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Riga to welcome its 1000th cruise ship
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The one thousandth cruise ship will be welcomed in Riga at 11:00 on Tuesday, August 7. Statistics undoubtedly show that the thousandth cruise ship of this century will dock in the capital during the 2012 season. However, since the schedule of cruise ships constantly changes, up until the end of July it was never certain which cruise ship would be given this honour.
Now it is known that it will be the Crystal Symphony of Crystal Cruises luxurious cruise lines. This event is even more festive due to the fact that this will be the first visit of Crystal Symphony to Riga, Riga City Council Social Relations Department reports.
The Crystal Symphony cruise ship was built in Finland, 1992, by the order of Crystal Cruises. It was finished in 1995 and set off for cruise voyages across the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the British Isles, the Arctic, Baltic Sea region and other places.
The ship is 238 meters long, 30 meters wide. The ship has 12 decks, eight of which are designed for the needs of the ship’s passengers. It is capable of carrying 922 passengers, with a crew of 545 people to keep those passengers satisfied.
The ship was upgraded three times before 2012 to the standards of luxury. The last upgrade (in 2009) cost 25 million dollars. The total costs for the ship are around 250 million dollars. This exclusive vessel has six stars. Passengers are offered all kinds of entertainment opportunities and high quality service. There are: a tennis court, mini-golf course, SPA centre, several swimming pools, a sophisticated concert hall, a library, a casino, restaurants, movie theatres, a winter garden and other kinds of entertainment opportunities. Passengers are also offered several elegant Penthouse type hotel rooms that are decorated with Swarovski crystals.
According to BalticTravel.com, Crystal Cruises ships hold the title of the best large size cruise ship for 17 years now. This title is offered by Travel+Leisure tourism magazine, based on the evaluation of thousands of tourists on different categories: service quality, routes, activities, accommodation, catering and added value. Crystal Symphony also received this title several times.
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