Crystal Expedition Cruises has announced Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig, as the godmother for its new luxury expedition yacht, the Crystal Endeavor.
Schwesig will name the yacht in a ceremony on June 26 at MV WERFTEN in Stralsund, Germany, where the ship is designed and built.
The naming ceremony will be livestreamed on the Crystal Cruises Facebook page beginning at 10:30 a.m. CET/4:30 a.m. EST. The recorded ceremony will be posted on Crystal’s Facebook page for those who cannot view live.
“We are pleased to announce Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig as godmother for Crystal Endeavor, our unparalleled and bold new expedition yacht, proudly ‘Made in Germany’ and precision-engineered to launch a new standard in global travel,” said Jack Anderson, president of Crystal Cruises.
“The construction of this magnificent expedition yacht could not have been accomplished without the commitment and support of the German government and Prime Minister Schwesig, for both MV WERFTEN shipyard and this unique project. Together we have brought much-needed employment to the region and achieved the pinnacle of excellence in the Crystal Endeavor, a state-of-the-art vessel that carries the distinguished reputation for German craftsmanship forward with pride,” he added.
“The Crystal Endeavor is a true beauty and those involved in the construction of this ship have done a wonderful job,” Prime Minister Schwesig said. “Together they have built this unique ship featuring innovative technologies, especially when it comes to environmental protection, with engineering and craftsmanship of the highest order.”
Prime Minister Schwesig is the first woman to serve as head of government for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the German state where the Crystal Endeavor was built and a region with a tradition of shipbuilding stretching back to the Hanseatic League.
A champion of human rights, women’s rights and youth advocacy, Schwesig, was also the youngest cabinet member in Angela Merkel’s third cabinet and is a member of numerous boards and civic groups including serving as a Trustee for Plan International, a humanitarian organization working in more than 70 countries across the world.
The Crystal Endeavor is the ninth ship in Crystal’s fleet 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, according to Crystal’s press release.
The Crystal Endeavor will set sail beginning July 17 with five 10-night immersive voyages circumnavigating Iceland’s locales. The Luxury Iceland Expedition voyages will sail round-trip from the ship’s homeport of Reykjavík, affording travelers convenient air options, just six hours from New York City, three hours from London and with frequent non-stop flights from many major cities in the U.S. and Europe and will be followed by the 10-night Journey of Vikings: Iceland & Norway from Reykjavík to Tromsø departing Sept. 5, 2021.
Additional fall departures include the 13-night Norwegian Fjords & Scottish Isles Exploration from Tromsø to London, departing Sept. 15, 2021, featuring the fjords and UNESCO treasures of Norway and an overnight in Edinburgh, and the 11-night Breton, Bordeaux and Beyond from London to Lisbon departing Sept. 28, 2021, and highlighted by two nights in the heart of Bordeaux and an overnight call in London.
