Cruise Director (Galia) and guides were excellent. Tour was very interesting. However, people should be warned that this "river cruise" involves crossing the two largest lakes in Europe and rough water is a definite possibility. We have never taken a cruise because my wife has trouble with motion sickness. There was a serious storm when we crossed the second lake and despite medication, my wife spent 12 miserable hours. We also had an attack of what was probably norovirus which affected about 2/3 of the passengers. That also dropped the enjoyment factor. However the crew made every effort to help us. Unfortunately, Russian cuisine is not the best for queasy stomachs. Still, the parts that weren't miserable were interesting and enjoyable. I would recommend the trip to anyone who did not suffer from motions sickness, but doubt we will ever try another river cruise.