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Steamboat Natchez Daytime Jazz Cruise. Save 12% with Coupon Code, Promo Code

Save 12% with coupon code: destnz.

Board the historic Steamboat Natchez while enjoying live jazz music. Experience the sights and sounds of river life that enchanted characters of history and literature - like Mark Twain's Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer - and see the bustling activity of America's second largest port! This authentic paddle-wheel steamboat in New Orleans is one of only six still operating on the Mississippi River. View the New Orleans skyline from the decks or climate-controlled comfort of the Steamer Natchez! See the bustling activity of America's second largest port! Live narration of historical facts and highlights of the port! Museum quality Steam Engine Room open to visitors! MORE STEAMBOAT NATCHEZ TOURS Steamboat Natchez Daytime Jazz Cruise Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise with Lunch Steamboat Natchez Evening Jazz Cruise Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise with Dinner

Reservations are required. You must book online in advance to receive this special offer.

Available: Daily Cruise Times: 11:30 AM & 2:30 PM Tour Length: Approximately 2.0 hours Departure Location : Please meet at the Gray Line Lighthouse Ticket Office (Toulouse Street at the Mississippi River in the French Quarter) 30 minutes before tour time. RATES WITHOUT LUNCH :  SAVE 12% Adult (13+) $42.00  ...  $36.96 Child (6-12) $20.00  ...  $17.60 Child (0-5)   FREE with Paid Adult * Plus tax & fee. Prices subject to change without notice.

Reservations are required. This tour often sells out!  No Promo Code required. You will see your discount applied. Continue with your purchase.

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American Jazz

Cruise line American Cruise Lines

• Sacramento CA (California)
• Clarkston WA (Washington)
• Portland OR (Oregon)
• San Francisco (California)

American Jazz current position

American Jazz current location is at North America West Coast (coordinates 45.60474 N / -121.18238 W) cruising en route to THE DALLES, OR. The AIS position was reported 29 minutes ago.

Current itinerary of American Jazz

American Jazz current cruise is 7 days, one-way from Astoria OR to Clarkston WA . The itinerary starts on 14 Aug, 2024 and ends on 21 Aug, 2024 .

Specifications of American Jazz

•   Itineraries
•   Review
•   Wiki

American Jazz Itineraries

American Jazz Review

Review of american jazz.

The 2020-built/2021-inaugurated MS American Jazz cruise ship is the third newbuild in the American Cruise Lines ' "Modern Riverboat" fleet.

From this class/with the same design are the sisterships American Song (2018), American Harmony (2019), American Melody (2021), American Symphony (2022), American Serenade (2023).

American Jazz is identified by an IMO number 1295690 (initially 9901685) and is USA-flagged (MMSI 368135920).

History - construction and ownership

The shipowner American Cruise Lines (ACL) is the USA's largest river cruise company (headquarters in Guilford Connecticut) operational since 1991. The company specializes in cruise shipping on the USA's largest navigable inland waterways (rivers and lakes) as well as in cruises along the US East Coast, US West Coast and Florida. All ACL vessels feature some of the industry's largest passenger cabins with private balconies, spacious lounges and outdoor deck spaces, gourmet cuisine, top-quality enrichment program with many complimentary land tours and excursions, highly-personalized service by all-American staff and crew.

All ACL cruise ships are US-flagged (Jazz has MMSI number 368135920) and built by the company-owned Chesapeake Shipbuilding Yard in Salisbury (Maryland USA).

Unlike anything seen before along American waterways, the innovative vessel brings a new dimension to river cruising in the USA. American Jazz integrates contemporary design with no sacrificing the comfort that American Cruise Lines is popular for. Quieter, wider, and faster than any other river ship, it is the most environmentally friendly in the industry.

Traditionally for large-sized US riverboats, American Jazz has a fore-located boarding ramp (bow-location on Deck 1) that allows passengers to go ashore at any place along the ship's cruise itinerary route. The ramp has an innovative design being constructed as a retractable gangway (passenger bridge). The technology is often implemented on some of the largest ferries and features an opening bow door.

While other small cruise lines repurpose old casino ships, American Cruise Lines decided to build brand new boats to maintain the company's reputation for premium quality and services. Each of the newbuilds features most innovative design, spacious indoor and outdoor areas. Each vessel is a traditional US built (at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury Maryland), as well as American-flagged and crewed.

Decks and Cabins

ACCL's American Jazz ship has 6 passenger decks (accessible via two elevators) and a total of 99 staterooms . The number of cabin categories is 8. All accommodations are Balcony cabins, with floor-ceiling sliding doors opening onto a private step-out veranda. The boat has no connecting rooms.

Smallest staterooms (including the single-occupancy studio cabins) as sizes start at 250 ft2 (23 m2). Other staterooms are sized between 305-330 ft2 (28-31 m2). Veranda Suites are 405 ft2 (38 m2), Owners Suites are 445 ft2 (41 m2). Riverboat's largest staterooms are two Grand Suites with aft location on Deck 3. Each Suite is sized 900 ft2 (84 m2) and features 2 walls of floor-ceiling windows, a wrap-around balcony (accessed via sliding doors), separate bedroom/seating areas, marble bathroom (with double-sink vanity).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

MS American Jazz features innovative interior design concepts - from the 4-story glass-walled Vestibule (Atrium) to spacious indoor and outdoor lounges, large open-deck spaces, floor-ceiling windows throughout the vessel. The 4-decks high Vestibule has floor-ceiling windows (portside and starboard) and SkyLight (transparent glass-roof cover) that allows natural light into the ship's interior.

Two Sun Decks (Lower on Deck 5-aft, and Upper on Deck 6) are fitted with sunbathing and shaded seating areas, putting green, deck-game area (shuffleboard). The ship has 5 lounges (2 with large outdoor terraces), Grand Dining Room (complimentary, glass-enclosed restaurant), Chart Room (Library Lounge), fore-located Main Lounge (deck 4), aft-located Sky Lounge (deck 4), indoor Gym/Exercise Room. The Upper Sun Deck (top-deck) is furnished with comfortable deckchairs and has 3 shaded seating areas plus one SkyLight (glass-roof cover).

The aft-located (on Deck 4) Sky Lounge features premium furniture, floor-ceiling windows, glass-roof cover (SkyLight), direct access to an open-air Terrace (for relaxation and alfresco dining/Back Porch Cafe). Throughout the day, there are served beverages, snacks, freshly-baked cookies, and pastries. Sky Lounge's glass doors open to the Back Porch Cafe (alfresco dining venue) - a spacious Terrace furnished with wicker furniture (armchairs and 4-seat tables). The lounge bar serves water, soda, and light snacks throughout the day. A Complimentary Afternoon Tea service is offered between 3:30-4:30 pm. In the evening, there is a complimentary cocktail hour.

The fore-located (on Deck 4) Magnolia Lounge (aka River Lounge) is the boat's main lounge with floor-ceiling windows and glass-roof cover. It also serves as the ship's show lounge with a central stage, grand piano and ample comfortable seating area full of comfy armchairs and plush sofas. Here are served warm cookies starting at 10 am. The complimentary Afternoon Tea service (with fresh pastries) is at 3:30 pm. The free-drinks cocktail hour is at 5:30 pm. Root beer and ice cream are passed around during the evening show. The evening entertainment includes one show (beginning at 8:15 pm) lasting about 1 hour. The show program could be a live concert, solo performances, music tribute, themed music, movie trivia. The large space for the evening shows is in the room's center. Furniture is daily rearranged (sometimes 2 or 3 times a day) to suit the themed entertainment. This is also the place for the American Cruise Lines' enrichment program, consisting of differently-themed lectures (history, food and wine, literature, etc). Also hosted here are media presentations and the current ACL cruise itinerary and tours-related multimedia presentations and port talks.

The list of the American Jazz ship's main public venues includes:

• (Deck 1) Boarding Ramp/bow, Vestibule/lobby level, Ship's Office, Powder Room, Dining Room Restaurant, Galley/Kitchen & Storage Rooms, Staff & Crew cabins/forward
• (Deck 2) Bow Terrace/observation area with seating, Laundry Room, Lounge/midship-starboard, wellness facilities/aft (Yoga Studio, Fitness Room/indoor Gym)
• (Deck 3) Pilothouse/Wheelhouse, Chart Room Lounge/midship-starboard
• (Deck 4) Magnolia Lounge/forward, with a wraparound terrace, Library Lounge/midship-starboard, Sky Lounge (indoor, aft), Back Porch Cafe (aft, outdoor terrace serving as an alfresco dining venue)
• (Deck 5) Lounge/midship-starboard, Lower Sun Deck/aft
• (Deck 6) Sun Deck with outdoor seating (premium patio furniture) and Mini-Golf Putting Green

Two Lifts (passenger elevators in the Atrium) connect all cabin decks.

Itineraries

American Jazz itinerary program (what is known so far) will be similar to that of the sistership American Harmony. The Mississippi River cruise itineraries leave roundtrip and one-way from homeports New Orleans Louisiana and Memphis Tennessee .

• 7-day "Lower Mississippi River" (Memphis to New Orleans) itinerary's call ports are Memphis (day 1 / embarkation), river cruising (day 2), Vicksburg MS (day 3), Natchez MS (day 4), St Francisville LA (day 5), Baton Rouge LA (day 6), Oak Alley Plantation LA (day 7), New Orleans LA (day 8, disembarkation).
• 7-day "Mississippi River" (roundtrip New Orleans) itinerary's ports are New Orleans LA (day 1 / embarkation), Oak Alley Plantation LA (day 2), Natchez MS (day 3), Vicksburg MS (day 4), St Francisville LA (day 5), Baton Rouge LA (day 6), Houmas House Plantation LA (day 7), New Orleans LA (day 8, disembarkation).

The Jazz ship could be seasonally deployed on the US West Coast to operate Snake and Columbia river cruises.

American Jazz ship's 2023 schedule (February-March and November-December) included ACL's first-ever California voyage (departure February 24th). The 7-night/8-day "San Francisco Bay Cruise" itinerary (roundtrip from San Francisco ) visits four other Californian ports ( Stockton ,  Sacramento ,  Napa , Vallejo ) and ends with an overnight in San Francisco. A pre-cruise hotel package (inclusive of San Francisco Four Season Hotel overnight stay) is optional. The itinerary features scenic cruising in San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay (an evening stop in Vallejo), as well as cruising on the Napa River and San Joaquin River.

ACL cruise deals are inclusive of a pre-cruise hotel package, all shore excursions (organized daily), cocktail hour (each evening), cruise accommodation, gourmet meals, Afternoon Tea service, room service (Breakfast only), onboard enrichment and entertainment programs, Wi-Fi (shipwide coverage).

Photos of American Jazz

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Other American Cruise Lines cruise ships

• ACL American Eagle
• ACL American Glory
• ACL American Legend
• ACL American Liberty
• ACL American Patriot
• ACL American Pioneer
• American Constellation
• American Constitution
• American Empress
• American Harmony
• American Heritage
• American Independence
• American Melody
• American Pride
• American Serenade
• American Song
• American Spirit
• American Splendor
• American Star
• American Symphony
• American West

American Jazz Wiki

The improved ship design allows "bow landings" via a retractable and rotating gangway (passenger bridge) that extends from Main Deck (deck 1) to the dock or directly onto the river bank. This feature is available on all traditional-design US paddlewheel riverboats and provides expanded options for river cruise itineraries unmatched by most newbuild river cruise ships .

The ship has a modern propulsion system consisting of 2x azimuth thrusters ("Z-drives") manufactured by Veth (Holland). These 360-degree rotating propellers (1x forward, 1x aft) provide the boat with greater maneuverability and berthing flexibility.

The ship is powered by 2x Caterpillar marine engines running on low-sulfur diesel. These modern engines require less fuel and produce fewer emissions (COx, NOx, SOx) and soot particles in comparison to other boats on the US river cruising market.

On October 11, 2018, vessel's lower bow (hull section) was moved out of drydock (wheeled out from Fabrication Building No 4) to shipyard's Assembly Launchways. The ship was launched (floated out from drydock) on October 13, 2019 (5 weeks ahead of schedule). After the float-out, the boat was berthed in shipyard’s East Outfitting Basin to receive its upper deck blocks and final outfitting.

Sea trials were successfully completed and on September 1, 2020, the ship was officially delivered to ACL-American Cruise Lines from Chesapeake Shipbuilding. The delivery ceremony was attended by Charles B. Robertson (ACL's CEO and President).

On May 3, 2023, ACL officially announced a dual naming ceremonies - of American Jazz (on Snake River) and American Serenade (on Mississippi River). American Jazz was christened by godmother Stacia L. Morfin (Nez Perce Tourism's CEO) in Clarkston WA , while the 2023-built American Serenade was named by Julia Letlow (Representative for Louisiana State’s 5th Congressional District) in Vidalia Louisiana. Both events were attended by the passengers and crew, as well as ACL executives and VIP guests (state and local officials).

Steamboat NATCHEZ - Evening Jazz Cruise with Dinner Option

Savor the beauty and romance of the New Orleans skyline aboard the Dinner Jazz Cruise. The Steamboat NATCHEZ decks, engine room, and bars will be open for your enjoyment either before or after dinner depending upon your seating time. Included in the Dinner Jazz ticket price is the cruise, buffet dinner, and entertainment by the Dukes of Dixieland Jazz trio.  Gratuities and alcoholic beverages are not included in the ticket price.

Upgrade your cruise experience with our "Party Package" which includes a two-hour cruise, Dinner Buffet (1st seating option),  three alcoholic beverages from our special drink menu  (unlimited soft drinks and juice for children), a decorated reserved table in an air-conditioned dining room, and a sweet treat.

Nightly Departures

Boarding Time:  6:00pm Dockside:  6:00pm - 7:00pm Cruising:  7:00pm - 9:00pm

Please note, we have two dinner seatings - First Dinner Seating: 6:00pm - 7:15pm Second Dinner Seating: 7:45pm - 9:00pm

Cruise Features:

• Group Rates  available for 10 or more adults
• Detailed narration of the rich history of New Orleans
• Optional Dinner buffet, meals prepared fresh onboard ( menu subject to change due to availability )
• Optional upgrade to a "party package experience" - includes a meal, a reserved and decorated dining table, three alcoholic beverages for adults (unlimited soda & juice for anyone under 21), lanigappe items, and a special sweet treat!
• Captivating views of the city and the Mighty Mississippi River
• Indoor and outdoor seating
• Featuring live New Orleans swing style music by the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland Jazz band
• Children under 6 cruise free with paid adult. Food & Beverage costs apply
• Departs daily from the Toulouse Street Wharf behind Jax Brewery in the heart of the historic French Quarter
• Cocktail, beer, and wine options are available for purchase onboard
• Reservations strongly recommended for all meal functions
• Decks may be closed to public access due to private functions on any given night

View menu  

All menu items are prepared in a common kitchen.  Steps are taken to minimize the likelihood of exposure to airborne gluten elements, but our menu is not recommended for those with gluten-sensitive disorders.  We can recommend items on our menu that are not prepared as gluten inclusive. For vegan or vegetarian guests, we can recommend those items not inclusive of meat ingredients or animal products. We are unable to prepare separate individual meals for these preferences/needs.

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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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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Ukraine war latest: 'Mass disruption' to messaging apps in Russia; Moscow comes under huge drone attack

Moscow has come under one of the largest attacks by Ukrainian drones yet, with Russia saying it destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight. It comes as Kyiv's forces continue to push into Russia's western Kursk region. Meanwhile, major messaging apps are disrupted in Russia.

Wednesday 21 August 2024 13:53, UK

• Moscow comes under one of largest drone attacks yet, Russia says 
• 'Mass disruption' of Telegram and WhatsApp in Russia
• Ukraine making 'marginal advances' in Kursk
• Zelenskyy says situation in the east is 'difficult'
• Russia claims to have taken control of Donetsk town of Niu-York - saying it's strategically important
• Michael Clarke : Battle of bridges is about to begin
• Putin 'in a position he never dreamt of in his worst nightmares'  
• Your questions answered: What is Ukraine hoping to achieve with invasion of Russia?
• Live reporting by Samuel Osborne  

Moscow has come under one of the largest attacks yet by Ukrainian drones, Russia has said, adding that it destroyed all of them.

Some 45 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight, Russia's Ministry of Defence said.

It said 11 were destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over Belgorod, three over Kaluga and two over Kursk.

"This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones," Moscow's mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram. 

He said all the drones were destroyed because strong defences had been created around the capital.

The governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said there was a "mass" attack on his region but 23 drones were destroyed.

Meanwhile, Kyiv says its forces destroyed 50 out of 69 Russian attack drones launched during an overnight strike.

The air force said another 16 drones were likely downed by electronic warfare during the attack, which also included two ballistic missiles and one cruise missile - saying it shot down only the latter.

One drone entered Ukraine from Belarus and another had returned to Russia, the military added.

Ukraine's parliament has voted to ratify the Rome Statute, allowing the country to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) - a key part of its drive to join the European Union.

The move would allow authorities "to more effectively punish" suspected Russian war criminals, according to Ukrainian politician Oleksiy Honcharenko.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for several Russian officials, including Vladimir Putin and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu for their roles in alleged crimes against Ukrainian civilians - Russia has denied targeting civilians.

"Ukraine has already worked effectively with the ICC to ensure comprehensive accountability for all Russian atrocities committed in the course of Russian aggression," Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

"This work will now be even more effective." 

Ukraine's drone attack on Moscow and surrounding areas is "something to be remarked on", our  defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke  says.

Kyiv is "launching drones in lots of places" and there is a fire at a refinery fire in Rostov targeted by Ukraine "which is still going on after four days", he says.

"The Ukrainians are trying to worry the Russians as much as they can across the whole border to make the most of what they're doing in Kursk," says Prof Clarke.

"From the Ukrainian point of view they had the effect in Moscow of closing the airports for a while. And that brings home to the Russian people that this is war and you can't insulate yourself from this.

"And that's the message that the Ukrainians are trying to send out. They know most of these drones won't get through but if one or two get through they score the point and they inconvenience ordinary Russians in Moscow who pretend this isn't really happening."

Asked how Russia is responding to Ukraine's invasion of its territory, Prof Clarke said Moscow's forces "are still at sixes and sevens over what is happening in the Kursk region in this incursion".

He explains: "They don't seem to have been able to sort out exactly who is in charge."

Prof Clarke says there are "three different forces" on the ground in Kursk, and adds this is "one of the reasons why they're not doing very well".

He says: "So it's apparent that 16 days after this incursion began the Russians are still struggling to create a coherent response...  it's partly because Putin operates a sort of medieval court in the Kremlin and when it's struck with a crisis like this people just vie with each other to be closer to the king."

Russia's state telecommunications monitoring service is reporting mass disruption to the Telegram and WhatsApp messaging apps.

The service did not say what could have caused the disruptions.

Monitoring service DownDetector has reported a spike in reports of issues with Telegram this afternoon.

Moscow's forces have taken control of the Ukrainian settlement of Zhelanne, in the Pokrovsk district of the country's eastern Donetsk region, Russia's defence ministry has claimed.

Russian forces have been pushing towards the key strategic hub of Pokrovsk city for months.

Capturing the city would compromise Kyiv's defensive abilities and supply routes, bringing Russia closer to its stated aim of controlling the entire Donetsk region.

Moscow's troops have been driving forward slowly in eastern Ukraine, where they control around 18% of the territory.

It is pushing for total control of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk, which together form the Donbas industrial region.

These pictures show service dogs training to search for landmines in the Kyiv region.

Members of the APOPO non-government organisation can be seen with Belgian shepherd dogs during the training session.

One person has been killed and two wounded after a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on their car in Russia's Kursk region, acting regional governor Alexei Smirnov has said on Telegram.

At least 31 people have died since Ukraine's invasion into Russian territory began on 6 August, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing an unnamed source in the medical service.

It said around 143 people had suffered injuries, of whom nearly 100 were hospitalised - including four children.

Moscow's reported use of aerospace forces to defend against Ukraine's invasion into its western territory "likely demonstrates continuing personnel shortages", the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said a report by Russian investigative outlet Vazhnyye Istorii found one of the units deployed by Moscow is a specialised motor rifle regiment "formed unusually" of aerospace forces personnel.

It said personnel in the regiment include "those previously in specialist roles such as early-warning radar operators and at long range aviation heavy bomber regiments".

"Diverting personnel from these previously high priority areas likely demonstrates continuing personnel shortages," the MoD said.

"By employing them in an infantry role, they are also being misused, which could reduce Russian capacity to re-take territory in Kursk oblast."

It said Russia is continuing to develop new units and recruit more personnel "to sustain its mass attritional warfare approach against Ukraine".

"The high casualty rates that result mean that Russia needs to continuously replenish front line infantry personnel, which will almost certainly continue to limit Russia's ability to generate higher capability units."

Ukraine's incursion inside Russia means there will be no talks between Moscow and Kyiv until Ukraine is completely defeated on the battlefield, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council has said.

"The casual chit-chat of self-proclaimed intermediaries on the virtuous subject of peace has ceased," Dmitry Medvedev said.

"Even if they cannot say it out loud, everyone recognises the reality of the situation."

In a post on his official Telegram account, he added: "They understand that there will be NO NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL THE ENEMY IS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DESTROYED!"

Mr Medvedev said the "premature and unnecessary peace" talks previously suggested "had vague prospects and no tangible outcomes".

Moscow's airports have returned to normal operations after temporary restrictions were put in place following a drone attack, the aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia has said.

Ukraine launched one of its largest-ever drone attacks on the Russian capital earlier today (see 9.51am post), with Russian air defence units destroying 11 drones flying towards the capital.

Temporary restrictions were in place at the Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports overnight, Rosaviatsia said on Telegram. There were no restrictions at the major Sheremetevo airport.

Kyiv's forces have reportedly destroyed or damaged all three of the bridges over the Seym River in western Russia.

It comes as Ukraine's invasion into Russia's western Kursk region entered its third week yesterday.

The move could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border.

Over the weekend Ukraine's Air Force commander posted two videos of bridges over the Seym being hit.

Satellite photos by Planet Labs analysed by the Associated Press confirmed a bridge in the town of Glushkovo had been destroyed.

A Russian military investigator said Ukraine had "totally destroyed" one bridge and damaged two others in the area.

Russian military bloggers and several high-profile pro-war Telegram channels in Russia claimed the third bridge had been targeted and damaged, according to the Associated Press.

Ukraine's advance into Russia has bolstered morale in Ukraine.

However, it comes as Russia's push in eastern Ukraine threatens to claim the city of Pokrovsk, another key target in the war.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that 17 people have died and 140 injured in Ukraine's invasion, citing an unnamed source in the Russian medical services. 

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