Celestyal Crystal

MS Celestyal Crystal cruise ship (previously sailing as “Louis Cristal”) was built in 1980 as Viking Saga ferry ship for Rederi Ab Sally. Celestyal Crystal is a luxurious passenger liner with a unique yacht-like and advanced design and a cruising speed of 18 knots. Stylish lounges, cozy dining venues, and open promenades make the experience of sailing with the Louis Cruises line (renamed to Celestyal Cruises) really memorable. 

History - construction and ownership

After a fire damaged ship’s entire superstructure in 1990 during reconstruction, the burnt-out hull was used as the basis of the brand new Sally Eurocruiser ferry boat. The diesel engines were kept from the original ship. The hull was lengthened by 13m, the passenger capacity increased by 452 berths. The rebuilding cost USD 140 mill. In 2014 Louis Cruises announced the launching of a new authentic Greek experience cruise brand and currently, the two sister ships, Louis Cristal and Louis Olympia (Celestyal Olympia) are branded Celestyal Cruises.

Cruise itinerary program 

Celestyal Crystal itinerary program was initially based on 3- to 8-day Greek Islands cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean (Aegean Sea) leaving from homeports in Turkey. During winter, the ship operated in the Caribbean Sea on Cuba cruises out of homeports Havana (Cuba) and Montego Bay (Jamaica). The cruise embarked from Havana every Monday, and from Montego Bay - every Friday. Transatlantic crossings were offered on relocation voyage (RepositionCruises.com) between Europe and the Caribbean. The Caribbean cruise program was operated for 2 years (2016 - 2018).

Since 2018, the cruise liner's itinerary program is in the Eastern Mediterranean with roundtrips from homeport Piraeus-Athens. Next tables show the 7-day itineraries as call ports and port stay times (arrival/departure).

7-day "Idyllic Aegean" itinerary

7-day "Eclectic Aegean" itinerary

7-day "3 Continents" itinerary (Holy Land cruise)

For the Christmas holidays (December 2019 - January 2020), the cruise liner included in its "Holy Land" (Cyprus-Greece-Turkey-Israel) itinerary also two Egyptian ports - Port Alexandria and Port Said.

Cabins

Celestyal Crystal accommodates 1,200 travelers and features 476 large staterooms. Of all Celestyal Crystal cabins, 53  are Suite-grade accommodations each with a private balcony. The ship has a total of 313 oceanview staterooms (including the 53 suites), 10 Balcony and 163 interior cabins. There are also 6 wheelchair-accessible cabins. Because of the vessel's old design, rooms as sizes and types vary greatly. The total number of cabin categories is 17.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Olympus Restaurant is the main dining room onboard Celestyal Crystal. It is complimentary, features Greek cuisine specialties, and also has a dinner a la carte menu. The MDR restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Thalassa Bar serves the restaurant’s outdoor seating area and also offers traditional Greek coffee. The L-shaped Amalthia Restaurant is the buffet-style restaurant open for breakfast and lunch, with waiter service for dinner between 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. The breakfast menu includes hot food choices, yogurt, cereals, and juices. There is a 4-course dinner menu with starters, soup/salad, main dishes, desserts. Other dining options include the Olympus Restaurant, Leda & Aura (casual dining).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Passengers might also enjoy a huge array of facilities and diverse onboard activities, all with the relief of a modern and sophisticated cruise liner. The Muses Lounge is ship’s 2-deck high theater and main show lounge with tiered seating and a dance floor. The grand-style entertainment program offers live music and dance shows, as well as a magician and acrobatic performances. The Casino, served by the Eros Bar, offers gaming tables and several slot machines. There is also a video arcade and small library.

The conference room Symposium hosts lectures, seminars, corporate meetings and conferences at sea. Eros Lounge & Bar is ship's Wi-Fi spot and offers live band music performances and large-size TVs for live sporting events. Other Lounges & Bars include Horizons Bar, Thalassa Bar, and Helios Pool Bar. Celestyal Crystal also has a Wellness Center, Sana Beauty Center, sauna, gym, two swimming pools, Jacuzzi, medical center, Internet area, duty-free and travel value shop (Agora), photoshop.

MS Celestyal Crystal cruise ship (ex-Louis Cristal) was originally built in 1980 as ms Viking Saga (cruise ferry ship) for Rederi Ab Sally.

In January 1990, during reconstruction at Finnboda Shipyard (Nacka, Sweden), the vessel's entire superstructure was damaged by a fire beyond repair. The burnt-out hull was cut into several sections, which were transported to Finnyards shipyard (Rauma, Finland) and used as the basis of a brand new ferry boat named "Sally Eurocruiser" (without a car deck). The ship's hull was also lengthened by 13m, and the passenger capacity was increased by 452. The marine diesel engines were one notable part retained from the original Viking Saga ship. The rebuilding cost approximately 700 mill Finnish markka (USD 140 mill). As this was a completely new vessel, in most sources she is usually listed as such.

In September 2014 Louis Cruises announced that the company is launching a new brand with authentic Greek cruising experience. The two ships, Louis Olympia and Louis Cristal, are branded Celestyal Cruises now. In 2015, they were renamed Celestyal Olympia and "Celestyal Crystal".

In 2015, a time-chartered vessel was added to the fleet - Celestyal Odyssey (now Glory Sea). In 2016, the company purchased the Celestyal Nefeli (former MS Gemini).

Cuba cruise itineraries 2016-2017

In 2016, the Celestyal Crystal ship started a year-round Caribbean cruise itinerary program with 7-night voyages and round-trip departures out of Havana Cuba and Montego Bay Jamaica. The new Caribbean program (November 21 through March 2017) was followed by summer Mediterranean roundtrip itineraries out of Greece and Turkey. The line's Cuba operations were formerly branded for the North American market as "Cuba Cruise".

The ship's Cuban itinerary included 2 days (overnight stay) in Havana before departure and visited Maria La Gorda (later replaced by Punta Frances), Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. Departures from Cuba were on Mondays, from Jamaica - on Fridays.

In June 2016, the Celestyal company announced adding a new Cuban port of call (Punta Frances) to its 2016-2017 Caribbean itinerary program. The new port replaced Maria La Gorda on the 7-day Cuban itinerary. Located on Isla de la Juventud, Punta Frances has nearly 3 km (2 ml) of white sand beaches.

The revised 7-day Cuban cruises were all-inclusive deals with embarkation in either Havana or Montego Bay.

• Havana (Tuesday – departure at 5 pm)
• Punta Frances (Wednesday – port stay 1 pm - 6 pm)
• Cienfuegos (Thursday – port stay 7 am - 3 pm)
• Montego Bay (Friday – arrival 8 am, departure at 8 pm)
• Santiago de Cuba (Saturday – port stay 8 am - 4 pm)
• Sea day (Sunday)
• Havana (Monday - arrival at 9:30 am).