In major expansion, Crystal Cruises to add river ships, yacht, airplane
Is a new era in luxury cruising about to begin?
Highly-rated luxury line Crystal Cruises is planning a massive expansion that includes the addition of the most spacious ocean-going ships ever as well as river ships, a yacht and even an airplane.
Crystal president and CEO Edie Rodriguez tells USA TODAY the two-ship line has signed a letter of intent with Germany’s Lloyd Werft shipyard to build three ocean vessels with all-suite accommodations that are nearly twice the size of those on other luxury ships and such over-the-top, yacht-like amenities as submarines and helicopters.
Rodriguez says Crystal will enter the fast-growing river cruise market in the spring of 2017 with two custom-built luxury ships that will be defined by first-rate service, world-class dining, spacious suites and elegant public rooms. They’ll be part of a new brand extension called Crystal River Cruises.
The line also is jumping into super-high-end, yacht-like cruising starting in December 2015 with the addition of a water toy-filled, 62-passenger vessel. To be called Crystal Esprit, it’ll carry a 32-foot boat for adventuring, zodiacs, jet skis, kayaks and even a two-person submarine that Rodriguez says will allow for such innovative offerings as underwater weddings. It’ll be part of a brand extension to be called Crystal Yacht Cruises that eventually could have more vessels, Rodriguez says.
The airplane that Crystal plans to acquire will be a Boeing 787 configured to hold just 60 passengers in sumptuous, fully reclining seats instead of the 300 that is typical. It’ll be used to offer extravagant, around-the-world trips as part of a new brand extension to be called Crystal Luxury Air. The 28-day itineraries will feature stops in 10 to 12 remote and/or sought-after locales, with accommodations at some of the world’s finest hotels and resorts, Rodriguez says.
Calling the additions “game-changing big,” Rodriguez suggested that Crystal is aiming to move well beyond its luxury ocean cruise origins to become a leader in luxury travel of all types.
“We really came up with a global strategy to become the world’s premier luxury, hospitality and lifestyle brand portfolio,” Rodriguez says. “There is power in (the Crystal) brand.”
Scheduled to debut starting in late 2018, the new ocean vessels will measure more than 100,000 gross tons while carrying 1,000 passengers, resulting in an unprecedented space-to-passenger ratio of 100. That’s about 20% higher than the most spacious luxury cruise ship afloat today, Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa 2.
Rodriguez says even the smallest suites on the new vessels will measure 400 square feet, and they’ll also have higher-than-normal ceilings for ocean ships. The ships will sail with 1,000 crew members, resulting in an also unprecedented one-to-one crew-to-passenger ratio.
“It will make everything else that exists (in the luxury cruise space) pale in comparison,” she says. “It will be just extraordinary … (with) innovative offerings not found on luxury cruise ships today.”
Rodriguez says the new ocean vessels will have Michelin-starred and celebrity chefs, and carry rubberized Zodiac boats for expedition cruise-style landings in addition to submarines and helicopters. In a first for large luxury ships, they’ll also be designed with polar ice-rated hulls to allow for travel to the most remote regions of the Earth including the Arctic and Antarctica.
In an unusual twist, the new ocean ships also will have 48 residences that wealthy travelers will be able to buy as second homes. Ranging from 600 to 4,000 square feet, they will occupy a top deck and come with their own private restaurant, reception and facilities.
Rodriguez says Crystal regulars have been telling the line for years that they want the company to get into other types of travel besides ocean cruises such as river cruises and super-upscale, around-the-world tours, and the line is responding to the demand.
“We listened to our loyal customers,” she says. “They have told us how they are going on other luxury vacations (that) are not on Crystal, but they would love for them to be on Crystal,” she says.
Demand for more high-end travel options in general also is strong and growing, Rodriguez says, making this a good time to expand. “Our guest base is the top 2% of the world’s wealthiest global consumers, and there’s more than enough” of those to fill all of the berths the company is adding, she says.
Rodriguez and Crystal chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay announced the expansion today during the line’s annual President’s Cruise aboard the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity.
The announcement comes just four months after Hong Kong-based Genting Hong Kong, which Tan Sri Lim leads, purchased Crystal from Japan-based shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) with the promise of injecting new capital into the company.
Established in 1993, Genting Hong Kong already owns Asia-based Star Cruises and is a major shareholder of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which owns Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises. It’s part of the Genting Group, a global hospitality and leisure company.
The breadth of the announcement is a sign that Genting has grand expansion plans for Crystal, which until now has been one of the slowest-growing cruise companies. Rodriguez notes that Genting “didn’t buy us to keep us as is; they bought us with a vision, and they have the finances to back up their vision.”
Rodriguez added that more announcements from the company would be coming soon. “This is just the foundation of the future,” she says.
The expansion will breath new life into Crystal, which has risked falling behind in recent years in the luxury cruise space as rival luxury lines announce ever more upscale and elaborate vessels. Three of Crystal’s biggest competitors — Silversea, Seabourn and Regent — are in the midst of building major new ships that are expected to set new standards for the brands. Crystal hasn’t added a new ship since 2003.
The new yacht trips that Crystal plans on the Crystal Esprit are available for booking starting today for members of the line’s Crystal Society frequent cruiser program. The voyages will kick off on Dec. 23, 2015 with sailings in the Seychelles Islands starting at $2,690 per person for four nights. Other routes will include sailings around the Persian Gulf and along the Croatian coast.
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