Crystal Cruises makes another move in its sea of changes
After a dozen years carry elite passengers in style around the Mediterranean, Western Europe and the Black Sea, Crystal Cruises is moving Crystal Serenity to North America. The repositioning will take place in 2017 following her “Southern Celebración” World Cruise round-trip from Miami. From there she will sail along the east and west coasts, through Alaska, New England and Eastern Canada, as well as the eastern seaboard into the Caribbean.
“The Mediterranean and surrounding regions have long been favorite destinations for our guests, and will continue to be, with the launch of Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal River Cruises,” says Crystal’s president and CEO, Edie Rodriguez. “These new ventures allow us to expand our offerings for our guests, so they can continue to experience their favorite Crystal vacations in new ways.”
The 68,000-ton Crystal Serenity debuted in 2002. She is the sister ship of the Symphony and can carry 1,070 passengers in style complete with seamless service, top notch cuisine (includes a Nobu-inspired restaurant, Silk Road), penthouse staterooms and suites with personal butlers and many amenities.
Princess Cruises adds Luxury Beds to cabin comforts-
While most passengers are lulled to sleep by the sea on a cruise it still takes a darn good mattress to make us comfortable and Princess Cruises is making them happen with the Princess Luxury Bed, designed to deliver the ultimate night of sleep at sea. The cruise line is rolling out more than 44,000 of this dream sleepers which will be all staterooms across the fleet through 2018.
Silversea circumnavigates a continent
Adventure cruisers can circle the entire South America in 2017 when Silversea’s Silver Spirit and Silver Muse (which debuts in the fleet the same year) will offer voyages that circumnavigate the continent. The Silver Spirit sails on Jan. 16, 2017 while Silver Muse makes her journey on Oct. 13, 2017.
The voyage will take passengers through the mighty Amazon to the bone-dry Atacama Desert, glacial peaks of the Andes past thundering waterfalls and majestic mountain ranges. Both small luxury liners will sail round-trip from Fort Lauderdale. The bespoke Circle South America itineraries, which are tailored to discerning tastes and seasoned seafarers, offer signature Silversea fine dining, fares inclusive of tips, drinks of every nature, a world class spa and fitness center (with free classes), daily activities, nightly entertainment, a casino and free wi-fi.
Highlights of the voyage include the amazing Amazon (truly a phenomenal experience), the crossing of the Panama Canal, two days cruising Chile's majestic fjords, a two or three-day stopover in Rio de Janeiro, plus multi-day calls in Buenos Aires and Callao (gateway to Lima and Machu Picchu).
For both these Grand Voyages the cruise line is offering full-voyage guests perks such as:
- A $2,000 Onboard Spending Credit (per double-occupancy suite) — more if you book with Cruiseable
- One exclusive Silversea Experience
- One exclusive shoreside event
- Free wi-fi
- Free laundry service plus dry cleaning (which you'll really need for cruises this long).