2009 Mennonite Heritage Cruise FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions.

To inquire about the cruise please phone or email:
Marina Unger, Vision 2000 Travel, Toronto
1-800-387-1488 ext 2827
marinau@vision2000.ca
or Jane Clemens ext 2243
janec@vision2000.ca

Question: Who is in charge of the cruise?
Response: An extremely talented, seasoned and professional team from four countries on two continents.
The 2009 integrated international cruise team includes (in alphabetical order):
Jane Clemens, Cruise Administrative Assistant, Toronto, Canada
George Dyck,  Resource Leader, Vineland, Canada (Chair, Mennonite Centre in Ukraine)
Howard Dyck, Music Resource Leader, Waterloo, Canada  See the special note by conductor Howard Dyck
Larissa Goryacheva, Mennonite Bus and Private Trips Organizer, Zaporizhia, Ukraine
Rudy Friesen, Architectural Historian, Winnipeg, Canada
Lyudmilla Karyaka, Senior Guide, Zaporizhia, Ukraine
Volodymyr and Andriy Kuzyk, Digital Videographers, Kyiv, Ukraine
John Martens, Ariculture and ScienceResource Leader,  Victoria, Canada
Alan Peters, Genealogist, Litanist and Cruise Resource Leader, Fresno, USA
Irina Pyshnenko, Translator and Assistant Cruise Director, Minsk, Belarus
Olga Shmakina, Senior Guide, Fresno, USA and Zaporizhia, Ukraine
Paul Toews, Senior Historian, Fresno, USA and Zaporizhia, Ukraine
Marina and Walter Unger, Cruise Organizers and Cruise Founders, who accompany each cruise, Toronto, Canada
Galyna Zadorowska, founding Cruise Director, Lviv, Ukraine

Plus the Crew of the Dnieper Princess ("Jewel of the Dnieper River/Black Sea Fleet")
- Captain Dmitri Stelmakh, his officers and sailors
- The Restaurant and Hotel staff of the Princess
and the Chervona Ruta, Kyiv, cruise planning and situational logistics experts
- Lesya Boguslavska and  Irina Solonetskaya

In 2008 we introduced the state of the art AudioConexus ieXplore Tour Guide System using wireless Radio Frequency (RF) technology and built especially for the cruise.
Guides and Resource Leaders speak calmly into headset microphone transmitters in the noisiest of environments and the passenger have lightweight receivers & earphones.
You can bring along and plug in your own iPod earpieces if you so choose.

Cruise resource leader John Martens has said of the cruise: "It is a successful business project with the spirit and heart of a charity. The Mennonite Centre in Ukraine,
largely spawned by the cruise, is a wonderful charity run like a business".

About cruise costs, airlines and decks: How much will it cost in 2009?

Response:

2009 Cruise prices:
Main Deck      $4175.00 CAD/$3625.00 USD
Upper Deck     $4375.00 CAD/$3800.00 USD
Boat Deck       $4575.00 CAD/$3975.00 USD

We offer through airfares to Ukraine from various Canadian and American cities on request..

Payment Schedule:
Payment of $1400 USD or $1600 CAD per person reserves space on this tour.
Final tour payment is due July 17, 2009

Air:  We have neogiated special through fares from many cities in North America to Ukraine for passengers booking on the cruise.
Austrian Airlines for Americans with domestic partner United Airlines
Austrian Airlines or Lufthansa for Canadians with domestic partner Air Canada
Please discuss your air requirements directly with Marina Unger   1-800-387-1488 ext 2827

How many people do you take on the cruise?
Response:
While the ship can take well over 300 passengers, we limit the number to about 180 for logistical reasons and quality of experience.  Some 2500 passenger/pilgrims have enjoyed the cruise.
The cruise usually sells out early each year.

We have some special food requirements. How do you deal with these?
Response:
We deal with a wide variety of special food requirements regularly & efficiently. The ship's restaurants are very helpful and flexible. Just let us know your specific food needs well in advance. The chef has designed low salt, low cholesterol, nutritious menus for the Mennonite cruise and we have asked her to include many Ukrainian dishes which were familiar to our joint ancestors. The soups and salads are especially healthy and tasty. The fruit and fibre rich buffet breakfasts are very popular.

Visa Requirements:
Visas to visit Ukraine for periods up to three months are no longer required by Canadian, American and European Union citizens. You will however need a passport valid for six months beyond your exit from Ukraine. The ship is required to register your passport details and therefore we need a photocopy of your key passport page (with photo).

Airline limitations:
Passengers should be aware that our group contracts and also airline policies do not allow certain combinations. For instance we cannot combine Lufthansa flights from Canada with Austrian Airlines flights from Odessa to Vienna. 

Most passengers will be taken from the Odessa airport arrivals hall on to the buses with luggage help and then delivered directly to the ship on the Black Sea at the start of the cruise. The Lufthansa routing  has passengers take a bus down from Kiev to Odessa at the start of the cruise. This is not as difficult as it may seem. The fast new four lane freeway from Kiev to Odessa has been completed. We will be using modern Volvo and Mercedes buses.

Baggage Allowance For Passengers to Europe:
The airlines will allow 2 free checked bags with specific dimensions and weight on international flights, including domestic flights connecting to international flights.
Maximum weight  50lb (23kg) per bag      Maximum linear dimensions  62in (158cm) per bag
Charge for excess weight: Between - 51-70lbs and up to 62in     $35CAD/$25USD per bag
Carry-on bag should weigh no more than 10 kg
This message may be updated later according to new airline guidelines

About Deck Levels:
It is traditional on cruises for prices to increase slightly with decks - higher decks costing more.
The Main Deck cabins on the Dnieper Princess are slightly smaller than those on the next two decks.
The two higher decks are on the same levels as the ship's two restaurants, making for less climbing of stairs at mealtimes.
All cabins have picture windows facing the outside, that is facing the river or the sea.
All double cabins have two single beds.
All cabins have a private combination  WC/shower.
Boat deck offers the best visibility of river and shoreline and has least hall traffic.

See some general photos of the ship.

2. Question:  stopover in Europe
Response: The European hub for Lufthansa is Frankfurt, Germany and the European hub for Austrian Airlines is Vienna.  Mid October is a good time to visit western Europe. The large tourist crowds are gone, the weather is still pleasant and the concert and opera seasons have begun. Last year we had about 60 people staying on in Vienna after the cruise. Marina has a long standing association with a family owned hotel in the heart of old Vienna, the Schweizerhof. By now many hundreds of passengers have enjoyed their stay here. It offers one of the best buffet breakfasts in Europe.

3. Question: We are thinking of combining the cruise with a trip to Russia - likely Moscow and St. Petersburg. Can you arrange this for us?
Response: Yes we do this quite often and have good travel partners in Russia  Marina is able to use Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines very cost effectively for this. We can also help you with the Russian Visa. We have also helped passengers to other post-cruise destinations including Turkey and Israel.

4. Question: How do you arrange trips to the Mennonite villages?
Response: We develop a complex schedule of bus and private trips based on your requests. Please have a look at how we are arranging this for 2008

We will be docked in Zaporozhye for four days. On the last day, Saturday, we will all have the same generic bus routes, in rotation, to historic Khortitsa/Rosenthal, the founding villages of 1789 and the Cossack equestrian show on Insel Khortitsa.  On the three days previous you can elect to have either a cruise bus tour (at no extra cost) or a private trip, the costs of which are shared with the participants. The bus tours are generally quite long, so you cannot expect to have a bus trip and a private trip on the same day.

Instead of choosing a bus route, we suggest you list the villages you want to see. Often, for instance, people want to see a number of villages in Molochna Settlement or Khortitsa Settlement which can be visited on one bus route. We will then schedule you appropriately. Please be aware that you would not be able to spend more than 20 minutes in any given village on a bus route.  Similarly you should designate the destination of a private trip. All destinations other than villages in Molochna, Khortitsa or Yazykovo Settlements, such as Sagradowka or Ignatievo, are served only by private trips.

5. Question: We have heard from previous passengers that you organize humanitarian aid for Ukraine. How does this work?
Response: Please have a look at the page of Notes.

6. Question: Is it safe to travel in Ukraine? We understand the political situation may be uncertain?
Response: Well over 2000 Mennonite pilgrims have been with us to Ukraine and they all felt safe and enjoyed themselves. We work closely with responsible and trusted Ukrainian partners. We know what we are doing. Yes, the political scene is something of a roller coaster but will not affect us. We need to understand that the combination of independance and democracy are still new for Ukraine. France and Germany for instance didn't get it right on their first tries. We have visited Ukraine during both pro-Russian and pro-Western governments in power in the past. Ukrainians themselves are generous, warm and hospitable. You will love interacting with them. Please note that on Dec 18, 2007, Yulia Tymoshenko became Prime Minister of Ukraine, after a hard fought national election.. Pro-western firebrand Tymoshenko was a key figure in the 2004 Orange Revolution.


7. Question: Can I book for only part of the cruise? 
Response:  We do not sell only part of the cruise. It would be impossible for us to find someone to book the portion you are not taking. Our policy is the cruise is paid in full but you are welcome to come and go on whatever dates suit you. We do not offer reductions for missed days. Also it is not easy to get back to Odessa or Kiev once the cruise has started.  It usually involves an overnight train trip to get back to Kiev.

8. We are not Mennonites: Can we book on the cruise?
Reponse: Yes, by all means. We regularly have non-Mennonites on board, who would like to visit Ukraine on a well-organized cruise.  You should however be aware that there is a definite Mennonite focus in the cruise program. The program is full and rich but passengers are welcome to opt out of any lectures and excursions. Incidentally and unlike many other cruises, all bus excursions and city tours are included at no extra cost.

9. What other tours are you planning?
Response: Good question.
 Our cruise administrative assistant, Jane Clemens, is herself a professional musician and organizes music tours to Austria.  She has an excellent Mozart week tour coming up in late January 2009.

Return to 2009 cruise page
Return to main Mennonite Heritage Cruise home page