Rosmorport is set for another seasonal cruise program aboard the Prince Vladimir in 2018, according to a statement from the Russian agency. Operating under the Black Sea Cruises banner, the company said it had a strong debut season offering week-long round-trip cruises from Sochi.
The 2017 season came to a close in October, and the ship will spend the winter laid up before a planned spring refurbishment. The 2018 cruise program is scheduled to begin in May, according to a spokesperson.
The 2017 itinerary package included calls in Novorossiysk and Sevastopol and an overnight in Yalta. Next year, the company will make slight adjustments offering an overnight in Sevastopol based on passenger feedback.
There are also ongoing discussions to add Istanbul to the ship’s deployment.
“As for calling at the port of Istanbul, at the moment there are negotiations with the Embassies and Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Turkey. We are ready to go to Istanbul next year,” said Maxim Kondratenko, general director, Black Sea Cruises.
The ship will continue to depart on Sundays from Sochi, with interporting available in all ports.
Rosmorport said that 60 percent of its passengers embarked in Sochi, while 20 percent used Novorossiysk and the balance was split between Yalta and Sevastopol.
Guest ratings averaged 4.5 points on a 5-point scale, according to Rosmorport, who added the crew service and food and beverage scored the highest overall satisfaction ratings.
