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Posts Tagged ‘Crystal Cruises’

18
Jun

Crystal 2009 Value Collection – Broad Savings, Broad Range Of Cruises

Posted in Cruise News  by David on June 18th, 2008
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Crystal Logo

LOS ANGELES, - Crystal Cruises, winner of the industry’s most distinguished awards, has announced its 2009 Value Collection sailings, allowing savvy luxury travelers the opportunity to plan ahead and realize extraordinary savings of up to 50% off regular cruise fares aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity.

With the launch of each new year’s itineraries and fares, the ultra-luxury line identifies cruises that can benefit from pricing incentives in all stateroom categories. While typically offered on shoulder season dates and repositioning cruises, for 2009, Crystal is expanding its Value Collection to more than a dozen sailings of seven to 17 days through the Panama Canal, South America, the Mediterranean, Western Europe, New England and Canada, Caribbean and the Amazon, as well as Atlantic and Pacific Ocean crossings.

“With Value Collection, travelers can enjoy Crystal’s superb service and luxurious amenities at significant savings,” says Bill Smith, Crystal’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “This offers a great opportunity to experience Crystal Cruises and understand why we’ve been voted World’s Best by travelers more than any other cruise line, hotel or resort.”

Itineraries offering savings of up to 50% in 2009 are:

Crystal SymphonyPanama Canal/Caribbean/Amazon

Western Europe/Mediterranean

New England/Canada

Ocean Crossings

Fares quoted are based on per person, double occupancy accommodations. For additional information and Crystal reservations, please contact a travel agent at 877-325-7522.

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18
Jun

More Posh Penthouses Planned For Ultra-Luxury Crystal Serenity

Posted in Cruise News  by David on June 18th, 2008

Crystal Cruises Logo

LOS ANGELES, - Due to high demand, Crystal Cruises is increasing the number of luxurious Penthouse accommodations on its award-winning Crystal Serenity. During a two-week dry dock beginning November 12, the luxury line is converting 12 category AA Deluxe Staterooms with Verandahs on Deck 10 into eight Penthouses. While most cruise lines have been increasing the size of their cruise ships, Crystal is actually decreasing Crystal Serenity’s guest capacity.

Crystal Serenity’s richly appointed 403-square-foot Penthouses boast personal butler service, large private verandah, sizeable living area, bar stocked with complimentary wine and choice of liquor, Jacuzzi® tub and separate shower, walk-in closet, flat screen television, DVD and CD player, Riedel glassware, and complimentary pressing. In addition to 24-hour in-stateroom dining from the Crystal Dining Room, Penthouse guests can order from the specialty restaurants, including signature dishes from Nobu and Piero Selvaggio, during dinner hours.

“Penthouses are among the most coveted accommodations on our ships,” says Thomas Mazloum, senior vice president, hotel operations.

Crystal SerenityFollowing the conversion, Crystal Serenity will feature 72 Penthouses (category PH), as well as 32 Penthouse Suites (PS) and four lavish 1,345-square-foot Crystal Penthouses (CP). Four of the new Penthouses connect with category AA Deluxe Staterooms with Verandahs.

On both Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, all guest rooms are appointed with such plush amenities as 100% Egyptian cotton sheets, down pillows (and a pillow menu), lavish duvets, feather beds, two hair dryers, fresh fruit and flowers. Large closets house padded and wooden hangers, Frette bathrobes, kimonos, slippers, umbrella, and English mohair lap blankets. Double sinks, make up mirrors, shower and bathtub are standard with every bathroom. Other amenities include laundry and dry-cleaning service twice-daily housekeeping, and complimentary 24-hour in-stateroom dining.

In February 2008, Crystal Serenity was voted the #1 mid-sized cruise ship by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. For more information or Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent at 877-325-7522.

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13
Jun

New ‘Crystal Memories’ Plan Available On 2009 Sailings

Posted in Cruise News  by David on June 13th, 2008

Crystal

LOS ANGELES - Crystal Cruises is unveiling its largest ever family and multigenerational group promotion, ‘Crystal Memories,’ which is valid on virtually all the line’s 2009 itineraries. The promotion, which was first introduced this year as ‘Mediterranean Memories’ on select 2008 Mediterranean sailings, has been expanded fleet wide as Crystal continues to tap into unprecedented growth of family and multigenerational travel.

“This is the first time Crystal has launched a family promotion of this size and scope so far in advance,” said Bill Smith, senior vice president, sales and marketing. “Our current ‘Mediterranean Memories’ program has attracted more than four dozen new family groups to Crystal vacations since its launch. Due to the dramatically growing number of travelers interested in vacationing with family, and friends they consider family, it makes perfect sense to offer prospective guests strong incentives to begin planning their 2009 reunions.”

The program includes:

  • · One free sailing for every 10 full-fare, full-paying guests;
  • · Prepaid gratuities;
  • · $100 per person onboard credit for maximum of two guests per stateroom
  • · Third berth guests 17 years old and under sail free;
  • · $500 credit for a Crystal Private Adventure shore excursion of $2,500, enabling large multigenerational family groups to custom tailor land experiences, and
  • · One 8 x 10 group/family photo and one photograph of guest’s choice per stateroom.

Crystal Symphony

The size and range of accommodations aboard the ultra-luxury Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, coupled with the extraordinary levels of service and diversified onboard amenities and features, make a Crystal Cruise an ideal vacation option for multigenerational groups of discerning travelers.

The line features a fully supervised Junior Activities Program for kids 17 and under during summer voyages and other cruises with 12 or more children; Fantasia, the ships’ dedicated playroom, with games, crafts, Sony PlayStation® and Microsoft’s XBox 360 video games, and personal computers with entertainment and educational software.

The ships also feature dining options for any taste and sensibility, including casual poolside options, specialty restaurants and exceptional dining experiences in the Crystal Dining Rooms.

The ‘Crystal Memories’ program is available with all 2009 cruises aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, except the World Cruise, North Cape, Black Sea and Christmas and New Year’s cruises.

For more information or Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent or call 877-325-7522.

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4
Jun

Dozens Of Musicians Jazz Up Crystal’s Fall Mexican Riviera Cruise

Posted in Cruise News  by David on June 4th, 2008

Los Angeles, CA, - More than two dozen jazz legends and contemporary jazz artists will dazzle music lovers aboard Crystal Cruises 2008 Jazz voyage this fall. With a complement of talent to rival the hottest shore side festivals, Crystal Symphony will depart roundtrip from Los Angeles November 30, 2008, on a seven-day musical journey to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The acclaimed Harry Allen Quartet, Pieter Meijers Quartet, Bob Wilber Quintet and a variety of solo headliners will fill the ship with the swinging sounds of jazz in the classic styles of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, with more than six jazz pianists, eight brass musicians and seven on drums and strings.

Among the 24 featured performers are Grammy Award-winning instrumentalist Bob Wilbur, noted for arranging Hollywood film scores including Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club”, renowned saxophonist Harry Allen who has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, and James Taylor, acclaimed vocalist and award-winning bass player Nicki Parrott and jazz pianist Johnny Varro whose music is informed by five decades of playing with the greatest names in the jazz world.

Also scheduled is guest lecturer Loren Schoenberg, a fixture in the jazz world for his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz and author of The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Jazz.

“The amount of high-caliber talent and the breadth of Crystal Symphony’s intimate performance venues make this an exceptionally rich opportunity for jazz fans,” says Bret Bullock, Crystal Cruises‘ vice president of entertainment.

Crystal SymphonyThe jazz programming was created in partnership with respected Jazzdagen Tours and is timed to coincide with the San Diego Jazz Festival. Special savings fares for the cruise begin at $1,999 per person, double occupancy.

The Crystal Difference

 

Aboard the ultra-luxurious Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, refined elegance meets casual simplicity. With an emphasis on innovative product differentiation, the renowned Crystal experience is distinguished by classic service, abundant space, extensive choices and superior quality, providing worldwide vacations of seven to 100+ days that bridge the best of land and sea. Grounded in more than a decade of accolades, Crystal has been voted “World’s Best” by the readers of Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler more than any other cruise line, hotel or resort in history.

 

For additional information and Crystal reservations, please contact  877-325-7522. Visit us at www.chtravel.com.

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3
Jun

Crystal Cruises Announces Business Class Air Promotion

Posted in Cruise News  by David on June 3rd, 2008

Crystal Cruises

LOS ANGELES,  - Amidst the news of recent airline service cuts and fare increases, Crystal Cruises is adding comfort and value to its 2009 air program. The luxury line is offering low Business Class air supplements from selected U.S. gateways for all summer Baltic, British Isles and Mediterranean cruises. Upgraded service starts at only $799 one way, $1598 round trip, to the Baltic and British Isles, and $899 one way, $1798 round trip, to the Mediterranean - up to 75% lower than unrestricted published business class fares. Business class air upgrades are in addition to Crystal’s published air/sea fares, and are available from 17 U.S. gateways with cruises beginning June 18 through the end of August 2009.

In the summer of 2009, Crystal Symphony will make five seven- and 11-day cruises to the Baltic, including overnights in St. Petersburg, Russia, and one 11-day cruise around the British Isles. From June through August, Crystal Serenity will make five seven- and 12-day Mediterranean cruises departing from Barcelona, Rome, Venice and Athens.

The Business Class air promotion is capacity controlled and subject to space availability.

The Crystal Difference

Crystal Serenity

Aboard the ultra-luxurious Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, refined elegance meets casual simplicity. With an emphasis on innovative product differentiation, the renowned Crystal experience is distinguished by classic service, abundant space, extensive choices and superior quality, providing worldwide vacations of seven to 100+ days that bridge the best of land and sea. Grounded in more than a decade of accolades, Crystal has been voted “World’s Best” by the readers of Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler more than any other cruise line, hotel or resort in history.

For additional information and Crystal reservations, please contact a travel agent atl 877-325-7522. Visit us at www.chtravel.com  .

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12
May

Jewish Heritage Focus Set For New European Crystal Adventures

Posted in Cruise News  by David on May 12th, 2008

Crystal Cruises

LOS ANGELES, - For summer 2008, Crystal Cruises has expanded its Jewish Heritage programs in Northern Europe. The luxury line has set five excursions, including a new tour in Berlin that transports guests on a heartrending excursion to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Orianenburg, which served as a prototype for all the camps that followed. These thought-provoking and eye-opening excursions - which will prove fascinating to Jews and non-Jews alike - are also available in Dublin, St. Petersburg and Stockholm aboard virtually all of Crystal Symphony’s Northern Europe itineraries from June through August.

Northern Europe

“Our experience is that these Crystal Adventures sate guests’ interests in their roots and culture, as well prove captivating to many of our intellectually curious travelers who want to delve more deeply into Jewish history and the Holocaust,” said John Stoll, director, land programs. “This is just one of the many special interest areas we’ve explored and expanded with niche excursions. In 2008, we’re even offering a Jewish heritage tour in Mumbai, which showcases an array of Indian synagogues and other important Judaic cultural sites. For many, this kind of experience provides a common bond among global travelers.”

The tours, which feature in-depth visits to Jewish Old Towns, museums, synagogues and Jewish families, include:

Berlin (from the port of Warnemunde)

 NEW Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp & Berlin Highlights - Visit Sachsenhausen, the camp that housed political prisoners and dissidents beginning in the 1930s, where thousands of prisoners perished from starvation.

Echoes of the Past: Berlin’s Jewish History - Explore Berlin’s Jewish heritage, visiting the Jewish Old Quarter and the New Synagogue, whose stone was laid in 1988, exactly 50 years after the “Night of Broken Glass.”

St. Petersburg

The Jewish Highlights of St. Petersburg - Travel to the Great Choral Synagogue, the second largest in Europe, listening to a concert performed by the synagogue’s cantor, and visit a local family active in the Jewish community.

Stockholm

Jewish Stockholm - Pass through the walls of the 19th-century, 1,000-seat Great Synagogue, with a memorial wall to 8,500 victims of Jewish relatives residing in Sweden, continuing on to one of the few the Jewish museums in Scandinavia.

Dublin

Historic Jewish Dublin - Browse through the Irish Jewish Museum, formerly an old synagogue, officially opened by President Chaim Herzog of Israel, who was raised in Dublin, and travel on to President Herzog’s former home and site of the first Jewish Day School.

The Jewish Heritage Crystal Adventures are priced from $75 per person to $421 per person and are available aboard Crystal Symphony’s seven Northern Europe itineraries, with fares starting at $3,395.

The Crystal Difference

Aboard the ultra-luxurious Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, refined elegance meets casual simplicity. With an emphasis on innovative product differentiation, the renowned Crystal experience is distinguished by classic service, abundant space, extensive choices and superior quality, providing worldwide vacations of seven to 100+ days that bridge the best of land and sea. Grounded in more than a decade of accolades, Crystal has been voted “World’s Best” by the readers of Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler more than any other cruise line, hotel or resort in history.

For additional information and Crystal reservations, please contact a travel agent  877-325-7522. Visit the luxury line’s website at http://www.chtravel.com/crystal_cruise.htm

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22
Apr

Tour De Spin Cycling Classes Debut Aboard Crystal Ships

Posted in Cruise News  by David on April 22nd, 2008

LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2008 - Demonstrating an increased commitment to health and fitness, Crystal Cruises is launching “Tour de Spin,” a complimentary indoor cycling program that mirrors stages of the Tour de France. The program, inspired by top cyclist Lance Armstrong and led by onboard instructors, will utilize Le Monde Life Fitness Bikes and include three virtual Tour de France rides.

Participation in the program can benefit one’s health as well as The Lance Armstrong Foundation, which unites people to fight cancer. Guests who have completed all three rides in the program will receive a yellow Live Strong wrist band courtesy of Crystal’s onboard fitness operator, Steiner Leisure. For each wrist band distributed, Steiner Leisure will donate one dollar to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which unites people to fight cancer. Participants will also receive a letter from Lance Armstrong thanking them for their participation.

Beginning mid-April on Crystal Symphony and in May on Crystal Serenity, the classes will be available on all itineraries, and will be offered on every sea day and in port when time allows. The three rides are choreographed to music specifically selected for indoor cycling.

Crystal Serenity

Rides include:

  • · Les Alps - a multi-level profile, which can include flat, medium-mount and mountain stages;
  • · Time Trial - an interval workout, where cyclists race alone against the clock; and
  • · Alp D’Huez - a mind-body climb, maximizing guests’ cycling potential.

“Our guests are health-conscious, active individuals looking for the very latest in sophisticated fitness classes and equipment, and we are thrilled to add yet another option to our roster,” says Thomas Mazloum, Crystal’s senior vice president, hotel operations. “This program allows them to participate in something that benefits their own health, as well as a worthy foundation.”

Crystal’s two ships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, are equipped with Fitness Centres complete with panoramic ocean views and state-of-the-art equipment including LifeFitness® treadmills with individual flat screen televisions, elliptical trainers, recumbent and upright life cycles and steppers, strength-training equipment, free weights and a Pilates Reformer® machine. Daily exercise classes include yoga and personal training sessions. Crystal’s Walk-on-Water program features the WALKVEST® Training System, which revolutionizes walking simply by adding resistance (added weight) to your walk. Fresh fruit, fresh fish, creative salads, low-calorie and low-carb meals add to the completely trans fat-free dining experience available throughout the ships.

This year, the line is also hosting renowned medical experts from the Cleveland Clinic - one of the nation’s most respected academic medical research centers — who will speak to guests about the latest trends and treatments on a variety of topics, from cardiovascular disease to wellness through mind, body and spirit.

The Crystal Difference

Aboard the ultra-luxurious Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, refined elegance meets casual simplicity. With an emphasis on innovative product differentiation, the renowned Crystal experience is distinguished by classic service, abundant space, extensive choices and superior quality, providing worldwide vacations of seven to 100+ days that bridge the best of land and sea. Grounded in more than a decade of accolades, Crystal has been voted “World’s Best” by the readers of Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler more than any other cruise line, hotel or resort in history.

 For additional information please contact 877-325-7522.

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