Crystal announces unique expansion

Crystal Cruises is about to change what they do. The luxury cruise line will still provide one of the best experiences at sea. However, they will soon extend their brand and service to the air.

The company ordered a 787 Dreamliner for delivery in 2017. The plane will be configured to carry guests in fully reclining international business class seats. The goal is to provide their unique luxury service to destinations where the major carries no longer service with direct flights.

Crystal's expansion also includes traditional cruise ships, a yacht and a river cruise vessel. This is all good news for fans of Crystal and those who like luxury travel. Crystal has shown great quality and consistency for years. There is no reason to think that their new airline and new experiences won't be a great success.

Breaking down the best River Cruises

The Wall Street Journal provided a good breakdown of some of the most popular river cruise companies and what each has to offer. All the well-known lines have similar routes and stops, but the WSJ, with the help of Wendy Perrin, highlights the right river cruise for foodies, photographers and those who want a luxury experience.

The river cruise experience is still very different from the large ocean liners, but as the industry grows the river cruises will become more diverse in their offerings and experiences. It is a great time to sail.

Disney moving into River Cruising

Monday, Disney announced a new partnership with AmaWaterways to create a Disney-branded river cruise experience. Sold through the company's Adventures by Disney's arm, the first steps will be small -- only five sailing in 2016. Given the millions of Disney devotees and their very loyal cruise customers, selling out those first five cruises will not be an issue. They could double their capacity in the first few years and still not scratch the surface of Disney-river cruising demand. The unknown is Disney's long-term plans in the space.

The partnership is a great way to test demand. But are there enough young families that want the River Cruise experience to support a full-time Disney River Cruise ship? Even those customers who enjoy the Adventures by Disney tours might find the smaller, river cruise ships limiting. Will it ever make sense for Disney to build its own ship?

Like Viking expanding from river cruises to ocean cruises, this is good news for the industry and cruise fans. It is also only a matter of time before ocean cruise company announces an expansion into river cruising.

River vs Ocean Cruises

One of the big stories of the past week was news that Viking Cruises' recent ship order includes an ocean-going vessel. With a huge following of river cruise passengers, Viking's expansion will surely be successful...even if they just get a fraction of their river cruisers onto the traditional cruise ship. But what about all those other river and ocean cruise fans who have wondered if they should try something different?

While there are many similarities, the river cruise and the ocean cruise remain very different. Cruise Maven Sherry Kennedy has a great breakdown of the two experiences here. Cruise Maven gives all of the important details and nuances, but the biggest takeaway is the difference in the ships. The river cruise boats are small and therefore don't offer the variety or number of onboard activities or dining options.

Viking's ocean ships will be smaller than the typical megaship, but the cruises will still be more familiar to ocean passengers than river devotees. Even with the differences, the company's success and track record should have river and ocean fans lining up to sail on the new ship.