Rachel York Christening the Crystal Dubussy, by travelweekly.com
The Crystal Debussy is one of the newest vessels in the Crystal River Cruises fleet. Broadway actress Rachel York served as the godmother in the christening of the 106-passenger “Rhine class” ship on the 28th of May in Amsterdam.
As part of the Crystal on Broadway program where performers are brought onboard select sailings for presentations and performances, Rachel York will be a standout participant. York performed a beautiful rendition of Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked during this ceremony which was live-streamed on Facebook.
Crystal President and CEO Tom Wolber and Walter Littlejohn were in attendance for the ceremony. Wolder has noted that compared to other lines, the key differences for Crystal River Cruises is that there are fewer passengers and smaller shore excursion tours. To alleviate passengers exploring the same cities at the same time as others, Crystal will be scheduling more overnights in ports. As quoted by Wolber, Crystal are “trying to uncrowd a crowded experience.”
Crystal Debussy is identical to its sister ships, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Bach which were launched in 2017. Crystal Debussy features an incredible sense of spaciousness, where there are only 106 passengers on a ship that is of the same space as some that are intended for 190 people, creating a truly exclusive experience. The staterooms start from 188 square feet in size, where guests can indulge in the feeling of a hotel rather than a ship.
Although “Rhine-class” river ships from Crystal do not have true balconies, they feature floor-to-ceiling windows, trademarked as a Panoramic Balcony-Windows. The top-half of these windows slide down to allow in fresh air which not only gives the sense of a balcony, but makes the room feel larger. Most cabins boast a walk-in closet, and the bathrooms feature double vanities.
The open Palm Court lounge is a standout feature on Crystal’s fleet of river cruises, where glass encapsulates the lounge and allows a free-flow of light into the space which reinforces the hotel feeling that guests will experience. Meals in the main Waterside Restaurant are served a la minute, where guests can dine on tables designed for two or four, as opposed to larger tables.
On the third floor, guests will find the Bistro Debussy, an indoor swimming pool and outdoor seating. Additionally, a manned pop-up bar will feature during the day dependent on the sailing conditions.