The Crystal Cruises fam trip is hosted by Danny Giles, Sales Manager – Crystal Cruises – North UK, Scotland, Northern Ireland & Ireland with ITTN’s Shane Cullen and members of the Irish travel trade onboard.
Over 35 agents from the UK, Scotland and Ireland are onboard Crystal Serenity. The group will be enjoying a 3-night Ultra Luxury sailing from Barcelona. The trip includes dining in the award-winning UMI UMA restaurant created by legendary Master Chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa (who you might recognise from his regular appearances on Masterchef Australia).
Welcome to a New Era with Crystal Cruises
Crystal Cruises is boutique ultra-luxury cruising. The company is now part of the Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group, ushering in a new era for Crystal, focused on luxury and excellence at sea. Both ships have undergone a massive refurbishment in 2024, adopting a slightly more contemporary look while retaining the beauty and detail of the ships’ classic style.
Danny Giles & Ryan Bishop Hosts Fam Trip
Danny Giles explains that the fam trip is to “really showcase what Crystal is all about which is just ‘Exceptional at Sea’… we have the highest staff to guest ratio compared to any other cruise line… speciality dining is included for every guest which is incredible”.
He adds that it is “Big Ship Mentality” with regard the facilities and “Small Ship Mentality” when it comes to service levels. That rings true, expecially for both dining and entertainment. There are more dining options than days in the week. The theatre size would have catered for the original 1,100 and with the smaller capacity means more space. It reminds me of the fabulous Sugar Club in Dublin with lounge tables along the rows of spacious lounge seating.
Ryan Bishop (Regional Sales Manager, South UK, Crystal Cruises) explains that guests can turn up to a show one minute before it starts and get to see it. There are no queues or overcrowding.
Smaller Ships, Bigger Luxury
Crystal Serenity now sails with just 740 guests. This is a reduction in capacity from just under 1,100 guests. This strategy is to improve and elevate guests’ experiences with more spacious suites and an almost 1:1 staff-to-guest ratio.
Crystal Cruises’ second ship, Crystal Symphony, carries only 606 guests and also has a nearly one staff member per guest ratio.
Crystal Cruises’ intimate ships house expansive suites and guest rooms alongside a world-class choice of dining, wellness, and entertainment. With an industry-leading space-to-guest ratio across an array of social areas, Crystal Serenity offers the utmost comfort, quality, personalisation, and choice.
What Makes Crystal Stand Out in the Cruise Industry
Although the ships are the same size as some larger competitors, competitors carry hundreds more guests, meaning Crystal Cruises offers significantly more space and comfort. On board, you notice it in the ambience. It is relaxed and calm. There is plenty of space, seating, lounge areas and no queues for bars or restaurants.
- The industry’s best guest-to-space ratio
- An ultra-inclusive experience (drop “all-inclusive” – this is a step beyond)
- Included specialty dining, butler service in all suites and room types, and luxurious bathrooms
- Longstanding, returning crew – over 90% came back under new ownership
- Spacious onboard venues, including full-sized theatres and show lounges
- UK call centre and agent portal available for bookings
The onboard extras include the spa, the exclusive boutique, PGA Pro and one-to-one golf lessons as well as curated excursions and exclusive experiences.
Experiencing the Spacious Suites
All guests experience the ultra-luxury all-inclusive offering. On arrival, each room has a welcome bottle of Jacquart Champagne. All rooms have butler service and 24-hour in-suite dining.
There is unlimited Champagne, wine, spirits and soft drinks. Equally, it includes speciality dining at Umi Uma, Beefbar and Osteria D’Ovidio (number of visits depends on duration of the cruise, though there is the option, subject to availability, to pay a surcharge to dine in speciality dining more frequently). There’s a host of little extras such as a pillow menu, assistance with packing and unpacking, unlimited standard wifi on multiple devices and the like.
I am staying in a Sapphire Veranda suite, which is elegant and very spacious. The bedroom and separate living space stretches to 40m2 (~430sqft) with a private veranda up to 10m2 (~110sqft). Wifi is strong and the television in the room is huge. Guests even get afternoon canapés delivered to the room.
There are even handmade Sicilian toiletries in the very spacious bathrooms plus bathrobes in the walk in wardrobe. Sapphire suite guests also gain the benefit of dry cleaning for five pieces plus one bag of free laundry every 10 cruise days and free pressing (5pcs/day).
Looking Ahead for the Crystal Cruise Brand
In 2028, Crystal Cruises will launch the first of three new 100,000 GT ships accommodating 650 guests. The second will follow in 2029 and the third in 2032. These will continue our evolution into ultra-luxury cruising.
At the welcome presentation, the audience raised glasses to a toast, “to those who have seen us at our best, to those who have seen us at our worst and those who can’t tell the difference”. With Crystal Cruises, you can tell the difference, this is exceptional luxury at its very best.
Find Out More
Find out more on the “Catching Up with Crystal” podcast with Danny Giles and Ryan Bishop, which is for UK and Irish travel pros. It’s just 10 minutes long so it’s a great way to find out more without endless speeches. It’s on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.
Finally, stay tuned to ITTN for an exclusive insight into dining onboard Crystal Serenity!
