Burgeoning luxury river cruise line Crystal will be welcoming a number of Australians on board the new Crystal Ravel when she sets sail on her maiden voyage from Basel to Vienna next month.

At least 50 per cent are seasoned Australian Crystal Cruises guests who know the brand while the rest are newcomers who want to experience the maiden voyage scheduled for May 10.

Crystal Ravel is the fifth river ship which has recently been handed over to Crystal River Cruises ahead of her debut next month. Ravel will sail itineraries on the Rhine, Danube, Main and Moselle rivers and visit medieval towns and cosmopolitan hubs in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia.

Ravel joins a month after her sister ship, Crystal Debussy was delivered to Crystal River Cruises. Debussy has just embarked on her maiden voyage from Amsterdam on 9 April.

Both Crystal Ravel and Crystal Debussy have Australians on their inaugural voyages says Karen Christensen, managing director of Crystal Australia & New Zealand.

“While there are a small number of suites available, corporately we are very happy with the Australia and New Zealand sales performance. We are seeing 50 per cent split of Crystal Society members booking and new to Crystal guests,” she says.

Like her other newly built sister ships Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Debussy, the 106-guest Crystal Ravel has butler service in every room category, with king-sized beds, panoramic balcony-windows, walk-in closets, dual washbasins, ETRO robes and flat screen HDTVs.

Additional features include farm-to-table cuisine in open-seating eateries, the Waterside Restaurant and Bistro cafes. Entertainment options include the exclusive Vintage Room and the Palm Court.

Crystal River Cruises includes shore excursions which feature special signature events such as musical performances in Vienna’s Belvedere Palace, Linz’s St Florian Monastery and Rudesheim’s Monastery Eberbach.

The handover of Crystal Ravel took place at MV Werften Shipyard, Germany which was attended by Crystal Cruises president and CEO Tom Wolber, chairman of Crystal’s parent company Genting Hong Kong Tan Sri KT Lim and group president of GHK Colin Au.