Crystal Cruises welcomed agents and media on board new expedition ship Crystal Endeavor as it returns from its maiden season in Iceland.
Endeavor, the line’s first expedition ship, debuted in July after construction began in 2018 in Germany at a cost of more than $500 million. It’s launch, originally planned for summer 2020, was postponed due to the pandemic.
The 100-suite, 200-passenger vessel is moored in Greenwich on Monday night (September 27) with a handful of agents and media joining for the evening and a further 16 agents boarding Tuesday.
The ship – which has a Polar Class 6 (PC6) classification that enables it to sail in the Arctic and Antarctic – has concluded a series of five 10-night Iceland voyages round-trip from Reykjavik which began on July 17.
It will depart Greenwich for an 11-night cruise to Lisbon via France and Spain on Tuesday, before repositioning to Miami in late October for a nine-night Caribbean sailing to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Other voyages planned for 2022 and 2023 include visits to Antarctica, the Arctic, the Norwegian fjords, Iceland, the British Isles (May 2022), Africa and Asia. Highlights include an Ushuaia to Cape Town cruise in March 2022, a wildlife-themed itinerary from Ghana to Senegal in April 2022 and a Bali to Cairns trip in December 2022.
On board facilities include three main dining venues, three specialty restaurants, a pool, spa, salon, fitness centre and lounges. All guests have private verandas and butler service.
Endeavor will carry 18 Zodiacs, 14 kayaks and a submarine, and claims to have the largest space per guest ratio of any ship at sea.