Crystal Cruises is offering a bevy of innovative repositioning cruises in 2013, with new itineraries on 60% of the voyages.
As year-round, worldwide cruise ships, the award-winning Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity usually move to different regions (i.e., “reposition”) seasonally. While repositioning cruises historically offer exceptional value, Crystal ups the ante in 2013, touting handsomely priced, reinvented journeys with unusual twists across the Atlantic, Pacific and American coastlines, from Northern to Southern Europe, North America to South America, and more.
New and interesting routes include:
Kobe to Vancouver (April 12)—A “Trans-Pacific/Alaska” crossing, on Crystal Symphony, featuring:
• Kobe, Japan overnight.
• Rare visit to Petropavlosk, showcasing Russian Far East culture and natural bounties such as 68 active volcanoes.
• Crystal’s only Alaskan cruise in 2013, with four calls including lesser-visited Dutch Harbor and Kodiak, plus Seward and Ketchikan.
• “Ocean Views” theme featuring lively debate among world affairs experts about current issues.
NY to Reyjkavik (May 23)—A rare spring “New England/Canada “Trans-Atlantic” voyage on Crystal Symphony featuring seven ports and:
• Manhattan overnight.
• Traditional New England ports, including Newport, RI; Boston, MA; Bar Harbor, ME; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and St. John’s, Newfoundland.
• New overnight in Reykjavik.
• “Wine and Food” theme with guest culinary experts and complimentary classes.
Barcelona-London (May 30)/London-Barcelona (Sept. 2) —These nine-day cruises reposition Crystal Serenity between Baltic/N. Europe and Mediterranean/S. Europe seasons, offering:
• Extended time in the world’s preeminent wine country via Bordeaux overnights.
• Beautiful colonial-architecture-filled Lisbon.
• Intimate southern Spain, with Barcelona overnight and Cadiz/Seville call from London, and Barcelona, Málaga, and rarely-visited Cartagena calls when sailing to London.
• Unique UK islands: Gibraltar (Barcelona-London) and the Channel Islands (London-Barcelona).
• Convenient Miami departure.
• Rio de Janeiro overnight.
• Caribbean stops in Barbados and Devil’s Island, French Guiana.
• Intimate, off-the-beaten-path Brazil, including a maiden call in Natal, plus Belém, Fortaleza, Maceió, and Salvador stops.
• “Wine and Food” theme and extra-special culinary indulgences during U.S. Thanksgiving.
Miami-Rio (Nov. 23)—Crystal Symphony moves from North to South America, offering:
Additional 2013 “repos” that sail outside of the box include:
• LA-NY Panama Canal (May 6) with rare call to Charleston and a “Garden and Floral Design” theme offering shore excursions to local gardens across the eastern seaboard.
• “Trans-Atlantic” from London (Sept. 2), ending in Boston for Crystal’s first time ever, with two calls in Scotland en route.
• NY-Miami (Nov. 2) offering extended time in the U.S. Southeast (Charleston, Savannah, and maiden call to St. Augustine), plus Baltimore, Turks & Caicos, Curacao, Aruba and a “Film and Theatre” theme.
Classic crossings, each with a “Big Band and Ballroom Dance” theme, include:
• Miami-Lisbon (March 31)—A dozen Ambassador Hosts to dance and dine with guests, 10 days across the pond, and a visit to Portugal’s Madeira Island.
• Barcelona-Miami (Dec. 9)—Nine luxurious sea days plus calls in the Canary Is. and St. Maarten.
“Next year, the variety and value of our repositioning cruises is exceptional: from classic trans-ocean experiences to more port-focused journeys,” explains Crystal’s Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing Jack Anderson. “With more days at sea on most repositioning voyages, guests have even more time to savor one of the World’s Best destinations: Crystal’s all-inclusive shipboard resort, filled with abundant enrichment, entertainment and pampering.”
