MS Kronstadt

MS Kronstadt cruise ship ("теплоход Кронштадт") is a traditional Russian river passenger vessel originally built for the USSR (Soviet Union) in the GDR (East Germany). The ship is currently owned and operated by the Russian company VODOHOD ("Водоход") and cruises on the Volga River between St Petersburg and Moscow. The vessel is presently chartered by Nicko Cruises.

Vodohod is Russia’s largest river cruise operator. Established in 2004 as the Volga Shipping Company, the brand expanded after merging with Volga Flot Tour. Today, Vodohod operates over 50 cruise ships on the rivers Don, Volga, Kama, and Moscow, as well as the Volga-Don Canal, Volga-Baltic Waterway, and Lakes Ladoga and Onega.

The company’s predecessor, Volga Shipping Company (Volzhskoye parokhodstvo / Волжское пароходство), was founded in 1843 as a Volga steamship transport company. By 2011, it operated over 300 passenger and cargo vessels, carrying more than 6.7 billion tons of cargo and over 368,000 passengers annually along Russia’s largest inland waterways.

MS Kronstadt was named after Kronstadt (Kronshtadt), a town in the Kronshtadtsky District of St Petersburg located on Kotlin Island, about 30 km (19 mi) west of St Petersburg near the head of the Gulf of Finland. The ship underwent a major refurbishment in 2017.

Cabins

The ship offers 6 suites, 80 twin cabins (40 of which have bunk beds), 20 single cabins, and 10 triple cabins. All staterooms are exterior (no interior cabins) with large opening windows, except those on the Lower Deck, which feature round, non-opening portholes. Each cabin includes individually controlled central air-conditioning, private en-suite bathroom (WC, shower, wash basin, hairdryer), flat-screen TV, radio, refrigerator, wardrobe, in-closet safe, vanity mirror, writing desk with chair, bedside table, reading lights, and 220V power outlets. Suites additionally include a double bed, sofa, coffee table, armchairs, cabinet, and floor lamps. Cabin ceiling height is 2.2 m.

After extensive refurbishments, all cabins feature increased size, new furniture and flooring, upgraded bedding, and modern lighting.

• Suites (located on the Middle Deck, forward) are two-room cabins with separate bedroom and living room, each with two large opening windows. They include a double bed, sofa (for two), armchairs, low table, two wardrobes, and a vanity desk with chair. Suites can accommodate up to four passengers.
• Single Cabins (Middle and Boat Decks) are single-occupancy staterooms with one large opening window.
• Twin/Double Cabins (Main, Middle, and Boat Decks) have two beds and one large opening window.
• Triple Cabins (Lower Deck) feature three beds and two round portholes (non-opening). They can also be booked as doubles.

Shipboard dining and entertainment

Onboard dining offers European cuisine with elements of traditional Russian cooking. Breakfast is buffet-style, lunch includes a Russian soup course, and dinner is waiter-served with a traditional Russian menu. Waitstaff wear traditional costumes.

Entertainment includes live performances (classical and Russian folk music), cultural lectures, and port talks by professional guides covering destinations, excursions, and regional highlights. Passengers can also enjoy Russian tea ceremonies, language lessons, dance and singing classes, vodka tastings, and matryoshka (nesting doll) painting workshops.

Ship facilities include:

• Boat Deck / Middle Deck: Two restaurants – Neva and Volga
• Boat Deck: Panorama Bar Lounge
• Sun Deck: Conference Hall and Bar (also used as dance hall, cinema, and meeting room)
• Middle Deck: Bar Lounge, Library/Reading Hall, Souvenir Shop
• Sun Deck: Spa (Sauna), Solarium with deckchairs and tables, covered outdoor gym
• Main Deck: Medical Room (Infirmary), Beauty Salon (hairdresser, barber, massage), Lobby with Reception Desk, Kids Club
• Middle Deck: Ironing Room (laundry service)

VODOHOD cruise deals

• Departure ports, check-in, boarding, and disembarkation times are listed on the company’s website (vodohod.com) and passengers’ boarding passes. The final departure time is confirmed the day before sailing.
• Children up to 14 years old (inclusive) receive discounted fares. The age is calculated on the day of departure.
• Children aged 2–5 (inclusive) travel free of charge without an additional bed (if none are available in the cabin). Shore excursions are also free.
• Infants under 2 travel free but are not provided with a bed, food, or tour services. Baby cots and cribs are not available onboard.
• A single supplement for TWIN (double) cabins is 75%.
• Cabin numbers are assigned seven days prior to departure. Reserving a specific cabin number costs EUR 50 per person per cruise.
• Fares include three meals per day: buffet breakfast (water, tea, coffee, milk, juices), buffet lunch, and waiter-served dinner with a starter, main course (choice of three options: meat, fish, or vegetarian), and dessert or fruit.
• On embarkation and disembarkation days, meal times depend on arrival/departure schedules. If an excursion coincides with a meal, guests receive a complimentary meal at a local restaurant or a packed lunch.
• Included onboard events: Welcome Aboard ceremony (“bread and salt”), Welcome Cocktail (one complimentary drink), Tea Ceremony (with pastries), Vodka Show (blini and vodka tasting), Cocktail Party (one complimentary drink), Captain’s Dinner (special menu), complimentary coffee station (various times daily), and daily bottled water in cabins. Entertainment includes language lessons, singing and dancing classes, live music, Wheelhouse tours, and foreign-language guide services.
• Complimentary excursions are detailed in the cruise program. Optional tours can be booked onboard. Foreign tourists pay an additional excursion fee per day (children 6–14 included), not charged to guests from the CIS, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania. The surcharge depends on the cruise duration (1–7 days).
• Fares exclude land transfers, beverages and snacks in bars, phone calls, sauna visits, optional excursions, travel insurance, gratuities, and personal expenses. Prices include 18% VAT.
• All onboard payments are made with a “Vodohod” debit card (issued at registration), valid throughout the ship without fees or commissions. Cash is not accepted onboard. Final payments may be made using international bank cards.
• Vodohod gift certificates can be purchased for any amount, allowing recipients to choose itinerary, departure date, and cabin type. If the cruise price is lower than the voucher amount, the difference is non-refundable.
• Smoking is permitted only in designated outdoor areas marked “Place for smoking,” usually located aft on the Middle or Boat Decks. Smoking is prohibited in all interior spaces and other open-deck areas.
• All Vodohod ships offer morning exercise sessions led by a certified physician, oxygen cocktails, and dietary meals.
• Free medical services include emergency care, basic treatment of wounds, and monitoring of blood pressure and temperature.
• Passengers are advised to arrive at the departure port at least six hours before sailing. Boarding begins two hours before departure and closes one hour prior. Late arrivals are non-refundable.
• Vodohod’s main departure ports include Moscow, St Petersburg, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Samara, Kazan, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, and Saratov.

Note: You can view CruiseMapper’s complete list of river cruise ships and riverboats in the “Itinerary” section of our River Cruises hub, where all operators and their fleets are listed.