river cruise
We were on a cruise on the ship "Bashkortostan" from 10 to 13 June 2011 on the route Moscow-Kalyazin-Uglich-Rybinsk-Myshkin-Moscow. There are no special complaints about the organization of the tourist program (except that the boat trip to the flooded belfry of St. Nicholas Cathedral, announced in Kalyazin, did not take place due to technical reasons that we do not understand). At the stops, the guides met the groups on time, the schedule of the ship's movement along the route was observed. The cultural program on board was quite traditional (discotheques, cinema, entertainment for children, an excursion on the ship, some kind of accordion player-animator, detailed radio commentaries about the sights along the route). The crew members regularly cleaned the decks, emptied the bins. There are plenty of tables and chairs on the promenade deck. But directly from the ship "Bashkortostan" left a depressing impression. Not all cabins are equipped with bathrooms, so there are public toilets and showers (men's and women's) in the corridors of the middle and main decks. The ship reeked of sewage. An indestructible smell in the corridor, and in the cabins, and in the cabin bathrooms. Old plumbing. . First class cabins with double beds are very cramped. The bed is in a niche and the approach to it is possible only from one side. The mattresses are worn out, you can feel the springs on the sides. The third extra bed (chair-bed) when assembled is very bulky, and if it is expanded, then there will simply be no passage in the cabin. Towels were not changed in 4 days. The food was not satisfying at all: tasteless, portions are small. The choice of dishes (from two options) was allowed only for breakfast. There is no choice of food for lunch and dinner. The food seems completely unsuitable for children. And there were a lot of them on board. A glass of red wine was always served for every dinner. But after dinner, the waitress collected the glasses and poured the unfinished wine from them into thermoses. For whom? This question still torments me, and modesty prevented me from asking directly. The last "captain's" dinner turned out to be the most inedible. The captain did not come to him, allegedly stood on watch and passed through the locks, although by that time all the locks had been passed. The promised cocktail and acquaintance with the team after the departure from Moscow did not take place. This is seen as an element of disrespect for passengers. I deliberately do not describe the sights, because there are enough of them on the Internet. I specifically focus on everyday details, because they are an integral part of a good holiday. I have experience of cruises on Vasily Surikov and Ivan Pirogov. There is something to compare. I do not advise anyone to choose "Bashkortostan" for travel. At least in 2011 navigation.