATOL 10531). Your contract will be with Hays Tour Operating Limited and the act of making a booking indicates to us that the first named person on the booking agrees to accept all responsibility for the information they provide to us and agrees that:-

• a) He/She has read these terms and conditions and has the authority to be bound by them,
• b) He/She gives consent for us to use this information in accordance with our Privacy Policy,
• c) The lead named person is over 18 years of age and resides in the United Kingdom (if you are based outside of the UK, you should please contact us before making a booking). Certain Cruise Lines have age restrictions for adults travelling and also a minimum child age limit so please check with us before booking to ensure that all members of your party are of the appropriate age to purchase the services required for your holiday.

The following booking conditions will apply to your booking.

1.1 Many of the flights and flight inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holidays and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking, If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and ATOL Certificate go to: https://www.atol.org/about-atol/atol-certificates/  

1.2 Your Financial Protection. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

1.3 We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contact to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).

1.4 If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

Your booking with us becomes effective when you have paid a non-refundable deposit and any applicable insurance premiums, booking fees and we have issued your confirmation invoice. Please check your confirmation carefully when you receive it and advise us, within 24 hours if you think anything is wrong since the confirmation invoice details what we have agreed to provide. Please note: it will be assumed that the lead name on the confirmation invoice has accepted these booking conditions on behalf of all the passengers included on the confirmation invoice. Fees may be applied for corrections if we are not notified promptly.

Cruise Operators accept pregnant passengers up to approximately 24 to 26 weeks gestation on your return journey date. This will vary according to the cruise line as they have limited medical facilities on board ship. Please check with us prior to booking so that our sales consultant may check with the relevant cruise line. You should carry a letter on holiday with you from your midwife or Doctor to confirm that the pregnancy is not high risk and that mother and baby are fit to travel. The letter should also confirm the estimated delivery date and that an ultrasound scan has been performed. If you are pregnant and this was not known at the time of booking, and you find that you will be past the maximum date before you travel, Cruise Nation will do their utmost to obtain a refund or part refund, however, we cannot accept any liability if this cannot be arranged as a result of the ticket terms and conditions of our suppliers.

Cruise Nation and our suppliers i.e. Airlines and cruise lines reserve the right to refuse passengers on board should you appear to be in an advance stage of pregnancy and we will accept no liability what so ever in respect of other such refusal and/or carriage.

3. Passports, visa and health/vaccine requirements

Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements, are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. When entering, departing or visiting multiple countries, you should ensure you meet the requirements for all countries involved in your package holiday.

Essential travel advice on destinations, which includes information on passports, visas, health, safety and security can be found at  www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

It is also your responsibility to ensure you meet the necessary health and vaccination requirements for all of the countries you visit, to obtain the correct advice you should contact a specialist vaccination centre or your GP for details of the measures you need to take. Information can also be found by visiting  www.travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries   ..  

As changes can be made to passport, visa, immigration and health requirements between your booking date and your departure date, it is important and your responsibility to regularly check for any changes to requirements. Cruise Nation do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with or are able to meet, the relevant passport, visa, immigration & health requirements.

4. Deposit payment

A non-refundable deposit, to be advised per passenger and any applicable insurance premiums must be paid at the time of booking. Under certain circumstances a larger deposit may be required which will be advised to you at the time of booking. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, holidays which include a cruise arrangement or flights on charter, Low Cost or scheduled airlines where the applicable air fare or cabin upgrade requires an additional deposit. Even when a larger deposit is not required for a holiday including a cruise arrangement please note that a cruise cancellation may be levied in addition to the cancellation charge on the other elements of the holiday.

5. Balance payment

The holiday balance payment that is due and shown on your confirmation invoice, must be received by us before or on 16 weeks before your date of departure. If you make a booking less than 16 weeks before the departure date, then full payment of the holiday costs and any applicable insurance premiums or booking fees must be made at the time of booking. Please note that late bookings may also incur a late booking fee of which you will be advised at the time of booking. If payment is not received within these timescales then we may cancel the booking and apply appropriate cancellation charges. Please note that any applicable insurance premiums or booking fees are not refundable and are excluded from any calculation of cancellation charges. Failure to pay your balance on time will incur a penalty charge on the following scale:-

• 3 - 6 days late = £35
• 7 - 9 days late = £75

6. Travel Documents

Travel documents will not be released until full payment has been received by us and your API (Advanced Passenger Information) has been completed online. Wherever possible your tickets will be provided in good time prior to your date of travel but if this is not possible then arrangements will be made for their collection at your point of departure.

7. Holiday Price

The price of your holiday is as shown on your confirmation invoice but we reserve the right to alter that price of your holiday where changes occur in exchange rates or transportation costs including the cost of fuel, dues, taxes such as landing or security taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports.

We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase up to the equivalent of 2% of the holiday price excluding insurance premiums, amendment and part cancellation charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that plus an administration fee of £1.00 per person. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 10% of the holiday price you will have the option of either cancelling the holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid except for amendments and part cancellation charges or booking fees, or accepting a change to another holiday. If we are able to offer one equivalent quality you will not be required to pay any more but if it is of lower quality you will be refunded the price difference. If you decide to cancel your holiday then you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date of your surcharge invoice.

7.1 Cruise Nation works on live systems and therefore the best price available will be offered to you at the time of booking. The price confirmed at the time of booking will be guaranteed with the exception of any taxes etc as outlined above. Any variations that may occur to the package price after booking i.e the same holiday advertised at a different price, will not be passed along to existing bookings. Should the same holiday be advertised at a higher price, we will not contact you for more money and likewise, should the same holiday be advertised at a lower price, no refund of the difference will be provided.

7.2 Please note that some hotels make daily local charges for additional room facilities e.g. an in-room safe or for general resort facilities and for car parking and city taxes. These charges are not pre-payable and are not included in your holiday price but are advised at hotel check-in and payable directly to the hotel. Most villa management companies and some self-catering units require a refundable breakage deposit, normally up to $200 to $300, payable locally by means of a card imprint or cash payment.

7.3 Checked luggage on your flights will be quoted at the time of booking and the allowance applicable for the respective airline will be clarified to you. Some holiday flights may include an in-flight meal, however, in some cases a meal may be pre-booked at an extra charge or snacks purchased on-board the aircraft. On internal flights within the USA and Australia, checked luggage cannot be pre-booked by agents outside those countries. In these instances, when you arrive at the airport to check in, they will weigh your luggage and apply the appropriate charges on the spot. These are generally in the region of $25/$35 per checked item.

7.4 Unless otherwise stated, your holiday package will not include resort transfer arrangements.

7.5 Where your holiday price indicates that a hotel stay is provided as a part of your package, the ratings quoted for that hotel are as provided to us by our supplier. They are generally the official ratings given by the authorities of that country and do tend to give a fair impression of standards within that country. We accept that different countries have different standards and therefore advise that what is featured as 3* or 4* in one country may not necessarily reflect the same standards as in the UK.

8. Special Requests

We will endeavour to pass on requests, e.g. flight seat location, special meals or hotel room location made to us at the time of booking and at least 30 days prior to departure. We regret that such requests cannot be guaranteed and therefore compensation claims will not be considered if your request is not honoured.

9. Cancellation by you

We start to incur costs and liability to suppliers for your holiday from the time your booking is confirmed. So if you cancel your holiday we make a charge to reflect these costs and liabilities. These supplier liabilities include but are not confined to cancellation charges levied by airlines, other transportation companies, hotels, cruise lines and attraction suppliers. The nearer the cancellation is to your departure date then the greater the cancellation charges will be. Please note your cancellation can only be accepted if it is in writing from the lead name on the booking. Cancellation will be effective from the date it is received. Please note that in the event of cancellation by you no insurance premium or booking fee will be refunded. Please note that a cancellation made within 35 days incurs a 100% cancellation fee.

Please note that certain arrangements that have formed a part of your holiday package may not be changed once they have been confirmed and therefore any alteration or cancellation will result in a loss of 100% of that cost. We always recommend that Travel Insurance is taken out immediately after you make a booking. If the reason for you cancelling your holiday is covered under your insurance policy, you may be able to make a claim and so should refer to your policy schedule for further information.

10. Changes by you

Any change you wish to make to your confirmed accommodation booking i.e. Hotel or cabin, must be submitted in writing by the person shown as the lead name on our booking confirmation . Full details should be received by our Customer Services team no later than 16 weeks before your departure date and be accompanied by payment of the applicable amendment fees. We will do our utmost to assist, however, we cannot guarantee that your wishes can be met. All changes are subject to an administration fee of £25 per change per person in addition to any changes to the fare that will be quoted to you at the time. For example, a change to a hotel may cost £25 per person plus any difference in the room rate. Likewise, a change to a cabin would cost £25 pp plus any difference in cabin cost.

Please be aware that costs do increase the closer to your departure date that changes are made and availability cannot be guaranteed at previously advertised offer rates. If we are unable to assist you with a change and you decide that you do not wish to continue with your original booking, this will then be treated as a cancellation and cancellation fees will be payable.

Any changes that you wish to make to flight arrangements after they have been confirmed may not be possible as the majority of ticket conditions that we use are on a no-change, no-refund basis. We will therefore clarify the possibility and advise you accordingly. It is likely that it will be considered a full cancellation of the flight arrangement at 100% loss of the ticket price with the full current price of the new ticket being chargeable plus £25 per person administration charge.

10.1 If you wish to transfer your current reservations to another cruise, this will be treated as a cancellation. In certain circumstances, Cruise Nation may, at our discretion, permit the transfer to occur without treating it as a cancellation if the new cruise to which the transfer is to be made, departs within 6 months of your original holiday departure date and is for the same or a higher price than your original holiday. A transfer to a holiday of a lower price is not permitted.

An agreement to transfer a cruise would be conditional, upon a request being received in writing from the lead named passenger. This should be made no later than 16 weeks before your original holiday departure date. All changes are subject to availability and upon receipt of payment for the administration charge of £25 per person plus any increase in costs for hotels, flights and cruises as a result of the requested transfer. A transfer is only allowed on one occasion and any discounts or promotional offers that were applied to the original booking will not be applicable to the new booking. In the event of this situation arising, you will be required to pay any difference in cost.

Changes can only be considered if made for travel within the same region. EG Caribbean to Caribbean, Europe to Europe. For example, making a change from a European cruise to one around Hawaii would not be permitted. Should a request be received for an amendment to be made outside the above terms, it will be at the discretion of Cruise Nation management as to whether this can be honoured. The terms and conditions surrounding the transfer of holiday arrangements may be changed at any time without notice.

11. Cancellation by us

In the unlikely event that cancellation of your holiday by us becomes necessary, other than for reasons of force majeure, we undertake that notice of cancellation will be given prior to the date when the balance payment for your holiday is due. You will be notified as soon as possible of a cancellation and subject to availability you will be offered the choice of an alternative holiday of comparable quality or a full refund of all monies paid.

12. Changes by us

If we find it necessary to make a material change to your holiday before departure then we will notify you as soon as possible. A material change is for example one involving a change of destination resort, a change to accommodation of a lower classification, a changed of confirmed flight times by more than 12 hours to your outbound or return flight or a change of airport (other than between Gatwick and Heathrow, Cardiff and Bristol or between Orlando International and Sanford, Gerona and Barcelona). A change of airline or aircraft type or en-route stops, a change of in-flight cabin location or facilities or upgrade benefits or where a change of airport plus transportation results in a delay of more than 12 hours will not be considered a material change. If a material change to your holiday is necessary you will be offered the option to accept the change or choose an alternative from our programme subject to availability and the acceptance of any holiday price adjustment or cancel the holiday and receive a full refund of all monies paid.

13. Compensation for cancellation or changes by us

If we cancel or make a material change to your holiday and you accept the offered change or alternative holiday then we will pay you compensation in accordance with scale A in the table. If you decide to accept instead a refund of your holiday cost then we will pay you compensation in accordance with scale B.

Please note that *children or adults travelling at reduced prices receive compensation on a pro-rata basis.

14. Flight delays

Unfortunately, flight delays do sometimes occur. These are beyond our control and any resultant arrangements during the delay will be the responsibility of the airline. If you have taken out our recommended personal travel insurance then you maybe eligible to claim compensation for the delay under certain circumstances.

15. Personal travel insurance

We strongly suggest that you arrange adequate travel insurance cover for you and your party from the time of booking. If you have purchased travel insurance from us then you and all members of your party must read the insurance schedule of cover carefully as the policy contains a number of restrictions of cover including pre-existing medical conditions of the party travelling and also of any close relatives or friends whose health may lead to cancellation or curtailment of the holiday. If in any doubt you must contact the insurers direct. Take your insurance schedule on holiday with you. If you have booked alternative insurance then check with your insurer as similar conditions may apply.

16. Complaints

If you have cause for complaint whilst on holiday you must immediately advise the Hotelier, your local representative or local agent for the relevant supplier of the service immediately on the telephone number provided on your voucher, since the opportunity will then exist to resolve the problem on the spot. If they are unable to resolve the problem then Cruise Nation Customer Services team should be contacted on 01792 705301.

Upon your return home if you wish us to consider your complaint further then send us a formal written complaint in the form of a letter or email providing your Cruise Nation booking reference and additional comments you wish to make. A letter should be sent to Cruise Nation, Customer Relations Department, Global HQ, Ferryboat Close, Swansea, SA6 8QN. Or an email to [email protected] You should do this within 28 days of your return home so that any investigation can take place whilst memories are still fresh and failure to do so may affect your rights under your contract. It is imperative that the correct procedure is followed and that evidence is provided in support of your claim. E.g. Photographs, Receipts, Phone call logs etc.

Advice given to travellers on ABTA's website explains that you must make contact to report a problem and seek assistance as soon as possible in an effort to mitigate (lessen) your loss. As per the terms and conditions that you agreed to when making your booking, you should make contact immediately with your complaint as soon as the situation is realised.

We undertake to deal with your complaint promptly and fairly. However, if you fail to follow this procedure then we cannot accept responsibility, as we will have been deprived of an opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem. In the unlikely event that your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction you may wish to consider referring to Arbitration under an ABTA scheme administered totally independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. The scheme is simple and inexpensive being based on documents alone and your liability for costs is limited. The scheme is not available for claims greater than £5,000 per person or £25,000 per booking; nor does it apply for claims, which are solely, or mainly in respect of injury or illness. Full details of the scheme can be obtained from ABTA, 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ. As members of ABTA we are legally bound by the decision of the appointed Arbitrator.

17. Conditions of carriage

Your holiday may include international carriage by air and sea and the terms and conditions of carriage of the airline and cruise line apply which are themselves the subject of international agreements and which may limit or exclude liability. We will provide a copy of these conditions on request.

18. Unavoidable & extraordinary circumstances

We accept no liability to pay compensation in respect of any loss or damage or changes arising from unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control or that of our suppliers including (but not limited to) war, or threat of war, riots, civil strife, industrial disputes, pandemics, airline technical problems, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire or adverse weather conditions.

Your Financial Protection

When you buy an ATOL protected air holiday package from us you will receive a Confirmation Invoice confirming your arrangements and your protection under our Air Travel Organiser's Licence number 10531. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website at  https://www.caa.co.uk/atol-protection/trade/about-atol/atol-certificates/ . 

Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.

19. Disabled Passengers and travellers with reduced mobility / special needs

Cruise Nation accepts no responsibility if passengers do not advise us about any special requirements e.g. airport assistance, carriage of a wheelchair or mobility scooter, disabled cabin, hotel room on low or ground floor etc. These should be discussed with a member of our sales team before booking to ensure their needs can be met. Should the suppliers for a particular offer not be able to cater for the needs of the passenger, it may be necessary to look at alternative arrangements to ensure the comfort of the passenger is met. In some instances, additional charges may be applicable. These will be quoted to you before you make your booking.

Any changes that are necessary to accommodate an assistance arrangement after your booking has been confirmed will incur our standard £25 fee.

20. Low Deposit Agreement (LDA)

You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment when you make your booking with us. For online bookings initial payments can be made using debit card or credit card, for bookings made via the call centre we can also offer a bank transfer payment option.

We may offer you a lower than normal deposit. Where this is the case, you will be notified at the time of booking of when the remainder of the deposit payment is due (usually this will be within 28 days unless your full holiday balance is due sooner).

By accepting our low deposit agreement, you are accepting liability for the full deposit and costs applicable to your holiday. You will agree to be called by our finance department within 48 hours to arrange an automatic payment plan set up by debit card for the remainder of your deposit should your holiday qualify.

You must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you (which is never less than 16 weeks before travel).

If payments are not received on time, we will notify the principal(s) or supplier(s). Please note that these charges may be greater than the sums collected (particularly when a lower than normal deposit is charged to you) In the event of you requesting to cancel, please note that where the deposit you have paid is insufficient to cover the total cancellation charges on your booking, your booking will not be cancelled until you have paid the required cancellation charges. Please note that any delay to cancellation can result in charges increasing further. in which case we will seek to recover from you any monies due.

Where late payments are permitted subject to approval with us prior to the balance due date, we will charge £20 per named person on the booking ‘late payment’ charge upon collection of payment.

Philip Evans Cruise Nation

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• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Travelers visiting 'cooler' places to escape summer heat

Sweden, denmark, the netherlands see an uptick in demand.

Cooler-climate countries see spike in demand for summer travel

Virtuoso Vice President of Global Public Relations Misty Belles discusses 2024 summer travel trends, the demographic shift to the cruise industry and Global Travel Adviser Day.

As the summer travel season heats up, one travel expert revealed the destinations vacationers are flocking to. 

"Well, we're seeing a lot of interest in Europe as we always do," Virtuoso's Misty Belles said on Wednesday's " Mornings with Maria ." However, "this time we're seeing them go to Northern Europe."

The expert pointed out that travelers are opting for cooler-climate nations. 

"Don't get me wrong, people still love Western Europe, and they're still going to  Paris for the Olympics , " she said. "We're seeing much more demand for places like Scandinavia, which is up 77% over last summer,"

TOP SUMMER TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR 2024: THESE INTERNATIONAL SPOTS WERE THE MOST SEARCHED

Sweden also saw a 145% increase in demand compared to last summer, as well as Denmark and the Netherlands, she said. 

"We're seeing people wanting to escape the heat waves that they experienced last summer." 

And despite inflation, demand is "extremely strong," as prices remain relatively unchanged. 

Virtuoso conducted a survey showing the increase in demand for summer travel, showing strong demand for Scandinavia and the Netherlands. (Fox News / Fox News)

"We aren't seeing the [travel] rates spiking as much during this summer, with the exception of the Paris Olympics, because the rates were so expensive last year. So they're really about on par with where they were last summer." 

Belles admitted, however, that "overall, everything else is more expensive" but travelers "are not letting go of their luxury experiences." 

The travel expert also discussed the demographic shift in cruising. 

CRUISE LINES SAILING INTO 2024 SEEING STRONG DEMAND, AAA SAYS

"We're seeing that cruising is no longer sort of that baby boomer, mature retiree type clientele," she explained. 

In 2023, cruises were projected to collectively see passenger volumes of 31.5 million globally, according to  a report  from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade association that counts Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and other lines among its members. The association also predicted ocean-going cruises will see 36 million passengers in 2024. 

Gen Z can gain ‘a lot’ from traveling and exploring different cultures: Abby Hornacek

Fox Nation host Abby Hornacek joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to weigh in on a Business Insider poll that revealed Gen Z values traveling over advancing their education. 

Belle said that the industry and its perception have changed, with ships remaining in port longer allowing passengers to be more adventurous. 

"The beautiful thing about cruising is that there is a line or an itinerary for any type of traveler at this point." 

FOX Business' Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report