This week, Eye on Travel broadcasts from the Crystal Serenity — dry docked at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany. We’ll update on the investigation into the crash of Lion Air in Indonesia and what the crash detectives are looking for. Joining Peter is Carolyn Spencer Brown, Editor-in-Chief of CruiseCritic.com, who explains the chess game of cruise ship rebuilds as well as the “small ship revolution” that’s happening now. Tom Wolber, CEO of Crystal Cruises, walks Peter through the often staggering details of the ship’s current refurbishment, which will not only increase the number of luxury suites but also at the same time, reduce the number of passengers on board. Then, Peter Knego, Cruise Journalist and Maritime Historian, discusses the current boom of luxury ships and how the definition of luxury is changing. And Arnie Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of Travel Weekly, talks about cutting-edge technologies involved in ship design, engineering and the science of dry docks. There’s all of this and more as Eye on Travel broadcasts from the Crystal Serenity in Bremerhaven, Germany.
Peter Greenberg on location shooting a Travel Detective segment at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany–which is also the location of this week’s Eye on Travel.
Click here to listen to the show streaming live from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 10, 2018.
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Tom Wolber, CEO of Crystal Cruises, shares how only about 8% of Americans have been on a cruise. He then explains how most ships go into dry dock every three years for refurbishment, just for a much shorter time. In the case of the Crystal Serenity, capacity was reduced to create more suites and enhance the customer experience as well as compete with other luxury lines and increase the value for guests.
Peter Knego, Cruise Journalist and Maritime Historian, discusses the current boom of luxury ships and the changing definition of luxury. He then talks about a remarkable 70-year-old ship that changed its name 11 times and survived a major disaster but is still sailing!
Egil Giske, Captain of Crystal Serenity, tells Peter interesting facts about the ship’s recent renovations. These facts include how much it costs and what happens with the ship’s old furniture.
Jan Sorensen, Vice President of Hotel Newbuild/Refurbishment for Crystal Cruises, reveals that Crystal Cruises’ biggest contractors are themselves. He also shares how during the current renovations there are 1,200 people working two shifts–24/7.
Eleonora Brugnolotto, Design Manager of Crystal Ocean, River & Yacht Cruises, talks about the ship’s new color scheme and shares some of the biggest challenges that happened while redesigning it.
Arnie Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of Travel Weekly, talks about intimate venues you can find on large cruises and the evolution of on board libraries. He also discusses the cutting edge technologies adopted by cruise ships. Then Peter tells Arnie a touching story about Crystal Serenity’s living legend, Mama Lee.
Carolyn Spencer Brown, Editor-in-Chief of CruiseCritic.com, explains why engineering ships is like a game of chess. She then shares her excitement about the “small ship revolution” that is happening now. More and more cruise lines are making small ships that are allowing us to not just be passengers anymore but travelers.
Werner Brenner, Executive Chef of Crystal Serenity, talks about how the fish is smoked on board. He also discusses the importance of creating a menu in which “not everyone is eating everything.”
By Alisa Sokolova for PeterGreenberg.com
