Whether regaling travel agents at an elegant seaside resort in south-east Florida, or holding court for a retinue of luxury travel media aboard the Crystal Serenity on the West Coast in Los Angeles, Edie Bornstein, Crystal Cruises’ new president and chief operating officer, is understandably busy.
Appointed in October 2013, she previously served as SVP, sales and marketing for Azamara Club Cruises, based in Miami. There is a logical progression from Azamara’s upmarket offering with its two, roughly 700-passenger ships, to Crystal’s ultra-luxury brand, deploying two ships of around 1,000-passenger capacity. Consequently, even as a presidential newcomer at Crystal, Bornstein exudes the same confident manner and zeal as she was known for in her earlier career.
“In my opinion, these two ships empower me, as does the company, to do and say things nobody else can,” says Bornstein. “It’s easy to be extroverted about it because this company has its act together so well that nobody can do what Crystal can do, whether it’s with two ships or 22 ships.” She adds: “I’m absolutely in love with the brand and the onboard experience...and open and passionate about it.” Of joining Crystal, she remarks: “As I often say, I died and went to luxury heaven.”
Bornstein already has revealed her long-term vision for the line, foreseeing an expansion of the fleet to “seven ships, sailing seven seas, seeing seven continents. At least that’s the initial concept,” she says. “As a mature, 24-year old brand, deploying two vessels, we’re at a point where we can grow both intelligently and profitably. But this is obviously a years-long, long-term strategy.”
Bornstein does underline that, whether the new additions join the fleet as newbuilds or as acquired, in-service vessels, they will likely be of smaller capacity than the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity and the 922-passenger Crystal Symphony. Indeed, she says, the new fleet can be comprised of expedition-sized ships; other, new craft carrying about 700 guests; and the existing Serenity and Symphony.
One rationale for such growth, she says, is simply to capitalise on the line’s extraordinary current success – especially since Spring 2012, when Crystal’s cruise fares became more all-inclusive. “Our 2015 world cruise is now sold out – a year or so ahead of time,” she says, explaining that, as the slots became occupied earlier this year, it became clear that travel agents could use more Crystal inventory. Hence, the genesis of her vision of expansion.
Beyond that, however, the point of growth will be to enhance the onboard experience. Both a benefit and objective of the expansion will be to increase the breadth of itineraries offered to guests. The plan is to utilise somewhat smaller ships more amenable to visiting more unusual and exotic destinations – without sacrificing what Bornstein terms “an adequate return on investment” for Crystal and its owners (the line is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the large Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha or NYK).
Even while Bornstein and Crystal set a course for expansion, of course, they’re keeping the Serenity and Symphony refreshed, having just completed a US$17 million renovation of Serenity last fall. The work included a makeover of her penthouse suites and a massive repurposing/restyling of the Lido deck.
“I just fell in love with everything our team did – it’s just exquisite,” she says. There is one new feature in particular in which she takes great pride: “We have the Living Walls and the Herb Garden – heavily utilised by our chefs – aboard the Serenity. Its irrigation is directed 24/7 by satellite from our horticulture operations centre in the UK.”
These and other innovations have proved attractive to both new and repeat cruise guests. Some of Crystal’s standing marketing efforts – particularly those aimed at its loyal base of well-to-do guests – have paid off handsomely. For example, some time ago, the line widened and extended its offerings of youth-friendly services in order to attract more of its customers’ families and relatives. Consequently, the average age of a Crystal passenger has been trending steadily downward and, by 2010, had dropped to 45-plus from the low- to mid-60s only a few years before. Another marketing innovation, Crystal Celebrations, offers pre-packaged event planning for weddings, reunions and other milestone events, both shipboard and shoreside. Crystal Celebrations is a tool, in this case, expressly designed to appeal to new, first-time cruisers.
In mid-January, the night before Serenity began Crystal’s 89-day world cruise, Bornstein was in Beverly Hills, hosting a gala for the cruise guests at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. She spent the following day onboard the Serenity wishing them well. Indeed, Bornstein, in late 2013, spent three solid days aboard the ship, acquainting herself with both guests and crew. She had also been busy getting to know the approximately 200 staff at the Century City headquarters – which, in January, moved to new, smaller offices in West Los Angeles near Brentwood thanks to, among other things, the decentralisation of reservations staff.
This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.