Creating inspiring itineraries is a key priority for Crystal Cruises. “We aim to make the itineraries an exceptional sensory experience where our guests can have a mix of a relaxing day at sea with extended stays in beautiful ports around the world,” says Anita Jane Hodson, director of itinerary planning at Crystal Cruises.
“Claudius Docekal [vice president, deployment at Crystal Cruises] and I bounce a lot of ideas off each other while creating cruises, and the different perspectives help create an amazing experience for our guests.”
A look ahead at the coming year reveals the fruits of this approach. “Our first North-West passage transit is coming up in August 2016 and 2017 for Crystal Serenity, as well as Serenity cruising Alaska and then New Orleans later in the year for the first time in a long while,” Hodson says. “In the New Year, Serenity will be cruising South America for an intensive world cruise which includes Antarctica. Our new vessel, Crystal Esprit, is currently sailing the Dalmatian coast with cruises from Venice to Dubrovnik, then in November she will move to Dubai for cruises in this area: New Year’s Eve in Dubai and then on to the Seychelles for exotic cruising. Or we have a holiday cruise from New Zealand to Australia with New Year’s Eve in spectacular Sydney Harbour on Crystal Symphony. We also have 61 maiden calls this year which is quite exceptional.”
Hodson says that weaving together creative ideas with logistical aspects is one of the biggest challenges in creating new itineraries. “There are many moving parts, not just to the creative side, but also in attempting to mix the perfect cruise with the operational and regulatory restrictions we need to adhere to.
Operational challenges could include crew working hours, as well as making the itineraries as economically fuel efficient as we can. We discuss many aspects when it comes to an itinerary, including the time of the year, what time is sunset for a nice sail away, and events we would like to be present for such as the Monaco Grand Prix. We try to mix more popular ports with hidden gems along the way, to make the best itinerary we can.”
A collaborative approach enables Crystal Cruises to meet these challenges. “We have an open collaborative process when it comes to working with the captains and their teams to discuss each new itinerary, with nautical, engineering and hotel teams having an opportunity to comment,” Hodson explains. “It is one thing to create a nice itinerary but if it is operationally difficult to execute then we can run into stumbling blocks.”
Guests’ views are just as important, as the organisation continually evolves to ensure it meets customer expectations. “We listen to our guests, whether it’s through a hand-written letter sent to us, or comments in our guest survey,” Hodson says. “The feedback from our guests says it all. At the moment Crystal is in a big growth spurt and new ideas and concepts are being discussed and brought forward, so our guests are going to be surprised for a little while longer.”