To those about to fly to R/U/B

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

The only problem I have had in VIP was that time I left with two pounds of Turkish Delight in my bag. Apparently the candy looks like explosives when scanned Lots of hassles in the regular customs area though. I must have one of those weak looking faces. Lots of trouble around currency - and had to take my money out - count it, declare it, etc. even when it was always well below the legal limit.

I just never had an issue at all with customs in Ukraine. Not in Odessa, Kiev or Donetsk. Go figure. I probably should have for all the stuff I imported and exported but never did. I have been asked about money but just told them I didn;t have any cash and they never checked.

OK, so here is the deal...

Alla got to Donets'k OK. I cannot complain about Aerosvit and must compliment them actually. Her flight WAS delayed leaving, not their fault there is a volcano, but they updated her and when she checked in they changed her to a later flight without being asked and without a fee. In a way, she was glad she got a good long day in New York and she IS on vacation, so what the heck?

[Brad and Vika 129]

I just never had an issue at all with customs in Ukraine. Not in Odessa, Kiev or Donetsk. Go figure. I probably should have for all the stuff I imported and exported but never did. I have been asked about money but just told them I didn;t have any cash and they never checked.

OK, so here is the deal...

Alla got to Donets'k OK. I cannot complain about Aerosvit and must compliment them actually. Her flight WAS delayed leaving, not their fault there is a volcano, but they updated her and when she checked in they changed her to a later flight without being asked and without a fee. In a way, she was glad she got a good long day in New York and she IS on vacation, so what the heck?

Good deal - happy she made it OK.

[mendeleev 69]

Good advice.

Also, if anyone is connecting through Sheremetyevo *ever*, leave at least 4 hours between connections, and 6 if you can manage it.

Mox is right on target here.

My wife just flew home for an extended visit. This time, she connected through Domodedovo. Her flight from the states arrived one hour late -- nothing to do with the volcano, though. So she had "just" two hours to make her connection. Absolutely no problem. She had more than an hour to spare.

And the best part was that this routing involved only one overnight flight, while if you go through Sheremetyevo to just about anywhere further east, you have back-to-back overnight flights.

[mendeleev 69]

Some folks sure have had awful luck with airports in Russia. I haven't. (It feels a bit weird to be agreeing with VV, but there it is.) I've flown to Russia 20-25 times in the past 8 years. I've had issues with bags delayed, but it was always the fault of the western (not Russian) service provider. That is, the bags didn't arrive in Russia on time, and I had to travel on from SVO leaving only a description of them. They always arrived. (Sometimes small items, like cosmetics for the woman who is now my wife, had disappeared, but that was it.)

In the past 2 years, United has delayed my bags on domestic trips 3 times. USAir played the same trick once. Once my bag caught up with me after I returned home. (That was a fun business trip!) I don't want to think about the flights that were canceled or delayed by hours because there was a cloud somewhere in southern Illinois. I live in Colorado, for Pete's sake!

My take is that, on the whole, Russian airlines provide way better service than US airlines. And, once you get out of the USA or get onto a non-USA-flagged airline, things get a lot better. It sad to say it, but there it is.

[payxibka 10,048]

My wife and two kids successfully transited to Odessa yesterday/today reasonably on-time on LOT via Warsaw.

[Brad and Vika 129]

My wife and two kids successfully transited to Odessa yesterday/today reasonably on-time on LOT via Warsaw.

Our typical experience - thanks for confirming. Let me know how she finds the road to Kherson, if they take the raod. I have been hearing horror stories, and reports that the roads are being repaired frantically.

[payxibka 10,048]

Our typical experience - thanks for confirming. Let me know how she finds the road to Kherson, if they take the raod. I have been hearing horror stories, and reports that the roads are being repaired frantically.

Well, I wish I could give you a "hands on" road report but they are summering in Payxibka where mom & pop live.... When Sveta goes to Kherson (to sell our flat) she will go by train. If it sells, then pop will drive to Kherson for a load of goods, but that right now is a BIG if....

I have also heard horror stories, particularly the road from Mikolaev to Kherson as being really bad.

[sanuginz 0]

Can anyone recommend a VIP service in Moscow? We leave Tuesday and google shows up many results. I don't want to be scammed.

[sanuginz 0]

bump. anyone?

[LvivLovers 39]

Just an update...my wife has really been enjoying her time in Lviv despite lots of rain. She said there appears to be many more tourists these days...apparently the major of Lviv has been working hard to encourage this. Lots of souvenir shops now around the opera house and main market square where there were almost none before. Also, the roads around the opera house have no been closed and many benches/tables added making it more and more of a hangout. She said there have been festivals just about every day and there is now a little newspaper showing all of the things that are planned and going no in the city. She's been to the opera house several times already...they now have a translation board above the stage...another sign of catering to tourists. She was, however, disappointed to see that prices on food and many other things were about 3 times higher than when she left 3 years ago. She and her mother are planning to take a 10-day trip to Odessa...I'm sure she'll have more to report about that soon too.

[Brad and Vika 129]

bump. anyone?

I don't know if Moscow is different, but in Odessa and Kiev, any VIP service that you can get to from an agency renting apartments and drivers is probably legit. You may find that they share personnel and lounge space, etc. I usually use the agency I rent from to schedule the VIP pick up and drop off, and swear by it.

Just an update...my wife has really been enjoying her time in Lviv despite lots of rain. She said there appears to be many more tourists these days...apparently the major of Lviv has been working hard to encourage this. Lots of souvenir shops now around the opera house and main market square where there were almost none before. Also, the roads around the opera house have no been closed and many benches/tables added making it more and more of a hangout. She said there have been festivals just about every day and there is now a little newspaper showing all of the things that are planned and going no in the city. She's been to the opera house several times already...they now have a translation board above the stage...another sign of catering to tourists. She was, however, disappointed to see that prices on food and many other things were about 3 times higher than when she left 3 years ago. She and her mother are planning to take a 10-day trip to Odessa...I'm sure she'll have more to report about that soon too.

Thanks for the update, although it made Vika get all teary for Ukraine (again).

[mendeleev 69]

I haven't used a VIP service in Moscow to help me get thru passport control/customs faster and am skeptical about such a service.

However, we have used Moscow Rick (google him as Moscow Rick) to rent apartments three times now. They provided reliable drivers to get us to and from airport. It is Moscow, and his cheaper apartments are only OK. His more expensive service provides really nice flats in a very nice area of Moscow. If you're looking for a few days vacation in Moscow, his service may be good for you. But if you're just looking for help at the airport, probably not.

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

I don't know if Moscow is different, but in Odessa and Kiev, any VIP service that you can get to from an agency renting apartments and drivers is probably legit. You may find that they share personnel and lounge space, etc. I usually use the agency I rent from to schedule the VIP pick up and drop off, and swear by it.

Thanks for the update, although it made Vika get all teary for Ukraine (again).

Well here is one to make her feel better...

Skyped with Alla today and she said "The water is horrible, worse than I remember and I had to buy a 10 liter bottle and carry it up the stairs (5 flights) to use for drinking and washing dishes. I asked her why she didn't just boil it like we used to and she said the water LOOKS terrible and boiling doesn't help.

While waiting at the bus stop with her friend Natasha they were approached by a "completely drunk, bad smelling man" who offered them wine from his bottle and then offered to take them to his flat for "hours of wonderful lovemaking" Um, she said she was tempted but she is so loyal to her loving husband she just couldn't go through with it. The man was seen to stagger away screaming "Yanukovich is MY President!" Hurray for east Ukraine! She also had to do battle with the internet company to get the internet turned on, even though we paid in advance and had money on our account and she has had hot water for a bath 2 nights out of 9 so far. But it was nasty looking water. And this is a very nice flat in central Donetsk. It is the "good neighborhood".

She also reports that many of the coal mines and steel mills are shut down and "many young girls are on the street offering to do bad things for money"

Feel better Vika?

[LvivLovers 39]

Thanks for the update, although it made Vika get all teary for Ukraine (again).

Has Vika been back to visit yet since coming to the USA? For Oleksandra it's been a really great trip. She missed Lviv, her friends, and most of all family, but she's also now missing "home" here in the USA and will be ready to come back. I think next time the plan is that we'll both go back to Lviv, but I'll definately make sure it will be in the middle of summer! I've been 3 times all in the winter months...not doing that again!

There have been a few negatives she had forgotten about by the way: bad roads, expensive food, crappy weather, and occasionally cold showers! Sounds like she's really loading up on Ukranian/Russian DVDs so I guess that's in my future. I sent her with a video camera this time too...she's filled up 6 tapes so far and has 8 more to go.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Well here is one to make her feel better...

Skyped with Alla today and she said "The water is horrible, worse than I remember and I had to buy a 10 liter bottle and carry it up the stairs (5 flights) to use for drinking and washing dishes. I asked her why she didn't just boil it like we used to and she said the water LOOKS terrible and boiling doesn't help.

While waiting at the bus stop with her friend Natasha they were approached by a "completely drunk, bad smelling man" who offered them wine from his bottle and then offered to take them to his flat for "hours of wonderful lovemaking" Um, she said she was tempted but she is so loyal to her loving husband she just couldn't go through with it. The man was seen to stagger away screaming "Yanukovich is MY President!" Hurray for east Ukraine! She also had to do battle with the internet company to get the internet turned on, even though we paid in advance and had money on our account and she has had hot water for a bath 2 nights out of 9 so far. But it was nasty looking water. And this is a very nice flat in central Donetsk. It is the "good neighborhood".

She also reports that many of the coal mines and steel mills are shut down and "many young girls are on the street offering to do bad things for money"

Feel better Vika?

Sorry - no dice. She doesn't believe (at this point) that anything in Ukraine could be "bad".

Has Vika been back to visit yet since coming to the USA? For Oleksandra it's been a really great trip. She missed Lviv, her friends, and most of all family, but she's also now missing "home" here in the USA and will be ready to come back. I think next time the plan is that we'll both go back to Lviv, but I'll definately make sure it will be in the middle of summer! I've been 3 times all in the winter months...not doing that again!

There have been a few negatives she had forgotten about by the way: bad roads, expensive food, crappy weather, and occasionally cold showers! Sounds like she's really loading up on Ukranian/Russian DVDs so I guess that's in my future. I sent her with a video camera this time too...she's filled up 6 tapes so far and has 8 more to go.

Yes, she went back as soon as her AP came in and I could make a reservation. She was fine for a few months after she got back, but now anything that reminds her of Ukraine causes no end to nastalgia. Also, her BFF here just went back to Kherson for 10 weeks! Life looks black All will be well when SHE is the one getting ready to leave, and balloon-headed BFF is on the receiving end