Crystal Expedition Cruises officially welcomed its new luxury expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor to the Crystal fleet last weekend, the company’s ninth vessel.
The 20,200 gross-tonne ship was christened by its Godmother Manuela Schwesig, Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Stralsund, Germany.
PM Schwesig is the first woman to serve as head of government for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the state where Crystal Endeavor was built and a region with a tradition of shipbuilding. A champion of human rights, women’s rights and youth advocacy, Schwesig, was also the youngest cabinet member in Angela Merkel’s third cabinet and is a member of numerous boards and civic groups including serving as a Trustee for Plan International, a humanitarian organisation working in more than 70 countries across the world.
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Almost 100 people attended the ceremony that took place on the helipad of the ship while docked at MV WERFTEN in Stralsund, Germany – the shipyard that designed and built the vessel.
Genting Hong Kong (GHK) Group President, Colin Au, boasted that Crystal Endeavor is “the epitome, unsurpassed by any ship in terms of luxury, passenger space, engineering and safety design standards.
“And we are being rewarded as the Crystal Endeavor is commanding a price premium of 50%-100% compared to other expedition cruise ships in the world,” Au stated during the ceremony.
“Today is a landmark day as we christen Crystal Endeavor, the first and only Polar Class Six (PC6) expedition yacht to be ‘Made in Germany,’ and a testament to Crystal’s award-winning design and MV WERFTEN’S superb German engineering with system redundancies, including 100 percent additional lifeboat capacity, to handle extreme polar conditions,” said Tan Sri KT Lim, the Chairman of Genting Hong Kong.
“The most luxurious and expensive ship ever built at $20,000 per gross tons, she sets a new high standard in luxury cruising including the largest space ratio, at over 100 gross tons per guest, and most importantly, the highest staff to guest ratio in the industry at one-to-one.
“We are delighted that Crystal Endeavor, as the new pinnacle of expedition excellence, now commands the highest cruise fare per night of any cruise ship in the world,” Tan Sri KT Lim said.
“Crystal Endeavor’s naming ceremony is a sign of Germany’s relaunch as a shipbuilding location and I am honoured to be named Godmother, and proud for our region and country to play an important role in the story of this unique ship,” Prime Minister Schwesig said.
“Our shipyards are innovative high performers, with highly motivated experts and know-how acquired over decades. The employees at MV WERFTEN have successfully driven the transformation process from containership production via special-purpose shipbuilding to cruise ship construction in the last few years, demonstrating that even under difficult circumstances they can achieve top performances.”
Crystal Endeavor accommodates just 200 guests in 100 all-verandah, all-butler serviced suites, among the most spacious in expedition cruising.
Throughout the ship, Crystal hallmarks accent guests’ onboard experience: Michelin-inspired dining options including Umi Uma, the first and only Japanese restaurant on an expedition ship, fine Italian cuisine at Prego, 24-hour room service and optional Vintage Room experience; the only casino on an expedition yacht; a glass-covered, two-story solarium – housing the Seahorse Pool and Jacuzzi and the full-service Crystal Life Salon & Spa with a state-of-the-art Fitness Center; as well as a wrap-around Promenade Deck.
Expedition-specific amenities will include high-tech enrichment spaces, designated mud rooms, an Expedition Lounge and a Helicopter Lounge. The ship’s marina will feature the “toys” found aboard a private yacht for further explorations including a fleet of Zodiacs, kayaks, snorkel gear, and a six-guest submersible and two helicopters in select regions of the world.
Crystal Endeavor will set sail on 17 July with five 10-night immersive voyages circumnavigating Iceland, operating round-trip from Reykjavík; followed by the 10-night Journey of Vikings: Iceland & Norway from Reykjavík to Tromsø departing 5 September 2021.
Lead image: From left, Harry Glawe, Deputy Prime Minister of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania and Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Health; Heiko Miraß, State Secretary, Ministry of Finance of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Colin Au, Genting Hong Kong – Group President; Godmother, Manuela Schwesig, Prime Minister of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania; Peter Fetten, Chief Executive Officer, MV WERFTEN and Carsten J. Haake, Chief Financial Officer, MV WERFTEN.