Crystal reveals details of river venture

Ultra-luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises has unveiled details of Crystal River Cruises, part of the company’s mega expansion, which was announced last month.

Crystal River Cruises will launch in March 2017 with two “Crystal river yacht vessels”, boasting larger accommodations and a better space-to-guest ratio than any other river line.

Suites will be 250 sq ft while two penthouse suites will boast 500 sq ft of space.

“We continue to listen to what our guests and the luxury traveller want, and river cruises are what they’ve been telling us they want for some time – it’s a natural extension of the exceptional ocean cruise Crystal has offered for the past 25 years,” said Crystal President and CEO Edie Rodriguez. “But more importantly, they want to experience river cruises on a luxury Crystal vessel, and their desires will be fulfilled on our luxury Crystal river yachts.”

Each river yacht will feature 70 suites and be built by Meyer Werft, in Germany.

Guests will be able to book a Crystal River Cruise from December 1, 2015.

“The beauty of river cruising is not only that travellers enjoy close-up access to more fascinating inland locales, but also that the rivers themselves are coveted destinations that shouldn’t be overlooked,” added Rodriguez. “Our guests will have the opportunity to revel in the unique environment that sets river cruising apart from other travel experiences.”

The line also hinted that there would be more overnight stays in port, but did not reveal which rivers the ships would be on beyond Europe.