Waterways of the Tsars From start to finish we were looked after extremely well. The staff from the Captain to our cabin operative were all excellent. The food, the wine and the service could not be faulted. The information provided prior to each shore excursion was thorough and interesting. We would draw particular attention to Katherine, the Cruise Director, who excelled in both efficiency and attention to detail while offering the right degree of friendliness. One criticism would be the time taken to travel into Moscow for each of the shore excursions there and in St Petersburg. Whilst it was great being on the ship during each of our stays in Moscow and St Petersburg, it would be more beneficial, time wise, to stay in hotels in the city centres. It is not much fun sitting in traffic jams for hours on a coach. This was the least effective part of our cruise.