Crystalizing Luxury

In 2020, Crystal is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its first ocean sailing but “it feels like a startup brand,” said Carmen Roig, senior vice president of marketing and sales. When she joined the company four years ago, Crystal was an ocean cruise line with two ships. Today, Crystal is a multi-brand company with a river line; a yacht, Crystal Esprit; and an expedition ship called Crystal Endeavor, to be launched next year.

The transformation comes back to conversations with travel advisors, a community she has worked with over her 38 years in the industry, Roig said. “They told us, ‘You have two ships, and we want to sell more Crystal.’ ” When the company was sold to Genting Hong Kong in 2015, the owner wanted it to grow—maintaining its core personal touch but on a much larger scale.

'A New Sense of Energy'

With the expansion beyond the oceangoing Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, every presentation she makes has “a new sense of energy, a new sense of passion, and our travel partners are re-energized,” Roig during said. “We have one trusted brand, but now all of these experiences present many new opportunities for them.”

Crystal has also responded to demand from customers who are members of the Crystal Society loyalty program. They told the line’s representatives that if it had a river cruise brand, they would sell it.

Roig stressed that the company “is not reinventing the wheel.” The promise to advisors and clients was that whatever the line stood for on the ocean needed to be transitioned to the other products, because partners believed in the ethos of the brand, she said. “You can blindfold one of our travel partners and put them on any Crystal vessel—ocean, river, yacht—and they would know they were traveling with us.”

The Crystal Partner Advisory Council, a group of 13 luxury global travel partners, was formed in 2018 to test ideas. They provide feedback from Crystal Society members to use as a sounding board.

'Where Luxury is Personal'

With the slogan “Where Luxury Is Personal,” Roig said Crystal realized that if a guest doesn’t like open seating, restaurant managers will accommodate that person’s needs in some way. Similarly, there is Wi-Fi across all brands because the line welcomes a lot of working affluent travelers who need to be connected.

Crystal President and CEO Tom Wolber said each of the line’s new experiences was created to attract new and younger guests who will ultimately move up to oceangoing vessels, but also to provide new experiences for fans of the line.

Expedition, Crystal-Style

Crystal has managed to maintain its standards in its new expedition vessel even as it travels to remote and challenging parts of the globe. Mark Spillane, director-sales and marketing for Crystal Yacht and Expedition Cruises, said Crystal Endeavor is for those who want the luxury of the Crystal experience, but are looking to go beyond a traditional cruise or travel experience.

In 2020-21, Crystal Endeavor’s itineraries will include the Arctic and Antarctica; New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic Islands; the Russian Far East and Japan; New Zealand, Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef; Borneo, the Philippines and Indonesia; the Aleutian Islands and Alaska; Western Europe; and South America.

Crystal Endeavor Amenities

Crystal Endeavor will accommodate just 200 passengers with expansive public spaces; all-suite accommodations with butler service; Michelin-inspired dining options, including Master Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s Umi Uma & Sushi Bar; and the full-service Crystal Life Salon & Spa and state-of-the-art Fitness Center.

A dedicated expedition team will be on every Crystal Endeavor voyage to offer expert perspective on local wildlife, history, culture and more on board. Depending on the itinerary, Crystal Endeavor will feature up to 22 expert guides that will include biologists, historians, ornithologists, geologists and others.

Its size means it can offer larger suites (355 to 2,024 square feet), more public spaces and multiple dining venues.

Reinventing River Cruises

Crystal River Cruises’ fleet—Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Ravel—make up the youngest fleet on Europe’s rivers and are the most spacious in the industry, carrying 45 percent fewer guests than other lines, according to Walter Littlejohn, vice president and managing director of Crystal River Cruises. (Crystal Mozart is leaving the fleet at the start of the 2020 season.)

The ships are the first and only all-suite, all-balcony river ships in Europe with all accommodations situated above the waterline while offering personal butler service in every category, he said. The river vessels have twice the number of crew per guest as the industry average.

The ships serve Michelin-inspired cuisine with open-seating dining in multiple restaurants plus 24-hour room service. Every Crystal river voyage offers curated, inclusive shoreside experiences that are designed to cater to guests’ varied interests with private luxury motorcoaches and free Wi-Fi.

The Crystal Customer

The typical Crystal client is 55 to 64, has a household income of $150,000-plus, is college-educated, has no children at home and has taken at least three trips over the past three years, said Kari Tarnowski, vice president of marketing for Crystal

Also, Crystal is offering 21 seven-night cruises in 2022—the largest number of weeklong voyages ever, President and CEO Tom Wolber said—which can help agents attract more upscale travelers who are still working or are unable to take longer cruises.

Sales Tips

—With all its inclusions, a Crystal voyage actually costs less than some premium brands, said Carmen Roig, senior vice president of marketing and sales. And, research shows that once clients sail on Crystal, “they become an annuity,” returning again and again.

—The Crystal differences remain the same: a truly all-inclusive product that features all-suite accommodations, shore excursions, butler service and more, Roig said. Agents earn commission on everything because there are no addons – no water package, no wine package, etc.

—Crystal provides agents with itineraries three years in advance—and already has that information available for 2022 ocean, yacht and river programs.