Crystal River Cruises Welcomes Newest Vessel

The official handover ceremony for Crystal Ravel took place today at MV WERFTEN shipyard in Wismar, Germany.

Crystal president and CEO, Tom Wolber, took the "keys" to the ship, welcoming it as the fifth vessel and fourth newbuild for the line.

In addition to Wolber, dignitaries on hand included Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO of Crystal's parent company, Genting Hong Kong (GHK) and Colin Au, group president of GHK. The ambassador of Malaysia, Sarah Nava Rani Al Bakri Devadason attended as the guest of honor.

"We are thrilled to welcome Crystal Ravel to the fleet, which will further expand the many choices our guests have for experiencing luxury on the rivers of Europe," Wolber said. "Since launching Crystal River Cruises two years ago, our ships and their dedicated staff and crew have consistently raised the bar of excellence in the industry. Once again, I thank the experts at MV WERFTEN for their continued partnership and for sharing our commitment to building and delivering award-winning vessels."

Crystal entered the river cruise arena in 2016 with Crystal Mozart. Since then, it has introduced three new all-suite, all-balcony, all-butler ships in Europe: Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler, and Crystal Debussy. The latter embarked on her maiden voyage April 9, 2018, from Amsterdam. Crystal Ravel is the fourth Crystal River Cruises vessel to be built at MV WERFTEN.

The four 106-passenger sister ships feature king-sized beds, panoramic balcony-windows, walk-in closets, dual bathroom vanities in most categories, ETRO robes and slippers, and wall-mounted flat-screen HD TVs. Dining venues include the Waterside Restaurant, Bistro café, and the Vintage Room.

Crystal Ravel will sail itineraries on the Rhine, Danube, Main, and Moselle. Her inaugural voyage departs on May 10 from Basel to Vienna. The itinerary calls in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, and Slovakia.