5 amazing adventures you can take on Crystal Cruises’ swanky new expedition ship
Editor's Note
As I've been writing about in recent days at TPG, luxury line Crystal Cruises has just unveiled what may be the most luxurious small ship ever built.
Designed to carry just 200 passengers, the yacht-like, 538-foot-long vessel, dubbed Crystal Endeavor, is filled with some of the most elegant restaurants afloat, cozy lounges, a spa and a small army of highly-trained staff (there are more than 200 crew members on board, more than one for every passenger).
But Crystal Endeavor isn't just about cruising in the lap of luxury.
As I'm seeing this week during one of Crystal Endeavor's first sailings, a 10-night circumnavigation of Iceland, the ship is as much about adventure as it is pampering.
Built to be as tough as it is upscale and carrying Zodiac boats for landings in remote areas (as well as kayaks for exploring), it's the latest in a new crop of small, super-high-end "expedition" vessels designed to take well-heeled travelers to the most remote, hard-to-reach places.
Already on this trip, we've zipped along the cliffs of an Icelandic fjord in Zodiacs looking for seabirds and seals, and we've landed by Zodiac on remote islands off the Icelandic coast that are home to just a handful of residents. The schedule for tomorrow includes a 4-plus-mile hike on an island above the Arctic Circle.
But Crystal Endeavor soon will set off for even more off-the-beaten places, ranging from a remote side of Antarctica that draws relatively few passenger vessels to little-visited countries along the west coast of Africa.
Here, a look at five of the most amazing itineraries that already are on its schedule for later this year through the first half of 2024:
Antarctica and the Ross Sea
Call it the most epic Antarctica itinerary ever. Instead of operating a typical 11-night sailing to the White Continent from Ushuaia, Argentina, which is the main hub for Antarctica trips, Crystal Endeavor in 2024 will operate two much-longer, 22-night sailings to the destination that begin and end in Australia and New Zealand -- a routing that will allow for access to parts of Antarctica that are much more rarely seen.
Kicking off on Jan. 6, 2024, and Jan. 28, 2024, respectively, in Hobart, Tasmania, and Dunedin, New Zealand, the voyages will include extended time exploring Antarctica’s lesser-visited Ross Sea area.
The trips will include several days around Ross Island, which was the base for many of the best-known early Antarctica expeditions. It’s still home to the explorer huts used by Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott. Other destinations on the schedule include Cape Hallet, which once was home to a scientific base run jointly by the U.S. and New Zealand, and Terra Nova Bay, which is home to active Italian and South Korean research stations.
The details: Fares start at $39,399 per person, not including taxes and fees.
Antarctica (the more traditional way)
In addition to the above, Crystal Endeavor will regularly operate more traditional expeditions to Antarctica out of Ushuaia, Argentina, that range from 11 to 19 nights.
The shorter sailings will include around eight days of exploring along the Antarctica Peninsula, which is teeming with penguin colonies between November and February as well as seals, whales and seabirds. They'll also bring passengers sightings of immense glaciers and icebergs. The longer sailings will add stops in the Falkland Islands and sometimes South Georgia Island, known for its huge colonies of king, yellow-crested macaroni, long-tailed Gentoo and black-banded chinstrap penguins.
The details: Fares start at $15,599 per person, not including taxes and fees (for a 15-night sailing departing on March 3, 2023).
The Northeast Passage
There’s almost nowhere in the world more remote than the Arctic islands above mainland Russia, and that's where Crystal Endeavor will be going during a single, epic voyage scheduled for 2023.
Lasting 28 nights and covering more than 4,000 miles, the sailing will be a complete crossing of the Northeast Passage, the icy Arctic sea route at the top of Russia. It’s a very rare trip, something that only a handful of expedition cruise specialists such as Hapag-Lloyd Cruises have ever attempted (I was on what was only the fourth-ever sailing through the Northeast Passage by a non-Russian expedition ship, in 2018 — since then, only a few more such vessels have made it through).
Starting Aug. 2, 2023, Crystal Endeavor's Northeast Passage trips will be one-way voyages between Tromsø, Norway, and Anadyr, Russia, that takes in such hard-to-reach places as polar bear-filled Franz Josef Land, the world’s northernmost archipelago, and the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The latter set of islands only was discovered in 1930.
The ship also will push through pack ice to the North Siberian Islands, home to large numbers of walruses and seabirds. A visit to Wrangel Island, another polar bear haven, also is on the schedule.
The details: Fares start at $62,099 per person, not including taxes and fees. The fare includes a one-way flight between Anadyr, Russia, and Anchorage, Alaska, at the end of the sailing as well as a night at a hotel in Anchorage.
The West Coast of Africa
Country counters, take note: Crystal Endeavor will be one of the few cruise vessels sailing up the west coast of Africa in 2022 with two back-to-back voyages that bring you to 12 countries in just 27 days.
The first of two voyages, a 16-night trip from Cape Town, South Africa, to Tema, Ghana, that starts on March 20, 2022, will include stops in South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin and Toga. The second voyage, an 11-night trip from Tema to Dakar, Senegal, beginning on April 5, 2022, brings visits to Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Senegal.
Excursions along the way will include visits to historic sites, including UNESCO World Heritage sites; virgin rainforests; wildlife sanctuaries; and beaches.
The details: Fares for the two voyages start at $16,299 and $11,299 per person, not including taxes and fees.
Greenland
Crystal Endeavor will set off on another epic Arctic adventure on Aug. 17, 2022, when it departs from Reykjavík, Iceland, for Greenland.
The 16-night trip will include stops at small coastal settlements such as Sermiligaaq and Tasiilaq on the East Coast of Greenland as well as massive calving glaciers such as the Knud Rasmussen Glacier and Karale Glacier, located in the rugged northeastern region of the country.
Passengers also will have the opportunity to see scenic fjords lined with soaring, sheer cliffs, hot springs as well as such wildlife as whales, seabirds and seals as the ship visits sites along the southern and western coasts of Greenland, too.
The details: Fares start at $27,499, not including taxes and fees. Fares include one-way flights from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to Montreal and a one-night post-cruise hotel stay in Montreal.
TPG’s Gene Sloan is reporting live this week from Crystal Endeavor as it sails on one of its first voyages, a circumnavigation of Iceland. You can find all of his dispatches on his author’s page.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.