Russia 2019 (2) - More Prep

Then there was the Russian visa experience. First, I completed a form online that was to be printed and mailed into a visa service company in Washington, DC. It included questions like education history, work history, clubs you belonged to (should I mention the Dems?), and contagious diseases you’ve had. VERY thorough. I had to do a little research on dates and things to make sure I was correct and avoid glitches.

I had questions on some of their questions so called for clarification. In spite of online directions saying complete, print, and mail, I was then told to complete a different form online and it would go directly to the service. So re-did it online. That turned out to be a lot simpler form with not as much "historical" background data needed.

Also, the price kept changing. When we first booked in July 2018 it was $195 per person. When we actually applied in March 2019, it was $249 pp. Then after submission, they emailed and said the price went up again and was now $70 pp more. Yikes! So over $600 for two visas. Notice our names printed on our visas in Cyrillic (Russian and other Slavic nation's alphabet).

Then we decided to get a Global Entry card which is issued by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. This avoids long lines at the airport departing and entering the USA. A biggie is you don't have to take your shoes or belt off or separate out your computer hardware. There are two price levels for that: 1) a TSA Pre-Check pass for $85 pp or 2) Global Entry for $100 pp. Both are good for five years. I don't remember the exact difference, but we opted for the higher clearance.

First you submit an online application. Then you keep checking online for the next step. A few weeks after you first apply there is an alert to make an appointment for a face-to-face interview. That was another 2-week wait. We had two location options for that--Detroit Metro Airport or the Customs & Immigration Office by the Ambassador Bridge (between Detroit and Windsor, Canada). We decided on the "bridge" option.

Explicit instructions were given on how to get to that office. It said “do not follow GPS,” but use an app called "Waze." We figured our GPS was smarter than all the rest and could take us there, but downloaded Waze, just in case. Glad we did. Our GPS failed, so used the Waze as the perfect backup plan. We also had to enter a gate that said "Do not enter." Again, glad instructions alerted us to that.

The office was almost directly under the Ambassador Bridge, which gave a fascinating point of view. Mike got a really friendly officer for his private interview. I got a very stern one. But we both passed and our Global Entry cards and their little anti-theft folders arrived in plenty of time for our trip. It was also necessary to connect our Global Entry ID numbers with our flight reservations for everything to work properly. Lori of AAA helped us with that.

On the way out of the facility, we were in line with semi-trucks galore coming from Canada and passing through Customs. This port of entry is the busiest in the U.S. we were told. What an operation… with big rigs towing giant loads of freight lined up through maybe 20 check-point kiosks. An amazing operation! We felt tiny amongst them in our little Prius. We ended up going straight home instead of browsing the city as we had first planned.

Other cruise options were to pay gratuities in advance for all Viking employees. We did. And buying the Silver Spirits Beverage Package. I think it was about $279 pp for all you can drink. Without that purchase, unlimited beer and wine for lunch and dinner was included on the cruise, but no cocktails or champagne. We didn’t want to turn into alcoholics on the trip, getting our money’s worth and more, so passed on that. We could always buy a cocktail here and there if we wished.

We just happened to have our annual physicals a few days before departure. We were in tip top shape. We ordered prescriptions ahead to make sure we had enough while we were gone and upon our return.

And friend Jerolyn gave us advice. She has been to Russia 16 times and helped found the sister city relationship between the cities of Pushkin, Russia and Kalamazoo. She hasn't taken a Viking cruise, but did take our same route down the Volga on a freighter. Among other things she help choose our shore excursions and said to always keep tissue in your pocket for bathroom trips! Did that, but needed it only one time.

A couple of weeks before departure, we picked up a pouch from Lori with details of our flight, cruise route, room, meals, money matters, dress code (casual with elegant casual for evening), electrical outlets, tipping, shore excursions, and much more. So helpful! We were ready to go!

After all those decisions it was just figuring out what to pack and how to fit everything into our bags. We usually travel with two larger carry-ons but this time we added a big regular size suitcase that had been sitting in storage for years. We packed things that were on the edge of being tossed (which were tossed after use), so we could fit more "stuff" in on the way home.

Kept thinking we had plenty of time and then all the sudden no time. Rushing to pack for Russia. So excited to be finally on our way.