Miray Plans Black Sea Cruises as Gemini Remains Laid Up

Miray Cruises is planning eight seven-night Black Sea sailings this summer aboard the Gemini, with Istanbul departures scheduled between July and September and calls in Turkey, Russia and Georgia. The deployment would move Miray into a region that security concerns have kept off limits for most of the cruise industry.

The planned program is moving ahead against a delayed start to Miray’s wider 2026 season. The line’s single ship, the 960-passenger Gemini, remained laid up in Greece after its scheduled May 24 season opener from Kusadasi, and Miray’s website now lists July 2 as the first sailing of the season.

Black Sea cruises follow a postponed season opening

Miray’s Black Sea itineraries are scheduled to sail roundtrip from Istanbul and include Sochi, Batumi, Trabzon and Amasra among the featured ports. The seven-night cruises are listed for the July-to-September period, after the company’s initial plan to begin its summer program in late May was overtaken by the ship’s continued layup.

The Gemini arrived in the Bay of Karystos, off the Greek island of Euboea, in early May and was still anchored there after the first planned Kusadasi departure date passed. Miray has not explained the delay.

The 19,093-GT Gemini was built in 1992 by Unión Naval de Levante in Spain and was acquired by Miray in 2020. The ship was originally built for Crown Cruise Lines and later sailed for brands including Cunard, Star, Quail and Celestyal.

Kusadasi program includes Greece and winter Egypt sailings

Miray’s planned summer schedule also includes three- and four-night Greek Islands cruises from Kusadasi. The original program listed departures from late May to mid-July, with a second block from mid-September through late October, calling at destinations including Patmos, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Lavrion.

For the 2026-27 winter season, the company is also listing five-night itineraries from Kusadasi to ports in Turkey and Egypt, including Port Said and Alexandria. Further operational details for that winter program were not included on Miray’s website.

Black Sea cruise activity remains limited

The Black Sea is currently being served by the Astoria Grande, which operates for the Russian market from Sochi. The 1,186-passenger ship offers cruises to Turkey and Georgia, with itineraries that include Trabzon, Sinop, Batumi, Amasra and Istanbul.

Astoria Grande, a 38,557-GT ship built in 1996 and formerly known as AIDAcara, has carried more than 100,000 guests since entering service in 2022. Its continued operation has made it the region’s only active cruise ship while most international operators remain absent.

Earlier Black Sea cruise activity included Black Sea Cruises’ seven-night program aboard the 1971-built Prince Vladimir, which interported in Russia and Crimea, including Sochi, Novorossiysk and Sevastopol. Backed by state-owned Rosmorport, the company suspended operations in mid-2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and did not resume despite announcing plans to return in 2022.

The company has not said how the delayed start affects the Black Sea schedule that begins later in the summer.