Crystal Cruises’ ship Crystal Endeavor officially departed the MV Werften shipyard in Germany on Saturday, and is en route to Iceland for her inaugural cruise season.
The vessel is the line’s first Polar Class 6 expedition yacht, designed to handle cold, icy waters in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
A pier-side sail away celebration was held at the shipyard for employees and family members, who offered a heartfelt sendoff of waving and well-wishes for the new ship. Endeavor is scheduled to arrive in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavík on July 15. She will then depart Reykjavík on July 18 after an overnight in the city on the first night of her inaugural voyage.
The vessel is set to operate a series of five 10-night sailings that circumnavigate Iceland this summer.
“Today is a milestone day for Crystal as our new state-of-the-art expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor sails to Iceland from MV WERFTEN to set a new industry standard as the most spacious, most powerful and most luxurious expedition ship in the industry,” said Jack Anderson, president of Crystal.
“We want to thank everyone at MV WERFTEN for their partnership and their uncompromising German engineering and design excellence in crafting an intrepid new polar class yacht that will offer our guests incredible adventures to the far reaches of the globe, with the highest standards of safety and sustainable features that demonstrate extreme care for our guests and the world’s oceans and the destinations we visit.”
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Crystal Endeavor was christened on June 26, with Manuela Schwesig, Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as the ship’s godmother.
Endeavor is Crystal’s ninth ship, and is one of the fastest and most powerful expedition ships in the industry. Coming in at just over 20,000 gross tons, the vessel carries 200 passengers in all-balcony suites complete with butler service. The ship will also offer a one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio.
Features around the ship include Umi Uma Japanese restaurant, Italian restaurant Prego, the only casino on an expedition yacht, a glass-covered solarium with pool and jacuzzi, a spa and fitness center, and a wrap-around promenade deck.
Expedition-specific amenities include mudrooms, a fleet of Zodiac boats, kayaks, snorkel gear, a six-guest submersible, and two helicopters in select regions of the world.
Crystal Endeavor‘s maiden voyage is from July 17 to 27. The series of five voyages around Iceland this summer will sail roundtrip from Reykjavík, which is a six-hour flight from New York City and three hours from London.
Following the Luxury Iceland Expedition cruises series, the ship will sail a 10-night Journey of Vikings: Iceland & Norway cruise from Reykjavík to Tromsø on September 5.
Fall departures include the 13-night Norwegian Fjords & Scottish Isles Exploration itinerary from Tromsø to London, and the 11-night Breton, Bordeaux, and Beyond from London to Lisbon.
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