Crystal launches first river cruise newbuild

Crystal River Cruises on Sunday christened the Crystal Bach, the first of four river cruise ships it is building from the ground up. The ceremony was broadcast on Facebook Live.

The 106-passenger Crystal Bach was christened in Rudesheim, Germany, by opera singer Anna-Maria Kaufmann. The christening was attended by passengers, local travel partners, Crystal executives and executives from Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong.

Crystal has not yet provided photos of the ship’s interior, but according to the company, all staterooms are positioned above the water line versus most other river cruise ships that feature some cabins that are partially below the water line with smaller porthole windows that sit just above the water.

The Crystal Bach features 53 suites, all with balconies, walk-in closets and king-sized beds. There are also Nespresso machines in all the cabins. The vessel also has multiple dining venues, a Palm Court with a dance floor and a glass-domed roof, a library, a fitness center, a spa, and sporting equipment onboard such as electric bicycles, kayaks and water scooters.

The Crystal Bach will be followed by the launch of three additional river cruise ships that the company refers to as its Rhine-class river cruise vessels — the Crystal Mahler is slated to launch in September and the Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel in 2018.

The Bach was built by the MV Werften shipyard in Germany. It will sail 10- and 14-day cruises on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.

The Bach’s launch follows last year’s launch of the Crystal Mozart, a former Peter Deilmann river cruise ship that Crystal purchased and transformed from a 203-passenger vessel into a 160-passenger one.