I'm signed up for this departure and I was curious about how many others are going. I saw that several of the other May departure dates were cancelled, so I'm getting concerned about there being enough people for the tour (scary economy and all that).

I hope everything works out because I've ALWAYS wanted to see St. Petersburg. Can't wait!

My friend and I are booked for this trip. I hope things work out too...I almost feel bad for taking a big trip considering the economy.

Whew. At least I'm not alone. I called Contiki last week and asked if there are enough people and she said they couldn't look that info up. They tried to assure me that the trip "should" depart as scheduled since it's a "preferred" departure. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Hi Guys, I went on this tour last year and overall it was a great experience.
Pros: You experience situations in a group, so fun and safety are pretty much guaranteed unless you have no personality!
Cons: Getting from riga into Russia, what a **** fight. I am very happy to have gone to Russia but never ever again. It is the most corrupt city ever. But like most contiki visted areas, just be sensible with your belongings and keep in safe groups. Even though I liked Riga, in hindsight I would of began the tour in Moscow.

If you need me to answer any questions let me know.
Linda.

Hello all,

My name is Art. I'll be on this trip but won't continue it past Stockholm. I'm 34 and from San Diego, CA, USA. I'll be making a pit stop in London before flying to Riga. I'm really, really looking forward to this trip. I'm wondering who else is going and where they are from. Please post a reply. Shellzy and ballofur; Are you definitely going?

Is anyone else going to Riga from London on the AirBaltic flight on May 11th?

Hey Art. Yes, my friend and I are still booked for this tour...just sent away for our Visas today. We are going all the way through - Riga to Copenhagen. Afterwards going to Greece for a couple weeks. We're from California too.

Wow...exciting to see so many posts after weeks of not seeing any.

Hey Art...I'm still going on this tour and will also leave after Stockholm. I'm from the OC. I'm flying into Riga from Frankfurt. What time are you getting in? I've been doing some reading and it looks like taking the red taxi is the way to go.

Shellzy...how were you able to send away for your Visa? Did Contiki send you the Russian invitation letter already? Did you use the ZVS service? Where in CA are you from and how are you flying in?

Shellzy: I'm sure you'll have a great time on the second half of the tour. I thought about doing it but I'd rather spend a few days visiting Amsterdam, Bruges, and maybe Cologne. It's cool that at least three other people are from California. I'm expecting folks mostly from Commonwealth countries to be on the tour. That's fine with me too.

Ballofur: I get in around 5:50pm. I'm hoping several more people go on the only London-Riga non-stop flight. I might miss the first dinner if it starts at 7. The Contiki people didn't give my travel agent that amount of detail. I used the ZVS service and had to pay extra for an invitation letter they arrange.

Has either one of you been on a Contiki tour before? I've only been on a GAP adventures tour. I'm not sure what to expect but really excited.

Art - The hotel list I was given for Russia is Hotel Izmailova in Moscow, Hotel Sadko in Novgorod, and Hotel LDM in St. Petersburg. Is that what you have? Just want to make sure.

Also, I tried to look up the Moscow hotel online, but couldn't figure it out. There's only several branches of a Hotel Izmailovo - no "Izmailova." Do you know which hotel it is?

THANKS!

BTW - I've never done Contiki before. I've gone on several smaller tours alone and did a tour of Central Europe with Grand European last year which was FABULOUS. I can't wait for Russia!

Hey Everyone,
This trip will be my 5th Contiki tour. Guess you could say I'm a veteran. I've been on Simply Italy, European Impressions, Eastern Road, and Spanish Spree. If you have any questions about Contiki, let me know.
I used the ZVS Visa service along with the list of Hotels my Travel Agent was able to get from Contiki. ZVS said that would be sufficient.
We're flying from Washington D.C. to Frankfurt, then to Riga, so we may be on the same flight as you Ballofur.
We are from Ventura County...just north of L.A.

I've done this tour and hotel in Moscow is Hotel Ismailovo. There are 4 hotels in the same area. It was built for the 1980 Olympics and these hotels are huge. Well anyways, there is Ismailovo Gamma-Delta, Ismailovo Alpha, Ismailovo Beta and Ismailovo Vega. Can't remember exactly which one we stayed at. It was either Vega or Beta but that info would be in your documents.
Oh and I used VisaHQ.com to get my visa. Absolutely loved that service and it was cheaper than ZVS. You can only use it if you are from USA.

Shellzy...I think we might be on the EXACT same itinerary. Cool. We should chat.

As for Ventura County, I was just at Cafe Firenze in Moorpark the other day (owned by Top Chef contestant Fabio). Have you been?

Hey Everyone!

I am going to my travel agent tomorrow to book on the Russia & the Baltic tour, if there's still room on the coach!! I'm very excited about the idea of going to Russia, so hopefully I can get on this tour with you!

I will be flying from Calgary, Canada to Frankfurt, & then to Riga with Lufthansa. I love travelling with Contiki & can't wait to do this tour!

Cindy

i'm goin of that one to. should be sweet
i'm from australia flying to hongkong to helsinki then to riga cant wait