FORT LAUDERDALE —
Crystal Cruises will add to its growing stable of luxury travel
options by building a 200-passenger yacht with polar capabilities.
The 600-foot,
25,000-gross-ton Crystal Endeavor is scheduled to debut in August of 2018.
Crystal said the vessel will be the first
purpose-built Polar Code-compliant yacht in the world with a PC6 Polar Class
designation. As such, it would be able to cruise in polar regions during the summer and
autumn in "medium first year ice which may include old ice
inclusions," Crystal said.
Crystal, which plans to build three 1,000-passenger ocean ships
starting in 2018, already has a 62-passenger cruising yacht called Crystal
Esprit.
Company president Edie Rodriguez announced the new yacht at the Seatrade
Cruise Global conference here. She said Crystal
Endeavor will come with a complete range of “toys” that are not
commonly found on today’s mega-yachts, including two helicopters
and two landing pads for flightseeing expeditions as well as two
seven-person submarines, eight electric amphibious Zodiacs, personal watercraft,
kayaks, fishing facilities, paddleboards, snorkeling and scuba equipment,
a recompression chamber, a dive support tender and a multi-person ATV.