We sailed for 13 days from Moscow to St Petersburg in mainly beautiful sunshine. Moscow and St Petersburg were busy ports and there were sometimes 20 buses waiting to transport tourists from the port to the sights in both cities. Uniworld pre-booked early entry to The Hermitage so we toured freely until the general public were admitted an hour later. Tour guides were exceptional at every point except one who took us to every souvenir seller in Goritsky so we missed out on free time walking the main street to enjoy the atmosphere. This was annoying as souvenirs were always more expensive at the places the buses stopped than elsewhere and we were sick of the stuff sold after a week or so.
The ship staff were wonderful and although they did not understand much English, they tried so hard to please and were genuinely helpful and friendly.
Kizhi Island and the ballet in a palace in St Petersburg were highlights for us and we feel privileged to have seen them all. The lecturer on the boat was remarkable - Dr. Inna G. with a PhD in Russian history/politics/geography/life, etc was so inspiring. Her love of Russia and openness and huge intellectual capacity had everyone hanging off their chairs.