Crystal River Cruises to launch a year ahead of schedule
Crystal River Cruises will launch with five yachts, three more than previously announced, and it will start next year, 12 months earlier than planned.
President and CEO Edie Rodriguez announced four newly built yachts – twice the number originally planned – have been ordered for delivery in 2017 from the German shipyard Lloyd Werft.
Additionally, Crystal has also completed the purchase of the German-built MS Mozart, the largest river cruise vessel in Europe.
Following an extensive dry dock, the newly designed vessel will be renamed "Crystal Mozart" and embark on the Danube River on July 13 next year.
"In response to travellers and travel agents’ enthusiasm for Crystal River Cruises, and through Crystal’s innovation, we are upping the ante once again, bringing ‘true luxury’ to the river cruise sector with the largest guest suites and public spaces, the highest crew-to-guest-ratio and Crystal’s award-winning service," said Rodriguez.
"Once the transformation of Crystal Mozart is completed, it will truly be the crown jewel of the European rivers."
The 160-capacity Crystal Mozart is designed to fit into the wider locks of the Danube River from Passau in Germany to Budapest in Hungary, and holds the record of being the largest river cruise vessel on European rivers, measuring 75.1 feet wid, which is double the width of an average industry river boat.
The four new all-suite luxury river yachts will debut in June and August 2017. Designed with the maximum size to fit into the locks of rivers and under bridges, two of the Crystal River Yachts will cruise the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers with 110 guests.
The other two, each with an 84-guest capacity, will be cruising the Seine River and the other the Garonne and Dordogne rivers as well as navigating through the Gironde Estuary.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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