Crystal Esprit

The 1991-built Crystal Esprit cruise ship (fka "MegaStar Taurus") was one of Crystal Yacht Cruises vessels (with fleetmate Crystal Endeavor/2021). In 2021, the previous shipowner GHK (Genting Hong Kong) sold the boat to Lindblad.

For Crystal Cruises, the Esprit vessel (IMO number 8705266) was Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311000506) and registered in Nassau. During the Coronavirus-related pause in commercial operations (2020-21), the boat remained docked at Port Kraljevica (to the southeast of Rijeka Croatia, just off Krk Island).

History - construction and ownership

The 75-passenger Crystal Esprit was launched by "Crystal Yacht Cruises" (a division of Crystal Cruises) in Seychelles in December 2015. Boat's inauguration marked a milestone for the brand, expanding from its longtime fleet of two ocean ships (Symphony and Serenity) into the premium yachting (2015) and river cruising (2016) markets. Prior to the brand's acquisition, the superyacht was often chartered by GHK for its subsidiary Star Cruises. The vessel is Germany-built (by Flender-Werft AG, in Lubeck).

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

The superyacht's christening ceremony (December 20, 2015) took place at Eden Island Marina in Victoria (Mahe Island). It was attended by travel partners, local dignitaries, GHK executives.

On September 7, 2021, the shipowner announced that Crystal Esprit has been sold to Lindblad Expeditions and leaves the fleet. The 30-years-old Esprit served Crystal for 5 years (2015 through 2020). The decision for selling the vessel was based on Coronavirus-related travel market changes. Crystal's official statement said that the small-yacht concept doesn't fit into the brand's future plans.

• A total of 50x Crystal Esprit cruises (scheduled for the period September 5, 2021, through March 24, 2024) were canceled.
• All affected fully-paid bookings received either 100% monetary refund or 115% in FCC (future cruise credit) of the fares paid.

The cruise ship features one 2-person submarine, four 10-passenger zodiacs, and a 32-passenger yacht tender. Esprit has 3 dining venues, 3 bars and lounges, 1 swimming pool and 2 jacuzzies. The aft marina platform is used for various water sports with complimentary equipment - water and jet skis, wakeboards, sea kayaks, snorkeling, and scuba gear. Complimentary bicycles are also provided on all shore excursions.

Mini-submarine's 30-min ride costs USD 600 per person. Crystal Esprit cruise prices start from around USD 900 per person per day.

The 85-m / 279-ft long yacht features a shallow draft (just 3,8 m / 13 ft) which allows it to visit even the smallest ports, harbors, bays, islands, cays and rivers that are inaccessible for larger-sized boats.

Decks and Cabins

All Crystal Esprit staterooms (31 total, in 5 grades) are outside/oceanview and categorized as suites. The yacht does not have any Balcony rooms. Even the biggest and most luxurious accommodation, the Owner's Suite (515 ft2), lacks a private veranda. This little ship offers six connecting rooms and does not have wheelchair-accessible cabins.

The boat has 5 decks, of which 4 are passenger-accessible and 2 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Crystal Esprit offers multiple dining venues: main dining room restaurant (multicourse dinners), outdoor cafe (casual al fresco lunches), self-serve snack spot (for midnight snacks), grill, 24-hour room service.

Follows the complete list of Crystal Esprit restaurants and food bars.

• The Pantry (buffet restaurant/midnight snack bar) is open 24 hours and operates as a self-service bistro. It offers specialty teas and coffees, wine bar, light snacks, and pastries.
• Compass Room (wine bar; specialty dining venue, reservation-only)
• Yacht Club Restaurant (Main Dining Room) offers waiter-served Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with contemporary and traditional gourmet specialties. Food is prepared with locally sourced freshest ingredients.
• Patio Cafe (Yacht Club's outdoor extension / alternative alfresco restaurant) features light food menu choices and offers waiter-served Breakfast and Lunch.
• Both (Yacht Club Restaurant and Patio Cafe) offer made-to-order food (waffles, pancakes, omelets, sandwiches).
• Health Bar offers fresh-made fruit and vegetable juices, healthy lunch options (pasta, risottos, seafood, meat, made-to-order antipasti, raw and salad bar, a la carte menu with local (cruise itinerary/destination) based dishes.
• Sunset Bar & Grill (casual outdoor fast-food bar) offers wraps, burgers, locally inspired street food.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The all-suite yacht offers a couple of bars, an aft marina with complimentary jet skis, kayaks, fishing, and snorkelling equipment. Bicycles are available for guest use in port. Crystal Esprit also carries a small submarine for 30-minute rides to 2 passengers at a time for USD 600 per person.

Follows the complete list of Crystal Esprit lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Submersible marina platform (this one is used for water sports activities; the aquatic equipment/complimentary provided "water toys" include sea kayaks, water skis, jet skis, a wakeboard, scuba and snorkelling gear, fishing rods; two Zodiacs/inflatable boats/10-passenger capacity each, are used for ship-to-shore transportation and on adventure tours; a 3-seat submarine is available for underwater exploration; additionally, the Esprit has a 12-passenger 32-foot yacht tender for special boating expeditions and also provides complimentary bicycles to use ashore)
• Crystal Spa & Salon (medispa services)
• Doctor (all massage treatments/medical consultations are performed by licensed doctors; Crystal Cruises passengers can attend complimentary enrichment seminars)
• Casino (with 3 gambling tables for blackjack)
• yacht tender (12-passenger)
• Cove (Main Lounge/entertainment venue, served by ship's Cove Bar)
• Sunset Pool (swimming pool); two large-size jacuzzies; sundeck (sunbathing area)
• Sunset Gym (Fitness Room; treadmill, exercise bike, Kinesis machines, elliptical machines, free weights, yoga mats)

Crystal Adventures shore program features a variety of cultural, sporting and exploration activities: themed photography, health, and meditation, beauty and wellness, drone flying).

Itineraries

The maiden voyage of Esprit is a 7-night cruise around the Seychelles islands. It is followed by a 2-night land program in Dubai, just in time for New Year's Eve. The inaugural season of Crystal Esprit will feature itineraries in Holy Land and the Middle East, Mediterranean and Adriatic Coast, Seychelles and the Indian Ocean. Complimentary adventure tours are available in ports of call, as well as more boutique, extra-fee excursions.

However, at the end of February 2016, due to "technical upgrades" Crystal Yacht Cruises canceled the following inaugural itineraries:

• March 26-April 3 from Aqaba to Limassol Cyprus
• April 3-April 10 from Limassol to Piraeus-Athens Greece
• April 10-April 17 from Piraeus-Athens to Dubrovnik Croatia
• Crystal Esprit's program from April 17 (7-day Dubrovnik to Venice) onward continued as scheduled.

In November 2016 were announced yacht's redeployment to Caribbean (November 2017) for roundtrips leaving every Sunday from Marigot Bay (Saint Martin Island), on 2 alternating 7-day itineraries. The first itinerary visited St Barthelemy and 4 BVI ports. The second itinerary was to the islands Anguilla, Saba, Nevis, St Barthelemy, and St Martin.

In October-December 2019, the yacht was deployed in the Red Sea to operate on 7-11-day itineraries (combinable into B2Bs / back-to-back cruises). The Red Sea cruise program featured overnights in UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and visits to Sir Bani Yas Island, Mina Salman (Bahrain), Doha (Qatar), Sokhna (Egypt / Giza pyramids tour), Eilat (Israel), Muscat (Oman).

For season 2021, Crystal Esprit's schedule listed the following itineraries:

• "Turquoise Coast of Turkey" - three 10-day itineraries along Turkish Riviera
• "Dalmatian Coast" - twenty-two 7-day itineraries visiting Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro
• "Seychelles" - nine 7-day itineraries to Laraie Bay (Curieuse Island) and Mahe Island
• "Greek Isles" - five 7-day voyages
• "The United Arab Emirates" - four 6-7-9-12-day itineraries in the Arabian Gulf
• "Holy Lands" - two 8- and 11-day itineraries visiting Cyprus (Larnaca), Israel (), Egypt, Jordan

Crystal Esprit's 2021 cruise bookings opened in December 2018, with fares starting from USD 4150 pp. Book Now Savings offered up to USD 2000 per cabin for bookings made through February 28, 2019.

In January-March 2023, the ship was scheduled for 35 itineraries in Seychelles and Europe (Mediterranean, Adriatic, Holy Land). In 2023 through 2024-Q1, the ship is planned for deployment in Southern Europe with 5x Mediterranean voyages (France and Italy), 13x Greek Isles (Greece and Turkey), 10x Adriatic (Croatia, Dalmatian Coast), 7x Holy Land and Middle East (including Jordan and Cyprus) and 12x Seychelles.

Crystal Esprit itineraries 2023-2024 were opened for booking on August 26, 2020. Nearly all were 6-7-8-night, while Holy Land and Holiday voyages were 11-12-night.

Crystal Yacht Cruises (GHK's new brand) debuted with the Esprit yacht on December 23, 2015. The exotic around the world cruise itineraries of this top-luxury ship included the Mediterranean (French and Italian Rivieras, Adriatic Sea, Greek Isles) and Asia (Seychelles, Arabian Gulf). Esprit's all-inclusive fares for a 4-day voyage started from ~USD 2700 per person (or ~USD 600 pp per day).

Crystal Esprit's Godmother was Lady Gaenor Anne Meakes - at the time fiancee of Mark Richards (8-time champion skipper of the Sydney-to-Hobart 628-mile yacht race). The christening ceremony was held on December 20, 2015, at Eden Island Marina in Victoria (Mahe Island, Seychelles). The boat was christened by breaking a 2004 Louis Roederer, Cristal Brut wine bottle into the hull. The special event also featured a fireworks show.

The superyacht's Maiden Voyage (Dec 23-30) was a 7-night Seychelles Islands cruise from Victoria (Mahe) ending in Dubai UAE. Promo prices started from USD 3240 per person (bookings made by October 31, 2015). During its inaugural season, the Esprit yacht sailed in Europe (Mediterranean), and Indian Ocean (Seychelles). Complimentary tours were available in all ports along the itineraries. At extra cost were offered more boutique excursions ashore.

Following the vessel's acquisition by Lindblad in September 2021, a total of 50x scheduled for Crystal Esprit voyages were canceled. Next table shows the Esprit's last voyage planned by Crystal. The 6-day "Seychelles Yachting Serenade Cruise" itinerary was in the ship's schedule for the period 2021 (December 16) through 2024 (March 24).

Prices varied brtween ~USD 5000-7600 (EUR 4230-6430) per person with double occu[pancy.

Itineraries 2016 changes

Due to planned refurbishment that took longer than expected, the following Crystal Esprit itineraries in the Mediterranean were officially canceled:

• (March 27 - April 2) 6-days Aqaba to Limassol, visiting Suez Canal, Ashdod, Haifa, Larnaca
• (March 27 - April 10) 14-days Aqaba to Athens, visiting Suez Canal, Ashdod, Haifa, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Kas, Marmaris, Rhodes, Kos, Paros
• (April 3 - April 10) 7-days Limassol to Athens, visiting Paphos, Kas, Marmaris, Rhodes, Kos, Paros
• (April 3 - April 17) 14-days Limassol to Dubrovnik Croatia, visiting Paphos, Kas, Marmaris, Rhodes, Kos, Paros, Athens/Piraeus, Nafplion, Hydra, Itea, Parga, Corfu, Kotor
• (April 10 - April 17) 7-days Athens to Dubrovnik Croatia, visiting Nafplion, Hydra, Itea, Parga, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Kotor
• (April 10 - April 23) 13-days Athens to Venice, visiting Nafplion, Hydra, Itea, Parga, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Split, Zadar, Opatija, Piran
• (April 17 - April 23) 6-days Dubrovnik to Venice, visiting Kotor, Split, Zadar, Opatija, Piran
• (April 17 - May 1) 14-days round-trip from Dubrovnik Croatia, visiting Kotor, Split, Zadar, Opatija, Piran, Venice, Rovinj, Sibenik, Trogir, Vis, Hvar, Korcula

The yacht's itinerary program continued as scheduled from April 24, 2016 (leaving from Venice Italy).