Our cruises are running between May and October. The weather is usually warm throughout the whole cruise season. July is considered to be the hottest month of the year, with the average temperatures in Moscow of 24 °C or 75.3°F. It then gets cooler towards the end of September, early October. As it is the end of the tourist season, it is also less busy, which allows for a more relaxed experience.

There are no restrictions as to how far in advance you can make a reservation. The majority of bookings are made 12-7 months before the cruise. You can book a tour one month before the cruise departure at the latest.

You are welcome to join an all-inclusive group tour with an English or German speaking guide or alternatively request private arrangements. For more details please contact your travel professional at Volga Dream at sales@volgadream.com.

The Cruise part of the tour includes 5 guided tours in cities along the cruise, all meals (B-L-D), house wine with lunch and dinner, barbeque on the open deck, 24-hour coffee station, welcome & farewell cocktails, 4 lectures by a guest speaker, onboard entertainment, port charges and local taxes.

Those who booked Gold & Platinum programs also have pre and post cruise program & accommodation with hotel breakfast included, as well as arrival & departure airport group transfers, welcome meeting with a guide, daily supply of bottled water & guide headsets for the entire trip.

Rates do not include airfare, visa fees, gratuities, personal medical insurance, medical treatment, laundry, minibar, personal expenses such as gift shop purchases, beverages onboard MS Volga Dream other than wine and soft drinks during lunch and dinner, drinks from the bar, telephone & internet connection, other items not specifically mentioned as inclusions above.

There are no triple cabins onboard MS Volga Dream. The ship is equipped with Single, Double and Twin cabins that can accommodate 2 persons at most. Therefore, parties of three can be accommodated in 2 separate cabins onboard. It is also possible to arrange your stay in a triple room in a pre and post cruise hotel accommodation. This has to be requested in advance.

If a booking is made for a single person occupying a double cabin, a single supplement is added to the total price. Single Supplement is equal to 65% of the per person rate.

Volga Dream is dedicated to provide a comfortable stay for the guests with mobility issues. For those guests who require a wheelchair, we are able to offer this free-of-charge service and provide a wheelchair in Moscow, St. Petersburg and on board MS Volga Dream.
However, not all the sights and museums that are visited during the tours are wheelchair accessible. In fact, as many museums are protected historic buildings, they are not equipped with elevators meaning that there is no alternative to taking the stairs. Some of our excursions involve walking on uneven surfaces, tiles and cobblestones, which might prove difficult to people in a wheelchair. Pushers can also be rented for the whole duration of the tour program at extra cost.
To avoid unnecessary walking up and down the stairs on board Volga Dream, we recommend people with walking difficulties to consider booking a cabin on the Main deck. This is because the main restaurant, the entrance and exit gates are located on this deck.

Every meal has vegetarian options on the menu, and our chef is able to prepare low-salt or gluten-free dishes on request. If you have special dietary requirements (vegan, low salt, no pork and etc.) please alert us in advance and inform the Maître d’ when on board. The chef will try his best to accommodate these requests.

All Volga Dream interiors, staterooms and promenade decks are non-smoking. This policy also applies to e-cigarettes. Smoking is only allowed in a specially designated outside area on the Sun Deck.

No, pets or other animals are not permitted on board MS Volga Dream.

Guests must be at least 14 years of age to join the cruise. Guests under the age of 18 need to travel in a stateroom with a parent or legal guardian who will be responsible for them throughout the cruise. If you are planning to travel with a child who is younger than 14 years of age, please send us a request prior to making a reservation and we will be happy to consider it individually.

All cabins on board MS Volga Dream are equipped with air conditioning and heating systems, spacious en-suite bathrooms with a shower, flat-screen TVs, radios, direct dial telephones, mini-bars, hair dryers, bathrobes & slippers, 220V outlets and complimentary bottled water.

Room service is not provided on board MS Volga Dream. All the meals on board take place at the main restaurant.

Yes, a hairdryer is available in all staterooms.

Yes, all staterooms are equipped with air conditioning.

We recommend that our guests bring two suitcases per person at most. The suitcases can be placed under the bed in every cabin. In case you need more storage space, you can contact the person at the reception desk, who will then take your luggage to a special and secure storage facility on board.

Yes, we do have laundry facilities on board. Our guests can use this service at extra cost.

Unfortunately, the technical layout of the ship does not have provisions for an elevator. The main stairs, however, have been reconstructed to make them less steep and more comfortable for walking.

MS Volga Dream features small but modern basic medical facilities including a doctor who accompanies the ship at all times. These facilities are equipped to provide medical care for illnesses or accidents that may happen during the cruise. They are however not suitable to provide ongoing medical treatment for pre-existing conditions. Therefore, we suggest that you bring adequate supplies of personal prescription medication and other health related items with you.

All the crew members on board Volga Dream are native Russian.

Volga Dream team has prepared some great onboard experiences for you. Some of them include a traditional “Welcome Aboard” ceremony, Costumed Russian Tea ceremony & Russian Cooking Class, Barbeque on the Sun Deck, Russian Dinner with Vodka Tasting, Piano Concert and Russian History lectures and a farewell dinner. Participation in all onboard activities is voluntary.

All Meals (B-L-D) on board Ms Volga Dream are included in your fare. Breakfast and lunch are informal and include impressive buffet offerings. There’s also a set-menu choice at lunchtime. Dinners aboard are more formal with four to five-courses featuring cuisine from different parts of the world being served (mostly European cuisine). Meals at lunch and dinner are accompanied by complimentary red & white house wine, beer and soft drinks. Welcome & Farewell Cocktails, BBQ on the Sun Deck, Russian Dinner & Vodka Tasting and 24-hour Coffee Station are also included into the cruise price.

Every meal has vegetarian options on the menu, and our chef is able to prepare low-salt or gluten-free dishes on request. If you have special dietary requirements (vegan, low salt, no pork and etc.) please alert us in advance and inform the Maître d’ when on board. The chef will try his best to accommodate these requests.

There is a mini bar in every cabin on board Volga Dream consisting of soft drinks, beer and snacks. You can also enjoy a drink in our Neva Lounge Bar. The bar is open every day starting from 09:00AM and until the last guest. The minibar and bar services are provided at extra cost.

Wi-Fi is available on board for an extra supplement. You may use your personal device or one of the ship’s computers in our Library. Due to the nature of data bandwidth and latency, as well as potential interruptions in satellite signals cause by varying terrain and weather, you may experience slower online connections than you are accustomed to at home. We suggest that guests limit large uploads/downloads and live streaming. Please download your content prior to your cruise. We would be pleased to help you with your device settings once you are on board.

You will also be able to access standard Wi-Fi and data roaming services on shore in most cities and ports you visit.

We have a souvenir shop on board with a wide selection of Russian handicrafts.

During the cruise all extra expenses will be charged to your personal on board account which shall be cleared on the last day of the cruise.

If you or your relative will celebrate a special date during the cruise, our staff will be pleased to deliver champagne/flowers/a post card to their room or make other special arrangements.

All onshore excursions with Volga Dream are included into the total cruise price and have fixed tour programs which cannot be altered. However, if you do not want to participate in the excursion, you can do whatever you wish to do on your own.

Averagely, the tour groups are spending four hours in every city along the cruise. Our guests are also given an approximately 30-minutes free-time break in every city.

The amount of free time that our guests have after excursions depends on the program that they choose. If you are travelling with a Gold Program, you will have approximately half a day free to explore the cities on your own. At the same time, the Platinum program is more intensive and does not provide much free time to our guests. If you are travelling with a Platinum program and want some free time to visit places that are not a part of the tour program, we recommend that you consider booking extra nights before and after the cruise.

Yes, we are offering to book extra pre & post accommodation at the hotels in Moscow & St. Petersburg for our guests at extra cost. If booked with us, we guarantee a special price and of course the extra nights will be in the same hotels & rooms as in your pre & post cruise program. Please request extra nights in advance.

Yes, we can arrange tickets to ballet and other shows in Moscow & St. Petersburg. The repertoire and the tickets availability is published 3 months prior to the performance. Therefore, it is best if you reach out to us with a request to book the tickets around the same time. We kindly ask you to pay attention to the fact that we cannot reserve the tickets for you but only purchase them.

Optional private tours on extra days can be booked through us. Please send us a request in advance explaining what kind of program you would like to have, and we will arrange this for you.

Yes, we provide you with audio sets for each guided tour.

The payment to complete the reservation can be made by either a bank transfer or by a credit card.

The official currency of Russia is the Russian Rouble. Visa, MasterCard credit / debit cards are accepted in most places, including shops, restaurants and hotels. American Express and Diners Club cards are not popular in Russia.

There is no official money exchange place on board Volga Dream. If you wish to exchange currency for your trip, we recommend that you do this either in your home country or on arrival to Russia and prior to the start of the cruise program. On arrival, you will be able to exchange money in exchange offices in Moscow & St. Petersburg as well as at the hotels where you will be staying.

Unfortunately, there are no ATMs on board MS Volga Dream. However, ATM machines are very easily available in most Russian cities. Most ATM machines usually provide an option to switch the language to English. We highly recommend that you check your bank's policies regarding money withdrawals abroad.

From the Hotel Manager and Cruise Director to restaurant staff and housekeepers, our onboard staff is dedicated to provide you with the best service possible. Gratuities are not included on board and therefore, tipping should be done at your discretion as a reward for good and excellent service. We do have recommended tipping amounts for our members of staff and this information will be sent to you together with the final documents 1 month prior to the cruise departure.

This is a personal matter, and the amount that you need to bring fully depends on how much you are prepared to spend on this trip. Credit cards are accepted practically everywhere, including the ship, and therefore we do not recommend that you take a lot of cash with you. The most commonly accepted cards are Visa and MasterCard, whilst American Express is not accepted everywhere.

The absolute majority of travellers require a visa to come to Russia. The visa is needed for North American, Australian, New Zealand and European citizens.

We do not assist with visa applications. However, on request, our managers can send you the visa support letter that is required when applying for a Russian visa. If you need to know more about the visa application process, we recommend that you contact your nearest Russian consulate or a Visa centre.

We do not offer Health and Travel insurance services. However, we do recommend that you take out a suitable insurance before your trip. As travel emergencies do occasionally arise, it is best that you protect yourself and your family throughout your travel.

The final travel documents will be sent to you 1 month prior to the cruise departure.

You are free to choose any airport in Moscow that works best for your flights. All the Moscow airports are located within approximately the same distance from the city centre. Depending on the time of the day, it usually takes between 1 -1.5 hours to get to and from the airport. The airport transfers can be arranged from any Moscow airport.

Moscow Standard Time is UTC/GMT +3 hours

In Russia the power sockets are of type C and F and the standard voltage is 220V (please note: in the US & Canada the standard voltage is 110V).

We advise to check if your electrical devices support the 220V power supply before using them in Russia. In case you have devices with US, UK, Australian, and any other plug types, we strongly recommend to take a travel adapter with you.

During the day, comfortable & casual attire is appropriate. The evenings are smart casual (e.g. a shirt and trousers for gentlemen and a skirt and blouse for ladies). There will be Welcome and Farewell dinners so you may like to bring something a little smarter for these events; gentlemen may wish to wear a jacket and a tie and ladies may wish to wear a dress. No black tie is necessary.

The majority of Volga Dream passengers are coming from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The main language on board MS Volga Dream is English.

Many people suffer from motion sickness whether in a car, in a bus or on a cruise ship. This is something that can happen to anyone; however some people are more prone to it than others. Being on a river cruise VS an ocean cruise significantly reduces the chances of you getting seasick because there are no ocean waves and currents, and therefore there is less motion to experience. If you know that you are prone to getting seasick, we recommend that you consult your GP before travelling. If the doctor thinks that it is appropriate, you will be prescribed medication that will help you to prevent seasickness.