MS Mustai Karim

MS Mustai Karim cruise ship ("теплоход Мyстай Карим" круизный корабль) is a Russian passenger vessel owned by the private Russian shipping company Mosturflot ("Мостурфлот") and operated under charter by Russia's largest cruise company, VODOHOD ("Водоход"). The two 6-deck newbuilds (sisterships Mustai Karim and Pyotr Velikiy/Пётр Великий) were both designed and constructed in Russia. The vessel’s launch was scheduled for May 2020. This new-design Russian riverboat (Project PV300, sea-and-river vessel) was under construction at Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia).

The cruise vessel is named after Mustai Karim (Mustafa Safich Karimov; 1919–2005), a Soviet poet and writer from the USSR’s Bashkir Republic (Russian SFSR), now the Republic of Bashkortostan in the Russian Federation.

VODOHOD's cruise ship "Project PV300LMPP-110"

At the end of 2016, VODOHOD (Russia's largest passenger shipping company) signed a contract with the Russian shipbuilder USC (United Shipbuilding Corporation) to construct one PV300 unit. The builder is USC’s subsidiary PJSC “Krasnoe Sormovo.” The newbuild was planned to be ready for the 2020 Volga River navigation season. The contract value was around RUB 3.2 billion (USD 56.8 million).

The project realized by VODOHOD is based on the PV300 design and modified to meet the company’s commercial efficiency standards. The full project name is PV300LMPP-110. The newbuild is planned to cruise on the Volga River (between Moscow and Saint Petersburg, navigation duration up to 5–6 months) and, during winter, to operate sea cruises between ports in the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Azov Sea.

Decks and Cabins

VODOHOD increased the ship's passenger capacity from 300 to 342. The boat has 6 decks and a total of 169 staterooms, including 2x Suites, 2x Owner Suites, 2x Junior Suites, 159x Deluxe (Twin Comfort), and 4x Standard Twin cabins. All staterooms are outside (no interior cabins) and feature floor-to-ceiling windows. Standard cabin amenities include a wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), smart HDTV (satellite reception), radio, phone, mini-bar/refrigerator, power sockets (220V), and an en-suite bathroom (single-sink vanity, toilet, shower, hairdryer, shaver socket, toiletries, towels, bathrobes). All suites feature bathtubs.

The average cabin size is 19 m2 (205 ft2). For comparison, Twin Standard cabins on other Russian river ships measure 10 m2 (110 ft2). All cabins on this “river liner” have private balconies. Suites and Junior Suites are 30 m2 (320 ft2).

A total of 22 cabin pairs (44 rooms) are connecting. There is also an option to book a 3-Room Suite (midship-portside on Boat Deck) comprised of 3 connecting cabins.

Cabin amenities and shipboard services correspond to 5-star hotel standards.

Shipboard dining and entertainment options

Dining onboard features European cuisine specialties with elements of traditional Russian cooking. Breakfast is buffet-style. Lunch includes one course (Russian soup). Dinner is waiter-served with a traditional Russian menu. Waitstaff wear traditional costumes.

Onboard entertainment focuses on scheduled activities and live performances (classical and Russian folk music). Lectures are themed on the country’s history and culture. Port talks (by a professional tour guide) provide information on visited river ports, nearby towns, and shore excursions available for booking. Passengers also enjoy traditional Russian tea ceremonies, Russian language lessons, dancing and singing classes, vodka tastings, and nesting doll (matryoshka) painting classes.

Shipboard facilities (deck plans) include:

• 2 restaurants, 2 bar lounges, Pub (Beer Bar/Wine Room)
• Conference Hall (140 seats), Reading Hall (Library Lounge)
• Show Lounge (Music Hall with dance floor, stage, and grand piano for live performances)
• Ironing Room (laundry service), Kids Room, Souvenir Shop
• Sauna, Spa Salon (Hairdresser, Massage Room), Fitness (Gym Room)
• 3 lifts (passenger elevators), 2 Atriums (each with its own Reception Desk)
• Sundeck (700 m2; Solarium with loungers, 10-m-long swimming pool, 2 whirlpools/Jacuzzis), Medical Room (Infirmary)

Itineraries

Mustai Karim cruises on the Volga River with northbound and southbound itineraries—Moscow-Astrakhan and between Moscow and St Petersburg (passing through Lakes Onega and Ladoga). The riverboat also operates the route Moscow–Rostov-on-Don (via the Volga–Don Canal).

The inaugural cruise was scheduled for May 12, 2020. The 12-day (11-night) Moscow to St Petersburg itinerary visits Moscow (2 overnights), Uglich, Yaroslavl, Goritsy, Kizhi Island (Lake Onega), Mandrogi, and St Petersburg (3 overnights). The reverse St Petersburg to Moscow itinerary is 11 days (10 nights).

Ashore travel and excursion options include:

• Moscow - airport-to-ship transfer, city tour by bus, visiting the Kremlin, restaurant lunch
• Uglich - walking tour, visiting the Kremlin, Church of St Dmitry on the Blood, and Transfiguration Cathedral
• Yaroslavl - city tour by bus, visiting an outdoor market (shopping), Church of St Elijah the Prophet, Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Art Gallery tour
• Goritsy - visiting the monastery and the museum of icons
• Kizhi Island - visiting the outdoor museum of Russian traditional wooden architecture
• Mandrogi Village - outdoor grill/kebab
• St Petersburg - city tour by bus visiting Peter and Paul Fortress (1703-built citadel), State Hermitage Museum (art and culture), Peterhof State Museum-Reserve (lower park), ship-to-airport transfer

During winter, when the Volga River is closed for navigation, Mustai Karim operates itineraries on the Caspian Sea, Azov Sea, and Black Sea.

Complimentary shipboard activities include classical music concerts, grand piano recitals, show lounge events (daily and nightly live music and dancing), traditional Russian tea ceremony (samovar-prepared tea), food tasting party (vodka and blinis/pancakes), Russian language class, cooking class, yoga with a professional fitness instructor, lectures on traditional Russian arts and crafts (English- and French-speaking lecturers), talent show (by crew members), cocktail party (crew presentation), Q&A session with Russian students, and guided tours of the Navigation Bridge/Wheelhouse and Engine Room.

VODOHOD cruise deals

• Departure port (dock/berth), check-in, boarding, and landing times are indicated on the company's website (vodohod.com) and on passengers' boarding passes. The ship's exact departure time is posted on the website the day prior to departure.
• Kids’ discount ticket prices apply to children up to 14 years of age (inclusive), based on age on the day of departure.
• Children from 2 to 5 years of age (inclusive) travel free of charge without an additional bed (if no free beds are available in the cabin). Shore excursions are also free of charge.
• Toddlers (under 2) travel free of charge; bed, food, and tour services are not provided. Extra beds in staterooms (baby cribs, cots) are not available on the ship.
• TWIN (double cabin) single supplement rate is 75%.
• Cabin number is provided 7 days prior to departure. Reserving a specific room number costs EUR 50 pp per cruise.
• Ticket prices are inclusive of 3 meals a day. Onboard dining includes Breakfast (buffet-style, water in pitchers, tea/coffee served; drinks include cocoa, milk, juices; hot and cold dishes), Lunch (buffet-style, water in pitchers, tea/coffee served), Dinner (waiter-served) with 1 Starter, 1 Main course (choice of 3—meat, fish, vegetarian), 1 Dessert (choice of 2 or fruit), and midnight soup.
• On embarkation and disembarkation days, meal times depend on landing times. If a land tour coincides with a mealtime (lunch), passengers are provided complimentary food at a local restaurant (café) or given “dry rations.”
• Ticket price–inclusive onboard events: Welcome Aboard (“bread and salt” ceremony), Welcome Cocktail (1 complimentary glass of champagne or juice per person), “Tea Ceremony” (tea and traditional pies), “Vodka Show” (blini and vodka tasting), Farewell Captain’s Cocktail Party (once per cruise, 1 complimentary cocktail per person—choice of 3), Captain’s Dinner (gourmet menu, once per cruise), mulled wine or iced tea (weather-dependent, upon returning from excursions), complimentary Coffee Station (coffee, hot water, packaged tea, milk, cocoa, cookies; open 6 am/breakfast, 10–12 am, 4–6 pm, 9–11 pm), 1 bottled water (0.33 l pp per day in cabins). Tickets also include foreign-language guide services, onboard entertainment (language class, singing lessons, live music, nightly dancing, Wheelhouse tour).
• Complimentary excursions are detailed in the ship’s cruise program. Optional tours are available for booking onboard. For excursion services, VODOHOD charges foreigners an additional daily fee per person (including children 6–14). This fee is not charged to tourists from the Russian Commonwealth, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The surcharge varies by cruisetour length (1–2 days, 3–4 days, 5 days, 6 days, 7 days).
• VODOHOD cruise tickets do not include land transfers, beverages and snacks (in onboard bars and lounges), phone calls, sauna visits, optional excursions, travel insurance, gratuities, or personal spending. Ticket prices include 18% VAT.
• Non-cash onboard payments are made via the company’s debit card “Vodohod” (received upon registration), without interest or commissions. The card is accepted in all ship venues (bars, restaurant, shop, administration). Cash payments for onboard sales are not accepted. International bank cards are accepted for final payments.
• Gift Certificate “Vodohod” (vouchers) can be pre-purchased for any amount. The recipient can choose an itinerary, departure date, and cabin category. The amount specified is set by the buyer. If the cruise costs less than the certificate amount, the difference is not refundable.
• Smoking is allowed only in designated areas (marked “Place for smoking”) located aft on Middle and/or Boat Decks (depending on ship). Smoking is prohibited in all interior spaces and on open decks except at designated areas.
• All VODOHOD ships offer health gymnastics and morning exercises (led by the ship’s physician), oxygen cocktails, and dietary food.
• All VODOHOD ships provide (free of charge) the following medical services: emergency medical care (for sudden acute illnesses, conditions, exacerbation of chronic diseases), blood pressure and temperature measurement, and primary wound treatment.
• VODOHOD recommends passengers arrive in the departure port city at least 6 hours prior to departure. Boarding starts 2 hours prior to departure. All passengers must be onboard at least 1 hour before departure. Late passengers who miss the cruise are not refunded.
• VODOHOD’s departure ports/homeports are Moscow, St Petersburg, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Samara, Kazan, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov.