Riverside Debussy

Former name: Crystal Debussy

Riverside Debussy last position

Riverside Debussy last location was at North Sea (coordinates 52.37869 N / 4.91435 E) cruising en route to AMSTERDAM. The AIS position was reported 1 week ago.

Current Position

Specifications of Riverside Debussy

Year of build2018  /  Age: 6
Flag state Malta
BuilderMV Werften (Wismar, Germany)
ClassRhine-class River Cruiser
Building costEUR 16 million (USD 18 million)
Speed12 kn / 22 km/h / 14 mph
Length (LOA)135 m / 443 ft
Beam (width)12 m / 39 ft
Gross Tonnage5000 gt
Passengers114 - 169
Crew85
Decks4
Cabins55
Decks with cabins2
Sister-shipsRiverside Bach, Riverside Mahler, Riverside Ravel
Former namesCrystal Debussy
Christened byRachel York (Crystal), Alle Pierce (Riverside Debussy)
OwnerSeaside Collection GmbH & Co KG (via Riverside Collection Ltd)
OperatorRiverside Luxury Cruises

Riverside Debussy Review

Review of Riverside Debussy

The 2018-built MS Riverside Debussy cruise ship (fka Crystal Debussy) was ordered for Crystal River Cruises and constructed by the shipbuilder Lloyd Werft (MV Werften) in Wismar Germany. Debussy's fleetmates are the sisterships Riverside Bach, Riverside Mahler, and Riverside Ravel, as well as Riverside Mozart. These riverboats were advertised by Crystal as ultra-luxury "river yachts".

Since 2022, Crystal's entire river fleet is owned by Seaside Hotels and is under the management of Seaside's subsidiary and travel brand "Riverside Collection Cruises" (aka Riverside Luxury Cruises).

History - construction and ownership

Crystal Cruises Inc (1988-founded/USA-based) was a subsidiary of the Japanese NYK Line/Nippon Yusen Kaisha (one of world's largest container shipping companies). In 2015, NYK Line sold it to Genting Hong Kong (GHK). Following the acquisition, the company was renamed to Crystal Ltd. The company grouped the ultra-luxury brands Crystal Cruises (ocean-going ships), Crystal River Cruises (European riverboats), Crystal Yacht Cruises (superyachts), Crystal Luxury Air (aircraft) and Crystal AirCruises (fly-cruise tours).

In January 2022, GHK filed for bankruptcy and all its assets were put on sale. In June 2022, Crystal Ltd was acquired by A&K Travel Group Ltd (Abercrombie & Kent). In October 2022, GHK Crystal Cruises' liquidator sold Crystal Bach (together with its sisterships) to the Hamburg Germany-based company Seaside Collection GmbH & Co KG. The ship (renamed "Riverside Mozart") is now operated by the UK-based (October 2018-founded) subsidiary company Riverside Collection Ltd.

Seaside Collection's subsidiary/core company Seaside Hotels GmbH is a 1970-founded (as Gerlach Wohnungsbau GmbH) luxury hotel group owned and run by the Gerlach family. The group currently owns and manages premium hotels and resorts in Germany, Spain, the Canary Islands, and the Maldives.

MS Riverside Debussy river cruise ship (Crystal Debussy)

Crystal River Cruises was established/started operations in 2016 when the parent company GHK purchased and fully refurbished the riverboat MS Mozart (renamed "Crystal Mozart" and launched in July 2016). GHK additionally ordered for Crystal four new riverboats from the German shipbuilder Lloyd Werft.

Crystal river cruise ship pool

The vessel Riverside Debussy (ENI number 4812690) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057864) and registered in Basel. Crystal Debussy was Malta-flagged (MMSI 248366000) and registered in Valletta.

Decks and Cabins

The riverboat Riverside Debussy has 55 staterooms (capacity for 114 passengers/max 169 with triple occupancy) and top-luxury suites (ranging from 20-71 m2 / 220-760 ft2). All cabins on the new series Riverside Collection ships feature the following industry-first cabin amenities - King beds, walk-in closets, and en-suite marble bathrooms with double sink vanities.

The riverboat has 4 decks, of which 2 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Onboard dining options include Waterside Restaurant (dining room), Vintage Room (10-seat wine bar / private dining room/party venue), Palm Court (show lounge), Cove Bar, Bistro (casual cafe/patisserie/coffee bar/Library), top-deck Vista Bar and Vista Grill (alfresco restaurant serving lunch/weather-permitting).

All dining venues are operated with open-seating.

The Bistro (midship on Deck 3) is open throughout the day and also serves late-raisers breakfast and dinner. The casual venue offers homemade pastries and waffles, brand coffee beverages (prepared by professional baristas), gourmet ice cream, milkshakes, wine by the glass. In the evenings, the Bistro transforms into a tapas restaurant also serving destination/itinerary-based local dishes and beverages.

Onboard dining menus include food prepared with freshest, locally sourced ingredients and itinerary-based traditional specialties - fresh seafood and fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry from local farms, local draught and craft beers, regional wines and cheeses. Specialty coffees and teas served complimentary on the ship are by the Vienna Austria-based company Julius Meinl.

MS Riverside Debussy river cruise ship (Crystal Debussy)

Vista Deck (deck 4) is the boat's Sundeck fitted with a large TV/outdoor screen, sunbathing areas (with padded loungers) and shaded areas with comfortable seating.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The boat has 3 lounges and bars, 4 restaurants, 1 panoramic / glass elevator, gym, and spa facilities. Unique features are the glass-domed atrium area and the indoor infinity pool (resistance swimming pool). The ship's show lounge, Palm Court, has a stage for live performances, grand piano performances, singalongs. The lounge features a dance floor for themed dancing parties, glass-dome cover, floor-ceiling window walls, live plants for decoration, comfortable seating, full-service bar. The 24-hour open coffee-tea corner, The Pantry, offers complimentary fruit basket, pastries, cookies, sparkling water. The river yachts also have a Fitness Center and a full-service Spa. One deck is dedicated to all onboard public spaces (including spa, gym, library, glass-domed Palm Court lounge). Each riverboat carries its own fleet of electric bikes, 2-person kayaks and jet skis for complimentary passenger use on an individual or guided tours and excursions ashore.

 

Itineraries

Riverside Cruises' Debussy ship's itinerary program is based on voyages on the Rhine River.

Homeports and itineraries/destinations will be announced at a later date.

Crystal Debussy itineraries

Initially, Crystal Debussy itinerary program was based on Seine River cruises leaving out of Paris France on 5-, 7- and 10-night itineraries with multiple overnights in Paris City. They were themed "Paris and The Arts", "Best of Paris, Seine River and Normandy", also Christmas Markets ("Christmas Paris and Shopping", "Gilltering Pre-Christmas Paris and Shopping"). The list of visited port city destinations included Honfleur, Normandy beaches, Deauville, Rouen.

However, for the inaugural 2018-2019 season, the boat had scheduled 7-day and 10-day Moselle and Rhine river cruises between Amsterdam and Basel, visiting Switzerland, Holland, Germany, and Belgium.

Following the Coronavirus crisis (18 months pause), Crystal Debussy restarted voyages on August 30, 2021, from Basel Switzerland.

The all-inclusive Crystal river cruise deals (as cruise price inclusions) offer the following complimentary amenities and services:

  • Gratuities for all the ship's staff, including housekeeping, bar, dining, butlers
  • All meals (featuring 6-star gourmet cuisine and regional specialties)
  • Unlimited soft drinks, premium beverages (including champagne, fine wines, spirits, beers, bottled water)
  • 24-hour self-service pantry (specialty coffees, teas, wines, nonalcoholic drinks)
  • 24-hour room service
  • 24-hour Wi-Fi access, free Wi-Fi and satellite Internet usage (60 min pp per day)
  • interactive TV (infotainment system) with movies on demand and music library
  • Airport-to-ship group transfers - luxury coaches to transport passengers from the airport to the riverboat on embarkation day.
  • Ship-to-airport group transfers (on disembarkation day).
  • Onboard daily yoga and fitness classes, daily choice of digital international newspapers
  • Onboard entertainment and enrichment programming (destination / itinerary-focused), including lectures, destination expert (on each cruise), local experts and tour guides.
  • Self-service guest laundry
  • Twice daily housekeeping services (evening turndown service)
  • In-cabin dining (hors d'oeuvres)
  • Butler service for each cabin
  • Two complimentary "Crystal Adventures" shore excursions in every port (curated). Additional excursions are available for purchase.
  • Complimentary culinary tours to renowned local establishments

Atlanta eBikes, Nordic walking poles and audio headphones on all "Crystal Adventures" were also provided complimentary on all shore excursions/land tours.

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Riverside Debussy Wiki

Crystal Debussy riverboat is named after the French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918). The dual steel-cutting ceremony for Crystal Ravel (yard number 129) and Debussy (yard number 128) was on January 9, 2017, held at MV Werften shipyard (Wismar Germany). The first steel plates were flame cut. The special event was attended by Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (Genting Hong Kong's Executive Chairman), Edie Rodriguez (Crystal Cruises' President, CEO, and Chairman) and Harry Glawe (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Economics Minister).

Crystal river cruise ship (Bach, Debussy, Mahler, Ravel)

The dual keel-laying ceremony (for Debussy and Ravel) was held on May 24, 2017, at MV Werften Wismar. The vessel's first sections were ceremoniously lowered into position on keel blocks. The special event was attended by Jarmo Laakso (MV WERFTEN's CEO), Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (GHK's Chairman and CEO), Josef Lumetsberger (Crystal River Cruises' General Manager of Operations), Harry Glawe (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Economics Minister) and other distinguished guests. Minister Glawe and Tan Sri Lim placed "lucky coins" on the keel blocks before the ship's first 2 sections (each one 170 tons) were laid down.

The riverboat (Crystal Debussy) was launched on June 4, 2017, and christened in Wismar on March 8, 2018. The naming ceremony was attended by Tom Wolber (Crystal Cruises President and CEO), Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (GHK's Chairman and CEO), Colin Au (GHK Group President) and Jarmo Laasko (MV WERFTEN's CEO).

Crystal Debussy's official naming ceremony was on May 28, 2018, held in Amsterdam. Godmother was Rachel York (US actress and singer). The ceremony was attended by Tom Wolber and Walter Littlejohn (Crystal River Cruises' VP and managing director), and live-streamed via the company's Facebook page.

The Inaugural Cruise (Maiden Voyage) was scheduled for April 9, 2018, themed "Tulips and Windmills".

The next table shows the itinerary's ports and port times.

Date / TimePort
09 Apr - 11 Apr (overnight)Departing from Amsterdam
12 Apr 08:00 - 19:00Rotterdam, Holland
13 Apr 08:00 - 22:00Ghent, Belgium
14 Apr 08:00 - 22:00Antwerp, Belgium
15 Apr 08:00 - 14:00Middelburg, Holland
16 Apr 07:00 - 17 Apr (overnight)Arriving in Amsterdam

Riverside Debussy's godmother is Alle Pierce (Founder & CEO - Gals Abroad Getaways/independent travel agent). The naming ceremony was on March 13, 2024, held in Amsterdam during "ASTA River Cruise Expo 2024" (ASTA=American Society of Travel Advisors). The Maiden Voyage (Rhine River itinerary) departed from Amsterdam on March 23th. The special event was attended by Jen Halboth (Riverside Luxury Cruises' CEO) and Gregor Gerlach (Seaside Collection GmbH's/parent company's Co-Owner).

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.