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MV Werften delivers fourth river newbuild, Crystal Ravel

(Photo: © MV Werften)
Crystal's Tom Wolber, left, with MV Werften's Jarmo Laakso
The fifth luxury vessel for Crystal River Cruises and the fourth built by MV Werften was handed over to the company today in Wismar, Germany. Crystal president and CEO Tom Wolber took the 'keys' to Crystal Ravel ahead of its maiden voyage next month.

Joining Wolber at the MV Werften handover ceremony were Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO of Genting Hong Kong; Colin Au, group president of Genting HK, and Jarmo Laakso, managing director of MV Werften. Guest of honor was Malaysian Ambassador Sarah Nava Rani Al Bakri Devadason.

'We are thrilled to welcome Crystal Ravel to the fleet, which will further expand the many choices our guests have for experiencing luxury on the rivers of Europe,' Wolber said. He thanked the experts at MV Werften for their 'continued partnership and for sharing our commitment to building and delivering award-winning vessels.'

Four river vessels in eight months

The yard has delivered the four Crystal river vessels within an eight-month stretch. Laakso expressed his appreciation to MV Werften employees, partners and the Crystal team for this achievement.

Crystal expanded into river cruising by launching the extensively rebuilt and upgraded Crystal Mozart in 2016. The new vessels are the only all-balcony-suite, all-butler ships on Europe’s rivers, with all accommodations above the waterline.

Crystal Ravel was handed over approximately one month after Crystal Debussy, which embarked on its maiden voyage last week from Amsterdam.

Maiden voyage set for May 10 from Basel to Vienna

On May 10 Crystal Ravel begins its maiden voyage from Basel to Vienna. Itineraries will cover the Rhine, Danube, Main and Moselle rivers, visiting medieval towns and cosmopolitan hubs in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia.

Like sisters Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Debussy, the 106-passenger Crystal Ravel offers king-sized beds, panoramic balcony-windows, walk-in closets and dual vanity in the bathrooms in most categories, ETRO robes and slippers and wall-mounted flat-screen HD televisions.

Additional features include multiple, open-seating eateries: the elegant Waterside Restaurant, Bistro café and the exclusive Vintage Room. The Palm Court serves as the gathering place for entertainment and enrichment presentations.

More than 200 shoreside adventures are included. Each river itinerary also features included Signature Events that offer rare access and musical performances in landmarks like Vienna’s Belvedere Palace, Linz’s St. Florian Monastery and Rüdesheim’s Monastery Eberbach.

Excursion group sizes are limited to 15 participants. For larger groups, guides are available to lead the tours in German, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages upon request. Transportation is via spacious motor coaches that provide free Wi-Fi.