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Yachting : Luxury Expedition Yacht Crystal Endeavor Departs Stralsund, Germany And Sails to Iceland for Inaugural Voyages
First Polar Class luxury expedition yacht to be built in Germany, where almost all of the world’s largest, finest, and most luxurious megayachts are made
Stralsund- Crystal Endeavor, the first “Made in Germany” Polar Class 6 (PC6) luxury expedition yacht, cruised out of MV WERFTEN shipyard in Stralsund where she was designed and built accompanied by the sound of Crystal’s beloved sail away song “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. The yacht is now bound for Iceland and her inaugural voyages in the Land of Fire and Ice
A pier-side sail away celebration was held at MV WERFTEN for employees and family members who offered a heartfelt sendoff of waving and wishes of “Gute Reise” and “bon voyage” to the intrepid new expedition yacht. The ship turned around in the Sudhafen (Southern Harbor) and then entered the Ziegelgraben en route to the Baltic Sea.
Crystal Endeavor sailed from Stralsund with a full vaccinated crew and is scheduled for a July 15 arrival in Reykjavík, Iceland. She will depart Reykjavík on her inaugural voyage on July 18 after an overnight in the city on the first in a series of five 10-night voyages circumnavigating Iceland.
“Today is a milestone day for Crystal as our new state-of-the-art expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor sails to Iceland from MV WERFTEN to set a new industry standard as the most spacious, most powerful, and most luxurious expedition ship in the industry,” said Jack Anderson, president of Crystal.
“We want to thank everyone at MV WERFTEN for their partnership and their uncompromising German engineering and design excellence in crafting an intrepid new polar class yacht that will offer our guests incredible adventures to the far reaches of the globe, with the highest standards of safety and sustainable features that demonstrate extreme care for our guests and the world’s oceans and the destinations we visit.”
“This is a great day for MV WERFTEN, and sister shipyard Lloyd Werft, with the delivery of two megayachts in 2021,” said Peter Fetten, MV WERFTEN’s president & CEO. “Together, the ships cost more than a billion dollars to build, contributing to Germany’s export economy and reinforcing Germany as the country where almost all the world’s largest, finest and most luxurious megayachts are made.”
Crystal Endeavor was christened on June 26, in Stralsund with Manuela Schwesig, Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as the ship’s Godmother and she sent the ship and her crew her best wishes. “We send best wishes to the captain and crew of Crystal Endeavor as she sails from Stralsund,” said Prime Minister Schwesig.
“Those involved in the construction have done a wonderful job crafting this unique ship with innovative technologies, especially when it comes to environmental protection. This is engineering and craftsmanship of the highest order.”
Crystal Endeavor is the ninth ship in the award-winning cruise line’s worldwide fleet, the fastest and most powerful expedition ship in the industry, and features a PC6 classification that enables her to sail in Arctic and Antarctic regions. At 100 gross tons and 10,000 cubic feet per guest and a passenger space ratio of more than 100, she has the largest space per guest of any ship at sea.
Luxuriously designed to offer discerning travelers elegantly expansive private and public spaces, the ship accommodates just 200 guests in 100 well-appointed all-verandah, all-butler serviced suites, among the largest and most spacious in expedition cruising. A one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio delivers the personal and genuine service for which Crystal is known.
Throughout the ship, Crystal hallmarks accent guests’ onboard experience: Michelin-inspired dining options including Umi Uma, the first and only Japanese restaurant on an expedition ship, fine Italian cuisine at Prego, 24-hour room service, and optional Vintage Room experience; the only casino on an expedition yacht; a glass-covered, two-story solarium – housing the Seahorse Pool and Jacuzzi – providing panoramic views from the sea to the sky; and the full-service Crystal Life Salon & Spa with a state-of-the-art Fitness Center; as well as a wrap-around Promenade Deck, an iconic Crystal design element. Expedition-specific amenities will include high-tech enrichments spaces, designated mudrooms, an Expedition, and Helicopter Lounge.
The ship’s marina will feature the “toys” found aboard a private yacht including a fleet of Zodiacs, kayaks, snorkel gear, and a six-guest submersible, and two helicopters in select regions of the world. Exploration equipment includes a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) to view the sea at a 300-meter (almost 1,000 feet) depth and a Gimble long-range camera mounted on the mast that can zoom in to view wildlife and scenery over a mile away. Guests can join in with the expedition guides in Palm Court and the Expedition Lounge who are operating the equipment to alert of sights they would like to see up close.
Inaugural Voyages, Iceland, the Arctic Circle, and Europe
As the first and only true luxury expedition yacht to restart cruising in the Arctic and Northern Europe, Crystal Endeavor’s maiden voyage sails from July 17 – 27, 2021 as part of a series of 10-night immersive voyages circumnavigating Iceland’s most dramatically beautiful and fascinating locales.
