Ultimate Luxury and Jazz Afloat

Aboard one of the highest-rated ships in the world, Crystal Symphony you will discover the hallmarks of Crystal… extraordinary service, abundant space, exceptional quality and incredible choices. This is the very essence of their company; this is the Crystal Difference. A steadfast commitment to excellence has earned them unprecedented recognition as the World’s Best for an incredible 18 years – an accomplishment unmatched by any other cruise line, hotel or resort anywhere in the world.

Two cruises worth mentioning include:

World-famous bebop/hard bop saxophonist, composer, and arranger Benny Golson will thrill music lovers as the headliner aboard Crystal Cruises' 29 April jazz-themed voyage from Vancouver to Los Angeles.

Throughout the seven-day sailing, nearly a dozen internationally-renowned jazz artists will perform with, and pay tribute to, the Jazz Hall-of-Famer, who counts Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane among his contemporaries and former band mates. Exploring the Pacific Northwest and California coasts, the voyage features esteemed jazz musicians including nine-time Grammy-nominated pianist Kenny Barron and his trio; Grammy-nominated guitarist Henry Johnson; the celebrated Don Braden Quartet; and other notable vocalists and instrumentalists. 

Guests will enjoy live performances nightly in Crystal Symphony's lounges and theatres, including classic and new arrangements of favorite jazz standards, several of which were composed by Golson himself. 

From Vancouver, the itinerary offers calls in Victoria, British Columbia; Seattle, Washington; Astoria, Oregon; San Francisco and Santa Barbara before disembarking in Los Angeles. 

A second jazz cruise with almost two dozen musicians offers an intimate French-Canadian journey, round-trip from Montréal starting 26 September. Calling in Sept-Îles, Magdalen Island, and Québec City, Québec, plus maiden calling in Saint Pierre & Miquelon, the marquis includes multi-talented musicians Eddie Metz and Antti Sarpila, bassists Phil Flanigan and Nicki Parrott, trumpeter Duke Heitger, renowned band leader Pieter Meijers and others. 

Crystal Cruises' award-winning entertainment offerings include a range of venues and performances, from cabaret nightclub to piano bar saloon; acclaimed productions to headline entertainers; and sophisticated enrichment activities to in-room Blu-ray-viewing, for all world travellers.

For more information and Crystal reservations, contact Wiltrans International on 1800 251 174 (Australia) or 0800 446 376 (New Zealand).

Goddess Tip:

Due to popular demand, Crystal Cruises is adding17 voyages to the ultra-luxe line’s “Kids Sail Free” program.  With the promotion, kids age 17 and under can sail for free when sharing a third berth stateroom with two adults. 

With sophisticated tours worldwide, enriching learning opportunities, international gourmet cuisine, complimentary voluntourism excursions, and a host of other activities for all ages, the Crystal experience gives families exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime access to creating intimate bonds, gleaning a global education, and building lifelong memories while sailing in elegance, making Crystal Cruises the leader in family-friendly luxury cruising.

For more visit www.crystalcruises.com

Alison Carmichael-Rulten

Hi, I'm Alison Carmichael-Rulten the Publisher of Vacation Goddess, and I want to thank you for visiting Vacation Goddess – the one-stop shop for insider travel news, deals, 'Guest Goddes's stories, and of course our personal travel experiences. Plus, as we love to cruise we also try to find some amazing cruise deals for you too. From luxury, longer escapes right down to weekend breaks we know you love everything travel related. Here at Vacation Goddess, we hope you will find loads of inspiration and of course some amazing travel deals. We love a holiday at a great price and that's why we seek out what we call 'Champagne Experiences, on a Sparkling Wine Budget.' We constantly showcase a variety of special deals and offers and from time to time some very special competitions. Our recent 'Win a Trip to London' competition received over 24,00 entries. We invite you to visit us often, join our mailing list and please tell your friends