CRYSTAL Cruises is considering orders for additional expedition vessels after a strong sales response to its recently announced Crystal Endeavor.

At an event in Sydney last night to outline details of its next generation expedition offering, the line confirmed it had options for additional new-build ships and was likely to commit to at least one more in the near future.

“I think without doubt that we will have two,” said Crystal senior vp and md for Australasia, Karen Christensen of future orders.

“This ship is a game changer and it’s a product that will be copied by others,” she said.

Billed as the largest and most spacious polar class vessel on offer, Crystal Endeavor will make its debut in Aug 2020 with a series of cruises in Asia and Australasia, including sailings from Hobart and Christchurch to Antarctica and the Ross Ice Shelf (CW 02 Aug).

The 200-passenger ship is under construction in Germany and will offer facilities including two helicopters, two submersible vessels and a fleet of 18 Zodiacs.

Christensen said initial Endeavor sales from the Australian and New Zealand markets had been “very encouraging”, inspired partly by the ship’s deployment in local seas.

“It’s a huge advantage to have Endeavor in these waters, and a huge commitment from Crystal showing what they feel in the long term,” she said.

Crystal also announced last night a partnership with Qantas in which guests can earn Frequent Flyer points for bookings on Crystal’s ocean, river and expedition itineraries.