More News

Crystal Mozart to leave Crystal River Cruises' fleet

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 May 2019 17 May 2019

When Crystal River Cruises’ 2020 season embarks next spring, it will be with the youngest fleet of luxury ships in the river industry. Crystal Mozart, popularly known as the Queen of the Danube, will depart the Crystal fleet for a Genting Cruise Lines’ (under Genting Hong Kong, Crystal’s parent company) venture that will be announced at a later date.

With the departure of Crystal Mozart, the average age of Crystal River Cruises’ remaining ships – identical newbuilds Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Ravel – will be under two years, having launched 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,” said Tom Wolber, Crystal’s president & CEO. “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 long, Crystal River Cruises’ new ships are the most spacious in the industry carrying only 106 guests, which is less than half of the guest count for ships that are similar in size, with staterooms averaging over 40 percent larger than the industry norm. Travelers are also served by twice as many crew per guest providing the renowned service for which Crystal is known.

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

Crystal guests currently booked aboard previously scheduled Crystal Mozart 2020 sailings will be accommodated on similar Danube itineraries offered by Crystal Mahler or Crystal Ravel.

Silver Discoverer sold – two more ships available for sale or charter from SunStone

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 May 2019 17 May 2019

Sea Spirit

SunStone Ships has announced the sale of the Silver Discoverer to the French river cruise company CroisiEurope, as reported earlier this week. The Silver Discoverer is currently on charter to Silversea Cruises and will be redelivered between late July and early August in Singapore. Simultaneously with the redelivery from Silversea Cruises the vessel will be delivered to CroisiEurope.

The Silver Discoverer is a warm water expedition cruise ship, built in 1989, with a length of 102 meters, furnished with 64 passenger cabins for a capacity of 128 passengers.

Meanwhile, the 400-cabin cruise vessel Gemini is for sale or charter with delivery from October 2019. For the summer of 2019 the Gemini is on charter to ETSTUR, where it will operate in the Western Mediterranean on cruises ranging 3-7 nights. Full specification, photographs, and a general arrangement plan can be found on the SunStone website www.sunstoneships.com.

Information regarding purchase or charter of this vessel, can be obtained from Niels-Erik Lund at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Sea Spirit is currently on charter to Poseidon Expeditions, who has operated the vessel for several years to the Antarctic in the winter, and in the Arctic in the summer. The Sea Spirit was built in 1991, suited for operating in both cold and warm waters, with 60 cabins to accommodate a capacity of 120 passengers.

The vessel has gone through a complete upgrade of all interior spaces, such as the soft furnishings in the cabins, new cabin bathrooms as well as an upgrade of all public spaces. Furthermore, in April 2019 new Rolls Royce Zero Speed Stabilizers were installed. It is the first cruise ship to have these Zero Speed Stabilizers installed.

The Sea Spirit is on a Deck-Engine-Hotel-Time-Charter, with Poseidon Expeditions until May 2022. The vessel can be chartered or sold with delivery during May 2022. Alternatively the vessel can be sold now, with a BareBoat charter back until May 2022.

Full specification, photographs, and a general arrangement plan can be found on the SunStone website www.sunstoneships.com.

Information regarding purchase or charter of this vessel, can be obtained from Niels-Erik Lund at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Cruise Ship Interiors Expo announces opening session

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 May 2019 15 May 2019

Cruise Ship Interiors Expo, the world’s first highly focused event dedicated exclusively to interior design, architecture, and outfitting for the cruise industry, has announced its first conference session to kick off the inaugural two-day event. Professionals at the forefront of the industry will share their expertize in ‘Cruise Industry Outlook: Leaders Debate’, starting at 10:50am on Wednesday, June 19, 2019.

The event’s first conference session will focus on the newbuild order book and the impacts of newbuilds, how shipyards can respond to capacity issues, challenges around recruiting staff, economical concerns, and growth in the expedition market. Industry experts speaking on the panel will include:

Moderating:
– Newton D’Souza, chair and associate professor, department of interior architecture, Florida International University
Speaking:
– Stephen T. Fryers, consultant, Royal Caribbean Cruises
– Colin Gant, vice president of vessel refurbishment, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
– Petu Kummala, senior director of interior design & architecture, Carnival Cruise Line
– George Scammell, director of interior design, Princess Cruises

When asked what to expect from his session, Petu Kummala, senior director of interior design & architecture, Carnival Cruise Line, commented: “Expect the unexpected. There are many new projects in the works for Carnival Cruise Line, so I am confident we’ll have an interesting and exciting conversation.” He also told the CSIE team that the event is “filling a void in [the marine interiors] community.”

Chairing and moderating the session will be Newton d’Souza, chair and associate professor at Florida International University’s department of interior architecture. Over the past 20 years, d’Souza has practiced as a professional architect, interior designer, and educator. He is also in the process of writing his first book, ‘The Multi-Skilled Designer’, making him the ideal candidate to chair the conference’s opening session.

Led by industry experts, the Cruise Ship Interiors Conference has been specially curated to inspire delegates, with forecasts on upcoming trends and insights into opportunities and challenges faced by the cruise interiors industry. As such, a debate on cruise industry outlook on a more holistic level will aptly set the tone for the rest of the two-day conference.

Jacques Van Staden joins MSC Cruises as Vice President, Food & Beverage

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 May 2019 15 May 2019

MSC Cruises announced that Jacques Van Staden has joined its global team as Vice President, Food & Beverage, reporting to Andrea Gangale, SVP Product Development and Guest Experience. In this role, based at the Company’s global headquarters in Geneva, Van Staden will lead all Food & Beverage activities for MSC Cruises worldwide.

“MSC Cruises is committed to delivering best-in class culinary experiences and providing our guests the opportunity to discover new cultures and tastes through the dining we offer onboard,” said Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises Chief Executive Officer. “Jacques is well-known for his innovative and creative dining concepts and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the MSC Cruises family as we strive to continue to elevate our culinary offerings across our fleet.”

Van Staden joins MSC Cruises as a hospitality expert with more than 28 years of experience across fine dining establishments and casual restaurants, hotel and cruise, including high-profile culinary establishments in the U.S. Most recently, Van Staden was president and CEO of the Miami-based JVS Culinary Group, providing visionary creative F&B consulting services for a wide-range of hospitality entities. Van Staden is also the founder of 2941 Street Food, an award-winning modern fast-casual Mediterranean concept with five locations in Detroit, Michigan.

Prior to JVS Culinary Group, Van Staden served as Vice President of Food & Beverage and Master Chef for Celebrity Cruises. In this position, he was directly responsible for transforming Celebrity Cruises’ culinary footprint, including introducing an entirely new array of dining and beverage experiences on board Celebrity’s Solstice class of ships.

“The dining experience is a critical element in MSC Cruises guest’s overall cruise vacation and our guests are looking for gourmet culinary offerings across a wide range of cuisines,” said Ken Muskat, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, MSC Cruises USA. “Jacques, with his passion for creating fresh and authentic cuisine from around the world and impressive history of working with top establishments across the US, is the perfect addition to our team as we continue to grow our presence in North America and increase the number of North American guests sailing on our ships worldwide.”

"MSC Cruises delivers a true culinary journey with an array of international cuisine and an elegant dining experience,” said Van Staden. "I'm honored to be part of such a distinguished company and, together as one team, our mission is to further enhance our culinary canvas with innovative creations in the pursuit of not only exceeding expectations but crafting memorable dining experiences worthy of all the senses."

Van Staden’s extensive experience also includes Sous and Executive Chef positions at a number of restaurants across the U.S., including the late, legendary three-star Michelin chef Jean-Louis Palladin’s restaurant at the Watergate Hotel; three-star Michelin chef Gray Kunz’s restaurant Lespinasse in Washington, DC; the well-known two-star Michelin restaurant Citronelle, featuring California French cuisine in Washington, DC; the chic London Club in the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas; and Michelin-star award-winning restaurants Andre’s & Alize in Las Vegas.

American Cruise Line names third ship American Jazz

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 May 2019 15 May 2019

American Cruise Lines, the USA’s largest coastal and river cruise operator, has decided to give the name American Jazz for the third ship for its Modern Riverboat Series, the company said in a statement.

“The American Jazz will join sister-ships, American Song and American Harmony, in sporting elegant modern design, state-of-the-art technical features and enhanced environmental credentials,” the company stated.

The American Jazz is currently under construction at Chesapeake Shipbuilding and is scheduled to begin cruising the Mississippi in 2020, visiting iconic destinations such as Memphis, New Orleans and St Louis.

Slightly larger than both the first and second ships in the Modern Riverboat Series, the American Jazz will share features including multi-story glass atriums, private furnished balconies - a rarity on U.S. rivers - and a unique opening bow and retractable gangway, designed to enable “bow landings” direct to a river bank or dock wherever needed.

This patent-pending feature will enable the American Jazz to offer an array of options for its itineraries unmatched by other ships, the company said.