Crystal River Cruises christened its fifth ship, the Crystal
Ravel, in Budapest on Wednesday.
The fleet is now comprised of the Crystal Ravel and sister
ships Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Debussy, plus the Crystal Mozart.
Like its sister ships, the all-suite, 106-passenger Ravel
features suites with king-sized beds, balcony windows, walk-in closets and a
dual vanity bathroom in most rooms. All suites are above the water line. There
are three dining venues: the fine-dining Waterside Restaurant, the casual
Bistro cafe and the Vintage Room, which can be rented out for private
wine-pairing dinners.
Hungarian philanthropist and creator of the "Virtuosos"
classical music talent show Mariann Peller served as the vessel's godmother.
Crystal president and CEO Tom Wolber and Crystal River Cruises' vice president
and managing director Walter Littlejohn were on hand.
Crystal took delivery of the Ravel in April, and the vessel
embarked on its maiden voyage on May 10. It is currently sailing six- to 14-day
cruises between Vienna and Basel. In 2019, it will sail seven-night Danube
cruises roundtrip from Vienna to ports in Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.