MIAMI — Crystal River Cruises is ramping up its 2022 offerings with more capacity and new itineraries onboard the Crystal Mozart and Crystal Mahler.

Crystal Mozart, the company’s double-wide inaugural river ship, will be increasing its luxury options on Europe’s rivers, including weekly seven-night voyages called ‘Danube Dreams & Discoveries’ that sail roundtrip from Vienna beginning March 28, 2022.

Plus, in an industry first, Crystal Mozart will offer 38 deluxe window suites dedicated to solo travellers with no single supplement on all voyages, reducing its capacity to just 120 guests and making it the most spacious river ship, with the highest crew-to-guest ratio, in the European river industry.

Crystal Mahler

With Crystal Mozart’s return to the global marketplace, Crystal Mahler will reposition to the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers with a variety of new itineraries. Crystal Mahler and its Rhine Class sister ships (Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel) accommodate just 106 guests, also boasting superior space ratios for all onboard.

Walter Littlejohn, senior vice president and managing director of Crystal River Cruises says this expansion meets the increased demand and pent-up desire being seen around the world, which is reflected in the company’s strong advanced bookings.

“Crystal Mozart launched Crystal River Cruises’ wonderful journey five years ago and holds a very special place in the hearts of those of us at Crystal and to many along the Danube River,” he says. “Now with her abundance of dedicated suites for solo travellers, Crystal Mozart also becomes more widely available to a burgeoning solo market that has proven to be extremely popular on our ocean cruises.”

The new 2022 deployment for Crystal Mozart and Crystal Mahler opens for reservations March 11. In addition to the peace of mind provided by Crystal’s Crystal Clean+ 4.0 health and safety protocols, Crystal is enticing travellers with its 2-for-1 fares plus Book Now Savings of up to $1,000 per guest; waived single supplement on all deluxe window suites; additional savings for back-to-back cruises; and exclusive Crystal Society savings offers. 

New routes and highlights for 2022 include the following:

• Beginning March 28, 2022, Crystal Mozart’s ‘Danube Dreams & Discoveries’ itineraries will sail from Vienna on Mondays with overnights in the Austrian capital and Budapest, as well as calls to Esztergorn, Hungary; Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia; Linz, Austria with day trips to Salzburg; Dürnstein and daylight sailing through the Wachau Valley.
• As Crystal Mozart returns to the Danube, Crystal Mahler will now sail new itineraries ranging from five to 16 nights on the Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube rivers, including some voyages that combine three rivers in one journey. New itineraries include the five-night summer ‘Rhine & Moselle Summer Escapes’ sailing between Amsterdam and Trier, the 10-night fall ‘Splendors of the Rhine & Moselle’ between Amsterdam and Basel, and the 14-night ‘Magnificent Europe’ between Amsterdam and Budapest on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.

• Crystal Mahler begins its season on April 2, 2022 with a series of Legendary Rhine and Romantic Rhine seven-night sailings between Amsterdam and Basel, followed by springtime ‘Tulips & Windmills’ voyages on Dutch waterways and the Rhine River, beginning April 30 roundtrip from Amsterdam. These voyages showcase the once-in-a-decade Floriade Expo near Amsterdam.
• The popular seven-night Romantic Rhine and Legendary Rhine itineraries between Amsterdam and Basel, which Crystal Mahler will again offer from October through December of 2022 and are also featured on Crystal Bach and Crystal Debussy, feature overnights in Koblenz and Amsterdam; calls in Cologne, Rüdesheim and Mannheim, Germany; and Strasbourg, France, and daylight cruising through the Rhine Gorge (Middle Rhine Valley).
• New five-night summertime Rhine & Moselle Summer Escapes voyages sail between Amsterdam and Trier, with late-night stays in the wine villages of Cochem and Bernkastel; the UNESCO World Heritage City of Cologne; and overnights in Trier. From Trier, guests can extend their vacation with optional two-night pre- or post-cruise Extended Land Programs in Reims, France, the unofficial capital of the Champagne region. The land package includes sightseeing, tastings and transfers between Paris and Reims.
• For longer luxury journeys, guests can sail Crystal Mahler’s 16-night and 14-night springtime Grand Europe and Magnificent Europe itineraries, respectively, which combine sailing along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. Beginning and ending with overnights in Amsterdam and Budapest, the voyages offer immersive experiences throughout Germany’s riverside towns of Cologne, Rüdesheim (overnight), Miltenberg, Würzburg, Nuremberg, Regensberg and Passau; Vienna (overnight) and Dürnstein, Austria; and Bratislava, Slovakia.

HOLIDAY SAILINGS: 

• Both Crystal Mozart and Crystal Mahler will offer special holiday sailings in late December. Crystal Mozart’s ‘Danube Holiday Wonders’ voyage spends Christmas and Hannukah sailing roundtrip from Vienna on Dec. 19, 2022, visiting Melk and Linz, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Esztergom and Budapest, Hungary. Guests can ring in the New Year aboard a ‘Spectacular Danube Holiday’ voyage, embarking in Vienna on Dec. 26, 2022, visiting Melk, Linz, Krems and Dürnstein, Austria; Passau, Germany and ending with two nights in Vienna for an extraordinary New Year’s Eve.
• Crystal Mahler will sail a new 10-night ‘Holidays on the Rhine’ sailing from Basel to Amsterdam on Dec. 23, 2022, spending overnights in Strasbourg, Mannheim and Amsterdam (two nights) and exploring Rüdesheim, Cochem, Koblenz, Bernkastel, Trier and Cologne, Germany. Guests will spend Christmas Eve in Strasbourg, France and enjoy a midnight mass and Christmas Day in Mannheim, allowing visits to Heidelberg. On New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam, Crystal Mahler will be joined by sister ship Crystal Bach for a special celebration.