Luxury Operator Crystal Cruise Win "Crystal Award" For Innovative Boutique Design

Crystal Cruises Crystal Symphony

Crystal Serenity’s $25 million redesign has not only received accolades from guests, travel agents and travel press since its debut last year, but from the design world as well.  The ship’s renovated Apropos boutique -- a retail space for designer clothing and accessories -- has won the prestigious Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) interior design “Crystal Award” for the shop’s distinctive and dramatic aluminum interlocking circle screen.  The design won the first-ever Wall Treatment Award in the new, Individual Element category for 2012.

“Due to marine requirements, we have more design restrictions than a space on land, so this is a huge honor for a cruise ship to have won,” says Alexandra Don, Crystal’s vice president hotel services and design.  “Awards like this simply validate what we and our guests already know: that our ships are the ultimate of chic, anywhere on the globe.”

Winners in other categories this year included such company as Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, REI, and Alexander Wang.

Designed by II BY IV Design Associates, the walls of highly polished, thick aluminum, interlocking circles serve as separators for flanking vignettes within the boutique.  The design was inspired by antique nautical instruments and globe stands, with the reflective piece complementing the high-gloss fascia, wood veneer, and glass-and-mirror wall treatments surrounding them.  All fixtures had to be securely bolted to fit marine building codes, yet maintain a graceful, slender appearance—a unique challenge for retail spaces at sea.

Crystal Serenity’s sister ship, Crystal Symphony, will be undergoing her own renovations this June, completing a five-year plan to redesign all of the ship’s public and private rooms.

Crystal Cruises’ ethos of warm and friendly attentiveness, proffered by top-trained service staff from around the world, has earned the line a reputation for elevating hospitality to an art form.  With no guest request left untended, Crystal Cruises has been the perfect choice for luxury travelers for over two decades, earning more “World’s Best” awards than any other cruise line, resort, or hotel in history. 

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Fred Olsen's Black Watch Voted Best Entertainment By UK Cruisers

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is pleased to announce that its 804-guest cruise ship Black Watch has been voted ‘Best for Entertainment’ in the 2012 Cruise Critic ‘Cruisers’ Choice UK Awards’ (Small Ships Category), having been awarded an impressive 4.3 out of a total of 5 for its onboard entertainment. The Cruise Critic ‘Cruisers’ Choice Awards’ are based entirely on cruisers’ opinions of UK cruise lines, and its members said of Black Watch that her staff “consistently went the extra mile”.

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“This is great news, and we would like to thank all the Cruise Critic members who voted for us. This important accolade, voted for by genuine cruisers, builds upon our award of ‘Best Live Performance’ for the world-renowned OperaBabes in the ‘Cruise International Awards 2011’, which were also voted for by cruise fans.

“We are proud to be attracting some of the best entertainment around on board our cruise ships, from Boney M to The Osmonds, and our guests clearly appreciate the efforts that we go to attract the most impressive talent available today.”

Cruise Critic is the largest online cruise community, with 800,000 members, and the site has almost two million visitors every month.

Cruise Critic Editor in Chief, Carolyn Spencer Brown, said:

"Unlike other awards, our ‘Cruisers' Choice Awards’ are based exclusively on ratings provided by cruisers – the people whose opinions matter the most. The awards honour the ships rated the highest by cruisers in terms of service, value, facilities and accommodation."

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines was previously voted ‘Best for Solo Cruisers’ in the third annual Cruise Critic ‘2011 Editors' Picks Awards’.

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Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic Win Award

Norwegian Cruise Line is raising a glass to Norwegian Epic’s recognition as “Best Overall Individual Cruise Ship” in Travel Weekly’s 2011 Readers Choice Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in the travel industry. Norwegian Epic, the line’s newest and most innovative ship, was selected by readers for offering a product and service that excelled and stood out as the industry’s best. To celebrate, guests who book a cruise on Norwegian Epic between January 29, 2012 and February 5, 2012 will receive a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine in their stateroom upon embarkation.

Click Here to read a review on the Norwegian Epic.

Through April 7, 2012, Norwegian Epic is sailing seven-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean from Miami with stops in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas , US Virgin Islands; and Nassau , Bahamas , along with three relaxing days at sea. On April 14, 2012, Norwegian Epic embarks on an 11-day Transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona with a stop in Ponta Delgada , Azores . From April 29 through October 14, 2012, the ship sails seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona , Spain . Ports of call include: Naples , Rome ( Civitavecchia ) and Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy ; Cannes and Provence (Marseille), France .

Norwegian Epic offers the ultimate in Freestyle Cruising with more than 20 dining options; the largest suite complex at sea: The Haven by Norwegian; award-winning staterooms for solo travelers; world-class entertainment featuring Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Nickelodeon and Cirque Dreams® and Dinner and much more.

Guests can take advantage of this special incentive in addition to the “Norwegians Take it to the Next Level” sales event, where new reservations made now through March 31, 2012, can receive same category upgrades, reduced deposits and e-coupons worth up to $400 in on-board savings for sailings taking place before December 31, 2012. With these coupons, guests can splurge on some of the most popular amenities at sea. Once booked and checked in online, guests will receive electronic coupons for spa treatments, internet minutes and a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant.

Click Here to read a review on the Norwegian Epic.

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All Discovery Cruising Brands Recognized With British Travel Awards Nominations

All three brands of All Discovery Cruising’s small ship cruising portfolio have been named finalists in the prestigious 2011 British Travel Awards.

Travel industry professionals and selected consumers nominated the British cruise company’s Voyages of Discovery, Swan Hellenic, and Hebridean Island Cruises in several categories.

“It is very exciting to have all of our products recognized by both travel professionals and consumers,” said Steve Novello, President of All Discovery Cruising, North America. “This year’s nominations at the British Travel Awards, in addition to other industry accolades that we’ve received over the years, reflect our continued focus on providing all our guests with superior, enriching small ship cruising experiences.”

Hebridean Island Cruises, serving the ultra-luxury small ship cruising market with the 50-guest Hebridean Princess, is a finalist in two categories: Best Luxury Cruise Line and Best Niche Cruise Line. Hebridean Princess was proud to have welcomed back Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and members of her family when the ship was privately chartered in 2010.

Voyages of Discovery is a finalist in two categories: Best Niche Cruise Line, where it earned top honors in 2010, and Best UK Departure Cruise Line. During the Summer 2012 season, the 650-guest Discovery sails on an extraordinary collection of 7- to 29-night itineraries, visiting a record number of 25 new ports.

Swan Hellenic, offering small ship discovery cruising in British country elegance aboard the 320-guest Minerva and a river cruising program, is a finalist in three categories: Best Niche Cruise Line, Best River Cruise Line, and Best UK Departure Cruise Line. Swan Hellenic was a Silver winner in the 2010 Best River Cruise Line division.

“The British Travel Awards are widely considered to be the ‘Oscars’ of the UK travel industry. It is the largest awards program in the UK created to reward travel companies and the winning accolade is the benchmark for excellence,” said Lorraine Barnes Burton, BTA’s Chief Executive.

All the nominees now progress to the consumer voting stage; in 2010 consumers cast more than 120,000 votes. Winners for 2011 will be announced at a Nov. 2 gala in London.
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SeaDream Yacht Cruises Wins Top Awards

Sept 26, 2010-In advance of publishing the 2011 Berlitz Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships on October 4, the new guide has announced that the 112-guest mega yachts SeaDream I and II are two of the top five sea-going passenger vessels in the world.

The new Berlitz Guide, researched and written by Douglas Ward - the world’s top authority on cruising and cruise ships - enforces that when it comes to life on the ocean waves “small is beautiful”. Having reviewed 285 cruise ships, Ward has named the top-rated ships for 2011. The 10 most highly rated, being officially “small” or “boutique”.

The hard hitting reviews independently expose the best and worst scoring cruise ships using an internationally accepted rating system devised by the author, Douglas Ward, the most formidable critic in the business. Taken into account are 400 separate items based on personal cruises, visits and revisits to ships, as well as observations and comments from Ward’s team.

Commenting on the announcement by Berlitz on their 2011 ship ratings, Bob Lepisto, SeaDream’s President, said: “We are honored and delighted to have been so highly distinguished once again in this world-renowned guide produced by the passenger shipping expert, Douglas Ward. We thank him and his publishers, however, as President I want to add my thanks to our colleagues at sea and those in our offices around the world who have all contributed to our continued success".

In the 2010 Berlitz Guide, in the category “The Top 10 Boutique Ships” (50-200 passengers), SeaDream I and II were rated No 1 and 2, the “Best in the World”, with scores of 1,788 for SeaDream II and 1,786 for SeaDream I.

Since SeaDream’s founding in 2001, it has been honored annually by the Berlitz Guide, SeaDream I and II having been described as “Ultimately Exclusive Boutique Vessels” and named as the tops in the guide’s Five Star Club, listing them as the “Crème de La Crème”.

The SeaDream Difference:

In the nine years since the company came into business, innovative SeaDream Yacht Club has brought a refreshing change to the world of ultra-luxury holidays at sea – with the intention of being completely different from any and every other cruise product.

The expression ‘Yacht Club’ is not a sentiment about size; it is a statement about lifestyle aboard the small, ultra-deluxe vessels. Chic and stylish, SeaDream I and II are the ultimate hybrid of deluxe private yacht and luxury boutique spa. The elegant informality of the yachts sits comfortably with state-of-the art facilities, discreet, personal service and world class cuisine. - SeaDream is the only member of the Thai Spa Association at sea.

Yachting is about enjoying an unstructured lifestyle - dropping anchor offshore rather than tie up at dock, staying in port until well after midnight and taking a voyage to locations where large traditional cruise ships cannot sail.

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Crystal Ships Voted Best By Conde Naste Traveler -

February 4, 2010 – The ships of Crystal Cruises have once again earned top honors from the readers of Condé Nast Traveler, who named the ultra-luxury vessels the best large ships in the world. Of 90 worldwide ships, Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony were voted #1 and #2 with overall scores of 93.0 and 92.4, respectively. Crystal also earned the top scores for Service, Food and Design/Layout. In its February 2010 issue, Condé Nast Traveler calls its polled readers, “the savviest travelers in the world.”

The honor comes a few months after Crystal Cruises was voted “Best Large-Ship Cruise Line” by readers of the same magazine, as well as earning the “World’s Best Large-Ship Line” by the readers of Travel + Leisure.

“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2010, we are so honored that discerning, experienced travelers have found Crystal Cruises to be such a consistently perfect choice,” says Gregg Michel, president of Crystal Cruises.

Renowned for its service, space, quality and choices, Crystal Cruises is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with a myriad of fascinating worldwide itineraries and extraordinary value. Promotional highlights include Two-for-One fares, generous ‘All Inclusive – As You Wish’ shipboard spending credits, Free Air Transportation from more than 20 North American gateways for most cruises, Crystal Family Memories group program, Kids Sail Free on two summer dates, and with Crystal’s 2010 Price Guarantee. Guests sailing on their birthday in 2010 can celebrate with the Captain and enjoy a champagne brunch, as well as other 20th Anniversary festivities.

Following the redesign of Crystal Serenity’s Cove Bar, casino and other spaces, guests, travel agents and industry critics have been touting Crystal Symphony’s recent major $25 million remodel. Adds Michel, “Whether it’s a new sushi bar featuring the cuisine of Nobu Matsuhisa, a land program to Wimbledon, a technology concierge service or a filmmaking program with The Travel Channel, our services and features are infused with innovation and style. I am so pleased that the ongoing investment in the Crystal product is so appreciated by veteran travelers.”

Queen Mary 2 Spa Wins Award

October 9. 2009 – SpaFinder, Inc., the global spa resource, has named the Canyon Ranch SpaClub® aboard Cunard Line’s flagship Queen Mary 2 among the top-10 best spas in the world for “Best Spa on a Cruise Ship” category in its seventh-annual SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Awards. Based on votes submitted by readers of SpaFinder publications, including Spafinder.com, the awards represent the most comprehensive consumer assessment of the global spa market available today. Over 360,000 votes—a new record for the Reader’s Choice Awards—were cast for favorite spas by continent, country, region and across 27 categories.

“After seven years of enthusiastic consumer participation, our Readers’ Choice Awards have become the industry’s premier award program—the spa world’s answer to the Academy Awards®,” said SpaFinder, Inc. President Susie Ellis. “Now that there are roughly 15,000 hotel, resort and destination spas operating worldwide, for Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 Canyon Ranch SpaClub to be singled out by our readers is a tremendous honor.”

"After five successful years in partnership with Canyon Ranch, this prestigious SpaFinder award confirms our choice and ongoing commitment to offer Queen Mary 2 guests the premier wellness experience at sea," said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line.

To help consumers identify the very best spas for their specific goals, SpaFinder asked its readers and web visitors to name their top picks for the best spas in 27 unique categories—from “Best for Affordability” and “Best Cuisine” to “Best for Men” and “Best Medical Program.” Voters were asked to only cast ballots for stay spas they’ve personally visited within the past three years.

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Celebrity Solstice and Equinox Win Conde' Nast Awards

October 21, 2009 – Celebrity Cruises has once again won top honors in one of the most trusted surveys of consumer travel preferences in the world. The prestigious Conde' Nast Traveler magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards ranked Celebrity number one in the new Mega-Ship Cruise Lines category, recognizing the widely heralded Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox.

More than 25,000 experienced travelers made their voices heard in the prestigious annual poll ranking more than 10,000 cruise lines, hotels, resorts, cities, islands, airlines and car rental agencies. Celebrity Cruises was among the honorees featured in a segment airing Monday on NBC’s Today Show to highlight what led to the number-one ranking.

"Winning first-place in the new mega-ship category is an incredible tribute to the style, design and service that have led to the phenomenal response our new Solstice Class continues to generate, and further validates our fleet's longtime leadership position in the premium cruise category," said Celebrity’s President & CEO Dan Hanrahan. "We’re honored that the informed readers of Conde' Nast Traveler so appreciate the Celebrity experience."

No stranger to netting top honors, the Celebrity Cruises fleet as a whole has, for the past seven consecutive years, dominated the large-ship category in Conde' Nast Traveler’s "Top Cruise Ships in the World" survey published each February.

Cruise lines were rated on a five-point scale – excellent, very good, good, fair or poor – in seven categories: activities, cabins, service, design, food/dining, itineraries, and shore excursions.

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Fred Olsen Wins Awards

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has been honored with two awards in the 2009 Cruise Critic.co.uk Editors’ Picks Award listing.
In the first ever of this now to be annual award, Fred. Olsen earned distinction in the categoryes of both “Best for Seeing the World” and “Best Refurbished Ship – Fred. Olsen’s Braemar”.

Marketing Director Nigel Lingard reports, “We are absolutely delighted to be in the award line-up, and to get two awards is especially exciting. The Cruise Critic uk website is one of the most popular and influential consumer sites in the UK, and to have scooped the top slot in these categories means that the name of Fred. Olsen will be in front of our potential passengers in the most advantageous way possible.”

Fred. Olsen operates a fleet of four small-sized cruise ships: Braemar, Balmoral, Black Watch and Boudicca on worldwide itineraries from seven UK departure ports. Fred. Olsen is a proud member of the Niche Marketing Cruise Association.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines offers small ship cruising and a relaxed British atmosphere. Passengers are assured of high on-board standards of accommodation, varied menus composed of the freshest ingredients, friendly staff, top entertainment and itineraries to worldwide destinations. Fred. Olsen currently operates a fleet of four cruise ships, most of which are based in the UK.


NOTE: For Information on Cruises From New York Check out www.NYCruiseInfo.com.
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Luxury Operator, Crystal Cruises, Voted World's Best Large Ship Cruise Line

July 13, 2009 – For a record 14th year, Crystal Cruises has been voted “World’s Best Large-Ship Cruise Line” by the readers of Travel + Leisure magazine. The ultra-luxury line is the only cruise line, resort or hotel to have won the prestigious award each year since the awards’ inception. Crystal Cruises’ 2009 World’s Best Score of 88.94 is the highest of any cruise line – large or small. A Crystal cruise is the only vacation experience to have been voted #1 by Travel + Leisure readers for 14 years.

The World’s Best Awards are featured in the magazine’s August 2009 issue based on a first quarter 2009 survey of thousands of discerning world travelers. Subscribers were only permitted one vote each, and were asked to rate cruise lines on cabins, food, service, itineraries/destinations, activities and value, plus an optional vote for families.

“We are so honored and gratified that Crystal’s winning formula of superior service, choices, space, quality and value was treasured by so many discerning Travel + Leisure readers,” says Crystal Cruises’ President Gregg Michel. “This award continues to be a tremendous validation of the authentic warmth and professionalism of Crystal’s extraordinary staff and our unparalleled attention to detail.”

Crystal’s luxurious, award-winning fleet comprises the 922-guest, 50,000-ton Crystal Symphony and the 1,070-guest, 68,870-ton Crystal Serenity, which sail worldwide itineraries of seven to 100+ days. In September, Crystal Symphony will undergo a major multimillion dollar redesign. By the fall of 2009, Crystal Cruises will have invested more than $65 million in its two ships within a three-year period.

Inspired innovative features like restaurants with cuisine by Nobu Matsuhisa, ultimate wine experiences, tech concierges, over-the-top Crystal Adventures ashore, and relentless attention to detail continues to distinguish the Crystal experience.

“We continue to invest in our ships, with sophisticated design, product features and services that obviously reap high marks from astute travelers,” adds Michel. “In this challenging, competitive travel environment, we know this rating means a lot to travelers. When they part with their hard-earned vacation dollars, they want the assurance that they are getting the best at a great value.”