Crystallizing Ultra Luxury

The New Year is already showing great promise for Crystal River Cruises. The line, which will round out its five-vessel fleet with the spring debut of Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel, is already reporting brisk business.

“We have a couple of ships that are near to sold out for the entire year, although we still have good inventory left. We are very optimistic about the year,” said Walter Littlejohn, Crystal’s vice president and managing director.

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Furthermore, the ultra-luxury river cruise line—which debuted its first ship, the Crystal Mozart in 2016—is drawing a younger audience to its fold.

“Age-wise we’re skewing younger than people would expect for a river cruise line, with an average age of 58,” Littlejohn said.

Currently, Crystal’s guest complement is fairly evenly divided between “Crystal Society members and folks new to the line who are coming from other luxury travel experiences, including our luxury ocean cruise competitors and five-star hotels like the Four Seasons,” he said.

Littlejohn added that Crystal River Cruises is seeing “tremendous demand” for seven-day cruises, in large part due to the growing number of younger passengers it is attracting. To help sate that demand, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel will provide a considerable portfolio of shorter itineraries.

Crystal Debussy, which debuts in April, will sail on three core voyages, including seven-day “Tulips & Windmills” itineraries roundtrip from Amsterdam in April; 10-day “Splendors of the Rhine” cruises between Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland; and seven-day “Legendary Rhine” sailings from Basel to Amsterdam.

Crystal Ravel, which is set to inaugurate service in May, will feature a voyage roster that includes seven-day “Danube Serenade” itineraries between Vienna and Budapest and 14-day “Majestic Europe” voyages between Vienna and Basel.

Crystal is also adding more seven-day voyages on the Rhine, Danube, Moselle and Main rivers to its mix of 10-, 11-, 14- and 16-day voyages next year.

“We have a very nice balance for 2019, with all ships doing cruises of seven to 10 days, and one ship doing cruises of up to 16 days,” Littlejohn said.

New 2019 seven-day sailings will include a “Wonders of the Danube” itinerary sailing between Linz, Austria and Budapest; a seven-day “Danube Dreams & Discoveries” cruise roundtrip from Vienna; and a seven-day “Magnificent Christmas Markets” itinerary with overnights in Passau, Vienna and Budapest along with a call in Linz.

Based on guest feedback, Crystal is also raising the bar on its shore excursions with a new portfolio of bespoke destination experiences.

“Every detail of the Crystal River Cruises’ curated destination program has been revamped to focus on choices and offer more intimate, immersive experiences that perfectly suit travelers’ preferences and properly showcase the charm and beauty of the destinations,” Littlejohn said.

“By giving our guests so many options, we’re also creating smaller groups, and we’re putting in a guarantee of no more than 15 guests per guide.”

The experiences include:

Personal Connections: The programs will focus on the cultural assets of a destination as seen through the eyes of residents, artisans and local experts, who will guide tours.

Tantalizing Gastronomy: Excursions will put the spotlight on culinary specialties of destinations visited, including one-of-a-kind dining and cooking experiences.

Cultural Discoveries: Expert guides will lead tours that delve deeply into historical landmarks, museums and iconic sites.

Exhilarating Adventures: Tailored to active travelers, the excursions will couple active pursuits with historical and cultural experiences.

Design Your Time: Guests looking for bespoke destination experiences can avail themselves of a concierge service that creates unique private tours.

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Littlejohn said that in the aftermath of the departure of President & CEO Edie Rodriguez, it has been business as usual at Crystal: “Nothing has changed because our focus has always been on the core guest experience. That far transcends beyond any one individual. To do what we do takes a village.”

Rodriguez was succeeded by Tom Wolber, a 28-year veteran of the Walt Disney Company, who worked for Disney Cruise Line for 10 years as senior vice president of operations.

All things considered, Littlejohn is of the opinion that the river cruise segment is far from saturated: “I firmly believe that we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of this market.”

Littlejohn said that Crystal River Cruises will maintain a competitive edge in the market based on the ultra-luxury features and amenities it offers its guests—starting first and foremost with the onboard experience and the ships’ posh all-suite accommodations, which offer butler service in every category.

He added, “We don’t outsource any operations whatsoever. We have the most exceptional food-and-beverage service of any small ships, be it river or ocean. These are elements that no one else can touch.”