Frequently Asked Questions

1.  How much do I need to pay to make a reservation?  
      A. A $500 non-refundable deposit per person is required to hold your reservation.
      B.  Full payment is due before April 9, 2022.  
2.  What is included with the trip package and what is not?
      A.  Included: all tours, entrance fees, admission prices, on-ship entertainment, on-ship meals and programs, & new friends, American & Russian.  Other cruises often charge $1,400 or more for equivalent tours!
      B.  Not included: airline, Russian visa ($300-$400 pp), tips ($30 - $50 pp), meals off the ship, and souvenirs.
3. How many people will be on the ship?
      A. The ship holds 224.
      B. There could be up to 188 Americans & 40 Russians.
4. Will Mikhail Gorbachev really be on the ship in person?
      A.  Yes. He is scheduled to meet with us in person while we are in Moscow.  He will be there for a question and answer session that you are invited to attend on the August 20 cruise. Pavel Pahlazhenko, his longtime interpreter and confidante will be on the entire cruise to answer your questions. He was the proverbial "fly on the wall" to historic meetings.
5.  Will my cabin have a window?
          A.  Not only will it have a window, it will have a large picture window that opens!  
6.  How do Heart of Russia Cruise prices compare with other Russian river cruises?
         A. Our base price is equal or less than other Russia river cruises.  
          B.  While our fares are competitive, we offer a much better program, include all tours, meals and entrance fees and include small group touring with a  counselor assigned to each group - on and off the ship you have personal attention like no other tour anywhere.  See the chart below for details.
7. What is the best way to get the best price and best/shortest flights?
Our exclusive travel agency, Expedia Cruises, Lehi, is extremely helpful at helping you find the best prices and best flights. 
Here is the contact information for Dawn Harvey at
Expedia Cruises, Lehi: 
​Phone: 801-205-8621
Hours of Operation: Mon - Fri 9am – 6pm ET

8. Is trip insurance available through Heart of Russia Cruises?  
Expedia Cruises, Lehi is extremely helpful at helping you find the best company and best coverage at the best price for trip cancellation insurance. 

• Dawn Harvey walks you through your "variables" such as your age, health, desired coverage, date of the trip, and price. 
• Dawn enters all of your information into their data bank and find the trip insurance company that gets you the best coverage and rates. We've found the basic coverage begins at about $250 per person depending upon your variables.
• You can purchase trip insurance any time up until the week of departure, but, to get pre-existing conditions fully covered or to get Cancel for Any Reason coverage, you must call them within 21 days of your deposit. Cancel for Any Reason is quite expensive.
• Dawn lets you know the reasons for cancellation allowed for your policy but they typically cover trip cancellation due to Covid -- you getting it or the country or ship closing down due to Covid, Covid quarantines, bankruptcy or financial dissolution of the ship agency or company, other illnesses and so forth.
• Just ask Dawn anything. Expedia is excellent at helping you.

9. Can we spend extra time in Moscow and/or St. Petersburg?
      A. Our Russian partner, Boris Leostrin, owns his own tour company in St. Petersburg and provides extension tours to fit your interests, time and budget when at all possible. 
       B. Dawn Harvey of Expedia Cruises, Lehi, will help you and put you in direct contact with Boris...or she'll work with Boris directly -- whatever you prefer. Dawn will help you select the right dates as well.  Click the "Extension tours" button below for more details and contact info.  Heart of Russia Cruises does not add any mark-up to these tours in order to keep your prices down.