By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Crystal River Cruises’ fifth vessel Crystal Ravel has officially been handed over to the company in Wismar, Germany, ahead of its maiden voyage this May.
The handover ceremony took place at the MV Werften shipyard, Germany, where each of her predecessors were built. Joining Tom Wolber, Crystal president and CEO, 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 guest of honour Sarah Nava Rani Al Bakri Devadason, the ambassador of Malaysia.
“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,” said Wolber. “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 Ravel joins Crystal River Cruises one month after her sister ship, Crystal Debussy, was received by the company at the MV Werften shipyard.
“Crystal Ravel is the fourth river cruise ship to be built at our shipyard – a ship that combines comfort and elegance with the highest standards in safety and navigation,” said Jarmo Laakso, managing director of MV Werften. “Within eight months we were able to deliver four river ships to Crystal River Cruises. I would like to thank all of MV Werften’s employees, our partners and the Crystal team for this achievement.”
Crystal Ravel embarks on her maiden voyage on 10 May from Basel, Switzerland to Vienna, Austria. The ship will sail itineraries along the Rhine, Danube, Main and Moselle rivers visiting, medieval towns and cosmopolitan cities in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia.
Like her newly built sister 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 wardrobes, ETRO robes and slippers, and wall-mounted flat-screen high definition televisions.
Additional features include farm-to-table cuisine in multiple, open-seating eateries, the Waterside Restaurant, Bistro cafés. Entertainment options include the exclusive Vintage Room and the Palm Court, presentations and views of the countryside.
Crystal River Cruises voyages include over 200 inclusive shoreside adventures and each river itinerary also features inclusive Signature Events that offer access to musical performances in landmarks such as Vienna’s Belvedere Palace, Linz’s St Florian Monastery and Rüdesheim’s Monastery Eberbach.