Fourteen of the 26 ships were in service while the rest of the fleet was set up due to the embargo on international customers. (Twelve ships serve the international market.) Vodohod carried more than 35,000 Russians on 438 trips from early June to November.
New Mustai Karim and renovated Maxim Gorki
Mustai Karim, the first five-star ship built in Russia in several years, was launched, and Maxim Gorky was fully renovated for the Siberia expedition on the Yenisei.
Mustai Karim debuted in August with floor-to-ceiling windows, a spa, intimate restaurants and bars, and a famous chef’s menu. The ship made several cruises on the most popular route between Moscow and St. Petersburg and visited the Kizhi ensemble of wooden architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In September, Mustai Karim pioneered an innovative route on the Azov and Black Seas to Rostov-on-Don and reported rave reviews from his Russian customers.
Expedition plan
In July, Vodohod initiated the first river cruise through the heart of Siberia. Expedition cruises on the Yenisei are a new product to introduce wild Russia to the world.
These trips are operated by Maxim Gorki, a small, newly renovated and tailor-made five-star ship with 94 passengers. It offers spacious cabins with a modern design, a spa, an entertainment complex and first-class service. Maxim Gorky sails between Krasnoyarsk and Dudinka, visiting cultural complexes, traditional villages and wild nature, including the Putorana Plateau, an area five times larger than Belgium and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Solovetsky Islands
Vodohod also began cruises to the Solovetsky Islands, a cultural and historical site on the White Sea with a unique church complex including the Solovetsky Monastery, the crown jewel of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To reach the archipelago, Vodohod renovated the four-story Alexander Pushkin with updated technical features. The ship is almost fully booked in 2021.
COVID precautions
Vodohod’s health and safety plan included the regulations of the federal service for the supervision of the protection of consumer rights and human well-being, as well as international requirements and recommendations.
This included pre-boarding health questionnaires, daily temperature checks for passengers and crew, updated crew training, regular rapid COVID-19 tests, social distancing, daily disinfection of cabins and public areas, and disinfection of the ventilation system.
Resumption of spring
Vodohod said its fleet and crew are ready to sail Russia’s waterways again in the spring and look forward to shipping international customers when restrictions are lifted and people can travel safely.
Russia’s e-Visa program for 52 nationalities
Citizens of 52 countries can apply for an electronic visa to visit Russia from January 1. E-Visa applications can be made on a special website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or via a mobile application.
Vodohod has also developed its first mobile app, which will be available in English next year. It offers ship information, services, details of purchases on board, an audio guide, a media player, a chat with a hotel manager and news.
With a new booking engine, travel advisors and customers can easily purchase additional services when booking a cruise online.
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