Showing posts with label #yachts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #yachts. Show all posts

Friday, March 18, 2016

Crystal Cruises To Launch The World's Largest Megayacht



Months after the successful launch of Crystal Yacht Cruises 62-guest Crystal Esprit, and in response to traveler's feedback and enthusiasm, the "World's Most Awarded Luxury Cruise Line" is again upping the ante with the world's first purpose-built polar class megayacht.

Measuring 600 feet (183 meters) long, the 25,000 gross ton new build with 100 guest suites will be the largest and most spacious megayacht afloat.

During a special press event at the annual SeaTrade Cruise Global convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Crystal's President and CEO Edie Rodriguez announced the introduction of the line's first-ever expedition megayacht, Crystal Endeavor, which will debut in August of 2018. Named after Captain James Cooks' research ship "HMS Endeavour," which discovered Australia and New Zealand nearly 250 years ago – the newly built vessel will be designed for global expedition in Arctic, Antarctic and tropical conditions.

The megayacht will be the first purpose-built Polar Code compliant yacht in the world with a PC6 Polar Class designation. As such, Crystal Endeavor will be able to cruise in Polar Regions during the summer and autumn in medium "first year" ice which may include old ice inclusions. She will also be fitted with the state-of-the-art offshore dynamic positioning technology, with computer-controlled systems to automatically maintain the ship's position with its own propellers and thrusters. This will enable the megayacht to float atop coral reefs and other underwater wonders without utilizing anchors, which can damage the terrain or other underwater wonders in waters too deep for anchors.

With the state-of-the-art offshore dynamic positioning technology, Crystal Endeavor will cruise in the Arctic; then follow the route of migrating whales along the coast of the Americas and Europe to Antarctica during the winter. Along the way, she will visit remote islands in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, which cruise ships seldom call or cannot access. With a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV, used extensively in the offshore industry), expedition cruises will also be organized to see sunken galleons, warships and passenger ships, such as the Titanic at 12,500 feet, and with dynamic positioning, she will just hover over deep sunken attractions without using anchors.

The 200-guest capacity Crystal Endeavor will offer extreme adventures by air, sea and land with a complete range of "toys" which are not commonly found on today's megayachts, including two helicopters and two landing pads for flightseeing expeditions, as well as two, 7-person submarines, eight electric amphibious zodiacs, jet skis, wave runners, kayaks, fishing facilities, paddle boards, snorkeling and scuba equipment, recompression chamber, dive support tender and a multi-person ATV. To further deliver guest experiences distinct from any other expedition vessels, Crystal Endeavor will be equipped with SEABOBs – the world's most technically advanced and powerful underwater scooter – that allows you to move gracefully underwater.

The standard guest suites will measure a minimum 400 square feet (including balcony), larger than all current expedition and luxury cruise ships, while the yacht's two Owner Suites' will each boast a whopping 3,122 square feet (1,615ft2 interior and 1,507ft2 balcony), making them the largest guest suites of any megayacht afloat. Owner Suites' guests will enjoy a master bedroom and two guest bedrooms, indoor and outdoor living areas, private conservatory, garden and outdoor Jacuzzi, private spa and gym outfitted with sauna, steam room and treatment room. The Owners Suite can be connected to a penthouse suite (806ft2) for a combined square footage of 3,928 feet (2,227ft2 interior and 1,654ft2 balcony), - surpassing any current and future build accommodations at sea.

Crowning the megayacht will be Crystal's signature Palm Court, which will offer 270-degree panoramic views for whale-watching and viewing other wildlife. Crystal Endeavor will boast a combined Spa and Conservatory space of a 10,000 square feet, featuring a full-service Spa, Yoga, Pilates, Salon and Wellness Center; Jacuzzis; and an infinity pool whose base can be lifted to be a dance floor or an alfresco dining area. The megayacht will also feature six dining options, as well several guest amenities including a 200-seat theatre; numerous lecture rooms; cinema; card room; and a computer center.

True to the Crystal trend of spacious public areas, the vessel will offer numerous indoor and outdoor areas for guests' independent leisure and relaxation. Further, Crystal Endeavor will be all-inclusive and will offer the award-winning service for which Crystal has been celebrated for more than 25 years. The line's acclaimed butler service will be available for all guests, as the megayacht will boast a one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio, with 200 crew members serving the 200 guests on board.

Crystal Endeavor will be built by the Lloyd Werft Group, a collection of four shipyards in Bremerhaven, Germany, which has built over a thousand vessels, including cruise ships, ice-breakers, and megayachts. Crystal Endeavor voyages will open for booking in late 2016. Steel cutting for the ship will begin May 2016 and Crystal will take delivery in August 2018.

For more information and Crystal reservations, call your travel agent of Crystal Cruises at 310.785.9300, or visitwww.crystalcruises.com.

Source: www.luxurytravelmagazine.com

Saturday, February 20, 2016

The Newest Trend In Billionaire Yachting Is Renting Out entire Cruise Ships


Crystal Cruises
The Crystal Esprit can host your 200 closest friends for seven days on only $700,000.
Chartering yachts is nothing new — many boat owners rent their mega-yachts out for months at a time to make up for the high costs of ownership.
Chartering cruise ships? Now that's something different entirely. 
Celebrities and the ultra-rich have taken a penchant for renting out entire cruise ships for them and as many as 200 of their closest friends, Bloomberg reports.
"It's like owning a mega-yacht for a week or two," Carolyn Spencer-Brown, editor of Cruise Critic, told Bloomberg.
These cruise ships are on the small side, to be sure, and often are owned by smaller boutique cruise lines like Crystal Cruises.
Crystal's Esprit ship, which the company purchased with the intention that it could be loaned out, can host 62 guests — the perfect size for private cruising, but pales in comparison to the giants from Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Norwegian Cruise lines, which can host thousands.
A seven-day private cruise with the ship starts at around $500,000 a week.
For comparison, one of the most expensive private yachts in the world to charter, the Triple Seven, only has five cabins and costs $600,000 a week, a number that doesn't include food, drink, taxes, entertainment, fuel, and gratuity like the cruise does.
tripen seven main loungeLuxury Yacht GroupThe main lounge from the Triple Seven yacht, available for charter for $610,000 a week.
It also works out well for the cruise line, as that $500,000 adds up to be more than the company would generate from a single seven-day trip with a full ship of passengers paying $6,250 each.
These are no spur-of-the moment bookings, however, and they don't interfere with regular sailing schedules. Often, these types of private rentals are planned up to two years in advance.