When Crystal set out to enter the river cruise industry, The World’s Most Luxurious River Cruise Line™ did it with gumption. This week, Crystal River Cruises launched Crystal Ravel, their fifth river cruise ship in just under two years. The christening ceremony took place in Budapest, Hungary, and featured Crystal’s President and CEO Tom Wolber, the ships’s godmother, Hungarian philanthropist and creator of the classical music talent show “Virtuosos,” Mariann Peller, and Crystal River Cruises’ Vice President and Managing Director Walter Littlejohn.
“Beyond these exquisite ships – which are earning the acclaim of luxury travelers from around the world – the heart of the Crystal River Experience is the people. Crystal’s crew is simply unmatched in their warm, genuine service and attention to detail. Our guests are savvy travelers who truly value that personal connection and frequently share the sentiment that sailing with Crystal is like coming home to their onboard family.”
– Walter Littlejohn, Crystal River Cruises Vice President
During the ceremony, which took place during the ship’s overnight in Budapest on its weeklong “Danube Serenade” voyage, tenor Steffan Mullan performed, while Young virtuosos artists performed aboard the ship following the traditional blessing.
Crystal Ravel is currently sailing itineraries of six to 14 days between Vienna and Basel; and in 2019 she will be the only river ship to sail seven-night Danube cruises round-trip from Vienna to ports in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. Sounds like an epic trip to be a part of.
As of right now, I’ve only done one river cruise, but definitely eager to do more. Many of my colleagues have done Crystal River Cruises and gushed over their luxury accommodations. For example, all of Crystal’s river ships feature butler service in every room category, king-sized beds, robes and slippers, and wall-mounted flat-screen HD TVs. Of course, that’s not all. How does farm-to-table dining in one of their open-seating eateries sound? Sounds great to me!
Curious? I knew you would be. Head on over to their website to see all of the itineraries they offer.
Photos credit: Marianna Sárközy
