The Crystal Serenity to Navigate Luxury Passengers Through the Arctic Northwest Passage

The Luxury Cruise. The all-you-can-eat-buffet lines. The extremely overzealous but eminently enjoyable house band. The same, unsurprising and expected scenic routes. Even the most elegant, posh and elite-minded cruises can instill in travel-jaded passengers a sense of cruise line deja-vu. If you are a seasoned or novice cruise ship passenger in search of a cruise route that explores and navigates the lesser explored regions of the Earth, then get ready for an extremely expensive treatment.

The Cruise Ship Crystal Serenity

If you are in the market to indulge in a lavish, luxury cruise trip on the Crystal Serenity, a cruise ship currently poised to navigate through the historic Northwest Passage via the Arctic Circle in the summer of 2016, then it will just cost you a cool $22,000. The Northwest Passage was a hub of topographical discovery for intrepid adventurers at the turn of the 20th century. Many explorers of that era sought to find an artic route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In the first decade of the 1900’s, only about 200 ships traversed the Northwest Passage. In the second decade of the 21st century, only about 20 ships a year traverse the Northwest Passage. The advent of global warming and the construction of better ships with state-of-the-art technologies have made the waters of the Northwest Passage far more tolerable for ship traffic.

Features of the Cruise liner

The Crystal Serenity has over 13 decks and is over 800 feet long in length. The cruise liner houses 1,000 passengers and has six restaurants, a movie theater, and even a driving range, among other amenities. Only about 10 percent of the Northwest passage has been properly explored and charted since the 1900’s. Safety is of paramount concern to the crew of the Crystal Serenity. Crystal Cruises, LLC, which operates the cruise line, has hired the science vessel the RRS Ernest Shackleton to act as escort and scout ship for the duration of the voyage. The Shackleton will provide ice-breaking duties and offer emergency support as needed. In fact, Crystal Cruises, LLC spent almost 2 years plotting the route and making preparations for the Northwest Passage maiden voyage. 

Ticketing and Accommodations

A ticket for the cruise trip will cost $22, 000 per passenger with an option to indulge in a $4,000 helicopter ride over the Arctic waters. The Crystal Serenity is the largest vessel of its kind to navigate the Northwest Passage fully stocked with luxury travelers. Crystal Cruises, LLC, has plans to make the voyage an annual, or frequently traveled event, as weather permits.