– Avalon Myanmar – Myanmar River Cruise – April 2017
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar – Part VI (Kya Hnyat to Kyauk Myaung)
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar – Part IX (The Ship: Avalon Myanmar)
Avalon Waterways – Myanmar (Burma) – Reflections: “Isn’t This Amazing!?”
*Azamara Club Cruises – Azamara Journey – Singapore to Dubai (April 8, 2018)
* Azamara Quest – Southeast Asia and Japan (February 2015)
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Part I
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part II
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part III
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? Part IV
– How Close to Luxury Can Celebrity’s Smallest Ship Get? – Some Final Observations and Thoughts
– The Prologue to the Travelogue
– The Adventure Begins…With a Bump or Two
– Settling In Made Easy
– Luxury Touches Here, There and OK, Not, Everywhere…But There Are Lots of Them!
– Asian Flair Onboard and On Shore
– Private Tours, Israel and Conflicts in Perceptions and Perspective
Celebrity Equinox 2009 – Egypt…Impressive and Depressing
– Dining With the Captain and the Reidel Wine Seminar
– The Last Dinner (Tuscan Grille) and Disembarkation
– What Happens When A Class Act Meets Highly Discounted Cruise Fare
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part I
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part II
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part III
– Lisbon to Monaco: Crystal As a “Move Up” & “Move Over” Luxury Option – Part IV (Food & Wine!)
– Princess Cruises Doesn’t Treat You Like Royalty; Celebrity Cruises Does! Which is a Better Value for the Upscale Cruise Guest? Part I
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. -Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part II: The Standard Veranda Staterooms
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part III: Treating You Right From The Start
– Celebrity Silhouette vs. Royal Princess – Which Is A Better Value For The Upscale Cruise Guest? Part IV: The Wine Lists Speak Volumes (As Do The Beverage Packages)
Regent Seven Seas Voyager – August 2017
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part I
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part II (Getting There, The Stateroom and First Impressions)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part III (“You Can’t Teach Five Star Service” and Bonafacio, Corsica)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part IV (Calvi, Monaco, Portofino, Porto Azzurro…and Stale Bread)
– Italy and Corisca 2014 – Part V (My Last Day…and How The Chef’s Team Makes It Happen)
Crystal Cruises’ new owners have announced some pretty exciting and extraordinary plans! And, to be sure, it sounds like they have a lot of money and are attempting to fill the wishlist of yacht charterers, owners of The World cruise ship and wealthy retirees, luxury cruisers and expedition lovers all while also maintaining the traditional Crystal guest.
It is a very complicated scenario that will require much more than a wealthy owner, and it is going to be wild ride, but let’s see where it takes us!
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Crystal Cruises’s new 100,000+ ton, 1,000 guest luxury cruise ship. The first of three is expected to be delivered Late 2018 |
The first part of Crystal’s announcement are three (3) 100,000+ gross ton ships that will carry 1,000 guests with 1,000 cruise in an all-suite configuration (standard suites being a very large 400 square feet) with a few extra amenities including eight foot high ceilings and polar-classed hulls (so visits to the Antarctic and Arctic are possible).
The top deck will be reserved for 60 Residences (ranging from 600 to 4,000 square feet)…with,of course, their own private restaurant. For me this is a far more exciting luxury proposition than, say, Regent Seven Seas’ concept of dedicating a relatively huge amount of space for a few luxury suites in the traditional cruise market as its way to claim bragging rights to an otherwise relatively ordinary higher end cruise product. (For perspective, the Crystal ships will have 1,000 guests spread throughout 100,000 tons of space while Regent Seven Seas Explorer will have 750 guests “crammed” into 54,000 ton of space…or 25% less per guest.)
But before you get too excited, you will have to wait until late 2018 for the first ship to be delivered which means it will probably be late 2019 – over fours years from now – at the earliest that all three ships are sailing the seas.
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Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Esprit 62 Passenger Yacht with two person submarine and zodiacs |
The second part is Crystal’s entry into the sort of yacht charter market in November 2015 through the transfer of a yacht already owned by Gentling HK. The Crystal Esprit is a 3,300 ton yacht that carries 62 guests and will include some interesting features such as a two man submarine, four ten person zodiacs and a Wider tender as well as kayaking, scuba, snorkeling, water skiing, wake boarding and fishing equipment.
For size perspective, this yacht is 50% larger than SeaDream Yacht Club’s two yachts and will carry 40% less guests. I do not know the pricing yet, so I am not sure how to compare the two…if comparing more than size is even appropriate.)
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Crystal Esprit – The Patio restaurant |
The interesting thing here, for me at least, is that Genting just purchased a yacht building company and has a very significant interest in the submarine company (U-Boat Worx) that is supplying the vessel and Wider Yachts that is supplying the tender. With a floundering superyacht market Genting is leveraging its positions in the yacht and submersible market to possibly offload some inventory (as it the yacht will be operational later this year) while boosting Crystal’s overall position in the luxury travel market by giving it something fresh while everyone waits for three and one half years for the first of its new ships to arrive.
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Crystal Espirt – The Cove lounge |
The yacht bookings are going to range in length from as short as 4 days, but will generally be 7 day cruises booked in the typical cruise ship fashion. Itineraries for 2015-2017 include:
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Crystal Esprit – Yacht Club Restaurant |
The third part of Crystal Cruises’ plan is to enter into the already crowded river cruise market in Spring 2017. Crystal has released very little information about their new ships other than they will be all-suite. While I am confident Crystal will provide a great product, I am concerned that there will be even more over-saturation of the rivers caused in great part by Viking River Cruises (whose ships definitely cannot compare to what Crystal Cruises will offer.)
The final part is Crystal (dare I say Cruises) – actually is it named Crystal Luxury Air – chartering a 60 passenger all business-class 787 offering four approximately 28 day itineraries with stays in 10 to 12 locations (a combination of remote and highly desired) staying at luxury resorts and hotels with cuisine and events appropriate for each destination. I know the person who is in charge of this product and I have no doubt that it will provide an extraordinary experience for those looking for an extended journey without stepping foot on a ship.
Interested in a Crystal Cruise? Call me:
United States: (877) 2GO-LUXURY
United Kingdom: 020 8133 3450
Australia: (07) 3102 4685
Everywhere Else: +1 732 578 8585
Or email me at eric@goldringtravel.com
Goldring Travel LLC
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Truckee, California 96161
US: (877) 2GO-LUXURY (877-246-5898)
UK: 020 8133 3450
AUS: (07) 3102 4685
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