Crystal River Cruises — which burst onto the scene in 2016 and immediately became an award-winning line — officially welcomed a fifth ship, Crystal Debussy, with its christening at a festive ceremony in Amsterdam on May 28.
Broadway performer Rachel York, the ship's godmother, is a regular in the fleet's "Crystal on Broadway" series. York gave a stirring rendition of the song "Defying Gravity" from the musical "Wicked," mingled with attendees and posed for photos throughout the evening's events, which took place under especially sunny skies for springtime in Amsterdam.
Debussy joins Crystal Bach, Crystal Ravel and Crystal Mahler in the line's Rhine class. Crystal Mozart was Crystal’s inaugural riverboat, debuting in July 2016 on the Danube. The refurbished Mozart made a splash as the largest river cruise ship in Europe, carrying just 154 passengers on Danube itineraries despite being nearly twice the width of the standard ship design. This allows for an amazing amount of public space on Mozart, which also introduced improved technology features, such as better Wi-‐Fi access and iPads in each room for guests.
Debussy and its sister ships, all newbuilds, have continued the line’s focus on intimacy on a river cruise. The ships carry just 106 passengers in 53 suites, all with butler service. The inclusive cruises offer a host of luxury amenities, and they feature gourmet dining and spacious venues.
Walter Littlejohn, vice president and managing director of Crystal River Cruises, was master of ceremonies for the christening. Earlier in the day, he led a tour of Debussy for media to highlight what clients will like about the ship and how it differs slightly from its sister ships.
Debussy doesn't hang a speedboat off the back of the ship that obscures the view out from the indoor pool, a design choice on the other vessels in the class. As a result, natural light floods in from the back deck through the floor-to-ceiling glass window in the pool area.
Debussy was designed with one bathroom in the main lobby area on Deck 2 (instead of two), which gives the ship more of a true lobby feel and allows for two chairs, a small table and a public computer station for guests to use.
The ship also has a slightly different lighting package in the ceiling fixtures in Palm Court, the ship's main lounge. The crystal-shaped fixtures offer a bright and classy touch to the space.
Debussy sails itineraries on the Rhine and Moselle rivers (its maiden trip was in early April), and Littlejohn says the ship gives cruisers another great way to experience the Crystal standard of travel.
"So many people love this product because it's Crystal," Littlejohn said.
He also notes that 51 percent of passengers on Crystal River Cruises are new to the Crystal brand. According to Littlejohn, clients are won over when they have voyages on ships such as Debussy.
"They are saying, 'This is exactly what we wanted in a luxury travel experience,’" he said.
Debussy’s crew members lined the rail on the top deck of the ship to observe the christening ceremony. The ship was blessed, and a tugboat in the river spouted a water salute after the champagne bottle smashed on the side of the new vessel.
"Crystal River Cruises has raised the bar of excellence with each new ship — and now again as Crystal Debussy joins the fleet, effectively redefining true luxury in the river industry,” said Tom Wolber, president and CEO of Crystal Cruises. "At the heart of this achievement are the crew and officers, all of whom are members of the Crystal team that ensures that every detail of our guests' experience is seamless, from ship to shore.”
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Crystal River Cruises
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