Mozart to exit Crystal fleet for new Genting venture

It is going to a new Genting Cruise Lines venture that will be announced at a later date.

Leaves a young, uniform fleet

This means Crystal will have a fleet of four identical river vessels featuring all-balcony-suit accommodations starting with the spring 2020 European season.

Newbuilds Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Ravel entered service in 2017 and 2018.

'Crystal River Cruises’ ships are not only the newest in the industry, they are the only to feature all-suite, all-balcony accommodations with every room category situated above the water line and offering Crystal’s signature personal butler service,' Crystal President and CEO Tom Wolber said. 'While the new ships’ itineraries vary, our guests and travel advisors will now find a uniform ship experience across the full fleet.'

At 135 meters but carrying just 106 passengers each, the Rhine-class vessels are exceedingly spacious, with accommodations that average more than 40% larger than the industry norm. The crew-to-passenger ratio is also twice as high as the standard.

Mozart's last sailing for Crystal

Mozart’s last Crystal voyage available to the public will embark Dec. 2, 2019, from Vienna to Budapest.

Passengers booked for 2020 sailings will be accommodated on similar Danube itineraries offered by Crystal Mahler or Crystal Ravel.

'Crystal Mozart set the stage for Crystal River Cruises’ debut as its inaugural ship in the summer of 2016, and we are pleased to see her carrying onward with Genting Cruise Lines,' Wolber said.

In 2015, Crystal had acquired the German-built Mozart, Europe's largest river cruise vessel, in order to launch its brand expansion onto the rivers sooner than originally planned, before its newbuilds arrived. The vessel underwent an extensive drydock upgrade to create huge suites, new public rooms and a stylish, contemporary look.

The Crystal Mozart news closely follows AmaWaterways' recent introduction of a double-wide Danube vessel, the newbuild AmaMagna.

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