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But the line also offers many sailings to the Caribbean, New England and Canada, and Alaska. TPG's Gene Sloan is reporting live this week from Crystal Endeavor as it sails on one of its first voyages, a circumnavigation of Iceland. Just behind the Crystal Cove lounge is a small casino -- something that is notable for an expedition ship. It's not a huge casino, with just a handful of tables for games and a few banks of slots. But if playing a few hands of blackjack or rolling the dice on roulette is a must for you even when venturing to such off-the-beaten-path places as Antarctica, this is the ship for you.
Crystal: Exceptional at Sea
Among the Asia itineraries that Crystal has on its schedule for the next two years is a 12-night voyage between Hong Kong and Singapore with stops in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Brunei. Australia and New Zealand sailings include a 17-night round-trip voyage out of Sydney to New Zealand with stops in Auckland, Tauranga, Picton, Lyttelton and Dunedin in New Zealand, and Burnie and Hobart in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Most of Crystal's Mediterranean trips range from seven to 14 nights, although it occasionally offers much longer voyages. These itineraries include sailings focused specifically on the Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean and some that include stops across both.
Is everything free on Crystal cruises?
Crystal’s core clientele is solidly age 60 and older and comprises a mix of affluent professionals, cruise-loving retirees, and multigenerational families (grandparents, who are Crystal loyalists, introducing their kids and grandkids to the brand). The majority are English-speaking (Americans, Canadians, Brits, Australians) with a mix of Europeans, Asians, and South Americans, depending on the itinerary. While Crystal is a luxury cruise line, with prices that start around $4,000 per person for a seven-night sailing, the onboard vibe isn’t stuffy at all. The problem with putting helicopters on expedition ships is that the space needed for a helicopter landing pad and related hangars eats up a huge amount of deck-top space. That leaves less room for deck-top features such as outdoor pools, lounge areas, restaurants and bars. In 2023, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony sail a total of 68 itineraries (6 to 23 nights) with B2B (back-to-back) options for longer voyages.
Crystal Ocean Cruises
Baseball caps are not permitted anywhere in the evening and tailored shorts are only allowed in the Tastes restaurant. On sailings over seven days, there will be at least one optional ship-wide formal night which will require more formal cocktail chic attire. Men generally wear a dark suit with tie or a tuxedo; for women, it means a formal cocktail dress, evening gown or dressy evening separates. The A&K Travel Group was founded by Geoffrey Kent in 1962 as Abercrombie & Kent.
When we docked in Livorno, Italy, I joined a small group on a truffle-hunting excursion, following a sweet pup, Bianca, through a cluster of oak trees at Vialto Farms, a 1,000-year-old farmhouse in Tuscany. After glasses of cold vermentino, we dug into pasta in a light cream sauce topped with freshly grated truffles, followed by a truffle-covered fried egg. A few days later, on Corsica, a bus whisked a group of us to Domaine Orsini, for a wine tasting and a relaxing stint on the covered patio overlooking the island. And before I disembarked the ship in Barcelona, I crashed an evening excursion to the trendy El Born neighborhood, where our 10-person group shared a barrage of Spanish tortilla, patatas bravas, and croquetas at Tapeo. In 2023, Serenity will sail in North America, along the New England coast in the fall and into Canada, exploring Quebec’s Saint Lawrence River.
It's one of those foodie extravaganzas that goes on for hours and is a rare treat. On the ship's current sailing, there are just 53 passengers on board, which gives it the air of a private yacht. But even when completely full with 200 passengers, it's not a ship where you'll ever feel like you're cruising with a lot of people. The recent unveiling of Crystal Endeavor -- the new luxury expedition ship from Crystal Cruises -- marks a major turning point for the line, which many industry watchers consider the ultimate luxury cruise brand. On Grand European itineraries (between Baltic Sea and Black Sea) are additionally included river ports of call in the Balkan countries Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania.
Card Type
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As for the entertainment, while I didn’t stray much from Pete’s piano in the Avenue Saloon, there are standup comedy and musical theater shows at the Stardust Club, Galaxy Lounge, and the Hollywood Theater. Crystal Cove bar is a great spot to catch live music (classical, jazz, piano, and even the occasional rock moment). As for bars, I was partial to the Avenue Saloon — where Joel Spire plays piano every night and there’s a great Manhattan menu. Worth noting, there’s also an extensive non-alcoholic and low-ABV cocktail menu at Avenue Saloon, for those looking for booze-free nightlife.
Bars and Beverages
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Notably, Crystal Endeavor is designed to sail with 209 crew members -- more than one crew member for each passenger on board. It's an extraordinary crew-to-passenger ratio for a ship this size and one reason the vessel may be hard to beat when it comes to luxury in the expedition cruise space. Crystal's yacht fleet had to operate in polar and coastal regions - European Arctic (during summer), migrating whales route (sailing along the coasts of Europe and the Americas), down to Antarctica (during winter).
Crystal YACHT Cruises
This elegant room features 2 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a fireplace with ambient lighting, a separate dining area, and an extra powder room. You’ll find a separate living and dining area featuring a custom entertainment center. The master bathroom includes a Jacuzzi tub, flat-screen TV, heated floor, and bidet.
Anderson said the line's eateries – there are nine on each ship – would serve "authentic food from around the globe," while Abercrombie & Kent's local experts would offer destination-specific experiences. The relaunched line's first sailing on July 31 will be a 12-night voyage from Marseille, France, to Lisbon, Portugal, on Crystal Serenity. The place to relax on Crystal’s ships when the sun is shining is the refreshing Seahorse Pool, where cushy loungers and circular day beds with cheerful orange cushions surround a turquoise pool and hot tubs. Equally superb is Osteria d’Ovidio, Crystal’s new fine-dining restaurant (it replaces Prego) offering a menu of Italian specialties in a chicly reimagined setting. Standout dishes include Tortello Pasta Filled with Braised Beef, Figs Vincotto and Gorgonzola Cheese, and Salt Baked Sea Bass with Tarragon Sauce and Swiss Chard.
Yes, children aged 6 months and older are welcome on any Crystal Cruises ship with a few exceptions. When traveling on the Crystal Esprit, children younger than 7 are not allowed on the Zodiacs. Some ports require Zodiac transportation to disembark the yacht, so young children would have to stay on board with an adult in those situations. Children under 6 years old are not allowed on Crystal Endeavor expeditions to the Arctic or Antarctic. You won’t have to pay extra for beverages like wine, Champagne, spirits, or specialty coffees.
In addition to the Boeing 777, GHK's brand "Crystal Luxury Air" has plans to double its fleet by purchasing a second Boeing aircraft - the 787 Dreamliner. This plane is a long-haul, twin-engine jet airliner with a passenger capacity of 242 to 335 (3-class seating). The aircraft was the world's first built with composite materials as the primary construction material for the airframe. The top-luxury aircraft features lay-flat seats (reclining to 73,5 inches / 1,87 m) positioned in clusters of 2, 2 aisles, dining lounge (with 4 dining tables), 24-seat bar lounge (with stone veneers, color-changing LED lighting), 2 galleys (kitchens). It has capacity 88 passengers (down from the aircraft's original capacity of 300 pax) and serves all Crystal cruise itineraries' air-and-land portions. In fact, children grow up on this ship, coming on the holiday cruise every year, and making lifelong friends — as I learned from my friend Tate.
Both Crystal ships (Serenity and Symphony) are top-ranked in numerous categories and provide 5-star hotel amenities and superior services, as well as an intimate cruising experience marked by elegance and perfection in every detail. There are a high number of inclusions, including virtually all dining, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, wi-fi, gratuities and transfers. Crystal ships sail everything from short, seven-night cruises to Alaska to 141-day globe-circling voyages. Unlike mass-market lines, the company generally doesn't offer sailings of six nights or fewer. Between now and early 2025, the line has only a single voyage shorter than seven nights on its schedule — a six-night sailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Los Angeles.
For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. "That's equally demonstrated by Geoffrey Kent over on the A&K side, with 60 years of creating the most luxurious land experiences. I can't imagine a better new ownership. They certainly have the experience and the motivation. "There will be much more to come in terms of particulars about the ships, but that's what I can tell you today," Anderson said. "There will be more of the very largest staterooms and more larger staterooms on average, which concurrently reduces the guest capacity of the ship.
These savings were in addition to 2-for-1 prices and "Book Now Savings" that reward early booking with up to US$5000 per stateroom. All these special offers (30th Anniversary Collection) were offered on bookings made by June 30, 2019. The Crystal brand was officially launched on July 24, 1990, when Crystal Harmony (now Asuka 2) departed San Francisco CA on a 12-day inaugural cruise to Alaska. Crystal will announce itineraries for 2025 in the coming months (which, according to a Crystal spokesperson, will incorporate more A&K land expeditions), but there are still sailings available for booking in 2023 and 2024 on crystalcruises.com. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages, per person, double occupancy, and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates, and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings.
In June 2023 Crystal announced the Aurora Spa - the new onboard wellness concept through the company's collaboration with TDoS (Tillberg Design of Sweden) and partnerships with the premium cosmetic brands ELEMIS and KERASTASE. On both ships, the Spa facilities were completely redesigned, modernized and expanded with new treatments and services. Crystal also renewed its 2019-signed partnership with OneSpaWorld Holdings Ltd (2018-founded, Bahamas-based company) for staffing and managing the fleet's shipboard wellness (spa and fitness) facilities and services. However, Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group, said Crystal plans to order two new classic ships and two expedition vessels over the next six years.
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