Crystal River Cruises Welcomes Crystal Ravel to Its Fleet

The fifth vessel for Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Ravel, was officially handed over to the company April 12 in Wismar, Germany. Crystal President and CEO Tom Wolber took the “keys” to Crystal Ravel, welcoming the ship to the fleet ahead of its inaugural voyage next month.

The handover ceremony for Crystal Ravel took place at MV WERFTEN shipyard, where each of the ship's predecessors were built. Joining Wolber were Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO of Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong (GHK); Colin Au, group president of GHK; and Jarmo Laasko, managing director of MV WERFTEN. They were joined by the ambassador of Malaysia, Sarah Nava Rani Al Bakri Devadason, who attended as the guest of honor.

Crystal Ravel joins Crystal River Cruises approximately one month after its sibling ship, Crystal Debussy, was received by the company at the shipyard. Crystal Debussy embarked on her maiden voyage on April 9 from Amsterdam.

Crystal Ravel sails from Basel to Vienna on May 10, with itineraries along the Rhine, Danube, Main and Moselle rivers, visiting medieval towns and cosmopolitan hubs in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia.

Like its newly built sibling ships Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Debussy, the 106-guest Crystal Ravel offers Crystal’s butler service in every room category, king-sized beds, Panoramic Balcony-Windows, walk-in closets and dual vanity in the bathrooms in most categories, ETRO robes and slippers, and wall-mounted flat-screen HDTVs. Farm-to-table cuisine will be served in its open-seating eateries: the Waterside Restaurant, Bistro cafés, the Vintage Room and the Palm Court.

More than 200 inclusive shore excursions will be available on Crystal Ravel’s itineraries. Each river itinerary also includes Signature Events, such as rare access and musical performances in iconic landmarks that include Vienna’s Belvedere Palace, Linz’s St. Florian Monastery and Rüdesheim’s Monastery Eberbach. Note: Excursion group sizes are limited to no more than 15 guests; for larger groups, guides are available to lead the tours in German, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages upon request. Crystal Collection shore excursions offer transportation to iconic sites and regions via Wi-Fi-enabled motor coaches.

Visit www.crystalcruises.com/river.

This story originally appeared on www.luxurytraveladvisor.com.

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