The Crystal Serenity completes its ambitious journey sailing the Northwest Passage. The ship which is operated by luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises made history for being one of the largest cruise ships ever to sail the dangerous region.
The vessel arrived in New York City this morning which marks the end of the unique voyage which lasted 32 days. The Crystal Serenity sailed 7,297 nautical miles and carried over 1,000 guests with 600 crew members providing an amazing one of a kind service.
Edie Rodriguez, CEO and president at Crystal said:
“We are humbled and thrilled to have completed such a monumental journey. As Crystal is constantly seeking new ways to share the world with our guests, the Northwest Passage represents an especially massive undertaking that was made possible by the extreme dedication of our expert destination team and expedition partners. We now look forward to beginning the planning process in delivering another memorable experience for guests on our 2017 sailing. ”
The voyage took more than three years of planning and during the cruise the Crystal Serenity was joined by the RRS Ernest Shackleton. In addition to being fully equipped as a first response vessel for virtually any emergency situation, the RRS Shackleton provided ice breaking capabilities, two helicopters for special adventures and additional expert expedition crew.
Crystal Serenity Captain Vorland said:
“From day one of planning the voyage, we were committed to ensuring the safety of our guests, crew and the ship. In addition to carrying two veteran Canadian Ice Pilots, Crystal Serenity’s bridge team received ice navigation simulator training to prepare ourselves for the conditions, and prior to the voyage, the ship was outfitted with forward looking sonar, ice searchlights, ice radar, and a thermal imaging system were installed.”
If you’re interested in this epic journey then don’t worry because Crystal Cruises will be sailing the Northwest Passage again in 2017. The voyage is open for booking but be quick as there’s high demand.
