The new luxury ship will set sail on European rivers next month
MIAMI, April 12, 2018 – The fifth luxury vessel for Crystal River Cruises, the World’s Most Luxurious River Cruise Line™, was officially handed over to the company today in Wismar, Germany. Crystal president and CEO, Tom Wolber, took the “keys” to Crystal Ravel, welcoming the ship to the award-winning fleet ahead of its maiden voyage next month.
The handover ceremony for Crystal Ravel took place at MV WERFTEN shipyard, where each of her predecessors were built. Joining Wolber were Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO of Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong (GHK), Colin Au, group president of GHK, and Jarmo Laasko, Managing Director of MV WERFTEN. They were joined by the ambassador of Malaysia, Sarah Nava Rani Al Bakri Devadason, who attended as the guest of honor.
“We are thrilled to welcome Crystal Ravel to the fleet, which will further expand the many choices our guests have for experiencing luxury on the rivers of Europe,” Wolber said. “Since launching Crystal River Cruises two years ago, our ships and their dedicated staff and crew have consistently raised the bar of excellence in the industry. Once again, I thank the experts at MV WERFTEN for their continued partnership and for sharing our commitment to building and delivering award-winning vessels.”
“Crystal Ravel is the fourth river cruise ship that was built at our shipyard – a ship that combines comfort and elegance with the highest standards in safety and navigation,” said Jarmo Laakso, Managing Director of MV WERFTEN. “Within eight months we were able to deliver four river ships to Crystal River Cruises. I would like to thank all of MV WERFTEN’s employees, our partners and the Crystal team for this achievement.”
Crystal launched its Crystal River Cruises experiences in 2016 with Crystal Mozart and was quickly voted “Best River Cruise Line” by the readers of Travel + Leisure in the magazine’s 2017 World’s Best Awards after only one year in operation. The new ships comprise the first and only all-suite, all-balcony, all-butler ships on Europe’s rivers, boasting all categories of accommodations above the water line.
Crystal Ravel joins Crystal River Cruises approximately one month after her sister ship, Crystal Debussy, was received by the company at the shipyard. Crystal Debussy embarked on her maiden voyage last week on April 9 from Amsterdam.
Crystal Ravel embarks on May 10 from Basel to Vienna, and sails itineraries along the Rhine, Danube, Main and Moselle rivers visiting medieval towns and cosmopolitan hubs in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia. Like her newly built sister ships Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Debussy, the 106-guest Crystal Ravel offers Crystal’s acclaimed butler service in every room category, king-sized beds, Panoramic Balcony-Windows™, walk-in closets and dual vanity in the bathrooms in most categories, ETRO robes and slippers, and wall-mounted flat-screen HD TVs.
Additional enticing features include farm-to-table cuisine in multiple, open-seating eateries: the elegant Waterside Restaurant, namesake Bistro cafés and the exclusive Vintage Room; and the Palm Court for entertainment, enrichment presentations and sweeping views of the countryside.
As with all Crystal River Cruises voyages, more than 200 inclusive shore-side adventures enhance the journey. Each river itinerary also feature inclusive Signature Events – special events that offer rare access and musical performances in iconic landmarks including Vienna’s Belvedere Palace, Linz’s St. Florian Monastery, Rüdesheim’s Monastery Eberbach, and others.
To ensure that every detail of each experience is in line with Crystal’s exacting standards of service, excursion group sizes are limited to no more than 15 guests; for larger groups, guides are available to lead the tours in German, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages upon request. Crystal Collection shore excursions offer guest transport to iconic sites and regions via spacious motor coaches that include free WiFi.
About Crystal
The world-renowned Crystal Experience – featuring global journeys with Crystal Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises, Crystal AirCruises and Crystal Luxury Air – continues to entice the world’s most discerning travelers with incomparable luxury and unparalleled personal service. Crystal will expand its fleet with the upcoming Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel river ships, the Crystal Endeavor expedition yacht and an entirely new class of ocean ships over the next five years.
Celebrating more than 27 years of excellence, Crystal Cruises is the World’s Most Awarded Luxury Cruise Line, having earned “World’s Best Cruise Ship” in Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader Choice Awards for 24 years; been voted “World’s Best Large Ship Cruise Line” by Travel + Leisure readers for 20 years; and the “Best Luxury Cruise Line” by travel professional organization Virtuoso for three consecutive years (2014, 2015 & 2016). The readers of Travel + Leisure also voted Crystal River Cruises the “World’s Best River Cruise Line” and Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises the “World’s Best Small-Ship Cruise Line” in 2017. Crystal is proud to be a platinum partner of ASTA.
For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel professional, call 888.799.2437, or visit www.crystalcruises.com. Join the hundreds of thousands who subscribe to the Crystal Insider blog, follow Crystal Cruises’ Facebook page and @crystalcruises on Twitter and Instagram, and engage in the conversation with #crystalcruises.